The Return, Part 1 (310)

[keshou]

He was standing near the exit ramp of the jumper and when Sheppard zatted him he collapsed an rolled down the ramp onto the floor. So no, he's not along for the ride.

Well thank goodness. I didn't see him roll down the ramp and was kind of wondering about him myself.

Might have been fun to see Siler getting thrown around the Atlantis set by the replicators if he'd tagged along.

*poor Siler*

[Alipeeps]

Heh. Rewatching and had a random thought - none of Elizabeth, John or Rodney have an annoying tune on their mobile phones? Just standard type ringtones, every one of them... now come on, you're not tell me that McKay at least wouldn't have the Star Wars theme tune or something on his mobile?!!

[CalmStorm]

... now come on, you're not tell me that McKay at least wouldn't have the Star Wars theme tune or something on his mobile?!!

LOL....I was certain he was going to have the Mission Impossible or James Bond theme going.

[SGADUDE]

After watching this episode of Atlantis I've come to the conclusion that it was good episode but it was put in the wrong spot this season this episode would've made a great season finale instead of a midseason 2 parter. I think Atlantis has had its best season this year but to get the ratings up they should really send the show in a radical new direction. The Return could of been that new direction. The writers should have taken out the Asuran part made it really about the ancients coming back to atlantis only. Think about it the ancients come back takeover atlantis and tell the expedition to leave they leave but they leave some negotiatiors behind and eventaully the ancients through the negotiations allow the humans to come back to Atlantis with a small contingent of about 50 or so people (led by Weir and Sheppard) mainly because the expeditions knows more about the pegasus galaxy today then the ancients because all of the ancients intel is 10,000 yrs old. So the expeditions returns minus beckett as a regular he still pops up from time to time as a recurring character on the show. And Teyla also becomes a recuuring becuase she really doesn't seem to have place in the show anymore. So the season ends with a smaller expedition back in Atlantis and operating under the Ancients overall leadership (Does always have to be a cliffhanger season finale). Than season 4 comes with new reguler characters like that Ancient ship captain we saw last night as the new commander of Atlantis and maybe another ancient joins Sheppard, Mckay and Ronin as Teyla's replacement on the team because Teyla has rejoined her people as their leader again on their new home planet the ancients provided them. Season 4's main plot will be about how the Humans work together with the newly returned ancients to beat the Wraith and the Asurans and how they (Humans and Ancients) change each others views on on to do things an solve problems similar to how the Asgard would always think of a hightech way of solving a problem but when it came to the replactors they needed SG1's less advanced thinking to stop the replacators from taking over their home planet. This idea I've typed out I think would've really freshened up the show as it gets older.

[Mitchell82]

This was indeed a great episode. I said the same thing about Within the Serpants Grasp b/c of the disobeying orders thing but totally different. Everything about this episode clicked for me and I don't want to hurt anyone's feelings so i will apoplgise in advance in case I do. I really don't see the problems some state about this episode. we finally get to see real Ancients actually in Atlantis in our time. The Asurans will be a great enemy and I just can't stop raving abut this episdoe b/c it was that good for me. Sorry that not everyone fells this way but to each is own.

[SimilarCadence]

Wonderful episode.....

*Last night, imo, the team finally became family---what an amazing amount of genuine bonding and deep friendship expressed. I could feel the ache inside that each one felt at having to say goodbye and then their loneliness while apart from each other on Earth. The actors all did such a great job in conveying these emotions. Loved the dinner date between John, Carson, Elizabeth and Rodney! The scenes between Carson and Elizabeth in her apartment were especially nice. And the head meld (for lack of a better term!) between Teyla and John was very touching. I think I'll just repeat what Ironic said in an earlier post: "It was all about loving, but not the shipping kind."

*I loved the whole hijack-the-puddlejumper-and-save-Atlantis bit and I didn't mind that it's been done before. It actually reminded me of Kirk and company disobeying orders and taking the Enterprise in The Search for Spock---didn't even think of Within the Serpent's Grasp until others posted it here. I don't mind recycled ideas if they're done well and as far as I'm concerned, last night Team Atlantis made it their own..... This is the first time in a long while that I've had that can't-wait feeling about seeing the second half of a two-parter in the Stargate universe. Six months is a long time.....

Miscellaneous thoughts:
*I found it enormously satisfying having Sheppard cut Landry off in mid-sentence....

*Thought the writers had Ke'ra/Linnea (memory intact) commandeer the Ancients' ship in her mad pursuit of taking over the Pegasus Galaxy when I first saw her familiar face! Don't really mind the actress being recycled as an Ancient though....

*Not at all happy with the rumors about Beckett....

*I love seeing Jack anytime, anywhere, but I hope he's given a lot more to do in the second part when it comes around. (I'd prefer to see him in SG-1 rather than Atlantis, but I'll take what I can get....) He's much too good to waste.....

[DaDigi]

Oddly, this episode reminded me of TBFTFOG (There But For The Grace of God - 1x20) at the end.

[jckfan55]

Overall, a pretty decent episode. I liked that everyone got something to do and it wasn't the Rodney show.

I was sorry they didn't address the Athosians/Ancestors thing more. There's gotta be some major disillusionment going on there. Why not see it? It seemed like Teyla got dissed by the Ancients. That would have made a nice scene.

I thought RDA was sadly wasted. If you're going to bring him in, use him FCOL.
They've set things up nicely for part 2.

[Callie]

Maybe I have a strange imagination, but when Ronon and Teyla are standing at the fire in the Athosian settlement and discussing whether or not to join the Genii, Ronon jiggles his body in a way that made me think that he’d just peed in the soup.

[Pocus]

I thought this was a great episode!! It was filled with emotion: nervousnes about the bridge working, elation at discovering an Ancient Warship and meeting its crew, confusion and disappointment about having to leave Atlantis, aimlessness (if that is even a word or feeling ) and displacement back on Earth, and (most importantly to me) DETERMINATION to get their city back!

Loved:

*The Goodbyes
My favorite was between Sheppard, Teyla, and Ronon. It was just right for them. Not mushy at all but you knew they were trying to not say sad things. They needed to keep it positive. Loved the Ronon tackle/hug (wonder if that was something Jason came up with on the spot and they decided to keep it in? The reactions all around were priceless).
The Rodney/Carson goodbye showed me how much Rodney has grown. He realized (a little to late but at least he tried) that Carson was really upset and had really wanted to say something. I wonder exactly what he had been going to say.
The Teyla/Sheppard goodbye at the gate. It showed how far they have come as friends. The first time we saw the forehead salutation in Rising, it was awkard on Sheppard's part, but now we see how much he has come to respect her, her people, and their customs.
The Sheppard/Elizabeth goodbye in her room (looks like her Atlantis room was bigger than her apartment on Earth. I guess that was another reason she was depressed!) was personalized because it wasn't her packing up her office, but professional because of their discussion.

*their time on Earth. It was good to see what each of them were doing and that they were keeping in touch with each other. Rodney has probably never been so connected to a group of people in his life. Was it in Home when he had an empty answering machine after being away for so long? It seem that he never even imagined he would have real friends that would do so much for him.

*Carson going to talk to Elizabeth. He was the right choice. He knows what she has gone through and can keep an eye on her medically as well as just being her friend.

* all the cell phones ringing at the same time.

*the great team effort to get out of the SGC. Poor Siler, but at least he did not get thrown into a wall this time.

*seeing a Jumper come into the gateroom.

*Sheppard's hair

Not sure about:

*Elizabeth's depression. I understand it, just was a little disappointed that she seemed liked she was not ready to start thinking about coming up with a plan to move on yet. Although it had only been six weeks since they had gotten back and she probably took the loss of the city more personally. The rest were handling it by keeping busy. Maybe writing her memoirs would have been very cathartic. She does seem to be someone who bottles lots of things up.

*Carson's turtles. I did not think you could buy turtles in the States anymore. They can carry Salmonella. Maybe that is just in my area or he got big turtles (shells over 4 inches). I did love that he was worried about them.

Disliked:

*the six month hiatus

*General O'Neill. I miss Colonel O'Neill! Jack always seems out of place/uncomfortable in Dress Blues. I love him in BDUs. He seems like he can be the character that I have known and loved for so many years when he is not all dressed up.

*waiting for six months for the second part

*Ladon's hair

*that March is so far away

[Dr Weir]

Awesome ep!!!! Yeah go rebels. Way to leave me on a cliff hanger! How long do I have to suffer until it's resolved?

[prion]

Disliked:[/B]

*the six month hiatus

*General O'Neill. I miss Colonel O'Neill! Jack always seems out of place/uncomfortable in Dress Blues. I love him in BDUs. He seems like he can be the character that I have known and loved for so many years when he is not all dressed up.

*waiting for six months for the second part

*Ladon's hair

*that March is so far away
[/FONT]

Yup, March too far away. Must get downloads from Canada.

O'Neill was... well, I'm glad he wasn't in much of it at all as he was pseudo-pod Jack. Cracks the dumb joke, just doesn't strike me as a military commander of any kind anymore.

I noticed Ladon's hair too. The actor is growing it out, plus growing the beard again (more like a goatee I think). It was cool to see the Genii come back into the picture.

[ShadowMaat]

Oh yeah, a belated YAY to the cutie from Daedalus being front & center at McKay's expositiony speech at the beginning and also getting to parrot the computer later on and generally just sit around looking all hot and official-like.

Must get screencaps and resurrect the Kleinman thunk thread.

[Lt.Colonel John Sheppard]

okay yes i haven't seen this many posts on one episode that aired only yesterday. I like the whole Sheppard/O'Neill rogue thing Very "Within the serpent's Grasp". What i like the most was that music at the end of the episode where they are going through the gate and we fade to the to be continued... sign. I thought those were actual ancients and not asurans at the beginning. i wonder whats going to happen in the second part? hmm Sheppard and Atlantis Team 1 take on the replicators and take back their home. I love that sheppard got to wear an SGC uniform made him look like one of the personnel there.

[ShadowMaat]

Wouldn't it be funny if the whole attack on Atlantis had been staged? The RepliAncients come in and take over and then set it up to make it look like the city is under attack by the Replicators so that Jack will send a distress call through the gate and Earth will send help thereby insuring... something. That's where the daydream falls apart.

I just have a really hard time accepting this whole story at face value. The plucky band of displaced Ancients coming back to reclaim their city, the conveniently timed Replicator attack, the distress call (why in hell would the Ancients allow such a call to take place? They've made it clear they don't need and don't want Earth's help), the Daedalus zooming to the rescue... I even wonder if Shep's mission is part of the conspiracy. After all, the Reps know he has a serious Hero Complex and that he'll do anything to protect "his" city and "his" people.

But hey, maybe everything IS exactly what it appears to be. We have six months to dawdle about and spin wild theories. I can come up with all kinds of craziness.