The Ark (316)

[starfox]

One thing that's going to get really frustrating about these kinds of episodes now is that we're going to have to start explaining why the Daedalus can't just woosh in and save the day. To my dismay that wasn't explained this time. Since both Earth and Atlantis have ZPMs now, the Daedalus should always be in Pegasus. And with the insane engine speed of 304s, the 'can't get there in time' excuse won't work much unless they're way way out at the edge of Pegasus.

Wait...Atlantis doesn't have a ZPM. We drained it, remember? So the Daedalus needs to keep making supply runs.

Also, as for why the Daedalus can't always save the day: after you've done it a couple of times, it makes for pretty boring television. Also, they don't have to pay for another episode in Mitch Pileggi's contract if they save themselves.

[Agent_Dark]

Wait...Atlantis doesn't have a ZPM. We drained it, remember? So the Daedalus needs to keep making supply runs.

No, they ended up with 3 zpm's after The Return pt2. One stayed on Atlantis, one went to Earth and one went to the Odyssey to help in the fight against teh Ori.

[starfox]

No, they ended up with 3 zpm's after The Return pt2. One stayed on Atlantis, one went to Earth and one went to the Odyssey to help in the fight against teh Ori.

Huh. Must've forgotten that part.

[LoveConquers]

Huh. Must've forgotten that part.

It was mentioned in the conversation between Rodney and Elizabeth at the very beginning of a recent ep. Echoes I think?

[LoveConquers]

"Echoes", actually.

Oh, LOL, just edited my post to say that, then saw this one. Thanks!

[PG15]

Well, my post is kind of irrelevant now, so I'll go and delete it.

[Mitchell82]

I really enjoyed this ep. It was very different but still very good. Teyla got more screen time and did a great job IMO. i thought the story was very well done as was the facility though the cg was a ltittle off it was still very different. If anyone was lacking in morality it was the "frozen" people.(forgot the name) 9/10

[parisindy]

and OMG its official!
best episodes of the season
Sateda, Common Ground and the ARK

OMG OMG

i have no nails left, i loved every second, as much as i love our city i love when they get away from the set, the filming instantly becomes more creative and the show feels refreshed..... i can't say enough

on a scale from one to ten i rate it a FREAKING HELL THAT WAS GREAT!

[Jenner8675309]

I enjoyed it. I am a bigger fan of the ensemble episodes when it comes to SGA, but having Lorne and Carson come in to help save the day was nice. When the eps are centered on "the four" I feel more like I'm watching SG-1. But it was sooo nice to see an ep with out these perils:

Spoiler:

replicators and/or nano virus or other alien virus.

The joys of science fiction mean anything can happen.....but I digress. That is for another thread

In a nutshell: 7/10.

[Lightning Crashes]

Another "meh" episode. I feel like I'm watching the same damn episode every week. And what the hell is up with the lack of Elizabeth lately? She is an interesting, intelligent, complex character -- one that I find SORELY underused. I dare the writers to have the balls to write more than a couple of episodes a season that heavily incorporates Elizabeth - and her much touted diplomatic/linguistic talents - into the storyline.


LC

[Mitchell82]

Another "meh" episode. I feel like I'm watching the same damn episode every week. And what the hell is up with the lack of Elizabeth lately? She is an interesting, intelligent, complex character -- one that I find SORELY underused. I dare the writers to have the balls to write more than a couple of episodes a season that heavily incorporates Elizabeth - and her much touted diplomatic/linguistic talents - into the storyline.


LC

well I agree on the lack of Elizabeth. She has become more like Hammond. Still I'm sure we'll see her more.

[RoryJ]

I liked the episode. A good 6 or 7 out of ten from me. However, I have some issues that aren't necessarily attributed to The Ark, but more to the general trend of season three's second half.

First, The Good:

1. I liked the set and the camera work done within it. Martin Wood did a good job of using ever inch of space available to him.

2. As usual, the music quality goes up even another notch. Joel Goldsmith can do very little wrong

3. McKay's "Yippee! Faint hope" was adorable.

4. Rodney is ever slowly learning to play the game. His catching on to Teyla's radio conversation was cute, as was his firm stance to Lorne that he will "leave no one behind". Did y'all head that? He refused to leave! That was quite a step for our little Wodney. I think his character played a great role in this episode, and they didn't even go overboard on the McShep snark, which they often do. A good balance of character interaction for John and Rodney.

5. Lorne, as usual, just enhances every episode he's in. Like SG-1, it's the supporting and recurring characters that add so much more texture and depth to the show's little universe. Therefore, it's time for some new recurring character. We had Heightmeyer and Caldwell back for a moment back in Echoes, along with the ever-wonderful Zelenka. Keep using them and introduce us to more. It makes everything more interesting and more meaningful when something bad happens.

8. I love that Beckett opened up with, "Teyla, love, are you there?" I love that he always calls Teyla "love". It's so dern cute. *huggles her Beckett* And Teyla got a speech and everything tonight! Of course, they lose points by turning her into the damsel in distress (again), but it was more Teyla time, so I won't complain. I very much liked her speech.



Now, the problems:

1. The first twenty minutes? Too similar to "Lifeboat". I was one of those who supported this story when the spoilers first came out. TPTB took similar concepts from "100 Days" and "Unnatural Selection" and ended up with episodes, while varying in quality, that still managed to feel very different and remain unique to Atlantis and its characters. But the whole beginning of this was WAY to similar to "Lifeboat", and the eventual plot ended up being not much better. Could this episode have easily been done by SG-1? Yes. It didn't accomplish a unique feel until it utilized Sheppard's hero complex and piloting skills, only then coming into its own.

2. Okay, I know that by their very nature, team-episodes will be ElizabethLite. I get this and understand it. I only ask that TPTB spread episodes like these out a little throughout the season. Just space them out a bit and accept the fact that you made Elizabeth a main character, so you have to cater to her a bit more. Even when O'Neill was in charge of the SGC in season 8 and was pulling out of the show, he STILL had more meat and screentime half the time. Thus, I know that TPTB have made it work once, and they can do it again. I know many dislike Elizabeth, but many DO like her, and I don't mind episodes like these, I just wish they weren't all clumped together when the first half of the season had so much of her. It feels very uneven and, for me, very boring.

3. Okay, my main concern thus far: Sheppard. He was great in tonight's ep, but the resurgence of his "suicide-complex" just brought this nagging complaint back again. TPTB wanted a darker character for the lead of this show, and they got one. However, it seems to have been forgotten. So, where once Sheppard's aformentioned suicide-complex (ie. The Seige II, The Ark, and many others), his tendency towards extreme violence (ie. The Eye, Seige I), his at times painful awkwardness and social aversion (ie. Rising, Sateda) and his deep mistrust of military authority (ie. Any episode with a full-bird) was very interesting and promising of rich character growth, TPTB seemed to lose interest in what they started. This leaves them with, essentially, a shell of a character who says insensitive things, sleeps around every now and then, and plays hero like it's a game. He didn't start out as a cowboy. He started out almost tragic and much more interesting. But lately he's gotten very little to chew on and his characters heroics seems empty and unfulfilling. This was a problem in season 2, but I felt that episodes like Misbegotten, Sateda, The Real World, Common Ground, Phantoms, and The Return promised an end to that. Again, maybe it's just that we've had so many nonchalant, stand-alone, insignificant episodes one after one right next to each other (Tao of Rodney excluded), but it is hard to shake the feeling that Sheppard just isn't very interesting lately. That's a shame, seeing as the rest of his team has never been more interesting. I hate comparing SGA to SG-1, but at least in SG-1, I have the ability to care about all of the character simultaneously and to be interested in them. I felt that at the beginning of season 3, but not anymore.


I ended on a downer, but I still didn't really mind the ep. It was what it was, but it comes in during a string of eps that simply were as they were and nothing else (again, Tao of Rodney excluded). But I maintain that they made the season absolutely phenomenal when the year started so I hope that, as we crawl closer to some character reflection, major angst, and a big, booming finale, we pick up some of the wind lost from our sails.

[Mitchell82]

I really don't see the comaprisons to Lifeboat as it was compleatly different IMO.

[bluealien]

All I did was push someone out of the way of a car and i did actually get hit myself but I still thought it was the right thing to do even though I ended up hurt and at the speed the car was going and the lack of time I had there was a very good chance I'd be hit worse than i was, infact it was pure luck it wasn't fatal. In a situation like that though when you're faced with it, it just feels like the right thing to do, Sheppard being the kind of guy he's perceived as should've had that same feeling and helped them regardless of the consequences. Numerous times in the past he's put he life on the line for complete strangers so why this time did it take a member of his team being caught up in it for him to act? Heck he puts his life on the line for the whole of earth on a weekly basis, why should this time be any different? I feel it was very out of character for him and selfish compared to his previous actions/ the kind of character he's made out to be.

Pushing someone out of the way is a kind of instinctual reaction and I would think that most people would react in a similar fashion but willingly giving up your life for someone you dont know is totally different. If you were asked to step in front of a car to cause the car to swerve and avoid hitting several people, would you be so quick to volunteer. John has NO obligation to go around giving up his life on the slim chance of saving people he doesnt even know. Are we expecting him to step in everytime someone is in peril and offer up his life. John weighed up the situation in the beginning -because Herrick put them all in danger in the first place Johns first priority was to get his team off that moon and to safety. Rodney had told him that there was no way he could save those people so John concentrated on getting them rescued as they were running out of time. He only took the decision to try and save Teyla after the cirmcumstances changed and because it was someone very close to him he was prepared to give up his life to try and save her, but self sacrificing tendencies can only go so far because if John was to give up his life for everyone who crossed his path because they were in danger, then the man would have been dead long ago. As he said in LFG he cannot save everyone and should not be expected to.

[bluealien]

I don't get the comparisons to Life Boat either and I watch the show for all the characters not just one so I wont dismiss any episode just because it didnt have a particular character.

This for me was a great ep - I love team eps and this featured everyone. McKay was wonderful - his usual insenitive self where Shep had to call him on it - but he's just being McKay and I loved when he didnt want to go with Lorne and said that we dont leave people behind. Behind all his snark he cares just as much for his team mates as the others do.

Loved Ronan in this too - he was so in character and popping his dislocated shoulder back himself was just so Ronan and Sheps expression was priceless. Its nice to see that the fearless warrior has got some phobias as well.

Teyla was stunning in this ep and her conversations with Jamus were amazing. She understood his position and what he was going through and even after he took her hostage and threatened her life, she could still forgive him because she knew he was only driven to act the way he did in desperation to save his people.

Shep was great I love how he tries to keep thinking positively even when Rodney keeps telling him how doomed they were. His actions to save Teyla in the end once again prove how far he would go to save those he cares about. He would do anything for his team and was prepared to give up his life to save Teyla. He made the decision without hesitation or second thoughts. This is so in character for him - he has lost too many people in the past that he cared about and he will go to any lenghts so that does not happen again - even giving up his own life.

Wonderful episode - great writing - great action - the Shuttle scene was amazing. Defininitely one of my favourite eps of the season.