'The Last Man' (420) General Discussion

[dasNdanger]

ronon and todd dying the way they did was the way warriors want to go out, but still, i'd have like to have seen the two TRY HARDER to get themselves out of that place alive.

I don't like shows where my fav characters die either...but this one really worked for me (as I sit here with tears in my eyes just thinking about it). It was sad, but many of the deaths were heroic, and that made it much better for me. Sam, Ronon and Todd's exits were amazing...especially R&T. I just made this comment over in the Wraith Defender's thread, but will repeat here...I think the reason Ronon's smile has done me in is because it gave me the sense that finally Ronon saw in Todd what we - the fans - have seen all along. When a Wraith gets Ronon's stamp of approval...well...it's truly a beautiful thing. So, even though it hurts to see that part, it also gives me a true feeling of satisfaction that these two went out exactly as they should have, with one former enemy finally validating the other.

As far as them not putting up enough of a fight - well, I accept that time wouldn't allow for it. Instead, we get the sense that these two did all they could, including hand to hand fighting...until the exits were all blocked off and they had no where else to go - it was their last stand, and they made it together. Remember, in SoW, Todd saved his own ass while the others were taken down - he chose not to do that this time, but instead he stood with Ronon until the very end. I don't look at the scene in a TECHNICAL way, instead I see it in a POETIC sense. It's not about whether or not they could have escaped, or put up a better fight - it's about two enemies putting aside their differences, and giving their lives, for a common cause.

It was the best scene, IMHO, of the entire season...not just because of 'Todd', but because of what Todd brings out in Ronon. Not sure how Ronon's life will go after things are set right, but in this timeline his journey is complete - from Wraith hater, to a brother-in-arms with one. Just fills me up everytime I think about it...

Gonna stop now...really need to get some sleep...


das

[david2708]

Hmm....very average kind of episode. Could have really appeared anywhere in the season and easily forgotten. One of the poorest final ep episodes of the show.
Very dodgy/fake looking SFX in the final 'cliffanger'.
A cliffhanger that also reeked of we don't know what we're doing next year. Just trap em in a blown up building. Very unimaginative.

[jdbond]

Hmm....very average kind of episode. Could have really appeared anywhere in the season and easily forgotten. One of the poorest final ep episodes of the show.
Very dodgy/fake looking SFX in the final 'cliffanger'.
A cliffhanger that also reeked of we don't know what we're doing next year. Just trap em in a blown up building. Very unimaginative.

I don't think a collapsing building was the final "cliffhanger" but a painful realization that Teyla wasn't there! So Teyla is still missing and building is gone. Things could still go to hell if you know what I mean.

[chensuu]

I agree. They had accepted what happened and started a life. With her gone, he had lost everything. But I think it's what's unsaid that's important. He mentions to Lorne the stuff wrong on Earth. That's all we get, but it's enough for Lorne to agree.

Of course, with Sheppard 48,000 years in the future, the only limit Rodney had was his own life span. Whether he started working on it as soon as he figured out what happened to Sheppard or waited a couple of years made no difference. He had 48,000 years to go.

I don't see this. I'm sorry, I guess I'm just the only one here taking crazy pills or something because I can't imagine a universe with a Rodney who accepts things without trying.

And why would Rodney wait a couple of years and then decide to do something if Keller lived? The way the storyline presented it, if Keller never died then Rodney wouldn't have done anything. She's the catalyst, obviously the "death of a loved one" in Mallozzi's poem. Rodney would have lived out his life with Keller and not tried to change anything at all that happened in the past with his friends and teammates dying because to do so would have ended his romance.

So, whether Rodney decided to change the future of Earth and Pegasus revolved around Keller living or dying. It would have made more sense to me if he started working on something, anything, when he realized Sheppard was alive and then continued it as events unfolded. To give this type of importance to new character Keller after a quickie forced relationship IMO is ridiculous especially when we've spent four years understanding the value and love Rodney places on his team.

[morjana]

SGA - SciFi Channel Updates for The Last Man:

From the SciFi Channel's Stargate Atlantis site, updates for March 7, 2008:

http://www.scifi.com/atlantis/



"The Last Man"

http://www.scifi.com/atlantis/episod...&ep=0420&act=1




* Episode Synopsis

* Episode Photos



NEW Alex Levine Blog update for “The Last Man:”

http://blog.scifi.com/stargate/


NEXT new episode: Stargate Atlantis‘ Season Five Premiere "Search and Rescue" -- Sometime (hopefully July -- possibly September) this year!




NEW Quiz:

http://www.scifi.com/atlantis/quizze...ex.php?start=1



Season Four Wrap-Up

March 8, 2008

So, you saw every episode this season — but were you paying attention? Take the Season Four Wrap-up trivia quiz and find out!


GET IN THE GATE SWEEPSTAKES - The Iris Closes March 14, 008!

http://www.scifi.com/getinthegate/


<><><><>

From the MGM Stargate site:

Unlock the Gate Sweepstakes

http://stargate.mgm.com/promotions/sweepstakes_code.php

The Gate closes on March 13, 2008.

[AutumnDream]

It was about as good as I expect from SGA. The concept could have been executed in several really neat ways, but I guess choosing the most predictable format is cool these days. Way to end it in the least compelling, least poetic way possible though. The myriad of potential endings they could have had... oh, it makes me weep. Or rather, it would if I didn't totally expect them to pull a "oh no will the team die or will they not die this is very exciting *does backflip*" ending.

Why did JM hype up the "last frame of the episode will have audiences in an uproar!!!" thing? It was basically the same "last frame" as dozens of other episodes. Because of his hyping, the whole time I was wondering what crazy ending they might have had in store, and it was that.

Another fine PR job by TPTB.

[david2708]

It was about as good as I expect from SGA. The concept could have been executed in several really neat ways, but I guess choosing the most predictable format is cool these days. Way to end it in the least compelling, least poetic way possible though. The myriad of potential endings they could have had... oh, it makes me weep. Or rather, it would if I didn't totally expect them to pull a "oh no will the team die or will they not die this is very exciting *does backflip*" ending.

Why did JM hype up the "last frame of the episode will have audiences in an uproar!!!" thing? It was basically the same "last frame" as dozens of other episodes. Because of his hyping, the whole time I was wondering what crazy ending they might have had in store, and it was that.

Another fine PR job by TPTB.

JM is notorious in the hyperbole department. After so many years you learn to take it with a grain of salt. Sad thing is we're in for more of it for at least another year until SciFi pull the plug probably at the end of the 5th season.

[SoulAssassino]

I liked this ep very much, and i'm right now thanking god that it didn't end in a very huge cliffhanger. It's obvious that they won't kill off 90% of the main cast with a building collapsing on them, they either get beamed out in the last second (probability:1%) survive but get stuck (probability: 70%) Rodney survives, everything goes bad again, and he reprogrammes the hologram(probability: 10%). If they do get stuck, they'll either get captured, or pinned down by Michael. The only one i'm concerned about is Maj. Lorne, i like him very much, and he's not an unkillable caracter as Sheppard, Mckay, Teyla, Carter or Ronon.

Edit: Ford could step in, kick Michaels ass, save the day and re-join the team!!(probability: -5% )

I was a bit disappointed about the Phoenix's shields, the Daedalus survived way longer against two hives in many occasions, and the Phoenix had more advanced systems than the Daedalus had back then...I'm sure we will see her again, and i think we're gonna love this ship.(not as much as the Prometheus or the Daedalus though)And asgard weapons finished off that hive in 3 shots...cool!

My idea for atlantis base command: General Jack O'neill

Anyone knows when we'll get season 5?

[docballen]

I really enjoyed this episode... but I feel like a moron and need something explained to me.

What was Rodney's plan???

I understood the idea that Shep was 48,000 years in the future and that it was a "hologram" of Rodney that he was talking to. I never understood how "current era" Rodney knew Shep had gone 48,000 years into the future. ANd then, he figures out how to make the "interactive" hologram-- which waits for Shep's signal to engage talking and moving around.

The only part I got of the rescue plan was for Shep to go into stasis for roughly 1,000 years.

What happened after that?? Was that how long it was going to take for another solar flare to happen-- one that would bring him back home???(I can't wait for the transcript of this episode...)

And I'd like to know what happened to the baby, too. I suppose that's Season 5 material.

[david2708]

As with the theme, the cliffhanger will be resolved by a going back in time-yet again-and stop them from going into the building in the first place.
TPTB will always look for an easy way out.

[Willow'sCat]

Hmm....very average kind of episode. Could have really appeared anywhere in the season and easily forgotten. One of the poorest final ep episodes of the show.
Very dodgy/fake looking SFX in the final 'cliffanger'.
A cliffhanger that also reeked of we don't know what we're doing next year. Just trap em in a blown up building. Very unimaginative.

The special FX were kinda weak, even the mass of people looked so computer generate. *shrugs* All the little space battles probably blew the budget.

As for McKay only starting to work on his theory of a way to bring back Sheppard because of Keller's death, well everyone was telling him that Sheppard was dead. Maybe after a while he started to doubt his own gut instincts, also the whole Atlantis thing was going badly.

I think Keller's death was the catalyst to get him thinking again but not the sole reason for him continuing for 25 years. Those reasons were more complex then just wanting to save Keller. Also he is a scientist like any scientist he would know in theory the likelihood of him and Keller being together again, after Sheppard was saved, would be slim given it was the losses and the time together that drew them to one and other in the first place.

Also he would know that only Sheppard would remember... unless (and I am waiting for the fanfic) he hid a note only younger!McKay would find where he explains it all! lol

As for Joe M... while I am here.

This was in no way the finale he made it out to be in his many entries in his blog, no I am not surprised just a little saddened that he would see fit to embellish rather then just let the episode speak for itself. Why even as a Show-runner build up an episode that in the end is a weak finale... it just adds to the disappointment, better to say nothing then people can just shrug and wait for season 5.

It was also not a tear-jerker, I almost felt sad when Keller died, but only for Rodney. The other deaths were just silly. Even Sam's was lame, I mean going down with the ship! Cliched, and she looked constipated not heroic. The way Joe was talking I thought this would be a three Kleenex box eppy, not a *I think I have something in my eye* eppy.

Finally! This does show us that Joe M had no idea Woolsey

Spoiler:

was going to take over command for real in season 5 when they wrote this! LOL How ironic! He made him even less sympathetic then usual, that is going to make fans want him as the new Leader!

[chensuu]

Spoiler:

As for McKay only starting to work on his theory of a way to bring back Sheppard because of Keller's death, well everyone was telling him that Sheppard was dead. Maybe after a while he started to doubt his own gut instincts, also the whole Atlantis thing was going badly.

I think Keller's death was the catalyst to get him thinking again but not the sole reason for him continuing for 25 years. Those reasons were more complex then just wanting to save Keller. Also he is a scientist like any scientist he would know in theory the likelihood of him and Keller being together again, after Sheppard was saved, would be slim given it was the losses and the time together that drew them to one and other in the first place.

That makes sense except that Rodney believed Sheppard was alive before he decided to bail and leave Atlantis.

The way the storyline presented it, if Keller had lived she would have kept her private medical practice and Rodney would have continued his work as a physicist and they would have continued as a happy couple. They were so sugary sweet together walking down the streets of Vancouver I could practically hear the birds singing.

Why then would Rodney decide to finally do something to save Sheppard and right the wrongs of two galaxies when the change to the timeline would mean his relationship with Keller never existed, ie, the catalyst never occurred? He only had his epiphany when Keller was pronounced terminal. Also, the episode never presented any visible interest of Rodney's to bring Sheppard back at all or do anything to mess with the timeline once during the flashback sequence.

I'm assuming a fair amount of time passes between Shep going missing, and Teyla, Ronon and Carter dying. And in all that time Rodney was inactive to try and bring Sheppard home, the one friend he knew was still alive.

I guess it gives me an icky feeling to think that Sheppard's first thought when he realized things were not right would probably be "Rodney will figure this out" and if the reality of the situation was different and Keller lived he'd probably never see the Atlantis he knew again.

On another note. This episode has totally given me insomnia.

[metabog]

Michael is now my all time favorite enemy... that was just intense.

[JackHarkness_Hot]

Well I thought this...


It's bloody fantastic! The whole, Sheppard stepping through the gate to find himself 48,000 years in the future, the dried up planet and I would have loved to see the evacuation order given when they decided to abandon the city.

The what if lives of Carter, Teyla, Ronan, Keller and McKay's life.. truly a remarkable episode. Very well written and fantastically acted out, bravo, bravo! Plus the incidental music used and created for this episode, beautiful!

I can't really say that the uniform looked good on Woolsey, it looked kinda gross TBH. I hope he retains wearing his suit in Season 5.

Brilliant episode and I can't wait to see the conclusion!

[I_C_Ancients]

the building probably falls in a such a way that the team is stuck but not crushed

I think your totally right.

I want season 5 now. This season ender was just AWESOME!!!