'The Last Man' (420) General Discussion

[Mitchell82]

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.

I disagree. JM is notorious in doing a bang up job with the show and this finale shows just that.

[Mitchell82]

First notice, I shouldn't have watched this after an excellent Dr. Who episode (Blink)... that was a mistake.

No offense but even with my love for Atlantis I can't see how anyone can enjoy Dr. Who.

Secondly, it was much more fascinating to see my cat sleep than to watch this episode. He looks extremely cute and fuzzy, and it looks like he's smiling.

It was that boring to you?

Onto the episode:

The good:
* Do I still have hair? - No! -> I chuckled. That was evil.
* I actually kinda liked the thing between Rodney and Jennifer - *gasp*

As did I those were great.

* Ronon going down fighting, side by side with Todd

That was very unexpected and very cool.

* Atlantis in the sand - talk about Global Warming

Maybe our governments need to watch this.

The mediocre:
* the Rodney/Sheppard-show... Really 42 minutes of nothing else, with a little side-dish of others... it gets really boring.

We knew this would be about Shep trapped in the far future and trying to save Teyla. IMO they gave us a very good balance between all the events.

* the IOA at its best - if this is a possible glimps of the real future ... and they could bother with conflict this could potentially be good - but I highly doubt it.

I think they will give us conflict but maybe not that extreme.

The bad:
* That CG-building - the worst ever CG they've done, I think ... That was bad. My Medal of Honor buildings look better than that. It looked like a videogame building of several years back.

It was obvious that it was CG but it wasn't bad.

* They still don't do old well. David H. bounced around like 30-something man looking 60. The make-up was mediocre at best, and they always forget the hands. People, hands age too!

You've got to be kidding! The makeup and acting by DH was superb. He bounced around and shaked a bit because of his old age.

* Boring sequences of nothing
* Oh, and did they give JF tap-shoes, goes his footsteps have never echoed like this before... or was it just giving the effect he was all alone in the big city. It was annoying to say the least.

I disagree. None of the sequences were boring at all and the reason his steps echoed is because he was the only person in a huge city. Hence with more people you wouldn't notice.

* The sandstorm - all good, but a man walking through it... Err yeah, nope, sorry... not like that.

It's not that unbelievable. It could be done.

This was the worst anti-climactic finale ever! I wonder what big reset button they will be pushing come season 5... the big red one, or the green one. The big red one equals "season 4? I don't know what you're talking about.", the green one equals "hey, remember season 4 and how we ended it with a TBC." ... I think it will be the orange one.

I'm sorry that you didn't like it but to me it was the best finale they have done.

[jstiven]

I actually really liked this episode for many of the reasons so many here have already mentioned (Atlantis 40K in the future, Shep/McKay scenes, Sam going out, Ronon/Todd scene rocked), and had issues for the basic reasons that some have brought up (alternate timeline again?, that last scene, only a quick Teyla scene) but so many here have discussed all of these lines of thought better than I could.

Here were a couple random thoughts I had while watching the show and then again watching it today:

--why do our ships always have to be the smallest in the galaxies? wouldn't we have balanced maneuverability and speed with brute force and power a bit better by now?

--cool that Sam's right-hand officer was a woman

--that the whole entire thing was an elaborate Michael-scheme to trap the team and kill them back in "real time"; yeah I know, seriously too complicated & silly and how could he have predicted the solar flare, blah, blah, blah, but the Genii guy does not show up, then the McKay holo setting Shep up to go to the one place they get booby-trapped?, glitches in the gate; but, it was a passing thought!

--so then I go with, certain "time" absolutes have to happen no matter how you change the timeline; so, Michael has to advance his schemes to a certain extent, or that no matter what *someone* has to die at that factory even with the changed timeline

--and I know this has been said a million times already but the Woolsey outfit was hideous, hideous, hideous but I figured they did it on purpose to make him look seriously uncomfortable (and potentially mimic that old Star Trek uni)

--did anyone catch the play on "Save the Cheerleader, Save the World" quote McKay does?

--someone else mentioned this but I would really love to know what the hybrids eat now

--after reading everyone's back and forth about McKay's reasons for finally getting Sheppard back, I have to say I agree with those that say McKay would have worked harder to get Sheppard back OR that he would have thought of this sooner...but you know I am not that picky when it comes to story impetus. there has to be a dramatic plot impetus and this was the one the writer chose.

--loved the Shep/McKay back and forth dialogue

Overall, enjoyed it alot and looking forward to S5!

Jenny S.

[lunchbox]

why doesn't any one seam to care that sam's character was portrayed as weak and indecisive and the Phoenix as the most innept ship in the fleet? come on people pay attention! this episode was a good idea in theory but sam and the Phoenix ruin it! she retreated when she had an advantge and didn't even bother returning fire unitl the ship was practicly blown out from under her. she would never do that and the Phoenix should have been able to withstand that kind of fire power for several minutes with no damage! ugh this episode was lousy, thank god it didn't really happen. the ending was sucky too. it would have been better if rodney had looked at the screen and seen some horable information and said his favorite line "oh crap" and the "to be continued posted over a black screen

As McKay said, she ran several successful guerrilla operations against Michael's army. Seems to me, she was pretty darned good at commanding a ship in the few minutes we saw of her commanding the Phoenix but was eventually set up for an ambush and took out three hive ships as her final act! That's about on par with how many hive ships Caldwell took out on his first day in the Pegasus galaxy.

[jdbond]

why doesn't any one seam to care that sam's character was portrayed as weak and indecisive and the Phoenix as the most innept ship in the fleet? come on people pay attention! this episode was a good idea in theory but sam and the Phoenix ruin it! she retreated when she had an advantge and didn't even bother returning fire unitl the ship was practicly blown out from under her. she would never do that and the Phoenix should have been able to withstand that kind of fire power for several minutes with no damage! ugh this episode was lousy, thank god it didn't really happen. the ending was sucky too. it would have been better if rodney had looked at the screen and seen some horable information and said his favorite line "oh crap" and the "to be continued posted over a black screen

Why should phoenix be able to withstand such firepower?

[melfan]

This was one heck of a episode!
And the ending, didn't see that one comming.

Spoiler:

Hope they get out of the rubble
Major Lorne, sorry, General Lorne was the best! He made sure that McKay could actually accomplish what he wanted to do!

And I hope season 5 will get the answers we are looking for

[Falcon Horus]

Define a plot hole Jelgate..Anyone can given ambiguous answers...

In case needed ... the definition of a plothole:

A plot hole is a gap in a storyline that goes against the flow of logic established by the story's plot. While many stories have unanswered questions, unlikely events or chance occurrences, a plot hole is one that is essential to the story's outcome. Plot holes are usually seen as weaknesses or flaws in a story, and writers usually try to avoid them to make their stories seem as realistic as possible.

[Integrabyte]

Thanks Rose, you a sweetie

A plot hole is a gap in a storyline that goes against the flow of logic established by the story's plot. While many stories have unanswered questions, unlikely events or chance occurrences, a plot hole is one that is essential to the story's outcome. Plot holes are usually seen as weaknesses or flaws in a story, and writers usually try to avoid them to make their stories seem as realistic as possible.

So the astro part fits the profile but if Jelgate says it is not a plot hole than we are all wrong

[marielabbott]

--did anyone catch the play on "Save the Cheerleader, Save the World" quote McKay does?

I caught that too. It was funny.

[Mitchell82]

This was one heck of a episode!
And the ending, didn't see that one comming.

Spoiler:

Hope they get out of the rubble
Major Lorne, sorry, General Lorne was the best! He made sure that McKay could actually accomplish what he wanted to do!

And I hope season 5 will get the answers we are looking for

Agreed. I especially liked the weird future uniform and "Nintendo Glove TV." I want one.

[Mitchell82]

Thanks Rose, you a sweetie




So the astro part fits the profile but if Jelgate says it is not a plot hole than we are all wrong

Well we don't know that the cause of the sun turning into a red giant was due to natural causes. Something could have artificially affected it.

[Vapor]

I think it was an okay ending, but really not one of my favorites for Atlantis.

I found it difficult to get into the flashbacks because, in the back of my mind, I knew that none of these things will really happen (the deaths anyway), so there was little emotional commitment to them on my part. As soon as we started the first flashback, I knew what most of the episode was going to be, and thus was slightly bored.

I did enjoy Carter's kamikaze attack that destroyed three Wraith ships. It was cool and dramatic. But again, I knew it wasn't gonna happen, so there was always a small feeling of disconnection.

Ronon fighting alongside Todd. It felt odd. I'm unsure how I feel about it, really. But again, not happening, so whatever..?

I still don't completely understand how Sheppard survived. They went through the trouble of explaining this elaborate set of obstacles about why he couldn't just step into the freezer and go to sleep. And then he steps into the freezer and goes to sleep. I feel like I missed something. I guess there could be something I missed, but it went by so fast for me that it honestly felt like we skipped a step. The whole walking-through-the-storm sequence felt contrived, just so we could have some visual cake and jeopardy ice cream.

The cliffhanger just... No.

It just felt so tacked on. Like it was an afterthought. Like they just felt like they needed something to make the audience go "ZOMG, I HAVE TO WAIT 2392934782 MORE MONTHS TO SEE THE END!"

The problem is, once again, it didn't feel like a genuine scene. We all know they're not dead, and that's the only thing we really have in the cliffhanger to think about. "Are they dead?" Which they aren't.

I found many beats of the episode entertaining, but honestly, this doesn't feel like the finale to anything. It's easily my least favorite Atlantis finale out of all four seasons. And I think they're usually very good.

Here's hoping S5's premiere makes up for it.

[Shan Bruce Lee]

Agreed. I especially liked the weird future uniform and "Nintendo Glove TV." I want one.

That scene reminded me too much of Minority report.

[reddevil18]

Thanks Rose, you a sweetie




So the astro part fits the profile but if Jelgate says it is not a plot hole than we are all wrong

And out of that definition you only highlighted(and manipulated) the part that suits your argument. The fact is that it's not a plothole. It's a scientific inaccuracy, but not a plothole.

[Integrabyte]

Well we don't know that the cause of the sun turning into a red giant was due to natural causes. Something could have artificially affected it.

Of course...and that something is? Could you point me to the part where they explain that?