'The Last Man' (420) General Discussion

[ShadowMaat]

So let me see if I've got this straight: Shep travels into the future where he learns via hologram that he is the last best hope for all humanity things went south after he left, so he travels back to the present... and gets blown up? LMAO! Oh. I know he'll survive, they ALWAYS survive (which kinda kills the suspense, IMO), but dang, you gotta admit that'd be pretty funny to go through all that melodrama just to have him die before he can do anything. LOL!

Season five will probably start with them brushing dust and rocks off going, "Whew! That was a close one!" Or escaping out of a previously unseen Magic Hatch. Or getting beamed out at the last second by the Daedalus. *stifles yawn*

It's like those old melodrama serials where they show The Hero trapped in a car that goes sailing off a cliff and dies in a fiery ball of death... and then in the next ep he's standing at the top of the cliff, dusting himself off and watching the explosion.

[majorsal]

I'm sorry if I'm assuming too much, but are you suggesting that the show made it seem like all of that happened because of John's absence? Because it didn't. That would have happened anyway. It's just that his travelling through time actually gave them the opportunity to avoid all of that, by taking back with him the info on Teyla.

didn't halomckay give sheppard a disk thingie with some information? was it 'just' teyla's whereabouts, or more?

i wonder if sheppard told everyone what happened to them? i would.



sally

[Hyperwarp]

Time for my simple opinion

Well one of the better/interesting "Alternate Universe/Alternate Timeline" episodes. In certain ways reminded me a little bit of "There But For the Grace of God" way back in 1998 Season-1 of SG-1. Obviously it didn't have the same shock and awe of "There But For the Grace of God" but it was a very good episode. It was by no means BAD (for me atleast)! Was a bit of skeptic when I knew it was going to be a "Alternate Universe/Alternate Timeline" episode but pleasantly surprised. For me certainly one the best episodes in season 4 along with SPOILS OF WAR, MIDWAY, THE KINDRED, PART I (and probably Part II)

[Philis45]

Ugg, Had to pull myself out of lurkdom to post this.
i loved this episode, it was a great, emotional, and very telling finale. it was great cap off to what i think has been the best season of Atlantis.
i rarely ever post, much prefer to just lurk and read comments, but i feel i need to express my love of this episode/season. I'm very thankful to the writers, for giving us an excellent season,
....and heres to season 5, let it top season 4(which is no small feat)

[majorsal]

I was bugged by the Minority Report rip-off though, so "original" and just about the only bit we see of the kind of technological advances in the future.

steven speilberg directed 'minority report', and he asked scientists(?) how they thought the future would be, tech wise. so steven didn't make it up, and i'm thinking the ptb took the same cue. maybe.



sally

[reddevil18]

didn't halomckay give sheppard a disk thingie with some information? was it 'just' teyla's whereabouts, or more?

i wonder if sheppard told everyone what happened to them? i would.

Well, I don't know what other information that thing contained. But the crucial part of the whole thing was Teyla's baby. Finding her before she gives birth was the most important piece if information.
And I actually think he'd tell them what holo-McKay told him...He doesn't seem the "keep it in" type, like Teal'c after Unending.

[Jumper_One]

steven speilberg directed 'minority report', and he asked scientists(?) how they thought the future would be, tech wise. so steven didn't make it up, and i'm thinking the ptb took the same cue. maybe.



sally

ah so I wasn't the only one thinking of Minority Report. especially this scene reminded me of it

Spoiler:

[Lord batchi ball]

I really enjoyed this episode. It had a little bit of everything. It wasn't too heavy on love/drama or a tech savy episode.

Every part of the episode was great.

I really liked the explanation of Micheals conquest, nice and complete.

I wished they would have showed the scene when Sheppard got out of the statis pod. I know what would have happened, * Oh, wow I'm still alive* *sigh of relief*

Not really worried about the cliff hanger, most likely they were beamed out or they fell through to the lowerlevels which then they might still all be alive.

And Major Lorne as the base Commander, SWEET, just hope he doesn't die.

[Nicksterr]

awesome finale. david hewlett is a GREAT actor. episode had excellent flow. man does Michael look like a midget in that scene with the crowd.

[AutumnDream]

Season five will probably start with them brushing dust and rocks off going, "Whew! That was a close one!" Or escaping out of a previously unseen Magic Hatch. Or getting beamed out at the last second by the Daedalus. *stifles yawn*

Indeed.

PS:

KELLER (tearfully): The year I spent in Atlantis, I – I saw more things than people even dream about in their lifetime. I don't have any regrets.

Keller's "year at Atlantis": Saw some barbarians. Got trapped in a hole. Ate a weird slug.

NO RODNEY DEAREST DON'T TAKE IT ALL AWAY FROM ME DON'T TAKE MY PRECIOUS MEMORIES NOOOOOO~~ *TEAR*

[pittsburghgirl]

This was one of the very few episodes in the last 5 years (either SG-1 or Atlantis) that I actually watched twice and enjoyed it both times.

It has been a long time since I had done that and it was kind of nice to be able to do that.

I know some people have been picking at some of the plot inconsistencies-but you know-sometimes you have to overlook them and just enjoy the story.

They told a good story this time and it actually caught my imagination anyway.

If only all of season 4 was this good-I am not saying that this season was wash-it was pretty good-certainly better than what I had seen previously-but if the opening episode for season 5 continues in this direction-that would be a good thing.

[david2708]

Previously, on PG15's ridiculously long review...

THE LAST MAN ROCKED! WOO!!

And now, the conclusion.

Finally, we come to Michael. What we have here is a complete evolution of a character, people. Michael started as an ordinary Wraith, we captured him, we experimented on him; we basically created him anew. From there, his ambitions and hatred grew, and thanks to various events, he arrived at a position to dominate the entire Pegasus Galaxy! Usually, a villain is already at power when we try to take them down, but very rarely do we create a villain ourselves in this way. The pace at which Michael evolved was, IMHO, done incredibly well and in many subtle ways, and his ascension to power seen in this episode was just...EPIC. In his words "I never asked for any of this". I mean, just the way everything came together for him; I wouldn't be surprised if he now thinks that it's his destiny to rule the Pegasus galaxy with beings like himself.

I would just like to focus on that scene that quote came from for a moment. The way it was set up, lighted, directed, and performed was just spectacular. At all times, Michael's face is in semi-darkness; you never see his whole face lit up. That gives him the perfect air of mysteriousness and unpredictability a villain needs. Then, when he decapitates the Wraith Queen, watch how his face changes. It switches from that of arrogant swagger to homicidal maniac in a matter of a second; so fast that it's unnerving. Seriously, watch it again and pay close attention. Connor did a wonderful job in this. Indeed, Michael has become my favorite villain on Atlantis. My wish is for Teyla and the baby to be both found, but Michael finds another way to finish his plans. There, best of both worlds.

And then we have that ending. Some people felt it rushed. I actually did as well. But then, I realized that "The Last Man" ended when Sheppard got back to Atlantis, and "Search and Rescue" started there and then. It's a good thought. Of course, the question is: how the hell do they get out of something like that?! No doubt, the only response to that question is: watch Season 5, and find out.

And boy, if Season 5 is as good as The Last Man...we're in for another wild ride. Here's to Season 5!

Score: 10/10

Season 4 Score: 9.5/10

Wow, which eps dragged down the overall score for the season? Maybe the stellar MISSING only got a 9.4.
Seems like everything on Atlantis is near perfect! I defer to all your judgements!

[PG15]

As you should!

[Pegasus_SGA]

I think you answered your own question. Their were time restraints. Knowing the characters as we do, I think its obvious what the characters reactions would be.

No, I get that there were time restraints, and yep we know what the character's reactions were going to be, but I want to see it. I'm greedy like that.

I like getting emotionally involved, and some of the best eps from my POV have involved seeing how much the characters care for each other. This for me didn't really showcase it as I expected. I didn't feel the team luff all the time, occasionally I did, but it was as i'd said in the whump thread. Shep died, move on, no reactions, Teyla dies, move on, no reactions, Ronon leaves, move on, no reactions, then Sam. Let me see them struggling trying to cope without their friends, let me see them making those difficult decisions of moving on, of leaving Atlantis. What was the final blow to Ronon to strike up an allegiance of his own, what had he struggled with the most. How did the team dynamics change afterwards, did they immediately go their own seperate ways after Shep died. These are my questions, and yes my imagination can plug some of the gaps, but it's harder when there's a lot of gaps.

From what we saw all this uprising from Michael happened in the space of less than a year, so Shep, Teyla, Sam, Ronon and Todd died in less than a year? This is what I struggle with.

Common Ground

Ah but we didn't seem him doing fancy footwork though did we?

I was under the impression that Teyla was kept alive because Micheal wanted her baby. My knowledge on the subject is limitied but aren't women weaken after they give birth.

Possibly, but having her around I think, but it would have been a more interesting twist to have her around, trying to covertly thwart his efforts.... maybe. Yes they're weak, and I can't answer this, but the women I know with kids would do as much as they could to stop the baby from being taken, i'd have liked to have seen that struggle between Teyla and Michael and then if he so desired to see him kill her.

I have failied

Nothing new there.

Even if your adminstration was making cutbacks that made you see your patients die when their deaths could be avoided

Even then. I'm stubborn and wilful, ask my boss. I like sticking my nose in where it doesn't belong. If I feel like something is wrong i'll say something, and i'll keep opening my very big mouth until someone listens. At least if i'm there, I can try and avoid the deaths being cause. I'm not one to give up so easily, and it was less than a year that all these changes were made. They could have stuck it out a bit longer, force the issue, gone behind woolsey's back.

Sorry but I have to react here.
Dr.Who is a fantastic show, and Blink (as mentioned) is one of the best episodes of Dr.Who and TV shows ever. How many episodes have you seen? Blink was even nominated for few awards as the best drama and as the best screeplay.

Sorry for OT.

OT,

Spoiler:

yep it is very different. SGA is better and more classy. I can say that as a brit, with British sense of humour. Sorry, Dr Who is not in the same league as SGA, not by any stretch of the imagination.

1. The Siege II - tops them all
2. First Strike
3. Allies

And this one doesn't even make the list.

I just can't compare eps, because each ep has a certain something that others don't, so for me it's not a fair comparison.

I loved a lot of elements in TLM. I know i've been harsh on the ep, but there were a lot of good things in here. The atmosphere in the beginning for me sort of set the tone, the echoing of footsteps, being abandoned, Shep's plight, and nearly losing it when he realises that he's alone. His banter with Rodney. The set designs, we got to see lots of the city and the stasis chambers are always good to see. I really enjoyed Ronon working with Todd, but for me the only real niggles I have is that it's too big a leap for me. From Ronon being an integral part of the team to going off on his own and starting his own army. Teyla and the baby, yes we know they're Michael's desires, so let's see Teyla's struggles and fights with him. Let me see the struggles with accepting Woolsey.... this is for me a big stumbling block that I can't get over.

If you put it that way... no argument there... my cat only smiled, at least it looked like he was smiling. Can't say that was a lot of information to process.

See above.

They don't want to write that. It's not interesting enough... It' doesn't fit the 3 B's - Boobs, Bombs & Butts.

I disagree, sure that plays a part with the demographics involved, but i've seen those things quite a bit in season 4, so I know that they can be written and written well and shown to the audience. I think it was simply time restraints. It would be interesting to know if the jumping through timelines was planned like this....

Since Joe Mallozzi refused to post my comment in his blog (when I went to bed there were two comments. Right now? Over one hundred and forty) I'm going to assume he didn't want my opinion on the episode to be seen. So I'm posting it here where there isn't censorship.

***

<i>Bravo, Messirs. Mallozzi and Mullie, on your season finale. Truly, I haven’t laughed so hard since the last episode I watched of ‘The Office.’

Woolsey wearing an ill-fitting uniform and a pair of sneakers? Hilarious. Let’s hope he looks just as uncomfortable throughout Season Five!

Carter conveniently forgetting about the time she and the rest of SG-1 got caught up in time shenanigans, thus wasting precious time in saving Teyla? Gut-busting. And kudos to you for not only sparing Teyla from actually having any lines in the entire episode, but for killing her off. Member of the premier team? One of the most important characters on the show? Bah, who needs her breathing and talking and doing stuff.

Rodney and Keller falling in love after being in a spaceship together for three weeks? Outstanding. Once again, you’ve given hope to all cranky, socially inept men in their forties that they, too, can have pretty ladies in their twenties fall for them purely because of their charm and grace, and not because of their money. What’s that? Rodney is neither charming nor graceful? Mere details! After all, men in the forties are a massive part of your fanbase and what’s wrong with letting some of your fans indulge in a bit of fantasy.

I must interject with the observation that the scene between Ronon and Todd was too serious, too character-driven, too interesting for such a light, whimsical piece. You might want to look more closely at your editing process.

And the way the building collapsed on our heroes at the end? Rollicking! I literally laughed out loud at the people who think this means the end for any of those characters. You’d have to be a world-class idiot to not know that the only thing keeping this show going is McKay and Sheppard.

If I were you, I’d hot-foot it to Gateworld. They’ve obviously misquoted you on the production notes of ‘The Last Man’ - <i>... a bit of a tearjerker -- I defy you not to cry or feel sad or pity or slightly dizzy</i>.

Oh, I felt something all right. My sides splitting!

Two, nay, three thumbs up for your first foray into comedy. I can only cross my fingers and hope that the premier episode of Season Five is in the form of musical.</i>

***

I can only assume he doesn't appreciate my screen name or my writing style.

So basicly you're criticising when you feel they got it right, and criticising when you feel they got it wrong. Interesting.

May I direct you to this thread?

Its nice to know that without Sheppard being around everyone else just dies
Interestsing episode, to be honest I'm not too sure what to make of it. Am I the only one who was surprised at how fast Sheppard returned to Atlantis? After the whole build-up of him maybe not making it because of the sun turning into a Red Giant, to have him them go from stasis pod straight back to Atlantis seemed a bit strange. Which was why I was wondering whether it was genuine or not? I thought it was a pretty good episode until that point because that whole ending bit seemed a bit, rushed? Not nearly as effective as previous end of season cliffhangers.
Perhaps I'll change my mind when I see how the rest of it turns out.
Although two things that definitely made this episode worth watching - General Lorne! Haha success and a glimpse of life with Woolsey.

I'd have liked to have seen the bit of him coming out of status, and wouldn't he have had to 'gate back to the original planet first. As he was already in Atlantis. So that would have meant, getting out of the stasis pod, recovering (freezer burns from BIS), and then 'gating off world, then back to Atlantis. So I kinda hoped for collapsing through the 'gate. Yes, because I am that shallow.

I just never know how to start these posts anymore.

I mean, I can go with the BIG FONT HOLY CRAP THAT WAS FREAKING AWESOME.

Sorry you didn't like it hon. And they say I talk a lot, I think you stole my crown.

Clear enough for you?

Nope not really.

The Stargate TPTB have a knack of making the finale feel different from every other episode in the season. They can pretty much throw anything on screen, but there is just that feeling that 1). the end is coming and 2). a ****storm is coming, and this episode added onto that a whole bunch of angst and drama and sadness and awesomeness...I loved it.

Yep, you know I never got that. I didn't really get that sense of urgency and desperation that I've felt in the past. What particular things was it that for you created that sense of urgency?

Yes, I was thinking of what this episode was about, and then made up my mind when I saw the McKay-Keller scene with the latter near death's door at the end. That scene was so sad (not to mention doing a good job of rounding up Keller's first year on Atlantis), that I got teary eyed from it, actually. It was just such a powerful scene, with Keller using the last ounces of her strength convincing her loved one to live a happy life and leave the past behind, while Rodney just wouldn't listen. The theme of letting go of the past hits home, personally, for me, so I really understood what Rodney was going through.

See for me that just didn't work, just that last scene with Keller and Rodney, I think this is one instance where I would have liked some exposition, his reasonings. I wanted him to say more, like her dying was the straw that broke the camels back. That he can't take it anymore, that he doesn't want to be alone.... that's the timeline is wrong. Does that make sense? What was it about her death in particular caused him to have this epiphany? Was she the catalyst? What was it about their relationship that was just soo strong that he needed to change the past?

Does anyone have asprin. PG15's review made my head hurt. The only thing missing was flocking

*passes over aspirin*

[morjana]

Rodney just says "It's in the sensor log. A solar flare capable of interfering with the wormhole from M4S-587 at exactly the moment that Lorne says he dialed"...It doesn't say which sun it is, but I doubt they'd have the sensors monitoring the entire galaxy, ya know? It's not even possible. I'm pretty sure it's Atlantis' sun...

Yes...however, it was an outgoing wormhole from the alien planet BACK to Atlantis. And that stargate had a dhd, which according to stargate canon from earlier sg1 episodes, should have detected the problem and not established a wormhole to Atlantis. (Reference "1969," "Red Sky" and a half dozen other episodes or so.)

However, Rodney did mention that he "updated the operating system."

Was he perhaps referring to a galaxy wide gate update, as in sg1's "Avenger.20?"

Morjana