'The Last Man' (420) General Discussion

[garhkal]

I liked that smirk between Ronon and Todd.. Showed they eventually respected one another.

[WraithRichard]

No, he had moments were he was important, and likable. But season five was bad for Ronon and Teyla

Season five sucked for everybody.

I kinda like that he actually did something new and plot worthy. He rarely does that sort of stuff.

I also like the smile between him and Todd, possibly returning to their original nihilistic philosophies and realizing that would be what would bring about mutual respect between them.

[mrscopterdoc]

yes, I agree. That smile between Todd and Ronon was epic.

[mathpiglet]

Terrific episode. It would have been a great way to end the series - what might have been for all the characters but with an element of hope at the end that it would be better. It would only take a bit of a minor rewrite to resolve the ending happily and leave us with the characters going forward.

[NowIWillDestroyAbydos]

God was this kind of a depressing (and average) episode. I guess that's what happens when you let someone other that Martin Gero write a finale of any kind (Siege 2, not withstanding).

I guess this is an episode that was meh for most of the episode, and then the last couple minutes were WHAM.

The Hammond Phoenix looked like a cool ship, with the Asgard core and everything.

Monday, begins the final leg of this part of the journey, the final season of Atlantis.

[garhkal]

yes, I agree. That smile between Todd and Ronon was epic.

I wonder.. if they did a running tally of kills, like Shep and the others did in sateda.

[Krisz]

This turned out to be my favourite episode of the season. I've always liked the way Stargate explores alternate realities and timelines.

It was a great idea putting everything that McKay had learned into an interactive hologram of himself to help Sheppard. It was an interesting exploration of a different future and how one man, despite the way history unfolded believed it should not be that way. Sheppard facing possible death by getting lost in that sandstorm in an all out last ditch effort to get back to save Teyla and get the timeline back on track was a great moment. The whole idea of him being stuck there with no food or water and the possible failure of the stasis pod and other unforeseen variables gave one of the best 'hail Mary' moments of Stargate as Sheppard stepped into that stasis pod.

What I found interesting is how Lorne, who became the commander of the SGC supported McKay and allowed him to continue, despite knowing that things would turn out differently a great contrast to Landry's reaction in 'Continuum'. The trip through the altered timeline after the loss of Sheppard was pretty depressing, but a great glimpse of what things would be like if Michael succeeded.

Ronon and Todd working together and acknowledging their common bond brought on by the fight against Micheal was a moment never thought possible and a nice touch.

[Lythisrose]

From Joe Mallozzi's Blog:

Photo of Old Rodney and John

THE LAST MAN (420)

“Who is that creepy old guy staring in through my window?”I wondered, catching the fella from the corner of my eye as he peered in through the slats of my office blinds. Assuming he was looking for casting (auditioning for the role of Grandpa no doubt) I stepped out into the hallway to help him out. It was only when I got a closer look that I realized that I recognized the creepy old guy. It was David Hewlett!

Photo: He wants me to stay the hell out of his Jello tree.

The make-up department had done a terrific job of aging him up for his upcoming appearance as future McKay. It was going to be one of those time travel episodes I loved so much, the kind that offered us a glimpse of the (albeit alternate) future that awaits our characters. Sheppard gone, Teyla and Jennifer dead, Atlantis abandoned, leaving a broken McKay to continue his work in the hope of, some day, setting it right. And, of course, there were the fittingly spectacular ends to the lives of two (maybe three) fan favorites: Carter going out with a bang as she sacrifices herself to take out a hive ship, and Ronon sacrificing himself alongside a most unlikely ally in Todd the wraith.

The first draft of the script ended with Sheppard stepping through the gate to inform everyone that he knew where Teyla was being held captive. At the network’s request (and it was a good one), we played out the events a little longer, actually getting them to the location before bringing down the roof – literally.

Photo: We didn’t have to go far for the McKay-Keller stroll, shooting right outside The Bridge Studios.

Vid: Shooting Keller and McKay as they walk down a sidewalk

Photo: Distant future design.
Photo: Keeping Joe’s chair warm.
Photo: This scene required an enormous amount of sand. Getting it in was the easy part; cleaning it up more problematic.
Photo: Bam Bam substitutes for Joe during part of the sandstorm stroll.

Vid: Sandstorm #1 BTS
Vid: Sandstorm #2 BTS

[Lieutenant Sparrow]

A very weird way to end a season.

The city looked very cool on all that sand.

Very gloomy look at what would happen if Michael was to succeed. Very depressing indeed.

Ronon and Todd working together. So cool. The most unlikely team up ever.

And everyone gets squished by the building and that's the end of Stargate Atlantis. Lol as if.

[Matt G]

Midweek, another ep of Atlantis(Rewatched last night)

1. Actually forgot this was the season finale. I didn't associate the building collapse scene with this ep.

2. And still we were associating Woolsey with disaster, even though by this point we knew that he 'would' be taking over Atlantis next season.

3. Also forgot that McKay had no clue that the ocean would dry up...

4. Minus marks for bad pacing which led to the iffy cliffhanger though.

And that...is season 4 done with...

[garhkal]

Why would he.. he didn;t know the sun would grow so quickly..

[jelgate]

Apparently the secret to saving the galaxy is Sheppherd. Who knew that one man was so vital in protecting the galaxy from Micheal? I kid of course. Shepphed was so valubale because when he returned he had vital intel of how Michael was going to operate. Such intel gives a significant advantage. The episode isn't really about Sheppherd in the future Atlantis but more is about what happened to his friends and colleagues and the doomsday plot to occured when Sheppherd left. For the most part I found these scenarios interesting. I especially what happened to Ronon and Sam. But the way Michael was able to topple the Wraith makes little sense. If we use the Wraith-Replicator War as an example we see the various factions put aside their differences to stop a common enemy. Once the Wraith saw the threat of what Michael was doing it makes little sense they wouldn't copy the tatics they used against the Asurans with a untied front. I am not a shipper by any means but I thought the stuff between Rodney and Keller in the alternate timeline. The disagreements the two had with Woosley and the IOA it makes sense to me they would form a connection. Finally it obvious the attacking of Michael's bunker was to add a cliffhanger feeling. It feels forced. Overall its a good episode but feels more like it would fit better in the middle of the season instead of the season finale.

[Cluas]

Alright, I'm two minutes into this episode, and Shep is running to the hologram room. My thoughts:

Shep is somehow caught in the future, he will probably meet McKay as a hologram, McKay will explain what has happened in the past, and of course he also has a plan for sending him back...

I wasn't disappointed.
The flashbacks were a brilliant way of telling the story, the way it could have happened, and it was very exciting to watch the fate of the Atlantis crew. A really good episode. So now, let's go and get Teyla, and change history...

[garhkal]

Makes one wonder... IF things had not happened in the way they did, would it have gotten that bad?

[Sp!der]

I have to say - The Last Man is my favorite episode of SGA - along of The Deadalus Variation - good job, everyone!