Reviews / Articles - Stargate Atlantis Season 5

[prion]

Enemy at the Gate

http://www.mccookgazette.com/story/print/1490742.html

Kim in Berkeley, Calif.: Kristin, you don't cover it much, but do you have
any info on the Stargate: Atlantis finale? It's my favorite show!

Our Senior Stargate Atlantis Correspondent, aka Jen's brother Mark, says,
"The finale sets up the future of the Stargate universe nicely. The legend of
Atlantis comes from the stories of the 'Ancients' who fled to Earth after being
defeated by the Wrath in the battle for survival. However, although the city of
Atlantis wasn't originally on Earth, it will be in the last episode! Also my
favorite villain-friend Todd the Wrath makes an appearance in the final
episode with well-chosen last words: 'Is there going to be a next time?' They
should
really put him in the next series. A hot creepy calm female super genius, a
hot more-typically female linguist/anthropologist, Todd the Wrath and Shepard
for the cast of Stargate Universe!"

[morjana]

SGA - SciFi.com Updates for Vegas/Enemy at the Gate:

From the SciFi Channel's Stargate Atlantis site, updates for January 5, 2009

Vegas

* Episode Synopsis

* Episode Photos


NEW Alex Levine blog update for Vegas



NEXT new episode: The Stargate Atlantis series finale (sob!), Enemy at the Gate, airs Friday January 9, 2009 at 9pm on the SciFi Channel (US).

Will the Atlantis team save Earth from an advanced Wraith Hive Ship? Tune in for the final episode to find out.

Trailer for Enemy at the Gate at SciFi.com

Also embedded on my google blog

[prion]

Enemy at the Gate

Entertainment Weekly's massive reivew!...

"Things aren't looking so good for Earth."

Yup, that's it. Amazing they gave it even one line considering how little they cover it

[Briangate78]

Enemy at the Gate

Entertainment Weekly's massive reivew!...

"Things aren't looking so good for Earth."

Yup, that's it. Amazing they gave it even one line considering how little they cover it

I can tell you how I feel about EW, but it will go against the new GW vision statement.

[prion]

Vegas

http://tv.ign.com/articles/941/941306p1.html

excerpt:

January 5, 2009 - Whether a show gets cancelled or it is just coming to the
end of the season it is incredibly important to finish as strong as possible to
keep the viewers interested in the show during it's hiatus or its life after
the show as ended, and "Vegas" did just that!

I've been waiting all season for this episode, wondering what they were going
to do with an episode called "Vegas," and what was shown was nothing short of
fantastic!

REST AT LINK ABOVE

[prion]

Vegas

http://entil2001.com/blog7

excerpt:

I don’t often mention it, but I find the entire “CSI” franchise to be a waste. What could have been a far more interesting series was quickly revealed as style over substance. In particular, the writing and acting is abysmal, and the directorial style seems based on a combination of ADHD and excessive drug abuse. I have yet to get through even one episode of that series, despite multiple attempts on the advice of others.

So it’s not hard to understand my reaction to this episode. As clever as it was to co-opt and mock the “CSI” formula to tell a very different kind of “Stargate” story, I found it very hard to enjoy. I’ll give everyone full credit for the effort that was put into the presentation and characterization, and the cast (particularly Flanagan and Hewlett) pulled it off beautifully, but I kept waiting for things to return to some semblance of normalcy. After all, we like to say that change is good, but that only applies if the changes are actually palatable.

REST AT LINK ABOVE

[morjana]

SGA - New Film Dimension: TV week in Review: Quick Thoughts:

At New Film Dimension:

(Please follow the link for the complete article.)

TV week in Review: Quick Thoughts

5 January 2009

Quick thoughts on Knight Rider, Stargate Atlantis, Sanctuary and The Clone Wars.

**snippage**

Stargate Atlantis - Vegas

Now that Vegas has aired, that means only one thing… the series finale is coming up - *tears*

Vegas is a different kind of episode; It involves a different reality were John Sheppard never joined the Atlantis team and became a cop in Las Vegas. Fate however has Sheppard face off with a Wraith that’s living in Vegas because of various circumstances. The episode really is a stand alone but is also important because it has something to do with the season finale which you’ll see this week.

I really like this episode because it’s really different and out of the “stargate” box, if you will. It’s shot very differently, with a different feel. I don’t watch all those CSI shows but Stargate takes a page out of that book a creates something very fun and very entertaining. Vegas is an episode that features John Sheppard heavily and to a credit him, his performance is really really good because, although he’s slightly the same character he’s also sort of broken because his life sucks… simply.

To me it seemed like and episode that reminded us, “this is who Sheppard is” in respect to what McKay told him about his alternate self - that became evident at the end of the episode.

The big episode is going to be the finale and I’m really looking forward to seeing that. Expect to see a review for that and the series in general instead of a quick thoughts.

Till then, thanks Atlantis crew!

**snippage**

[morjana]

SGA - The Hachiko: Review - 'Vegas':

At The Hachiko:

(Please follow the link for the complete review.)

(The review author rated this episode with a 4 out of 5.)

'Stargate Atlantis' (5.19) "Vegas" - Review

Mon, 01/05/2009 - 10:57 — Vrej Hezaran

**snippage**

Despite some confusion I experienced trying to follow the plot, I loved the departure Atlantis took this week. I know that I've been complaining that they've been wasting some of these last few episodes by not wrapping up storylines, but when they go and do something as bold as this, I forgive them the transgression. The obvious CSI feel to the show, from use of music to the CGI close-ups of bodies and organs, was effective but not so distracting that it took away from the episode. Seeing people we know play slightly different characters (or in Zelenka and McKay's case, not all that different after all) was a hoot, as we're shown again the darker path that Sheppard could have taken if he didn't become the hero we show. The conversation between McKay and Sheppard, where he tells him that the Sheppard he once met in another reality was a hero and leader of the team, was a great little stretch of dialogue, meant at once to motivate this Sheppard and also show the viewer that McKay actually does admire someone other than himself.

... While we have one last episode before the show ends for good, there is a certain sadness associated with "Vegas" if one knows that it was the last episode that was filmed. Considering that a few main cast members weren't included makes it even sadder. I hope for their sakes that they at least made the trip to Vegas with the others to remember all the good times they've had on this show. I know I've had many and here's hoping that next week's installment fits that bill, too.

[morjana]

SGA - Screen Rant: ‘Stargate: Atlantis’ Is Coming To A Close:

At Screen Rant:

(Please follow the link for the complete article.)

‘Stargate: Atlantis’ Is Coming To A Close

January 5, 2009 | by Bruce Simmons

Stargate: Atlantis is coming to a close - it’s been a great ride. The show took a bit to adjust to, but after a while the characters and new location grew on me because it had the same feel to the writing that we’ve come to enjoy from the Stargate franchise.

It was hard not to know that last week’s episode was the next to last episode for Atlantis. I went into the episode, titled “Vegas” (written and directed by Robert Cooper), not really looking forward to it. I was coming into it with a bit of a dour perspective because it was some alternate timeline story. My thought? “Why would they do this to us in the next to last episode of the series?”

**snippage**

I ended up liking this almost stand-alone episode. I was expecting it to wrap up in a way that righted the alternate time line to our own, but instead, it only referenced it and it looked like a lead-in to the final episode, titled “Enemy At The Gate” as previews indicate that a Wraith ship ends up at Earth. I surmise that it gets to Earth because of the signal sent from “Vegas.”

We’ll see.

I’ll be bummed to see the series go. We have Stargate: Universe coming at us but we’ll have to adapt to a whole new group, learn all new backgrounds and get a whole new grasp on the show.

We also have a Stargate: Atlantis movie coming at us somewhere down the road.

As we head into the final episode of Stargate: Atlantis, I leave you with a few behind the scenes images above and a few sneak-peek images from next week’s episode below. Yep, you read right. NEXT WEEK’S EPISODE. It’s nothing big, but it’s what all I can do for those of us patiently waiting. (Photos at the link above.)

The final episode of Stargate: Atlantis airs on January 9, 2009.

[morjana]

SGA - Sci Fi Chicks - Review - 'Vegas':

At SciFi Chicks:

(Please follow the link for the complete review.)

Stargate Atlantis: “Vegas”

Posted on January 5th, 2009 by Sandy

As the Monty Python troupe likes to say, “And now for something completely different.” This week’s episode was literally a complete departure for the series. It was set in an alternate universe that bore an uncanny resemblance to CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. Detective John Sheppard (Joe Flanigan) of the Las Vegas Police Department was investigating a series of bizarre murders ...

... This episode might have worked better if it had acknowledged its CSI trappings with a nudge and a wink, or if our universe’s characters made the trip to the CSI universe. Instead, the episode was filmed as if it actually were an episode of CSI, right down to the visual style and editing. People who enjoy CSI may have gotten a kick out of it, but if I wanted to watch CSI, I would watch CSI. Spending the penultimate episode of the series with complete strangers wearing familiar faces was a huge disappointment.

... I’d like to think I’d be more charitable to this episode if it weren’t the second to last one ever, but the huge amount of filler for six seconds of important plot indicates otherwise. Please, please, let the series finale be awesome.

[morjana]

SGA - Film.com: What 2 Watch - Friday Jan 9 '09:

At Film.com:

(Please follow the link for the complete column.)

by Charlie Toft, Jan 05, 2009

What 2 Watch - Friday Jan 9 '09

Friday: Stargate Atlantis (SciFi, 9 PM:

The series comes to an end after five seasons, with Atlantis in pursuit of a Wraith hive ship that is dead set on destroying Earth. First Battlestar Galactica, now this--what does SciFi have against Earth, anyway?

[jelgate]

SGA - Film.com: What 2 Watch - Friday Jan 9 '09:At Film.comPlease follow the link for the complete column.)by Charlie Toft,?* Jan 05, 2009 What 2 Watch - Friday Jan 9 '09Friday: Stargate Atlantis (SciFi, 9 PM: The series comes to an end after five seasons, with Atlantis in pursuit of a Wraith hive ship that is dead set on destroying Earth. First Battlestar Galactica, now this--what does SciFi have against Earth, anyway?

The Sanctuary people don't like Earth that much either

[morjana]

SGA - Chicago Tribune: The Watcher: January TV Schedule:

At the Chicago Tribune (Chicago, IL):

(Please follow the link for the complete column.)

THE WATCHER

by Maureen Ryan

posted: January 5, 2009

It may be cold outside, but the January TV schedule is heating up

This winter, we'll face not only ice and snow but a non-stop barrage of new and returning TV shows, many of them high-quality series whose returns were delayed by the 2008 writers strike.

Here are the most notable shows you'll be seeing in the next couple of months (for an even more extensive list of January returns and debuts, check out critic Ellen Gray's excellent rundown):


**snippage**

"Stargate Atlantis," Friday on Sci Fi: Tune in at 8 p.m. Central Time to catch last Friday's episode, a surprisingly terrific "CSI" homage titled "Vegas." The outer-space show's series finale, "Enemy at the Gate," airs 9 p.m. Friday.

[morjana]

SGA - Atlanta Journal-Constitution: TV Best Bets Fri Jan 9 '09:

At the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Atlanta, GA):


(Please follow the link for the complete column.)

TV BEST BETS

By RODNEY HO

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Monday, January 05, 2009

FRIDAY

• “Stargate Atlantis” 9 p.m. SciFi (series finale) — Bid farewell to one of SciFi’s workhorses as the team considers attacking a vessel threatening Earth.

[morjana]

SGA - Nerdvana: State of the Gate:

At Nerdvana:

(Please follow the link for the complete article.)

State of the ‘Gate’

January 5th, 2009

... Meanwhile SG-1’s spinoff Stargate Atlantis is preparing to sign off for good this Friday, having been canceled late last year after sagging ratings and multiple casting upheavals. You can expect at least one TV movie to continue the Atlantis storyline. A third series, Stargate Universe, is in pre-production and will star Robert Carlyle (The Full Monty, Trainspotting) when it premieres this summer.