Rodney McKay - The Weakest Link

[Linzi]

Respectfully, I couldn't disagree more.

As Charon said, Mckay is pretty dysfunctional, and his social skills leave a lot to be desired. But that's him, that's his personality and he is getting better. Just because someone lacks those interpersonal skills on a day to day basis though, doesn't mean they're incapable of forging friendships and having chemistry. The team for me are like family and like any family they have their ups and their downs, they fight, moan and ***** about each other, yes, but so do many families. And when you're living in close knit quarters you do get on each others nerves. However, each one of them would give up their lives for the other. They have each others backs and yeah they tease each other, but how they act towards each other speaks volumes.

Take Miller's crossing for example,

Spoiler:

if Shep could really give a toss about McKay, do you really think he'd post a security guard to stop him, or tell him he couldn't feed himself to the wraith to save his sister? Or taking the time to go with him and help him find out what happened to his sister. People who don't like each other don't go to those kind of lengths.

Also, let's look at Tao of Rodney, who helped him with his meditation? Would you go to those lengths if you didn't care? Would you support and care for them if they didn't really mean anything to you?

Staying on the theme of Tao of Rodney, and Vengeance. Ronon on both occasions is shown to care for Rodney, be it by helping him learn to fight, or carrying him to a chamber. Again it shows how much they mean to each other.

And what about Teyla? Mckay came to Teyla on several occasions with

Spoiler:

baby gifts,

with the tea ceremony. Would he do it if he didn't have that connection with her? Would he

Spoiler:

buy a gift for the baby if they weren't friends?

Would she confide in him about her fears if they weren't friends?

I could go on all day, but i'm trying to curb my enthusiasm.

ITA.

Rodney is many things. He's not perfect. But I know the team loves him....as friends love other friends! He loves them right back, IMO.

[Heaven]

I disagree, I think the McKay-Sheppard friendship is the strongest

I think their interaction is the only thing that keeps this show going
cuz right now it's become pretty boring

I think the only interesting character in Atlantis with potential for stories is Ronon
so without the McKay Sheppard interaction to spice up some of the more boring stories the show would be dull as hell.

here's for more McKay-Sheppard in S5

[Tekken Lord]

If it wasn't for McKay i don't think i'd watch this show so i have to disagree with you. And i loved the team chemistry in sg1, but that was sg1 and this is atlantis.

[Cory Holmes]

Rodney is one of the best loved characters in Atlantis!

Exhibit One, Radek Zalenka - THE single most beat down, belittled and mocked individual, by RM, in Atlantis...yet who achieves the impossible to find McKay and overcomes his fear of being in an underwater jumper?

Come ON! Everyone loves Rodney!!!

I think Rodney's treatment of Zelenka has been beneficial to him. Consider how he was in early Season One and look at him now. Now he is able to stand up for himself and even slap Rodney down when he needs to (see Duet for evidence).

Of course, this is just evidence that Radek has the single largest case of Stockholm Syndrome seen in Atlantis

[taffy rose]

I disagree. I think McKay has really grown and become along with Shep, Teyla, and Ronon very important to the success of the series. I really enjoy McKay's humor and think he is often the unsung hero of the show !!
He can be annoying yet still endearing too and that's not easy to do and I think McKay is great at maintaining his originality and has become a compelling character:-)

Kimberly

[Buck32]

I disagree, I think the McKay-Sheppard friendship is the strongest

I think their interaction is the only thing that keeps this show going
cuz right now it's become pretty boring

I think the only interesting character in Atlantis with potential for stories is Ronon
so without the McKay Sheppard interaction to spice up some of the more boring stories the show would be dull as hell.

here's for more McKay-Sheppard in S5

I have to agree with you, but i think Rodney has come a long way since early SGA and even though he doesn't express it it the same way i get the feeling that he sees his team as very important to him, and his family so to speak.

Part of McKay's charm as a character is his social awkwardness , take that away and you loose some of the essence of his character. As one poster said it would be nice to have some more team moments in season 5 but not just for Rodney, for eveyone involved.

[ykickamoocow]

I just hope that the writers develop the relationships between McKay and Teyla and McKay and Ronon.

A good way to do this is a episode without Sheppard where McKay, Teyla and Ronon all go on a mission and then things go horribly wrong and all three must work together and use all of their skills to survive.

I know others will disagree with me but i never really get the impression that Ronon respects McKay (Teyla does) and it would be great to see moments in season 5 where Ronn gains a respect for McKay and the skills he brings to the team.

[KindlyKeller]

With Rodney, it is almost always another teammember that saves his life and not so much the other way around.

????? Say what?

Rodney saves the day in like EVERY episode.

[KindlyKeller]

I just hope that the writers develop the relationships between McKay and Teyla and McKay and Ronon.

A good way to do this is a episode without Sheppard where McKay, Teyla and Ronon all go on a mission and then things go horribly wrong and all three must work together and use all of their skills to survive.

I know others will disagree with me but i never really get the impression that Ronon respects McKay (Teyla does) and it would be great to see moments in season 5 where Ronn gains a respect for McKay and the skills he brings to the team.

I think Season 4 was a step back for Rodney and Ronon, after they had some really nice moments in "Tao of Rodney" and "Sunday."

[the fifth man]

I think Season 4 was a step back for Rodney and Ronon, after they had some really nice moments in "Tao of Rodney" and "Sunday."

To a certain extent, I'd have to agree with you.

[Killdeer]

Rodney/Sheppard - Maybe Friends

McKay on the other hand really isnt friends with any of them (Sheppard is debatable) as shown in the episodes "McKay and Mrs. Miller" where they are all opening laughing AT Mckay (not with) and the episode "Tao of Rodney" where they all discuss his weight in a very negative way.

I can't agree at all with the part of your post about Sheppard and McKay's friendship being debatable. IMO their relationship was far and away the most strongly portrayed relationship in S4 - I believe every single episode had at least a little something portraying just how strong the friendship is between the two of them and how much they rely on each other. And episodes like Doppelganger, Miller's Crossing, Quarantine, Midway, The Seer, The Last Man, Outcast - all of those showed to me just how strong that friendship is. I would argue that Sheppard and McKay are closer to each other than to any one else on Atlantis now that they've lost Elizabeth and Carson. And no, I don't mean that in a slashy sense. Yes, John cares for and watches out for Ronon and Teyla, and Rodney cares for them too. But only with each other did I see them relax a little bit and tease and joke. I think Elizabeth's loss forced them to drop maybe some of the competitiveness that they had previously displayed around her and just work together and start looking out for each other.

The interaction with mcKay and the rest of the team is the only thing which is stopping those great team moments which were common in Stargate SG1 and it would be great to see the writers improve the relationship of McKay and the other characaters (especially Ronon and Teyla).

What i would love to see is a episode with McKay, Ronon and Teyla and get some serious growth with Teyla and Ronon getting to understand and appreciate McKay better. A episode with all 3 of them (no Sheppard) would be fantastic where all 3 of them have to rely on each other to survive.

To sum it up i hope that in season 5 the writers include some positive McKay and Ronon and McKay and Teyla moments as i think it will improve them overall team chemistry which at present is the only thing holding Atlantis back.

What do you all think?

I do agree mostly with this part of your post. While there's been a little progress made with Ronon and Rodney's relationship, mostly toward the end of S3, Teyla and Rodney have had almost no time together, and I have very much been wishing for an episode with just Teyla and Rodney - something that would force them to work together and maybe understand each other more. I'm afraid if it were all three of them however it would end up being Ronon and Teyla against Rodney. I many times feel as though Teyla, and Ronon too sometimes, simply tolerate Rodney because he's a genius and can save their lives, and because he's John's friend. In Quarantine for example,

Spoiler:

John saw Rodney's earpiece lying on the table and realized that Rodney was locked in the biology lab. Teyla started to say "If he is in there..." and John cut her off "he's going to be freaking." She glanced at him and didn't finish, but I got the impression that's not what she had started to say - she was more likely going to say something like "then there is nothing he can do to help us." John's worried about how Rodney's handling this, Teyla (admittedly in my perception) is worried about who's going to get them out of this.

A lot of times it feels like Rodney thinks he's best friends with all of them, but only John really cares about him in return - Teyla and Ronon both just tolerate him for the team's sake. Not always - there have been some good moments, especially with Ronon in the later part of S3, and the tea ceremony with Teyla in Tao, but too often I do get the feeling of a guy that thinks everyone likes him and really behind his back they're just wishing he would shut up and go away.

So yeah, I do agree that there is a weakness in how they have portrayed the relationship between Rodney and Ronon and Teyla. While I would never call him the weak link (I personally would not watch this show without him), I would agree that his strongest connection to the team is through John, and that is a team weakness that needs to be worked on by the writers. I don't think it was as obvious until this season because, well, Ronon and Teyla didn't get that much screentime. Elizabeth and Carson both took up more attention, and Rodney was close with both of them, so the lack of a close relationship with his team wasn't as apparent. It wasn't so much something that suddenly happened this year as something that had always been there but didn't become glaringly apparent until those two were removed.

I think Season 4 was a step back for Rodney and Ronon, after they had some really nice moments in "Tao of Rodney" and "Sunday."

I would completely agree with this.

[Pandora's_Box]

I just hope that the writers develop the relationships between McKay and Teyla and McKay and Ronon.

A good way to do this is a episode without Sheppard where McKay, Teyla and Ronon all go on a mission and then things go horribly wrong and all three must work together and use all of their skills to survive.

I know others will disagree with me but i never really get the impression that Ronon respects McKay (Teyla does) and it would be great to see moments in season 5 where Ronn gains a respect for McKay and the skills he brings to the team.

I'm going to have to disagree and say that's the last thing I want to happen in season 5. Personally, I think that we need more episodes with the team as a whole. All of them working together to achieve a common goal (one that often involves saving some lives). I don't think seperating the team some more (there was entirely too much of that in season 4 IMO) is the way to promote good team dynamic and chemistry.

As for Ronon lacking respect for McKay...I don't think TPTB are trying to portray that. At least I hope not and it's not what I'm getting on this end. Rodney has demonstrated on numerous, even countless, ocassion that he has a lot to offer the team and Atlantis. So he can't shoot guns or play at soldier like Sheppard and Ronon. That's fine. He isn't one. He's a scientist and I think he's played up that aspect of himself very well so far. I think the Atlantis expedition would be long dead, buried, and over if not for McKay.

Disregarding Ronon's ability to understand Rodney's contribution is a major disservice to the character, and one I don't think Ronon deserves. I think everybody on Atlantis is aware of Rodney's skills and contributions.

[KindlyKeller]

Yeah, regarding what killdeer said, the McKay/Sheppard friendship is rock-solid. While I've been openly annoyed on a few occasions with John for showing brief and unexpected bursts of contempt and cruelty, for the most part, he's been very good to Rodney and vice versa. I think it's a misnomer to say they're "maybe" friends; I think they're best friends.

One of the moments I keep going back to is in Tao of Rodney, when he's trying to make sure all of his relationships are set right -

McKay: We're okay... aren't we?
Sheppard: [look of shock] Of course we are.

[Cory Holmes]

While I've been openly annoyed on a few occasions with John for showing brief and unexpected bursts of contempt and cruelty, for the most part, he's been very good to Rodney and vice versa. I think it's a misnomer to say they're "maybe" friends; I think they're best friends.

It's a guy thing. You should hear some of the things that spew out my mouth in regards to my friends and brother. Plus, Sheppard and McKay are usually in life-and-death circumstances, so that's bound to put a strain on any patience reserves.

... plus, y'know... it's funny for the rest of us

[McKaysLady]

One of the great things about Stargate SG1 was the interaction between the members of SG1 and how they were all very good friends and would each give their life to save their teammate.

The only thing wrong with Stargate Atlantis is the interaction between the 4 team members is not as good and i think McKay is the weak link.

Sheppard/Teyla - Friends
Sheppard/Ronon - Friends
Ronon/Teyla - Frends
Rodney/Sheppard - Maybe Friends

McKay on the other hand really isnt friends with any of them (Sheppard is debatable) as shown in the episodes "McKay and Mrs. Miller" where they are all opening laughing AT Mckay (not with) and the episode "Tao of Rodney" where they all discuss his weight in a very negative way.

The interaction with mcKay and the rest of the team is the only thing which is stopping those great team moments which were common in Stargate SG1 and it would be great to see the writers improve the relationship of McKay and the other characaters (especially Ronon and Teyla).

What i would love to see is a episode with McKay, Ronon and Teyla and get some serious growth with Teyla and Ronon getting to understand and appreciate McKay better. A episode with all 3 of them (no Sheppard) would be fantastic where all 3 of them have to rely on each other to survive.

To sum it up i hope that in season 5 the writers include some positive McKay and Ronon and McKay and Teyla moments as i think it will improve them overall team chemistry which at present is the only thing holding Atlantis back.

What do you all think?

I respectfully disagree with you. I think the friendship and caring is very apparant between McKay and the rest of the team. Yes, they were laughing at Jeannie's stories on "McKay and Mrs. Miller". They also were openly accepting of Rod in that show.
However, at the end of the episode, they all said that they weren't happy with Rod at all. (For example, Sheppard gave Rod a look of irratation when Rod revealed that his Sheppard was more like McKay.) And they all shared a look at when Rodney was pulling up a chair.

Yes, Sheppard says that he would do anything for the team, even Rodney, in one episode. But I think Sheppard thinks of Rodney like a "little brother." Irratating, always in the way, demanding, but NOBODY ELSE MESSES WITH.