Stargate Rewatch!

[poundpuppy29]

I agree about Sam she didn't feel like Sam at all for me but it is not as bad watching now as it was before I will admit

[Krisz]

Sam was one of the most brilliant minds on the planet, out problem solving McKay in SG-1. While I understand the need to allow McKay to be the hero/brain on his own show, I believe the writers missed the entire mark of what they were trying to do in bringing over a beloved character to solidify SG-1 loyal fans to embrace Atlantis. Talk about a missed opportunity! How great would it have been to have McKay bouncing ideas (or running them by Sam) and the potential for their disagreeing and bickering before deciding on a course of action. They could have incorporated more of Szelenka siding with either of them. Big Fun. IMO they reduced Sam to ONLY commanding officer whereas in the past, she was an awesome balance of scientist/officer. Even Weir was allowed to keep and utilize her skills as a negotiator. I don't know why they bothered to bring Sam to Atlantis

I did enjoy her tearing Adam Beach (can't think of characters' name) a new one for disrespecting Rodney. And I loved her interaction with Teal'c and Ronan, but other than that it was a wasted opportunity.

Totally agree, well said. It was strange that Sam could stop questioning McKay just like that. Zelenka being stuck in the middle would have added to the fun, nice idea. *Sigh* wasted opportunity indeed. I think this is the main reason why I found season 4 to be a bit odd, bringing such a great character from SG-1 and not really be the character we knew was weird!

[ZRFTS]

Stargate Atlantis: Season 4

On the way to season 4, a funny thing happened; SG1 was canceled leaving SGA as the only SG series on TV. Now this meant a ton of things; new cast members, new writers, new producers and a newly found center of importance. With this, Season 4 of Atlantis was going to be radically different, incorporate "darker" themes, explore the character like no other season before it and hopefully become "brilliant" in regards to the series as a whole and the hype within sci-fi circles was at a noticeable scale; some people hoped that the possibilities would be endless, some people hoped that it would bring the show on the right track after the last season, some even hoped that it would fully replace SG1 as their go to Stargate show. Years later, after having watched the season for myself, I can say that it's doesn't live up to the hype.

It does start off good though with the first two episodes of the season being a sight to see; "Adrift" places the characters and the city in space, providing new opportunities for both; the characters are exceptional as they rush through the city trying to make it another day, with some even getting to show off their serious side and the various moments where they venture outside of the city provide a certain rush that can only be powered by really impressive visual effects and a true sense of weight and danger that can be provided by the environment around them. "Lifeline" puts the characters in the Asuran city where the team effectively works together to get a ZPM while reactivating the attack code; sneaking around, having each others backs, communicating efficiently and fighting a threat that is truly insurmountable and vigilant; Both episodes feature what are essentially the last major appearances of Weir who was leader of Atlantis for the past three seasons; she goes out in a bang in both of them providing a performance that adds a bit of uncertainty but reminds us why we liked HER in the first place; noble but tough, sci-fi but sensible, she was an essential part of Atlantis. After those two episodes however, the season quickly loses it's momentum and never really recovers, even after the urban legend "Be All My Sin's Remember'd". Episodes like "Doppelganger" and "Travelers" are good episodes that are entertaining while containing some depth in regards to characters/thematic structures (the creature with the ability to get into dreams and the romance between Sheppard and the traveler) but never really reach the levels that previous seasons have set while episodes like "Reunion" and "Spoils of War" are episodes that range from okay to mediocre at best, showing a sense of disinterest and uninspired from everybody involved and in the instance of "Reunion", a sense of confusion that dilutes it's few good intentions.

Many people forget that SGA actually had "dark" themes since day one when "Rising" first introduced us to a galaxy that was twisted and disjointed; "Poisoning the Well" focused on the issue of whether or not the drug was worth the lives it was risking to, "Allies" focused on whether or not a Wraith alliance was a viable option, "Progeny" focused on the issues between races preconceived notions and a retrovirus arc explored issues relating to individuality, something finely explored in "Michael" I might add. You may think that stuff like whether or not to feed a person willingly to the Wraith and whether or not a replicator with a dynamic personality is a risk are radical for Atlantis but that's just the hype talking; truth is, it's no less dark then the things before it. There is an odd contrast to this season that goes against it's wishes and that's the SG1 feeling is more prevalent here than before with episodes that try to be sci-fi (forced lighting, the usage of various gimmicks, contrived situations) episodes that seem gimmicky/nonsensical ("Harmony" being a babysitting episode that features an annoying girl, laughable bad guys and painful McKay scenes and "Midway" being a pointless shoot em' up that features Teal'c/Ronan and not much else.) and a lack of seriousness with the Wraith, who have turned from a dark, insurmountable foe to a joke with generic sayings , science mueseum-like environments, and cannon-fodder soldiers. This feeling is detrimental to what the series is supposed to be; when you have the Wraith acting like the Gou'ald in S9-10, when you have more of a reliance on style than substance, when there's a lack of seriousness for major events. (Hives approaching Atlantis comes to mind.) you have a show that panders to it's audience rather and Atlantis is not supposed to be pandering.

Season 4 is all about expanding itself, taking it to new places where it's never been before but somehow it feels confined; take for instance Col. Samantha Carter who's introduced this season as the new leader of Atlantis. There has been immense hype on the radical performance that Amanda Tapping would bring to the character which would provide new depth and showcase her in a new light but in actuality, it seems like Sam traded all of her SG1 personality in exchange for a brand new Atlantis personality which is essentially that of Weir. Sam throughout the season feels like she's trying to channel Weir into her performance and while she does do some things different, it's almost uncanny in the familiarity of their performances; while I admire what they were trying to do, I think we all know what we wanted in the first place, Sam being Sam. Many of the issues explored here feel more confined than they did in days past, you've got the "person who can see the future with exact certainty", you've got "everybody has amnesia" and you've got the "replicators running around on the loose except one of them is smart", they've been pushing the border for so many seasons so it's sad to see them go the complacent route but they are sort of a gift and a curse in itself in that some can result to good/amazing episodes ("This Mortal Coil" which despite criticism, is one of the best episodes of SGA exploring differences, acceptance, the human soul while providing an amazing journey for the characters featured.) while some can result to mediocre/bad episodes. In retrospect the Pegasus Galaxy is becoming the Milky Way 2.0 and with that comes less opportunities, less investment and less of what made SGA unique and Season 4 is supposed to be all about expansion.

As mentioned before, this season promises to explore the characters in new ways and this is evident when Teyla gets a chance to focus herself when she becomes pregnant and her people go missing; it's almost as if she forces the attention with the growing maternal instincts that lend her a more sweeter side. Though she doesn't appear as often as we'd like, the moments where she does appear are very insightful such as during the pseudo two parter "The Kindred" (very weak overall but noticeable for featuring the return of Beckett which you have to see for yourself.) which reunites her with Michael (who's as good as ever though seemingly becoming generic.) and really places her in a situation of hopelessness and fear. Sheppard and McKay also get a chance to explore themselves in individual episodes; "Outcast" being the episode where Sheppard's backstory is revealed, creating depth within the character with it's surprising revelations (Sheppard's rich upbringings), conflicts (Sheppard's wife and and father) and emotion (the scene at the casket) and "Miller's Crossing" being the episode where McKay shows off everything, his sensitive side (when he offers to sacrifice himself), his cautious side and more importantly the bond with Jeanie which is more explored than in "McKay and Mrs. Miller". There are also a number of episodes which puts characters together in predicaments, episodes like "Tabula Rasa" which shows Atlantis when they loose their memories, "Quarantine" which shows the crew of Atlantis trapped and isolated in their own city, "Trio" which puts Sam, Keller and Carter in a small room together and the season finale "The Last Man" which manages to combine hopelessness, characters and action all in one but barely anything in those episodes (and above) could considered groundbreaking for characters in Atlantis.

In the case of "Tabula Rasa", it's insightful as to how different characters can be from Zelenka being an action hero to McKay being focused while in the case of "Quarantine" only a few get explored while the rest prove to be the same old, same old, proving somewhat insightful. The case of "Trio" proves to be a unique one in that while it does show the team working together, barely anything substantial character-wise is ever provided and nothing compels you to care. "The Last Man" however, proves to be ridiculously insightful with every character getting the chance to feel and show what they're made of despite the bleak outcome from Sam sacrificing himself heroically to McKay working day and night to prevent this from ever happening. The fact that it's 48,000 years into the future and contains exceptional performances should seal the deal for you. There are two surprises and those come in the form of Keller (the replacement for Beckett) and Todd (the Wraith from Season 2.) The exploration given to these characters are amazing, Keller is made to be more than just a female Beckett (even getting an entire episode "Missing" which is the pinnacle of her character.) with a friendly personality, modest sensibilities and a small amount of uncertainty that slowly develops into something more and Todd is expanded up the wazo made into a can't help to be with drifter-like character who has a sense of humor but is also dangerous Both characters are nicely developed throughout the season though I can't help to notice that certain flaws haunt both of them. Keller's flaws is that her portrayal is somewhat inconsistent; at one moment her social life is awkward but at the next she knows a bar trick? and Todd doesn't feel like the same character from "Common Ground", barely any of his scenes show the wiseness that made him so unique in the first place. Still... Kudos for exploring them so well.

A show has to respectively lose it's grip at some point and Season 4 appears to be the point where they lose it. Many of the seasons hyped up qualities are actually overstated beliefs; the dark moments aren't much darker then the previous seasons, in fact there are fewer dark moments than ever before, the character exploration isn't revolutionary but there are certain moments which do wonders for the characters by exploring their backstories and showcasing moments both emotional and insightful and the expansion isn't really expansion, more so it's contradictory with Sam being more like Weir than anything else and an increased SG1 feeling which dilutes much of this season. In the end, it's neither good or bad; the first half being decent with 3 of the best episodes and the second half being filled with middling episodes and terrible affairs save for one but compared to the hype, this feels like a massive letdown and one that makes you doubt whether or not the producers can actually put out a quality season in the future.

5.0/10

Best Episodes: "Adrift", "Lifeline", "Missing", "This Mortal Coil", "The Last Man"
Worst Episodes: "Harmony", "Trio", "Midway"

[Trig]

I'm on the back end of S5 now, watched 17/18 at the weekend but having changed jobs and moving house end fo this month things are a bit up in the air.

One thing that I have noticed being back end of S5 is there doesnt seem to be any sort of build up to it being the end of the series, I'm guessing there was no knowledge of what was about to happen at this point?

[ZRFTS]

For review reference purposes.

Season 4:

Adrift (9.0/10)
Lifeline (9.0/10)
Reunion (4.5/10)
Doppelganger (7.5/10)
Travelers (7.5/10)
Tabula Rasa (8.0/10)
Missing (9.0/10)
The Seer (5.0/10)
Miller's Crossing (7.5/10)
This Mortal Coil (10/10)
Be All My Sins Remember'd (6.5/10)
Spoils of War (6.0/10)
Quarantine (5.0/10)
Harmony (2.0/10)
Outcast (6.0/10)
Trio (3.0/10)
Midway (3.5/10)
The Kindred (Part 1) (7.0/10)
The Kindred (Part 2) (6.0/10)
The Last Man (10/10)

[poundpuppy29]

I already watched the first 2 discs of season 5

[poundpuppy29]

I finished season 5 because my sister and mother were going to start it soon I just hope they don't watch SGU too because I don't want to start early. I don't know if they will watch SGU because they didn't really like it before

[Trig]

Finished season 5 earlier today, must say that Enemy at the Gate was just a poor episode, why gate to the hive ship, why not just send some big bomb or other through..
Just felt kinda cheated knowing there were to be no films or anything after that

SGU next but moving house at the end of the week so I'll take a break for a while I think now..

[ZRFTS]

Stargate Atlantis: Season 5

Who knows what we go into expecting from a Season. Maybe it's the expectation of Stargate brilliance, maybe it's a desire for it to be good. Whatever the case, people expect a lot and it is that which builds upon Season 5; the season being notable for many feats, 100th episode, resolution of many plots, the shocking reveals of others and sadly, this being the final season of Atlantis. Being a final season of anything can bring a tear to your eye, mainly due to the possibilities it held but what lies in this very season will almost certainly change that perception.

Things start off with the weakest season opener "Search and Rescue" which continues the weakest cliffhanger in Stargate history; our crew being in rubble and involving Michael should seem exciting but the action is boring, there's a forced sense of scale and the crew is uncompelling; it is only thanks to one moment that it's given a place in Stargate lore and that's the birth of Teyla's child which is both beautiful and cute. After that, the season lingers on with no build up whatsoever; throughout the season we're given many possible arcs but they're all treated with disregard, ranging from being forgotten in an instant (Teyla's baby) or not being built upon (Wraith treatment), Because of a lack of inspiration the show comes with half-baked situations, often resorting to action (which Atlantis wasn't always) which is most prominent in "The Daedalus Variations", which has various alternate realities but is ultimately a shoot-em-up with aliens and a "watch the crew get out of various sticky situations using their wits" premise and "The Prodigal" which is something that'll remind people of Season 1 with its cinematography, production and characterization that has team the working together and the city mattering. The characters all come along for the ride (and are more like children than ever before, diecast cars anyone?) but oddly enough they're all pushed out to make room for surprisingly, Dr. Keller who seems to be a focus this season and ultimately ends up a deterrent. In "The Seed", "Tracker" and "Identity", she barely provides a consistent performance/vivid characterization, leaving us to care only because she's in a harmful situation. They develop a romance between McKay this season and it's initially good but they overplay it including it in nearly every scene, as if we're not aware they're in love. They also feel the need point to find ways to include Keller regardless of the reason, giving her a personality that's unlike the socially awkward one we've seen before stretches the character thin.

We get it, they're in love.

That's doesn't mean that Atlantis has suddenly become "The Dr. Keller Show", other characters get a chance to show themselves; McKay's "The Shrine" is a masterpiece of acting, emotion, character, friendship and teamwork as David Hewlett puts on an exceptional performance resembling a childlike state, every character gets to show the connection they had with McKay over the years, in fact it is the best episode of the season and the only exceptional one here. Teyla's "The Queen" puts her in disguise the same way many sitcoms and cartoons have done and while it is somewhat good in the beginning with a decent Todd performance and sudden unexpected twists; it ultimately makes Teyla into an illogical character who made poor choices and survived on luck alone, reasons could of been made but nothing can excuse that deterred on the potential of her being a queen. Ronan's "Broken Ties" and "Tracker" all feature him in a contributing role, it is nice to see him in a position of vulnerability and to see his skillset be put to use but weak guest stars, contrived plot decisions and an overall lack of development sideline him in both episodes; especially in the case of "Tracker" where the guest star has no depth and forced complexion. Then there's "Brain Storm" which involves Rodney McKay, scientists and a life threatening situation. The thought of finally seeing the world McKay has ever so mentioned, his emotional state based on that world and the exaggeration of the world in general gives it a certain charm that makes it stand out but It's not perfect as many of the scientific elements grate on the nerves and certain plot elements (such as the rivarly) get in the way. Oddly enough, there are barely any episodes that prominently feature Sheppard, sure he appears in "Remnants" and "Vegas" but there's nothing insightful that's revealed about him; he only serving to perform plodding plots that only barely reference his character and in the case of "Vegas", the premise upstages him.

The entire crew and everybody in the audience has to put up with what is essentially the downfall of once great powers who were the master of their domain; for example, Michael and Todd are example of unique Stargate characters, both have different perspectives and life experiences with Michael feeling wronged by Atlantis and Todd feeling a bit wiser than other wraith but in this season, Michael's a generic villain who's ambitions are to rule the world and Todd is more or less treated as a wisecracking sly Seinfeld character. Both characters feel uncomfortable shouting out orders and making jokes, seeming almost generic and out-of-place; while they get some chance to show what they're made of, most of the time they're the victims of the writers. Todd gets the worst when he suddenly becomes illogical in a desperate attempt to get a main villain, which serving to neglects the history of the character and revert the Sheppard/Todd confrontation to "I don't trust you, I'll kill you/I'm a villain, look at how sly I am.", Michael survives a bit better and even gets a better ending but both suffer and both are brought down to the lowest level possible. The writers have also forgotten the difference between unique and generic sci-fi, in this season, they think that everything has to look cool, flashy and scientific just to be considered sci-fi; just look at the two parter "First Contact" and "The Lost Tribe", this has the writers replicating what they think is big when they themselves wrote them in the first place and ending up failing, extravagant action without purpose, a special appearance by Daniel Jackson who is unlike his SG-1 self and is a jerk, mysterious aliens who are ultimately inconsequential series-wise and a device that threatens to destroy the universe, one that's more interesting for it's history than it's consequences. Note: it isn't all about flashy effects, it's about moments in which the characters put their best, moments which ultimately mattered.

Yet another fancy explosion.

There are also some questionable ventures that don't exactly work out; take for instance "Whispers" which features a female SG-team, while they're supposed to provide something different, it turns out to be a generic horror film with every cliche from the book ever used, tons of minute characterization and 44 minutes of boring shooting that amount to nothing (same goes for "Infection"), then there's "Remnants" which has three plots at once, each of them promising unique character exploration but it's disjointing, unfocused and inconsequential; Koyla's resurrection/McKay/Zelenka is wasteful and just a reinforcement of their most common traits wrapped up around a generic sci-fi blanket. The most questionable and stunning thing here has got to be "Vegas" which is essentially a CSI ripoff in the guise of an alternate reality episode; I have never seen visuals so distracting and music so in-your-face that they got in the way of the episode, the plotting and characters all seem stereotyped, especially Sheppard who acts the same as his regular counterpart and despite some interesting ideas is ultimately one giant gimmick. This episode also serves as another example and that is the forcing of moral issues; here, stuff like different paths, facing yourself is told by someone else in a tone that is commonly monotone and forefront. To have someone else talk about moral issues is assuming that they can't figure it out; episodes like "Outsiders" and "Inquisition" add to the issue by rehashing the same issues that have been done before, such as whether or not people are a risk and the treatment and grey area of Wraith. The addition of Beckett/Todd do nothing to subvert this (only serving as excuses). People who watch sci-fi (even casually) know of most of this stuff that's going on and to treat them as dumb is an insult to the genre as a whole.

Inabilities to close the characters are also evident here; take for instance "Ghost in the Machine" which features Weir but not featuring her actor. While it is a good story that provides a decent conflict with a bunch of Rogue Asurans and explores the concept of ascension somewhat, Weir's character doesn't get the proper closure she deserves, due to the many things that aren't resolved with the simple closing of the eyes. Michael's death in "The Prodigal" is exciting because he manages to take the base by force and take himself to his roots but it's also disappointing because it reflects upon the state of the character plus having her kill him after unnecessarily carrying a baby around makes it cheap and undeserved. Sam is forced out in an abrupt way and replaced by Woosley who even though is developed as more than just an IOA mouthpiece and has amazing leadership qualities, is the second fiddle of the crew. The worst closure of all is it's unintentional series finale "Enemy At the Gate" which features all of your favorite SGA moments; this has got to be the worst way to end your series, even though it contains the entire crew together and a big plot hinted through the series, it's cobbled together with almost no suspense and weight to it; we're forced to watch an episode which goes almost nowhere in terms of action/characterization/premise and has unresolved questions despite the optimistic ending. It's sad to see a show end like this, with an action oriented episode that doesn't reflect on the past 5 years of Atlantis, with the writers expecting the viewers to think that it's awesome just because it has awesome visual-effects filled moments and our crew is in it and this reflects to the season as a whole.

One last shot to close it out.

Who knows why we call a season good/brilliant maybe it's the fact that they want to have something to call their own, maybe they don't want to face disappointment and try to find something in the show which they have invested in for so long. I can certainly understand but regardless, Season 5 is the worst season of Stargate Atlantis; the powers that be have finally hit rock bottom churning out an inessential season that has no focus and contains the worst elements of Atlantis; the characters are dry and sterile, the situations reek of blandness and many elements rely on audience hooks that range from alternate realities to forced moral discussion. There are only 3 good episodes but they're muddled through 17 episodes that range from boring to terrible and there are a lot of terrible episodes. Ultimately, it's a very poor way to end a show and you'd only be tricking yourself trying to like this season.

3.5/10

Best Episodes: "The Shrine"
Worst Episodes: "The Daedalus Variations", "Whispers", "First Contact", "The Lost Tribe", "Remnants", "Infection", "Vegas", "Enemy At the Gate"

[ZRFTS]

For review reference purposes.

Season 5:

Search and Rescue (5.0/10)
The Seed (5.0/10)
Broken Ties (5.5/10)
The Daedalus Variations (4.0/10)
Ghost in the Machine (6.0/10)
The Shrine (10/10)
Whispers (3.5/10)
The Queen (4.0/10)
Tracker (5.0/10)
First Contact (3.5/10)
The Lost Tribe (4.0/10)
Outsiders (5.5/10)
Inquisition (4.5/10)
The Prodigal (7.0/10)
Remnants (3.5/10)
Brain Storm (7.0/10)
Infection (3.5/10)
Identity (5.5/10)
Vegas (1.0/10)
Enemy At the Gate (2.0/10)

[poundpuppy29]

I will start season 1 of SGU Tomorrow I have seen season 1 already but only saw 2 episodes of season 2

[carmencatalina]

Watched the extended version of Air (Air 1 - 3), SGU, season 1 - so far, on schedule! Hopefully I won't fall too far behind on this.

[Trig]

I was way ahead at one point, now behind, just moved house so a fair amount of stuff in boxes atm, dont think the other half would appreciate me sitting down watching stuff when I should be moving stuff

I'll start in a week or two, maybe...

[Krisz]

I've got a bit behind because it feels like I've used the stones and swapped bodies with someone who's got the flu! I've been out of it for the last 3 days with the headache, sore throat and aches and pains. Can't think of what to write as my brain is fuzzed up!

Hopefully be able to look at my laptop for more than five minutes over the weekend and catch up with episode reviews! I'll be so happy to feel like myself again!

[poundpuppy29]

I have watched the first 2 discs of season 1 SGU