“I swallowed a bug.” - River Tam

By Wolfen Moodaughter

Martin Gero is my hero.

Back in August, I had said to Stargate producer Joe Mallozzi, on his blog: “Speaking of which, I second the wish someone had yesterday for some good McShep — er, McKay/Sheppard friendship moments, of the not-nearly-so-snarky, plenty-angsty variety.” I hadn’t meant it as a question, nor had I expected a reply, but he did respond, on August 3rd, saying simply “Miller’s Crossing”.

Now, I was already squeeing over the simple fact that Jeannie was coming back in this ep, so needless to say, I have been on pins in needles waiting for it to finally air. And on October 31st, Joe added fuel to the fire when he said “Actually three great mixes of late: [snip] “Miller’s Crossing” (With that incredibly angsty McKay-Sheppard scene.)” Considering that “Adrift” had some amazing McShep moments, and “The Seer” had one as well, I thought, “Martin really must have done something special to top those enough for Joe to pick it out like that!” And he did. Twice, even! So that two-week wait for this ep after “The Seer” was nothing short of cruel!

(Incidentally, if you love Jeannie and the relationship between her and Rodney as much as I do, then you must check out A Dog’s Breakfast. Jeannie is played by David Hewlett’s real-life sister, Kate Hewlett; the film stars them both and was written, directed, and produced by David and his wife, Jane Loughman. It also stars Paul McGillion (Beckett), Chris Judge (Teal’c), and has a cameo by Rachel Luttrell (Teyla). It’s fantastically funny; this episode was definitely a treat for fans of that film! Speaking of which, if you’re a fan already? I run an unofficial Street Team site for it — find graphics to help promote the film here. /shameless plug)

4.9: “Miller’s Crossing”

Rodney studies a few dry-erase boards while his team watches in frustration. Simpson suggests he look to Todd (the Wraith) for help. It seems like Rodney is just being stubborn until he points out that Todd wouldn’t help them. (Really? I thought he was helping at the end of “The Seer”! Can’t say as I blame him, though — with his hive gone, what incentive does he have? He’ll starve eventually, so why should he help his captors?) Zelenka says Rodney should just “email her already.” (Of course most people have probably seen the promos and known Radek was talking about Jeannie, but if they hadn’t, that “her” must have been pretty intriguing.) Rodney insists that he doesn’t need the help, but Radek pleads until Rodney finally relents, supposing that there are more important things he could be working on instead. “However you want to sell it to yourself,” Radek heartily agrees, packing up his laptop. The other scientist follow suit, leaving Rodney alone. (I wonder at this for a moment, then suppose that there’s no point in sticking around if they have to wait for a reply from Jeannie and they haven’t been getting anywhere on their own anyway.) Rodney is in full smug/snark-mode and very funny for this whole sequence! (I especially love when he points to himself and says “I’m not stuck.” His tone had me in stitches. Also, I suddenly realise that, for some reason I have yet to understand, being a physicist makes hair all poofy: Einstein’s was that way, Zelenka’s is that way, and now, this season, Rodney’s is as well.)

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At the Miller house, little Madison is making a huuuuge, thick cookie. (My mom voices aloud what I’m thinking: “That’s so not going to cook right.” Sure enough, Caleb suggests his daughter flatten it a little, but she’s not too receptive. Cute little touches of humanity like this are important!) Jeannie gets the email from Rodney. (At home? Hmmm. Well, I guess it’s not like anyone else would understand the contents or know where its coming from — maybe now that they can use the ‘Gate to get home, the SGC allows the people of Atlantis to email home the same way soldiers in Iraq are allowed internet access? Especially since it would get awfully suspicious if, in this day and age, they remained out of contact for too long? Or maybe Jeannie’s got special privileges, considering how useful she is and how reluctant she would be to go to the SGC whenever they might need her.) She tells Caleb, “He’s stuck again!” (Again? He wasn’t exactly stuck before, so much as she had a good idea ….) With Caleb’s consent, Jeannie abandons family-baking-time to work on her brother’s problem.

That night, the Miller home is invaded by dark-clad men with laser-sighted rifles. Poor Jeannie cringes in terror as a red dot of light appears on her head. (It’s really rather frightening to watch! I also can’t help but wonder if little Madison is at all aware of what’s happening — can she hear the struggle?)

Agent Barrett of the NID greets Rodney, Sheppard, and Ronon at the SGC. (I squee a little — it’s so good to see the place again! Even the exterior shot of Cheyenne Mountain gave me warm fuzzies!) Rodney cuts short the introductions, asking if they’ve heard anything from the kidnappers; Barrett confirms that they have not. (I wonder, for a moment how they know she was kidnapped, until I realise that Caleb wasn’t taken. So why didn’t the kidnappers leave instructions with him? Unless they only wanted Jeannie, and weren’t actually interested in Rodney? …) Barrett says that the Daedalus will beam them directly to Vancouver. (Which amuses me, since the show is filmed there, so technically they’re there already!) John asks if they know anything yet; Barrett says no, but adds that the NID is working closely with CISIS. Rodney explains that that’s Canada’s version of the CIA. (Funny that he says “our CIA” instead of “your” — does he think of himself as American now?) John doesn’t think much of the name. (And “CIA” is so much better because …?) Looking at Ronon, Barrett suggests they get a change of clothes. Ronon seems perplexed by the suggestion. (Very amusing, but I’m a bit perplexed myself at Ronon’s reaction. Didn’t they dress him up when he went to Earth for Beckett’s funeral? Well, maybe he figures, since there’s no special occasion this time, what he’s wearing should be fine for casual wear.)

When they get out of a car at the Miller home, Ronon says “I look dumb.” Sheppard tells him it helps him blend in, to which Ronon retorts that he’s going to stand out no matter what he’s wearing. (*Snicker* … Everyone keeps making a big deal about Ronon wearing “the same clothes as Sheppard” here. People, he’s wearing a white shirt and a dark gray sports jacket — you can’t get much more common that that! Barrett’s wearing the same thing! They probably have a closet full of them at the SGC, for when the need might arise! Besides, he’s also wearing jeans, and John is not. And why is everyone complaining about Rodney’s pinstriped pants? I didn’t even notice the pinstripes at first; they look perfectly fine to me. Then again, I adore this outfit on Hewlett, yet so many people seem to hate it ….)

In the house, Rodney says an awkward hello to Caleb and Madison; his niece wants to know where he mommy is. Rodney looks helplessly at the girl; Caleb quickly reminds her that her mommy had to go away for a little while. (So I guess Madison did sleep through the invasion.) In the kitchen, Caleb blames Rodney for Jeannie’s abduction, specifically for emailing her and for their silly sibling rivalry. (And perhaps Caleb blames himself, as he points out that Jeannie would never have gone to Atlantis in the first place if he hadn’t talked her into it.) Rodney protests a little, saying they don’t know that his email was the cause, but he’s calm about it, patient and understanding as he reassures Caleb that they will get her back. (Love Hewlett’s delivery of the line “I will.” And I’m so proud of Rodney here! He’s strong for Caleb, when he has every reason to have a meltdown himself or even get angrily defensive. This isn’t so different as the situation of uploading the altered basecode, where John said he had no way of knowing it could all go so horribly wrong. And here, Rodney had even less reason to suspect what might happen; how could he have imagined that sending the code to her would endanger his sister? Why shouldn’t he seek whatever help possible, like Radek suggested, in saving the lives of billions? Hell, I would think him morally obligated to do so, and Jeannie morally obligated to assist! But then, Caleb also has no reason to know what the code was for or what was at stake — all he knows is that his wife was kidnapped right after getting it — so I can’t be mad at Caleb either …. Incidentally, Caleb is played by an actor names Brendan Gall. Strangely, Brendan Gall is also the name of a character that was killed in first season’s “The Defiant One.”)

They come back out into the living room, where John is keeping Madison occupied (as he so often is in fanfics! I love it when things like that happen — rather than it being a case of the writers borrowing from fics, as some have accused, I see it as the fic-writers just being that much in sync with the show writers, everyone in agreement of what makes a good story.) Caleb takes Madison away to a hotel, and Barrett clears the room of CICIS and NID people.

Rodney explains to the others what he was corresponding with Jeannie about. He says that, before Todd showed up, he’d been working on the medical nanites. (Huh? Has he been talking to Jeannie about that, too? Hmm, this would explain her “again” statement, if they’ve been corresponding regularly ….) He’s understandably reserved, and only hesitates slightly when he words the act of asking her for help as “bouncing some ideas off of her.” (Nice to see that, even under such dire conditions, he’s still himself — yet he doesn’t let that get in the way of what’s important, either. It’s all very subtle, humorous and serious at the same time. Gero amazes me …. Love the intent look on Ronon’s faces as he listens, too.) When Rodney mentions the nanite programme, Ronon asks if that’s the thing he’d used to save Weir. (See, Ronon, I knew you could pay attention, unlike during that meeting in “The Seer”! And you’re really very smart, I think; you just haven’t been learned the same sorts of things.) Rodney confirms it. John looks uncomfortable at the mention, but doesn’t get angry. (Did he know about this research, I wonder? Did they argue about it and Sam or Landry or the IOA overruled him? Or did he lighten up about it because Elizabeth is still alive and didn’t seem to lose herself to her nanites like he’d feared she would?) Rodney says “we” (meaning him and Jeannie, methinks, not him and the science team) had to put the work on the medical nanites aside when they’d learned that the Replicators were attacking human worlds. Barrett asks if Rodney had sent Jeannie the programme he was working on (he doesn’t specify which programme, but under the circumstances I think it’s safe to assume that he means the virus here — and that Jeannie had already been sent the medical programme a while ago). Rodney replies by saying that he needed a new set of eyes.

John wonders what that info had to do with her being taken; Rodney suggests that maybe The Trust wanted info on him or the programme, but whatever the reason, that email and her kidnapping happened too close together to not be related. (Which is what Caleb suggested; this means Rodney was either denying it to be reassuring or to deflect blame — probably a little of both. But if Rodney’s been emailing her regularly, is it really so obviously connected? Why abduct her now and not before? And how did Wallace even know that there was anything to monitor in the first place?) Barrett points Rodney to Jeannie’s laptop, which he made sure no one else touched; Rodney says he’ll need to take it apart, and suggests that John and Ronon go to a hotel. John starts to say that they’ll stay (and isn’t that sweet, how supportive he’s being!), but Rodney is insistent, saying it will take 10-12 hours, and it’s not like they can help. Reluctantly, John and Ronon leave. (Hmm, he should have suggested John take Ronon sight-seeing! Or clothes shopping at a punk clothing store. *Snicker* I mean, if all they’re going to do is stay in a hotel, they might as well stay at the house anyway, and it would have been nice to get a moment of Ronon dealing with the Earth public. Ah, well, budget and time restraints …. Anyway, storywise, this scenario seems a little too convenient of a way to get them away from McKay so that he can get abducted, but it’s also believable enough that I can live with it.)

A terrified Jeannie is brought, tied and with her head covered, to a room with computer workstations. Her hood is removed, and she’s left alone with a man. The man has a knife; she thinks he means to use it to hurt her, but he only wants to cut her bonds, freeing her hands. He introduces himself as Henry Wallace, saying he needs her to do some work for him. (And you kidnap her instead of just asking??)

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At the hotel, John and Ronon get a call from McKay, who reveals that Jeannie’s computer was indeed being monitored by a trojan; he’s got an address for the router. John’s surprised that he’s done so fast. “Hey, even I underestimate how smart I am sometimes,” Rodney replies. He doesn’t seem to be bragging, either. (Let’s face it, Rodney’s stating a fact as often as not when he talks about his intelligence; I think he’s not really aware of how arrogant it sounds to state your abilities so blatantly. To him, it probably seems pointless to try to deny it — and he’s not very good at lying anyway.) John tells him that they’ll be right over to pick him up. Rodney says their already on their way (John does not look happy to hear this), and gives him the address. (I’ve seen a lot of complaints about Rodney and Barrett having gone off their own, when they had all those government people to help. Well, Barrett had sent them home, hadn’t he? And it’s not like they could let CICIS in on the Stargate programme! As for not waiting for John and Ronon, I wouldn’t expect Rodney to wait when time could be of the essence.)

McKay and Barrett arrive at the address. Barrett asks if they shouldn’t wait for Sheppard and Ronon. McKay waves the suggestion off. Rodney goes to kick down a door — and Barrett opens it with the doorknob instead. (*Snicker*) As he walks in with a flashlight, Rodney notes Barrett’s handgun and asks if he has another. Distracted by the question, Barrett starts to say he’ll get his shotgun from the trunk, when he’s jumped. A laser-sighted rifle is aimed Rodney’s way; he flinches worse than his sister, throwing his arms in front of his face and ducking. (Heh, sounds like something I would do ….)

John and Ronon drive up and find Barrett on the ground, his head bleeding. He tells them that he and Rodney were jumped by two guys. Ronon shouts, “McKay!” (which makes me shiver in delight, as we don’t often see him show concern for Rodney); Barrett tells them Rodney was taken. The look on John’s face say both that he’s worried sick and that he’s exasperated, like he knew something like this would happen. (Par for the course in working with McKay. I bet that’s why he didn’t really want to leave in the first place, and now he’s kicking himself for giving in to Rodney.)

Rodney’s reunited with Jeannie. He assures her that Caleb and Madison are both fine, adding that he has a security detail on them. Whene she asks how he got there, he says that he got ambushed while trying to find her. She’s peeved. “First you get me captured, and now you—” He breaks in, outraged, wanting to know how she figures that. (Okay, so while he conceded that the email was why she was caught, apparently he doesn’t blame himself just for sending it in the first place. And, frankly, I don’t think he should.) Jeannie points out that the people who abducted her obviously were monitoring her computer, asking if she would have been abducted if not for those emails he’d sent her. (Plural! Hah! So that’s confirmation that they’ve been communicating for at least a little while. And I’m irritated with her — how was he to know something like this would happen? What, should he be omnipotent now? Or, if it was so obvious, then why didn’t she tell him to stop emailing her?) “Possibly,” he insists; she calls him by his real name (Meredith) in a tone that says he’s being difficult and unwilling to face the facts. (And aren’t you rather oversimplifying the situation a bit, there, Jeannie? I thought you were supposed to be the rational one! Don’t get me wrong, though — I can be annoyed with her on one level and still enjoy the sibling snark between them.) Rodney’s catches sight of the lab equipment and is distracted (I don’t think he’s just trying to change the subject, either). Jeannie makes a scathing remark about his powers of observation. He asks where they are, but Jeannie has no idea — wherever it is, they’d had to take a plane to get there. (How long were they on the plane?) Rodney fiddles with the controls and starts to ask if she has any idea who’s behind their abduction. Wallace then comes into the room. (Speak of the devil, ‘ey? …)

Wallace greets Rodney by name, and holds out his hand. Rodney backs up, not willing to accept it. (Which is actually pretty typical of him; people constantly say that John has a problem with being touched, but I think it’s Rodney who really does. Still, typical behavior or not, I think it’s a really apt reaction in the particular situation.) We learn that Wallace was hoping but not expecting to get Rodney; the physicist’s appearance is just a bonus. (Ah, so he was after Jeannie for herself!) Rodney warns him that he better let them go or a bunch of soldiers will swarm the place. (Love how Jeannie comes up behind Rodney and nods, like a little kid going “So there!”) Wallace then reveals that Rodney’s subcutaneous transmitter has been deactivated. (Well at least they didn’t have to remove it, the way Vala’s was when she was captured by The Trust in the SG-1 ep “Memento Mori”.) Rodney and Kate are shocked. Wallace states his name for Rodney (redundant for we the audience, but it only makes sense for him to do so), adding that he’s the president — “Of DMT,” Rodney finishes unhappily. Disgusted, he explains to Jeannie that “Devlin Medical Technologies” does work for the government — including making the transmitters.

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Rodney then asks how the man even knows he exists, saying that DMT is only cleared to know about experiments the military has declassified. Wallace cuts him off, revealing that he knows all about the Stargate programme, and that the technology he’s given by them to integrate into human medical tech is alien-based. Horrified, Rodney insists that the man isn’t cleared to know that. Wallace responds that seeing such amazing technological advances coming from the military year after year had prompted him to investigate. (I can’t imagine that would be an easy task, but then again he doesn’t say that it was. With so many people involved with the SGC, there’s bound to be leaks or cracks somewhere, for someone who’s actively looking and has those kinds of connections.) That’s how the man learned about the SGC, Atlantis, and Rodney, and why he’s been monitoring their family emails for quite a while. Rodney asks what he wants. Wallace says that he’s hit a wall, and needs their help.

He takes them to see his teenaged daughter, Sharon. She has cancer; no treatment has worked, and her doctors have told her to say her goodbyes. You can see in Jeannie’s eyes that her heart breaks for the man (she’s a mother, after all). Rodney’s moderat;ey sympathetic but more flummoxed. “Neither of us are doctors — well, yes, I have a PhD — two actually,” he adds in an adorable sidetrack, which earns him a slight scowl from Jeannie. Wallace explains that his company was working with the medical nano tech they’d gotten from the SGC, and had developed a prototype, which they’d injected into Sharon a week prior. Rodney protests that Wallace and his people had only just gotten the manufacturing down, adding that he himself was still working on the coding — the nanites were months away from being ready. Wallace explains that his team thought they’d gotten the code worked out; when Rodney protests that it’s not that easy, Wallace says he knows that — now. (Hindsight and all that, a notion Rodney should be woefully familiar with.)

Wallace goes on to say that the nanites are malfunctioning and actually making Sharon worse. When he’d intercepted their correspondence, he was in desperate need of help with the code. (I’m puzzled by this at first — while it’s only been a week since Sharon was injected, and therefore even less time since they’d discovered that there was a problem with them, his people have obviously been working on the nanites for a while before that, as a part of their normal work — why didn’t they abduct Jeannie sooner? But then I figure his people weren’t really having a problem before, not in a way that would make it necessary to risk prison, especially since he knew all their progress with the medical nanites from their correspondence anyway. The situation has only recently become critical — and here comes this email, just in time, about a different aspect of the nano technology. There must have been something in the new code that convinced him that they might be able to help after all. Of course, he still could have tried going to Jeannie and asking, but this way he could make absolutely certain that she couldn’t say no, as well as minimize the possibility that the SGC would interfere — and possibly urge McKay to come back from Pegasus too. I understand and sympathise, even if I don’t approve.)

Rodney assumes that Jeanie was the bait (yeah, he doesn’t pay attention so well, does he?), and Wallace points out that, actually, Jeannie seems to be the more knowledgeable one. (I wonder, is Jeannie smarter than Rodney, in an over-all sense? Or is it just that she’s better at looking outside the box/being creative than he is, as he suggested Sam was on SG-1? Either way, this episode is turning out to be a wonderful exercise in humility for him without actually trashing him.) Rodney starts to protest, and Jeannie chastises him, pointing out that it doesn’t matter. (I’ve seen posts saying that she’s mean for calling him Meredith, which I don’t get; she was raised calling him that, she’s not using the name for spite! I don’t get mad at the friends and family who knew me back when I went by my given name when they call me by it now! … Also, I find it interesting that Jeannie turned out so “normal” and Rodney so neurotic, when they are both so gifted. Some of it is simply character flaws on Rodney’s part, of course, but I’m sure that some of it is also due to how they each were raised. I mean, I get the impression that she was not as mistreated as he was by their parents — and perhaps her intelligence was also not fussed about. Or perhaps she saw how people treated him and decided it was better to keep her own smarts a bit more under the radar.) Wallace says Sharon doesn’t have much time left, and promises to let them go if they cure her. Rodney isn’t buying it; he asks what will happen if they don’t. Wallace just smiles.

Back at the SGC, Walter tells Barrett, Ronon, and John that they lost the transmitter signal. Barrett says that following the computer trail hasn’t gotten them anywhere either, but assures them that, with the number of people working on the case and the witnesses they’re talking to, they’ll find them. (Because witnesses to operations by black-geared commandos in the dead of night can be so helpful! Maybe the commandos had a brand name logo on their gear, something rare and easy to trace the sales of? *Snort* I’m sure Wallace has a private plane, so an airline employee’s not going to be much help either.) John bites the inside of his lip in a worried frown the whole time. (Flanigan is so wonderfully expressive! I want to ask him if he spends a long time practicing the soulful look in the mirror, or if they just come naturally ….)

At Wallace’s lab, Jeannie realises what the nanite problem is: they’re not communicating with each other, so they’re just kind of working aimlessly and clogging up arteries. Rodney’s not really interested — he’s working to get them out? of there, not on the nanite problem. Jeannie protests that working on the nanite problem is the way to get them out of there. Rodney points out that they have real-time camera access to monitor Sharon with (I’m guessing that’s more of a guilt motivator — well, that and another too-convenient plot device), explaining that he can use that access to hack into the security mainframe. Jeannie wants to stay and help Sharon. Rodney argues that Wallace isn’t going to let them go after; he’d have to kill them or go to prison. (It’s disappointing that he wouldn’t help Sharon, but I fully understand why — his sister’s safety has to come first. And really, even if Jeannie wasn’t there, I couldn’t blame him for not risking his life on a girl he probably can’t save anyway, especially considering all the work he does that saves billions of people at a time. If that makes him selfish … well, that’s a flaw I can live with.) Jeannie argues that the man is a parent; he’d understand (she’s referring to her need to get home to Madison, I assume. And that’s the root of their disagreement; Jeannie, I think, wants to help Sharon because she’d hope someone would help her own daughter in such circumstances. Maybe McKay would too, if he were a parent. I wonder if the audience is similarly split; I can’t have children, and never wanted them anyway — I haven’t a motherly bone in my body, I don’t think — so even though I mentally understand the reasoning, it’s hard for me to connect on an emotional level to the mindset of a parent.) Rodney argues that, even if Wallace would let them go for succeeding, he won’t be so generous if they fail, so they need to get out while they can. She asks what happens when they get the door open, and he explains that he memorised the building’s layout from the computer. (As always, I’m happy that such details are explained!) Jeannie reluctantly agrees to go.

Rodney gets their door to unlock, but once they’re in the halls, he can’t figure out where the exit is. (So much for memorising the layout!) Jeannie says he has a terrible sense of direction, and they squabble, giving us an amusing anecdote of a time when he got lost in a mall. (Sounds just like me, really — I’m awful with maps.) Wallace goes into his office and sees, via his security cameras, that they have escaped. In the halls, the alarm sounds. Rodney mutters, “Aww, sh—” (and I think I hear the “it”, but it’s so faint, I guess it slipped by the censors). Before they can return to the lab and get their bearings, they get captured again, with Rodney getting tasered.

When Rodney comes to, he finds himself tied to a chair, with Jeannie sitting across from him (I don’t think she was tasered herself) and Wallace standing nearby. Wallace is very upset that Rodney won’t help. Rodney points out that they were kidnapped and that Wallace is probably going to kill them after, so they don’t exactly have an incentive. Wallace insists that he gave his word. “Which means exactly nothing to me,” Rodney points out. (I find myself nodding emphatically.) Wallace pleads, saying he’s already lost his wife; he can’t lose his daughter, too. Rodney protest that the nanites are experimental; they may never work. Wallace says he’d thought he would at least have a few weeks with Sharon, but now he has just days, maybe hours. Rodney snaps that Wallace never should have injected her in the first place. (Harsh, but under the circumstances, I can’t blame Rodney for feeling that way — just like I can’t blame Wallace for trying to save his daughter with the nanites, since she would have died anyway. I don’t condone his threatening innocent people, but I can see how desperation could lead a person to take such a drastic action. And I love the moral ambiguity of this story!) You can see Rodney’s words make something click in Wallace’s eyes; he grabs a metal tube, saying that it will work.

The tube holds a dose of nanites; he intends to give it to Jeannie, as incentive. Rodney tells him not to do it. (People have complained that Rodney doesn’t struggle against his bonds to stop Wallace; I want to yell at him to do so myself, but I don’t think it’s at all out of character for him to not do so. I’ve noticed that Rodney tends to be very still when being threatened, possibly an instinctual “If I don’t move, they won’t see me” reaction, a remnant from being bullied on the playground. Or perhaps it’s simply a matter of him being too cerebral — he’s not in touch enough with his body to even consider moving. I can be like that too, at times.) Wallace holds it against Jeannie’s neck and injects her, telling Rodney to “fix this, or they both die.” (And here Wallace crosses the line. Kidnapping was one thing, but risking an innocent person? Jeannie didn’t have anything to do with Sharon’s getting cancer or his deciding to infect his daughter with the nanites. Of course, he’s so desperate for help that he’s not willing to consider that Rodney and Jeannie might fail, in which case he will have committed murder. And I’m very nervous at this point — there were rumours buzzing before the show aired that Jeannie would die by the end.)

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Later, Jeannie and Rodney are working on the problem when Jeannie rubs her neck. Rodney asks if she’s all right. (I love the concern in his voice!) She assures him that she is. He says she was right about the nanites not communicating, and explains that, though DMT built the nanites, they took most of the operating code from the Replicators. (Of course, Jeannie knows all this, but since we don’t, it makes sense for Rodney, given his personality, to assume that she doesn’t and tell her.) He chatters on, saying that the Wraith they’ve been working with has helped; she’s surprised by this news. (Oh, isn’t that just like him to not mention that in the email!) He says that the program that they’re “pushing on” was intended to restrain the nanites so that they don’t get out of control. (Ah, okay, he must mean that Wallace’s people created a new code to control the Replicator code. That was a little vague — I thought Rodney was talking about the virus for a moment.) Jeannie sees where he’s going, saying that it’s restrained them so much that they’re ineffectual. Rodney points out that these nanites can’t replicate anyway, so they can get rid of that part of the code. Jeannie says (with a touch of sarcasm) that they only have to rewrite two or three thousand lines of code now. Rodney tries to apologise, but she tells him they need to concentrate on the code; she’ll yell at him later. (I understand her frustration, but I still feel that’s unfair of her — especially since she’s being so sympathetic to Wallace, who is the truly responsible party! Of course, the fact that I’m irritated with her also makes her interesting, so this is not a bad thing.) Poor Rodney’s obviously upset and worried for her, but lets it go.

At the SGC, Ronon, John, and Barrett sit in a room at a table covered with files and stacks of paper. Ronon points out that he doesn’t even know what they’re doing (allowing us top get some helpful exposition). Through the ensuing conversation, we learn that they’re following a paper trail through the company that was renting the space where they found the router that was monitoring Jeannie’s computer; that company was owned by another, which was owned by another, and so on. The trick is to determine which of the companies would have a reason for kidnapping Jeannie — like being involved with the Trust — and would have enough knowledge of the inner workings of the SGC to know about the transmitters. John suggests they don’t focus on the Trust, saying maybe it was someone else; Ronon suggests it was an ally rather than an enemy. Barrett of course thinks in terms of countries, then. John asks if Barrett knows of anyone McKay might have been working with on the Replicator code there on Earth. Barrett remembers that there was a medical company working on nanites, but adds that they did not deal with McKay himself. He doesn’t remember the name, either, and leaves to look into it. Ronon gets up to leave too. Sheppard asks where he’s going. Ronon says he’s going to eat (heh, he’s walking stomach, after all). John protests that their friends are still missing, and Ronon responds “What? You want my help dissecting corporate structures? When you find someone to point a gun at, you let me know.” (Hah! Brilliant delivery by Momoa there! … I’m sure it’s not that Ronon doesn’t care — far from it, I think — but he knows his shortcomings — and his strengths …. On anther note, it occurs to me now that they haven’t offered any explanation for Teyla’s absence. Granted, it serves the budget not to have them in there, as well as Rachel’s pregnancy, but a quick little “I wish Teyla were here,” from Ronon, and a “Yeah, well, she was the only one the Menarans and the Telerats would accept as a peace negotiator,” or something from Sheppard, would have been nice. So would some mention of Sam offering her support/condolences.)

Rodney is agitated; apparently it’s been a few hours since they finished correcting the code. He doesn’t understand what’s taking so long, since he uploaded the program to Jeannie in just a few seconds. Jeannie points out that it will take a while for them to tell if the nanites will fight the cancer; Rodney protests that Elizabeth’s had worked immediately. Jeannie reminds him that those nanites just replaced the cells, while these actually have to fix them (since they can’t replicate). Rodney’s still impatient — and driving his sister nuts. (Awwww, so cute!) There’s an awkward silence, which Jeannie fills by asking Rodney if he’s going to marry Katie. Annoyed, Rodney asks where that question came from. “I’m trying to keep my mind of the fact that I have tiny robots running through my veins because you needed help with your homework! Would you rather talk about that?” she replies. (*Snicker* I’m still annoyed with her, but that’s a damn funny line!) “Not really,” Rodney answers miserably. (I love these two!) Jeannie goes on needling him, saying that he’s not going to find anyone else who’s willing to put up with his flaws, plus physically he’s “no John Sheppard.” (And I see from the message boards that there’s at least a few Rodney fans out there going “Hey! I’d take him over John any day!” right along with me. Not that John’s not attractive to me, but if I had to choose between the two …. Still, I’m sure there are plenty of people who would agree with her on all counts. She’s being mean, yes, but she’s also angry, however misplaced that anger is, and being a typical sister, methinks. And it’s all very amusing.) Rodney starts to say that he’d rather talk about how this is all his fault, when a man comes to collect them finally.

They find Sharon alive and well, no trace of the cancer. (Okay, but something has to go wrong, since the ep is only about half over ….) Rodney doesn’t look happy, though (probably because he thinks they’ll be killed now that their task is done).

At the SGC, Walter is boring Ronon to death in the commissary (and it’s hysterical!) when Sheppard arrives. Ronon bounds to his feet eagerly, and John confirms that they “found someone for you to point your gun at”. (Just in time, because it looked like Ronon was seriously contemplating killing Walter! Oh, and note that John then steals one of Walter’s fries before leaving. I love silly little details like that!)

In his office, Wallace pours champagne for the siblings. Rodney’s not in a celebratory mood, until it’s clear that Wallace is indeed going to let them go. Wallace accepts that he’ll go to prison, saying it’s worth it, knowing that Sharon will live and that they’ll save many more lives with the technology. (And Rodney confirms my theory that, since he’s not a parent, he doesn’t understand the man’s willingness to do what he did even knowing the consequences.) The party is cut abruptly short, though, when a man enters the room, saying there’s a problem.

They’re taken back to the infirmary, where Sharon has flat-lined for no apparent reason. While Wallace goes to his daughter’s beside, Rodney tells Jeannie that they need to get her to the SGC, since her nanites use the same program; irritated, she says she knows. He tells her that he’s going to distract the guard, so she can make a run for it. She ignores him, approaching Wallace instead. She tells him she’s sorry for his loss, then pleads to go SCG, with its better labs, so that she can live for her husband and daughter. She shakes his head, saying he’s sorry, but before he can say for what, Sharon bursts back to life.

Later, in Wallace’s lab, through discussion with Wallace, Rodney and Jeannie come to realise that Sharon had a heart condition, and the nanites shut the organ down in order to repair it. They realise that, in taking away the programming that inhibited them, they now will “fix” everything. Jeannie protests that, in stopping the heart, they would have cause brain damage. Rodney says the nanites wouldn’t care, because they could fix it. Fix the tissue, Jeannie argues, but the patient would lose everything they know. Rodney points out that the nanites wouldn’t care — they’re only programmed to heal the body. Wallace asks if this means she’s going to be in a vegetative state forever. Rodney explains that her mind is healthy, just “reset to zero.” (How horrible!!) He and Jeannie then realise that the nanites in her are likely to go after her own epilepsy, and shut her down similarly to do it.

STARGATE ATLANTIS SEASON 3 & 4 TRADING CARDS SEALED BOX

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John and Ronon to the rescue! Rodney immediately asks if the Daedalus is still in orbit. John’s a bit miffed at the lack of a thank-you, but Rodney impresses the urgency on him. John takes care of it, and they’re beamed out.

At the SGC, Rodney tells John, Ronon, and Barrett that he’s put Jeannie into a medically-induced coma and broken her legs. (The way he says that last, as almost an afterthought, while it’s surely meant to be entirely serious, makes me giggle.) Ronon is baffled by the breakages; Rodney explains that the traumas will keep the nanites occupied, giving then about ten hours to find a solution before the nanites move to her epilepsy. (Ten hours? The nanites fixed Sharon’s heart in ten minutes, tops!) John asks why Rodney didn’t just give her an illness, and Rodney explains that, if they can get them shut off right away, it will be something she can more readily heal from without the nanite help. Rodney says he doesn’t think the nanites will be put off by broken bones forever, though, saying that they will eventually move on to her brain instead. (Er, because they’ll get tired of fixing the breaks? Because what they choose to fix is a bit random? Because they’ll decide to split up and tackle different problems at once? Wha…?) And no, they can’t use an EMP pulse to shut the nanites off, because these were made to be resistant to that. (Thank-you for remembering to explain that, Gero!) Rodney also decides he needs Todd’s help. (And can I just say I really feel for the soldiers who are walking backwards through the ‘Gate with Todd? That’s got to be disorienting!)

In their lab, Rodney has a touching conversation with the ill-looking Todd, trying to convince him to help. (It excellently parallel’s Wallace’s own attempt to sway Rodney.) Rodney says Todd probably figures they’re going to kill him no matter what, so he has no reason to help. (Well, Rodney certainly understands that.) He says sincerely that they have no interest in killing Todd, adding that Todd’s probably already figured that out by now. (But you just said he probably figures you’re going to kill him! Make up your mind, McKay!) McKay then points out that they can’t let him go, either — unless he could earn their trust, which this act would help with. After a growl from Todd, Rodney admits that he probably wouldn’t buy it either (although, like Wallace, I think he means it about not killing him). Rodney tries a new tactic, asking the Wraith about family bonds and explaining about human ones. He says his sister’s in trouble and it’s all his fault. (Awww. While I don’t agree that it is, it’s still a great bit of character growth on his part that he’s willing to accept the responsibility for it. And it’s wonderful to see him — or any of them — trying to relate to this dangerous alien, especially as an equal! Granted, of all of them, Rodney seems to be the one most willing to think of the Wraith as “human” — he tends to try strike up conversations with them — but that’s as much a matter of not being able to think of things beyond the terms of his own experience as anything else. In other words, he humanises things as a coping mechanism. It’s a wonder that he refuses to anthropomorphise Atlantis and the ‘jumpers, like John does!) Rodney says Todd could save her; Todd only does something that resembles a yawn. Rodney realises his pleas mean nothing to Todd — and admits that he probably would feel the same way in Todd’s shoes. (Hell, you pretty much did!) Then he tries a third tactic — getting Todd to do it because defeating the earth-based nanites will bring them a step closer to doing what he’d wanted to in the first place: defeat the Replicators. He also offers a sort of sympathy for the lost hive. (Really, he’s relating better to Todd now than he does to most humans! I love this scene easily as much as I love the McSheppy one coming up.) Todd finally relents.

They work for a while. Eventually, McKay says they’re almost ready — and Todd collapses. (Aha! They’re finally addressing the food issue! No wonder Todd doesn’t look well. I like that McKay seems genuinely concerned, and not just worried because they haven’t finished the code yet. Well, maybe I’m just hopeful. Anyway, he doesn’t rush over to help, just like he didn’t try to stop Wallace from injecting Jeannie. I’ve seem him retain distance like that when others have fallen, too. I think it’s really an idiosyncrasy of his, that lack of movement — I get like that too, frozen in a crisis.)

John asks if Todd’s maybe just faking it to get fed. Rodney believes Todd, though. Rodney then says that, while he understands the work, it would take him weeks to complete it (time they don’t have), while Todd could do it in just a day. John points out that the NID isn’t going to provide Todd with a meal. Rodney says,” I know. It needs to be me.” “What?” John says. (The look on John’s face … it was soooo worth the nearly four-month wait!!) Rodney repeats himself. And then of course there’s as commercial break right here. Argh!!!) “You wanna what?” John asks incredulously, getting to his feet. (This just gets better and better!) Rodney clarifies, saying that he wants to feed Todd so that Todd can finish the code and save Jeannie. John points out that Todd’s not going to give the life back after. (Why not, John? He did it for you! And maybe he could just take a few years? Well, unless he’s so hungry he couldn’t control the feeding now ….) Rodney tells John that Sharon died a half hour ago. (It’s morbid, but I love that back and forth: she’s dead, she’s alive, she’s dead — it added a nice unpredictability to the story! And it’s sad.) Rodney explains that the nanites also had a manufacturing problem besides the coding one. They were making repairs to her arteries and just sopped, causing her to bleed out. (Um, if you just turn the nanites off, arbitrarily, couldn’t that happen to Jeannie, too?) “I can’t lose my sister, John.” (Ooooh, I love this on so many levels! First, it nicely parallel’s Wallace’s own words about not being able to lose his daughter. Second, it shows the compassionate, selfless side of McKay, which is brought nicely in contrast with his seeming heartlessness from earlier. Well, okay, it’s not entirely selfless, one might argue, because he just said he can’t lose Jeannie so he’s doing it for himself, but that he’s willing to give up his life for her has to be selfless on some level! And thirdly, he said John again. Oh, I’m a puddle that could outdo Frosty in August!)

John says Todd will kill him; Rodney counters that it’s his choice to make. John insists that it isn’t, and since Rodney is an invaluable member of his team, he forbids it as his commanding officer. “Oh, really, you wanna talk chain of command right now?” Rodney asks. (After all, he’s John’s equal outside of the team, all he has to do is quit, right? Or go over John’s head.) John says emphatically that Rodney’s “not doing this.” Rodney protests that she’s in this situation because of him; he can’t fix the problem, but he can help the guy who can. John whispers that he can’t. (And oh, you can just hear his heart breaking as he essentially tells his nest friend that he has to let his sister die! “Please.” John struggles, nodding his head, then says he’s sorry. Rodney stares in disbelief. (Ohmygoddess, that was gut-wrenching; I’m in ecstasy! Flanigan and Hewlett both gave stellar performances here! *Watches it again* And yes, you’re damn right I’m choosing to look at this scene as John not being willing to lose Rodney because he loves him that way. Ohhh, I can’t wait to see the fanfics that come out of this one!)

John informs Wallace of what happened to Sharon, confirming that Jeannie won’t make it either. He tells Wallace about the Wraith, how, since Todd hasn’t fed in a few weeks(!!), he collapsed before he could finish the coding to save Jeannie., and how the Wraith feed on human life. Wallace says he’s sorry. John shows the man pictures of Caleb and Madison. Wallace bursts into tears, saying he never meant for any of this to happen. John says he knows, but now McKay’s blaming himself. “I know better,” he tells Wallace. “You know better.” (I’ve seen a lot of fans up in arms about this scene, saying that it’s out of character for John, and that it’s made then ill that he would do this. I agree that’s surprising at first, but ultimately I don’t think it’s unbelievable at all. For one thing, John blames himself for the Wraith being woken up — guilty or not, if he had a chance to save humanity and “fix” that mistake, he would do it. Perhaps he would have seriously considered sacrificing himself, here, even, but this was Wallace’s mistake — and not an accident, either. It may not have been Wallace’s fault that Sharon got sick, but he willfully risked Jeannie’s life. John isn’t forcing him, but he’s giving the man the chance he wishes he had himself. And I think John would have been remiss if he didn’t give the man the chance to save Jeannie. I mean, firefighters and police and military men risk their lives every day, for far less reason, so I really don’t get the accusations that John is committing murder here. Are recruiters doing that too, then, when they ask people volunteer to give their lives to protect others? While it’s truly tragic what happened with his daughter, and I feel for him, I’d say Wallace had an obligation to Jeannie, far more than any hero who ever lost their lives had to the people they saved!)

Rodney goes up to a door and swipes his card. It doesn’t work. (Obviously he’s trying to get to Todd, but John knew he would try it.) He tries and fails again, attracting the attention of a guard. Rodney tried to pretend nothing’s wrong, and at first refuses to give the card over when asked. When he finally does, the guard says it’s Dr Lee’s. (Wow, John really thought ahead!) Rodney makes up some story about them having been working out in the gym, saying they must have switched pants. (Well, if the guard thinks the pants are as ugly as everyone else seems to, then there’s no way he would buy that.) Rodney asks the guard to open the door, saying who he is and that the lab is his. As he starts snarling at the guard, the door opens on its own. Sheppard’s in there, with a healthy-looking Todd and a few other guards; he tells the first guard to let Rodney in. Rodney watches in shock as a body-bag is wheeled away. John says that he was showing Wallace the labs, when Todd got the upper hand — that’s what the report will say. Hel tells Rodney, “Come on, you got work to do.” Todd says he doesn’t — he’s finished the code already. (Hmm, so was he really just trying to get a meal? I don’t think so, but it looks like John might suspect so. But what are they going to do about feeding him now? Will they really let him go?)

Jeannie wakes from her coma. (Yay, she didn’t die!!) Rodney tells her that she’s all good, that the nanites are inert now. She thanks him, and he apologises. Jeannie says she’s going to hold it over his head for forever, saying he’s going to eat her vegetarian food without complaint (incidentally, Kate is vegetarian in real life), read three stories to Madison instead of just two, and buy her a nice hybrid car. He blanches at that last, telling her not to go overboard (although, really, he probably can afford a hundred of them, I’d wager). She insists that it’s the least he can do after nearly getting her killed. “Well, we’ll talk about it on the way home,” he says patiently (sounding a lot like a parent, actually), as he helps her into her robes. (The Hewletts’ deliveries of the lines in the scene are just perfect!) They hug and exchange “I love you’s. (All awkward on Rodney’s part, of course, which is adorable.)

Back in Atlantis, John’s reading a comic book. (I can’t tell what it is, and I’m dying of curiosity!) Rodney comes in, and Jon asks how things went. Rodney says he bought them a Prius. “Ah, guilt,” John says. Rodney then says — in grateful tones, mind — that he can’t believe what John did. John says he doesn’t want to talk about it, but Rodney forges ahead, saying he talked Wallace into sacrificing himself. John says he didn’t. Rodney starts to ask how Wallace ended up as wraith food, then, and John replies, haltingly, that he presented Wallace with a situation, and the man volunteered. “Still, you talked a man into killing himself,” Rodney says. (Dude, he just said that he didn’t! Well, semantics, I suppose. And we know the truth — he did.) “He wanted to make things right, and I, ah …” John starts. “… Presented a situation,” Rodney finishes. (And this is what gets me about everyone screaming that what John did made them sick and that they can’t believe he would do that. That’s the point people. While I agree with his choice and he would probably do it again, a decision like that should never cone easily or without at least some regret. It wasn’t easy for him, and he’s obviously feeling bad about it. It would be a pretty boring show if the characters never ever exhibited any darkness or had any hard choices or even made any mistakes. And John is in denial right now because he doesn’t want to think of himself capable of feeding another human being to a Wraith or talking a man into committing suicide, no matter how justified! Anyway, I love this scene almost as much as that earlier one.) Rodney thanks him, then asks if he wants to get a bite to eat. As they leave John’s quarters, Rodney asks, “You and I are about even when it comes to looks, right?” “Who’s been lying to you?” John asks. “No, I’m serious!” Rodney insists. “I am too! Who’s been lying to you?” (And so the episode ends, with a nice humorous moment. Poor Rodney and his self esteem, though, ‘ey?)

Now, before I go, I’d like to comment a bit on the preview that was shown at the end of the episode for “This Mortal Coil”. If you’re the type to turn off the station before the previews air, stop reading right now ….

They showed the Elizabeth saying they need to meet, our heroes being confronted with doubles of themselves, Rodney saying that the Replicators know where they are, and Control Tower being destroyed. I’m shocked — but pleased — to see that they’re answering the question of what happened in Sam’s vision already — I thought we would have to wait until the end of the season! You may remember my suggesting in my review of “The Seer” that perhaps the city that’s destroyed is actually a Replicator copy, and that they may have copied the people as well. That preview only strengthens my conviction on this point, there was a moment where our gang were standing face to face with doppelgangers of themselves. (They looked like it was a moderately friendly encounter, too, a la SG-1’s android copies — I hope that’s the case.)

So the questions I have now are: Was that really Elizabeth, or a duplicate? Is there a rebel faction of Replicators, run by Elizabeth? Perhaps they create a Replicator copy of the city so that the enemy Replicators will think they are destroying the real thing — but if that’s the case, how can they not tell the city is a fake? And as I asked before, are the Replicators even in control of that vessel that’s destroying the city, or is it being flown by our guys, or the Travelers, or even the Wraith? Someone suggested that this story is too obvious, but I argue that that’s only because Sci Fi’s previews tend to be way too spoilery. (Of course, I love spoilers, so I can’t really complain there for myself, but I imagine it ruins things for others!) Without that promo, the “obvious” story is only that Atlantis is attacked by the Replicators.

Thankfully, we won’t have long to find out either way, ‘ey? See you next week!

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Wolfen Moondaughter is on the editorial board for the comics industry webzine Sequential Tart for which she has written since late 2001. She’s also written for Newtype USA, contributed to Andy Mangel’s book Animation on DVD, self-published a novel (Memory of the Brightwing). Writing as “Anastasia Witchhazel”, her fantasy short story, “Chase”, is the title story in a homoerotic anthology from Wapshott Press. She’s an artist, too, having done spot illustrations for Dragonlance, a few panels for Barb Lien-Cooper’s webcomic series Gun Street Girl, and private commissions. In her spare time, she’s a fanficcer/fanartist. See more of her work at her site, Wolfen’s Webworld.