“Polly want a chemical-free, sterilized cracker?” - Louise Baltimore, Millennium

by Wolfen Moondaughter

So things played out pretty much as I thought they would, but this ep still managed to surprise me, in ways that I will get to as we go. Lots of nice character moments, especially with Rodney, who proves that, the more people change, the more they stay the same. (Yeah, I’ll explain that as we go, too.) Teyla’s got herself a kick-ass maternity wardrobe, doesn’t she? If the costume department were to open a shop for it, they’d make a mint. (And they should throw in Vala’s medieval dress, from when she had Adria.)

Yay, Todd (especially since he’s still an ally)! Yay, Lorne (even if he did lose Teyla)! Yay Caldwell! (Cause hey, it’s Mitch Pileggi!) Yay, Michael (I really felt for him, even if he is a mass-murderer)! And Yay, Carson! (Even if I knew full well that he would be in he ep, even without Sci Fi oh so spectacularly spoiling us by saying that there would be a “surprise” in the last five minutes and then showing him to us. And boo to him only being in the last thirteen seconds of that last five minutes! Somebody over there needs a stopwatch ….)

4.18: “The Kindred, Part 1″

The story opens with Kanaan on a funeral pyre, a stunned Teyla facing him while surrounded by her some of her Atlantis family and a couple of her people. (Which doesn’t include Halling, oddly. I would have figured, since Hyerdahl was going to be in the ep anyway, he could have played his Athosian character, too — that would have been pretty cool! Anyway, Joe Mallozzi had showed his blog readers a drawing of the funeral pyre concept a while ago, and I’d assumed that meant the character was going to die. And for a few moments, I figure Mallozzi had decided to do the whole start the story in the middle, then go back to the beginning thing, which, hey, I am more than okay with as a storytelling device. Mom asks “Did I miss an episode?”) Sam and John offer some (hollow) words of condolence. (This is when I suddenly realise that Teyla’s having a vision, and that the pyre did not necessarily mean that Kanaan was going to die after all. Of course, he still could, at some point, but for now, I’m a bit stunned by the realisation that it’s not a done deal. I almost have to thank Mallozzi for the spoiler, since it misled me and gave me something to be surprised about! Yeah, okay, I shouldn’t have been so gullible and thought he would let a real spoiler like that slip — but really? I’m glad I was.) Teyla lights the pyre. Kanaan wakes up, begging for help. (Nice to finally see what he looks like, ‘ey?) Teyla wants to go to him, but her friends restrain her, insisting that it’s too late to save him. As burns and he screams her name (how horrible!), Teyla wakes up in her room in Atlantis.

Later, in the infirmary, we see Keller talking to Sam, telling her that they’re tracking an illness which they’ve found on seven different worlds; John comes in with Rodney, and says that the world they’ve just visited is infected as well. Rodney confirms that the symptoms on the word in question fit: respiratory difficulty, followed quickly by rapid organ shutdown. While he speaks, he’s rubbing something into his hands, which he momentarily explains is disinfectant. John remarks that they’ve just come from having bio scans, adding that they were wearing hazmats too. Rodney figures better safe than sorry. (Heeeee, classic hypochondriac Rodney ….) Sam asks Keller if they know how it spreads; Keller says that the planets in question don’t have much in the way of outside contact, (much less with each other, I’m guessing) yet the few worlds they do deal with are not infected. She projects that, seeing as one of the infected worlds seems to have no new cases, that the other infected worlds will follow suit, with 30% of the population dying: a loss of 200,000, altogether, provided that the illness doesn’t spread any further. (I’m thinking now that I should have guessed what was going on right here, seeing as I knew Carson would be in the ep, but I during the initial watching, I was just very curious as to what this had to do with anything. Incidentally, Paul McGillion is not mentioned in the opening credits. Which, hey, I can understand not wanting to spoil the audience when he’s only in it for a few seconds — and the producers probably didn’t expect the station itself to spoil the audience in the promos — I just find it interesting.)

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Teyla’s sitting alone and thoughtful in the mess when Rodney arrives; we can see from our angle that he’s hiding a white box with a blue ribbon around it behind his back. (Fiiiinally, a scene between them regarding the baby! It’s kind of funny that he’s giving her a gift: I remember David Hewlett blogging that he was puzzled at having been invited to attend Rachel Luttrell’s baby shower along with his wife — showers have long been women-only affairs, after all. But I think he had a good time.) After he answers Teyla’s question regarding Keller’s progress regarding the pandemic, Teyla asks what he’s hiding. He (somewhat awkwardly and all too adorkably) presents her with the box. (It has little duckies on it, reminding me of a scene in A Dog’s Breakfast ….) She tells him that he didn’t have to do that (and really, she doesn’t seem too thrilled — not that I blame her). As she opens the box, he explains that there’s a company on earth that makes recordings for fetuses, with the notion that, for example, a baby who listens to a composer will develop an inclination to become a musician; he’s made a recording of himself talking about his physics theorems. (Uh, Rodney, I’m pretty sure that the playing music to the fetus thing is supposed to be about the patterns in certain pieces helping to develop cognitive functions, make them smarter in general, not about inspiring developing babies to have an affinity for music. Although perhaps your speech patterns might have the same effect? *Wink* Seriously, while it’s an incredibly arrogant gift on his part in some respects, it’s also a sweet one: he wants her baby to have every chance to be brilliant, and he’s giving a part of himself — whether she likes it or not. Hey, I wonder if he sees this as his one shot to pass his knowledge on for future generations? I mean, maybe he figures he will never have a kid now, with things between himself and Katie having fallen apart …. Anyway, he’s still egocentric, but he’s learning to be considerate of others though it. The more things change ….) She tells him that he shouldn’t have gone through so much trouble; he says it wasn’t. (I can practically hear her in her heard going, “No, really, I wish you hadn’t!”)

Noting her pained smile and quietness, he grows concerned, asking her if anything’s wrong. (Besides that gift? Seriously, though, it’s nice to see him actually noticing that she’s down, considering how oblivious he tends to be to other’s feelings. Who knows, he might even have noticed without the prompt of looking for her reaction to his gift!) She says, hesitantly, that she was debating whether to tell anyone something; she settles himself down across from her, all attentive, asking what. She says she had a vision; his face falls a little, and he seems markedly uncomfortable as she explains that she saw Kanaan, and that she thinks he’s trying to tell her not to give up the search. Rodney asks, with a note of polite skepticism, if she saw this while she was sleeping; she asks if he thinks it was a dream, in a tone that says she’s half afraid that it was herself. He stutters, hedging; she insists that it didn’t feel like one. When he doesn’t respond, she says, dejected, that she knew he wouldn’t believe her and that she shouldn’t have said anything. He gives a litany of strange things that have happened to him, saying “Who am I to judge?” She says that if she says it was a vision, he believes her.

The very next moment, we see him telling Sheppard, as they walk through a hall, that he seriously doubts that she had a vision. (Well, at least he was supportive of her, unlike his reaction to her telling the team about the visions of Davos in “The Seer”. Mallozzi said in his blog that he originally had McKay supporting Teyla’s claim of having had a vision, with John as the skeptical one, but that they decided that this scenario was more likely, Rodney being a man of science and all. Which yeah, that makes sense, and this was funny, but I think, after the whole Davos thing, and after his near-Ascension, that it wouldn’t be such a stretch for Rodney to have some faith in her, or at least be better able to give her the benefit of the doubt., and it would have been a nice change of pace. Ah well, it’s nice to at least know it was almost canon.) John points out that she’s had visions before; Rodney counters that she’s had “remote contact with the Wraith, never with another human.” (And I’ve postulated before that, if Kanaan turned out to have Wraith DNA too, I could see then being able to communicate like she does with full-blooded Wraith, especially with the baby’s help. But I’m also reminded of a point that I’ve brought up in conversation before, when it was first divulged that Teyla would get a vision from the baby’s father: that the vision was from Michael. I had believed that right up until Sci Fi’s promos showed Kanaan, and at this point, when I first watched this ep, I started to wonder if I shouldn’t have dismissed the possibility after all. In hindsight, this is a very nice bit of foreshadowing.) Rodney also points out that the Athosians have been missing for about six months, and asks if John really thinks that they’re still alive. John asks if Rodney wants him to tell Teyla to give up hope. Rodney says, being both realistic and defeated, that she may not have a choice, and leaves. (Oh, nice, leave it to John to break her heart!)

That night, Teyla dreams of waking up in what looks like Charin’s bed (I love that bed!), out in the middle of the forest. Kanaan materialises before her, and he’s (happily, I think) surprised to realise that she is with child. (By the timing, it would have to be his, unless she’d been shaking up with someone else at the same time she was with him.) He tells her that she must help them. He removes a pendant from around his neck, asking her if she remembers where she bought it for him; she does. Putting the pendant in her hand, he tells her to come find him. She wakes up, her hand still clasped as if she were holding the pendant. (For a moment, I wonder if she is, but no, she’s not.)

John tells Sam about Teyla’s new vision. Sam asks the significance of the pendant; John’s not sure. (Ah, so there is a significance beyond the simple fact of the location it represents?) John says that Teyla wants to talk to the guy that she got the pendant from. Sam recognises the planet designation and is skeptical that the people there would have anything to do with the Athosians’ disappearance. (Ah, but that doesn’t mean that they don’t know something that might, indirectly, be a clue, Sam! After the Davos thing, you shouldn’t be skeptical either!) John says that he’d said as much to Teyla, but she still wants to go, believing that Kanaan is sending her a clue. Sam asks what he thinks. John says it doesn’t matter; it’s Teyla and they owe her. (Ahhh, so he’s skeptical too. Well, he’s loyal, no question of that, but it’s always nice to see evidence of it. And maybe he’s figuring that this is the best way to help her get over the loss of her people; if she doesn’t go, she’ll still believe her vision and hold it against the Atlantians for holding her back.) Sam gives the green light, but reminds him that they’re stretched thin with helping out with the plague; he promises to make it quick. (Hmm. You guys seem to be forgetting that ultimately? Teyla doesn’t need your permission ….)

As Sheppard’s team walks through a lovely sunlit field, Teyla explains that she bought the pendant from an artisan in the village of Croya, and that giving such gifts to someone one admires and respects is a common custom among her people. (Ah, so the significance is that it’s a token of her love. Well, we knew about that already ….) “Hey, maybe I’ll pick you somethin’ up while we’re there!” Ronon tells Rodney. (All the Ronon/Rodney shippers are squeeing in delight, I’m sure, even after the next bit.) “Really?” Rodney asks, puzzled but pleased. “No.” Ronon replies, grinning a moment later. (Mean, yes, but in a sweet, brotherly way. In fact, one might argue that his teasing Rodney like this is a token of respect and admiration, the equivalent of pulling pigtails — he wouldn’t bother speaking to someone he truly dislikes, he’d just ignore then until they gave him a reason to be aggressive and/or really malicious. And, well, Rodney’s called Ronon names often enough that a little payback is fitting. It’s nice to see them this close and comfortable with each other. The more things change ….) John tells Teyla that they’ll try to find some intel, but if they get even a hint of trouble … “I’ll head straight for the gate, leaving you to deal with it,” she replies. (Behind them, while they talk, Rodney and Ronon exchange looks, Rodney bearing a “Why must you torment me?” expression, shaking his head, while Ronon grins faintly. I love when they have things going on subtly in the background like that!)

In the marketplace, Teyla finds the booth, but not the artisan; the woman who occupies the space now says that the former occupant died from the recent sickness that had struck the village. (Wait, this was one of the infected planets? Why wasn’t that mentioned before? I’m surprised that they aren’t wearing hazmats just to be cautious! Unless she’s talking about a different illness? Or maybe the Atlantians didn’t know this planet had been struck by it too? By the way, I love Teyla’s outfit here, it’s gorgeous.)

Keller reveals to Sam that the illness isn’t an illness at all, but rather a variant of the Hoffan anti-Wraith inoculation! (Well, that was quite a surprise! Yay for the reemergence of that storyline!! For those who didn’t see the ep in question, “Poisoning the Well”, the Hoffans had, with Carson’s help, developed a drug that not only made it impossible for the Wraith to feed on them, but made them poisonous to the Wraith as well — the drawback being that it also killed fifty percent of the human population. They’d insisted on using it before it was properly tested, much to Carson’s horror. They thought it would encourage the Wraith to leave them alone, but the Wraith, upon learning about this new weapon, came to their world and simply wiped the rest of the population out, to keep them from spreading the poison to other worlds.) What they’re looking at now is mass-murder. (And of course, knowing from the opening credits that Connor Trinnear is in the episode, Michael is the most likely suspect, particularly since, thanks to the promos, it seems very likely that Michael has Carson prisoner. I do find myself wondering at this point how Todd fits in to the situation, worrying that he might turn out to be teamed up with Michael.)

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John’s ready to go; Teyla suggests that there might still be someone there with answers who just hasn’t come forward, insisting that Kanaan led her there for a reason. John suggests patiently that she’s letting her desire to find her people cloud her judgment a little. “Which is it you question, John? My interpretation of the vision or the vision itself?” she asks, hitting the nail on the head. He tells her firmly (patience wearing off) that if there were something to find, they would have found it my then. He turns to leave, Teyla looking crestfallen behind them. (Because they’re leaving or because she fears he may be right?)

Back in Atlantis, Keller fills John and Rodney in on how the illness is really the Hoffan drug, explaining to them — and Sam — that this is a new version which kills only thirty percent of the population, rather than half. (To leave more people alive for the Wraith to try to feed on and poison themselves with, I guess.) Rodney wonders (like I am) how the population of eight planets could get inoculated without knowing it; Keller explains that it could be done through the food or water supply (like the fishcake-bait they use in my area for inoculating raccoons against rabies). Sam wonders who would be doing it; Keller postulates that the Hoffans picked the project back up. Rodney explains dryly that the Hoffans can’t do much of anything, seeing as the Wraith wiped them out. (Guess she only read the medical files, not the mission reports. *Snicker*) John suggests that a few survived and are seeking revenge. (Considering that they were willing to risk half of their own people to end the Wraith threat, it’s not a stretch to believe that they would risk thirty percent of other populations — even if it does make them a bit hypocritical.) Rodney gets a thoughtful look that says John has a point. Shaking her head, Sam insists that the distribution of the drug is a calculated effort to ensure that the Wraith have no idea what food supplies are tainted. (And that disproves John’s theory how? Why did she shake her head and use the tone that she did?) Rodney remarks that this will make the Wraith hungry and cranky. There’s a pause as everyone looks at him. “Um. I mean, I know I would ….” he adds awkwardly. (Yeah, I’m guessing that’s why they were looking at you funny — you were describing yourself! *Snicker* Thankfully it seems to take a while before Wraith get to be their version of hypoglycaemic. Hey, I’d like to see a gluttonous Wraith sometime, that would be interesting! We already saw that one that likes to eat human food, back in season two ….) “We need to go back to Hoff,” Sam says, explaining that they need to look for intel there. “Let’s go, Rodney!” John says (which just tickles me). Looking really unhappy, Rodney nevertheless rises to follow without a word of complaint. (His not complaining shows character growth, but his not being happy about it is “old-skool” Rodney. The more things change ….)

Teyla meditates and has another vision. (And once again, she’s wearing a gorgeous top.) Kanaan doesn’t know who has taken her people or where he and the others are, but begs her to go back to the village, saying that she was close to the answer. (How does he know that she can find the answer there when he doesn’t even know where he is?) He reaches out to her; she takes his hand. When she comes out of the vision, she’s still holding her hand out, like she had been when he’d “given” her the pendant.

Teyla tells Sam of her vision, stressing that she was not asleep this time and explaining, when Sam is skeptical, that Kanaan, too, has the Wraith DNA. (Hah!) She says that the gift sets one apart, and that Kanaan was the only one who could truly understand what it felt like to have it, bonding them when they were children. She confirms that she and Kanaan have never communicated this way before, though. She knows that everyone thinks she’s just seeing what she wants to see, and insists that no, she isn’t. After a long pause, Sam relents, saying that when Sheppard gets back from Hoff, they can go back to Croya; Teyla says she can’t wait that long, that Kanaan impressed upon her a sense of urgency. “I see,” Sam says, not happy, then gets quiet again. Teyla reminds her, gently but firmly, that she doesn’t need permission. Sam glances up in surprise. “Unless you intend to restrain me,” Teyla adds. Another pause, then Sam contacts Lorne. Teyla looks sad, obviously thinking that Sam intends to, in fact, restrain her. When Lorne responds, though, Sam informs him that he and his team will be accompanying Teyla back to Croya. Teyla slouches in relief, tension draining from her shoulders. Sam explains that she’s not letting Teyla going back alone. Both women get to their feet, Teyla thanking the colonel. “Call me Sam,” Carter tells her; Teyla repeats her thanks, addressing Sam by her first name. (A rather big moment; can anyone remember how long it took Teyla to finally call John or Elizabeth or Rodney by their given names? This seems to be the season for it! I wonder if Ronon will ever use anyone’s given name … Also, I like this scene for how it finally establishes that Carter recognises Teyla as an equal.)

Rodney and John separately search the ruins of the Hoffan’s Repository of Knowledge. Rodney looks indoors while John looks outside, and they talk to each other via radio. Rodney conjectures that much of that knowledge is missing, rather than just having been destroyed with the rest. Rodney hears a sound; John tells him to relax, saying that it’s probably just rats. “Rats?” Rodney asks, not distressed exactly, but not pleased, either. (*Snicker*) He looks around, telling whoever is there to come out. Another sound; “I’m not kidding!” He creeps forward, and ends up flushing out a gaggle of children, who rush past him. A moment later, another one makes a break for it; he cuts that one off, saying that he’s not going to hurt the teen; he just wants to ask some questions. The teen remains silent at the questions of who he is and what he’s doing there. McKay tries a different tact, telling the kid that he’s looking for medical stuff, files and equipment. The kid replies he doesn’t know anything about that stuff, it was all gone when they got there, and they’re just going through what’s left. Rodney radios Sheppard, and the boy chooses that moment to flee. McKay tells Sheppard about the kids. Sheppard asks if he thinks the kids might have taken what they’re looking for, but Rodney doesn’t think it would have meant anything to them. Sheppard asks who did, then; McKay doesn’t know, but figures whoever it was knew exactly what they were looking for. (There’s only you picking through that mess, Rodney, not a team — how do you know that’s all they took, or even know for sure that it was taken at all, and isn’t still hidden? This might have been more believable if he had found a file with folders missing right where the info should have been stored ….)

Lorne and his team escort Teyla through the marketplace, Lorne reminiscing about flea markets back home “in the Bay” (which I though maybe referred to Tampa but Mallozzi confirms refers to San Francisco), how “you could find just about anything you wanted —” he looks at something off in the distance, ” — and a lot of things you didn’t.” (*Snicker*) Teyla notices a merchant off to the side and stares in shock. Lorne asks what’s up; she doesn’t answer, instead drawing her knife and approaching the merchant. Frowning, Lorne follows. Teyla tells the customer the man is dealing with to leave, and holds a knife to his throat, asking where he got the pendant he was trying to sell. He says that he got it from a trader, adding, a little irritably, that she can have it, with his blessings. Lorne asks if she recognises it; it’s the one she gave Kanaan. She asks the merchant what else he got from the trader. Scowling, he gets a box and shows her the contents, complaining that he doesn’t mind giving her one item, but he paid for those things, and it doesn’t make good business sense for him to give it all away. Ignoring him, she tells Lorne that she recognises more items from her people, including a ring of Halling’s. (*Sniffle*) Lorne asks the merchant when the last time he saw the trader was. The merchant answers that the man comes through all the time and might even be there that day, adding that he’d be happy to introduce them. (For a price, I’m betting. Really, though, he seems honest enough — I don’t think he’s directly involved, just being used as an unwitting pawn.)

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John, Rodney, and Ronon come up to the control room and tell Sam that they didn’t find anything. There’s a beep from a monitor; Rodney asks if that’s what he thinks it is. (Todd! I think to myself.) Sam confirms that it’s a Wraith sub-space tracking device. “Todd!” Rodney proclaims. (It’s like the tracking device is the Atlantis version of the bat-signal! Well, Rodney does consider himself Batman …. Mallozzi said that there was supposed to be a bit of a gag here, where Ronon says he guesses that Todd wants to “parlay”, and John was supposed to admit to lending him Pirates of the Caribbean, to which Rodney was supposed to respond, “You’d think you would’ve learned your lesson after that Lord of the Rings fiasco.” Alas, they had to cut the scene because Momoa kept giving the line just like Jack Sparrow in every take, and everyone kept saying that it wasn’t like Ronon to do that. Personally, I think it would have added a bit of spice to his character, having him do something like that, show us a playful side, ya know? Not out of character, just new. Well, at least I got to see Momoa do his Jack Sparrow impersonation at Dragon*Con — he’s really very good at it!) Sam says that Todd might want to talk, or it might be a trap; Sheppard says that there’s only one way to find out, and turns to leave, with Ronon following. Rodney whines that they just got back. (Well, they have been running around a lot today — I guess it was just a matter of time before he cracked.) “Sorry, Rodney,” Sam says. “I haven’t even had lunch yet,” Rodney complains. (*Snicker*) Sam tells Chuck to “dial it.”

The merchant is laying out items on his table when he sees someone off-screen; he catches Lorne’s eye and gestures to a man with his head. When the trader gets to the merchant and empties out his bag onto the table, Lorne comes up behind him, asking where he got the stuff. The man looks at Lorne a long moment, then shoves the sack at Lorne and runs off. Lorne gives chase, and as the trader runs past Teyla, she smacks him in the face with a thick branch. (How did she know where to hide? The guy could have run in any direction, especially considering that he jumped over some stuff in his escape ….)

We see the man tied to a chair; water is splashed in his face to wake him. Lorne asks him where he got the items in the box; the trader claims that he does too much business to remember. Lorne says that the merchant told them that the stuff he’s been bringing of late has been much nicer than his “usual crap”. (*Snicker*) The guy won’t give up his source. When Lorne gets angry, the man only scoffs, saying that he recognises the uniforms Lorne and his men are wearing. The stories call the people from Atlantis “the do-gooders of the galaxy”; he doesn’t believe that they would hurt him. Teyla comes out of the shadows, pointing out that she isn’t wearing a uniform. “A pregnant woman? Very intimidating!” he scoffs. She taps him in the chest with the branch, showing him that she’s already taken him down once. She pushes hard enough to knock his chair backwards. Turning to leave, she tells him that she will tell the villagers that he is a Wraith-worshipper and let them handle him. (Funny that it turns out that he really is one!) He calls out for her to wait. He tells them that he gets his wares from an off-world dumping ground — he’s essentially a grave-robber. He didn’t get these items off of the dead, though — he found what he though was a new grave and found the box inside. Teyla tells him that he will take them to where he found the items; he agrees.

We see a Wraith cruiser in a desert. Sheppard and the boys walk through the ship, warily. (Hey, there’s no fog!) Ronon calls out that he’s found something — dead Wraith, which he notes have no marks on them. “That’s because they’ve been poisoned,” a familiar voice tells them; they turn to find Todd walking into the room. “And I suspect you already know how,” he says.

We see Lorne’s team, Teyla, and the trader walking outside; Lorne says that the first thing they must do when they get to the ‘Gate is tell Atlantis where they’re going. He also tells Teyla that, while he understands that she wants to help her people, she needs to let him and his team handle going to this other world. We see the trader looking around furtively while Lorne speaks. (Hmmmmm.) Teyla tries to protest, but Lorne is insistent that she let them scout ahead. It’s all moot, though; they hear the whine of a Wraith dart, which swoops overhead. While everyone else throws themselves to the ground, the trader grabs Teyla, and they’re both beamed aboard. (Lorne’s team should have checked him for a transmitter … Poor Lorne; I don’t envy him, having to tell the others that he lost Teyla! … So, um, what was with the “Replicator trap” the Sci Fi preview said that Teyla was supposed to fall into? Seriously, the promos are always rife with errors and massive spoilers, it’s ridiculous! …)

“Let me guess: something they ate,” John tells Todd, answering the question of how the Wraith died. Todd confirms that it’s the Hoffan poison that killed them, adding that many of the Wraith have fallen to it. John says that it’s not their problem; Todd protests that this blow to the Wraith has had a high cost in human lives, a factor which would have prompted them to make it their problem before. “Unless, of course, you’re responsible for the dispersal of this plague — in which case you may well consider the human lives sacrificed … ‘acceptable losses’?” he adds. (Rather like what the Hoffans were thinking — and how the Wraith might likely see each other, in similar circumstance? …. Okay, is it just me, or is Todd really hot in this episode? *Cough*) Sheppard informs Todd that they actually had placed him at the top of their own list of suspects, figuring he was using the drug to stick it to his competition. Todd seems a bit surprised. “Effective — and admittedly creative,” he concedes, going on to explain that all the Wraith factions (how many are there, I wonder?) have been “adversely effected”, as the taint is so random, they have no way of knowing which meal would be their last. (Well, save for blood-testing every human, ‘ey? Annoying, but not impossible.) John, getting impatient, points out that all this doesn’t explain why Todd brought them there. Looking uncomfortable, Todd admits to needing heir help; he knows that they helped the Hoffans, and needs their research so that he can make a cure for his hive — and his alone. (I’d love to believe that he’s doing it out of genuine concern for his hive, but I have to concede that it’s probably more about staying in power than anything else. Still, a girl can hope ….) “That’s not gonna happen,” John tells him. “You always say that, but you always come around,” Todd returns. (*Snicker*) John says that they’re still upset over the “Earth conquest thing.” Todd looks a bit confused, saying that he had nothing to do with that. (Yay!) Rodney says that he did indirectly, explaining that the Wraith who did it used info that Todd stole from Atlantis. (Oh good, they ‘d seemed like they didn’t get that before — I’m glad for this confirmation that they do understand that Todd wasn’t actually trying to help conquer Earth!) Todd protests that that info was stolen from him in turn — they were both victims. He suggests that they save that discussion for later, saying that he has a proposal. John rolls his eyes and tells him to go ahead. Todd says that, in exchange for the info he wants, he’ll give them the identity of the one who orchestrated this whole plot. Ronon points out that Todd said a moment ago that he’d thought that they had done it. (Once again proving that he is smart — and observant!) Todd explains that there were only two possible parties responsible, and since it wasn’t them, “then … by process of elimination … there can be only one.” (Heeeee! Todd is a Highlander fan!)

On a Wraith cruiser traveling through hyperspace, we see Teyla in a cell. Hearing footsteps, she turns to the sound and jumps to her feet, staring in shock. Michael approaches, looking more human than last we saw him, though still somewhat Wraith-like — primarily the pasty skin and the slits beside the nose.

Rodney and John fill Sam and Keller in on their encounter with Todd, how all of the Wraith are being affected and how Todd thinks there’s only one logical culprit. “And you think you know who he’s talking about?” Sam asks; John nods, answering, “Michael.” Keller (for those who may have missed those episodes) says “The Wraith Dr Beckett converted into a human?” Rodney clarifies that Michael was only temporarily human, eventually becoming some sort of hybrid of human and Wraith. John expounds that Michael was shunned by the rest of the Wraith, so he’s been holding a grudge against them ever since. McKay adds that Michael doesn’t much like humans, either, so the Hoffan drug is the perfect weapon for him. Sam protests that this is all just speculation asking if they have poof. Rodney says that they wouldn’t be able to find Michael, even if they did; John suggests they might get some answers from Todd. Keller protests the idea of giving Todd the info on the drug. Rodney points out that it wouldn’t be too smart to poison their own food supply, postulating that even if they did find a cure, Todd’s people would then likely work on finding a more direct, more effective way to use it against the enemy factions, cutting out the human middleman — so giving them the drug research would be giving them the means to kill each other. (I agree with his theory, and I trust Todd, but I worry: reprogramming the Replicators to fight the Wraith — essentially pitting their enemies against each other — had seemed like a really good idea at the time too ….) Sam nods in a you have a point, but I’m still leery of this idea sort of way.) Someone dials in to the ‘Gate then: it’s Lorne and his team. Sam asks where Teyla is.

Teyla snaps at Michael, demanding to know why he’s there. He tells her that he’s disappointed; he would have expected more gratitude for his part in arranging “this family reunion.” She realises that he’s the one who took her people. (And I realise that her outfit is vaguely reminiscent of what the Wraith wear ….) She demands to know where they are; he assures her that they are alive and well — and helping him with their common goal of exterminating the Wraith. He says that he’s building an army that will replace them as the dominant species of the galaxy. “An army of monsters,” she says. (She’s thinking of the bug-people he’d created the last time we saw him, in season three’s “Vengeance”.) He concedes that his earlier efforts were crude, but that he’s reached a perfect balance with his retrovirus, creating a being that is stronger than a human but without the Wraith weakness. (”The need to feed,” I say.) He holds his very human-looking hand up, revealing no “mouth” on it. “The need to feed,” he says. (*Grin*) Teyla realises that he was the one who spread the Hoffan drug. He tells her, “Consider it the opening salvo in a much … broader assault.” She asks him how he found the drug. He walks away without answering. (Well, if Todd knew too, I assume it wasn’t that hard to find out.) She calls out to him, asking how he refined it. He turns back to her, saying simply, “I had help.” (Carson, of course.) Smiling softly, he leaves her with that thought as she cries out, asking where her people are.

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On Todd’s cruiser, we see a couple of drones dragging off a “regular” — and dead — Wraith. They’re stopped by Sheppard’s team aiming weapons at them. Todd ambles in, saying, “Oh don’t mind them, they’re just here to help with the clean-up!” (*Chortle* Makes you wonder, though, do they ever grieve? Or does their telepathic connection to each other make the deaths of individuals meaningless?) John gives Rodney and Ronon a nod; they lower their weapons and move out of the way. The drones go back to their task. Beaming a bit, Todd says that he assumes they’ve agreed to his terms. Ronon takes up position in the tunnel they go through, keeping watch. (Nice detail!) “Not exactly,” John tells Todd; puzzled, Todd asks if they don’t wish to know who’s behind the killings. Rodney says they already know; John elaborates that they call him Michael and that he used to be a Wraith. Todd agrees that he is the likely culprit; John’s surprised that Todd would give that confirmation for free. Todd says that they obviously still want something from him or they wouldn’t have come. Ronon suggests that maybe they just came to kill him. “Did you?” Todd asks, doing a bit of a surprised double-take. (Hey, Ronon teased him, kinda like he did Rodney! Well, okay, a lot more menacingly, but it was still a tease! Maybe he doesn’t hate Todd quite so much now?) “Unfortunately, no,” John tells him. (Awww, come on, play nice! Todd hasn’t done anything malicious to you: his only crime was stealing information. He also gave you your life back, John, and risked losing his own in the process! Sheesh, what does it take to earn your trust? Ronon held you hostage, and you trusted him pretty quick! ) “Well, there’s always next time,” Todd says with a bit of an evil smile. John cues Rodney, who tells Todd about Teyla being taken by a dart. “I suspect she’s already made some lucky Wraith a tasty meal,” Todd says (in the sense of “I’m sorry, but your friend’s probably a lost cause, so what do you want from me?”). Rodney snaps that it wasn’t a culling; someone set a trap specifically for her. Todd realises that they think Michael took her; John says that they want him to use his intel to see what he can find out. Rodney hands Todd a tablet, explaining that, besides it having some of the info on the Hoffan drug, he can use it at an offworld relay station to contact them; they’ll give him the rest of the info on the drug after he gets them some answers. Pleased, Todd says that he’ll see what he can do. (Rodney looks a bit disgusted but also upset as he turns away. Does he still feel betrayed by Todd? Is he worried that they might be making a mistake after all? Or is he just upset that Todd is so pleased when their friend is in trouble?)

Michael approaches Teyla’s cell with a bowl, saying that he’s been told she won’t eat. (Hey, there’s fog in his ship! Maybe Todd just doesn’t like fog. Or maybe they cut the fog for the sake of the actors who had to lie on the floor of Todd’s cruiser after they “died”.) Michael says that the food’s not poisoned, eating a bit himself to prove it. (I’m sure she realises that, Michael — if you wanted her dead, she would be already. But if the food has the Hoffan drug in it, you might be immune, so tasting it is no proof ….) He hands her the bowl through the bars, telling her she needs to keep u her strength. She dashes it from his hand, asking with a sneer what he cares for her well-being. He says that he cares a great deal. “I may not be foolish enough to consider us friends, but we do have a history.” (Something tells me that, while he may not be so foolish, as he says, he wishes that they could be friends. He seems much, much calmer these days than last we saw him.) He adds that, though she’s betrayed him repeatedly, she’s the only one who comes close, among human or Wraith, to understanding what he’s been through. (Apparently he doesn’t know about what happened to Sheppard. Anyway, nice parallel to what she was saying to Sam about herself and Kanaan! Hey, Michael, shouldn’t Kanaan be able to understand too?) Michael says that they aren’t that different; she’s a hybrid, like him. She says she isn’t a murderer. He tilts his head, puzzled, saying that she kills to protect herself and her own; so does he. “Of course, circumstances require me to do it on a slightly larger scale, but the principle is still the same,” he adds. She calls him insane. (Actually, he sounds quite rational, really. Yes, he’s committing xenocide, but given the opportunity to kill the Wraith en masse, I can see our human heroes doing the same. They wiped out the Replicators, after all. And Michael doesn’t seem to be working quite so much out of a crazed sense of revenge — like he once did — as out of a sense of survival now. Of course, the next episode may show more of his old, schizo self; we’ll have to wait and see.) He looks a bit like she slapped him. He collects himself and tells her, “Spite me all you want. But don’t do it at the expense of the child.” Incensed, she tells him that her child is none of his concern. “On the contrary, I have plans for him,” he informs her. (Yup, I’m still thinking that he’s either impregnated her or genetically altered her when last they met. It seems to me that he knew of her pregnancy in advance of trapping her, and how else would he have known if not for then? Why else would he care, if not for having some vested interest? Granted, there’s a chance it’s just because, if Kanaan is the father, the child has a double-dose of the Wraith DNA, but I think it’s more involved than that. I think there was a double-meaning to his talk of a family reunion.)

In the mess hall, Sheppard and Ronon look on in disgust as Rodney chows down. Ronon asks how he can eat at a time like this. (Hmm. Hasn’t there been a time where they could have asked Ronon the same thing?) Rodney says that this is the first decent meal he’s had all day, adding that they need to keep their strength up if they want to help Teyla. (Well, he has a point, especially if he is indeed hypoglaecemic. And methinks Rodney is an “eat to be happy”/”eat when nervous” kind of guy.) Ronon looks at John, noting his unhappiness, and says softly, “Hey, we’ll find her.” (Awww! Ronon being comforting is always so sweet!) John says he just needs to do something. Luckily, Sam arrives just then, telling them that Todd came through: rumour among the Wraith-worshippers talks of one of the Atlantians being held captive, and Todd’s included coordinates. Sam says that Lorne’s team is going with them, and that they’re going to rendezvous with the Daedalus, who will pick them up. (So the place where the prisoner is being kept is not at a ‘Gate-able coordinate.)

Teyla hears footsteps again as she sits in her cell. She snaps that she said she was not hungry, but when she turns to face her visitor, she finds Kanaan rather than Michael. He’s looking pale, his face has the Wraith slits to each side of his nose, and his expression is vacant. (And so we have what Michael meant about the Athosians helping him — he’s experimenting on them. Wrong, perhaps, but any more wrong than when Carson messed with Michael’s own genetic structure? If it had worked, they would have done it to the Wraith en masse. It’s just a game of survival.) Teyla tries to talk to Kanaan, but he doesn’t respond. She says that she came for him, like he asked. “Like I asked,” Michael corrects her. He explains that he was the one sending her the visions, in disguise. (Hah!) She accuses him of lying; he insists that he touched her mind across thousands of light-years, proving that their bond is strong. “Once the child is born, it will grow even stronger,” he tells her. (Huh, What does that mean?) Glancing at Kanaan, he suddenly looks unhappy, telling her to enjoy her reunion, and walks away. She pleads with Kanaan to help her and their child. “The child will serve the cause,” he tells her, clearly brainwashed. “Then one day soon, the galaxy will be ours.” He too walks away, leaving her horrified. (I feel really sorry for her, trapped and seeing her would-be mate like this!)

The Daedalus arrives at the coordinates. Caldwell informs the teams that they couldn’t get a lock on Teyla’s subcutaneous transmitter; Rodney says that they probably took it out. Sheppard says “Guess we’ll have to do things the hard way.” “Good! Let’s do it!” Ronon says. (Boyo, I know you love a challenge, but can we not hope for trouble when a pregnant lady is involved??) They get beamed to a decidedly not-Wraith-looking complex (if I didn’t know about Carson, I would be wondering if Todd betrayed them or if Michael had laid another trap), and the two teams split up. They look around; Sheppard’s team finds a door and starts to open it when someone opens fire on them from behind. Lorne’s team gets some heat, too. Sheppard’s team manages to hit their assailant. In space, a Wraith cruiser arrives, and engages the Daedalus in combat. Caldwell gives Sheppard the heads-up. Sheppard asks the guy that they shot (he’s still alive??) who his boss is. “You’re too early,” he replies, clarifying that the boss is on his way back with an important prisoner. Eyes widening in horror (doesn’t Flanigan do that so well?), John realises that Teyla’s on the cruiser that’s fighting theDaedalus, and informs Caldwell. Caldwell asks the weapons officer if she can cripple it; she says it’s possible, as the ship has already sustained heavy damage. The console beeps, and she reports that the cruiser is retreating. He says to target the engines, but they miss; the cruiser jumps to hyperspace. Caldwell gives the boys the bad news. (And Flanigan, Hewlett, and Momoa do a fabulous job with the crestfallen expressions!)

Lorne’s team finished off their opponents, then reunite with Sheppard’s team, Lorne asking if they’ve found Teyla. Sheppard says she’s not there. “Are you sure?” Lorne asks, pointing out that the guards were protecting something. They look to a door and approach it. Sheppard shoots the padlock off (with Rodney turning away, covering his ears — cute!). Rodney takes care of the rest of the lock, and Sheppard kicks the door open. He, Ronon, and McKay bring their weapons to bear, ready to charge in, when they all stop in shock. Carson sits on the bench before them, wearing some sort of grey prison garb. “Finally! It’s about bloody time!” he says, getting to his feet. “What took you so long?” He looks to them for answers, but all they can do is stare, dumfounded. (Don’t worry, Mallozzi, even knowing what happened, I still loved it. But yeah, it would have been an awesome shocker if we hadn’t known in advance. *Sigh*)

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US $22.25 (5 Bids) End Date: Thursday Dec-04-2008 14:23:05 PST Bid now | Add to watch list

A few corrections to make for past columns. I admit to having been misinformed: the character in “BAMSR” that I thought was Dave Kleinman (and therefore thought was Kirby Morrow — someone had told me that he was the snarky helmsman in SG-1’s “Company of Thieves”, and it turns out he was not) was, in fact, the character of Kevin Marks (played by Martin Christopher). Eh, you know those helmsmen — they all look alike. *Wink* And lastly, it seems Mallozzi’s mention of a clue in one of the last three episodes in last season was in regard to how Carson would be returning, not on who the father of Teyla’s baby is. I’m not sure where I got the notion that it was — perhaps I read someone else’s conjecture and confused the two issues. Or I’m just being psychic again. *Wink* Well, I guess time will tell whether Michael is or isn’t — I still think he had something to do with the pregnancy, even if he’s not the daddy ….

See you all next week for “The Kindred, Part Two”!! (Only two eps left for the season! *Pout* …)

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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.