“Into the garbage chute, flyboy.” - Princess Leia

By Wolfen Moondaughter

Welcome to my recap-and-review column for Stargate: Atlantis; in this installment, we kick off the fifth season! For those of you who may be new to the column, basically it works like a DVD commentary track, with me giving play-by-play commentary — except that, since you’re reading, not watching the show, I also describe the scenes as I go, so you know what the heck I’m referring to. Oh, and to warn you, I am a die-hard “McShepper” and “slash” fan, so if ruminations about possible homosexual subtext bothers you, then this column’s not for you.

This season’s off to an excellent start! Granted, I liked last season’s opener, “Adrift”, a bit more, but really, it’d be next to impossible to top that episode as a season-starter; otherwise, this has been the best season premiere of the franchise! I’m glad our boys didn’t spend the whole episode under the ruins which they’d gotten trapped under at the end of last season — I’d been half afraid that they would. Instead, we got quite a thrilling sequence of events packed into forty-five minutes, without losing any of the great characterisation that I have come to expect from the series! In fact, I’d say the characterisation has been bumped up a notch in quality (and that’s saying a lot, because I thought this was one of the best shows for characterisation already)!

Flanigan in particular was excellent, tugging on my heartstrings pretty much the whole time. Momoa did a superb job speaking volumes with Ronon’s body language and typically minimal dialogue. Hewlett pulled off a perfect balance of classic whiny/selfish McKay and the new, improved, buckling-down-and-getting-the-job-done-when-told-rather-than-arguing McKay. And Luttrell’s Teyla’s usual calm patience was wonderfully tempered by an underlying irritation with McKay. I like that she’s never a damsel in this ep; while she’s being rescued, she actually takes charge and tells her would-be rescuers what has to be done. Of course, Martin Gero deserves a lot of the credit for all of that, giving them all such terrific material to work with, as does Andy Mikita for doing a fantastic job directing, with lots of dynamic camera angles and movements.

So let’s get down to the nitty-gritty details, shall we?

5.1: “Search and Rescue”

Our story starts with Teyla and John having a lovely candlelit dinner. (Teyla looks really beautiful with her hair like that!) They talk as if she’s been rescued and a few weeks have passed. It’s most certainly a dream (it’s just a question of who is having it) — especially when Teyla starts talking about how she’s come to appreciate the times when it’s just the two of them like this. (Let’s face it, the writers are very unlikely to ever take their relationship anywhere near dating, at least not outside of an alternate reality. They certainly do enough to encourage the “shippers” to keep on hoping, though! And I’m finding that I don’t mind the idea of this pairing so much; I’m growing to like Teyla more and more all the time, and I’d take her paired with John over Larrin being paired with him any day of the week. Rodney’s still my number one choice for John though. *Wink*) Teyla thanks John for saving her; John is confused, saying he doesn’t actually remember having done that. (I have to admit that, until this point, I’d assumed that Teyla was the dreamer, since she’s had a “dinner with John” dream before. Isn’t it interesting that John is having a similar dream now? Yeah, they might never take this pair anywhere, but between scenes like this, other tender moments, and John’s kissing Teyla when he was under the influence of the retrovirus, I don’t think that the notion of there being something deeper than platonic friendship between them, whether they will ever act on it or not, can be totally denied. The writers just write in a way that those fans who don’t like the idea can ignore it if they wish. I can’t really blame the writers for handling it that way, I guess; then everybody’s at least a little happy ….) Ford is there suddenly, telling John that he doesn’t remember rescuing Teyla because he, in fact, didn’t — just as John hadn’t managed to save Ford. (I’m not exactly a Ford fan, but it’s nice to see him back for a little moment like this — I was totally and happily shocked by it, in fact — and it’s a really nice set-up for John’s motives later in the ep.) John lets out a faint sound of pain, like he’s been stabbed; he looks down and finds blood oozing through his (romance novel-worthy) white shirt. (Seriously, it looks like it belonged under a tux, yet it suits him because it’s un-tucked and rumpled. Yum! Now if we could just see Rodney in something like this ….)

Sheppard jerks awake (we get a nice momentary steadycam shot from his POV), confused at finding himself buried under rubble; Ronon explains that Michael’s compound collapsed on them. (Nice use of the situation to establish for the audience what’s going on without the dialogue seeming forced and unnatural! But then I’ve always found Gero to be quite excellent at not-blatant exposition. And can I just pause to say how deliriously happy I am that the new season is here — particularly since it’s earlier in the year than I’d expected it to be?) John, we see, is pinned, while Ronon moves about as freely as one can when one is over six feet tall and having to crouch in a tiny space. John’s head is bleeding pretty heavily, and he has a length of pipe through his side, which Ronon removes. (At first I’m yelling at Ronon that you’re not supposed to remove things that are impaling people, in case it’s severed an artery — the offending item may indeed be keeping the blood in. But then I figure that Ronon’s probably dressed wounds in the field before and his wife was in medicine — he might actually know something about that sort of thing, could possibly tell by the placement of the pipe that no major artery was hit. Obviously one wasn’t, because if one had been, John would have bled out within minutes, right? And he didn’t. So let’s just hope that Ronon did indeed know what he was doing, and the fact that John didn’t die wasn’t just a happy accident! And I’ll just enjoy the Sheppard “whump” ….) Ronon dresses the wound, shrugging off John’s concern about the injury like it’s no big deal. (I can’t decide if it’s because Ronon doesn’t want John to worry unnecessarily, or because he really doesn’t think that it’s a big deal!) John asks after the others; Ronon doesn’t know how anyone is, as they got separated from them. John suggests that Ronon try the radio.

The next moment, we see McKay trying his own radio and getting nothing but static. (Nice segue!) Lorne has a broken leg, while Rodney is “remarkably fine”. (Part of me is a bit disappointed at the missed opportunity for Rodney whumppage, but I’m also relieved, for the character’s sake. And he does apparently have a cut on his head, at least.) Lorne gives a nicely sarcastic reply to Rodney’s announcement. Rodney sees daylight and reckons they aren’t buried too deep; as he tries to push his way through their roof, some of it starts to come down — not a lot, but enough shifts to aggravate Lorne’s condition. Aggravated himself, Rodney snaps that he’s sorry, but Lorne cuts off his attempts to explain away his actions, informing him (with remarkable patience) that he’d posted someone outside before they went in; Lorne figures that the man will get them help. Ever the practical pessimist, Rodney remarks that that’s assuming the man didn’t get hit by falling debris himself. (Well, he has a point.)

Lorne goes on to remind Rodney (and explain to us) that the Daedalus had left Atlantis while they were confirming Sheppard’s story; he figures that, with the head start it got, the ship ought to reach the planet they’re on in three hours and help them. (That could have been a little clearer — I thought he was saying that the Daedalus had left for home at first, since he didn’t actually say that the ship had left heading for the planet that they expected to find Teyla on. Also, Lorne shouldn’t assume everyone in the debris has three hours to wait — if then can get free themselves, Rodney might be able to save someone else who wouldn’t survive that wait otherwise. Hell, for all Lorne knows, his leg could have internal bleeding — remember how Keller figured that Sam had about an hour before she might bleed to death if her leg had internal bleeding, in “Trio”? … I do like that they’ve found a way to, if not exactly circumvent having the Daedalus serve as a deux ex machina, at least remove the “plot device”edness of it — now the story isn’t about “How will they get out,” but rather “How will they survive the wait/pass the time?” and “Will their saviors get there before Michael?” Deftly handled, that.)

Rodney apologises, explaining that he doesn’t do well in tight spaces. (And he has every reason to be claustrophobic, considering this is the third time he’s been trapped like this. Hell, I’m freaked out by all the heavy rock above them, and I’m just watching. Nice set design, camera work, and lighting; it’s all very effective in presenting an oppressive atmosphere!) In a mix of sarcasm-laced soothing tones and pained pleading, Lorne points out that there are no bad guys to worry about (and what has that to do with assuaging Rodney’s claustrophobia?), so it would be great if Rodney would just sit still and stop bringing the ceiling down. (Ah, but if the place was booby-trapped, it stands to reason that it was also rigged to warn Michael. As if to prove my point ….)

We’re whisked across solar systems to Michael’s cruiser, where, after Kanaan shows him a data pad, Michael orders that their course be changed, announcing that their “compound has been compromised”. (And at this point, I wonder if the course change is to take them to the planet, or if they were already on their way to the planet and he was now warned away …. The speedy trip through space was a very interesting sort of “elsewhere” / “meanwhile” / “speak of the devil” interstitial moment, but it also feels weird, in an episode whose vibe already feels a bit strange somehow. Maybe it’s the scope of it. And it’s a bit overlong — good for expressing distance, but it also takes precious seconds away from the story …. )

And Jewel Staite (Keller) and Robert Picardo (Woolsey) are added to the opening credits. (Lovely picture of Jewel! Not at all happy to see Woolsey, I’m afraid.)

After the commercials, we get an absolutely gorgeous interstitial shot of Atlantis, a sort of sweeping overview of the city at night that is so lovely I makes my heart ache, before we’re taken indoors, where the man that Lorne had stationed outside the building, a Lieutenant Edison, indeed arrives and informs Sam of what’s happened. She asks if there were survivors; he says he couldn’t tell because the radios were out. (My father explained to me that, if there was a lot of metal or radioactive material hanging in the air with the dust from the collapse, or else metal that was insulated before but not now, that would cause the interference — I had wondered why there would be problems then but not before the building’s implosion.) The Daedalus is still two hours out (either Lorne overestimated the wait or Edison was unconscious for a while), so Sam starts getting a search team ready, including “combat engineers”. (That’s a phrase I’ve never heard before, but it sounds intriguing …. I love watching Sam throw orders around; she’s turned out to be a great leader!)

Back at the compound, Rodney messes with the Wraith computer, in an effort to keep his mind off of his claustrophobia. “Which is hard, because it’s … you know. my mind.” (*Snicker* Amazing how Rodney can sound self-effacing and egotistical at the same time. I’ve seen people call Rodney self-centered for this — what do they expect him to do, dote on Lorne because of the man’s injury? Like Lorne would enjoy that? And really, just because panic attacks aren’t as obviously physical a concern as a broken leg doesn’t mean they are any less of a worry.) Lorne figures, “There’s no way anything useful survived that implosion.” “Speak for yourself,” Rodney replies off-handedly. (*Snicker* … It’s not like Rodney’s got anything better to do, Lorne — would you rather Rodney yak your ear off? ….) Rodney explains that while a lot of the stuff was indeed damaged, it looks like a couple of the hard drives survived intact (rather like Rodney himself). His efforts prove fruitful; he says he thinks he hit the jackpot. Lorne asks if he found some way to help them get rescued Rodney deflates a little, realising hat would have been a better find at the moment. Instead, he’s found a “Michael Wiki”, as he calls it. (Heeee!) Lorne doesn’t get it (guess he doesn’t surf the net much) and isn’t terribly impressed. Rodney explains that it has everything they’d want to know about Michael’s research and hideouts; with it, there’s nowhere Michael could run. (Interesting that he doesn’t say they could use it to find Teyla — especially since they won’t need it to find her by the time the ep is done, but they do still need to find Michael.) Then Rodney sees something on the screen that worries him. Prefacing that he doesn’t want to alarm Lorne, considering the man’s condition (and isn’t that sweet of him?), he starts to say something about Michael. Lorne cuts him off, telling Rodney to shut up; Rodney protests a moment, before Lorne explains that he hears something. Rodney realises that it’s footsteps, above them. They start shouting for help. (And I wonder if that’s a good idea — what if it’s Michael? Thankfully, my concern proves unfounded — this time.)

The camera moves up and sideways into the debris, the sound fading to muffled cries as we move into darkness for a few seconds, until we reach the surface, where it’s dark and the search party is using flashlights. (Great job of showing distance! Although … there was a shaft of sunlight next to Rodney’s head before — did it take that long for the party to actually get near them? Was that mean to show the passage of time as well as distance? Oh wait, there’s a bright light beyond a bit of wall — what is that, moonlight?) Sam tells her people that there’s four life-signs, two right below them. (Ah, so our boys are the only survivors.) Just then, they hear Rodney and Lorne’s cries, and quickly locate the hole where the light was reaching the boys. Sam asks if they’re okay; Rodney replies that they’re fine, before Lorne reminds him about his leg, and Rodney quickly amends his status report. (*Snicker*) Sam says they’re getting the combat engineers to work on getting them out; Rodney tells her to hurry. She starts to chidingly say that they’re work as fast as is safe, when Rodney explains that he meant that the trap’s being triggered had prompted the sending of a subspace burst; Michael is on his way. a quick conversation between Sam, Keller, and a new girl (who isn’t referred to by name here, but is Captain Alicia Vega, who will be in the upcoming ep “Whispers”) tells us that it will take about an hour to dig Rodney and Lorne out, but that the other life-signs are coming from much deeper, and while the Daedalus could probably beam them out, it might not get there before Michael. (I like that Keller has become such a handy exposition-prompt, asking the audience’s questions much like Sheppard often has.) Sam throws about some orders again, including having a guy, Rivers, take a jumper into orbit and keep a lookout for Michael.

John and Ronon, meanwhile, try to move the beam that’s pinning John, with no luck. (I’d be too afraid to do it — I keep thinking the ceiling’s going to collapse! Also, I wonder how they’re doing on air? …) John wonders aloud how everyone else is’; Ronon (again) says he doesn’t know, but seeing as it happened so fast, he doesn’t think many others made it. (They don’t say it, but I’m guessing they’re both worried that Rodney may be dead. Not that they wouldn’t be upset at loosing any of the men — they could be buddies with all of them — but that’s a loss that I think would hit a bit harder, and Lorne too.) John reprimands himself for not having seen the trap coming. (Despite the fact that, in the Future!Rodney’s explanation of events, when they’d found Teyla, nothing had happened to the building — you’d think Michael would have left it booby-trapped even after he was done …) Ronon points out that none of them saw it coming. “Yeah, but I’m ‘The Guy’,” Sheppard insists. “You know? Like … ‘The Guy‘.” (Has Sheppard been taking ego lessons from McKay? *Snicker*) Ronon points out that they all knew what they were doing was dangerous, so Sheppard shouldn’t beat himself up. (He sounds kind of annoyed, too — maybe he’s thinking Sheppard’s being whiny like McKay as well ….) Sheppard tells Ronon that he needs to try to get himself out, start moving debris out of the way. Ronon flatly refuses to leave Sheppard, to which John points out that he’s not being a hero — if Ronon can get out, he can go get help. (Provided he can find the spot he got out of.) “I need you (slight pause, which must have sent Ronon/John shippers into squees of rapture) to dig a hole, so that the rescuers can come down and get me,” John explains. Ronon starts moving some stuff to the side. “That’s the wrong way, Chief,” Sheppard points out. Ronon explains that he’s still trying to get the bean off of Sheppard, so that they can both get out. “Deal?” he finishes. “You aren’t going to listen to me one way or the other, are you?” Sheppard asks. “Great, deal,” Ronon replies, ignoring Sheppard’s question, thereby proving the colonel’s point. (Well, to be fair, Sheppard ignored his question, too. All in all, a great character moment for them both!)

We see Michael’s cruiser traveling through subspace. (I’m struck by the random thought that it should have KITT lights in the front ….) On board, Michael tells Teyla that she should be having the baby any day now. He notes that she doesn’t seem happy and remarks, “I can’t imagine carrying a child inside of you is very comfortable.” (I can’t imagine that it is either — thank Gaia I will never find out! This does raise some interesting questions about Wraith breeding: is he making this remark because he is male, or because even the higher-caste Wraith — the ones like Ellia, who grow as ‘normal’ children, rather than being drone clones that hatch fully grown from pods — are not “born”, but rather rise from external eggs, in a fashion similar to the drones?) He wonders why she can’t believe that he will not harm the baby; she says it’s because she knows him. He talks of how most people in the galaxy live useless lives, leaving the universe no better than how they came into it, but her son will be an instrument of change, remembered for the ages. (Obviously he’s not getting that she sees his use of her son in such a manner as “harm”.) She asks what will become of her, seeing as Michael always talks of the baby’s future but never hers. Hesitant, he starts to say that he hoped she would understand — and then Kanaan interrupts, saying “it’s time.” (Oooh, very interesting, that! I’m guessing that Michael was going to say that he’d hoped she’d come around to his way of thinking once her son was born, and become his Queen. Even after all the heartless things he’s done, I still feel deeply sorry for him — the Atlantians have wronged him twice, and have played a large part in shaping him into the mad scientist nutjob he’s become. I thing he really does love Teyla — as well as he can love, anyway. Trinnear’s delivery there was perfect poignant — definitely one of my “fave moments” in this ep. I wonder if Kanaan interrupted when he did because he couldn’t bear to hear Michael talk of being with Teyla?) Michael tells Kanaan to remove the restraints and post a gruad outside the door, and leaves. (Remove the restraints? For the ease of her birthing, or just as a token gesture, or something else?)

Teyla begs Kanaan to help her escape before the baby is born. Kanaan refuses, saying that it’s too dangerous. “For who?” Teyla snaps, sounding a bit disgusted. Kanaan says that Michael will kill them all if they try to leave. (Kanaan’s seeming more independent/in control of himself than ever now, although it’s clear that Michael still holds some sway over him ….) Teyla counters that Michael will kill them all no matter what, saying that he sees Kanaan as disposable. (Ah, but his being disposable and Michael killing him are two different things — I don’t think he would kill Kanaan for no reason at all. He could still use the guy, especially seeing as Kanaan was a successful experiment. And I don’t think he intends to kill Teyla — not until she proves she won’t join him/defies and angers him and he does it in a fit of rage.) An alarm sounds, and Kanaan leaves her.

Back on the planet, Rodney is helped out of an opening. Keller takes him aside and starts to scan him, when he insists, to her shock, that he’s okay, and that she should look after Lorne. (*Squeee!* I’m so proud of him! Yeah, okay, I wouldn’t be so impressed were it someone else saying it, and perhaps that’s not fair, but he has to make an active effort to go past his generally self-centered nature in such an instance, so it means more when he does it …. Anyway, while, as I said, I’m glad that they didn’t spend much of the ep buried, there is one reason to be a bit sad that Rodney and Lorne were rescued so quickly: we didn’t really get any deep bonding between Rodney and Lorne. I would have liked for Lorne to have found a personal reason to not feel so much animosity towards Rodney, particularly after their less-than-auspicious introduction to each other way back in “Runner”. Well, maybe he overheard Rodney tell Keller to help him instead, at least .…) While Keller does as Rodney suggests, Sam comes over, and Rodney asks if there are other survivors. She tells him about the two other life-signs, saying that it will be a while before they get to them. “Know who it is?” Rodney asks hopefully, and is a bit crestfallen when she says she doesn’t. (Awww, you know he’s hoping that it’s Ronon and Sheppard — and he probably feels bad for hoping that, as well as sad/guilty about the other losses. I bet he blames himself a bit, seeing as he’s the one who triggered the booby-trap — especially considering he’d been afraid of the other Wraith laying a programming booby-trap in “Midway”, so it’s not like that sort of thing hadn’t ever occurred to him before …. Anyway, this moment and the one just before it, with him telling Keller to help Lorne, are another two of my faves moments in this ep — of course, I have a lot of fave moments in this one, it seems ….) Sam asks if they found Teyla; Rodney says that they didn’t. (I figure she should consider a good thing, considering that there are only two life-signs remaining.) He adds that he thinks that Sheppard was right about Michael planning to bring Teyla there; they just got there too early. Rivers interrupts; the cruiser has arrived.

Kanaan informs Michael that there’s multiple life-signs on the surface, and Michael quickly deduces that it’s a rescue effort. On the surface, Sam orders a retreat into the jumpers. Vega notes an incoming Dart, and shoots it down with a massive automatic weapon. (Cool, another ass-kicking female in sci-fi!) Sam reiterates the order for everyone to fall back to the jumpers; Rodney protests that they still have men trapped (ie, he doesn’t want to leave John and Ronon behind, if it’s them, bless him — and probably wouldn’t want to abandon anyone else, but especially not them. In fact, he’s probably anxious to just confirm who it really is). Sam points out that they won’t do them any good, being caught out in the open like this.

Once everyone’s on board the jumpers, Sam orders them cloaked. She sits in the copilot’s seat of her jumper, with Rodney as the pilot. (Hey, who originally flew it out? Interesting to see Rodney having become so take-charge in the field that he would take the seat himself, rather than let someone else do it.) Sam notes with some surprise that the ‘Gate has been dialed; Rodney explains grumpily that it’s a standard Wraith tactic, dialing the ‘Gate so that the enemy can’t use it. “Well, it’s a good one,” she notes. “Yeah, well, they’re not idiots,” Rodney replies. (Heheheh …. I agree with other fans that Sam shouldn’t have been so surprised at this — it’s a tactic used by the Goa’uld, after all — but at the same time, the significance needed to be spelled out for the sake of the audience, and it sounds better than having Sam say something like, “Oh no, the hybrids have dialed the gate so we can’t escape to Atlantis,” ya know?) Rodney announces that there’s more darts on the way and already troops on the ground; Vega figures that they must know that they’ve (still) got people down there (trapped in the debris). Rodney asks how many ‘jumpers they’ve got; Sam says three, counting the one that they themselves are in. Rodney says that there’s twenty darts coming in; Keller says, questioningly, that the darts can’t see them, which Rodney confirms, adding that they can’t fire weapons while cloaked. Sam reminds them that it will take the hybrids time to dig the survivors out, and hopefully the Daedalus will come before they’re done. Then she orders Rodney to take the jumper into space (why, as far as the characters are concerned — as opposed to for the sake of plot — I’m not sure).

On the cruiser, Kanaan repots minimal resistance, saying that they’ve already begun searching the debris. Michael says he needs them alive. (For experiments? Bargaining chips? What?)

Rodney and the others see the cruiser out the ‘jumper window; Keller asks if it’s Michael’s. “Well, it looks like it!” Rodney tells her a bit cattily. Keller asks (in her role as exposition-prompt) if Teyla is on board. (See, she’s not dumb, she’s just meeting the needs of the story. Besides, people state the obvious in real life all the time — even “smart” people.) Sam says it’s possible. Keller figures they just rescue Teyla by having the Daedalus beam the woman out when it arrives, then. Sam explains why they probably can’t: Michael probably removed her transmitter, and even if he didn’t, the Wraith cruisers have an electromagnetic field that prevents beaming. (It may seem a bit convenient storytelling-wise, but hey, it makes sense for the Wraith to have developed something like that. A number of fans insist that they have beamed people off of Wraith ships before, but I can’t recall either way — and Sam did specifically say a “cruiser”, which is still fairly new to us.) Keller says what pretty much everyone, crew and audience alike, is thinking: a despondent “We’re so close,” with an unspoken “… and can’t do anything about it?”

Underground, Sheppard’s eyes are a bit vacant, his lids fluttering; when Ronon prompts him for one more try at getting rid of the beam, he replies that he’s feeling pretty weak (and sounds it, too). Ronon asks if John is quitting on him; John says no, then reconsiders. (*Snicker*) “That wasn’t part of our deal,” Ronon chastises; John complains that Ronon keeps adding things to it. (Like what, I wonder?) Ronon tries to use a lever on the beam, but fails. John reiterates that Ronon needs to get out. Ronon asks if John would leave him stuck; John answers yes in that way of his that says it’s a bald-faced lie. Suddenly, they hear movement overhead, and Ronon cries out for help, getting a response. (Of course, this time we know it’s the enemy; it’s a nice parallel to Rodney and Lorne’s rescue, exploring the other option for the end result.)

The Daedalus arrives; Marks notes the cruiser; Caldwell orders the shields up and weapons readied. Then Marks notes an incoming transmission from Carter, who informs them that Teyla may be on the cruiser, so they can’t destroy it. (Whew, that was close!) The Cruiser is firing on them, but, as Kanaan notes to Michael, they do no damage, since the shields are already up. Michael tells him to fire up the hyperdrive; Kanaan, alarmed, asks about the darts. “Acceptable losses,” Michael replies; Kanaan seems unhappy about that. (A few of them are probably Athosian, after all.) Just in time, Caldwell gives the order to take out the cruiser’s hyperdrive; success! (The failed jump is a cool effect! I’m surprised destroying the drive doesn’t cause a chain reaction that bows up the whole ship, though.) “Well. I guess we’re fighting after all,” Michael says, looking almost pleased as the battle commences. (Like Todd, it seems he’s a guy who’ll go down fighting if he has to — and enjoy it while he can.)

Marks reports that the shields on the Daedalus are down twenty percent. Sam tells Caldwell that they have two people down under the debris, Rodney adding that it’s just a matter of time before the hybrids find them. Sam asks Caldwell if they can scan for the transmitter signals. (I love when the science-y types, like Sam and Rodney, talk like twins, finishing each other’s thoughts, heheheh.)

Someone assures Sheppard and Ronon that they’ll get them out soon; Sheppard promises that, as of today, he’ll stop making fun of combat engineers. (I wonder, is that something Gero has done himself, and this is his way of apologising, or does he know a combat engineers, and wants more people to know about and respect them? …) A beat later, Sheppard then asks if Harris is with them. (I immediately realise this is a test — probably prompted by them not making a remark back to his comment). The rescuers confirm that Harris is; scowling, Ronon remarks to John that he thought hat Harris was on leave until next month. (I like this little glimpse into their lives outside of their group, the idea that they have other buddies in the city besides their own team.) John tells the rescuers that beer’s on him, asking if they like Duff Beer (heee — Jack O’Neill would be proud) or Oprah Ale. They answer Duff. “Well, they don’t watch The Simpsons or drink beer,” John informs Ronon. (Does Ronon watch The Simpsons, I wonder?) Ronon figures the rescuers are hybrids, and that Michael was tipped off when the building blew. (I love it when they show how smart Ronon really is!) Sheppard says Ronon should have gotten out. “Yeah, whatever,” Ronon replies. (*Snicker* Is that a Satedan thing, or did he learn that from the Earthers?) Getting John’s gun for him, he asks how Sheppard wants to “play this”; “Shoot until we can’t shoot anymore,” John decides, which seems to please Ronon. “Been a pleasure,” John tells Ronon after a moment. Ronon is clearly touched before he manages, “Same.” (That was beautiful — I’m all choked up myself! Definitely one of my fave moments in the ep.) They take aim ….

Back on the Daedalus, Marks finds the transmitters, and reveals that they belong to Sheppard and Ronon. (The looks on Rodney and Sam’s face at this revelation are priceless! Another fave bit!) After a bit of discussion, it’s decided that the Daedalus will lower it’s shields long enough to beam Ronon and Sheppard aboard before the hybrids can get them; Caldwell also suggests that they get their jumpers on board. Happily, they manage to complete their task and get the shields back up without getting destroyed outright, but Michael’s crew managed to take out the sublight engines, the hyperdrive, and the Asgard weapons, and life support is down fifty percent. Thankfully, the shields are holding.

In the infirmary, Ronon angrily refuses medical treatment from some medical guy. (He probably wants Keller to tend to him. *Snicker* Another fave!) The camera pans back behind him, to Keller and Sheppard. (Nice directing!) While she tends his wound, Keller assures him that, though he is seriously hurt, he will be ultimately be okay. Sheppard asks about their status, noting that Michael apparently got there before the Daedalus. Keller reveals that they’d had to lower the shields to beam them aboard and took some damage, but she figures that Sam and McKay will get them fixed up soon enough. Sheppard is clearly relieved to learn that McKay made it. (Awww, of course I love his expression there — instant fave!) She goes on, soberly, to tell him that Lorne made it too, but no one else. (I’ve seen people criticise the fact that Sheppard wasn’t upset about or asking after the other people. Um, he didn’t ask after McKay, either. Don’t you think that he would have assumed that, if there were other survivors, they would have been beamed intro the infirmary with him and Ronon, and that, therefore, since Lorne was the only person in the infirmary, he must have been the only survivor? Doubtless he was already mourning the losses! What’s he going to say to Keller, “I’m sorry no one else made it”? And why to her? It was his men he’d lost! Not to mention that a) he’s probably a little sluggish in his thoughts, between the bloodloss and the morphine, and b) he did ask about the others, while he was with Ronon — twice. So why should he say anything then about it? Why isn’t the pain in his eyes enough of a cue that he is indeed upset at the losses?) Sheppard tells her to patch him up so he can get back out there. (If it seems callous of him to jump to this subject right after being told his men are all dead, it’s only because he wants to save Teyla before he loses her, too.) Keller insists that, while he will be well eventually, he’s nowhere near it now; he needs a transfusion and surgery, and he needs it ASAP. He protests, a bit brokenly, that he can’t just sit there when Teyla is so close (nicely echoing her own words back at her, but to no avail). They argue a bit more, and she walks away with a firm no. he grabs her arm and says that he had a chance to save a teammate before and lost it (Ford, of course, hence his appearance earlier), and will not let it happen again. (Ooooh, Flanigan is a shining star here, so much desperation and angst and physical under a thin and fractured mask of stoicism! Is it any wonder that there is such a strong Sheppard-whump following?)

Rodney and Sam chatter about the state of the ship and their situation while they work on repairs. Life-support’s still not up to full power and sublight’s still down. Sam figures that, even if they get the stuff fixed, the shields are using so much energy that they won’t have power for anything else anyway — they need to take out the cruiser’s weapons. She suggests that they launch a 302 attack; John comes in just then, saying that that’s what he was thinking. Sam remarks that she thought Keller had said that he was out of commission; Sheppard replies, haltingly while grabbing his side gingerly, that she revised her diagnosis; Ronon gives him a warning look that says he knows better. Sheppard ignores Ronon, saying to Sam that he has an idea, which Ronon explains might let them rescue Teyla, too.

All four of them tag-team Caldwell with the idea, which involves the aforementioned 302 attack to take out the cruisers weapons array; when the Cruiser opens its bay doors to let darts out in defence, they’ll slip inside, in a cloaked jumper. Caldwell is reluctant, saying that one daring rescue for the day is enough. Sam points out that the shields are failing and says that she won’t take no for an answer; he finally relents. (I like that she calls him Steven, that they get along much better than he did with Weir. Caldwell is just all around more likable around Sam. … Oooh, I hope that doesn’t change when Woolsey takes over …)

As they all go off to do their thing, Sam stops John and calls him on the whole cleared-as-fit-for-duty thing; he’s not fooling her, and it’s her job to make sure that he won’t be a liability. John says that he has more respect for her than any commanding officer he’s ever had. (Weir fans, note that he says commanding officer, so please don’t get your knickers in a twist. Even if I do prefer Sam to Weir by a Grand Canyon-wide margin, I don’t think John is saying that she’s better than Weir at all — he probably holds them in equal esteem.) He then says that he’s getting on the ‘jumper no matter what, and will surrender for court-martial when he gets back. (Ooooh, I have chills! That is a *brilliant* scene, very powerful! And it’s made all the more effective by the fact that he would so willingly give up his hard-won rank of colonel. Well, not that I expect him to hesitate to do any thing to save a member of his team, but it’s still an extra sacrifice that I appreciate.)

A bit later, a worried Rodney watches John, who looks pretty sick as he pilots the ‘jumper with intense concentration. Ronon, standing behind Rodney, nudges the scientist in the back. (Nice little touch — love how Momoa gets so much across with even the most subtle gestures!) Visibly working up the nerve, Rodney suggests that maybe Sheppard could let him and Ronon handle the mission, and stay with the jumper. (Awww, love Rodney’s concern; once upon a time, he wouldn’t have even thought to make an offer to risk himself in John’s place like that!) John gives him a dirty look. (All of this sequence is yet another fave moment.)

The 302s are launched, and the darts come out a moment later. McKay notes nervously that the cruiser’s bay’s doors are closing; Sheppard’s not too appreciative of having that pointed out to him. He makes it in — and looks relieved to have done so. Ronon gives him a tight smile and a pat on the arm. Outside, the 302s succeed in their mission, taking out the cruiser’s weapons; unfortunately, as McKay learns when he hooks up to a computer inside the cruiser, the hyperdrive is only about fifteen minutes away from being fixed! (I like that the “problem” in the ep constantly shifts — one problem is fixed, another arises — rather than being one focus the whole time. That’s one of the things I found so appealing about “Adrift”, too, I think — which was, incidentally, another Gero script.) He locates Teyla’s cell and hurries off, telling his companions, “Follow me!” When he reaches an intersection a moment later, though, he stops short, saying, “Or you,” and gestures in what direction John should go in. (McKaaaaay. *Sigh*) They take out a guard and find Teyla; she’s been having contractions for over an hour and is ready to give birth!

Teyla insists she can walk, she just needs a moment. (Somebody got a Twix?) John pulls a bloody hand away from his side and tells Ronon, who is hovering protectively at Teyla’s side (awww), that the Satedan will have to carry Teyla. (As if Ronon wouldn’t be the one to do it in any case.) Rodney announces unhappily that the hyperdrive is back online; the good news is, he has a map to where it’s at, so all they have to do is slap some C-4 on it and they should be able to take it out. Sheppard hurries off to do just that, taking Ronon with him and leaving a thus-far relatively calm and well-behaved Rodney with Teyla. As Ronon departs, the Satedan pauses to tell Rodney to take care of her. (It’s hard to determine if he means that warningly or just with concern — with him, in regards to McKay especially, I would assume the former, but it sounded like the latter, really, not threatening.)

Awkwardly (and from across the room), Rodney asks Teyla how she’s doing; she candidly responds that the pain is very great. Of course Rodney launches into a story about a kidney stone he once passed, saying that he’s heard that the pain of doing so is similar to childbirth. He approaches some as he talks, getting caught up enough in his story to start to forget his unease. Apparently he and his cat actually passed stones at the same time, and were no fun to be around at all; this, he explains, is why he’s always hydrating, so that he’ll never have to repeat the experience. (I’m dying of laughter, but Teyla is not so amused, poor dear.) Teyla doubles over in pain; Rodney rushes to her side, telling her that she needs to breath and trying, unsuccessfully, to do Lamaze. “What are you doing??” she exclaims. (I don’t think I’ve ever seen her so ruffled without being seriously pissed off, and her excitable state seems to have as much to do with Rodney as her actual pain!) Frustrated, he says he doesn’t know what to do, and asks what she needs. She grabs his fingers in a crushing grip. He pats her hand uncomfortably, telling her there-there; she tells him the baby is coming. He tells her not to worry, they’ll get her to the Daedalus, where Keller can (he pauses, looking for a phrase) “pull it out” (*snicker*); she emphasises that the baby is coming now. (Oooh, the look on his face! This whole section is one of the funniest bits on the show ever — and the next scene between them is ever better!)

Ronon and Sheppard get to the hyperdrive (oooh, pretty!!) and take out the hybrids (former Athosians? Awww!). Sheppard goes to put the c-4 on the drive, which means reaching upward, and he cries out in pain. Ronon moves to do it, but Sheppard says tiredly that he’s got it. “Give it top me,” Ronon snaps, taking it and saying that Sheppard doesn’t have to do everything; his tone says he’s reached the end of his patience with the colonel. (*Snicker* he sounds like a parent dealing with an errant child!) Ronon lays the charge, and they hurry off, taking a few more hybrids out along the way. Hoping that they’re far enough away now, John detonates the charge (and again, I’m left wondering why the rest of the ship doesn’t go kerblooey with the drive).

Michael is considerably flustered when Kanaan reports that the drive has exploded without having accidentally overloaded. He wonders how his enemies managed it; Kanaan says he’ll look into it and hurries off. Michael then realises that his enemies have gotten on board, and hurries off to do some investigating of his own, of how they got on board.

Back in the cell, Rodney is kneeling before Teyla, asking if she can’t just “hold it in”; she insists firmly that she cannot. Rodney hangs a nice lantern on the situation by insisting frantically that people don’t have babies so quickly (I was wondering that as well); Teyla explains that her water had broken quite a while ago. (There’s a flaw in this, though; Michael told Teyla, not more than two hours ago — and probably more like one — that her baby should be born “any day now”. Why would he tell her that if her water had already broken? Shouldn’t it be patently obvious that it will, not to mention that it will happen more like any hour now? And if her water broke after he said that, then it wasn’t actually broken for very long at all. Not impossible for a delivery to happen that quickly, no, but also not very likely, I would think, especially not for a first child ….) Rodney realises that he can see its head. (Oh man, that’s alllll kinds of awkward. I suppose when one is giving birth, the desire for modesty goes out the window, but I remember feeling more than a little humiliated when I was in the hospital for my endometrial cancer, being seen and touched in intimate ways by total strangers while bleeding all over the place. Rodney looks as uncomfortable as I felt then. I also can’t imagine having to give birth under such circumstances, in a gooey Wraith ship with the enemy around every corner and knowing that you’ll have to make a run for it any second! I can’t even imagine having to give birth in a hospital after my aforementioned experience — thank Gaia I’ll never have to find out!) Teyla insists that his being able to see the head is a good thing; he really starts to freak out, though, not knowing what to do. “Should I touch it — am I allowed to touch it?” he says, rambling nervously. (It’s too adorable!) Teyla pleads with him to calm down. He points out that he’s not an MD; she reminds him that people have been having babies for thousands of years and most of them did so without doctors. He, of course, points out the mortality rate of those infants born without doctors, and starts to insist that they wait for one (ironic, considering that he’s always calling the practice of medicine voodou); she cuts him off, telling him firmly that there are no doctors, and he has no choice.

She goes on to say that he needs to catch the baby when she pushes him out. Screwing his eyes shut and turning his head away, he mumbles almost tearfully for her to do it underhand, as he’s never been good at baseball. (Haaaa! Ohmygods, that line about killed me! ) “Rodney, please” Teyla pleads, and that seems to do the trick; he buckles down, taking his jacket off and getting gung-ho (though is obviously still freaking underneath), saying that he’s great with kids — at least, with the little ones who don’t talk back. He grimaces as the happy event occurs, screaming himself as Teyla screams. (Sheesh, you’d think that he was the one trying to pass a bowling ball! *Snicker* … It’s interesting to think that Luttrell had given birth to her real-life son just a few months before filming this, and that Hewlett’s wife had given birth to his own son just six days before her. Heck, as I understand it, Momoa’s own daughter was born only about two and a half months before that, and Claudia Black’s son was born about a month after Hewlett’s and Luttrell’s babies — what the heck is in the water at the Bridges studio?? Anyway, I’m sure Luttrell drew upon her own experience, and I wonder if Hewlett’s performance reflected his own at all ….)

And then Rodney’s got the baby in his arms, and disgust gives way to awe. (And awwwwww!) Excitedly, he asks if he gets to cut the cord (now he’s the one that seems like a little kid), and she nods, beaming. He gets the child ready and announces, eyes bright, “Teyla, I’d like to introduce you to your son!”, then hands the baby to her. (Ohmygods, he’s totally reminding me of his character Patrick, from how he was towards the end of A Dog’s Breakfast, right now!) Ronon and Sheppard arrive a moment later, John letting out an awed “Wow!” Rodny excitedly informs them that he caught the baby, not letting it hit the floor or anything. Teyla confirms that he did a “wonderful job”; John tells Rodney earnestly that he did good (and I as a McShepper, I am deliriously happy to hear John say it). Teyla tells Ronon she needs help (glad to see her allow it this time), and he picks both her and the baby up. They hurry off. (And I can’t stop thinking about the afterbirth, and how it’ll probably just drop right out while he’s carrying her ….)

When they get to the hanger, the ‘jumper won’t de-cloak. Snagging the switch from John, Rodney snaps, “What, did you break it?” and tries it himself, to no avail. (Hey, it’s like the thing that you need to get into most cars these days. The thing besides the key, I mean. I don’t drive, I have no idea what it’s called.) John feels around and soon realises that the device isn’t broken — the problem is that the ‘jumper is gone. He and Ronon are sure that this is where it was. (Heh, it’s riskier than parking at the Ticket and Transportation center at Disney World and forgetting your row-number!) Rodney complains that he’d told John to stay with it. (At first, I figure John just could have gotten killed then, but then I realise he could have flown it to safety. Provided he didn’t lose consciousness, anyway. But really, who would suspect that it would be found by anyone else? I’m suspecting that Michael took it 00 but how did he fly it without the ATA gene?)

Ronon asks how they’re supposed to get off the ship now, looking at McKay. “I just delivered a baby — that’s not enough for today?” Rodney snaps. (*Snicker* He sounds like Caldwell!) John asks if there aren’t escape pods; Rodney starts to say no, then gets an idea to find a computer terminal to short out the jamming signal, so that the Daedalus can beam them out. (That begs an interesting question about how the beaming tech works — it would beam their clothes and Teyla’s baby, but not the beam that was crushing John?)

Rodney leads the way this time, gun out. (The hand holding his firearm is crossed interestingly over his other hand, which hold a flashlight in a backwards sort of grip but aimed ahead of him. Is this a Rodney McKay thing, or is he trained to do that? Okay, yeah, I notice the oddest things ….) They run across Kanaan; Teyla tells them not to shoot (thankfully they didn’t do that immediately upon spotting him), and tells Ronon to put her down. She explains to John who the man is, and walks over to Kanaan to show her lover his newborn son. As he gently and lovingly touches the child (in a heartbreakingly sweet scene), she tells him that her companions are the friends she’s told him about, and that they can help him return to normal if he helps them escape. He nods and tells them to follow, but Ronon says he doesn’t trust the guy. Teyla says that he’s tried to save her before; she trusts him. John steps forward and demands Kanaan’s weapon; Kanaan obliges. Satisfied, John asks the man what his plan is.

Next we know, there’s a dart headed towards the Daedalus. (What happened to the other darts — did the 302s take them all out? Why weren’t all the darts outside fighting, anyway?) The dart hails them; it’s John of course. He confirms that the team is in the dart’s storage and that they have Teyla and the baby. “You beamed a baby into Wraith storage?” Caldwell asks. John says no, he’s got it, and we see the baby in his arms. (Oh, that’s scene’s so sweet!! But what would have been the problem with beaming the baby into the Wraith storage, precisely? I mean, if it’s safe for mice and adults, and they walked through the gate with him, which works on the same principle ….) John tells them to feel free to do as they please with the cruiser, so Caldwell orders marks to make it go away, and they blow it up. (Those poor Athosians!) Caldwell then suggests that John land the dart on the planet, let everyone out, and take the baby home though the ‘Gate. (Couldn’t they land in the hanger of the Daedalus and let everyone out there? I mean, if Caldwell’s got a problem with the baby being put in Wraith storage, then he shouldn’t want the kid to be taken through the ‘Gate! Eh, whatever, I guess it would be better to get the kid and Teyla back home ASAP rather than make them ride three hours in the Daedalus.)

We get another gorgeous new night shot, this one from a distance. We then see Rodney walking with a bunch of flowers for Teyla; he comes across a bag-laden Sam in the hall. He proudly asks if she’s heard about him delivering the baby. She teasingly says that she’s heard that Teyla’s going to name the child Rodney. He raises a fist in victory, then thinks to ask, “Really?” Of course not. He gives her a ha-ha, very funny dry look and asks here where she’s going. She explains that the last Ba’al clone has been captured, and they want SG-1 there when the To’kra extract his symbiote. (A To’kra reference and a mention of SG-1! Woo-hoo! … This is set-up for the upcoming DVD release, Stargate Continuum, of course ….) She adds that the IOA want to give her “an exhaustive performance review” on her first year, which she figures doesn’t sound so good; Rodney’s sure she’ll be fine, saying she had a great year and that he’s glad she took the post. (Awww. It’s fitting that Rodney should be the last of the cast to see Sam before she leaves. I wasn’t expecting Sam to be gone so soon, though, darn it! I can’t wait to see his reaction when he learns that she’s not coming back ….) As a parting remark, she tells him with a grin to tell Sheppard that the court-martial will have to wait until she gets back, which of course leaves Rodney puzzled.

In the infirmary, John plays a video game, while Teyla sits on a nearby bed with her baby in her arms. (Hey, where is Kanaan? Maybe he’s in quarantine, or even the brig, until they “fix” him, seeing as he’s a security threat. I’d think Teyla would have said something if he didn’t come back with them. I expected him to die a heroic death in helping set them free, though. So does this mean he will become a recurring character, like Halling was, I wonder?) Teyla asks about John’s surgery, which he says should take a few hours and will lay him up for a week. Teyla says, “I cannot believe you attempted to mount a rescue in your condition!” “Attempt?” he protests. “The last time I checked, I succeeded.” (*Snicker* Way to dodge the question, Johnny-boy!) He asks how the baby is; Teyla says that Keller told her he’s perfectly healthy. “I think he’s perfectly … everything,” she adds. (Heh, I think I see a bit of Luttrell peeking through her character there. Very sweet, though.) She says that she never thanks him; he insists there’s no need to. She goes on to say that she never stopped believing John would come for her, never gave up hope. (Nice parallel to the version of her in the dream he had!) A bit uncomfortable, he says she would have done the same for him; she agrees. (Odd parallel to the exchange between Sheppard and Ronon — foreshadowing for “Blood Ties”, perhaps?)

Keller comes in, asking if John is ready. “Ready?” he asks, saying that, from his understanding, he’s not going to be doing anything. “That’s right! You just have to lay still and let me play with your insides,” she quips. (As the joke she intends it to be, it falls flat — John is clearly not laughing, as she quickly realises — but for the audience, her failure is damn funny!) She apologises, and starts to wheel him off to surgery. As he goes, John calls out, asking Teyla what she’s going to name her baby. She says that, if it’s okay with him, she’ll call him “Torren John (Emmagan); he’s very honoured, while Keller remarks that McKay’s going to hate it. (There’s a lot of confusion regarding her saying that he father’s name was Torren, whereas back when she first introduced herself, in the very first ep, she said she was “Daughter of Tagan”. I will admit that I’ve long assumed that Tagan was her father, simply because she always speaking of her father, but perhaps their society is matriarchal — or not any gender-specific hierarchy — and Tagan was her mother, ne? Alas, Mallozzi has yet to answer this burning question in his blog. … Now, some people have complained about Teyla not having named the baby after Rodney, and I have to admit that, for a moment, I was puzzled as well. But from her point of view, Rodney helped her because he had to, and delivering her baby wasn’t really risky for him (save that they were all in danger just by being on the ship). John, on the other hand, was seriously injured and had every reason not to even come on the mission — had, in fact, been told not to by his doctor and his CO. His life was in greater peril than the others, as was his career. Don’t get me wrong, having Rodney’s name in there too would have been nice (I’ve known people with two middle names), but I can see why she would see John as a bit worthier of the distinction, especially since it was an accident of circumstance that led Rodney to deliver her baby, not intent. Not to mention that she’s just a bit closer to John than Rodney, in general. Besides, maybe she will make Rodney the Athosian equivalent of a godfather or something ….)

Back at the SGC, pretty much right after Sam steps through the ‘Gate, Woolsey drops the bombshell on her that “the IOA has decided that perhaps someone with a different … skill set would be more suited to lead the Atlantis Expedition now.” She won’t be returning to Atlantis; he will. (I know I need to have faith in the writers, and I can see the interest in having the kinds of problems he could bring to the story, but I can’t say I’m looking forward to having Woolsey on the show full time. His is drama I can live without; I didn’t care all that much for any other appearance by him. Frankly, he makes me very ill when he’s onscreen. *sigh* I would have rather had Caldwell brought in full-time. Anyway, I’m very happy to see so many fans saying that they are really sad to see Sam go, after how vocal so many were against her being brought on board in the first place. Granted, they’re probably mostly two different groups of people, but still. And I’m glad to see those same fans that are sad about her departure are also wishing Amanda Tapping well, and not holding a grudge over her decision to leave. I wish Tapping well myself, and look forward to seeing Sanctuary on TV!)

Okay, before I go, I have a little bit of shameless (but related) plugging to do. At this year’s Dragon*Con, I’ll be hosting a panel on making custom Stargate-themed My Little Ponies. Attending the class will be Late Night with Conan O’Brien’s Pierre Bernard, Jr. Besides the class, we will also be auctioning off ponies signed by (and in some cases, decorated by) Stargate celebs, including one done by Cliff Simon (Ba’al), and this one of Mars the Dog, signed by David and Kate Hewlett; this money will go to The American Heart Association, in honour of the late, great Don S Davis, aka our beloved General Hammond. For more details, please visit this portion of my site: http://www.webslayer.net/wolfen/mlpcustoms.html

Now, I’m going to be out of town for part of next weekend, so you guys probably won’t get my review of “The Seed” until Tuesday, or even Wednesday. See you then!

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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 an artist, too, having done spot illustrations for Dragonlance, among other things. In her spare time, she’s a rabid fanficcer/fanartist. See more of her work at her site, Wolfen’s Webworld.