“I say we take off and nuke the entire site from orbit” - Ripley

By Wolfen Moondaughter

Daniel Jackson being my fave SG-1 character (aside from Vala), you can imagine how excited I was to hear, months ago, that he was finally coming to the show — and I was in no way disappointed by his appearance! Especially seeing how little he’d interacted with the Atlantis team in the ep, “The Pegasus Project”. Well, okay, he didn’t interact with them all that much here, either, but he at least spent a great deal of time with my fave SGA character, Rodney (and at least he had a few good moments with Sheppard). Rodney and Daniel were a match made in heaven! (No, I don’t mean that in a slashy way — although, personally, there was a lot more chemistry between them than I find there to be between McKay and Keller.) I mean, what’s not to love about having two of the fastest-talking characters in TV-land talking to each other? It’s like having twice the show! Also, it seems Martin Gero found Daniel’s voice quite easily.

And then we got one of my other fave characters, Todd, putting in an appearance! I admit to having felt some trepidation regarding this episode, as far as Todd’s aspect of the plot was concerned, but so far my fears have been mollified. (Of course, that doesn’t mean I’m not worried about the second-half of this two-parter ….) Add that (literal) bang of a finish, and we have another winner to add to Gero’s resume!

5.10: “First Contact”

As they make their way to the ‘Gateroom, Rodney complains to Sheppard about how Dr Daniel Jackson’s visit is going to be a waste of his time. It seems Rodney is to help Daniel sift through the Ancient database, but Rodney insists that he has more important stuff to work on, “for the betterment of the human race!” John points out, chiding and somewhat sarcastic but still sounding amiable, that apparently there are others doing work equally as important. (This is both great, quick exposition and a great-if-typical example of the McShep friendship.) Alongside Woolsey, they greet a happy Daniel as he’s beamed into the ‘Gateroom from the Daedalus. Grinning with excitement, Daniel greets “Mr Woolsey”, then “Colonel Sheppard”, then, after a slight bit of hesitation and with a slight drop in sincerity and/or enthusiasm, “Rodney”. (Using someone’s first name typically denotes familiarity, but in this instance, I can’t help but wonder if Daniel intended for it to be disrespectful, given that the men have never exactly been friends and that Rodney was willing to let Teal’c die, once upon a time ….)

Woolsey says that he’ll have Rodney show Daniel to his quarters, but Daniel wants to get to work right away. Rodney, unenthusiastic and oozing sarcasm, asks what Daniel’s got planned, “An exciting exploration of insignificant Ancient historical events?” We learn that Daniel’s there because of his curiosity regarding Janus, a renegade Ancient inventor (the one who created a time-traveling puddle-jumper that was used, in “Before I Sleep”, by Elizabeth to go back in time and ensure that the Atlantis expedition didn’t come to a tragic end before it had really started). Rodney petulantly says that they’ve already done the work regarding Janus; Daniel insists, with a slight note of (justified, as usual) arrogance, that he’s got info that could lead to a secret lab where Janus kept his unauthourised — a lab that Daniel believes is there in Atlantis. (Which would only make sense, seeing as Janus lived there, and it would be hard to explain why he was going off-world a lot, right?) Rodney is understandably skeptical, but as Daniel elaborates, Rodney also looks like he can’t bring himself to dismiss the possibility entirely. (I’m thinking he’s baffled because he himself would never really hide his work, he’d just do what he wants anyway and to hell with the higher-ups, but at the same time, he can’t deny that it would be great to find something new to play with. So he doesn’t want Jackson to be right and himself wrong, especially in regards to his own territory, but on the other hand, there’s an upside to being wrong …. Also, more great exposition. Well, we are talking about Gero, The Master, here, so I’m not going to even bother pointing it out for the rest of the article, especially seeing as Daniel and Rodney both are characters who are designed for the purpose of exposition anyway. Just take it as a given that we’re constantly being told stuff that we need to know in such a way that it’s easy to forget we’re not just being entertained. Of course, a lot of credit has to go to the actors for their delivery as well!)

A very bored Rodney sits next to Daniel, saying that he’s already been through the database very thoroughly and never found a mention of the lab. (He’s actually being very well-behaved, though — not being snippy or calling Daniel an idiot.) Daniel points out that Janus was hardly going to mention a lab where he was doing forbidden stuff in the “very public database”, asking if Rodney includes everything from his own experiments in his reports. (*Snicker* Poor Rodney, you can’t fight logic like that! Still, if Rodney leaves anything out of his reports, I’m thinking it’s because he doesn’t want to waste the time writing them; otherwise, I can’t see him being able to resist working it in somehow, just to brag. He can’t even keep himself from telling embarrassing stories from his past, much less not brag about past “crimes”, like building a model of an a-bomb and smoking pot!) Pointedly not replying (hmm, maybe he has some secrets after all), Rodney hurriedly tells Daniel to get to the point. Daniel talks about a mention by a peer of Janus of a “bastion of unfettered thought and experimentation.” He goes on to talk about something one of the man’s lovers had said, but Rodney interrupts, “What, he had lovers?” (*Snicker* Is that jealousy, McKay, or is a scientist with a love life so very unheard-of?) Ignoring the question, Daniel reveals that the lover claimed Janus had “an isle of solitude within the city walls.” Rodney protests, “Well, that could just mean he’s hard to talk to — people say things like that about me all the time!” (I’m both laughing at and feeling sorry for him.) Daniel continues with his evidence, talking about how one of the man’s assistants saw Janus turn a corner to go down a hall. “Today: saw Janus in the hallway.” There’s a real page turner!” Rodney glibly remarks. (Heee, I’m loving Rodney’s interjections! Would be great to see him do a Mystery Science Theater 3000-style commentary on Back to the Future.) Daniel, still ignoring the interruptions, explains that the hall was a dead end, but when the assistant turned the corner himself, Janus was nowhere to be seen. Realising that Daniel may actually be on to something, Rodney asks if the assistant happened to mention which hall; Daniel confirms that he did.

Woolsey and Sheppard talk as they make their way down a hall. We learn that the Daedalus is due to rendezvous with one of Todd’s hives, to discuss the treatment Keller proposed. John is skeptical, pointing out that Todd has what he wanted already, so why should he feel compelled to let them experiment on his guys. (Aside from how Teyla threatened him? *Snicker* Don’t forget, John, Todd had no reason to restore your health to you after your first adventure together, but he did anyway, saying that his debt was repaid. Granted, he may have done so simply because he thought he might use you later, but if that’s the case, he has at least as much incentive at the moment to follow through with his promise than he had reason to help you back then, some possible gain to be had. The fact that he’s willing to meet at all suggests he may well have decided to follow through. Okay, yeah, maybe he wants the Daedalus — I’ll remark on that later — but he probably already knows the way to Earth, as we know from “Midway” that he gleaned some intel from the computers in Atlantis. Hell, he may well have learned it just from feeding on Sheppard!) John insists that he should go with because he has a relationship with Todd. (That has me hopeful — if he thought Todd was beyond being reasoned with, he would have approached it from a standpoint of being protective, not from wanting to be there to negotiate. That suggests to me that he sees Todd as simply not having a tactical reason to go through with the plan — and perhaps John would do the same in his shoes — not as an outright evil being.) Woolsey says that John’s relationship with Todd is precisely why he doesn’t want John there, because he doesn’t have the emotional baggage with Todd that John does. (So, um, I guess he thinks Todd knows Sheppard well enough to not trust him? So he should trust a complete stranger more? I suppose that makes some sort of sense in Woolsey’s own head. Me, I think he just wants the feather of a human-Wraith negotiation to stick in his cap for the IOA.) Woolsey points out that, as second-in-command, John is supposed t stay in Atlantis whenever Woolsey is away. (Finally! I have to give Woolsey props for following that protocol, even if it makes more sense for John to go instead of him.) Looking like a mulish teen who’s been grounded (which I guess, in a way, he is), Sheppard reluctantly says, “Okay.”. Woolsey warns him to try not to blow the place up while he’s gone. Scowling, John deadpans, “No promises,” then spins on his heel and hurries off (again making me think of a little kid — Flanigan’s expressions are so priceless!). Woolsey pauses, throwing Sheppard’s back a double-take. (*Snicker*)

Ronon shows up at the infirmary, just as Keller is leaving, taking her bags for her (which seems to disconcert her, although considering he did the same for her in the last ep, it shouldn’t). Ronon queries if she’s going on the Daedalus; she confirms it, saying she has to, seeing as she’ll be giving the treatment — if it gets to that point. Ronon says he thinks he should come with her. She’s thoroughly confused by his wanting to. “I don’t really trust these guys,” he explains. “You don’t trust Todd and his Wraith, or the entire crew of the Daedalus to protect me if something goes wrong?” she asks; he says he’s not sure, but maybe both. She smirks; he asks what she’s smiling about, twice, but she just shakes her head, insisting it’s nothing. (Perhaps she thinks he’s being silly and over-protective, considering how useless his aid had proven in “Tracker” and how she had taken care of herself. Or perhaps she’s just being rueful about how she attracts men like flies on a corpse and how they all want to go off-world with her.) She tells him, in a non-flirty way, that it’d be great to have the company. As they make their way to the ‘Gaterom, she spots Rodney going the other way with Daniel and shouts a goodbye to him, telling him, “Wish us luck!” He gives her a distracted “Good-luck” as he goes, then pauses and does a double-take, asking what she means by “us”. She doesn’t hear him, but he sees Ronon following her; the Satedan smirks at him. Rodney is crestfallen. (I feel sorry for him, but I’m still rooting for Ronon. Also, I wonder if she was perhaps trying to make Rodney jealous, or Ronon, or both? On the one hand, she sounded a touch flirtatious to me as she said “Bye, Rodney!”, and on the other, she drew Rodney’s attention to the fact that she was leaving with Ronon ….) Daniel comes back and fetches Rodney. (And he calls him Rod! *Grin* I remember when Rodney complained that he could never get people to call him that ….)

Rodney and Daniel make their way down the hall mentioned by the assistant. Daniel remarks that Janus wouldn’t have wanted anyone to see him exiting or entering the lab; Rodney replies, “Ooh! Like the Batcave!” (Hee! He’s so adorkable!) “Yes. Like … the Batcave,” Daniel replies, staring at Rodney like he thinks the man’s a nutter. (Funny thing is, I can totally see O’Neill saying what Rodney said; I wonder if Rodney reminded Daniel of Jack just then ….) We learn from their conversation that: Rodney isn’t picking up any unusual readings (they never address why not, either); it’s a remote section of the city (and therefore a likely place for said hidden lab); this hall was flooded at one point (there’s a water line, so it wasn’t completely submerged); everything that was salvageable in the hall was moved to storage; there are empty sconce sockets on the wall; and that Rodney and his team made records of what was where in the hall. “Did we keep detailed records? Who are you talking to here?” Rodney asks. (Hee, I think they have more in common, personality-wise, than either would probably want to admit.) We get whipped around from that point in the city to another: Rodney’s lab. (Clever way to do a cut, considering we’re still dealing with the same characters. And it makes me think of the interstitials from the old Batman TV series.) Daniel and Rodney view some video footage which reveal there were light fixtures scattered on the floor of the hall. Rodney is irritated, thinking they’re nothing, but Daniel insists on taking a look at them, asking Rodney to humour him. Another whirlwind camera ride, and we see the boys have found the lights in storage.

Yet another swoop of the camera (is anyone else getting dizzy?), and we’re back in the hall, with Daniel settling the last sconce into a socket. It makes a tone as it lights up. Daniel remarks that each light made a different tone when installed, asking Rodney if that’s typical. Rodney admits that it’s not, sounding like he finds it curious despite himself. (How often do they need to stick sconces into walls, though? Are there bulbs within, that burn out?) Daniel taps each one, illustrating the differing tones. Rodney suggests patiently and reasonably that maybe the fixtures are simply broken (never mind that they’re lit up — and why would sconces be expected to make a tone at all, much less a specific one, anyway?). Daniel announces that it’s a puzzle, that there must be a sequence to use. (Hee, suddenly I feel like he’s Sherlock Holmes and Rodney is Watson!) Rodney scoffs, amused by the soft-sciences man; there would only be six possible variations, making it too easy to crack. Daniel suggests they need to be done in the specific order a specific number of times. (And now Janus is sounding obsessive-compulsive.) Daniel asks if Rodney recognises any of the notes. “What, do you mean, like, does it remind me of Janus’ favourite Brian Eno track? No, no such luck,” Rodney replies somewhat dryly. (Yeah, I had to look Eno up. Despite my typically liking New Age stuff, I can’t say I cared much for what I found — and I’m a bit surprised our oblivious Rodney would know who Eno is when I, a New Age fan, did not … Anyway, Rodney’s still being fairly friendly, all things considered — he’s been much harsher with what he perceives to be stupidity in the past, While he may think it’s a waste of time, and he is being a bit sarcastic, he’s not being cruel, not raking Daniel over the coals. Also, I love that goofy, closed-moth smile he has after delivering that line.) Daniel further postulates that if Janus disappeared just seconds after his assistant saw him, the code can’t have been a long one. (Funny that the assistant didn’t remark on hearing the tones at all, nor remark on the scones apparently needing fixing. Also, how does Daniel know that they’re plugged in the correct order?) Rodney, clearly thinking the whole idea is silly, resignedly tells Daniel to “go for it,” and wanders on down to the end of the hallway, staring at the wall. While Daniel plays with the lights a bit, Rodney touches the wall and gets a speculative look on his face. He calls out to Daniel that he wants to man to come down and push hard on the wall, asking the confused Daniel to humour him. (Nice call-back to Daniel’s asking that of him, earlier.) When Daniel’s in position, Rodney taps them all, one after another, so that when he’s done, all three are sounding at the same time. Daniel falls through the wall. “Sonnovabitch!” Rodney whispers, awed. (*Snicker* Gero’s got a thing for that line being used in a positive context; Rodney used it as a happy, “Eureka” sort if exclamation in “Harmony”.) Rodney makes the lights sound again, walking almost casually through the wall (making me want to scream at him to hurry up before the tones stop.)

On the other side of the wall, Rodney, holding an electric torch (where the heck did he have that stashed?), finds a pained Daniel on the floor. Rodney kneels down and says, “Controlled magnetic harmonic resonance,” mentioning that Tesla was supposedly working on such a thing before Edison trashed his lab. (Which is likely true: Telsa was a genius even by today’s standards.) He explains cheerfully that the wall/door destabilises with the activation of the tones, while magnetic forces keep it from actually falling apart, adding that it’s better than a hologram since it’s solid most of the time. (Rodney is so adorable when he’s babbling excitedly about science! *Gush*) Daniel quickly puts two and two together and realises that Rodney could have just told him to walk through the wall, rather than telling him to push hard. Rodney agrees, unapologetically, that he could have. (*sighs* Rawd-neey ….) The look around and the room lights up. Daniel is awed and McKay is delighted. (I note that one of the screens looks like a Wraith screen.) They don’t notice, but a red light starts flashing. The scene fades to another planet, and another lab, where another red light blinks and is noted by someone in a space suit, who tells someone else to “Alert the others: the device has been activated.”

On the Daedalus, Keller comes across Woosley in the mess and greets him. “Where’s your burly protector? It’s odd to see you without him nowadays,” Woolsey remarks. (Why did she seem so surprised that Ronon wanted to accompany her, then?) Looking a little rueful, she says he’s in the lab. (I wonder if she is just embarrassed at being teased about her boy-toy, or if she is actually finding Ronon annoying?) She asks what Woolsey is working on. He explains that he’s working on a greeting speech for the Wraith, wanting to recognise what they are about to do not just for themselves, but for the galaxy, but when he reads it back to her, we learn he hasn’t gotten very far at all. (And that he knows absolutely nothing about the people he’s negotiating with, if he thinks they’d appreciate it, much less care about the rest of the galaxy.)

Back in Atlantis, John walks through the wall. “Whopa! That’s pretty cool!” he declares, awed. (I love his boyish enthusiasm!) A thought occurs to him, and he asks what would happen if the tones stopped while someone was still going through the wall; Rodney replies the wall would break apart his body. (*Shudder*) Unsettled, John starts to suggest something in regards to that, but Rodney assures him that he’s already set up a generator that emits the tones constantly, keeping it permanently open. (Um. Not that I don’t appreciate Rodney having a chance to impress and/or please John, but would it be that much of a hassle to just remove the wall? I mean, what if the power to the generator should go out?) John asks Rodney how things are going, and like a pair of twins, Daniel and Rodney tell him about how encrypted everything is, each picking up the train of thought where the other left off. Suffice to say, it’s going to take a long while for them to crack the codes (and puzzles) and find out what anything actually does. John remarks that it sounds like the two men make a good team. (Aww, John, is that a note of wistfulness? *Snicker* He’s right, though. Without Daniel, Rodney probably would never would have known about the lab or found the key to getting in, but without Rodney, Daniel might never have found the way to use the key.) Rodney and Daniel seem less than pleased by the remark. Joghn remarks that he supposes he should get back to being “the boss”. (Ooh, are you going to go get your guitar and sing “Born in the USA”?) Rodney asks how that’s going; Boring,” John replies. Rodney tells him he’s welcome to stay and help them crack codes, adding to Daniel in falsely casual tones that John could have been in MENSA. Daniel grins and Rodney smirks, the two actual MENSA members obviously sharing a laugh at John’s expense. (Well, it’s nice for Rodney to have found a way to tease John for a change, and for him to have connected in a friendly way with Daniel, if only for a moment. Although I could point out that there are homemakers and truck drivers in MENSA, so life’s work has little to do with IQ.) Not so amused, John tells the “two geniuses” to contact him when they have a breakthrough. As he leaves, we see the red light is still blinking.

The Daedalus comes out of hyperspace in the vicinity of a hive ship and a couple of cruisers. Todd and a handful of his men arrive via dart. Woolsey, surrounded by Ronon, Keller, Caldwell, and a handful of others, thanks him for coming; Todd politely thanks him for having them. Woolsey then starts to recite his speech, saying something about Robert Grosseteste, but Todd, looking like he thinks Woolsey’s a weirdo, cuts him off, saying kindly to Keller that he would like to get started as soon as possible. Woolsey tries to say that he wanted to take a moment to recognise the significance of the occasion, but Todd cuts him off again, addressing Keller as he says, a bit harshly, that he’s doubtful of the effectiveness of the treatment (a valid concern). She averts her eyes rather than protesting. He then addresses Woolsey as he continues, suggesting a bit testily that they “drop these unfounded pleasantries and get to work”. (This convinces me all the more of Todd’s genuineness, on the whole. Not that he can’t be duplicitous, but when he’s being nice for no particular reason, I think he means it — he can certainly be testy. Also, I think he’s a little upset and/or insulted that John’s not there.) Woolsey relents, and has Keller lead the Wraith to the lab. “Robert who?” Caldwell asks, bemused. (*Snicker* Yeah, like the Wraith would know or care, right Steven?) Perturbed at the Wraith’s reaction, Woolsey tells him to never mind and stalks off.

Back in the no-longer-secret lab, Daniel notes Rodney yawning and remarks that it’s almost dawn, asking of the physicist wants to call it a night. Rodney quickly says no, but adds that if Daniel wants to rest, he’d understand. Exasperated, Daniel asks, “Seriously? Is everything a competition with you?” (It amuses me that once again a member of SG-1 is bringing this up with Rodney; Sam has chastised him for this sort of thinking as well. Then again, she’s chastised Mitchell for it, too. And everything’s a competition to Sheppard and Ronon much of the time, really …) Daniel goes on to point out that finding the lab should have earned him some points. (What did I say? …) Rodney admits that he “may have been little brusque” with Daniel, but insists that it was only because he didn’t believe Daniel would find anything. (*Snicker* Yeah, Danny-boy, he treats everyone that he thinks is wasting his time like they’re an idiot; it’s nothing personal.) To Rodney’s surprise, Daniel admits that he can understand that — he’s been ridiculed for years, never mind that his theories having turned out to be right, so he’s used to it. Sounding depressed on the man’s behalf, Rodney asks if that doesn’t bother Daniel, getting “no vindication, no recognition, no credit.” Daniel points out that he could say the same of Rodney, elaborating that Rodney could have won the Nobel several times over with his own discoveries. Rodney concedes the point, saying he supposes they didn’t sign up for their respective gigs to get famous. “No, we did it for the money,” Daniel deadpans. Rodney laughs appreciatively, but then wonders if the man is serious, and asks if Daniel gets paid more than he does. (Yes, his competitive nature is still healthy as a horse …. Words cannot describe how much I love this little heart-to-heart, with the guys coming to understand and respect one another a little better! It’s a rare bit of commiseration for both of them as well, something I don’t see them ever really getting with their other colleagues, not even entirely with Sam or Zelenka. And I’m glad to see someone else acknowledging Rodney’s accomplishments, especially given that he was — justifiably, since Sam was the star in those days — always a bit of a joke when he was at the SGC.)

A hyperspace window opens above the ocean. Chuck takes note of the opening of the window; Amelia remarks that the Daedalus isn’t due back yet, The computer says the IFF is unknown, and Amelia tells Chuck to alert Sheppard. Sheppard is asleep in his room, a book laying on his chest (War and Peace?), when he gets the hail; he’s (adorably) disoriented a moment, saying he was just resting his eyes, then wondering where the voice has come from. Chuck explains that he patched into the PA in the man’s room. (Heh, so much for the excuse of not having one’s radio on to explain not showing up when paged.) John hops out of bed and leaves. (Note that he waves his hand before the sensor to open the door. So much for the fanon theory that he can control the doors with his mind, thanks to his gene!) We see the ship that came through the window approach the city. John gets to the control room and is told that a small ship is coming; he orders a ‘jumper ready and is told the ship will be there in ten seconds. He orders the shields up, saying that he still wants the ‘jumpers ready anyway. (Good call — normally, anyway.) We get a great outside shot of the city at night, with the two (perpetually full) moons overhead (at least there’s both of them this time!). We see the ship pass through the shield; seeing it onscreen, Amelia says, “That’s impossible ….” Sheppard asks what it just did; Chuck replies that the ship went through the shields (in case the audience didn’t get it). John clarifies patiently — and wonderingly — that he knows that, he wants to know how it did it. Amelia points out that Ancient ships can do it. (Hmm. So someone with an Ancient ship or actual Ancients?) Sheppard tells Amelia to have Teyla and some marines meet him at the pier where the ship has stopped. (I was starting to think we weren’t going to see Teyla! I wonder if Luttrell wanted less screentime so she could be with her baby?)

Outside, three armoured figures drop from the ship through the roof of the building! (Yowza! What are they, anime mecha??) We see them walking within the halls a moment later. John hurries out of a transporter, not stopping as Teyla and some marines join him. Watching a monitor, Amelia radios to say that the intruders should be just ahead of them. The invaders piece together some strange circular device on the floor, and come to stand on it just as Sheppard and company arrive to face them. One of them taps their chest, and a force-field forms around them just as Sheppard and company open fire; a moment later, the trio and their platform drops through the floor! Sheppard’s party close in; as they watch, the trio sinks lower and lower, through quite a few floors. (A portable, impromptu elevator?? Wicked!!) John asks what’s at the bottom of the tower. “Rodney,” Teyla informs him, ashen. John looks like his stomach just fell down the hole. (*Squee!* How horrible to find out that because you failed to stop your enemy in time, your best friends is about to run into an unknown danger, and you have no way to stop it!)

The intruders reach the bottom. Hurrying down the hall with his group, Sheppard anxiously radios McKay; McKay distractedly responds after the second page. Getting into a transporter, Sheppard tells him he needs to get out of the lab. Rodney gets to his feet, asking why, but two of the infiltrators come through the wall just then and stun both him and Daniel. One of the suited strangers then grabs the device that was blinking. Sheppard and the others hurry down the hall and find the remaining intruder, who immediately activates a shield on his arm. They fire anyway a the suit, to no avail. (I can’t help but think of bouncing bullets, and that freaks me out a little. Perhaps the shield absorbs at least some of the kinetic energy. Not all, though, as there are no bullets directly the enemy when the fighting is done.) The other two intruders escape back up on the elevator-disc, while the third holds Sheppard and company off. When his compatriots are gone, the last enemy’s shield gives out, and he’s shot, falling to the ground. The enemy ship collects its remaining soldiers and their prize, and jumps to hyperspace. Sheppard’s group cautiously approaches the still form of the fallen. John radios the control room and asks after the status of the ship; Amelia tells him it’s gone. He and Teyla look a bit gutted as they keep their weapons trained on the remaining intruder.

The sun rises. Radek shows up to look at the suited figure, but he can’t get a coherent reading, can’t tell if the intruder is alive or dead; he suggests they get it under a medical scanner. He notes the hole in the ceiling and asks if it’s true that the intruders took Dr Jackson and Rodney. After a long pause, eyes downcast, an aggrieved-looking John gives a quiet “yeah”. (Awwwww! McShep *SQUEE*)

Daniel wakes Rodney up with a pat to the face, and helps the man to his feet. Rodney is understandably outraged as he asks what happened, who attacked them, Daniel says he was hoping Rodney could tell him. We see that they’re in a triangular cell that’s blocked off by green laser-lights. (That had to be kinda tricky to film, seeing as you have to use a constant stream of mist or fog for laser beams to be visible to the human eye.) Rodney declares that the kidnapping so close to their discovery of the lab is not a coincidence; Daniel is inclined to agree.

Back in Atlantis, John watches as the enemy suit is carted away on a gurney. He muses that the enemy knew exactly what they were looking for, not wasting any time. Addressing Zelenka, Teyla adds that she saw one of the aliens bring a device out of the lab. (The way John keeps his eyes on the gurney suggests to me that he can’t stop thinking about Rodney, can’t stop thinking he’s failed him or something. But that could just be me. Still, the way Teyla is looking at John, I think she’s thinking the same thing. *Wink*)

They look around the lab, Zelenka saying that, since they hadn’t gone through very much yet, there’s no way of knowing what had been taken. (John looks so adorably dejected!) John ass if the stuff in the lab came online when Rodney and Dr Jackson came into the room; Radek confirms it. John declares that something in the room had been broadcasting. Elsewhere, Rodney tells Daniel about sub-space signals, how they’ve encountered ancient devices that are connected by such signals and have practically instantaneous reactions to each other, despite being separated by even the length of half a galaxy. In the lab, John (You know I’m lovin’ how John and Rodney are totally on the same wavelength — they’re like those Ancient devices Rodney was talking about! Brilliant bit of writing!) John postulates that there’s a group of aliens that have found another lab, one that was dormant until this one was activated, taking them by surprise. Rodney conjectures that the aliens didn’t know what was going on until they discovered the subspace link. (Actually, I’m thinking they knew exactly what they had.) John suggests the aliens followed the signal to Atlantis. Zelekna is skeptical, wondering why the aliens would be after Rodney and Daniel. Teyla says that Rodney and Daniel weren’t actually the targets, John explaining that they just happened to be there, and that the aliens were after the device.

Daniel agrees that it’s a good theory , and asks what they should do next. Rodney says they should escape; Daniel points out that they’re in hyperspace, asking where they’re going to go. Rodney assures him that he’ll think of something — he always does. Rodney reaches out tentatively, touching a laser-beam, and is zapped for his trouble. (What is it with guys having to poke at things they should bloody well know will hurt them? You’re in a cell, Rodney — did you really think the pretty lights that make up the walls would be harmless? And yet I thoroughly expect that my male friends would do the same thing in such a position.) Daniel informs Rodney that, oh yeah, he already tried that. Rodney complains that Daniel could have warned him. “I could have, yes,” Daniel agrees. Rodney obviously realises the fact that he didn’t was revenge for earlier, when Daniel fell. Daniel points out that they don’t have anything useful on them and they’re surrounded by lasers, so he’s thinking there’s not much they can do. Rodney says they have one thing going for them: they’re not dead yet. (Wow, that’s amazingly optimistic for Rodney!) Daniel concedes the point.

In the med-lab, Zelenka says that the scans can’t penetrate the suit; it’s emitting an EM fields that he can figure out how to shut off. Discussing it with Sheppard and Teyla, we learn that it could be a human in the suit or a robot or something else; they’ve never seen its like before. Teyla reminds them that Weir did tell them that there were other technologically advanced societies in the galaxy. “Well, we just made ‘first contact’,” John remarks. (Hence the title!) Radek asks what John wants him to do with it. Turning to it and pursing his lips, John decides that Radek should cut it open. The task doesn’t prove so easy, though, the circular-saw blade getting dulled on the suit. Sheppard tells Zelenka to try at the neck, figuring it would be the most vulnerable. Radek balks, as they only think it’s dead, but Sheppard tells him firmly to “just do it.” Radek reluctantly does. (Poor Radek! John, if you want a risk to be taken, why don’t you do it? You can handle a saw, can’t you?) It starts to work, but then a yellow light starts to blink on the suit. Sheppard orders everyone out of the lab, following after they’ve all cleared the door. (I know, it’s his job, but I’m still proud.) They duck around a corner, and the suit explodes, sending debris down the corridor. Sheppard remarks that the enemy really wants to keep secret what’s inside the suit. (I know what’s in the suit already, having heard rumours a while back and Sci Fi itself having confirmed it, so I’m not even going to offer conjecture.)

In a lab on the Daedalus, Keller tells Todd that the treatment has worked in all the simulations they’ve done; he points out that simulations and live trials are very different. Keller is emphatic that they aren’t being cavalier, that it will work. (Funny, she’s been hesitant to move on from simulations to live subjects before; is it that she’s finally learning not to be afraid, or that she’s not so careful when the subjects aren’t human, despite her insistence that they aren’t being cavalier?) Todd says perhaps it will — with an unspoken “perhaps it won’t”. “The question is, do you want it to?” Keller asks nervously. Todd sighs and walks over to her. He assures her that he does see the benefits, then adds hesitantly, “even if we only use the therapy on some of my troops — say, those whose lives, thanks to this war, are expected to be short.” He asks, candidly and rhetorically, why he should waste perfectly good resources on them. (I do believe he sees this as a true advantage and isn’t just feeding her a line.) He goes on to admit that he doesn’t see how he’s going to convince the others to take the treatment for the sake of humans, though. (Now, if he wanted to betray the humans, if he intended to do so no matter what, he wouldn’t have even bothered saying such things to her; he simply would have said, “Oh, sure!” and left it at that. Talking more than you have to leaves you open for discovery.) She points out that this treatment would be to the Wraith’s own advantage, ridding them of a weakness and negating the need for war. “Perhaps,” he says, adding sadly, “but then what would we do? Who would we be?” (Okay, I can see his logic: if fighting against other hives and/or humans is all they do, if every aspect of their society is based on it, then what purpose would they find in life without it? At the same time, though, humans, like all creatures, once lived primarily for survival, and as we found easier ways to survive, it created time for recreation. We’ve had traditions that stemmed from survival-based behaviors that we’ve overcome, as time has gone on, found other ways to direct our instincts or ignore them altogether. Sentient beings cannot live for survival alone. If you fight to survive but have no life outside of survival, what are you really fighting for? The chance to continue struggling, and nothing more? What if you win? What if you conquer all your enemies? Then you’d still be asking yourself “What now?” Besides, even the Wraith have shown themselves to be appreciative of art: they have fashion, they have artistry to their tattoos that goes beyond what survival might demand in clothes and symbols. That one in “Common Ground” appreciated good food. We humans replaced most of our wars with sports; surely they could find similar ways to adapt their current lifestyles? Perhaps someone needs to introduce them to the old adage, “Eat to live, not live to eat.” At any rate, Todd strikes me as feeling depressed and hopeless, like he’s realised that, in pursuing his ambitions, even in winning his people may lose, but sees no way around it. Like he realises they must now change or die, yet will in some ways die in the changing. Love the angst — and Hyerdahl’s delivery!)

The enemy ship lands on a snowy world. Daniel and Rodney are frog-marched down a hall, Daniel asking through clenched teeth to talk to someone in charge, suggesting that there’s been some sort of misunderstanding. They get shoved into an Ancient lab; the device that was stolen along with them is left on a console, which lights up with the contact. One of the aliens orders them, in a strangely modulated voice, to make the device work. Rodney protests that they don’t even know what the device is, but the alien ignores him and leaves. (Their captor must have taken lessons at the John Sheppard School of Rodney-Wrangling.) The door closes, and Rodney notes with aggravation that there are no door controls on their side. Daniel looks about, wondering where they are; Rodney guesses by the architecture that they’re in another secret Janus lab — which is bad for them, because it’s probably hard to find. Much calmer than Rodney, Daniel muses that this means they “won’t be rescued anytime soon.” (Interesting how they are both pessimists in their own way — Rodney’s taken the Chicken Little approach, while Daniel’s just jaded. Well, I guess when you’ve died as often as Daniel has, jeopardy becomes bit humdrum ….) Looking at the device, Rodney asks if it looks familiar; Daniel says it was with them in the other lab. “At least we know why they brought us with them,” Rodney muses. “Yeah, they need us to get the device operational, I got that,” Daniel replies. (Funny, I was thinking the exact same thing, Daniel. *Snicker* And the Captain Obvious award for the ep goes to Rodney!) Quipping that they aren’t going to get any more info from “Talky McSays-a-lot” (is he related to Fumbles McStupid?), Rodney suggests that they just fire the console up so they can get an idea of what they’re working with. Daniel goes to do as McKay bids, when Rodney tells him, “Not like that.” Rodney reaches over and presses the very button Daniel had been about to push, then, saying he needs to get in “there”, starts pressing other buttons directly in front of the man, nearly knocking him over. Daniel looks annoyed but resigned. (*Snicker* His expression is priceless! Well, at least Rodney wasn’t yelling at Daniel, and even managed to say thanks! This seems something of a small call-back to a scene in Gero’s “McKay and Mrs Miller”, where Rodney insists on being the one to press the button that initialises their experiment. Which in turn makes me think of Plucky Duck in Tiny Toons, and his “You don’t puth the button, I puth the button!” Hey! Maybe Gero is a Tiny Toons fan himself — the “elevator” bit might have been inspired by toddler Plucky’s “Elelator go down the hooooole”, line, from the same episode! *Snicker*)

Back in Atlantis, Amelia, walking alongside Sheppard to the control room, informs him that they have five jumpers flying a defensive perimeter outside. He tells her he wants “Marine details every five levels,” ready to take orders from him. (Every five levels of the tower, or the entire city? I assume the former — I can’t imagine they have enough guys for the latter.) Radek starts to tell Sheppard that he’s been working on the man’s theory that something in the lab was broadcasting; John jumps in, asking if he’s traced it. Radek says he can’t, seeing as it’s not broadcasting in Atlantis anymore. “So?” John asks, in why are you telling me this, then? tones. Zelenka says he’s “using the work of Laszlo Babai as a stepping stone.” The look on John’s face says that he has no idea what Radek’s talking about. Zelenka starts to elaborate, but decides it’s too complicated to try to dumb it down enough to explain. John tells him darkly to try. (Heheheh. Reminds you a bit of Rodney, doesn’t he, John?) Gulping, Radek says that he’s going over the subspace-logs to try to find what might have been the signal. Flummoxed, John points out that he was able to understand that (as in why did Radek think he wouldn’t). Radek tries to say that that explanation doesn’t quite represent what he’s actually doing, but Sheppard waves him off dismissively, saying he gets that whatever Radek is doing is difficult already. He says wants the man to contact him as soon as he gets a hit, then walks away.

Rodney looks through a window into a room that’s empty, save for a large, oddly-shaped object. He looks thoughtful — and not in a good way. He circles the room, preoccupied, as Daniel remarks that the facility uses some serious power, the likes of which he’s never seen. (I wouldn’t have thought he would be clued in to something like that ….) “You’d need a lot of power,” Rodney breathes, revealing that, if the device does what he thinks it does, it’s an “end-game” device that will put an end to the Wraith by “stopping” them — literally. He explains how every race has their own hyperdrive tech, and how a hyperdrive allows one to travel long distances through subspace. “This much I know,” Daniel says, in I’m not an idiot tones. (*Snicker* I love how they handle stuff like this, stuff that needs to be said but regular viewers probably know already: by having one of the characters express annoyance at being told what they know. It’s a lantern in it’s own way, I suppose.) Rodney goes on to explain that this device disrupts the frequency Wraith’s uses, so that they can’t jump into their particular channel of sub-space, as such an attempt would rip their ship to shreds. Ergo, provided they find out about the device and don’t jump, the Wraith would be stranded, save for using sub-light. Daniel remarks that, seeing as the Ancients could still have used their own drives, they could have used the tech to pick the Wraith off one by one, and wonders why they didn’t. Rodney informs us that when Janus had tested it, he’d shut it down after three days, due to “unforeseen side-effects”, the precise nature of which was not detailed. (I that either Janus didn’t encrypt the logs in this lab, figuring no one would find it, or else Rodney was able to crack it. Or maybe the aliens did! Also, it occurs to me that Janus must have used Replicators, or at least the nanite tech, to make this facility and his secret lab in Atlantis.) Janus brought the device back with him to Atlantis, but it’s connected to something in the lab that they now find themselves in: both components are needed for the project to work. (Which supports my theory that the aliens knew all about the contents of the lab before Rodney’s gene activated the Atlantis lab.)

Rodney is convinced that they can make it work, but question is whether they should. He admits hesitantly that the last time he did something like this, he blew up a solar system. (Awww, good for Rodney for owning up to it — I’m glad to see he did indeed learn something from the experience!) Daniel agrees that he’s not keen on learning the side-effects first-hand, suggesting the only thing to do now is to try to reason with the aliens. Rodney doesn’t look too thrilled. (I think it’s interesting that Rodney is looking to Daniel for guidance. Is it because he’s recognising that he lacks the wisdom to make such a choice himself, while simultaneously realising/accepting that Daniel has a good track record with such things? Is he looking to Daniel to act as an impromptu moral compass in place of Sheppard, out of habit more than out of recognition of his own failings or of Daniel’s actual moral fiber? Is he simply wanting someone else to make the decision so that he doesn’t have to accept responsibility if things go wrong? Maybe a little of all three?)

Time passes. We see Daniel try to reason with the alien, explaining that the device is dangerous. He adds that they should be allies, as they have the same goal, and also that they will nee a science team and time if they are even going to consider going through with using the device. His pleas fall on deaf ears: the alien gives Rodney the ultimatum that he must get the device working in an hour, or they will kill Daniel. (The fact that Rodney lets Daniel do the talking, rather than ranting at the aliens himself, suggests to me that Rodney is indeed recognising his own failings and/or deferring to Daniel out of habit/comfort, as he would defer to Sheppard or another authority figure. We’ve seen it before, in meetings, both the ones with Woolsey or Sam and in negotiations with Todd. It seems to me that Rodney’s a leader in the science lab only in that he does what he knows to do and says what he needs, and others follow his instructions as-needed, not because he’s an actual leader. He’s the head of a body — in his lab, his minions are simply his tools, his extra hands, as opposed to tem being a community of individuals, as the expedition is under Woolsey or Sheppard. Anyway, Rodney seems to be getting better and better at learning to keep his mouth shut. Mostly.) When the alien leaves, Rodney snaps, “Great plan, Danny, great plan!” Daniel ignores the rant, wondering aloud why the aliens are still wearing the suits, making the guess that they can’t live in a human-friendly atmosphere. Rodney points out that this question has nothing to do with what needs to be done; Daniel counters that the question may help them discover who their captors are. Rodney says irritably that he’ll leave understanding them to Daniel, then, while he concentrates on not getting them killed.

Zelenka, meanwhile, informs John that he’s 80% sure that the signal is going to a certain planet — one without a ‘Gate. We learn that the Daedalus is out of both communications and ‘Gateable range. Sheppard tells Radek to boost the sub-space capabilities of a ‘jumper, figuring to gate as close to the Daedalus as they can, hail them, and have them pick the ‘jumper up on the way to the planet. (Smart! Yeah, I know, he “coulda been MENSA” …) Zelenka says it will take half an hour.

In the prison-lab, Daniel and Rodney talk about the device, Rodney explaining that the thing in the other room is a sub-space antennae. Daniel is astonished to learn that Rodney’s got the device ready; Rodney points out that it wasn’t ever actually broken. (See, now if he were really such a glory-hog, he could have not said anything and left Daniel impressed. But then, Rodney can’t lie to save his life. And he does work in a mention of how they need his gene to work the device that could be construed as bragging, I suppose.) Daniel, wary, tells Rodney that he doesn’t have to turn the thing on — if it means potentially destroying a solar system, Daniel doesn’t think they should. Rodney points out that the aliens will kill Daniel otherwise, so they don’t have a choice; Daniel states firmly that they do. Rodney won’t accept the man’s self-sacrifice, pointing out that the aliens would threaten Rodney himself next. As he’s “quite fond” of himself, he would end up fixing the thing eventually; he might as well do it now and save Daniel too. (Of course, we know Rodney can be as self-sacrificing as Sheppard — take the alt-timeline version of him from “Before I Sleep”, for example, or his walking into the energy-beast in “Hide and Seek”. No, I think he simply cannot handle the idea of sacrificing someone else’s life, even if they’re willing. We could even go as far to say he won’t allow someone to do it if he has the means to stop them. Love how he tries to act all nonchalant about not letting Daniel die.) Scowling ( a way that I think means he’s not buying Rodney’s excuse), Daniel acquiesces.

Rodney starts the device up, and the antennae sparks and glows. Rodney asks if they’re still alive. “I think so — I’d hate to think heaven looks like this,” Daniel quips. “Who says we went to heaven?” Rodney point out. (*Snicker* There might be doubt where you’re concerned, Rodney, but Daniel’s Ascended twice! Hey, come to think of it, it would have been nice if they could have talked a bit about that, seeing as Rodney almost Ascended once himself.) Rodney verifies that the device is working great, but can’t tell what the side-effects are. Daniel asks what now; Rodney hopes they’ll get taken back to Atlantis. Daniel’s expression says he doubts it; Rodney deflates.

Todd walks onto the bridge of the Daedalus, where he’s told he has an urgent incoming message from his hive. Woolsey hands him a headset, saying he thought Todd might want some privacy. (Seeing as Todd’s hive would expect that a message going through the Daedalus would not be private, this is obviously an overture on Woolsey’s part, one which seems to leave Todd all the more wary. That or Todd’s simply a bit put off by the radio.) Todd tells his hive that permission is granted and that he will remain. He explains to the humans that one of his facilities is under attack, so he has deployed the cruisers to protect it; he adds that his hive will remain as he continues to work with Keller. Woolsey says he’s glad to hear it; at the look Todd gives him, the man realises his faux pas. He starts to clarify that he wasn’t referring to the attack, but trails off, saying “Never mind ….”

Todd turns to the window, to watch his ships depart. To everyone’s shock and horror, the first ship shatters into tiny pieces when it comes in contact with the hyperspace window, the other just a split-second later. Todd asks how the humans did it; the humans are baffled, of course, Woolsey denying their having done anything. Todd growls that they have tricked him; we see a lighted stick fall out of his sleeve into his palm (much the way the knife did in “The Queen”). He accuses them of having planned this all along, saying that they’ve “found the Attero Device”. (Wow, he looks pissed. Not that I blame him, but he looks scarier than I can recall ever seeing a Wraith look!) Ignoring Woolsey’s protest to the contrary, he slams the end of the lighted stick together with that of a duplicate stick from his other sleeve. A wave of energy washes over the crew; the humans collapse. (So it works like the spherical device in “Midway”. Sci Fi’s previews made it look like this action of Todd’s made the tower explode instead.) Todd walks over to Caldwell’s chair and contacts his hive; they tell him that they’ve been trying to reach him to tell him that the cruisers have been destroyed. He says he knows, adding that they’ve been betrayed. They ask what they should do; he says that he’ll begin beaming troops in, so they can take the ship. (Yes, Todd literally had something sneaky up his sleeve, but I am convinced that this was a contingency plan, in case something like this happened. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been so outraged at the human’s “betrayal” — in fact, he could have done this the moment he stepped onto the bridge, if taking the ship had been his true aim all along. I hope in the next ep, he will be convinced by Sheppard and company of the human’s innocence, and that their next parting is a fairly amicable one.)

Elsewhere on the ship, Ronon walks along a corridor. Four Wraith are beamed right in front of him; he draws his blaster, but as their backs are to him, he refrains from firing, instead hiding and waiting for them to leave. (I suspect he figures it’s better not to get into a firefight if he doesn’t have to, when he’s outnumbered like that.) Ronon goes off to the room where Jennifer is working. He tells her that they’re under attack, adding that they need to get to the armoury to get her a gun, guiding her out of the room gently by the arm. On the bridge, Wraith move the humans aside and settle in, Todd initiating a lockdown. As Ronon and Keller run through a corridor, a door suddenly closes in front of them. Jennifer tries to reach another door, but it closes before she can; they’re locked in. On the bridge, Todd remarks that the lockdown should limit the human’s movements, and gives the order for troops to continue beaming in. (Ahhh, because it’s no longer safe to travel within the hive!)

In the lab, Daniel remarks that the thing has been working ten minutes without a problem. He spoke too soon. Rodney reports finding the part of the log that actually explains the side-effects. Trying to be nonchalant, Daniel asks if it’s harmfu; radiation (which, after “Meridian”, I can understand being a primary concern, seeing as that was a really horrible way for him to have died). Rodney assures him that no, they’re safe, “It’s just the rest of the galaxy that’s gonna have problems — including Atlantis!” He says he needs to shut it down, but before he can, the aliens come in, warning him away from the device. He ignores them, so they shoot him with a stunner; he falls, and the device is still running. Daniel tries to tell them that there’s a problem with the device; they stun him, too.

Back in Atlantis, Radek has finished making the adjustments to boost sub-space communications. John, Teyla, and a squad of Marines prepare to leave in the jumper, while Radek goes back to the control room and tells Chuck to dial the ‘Gate. They immediately notice a power spike in the event horizon. Zelenka insists it’s not possible (and sounds very Rodney-like as he does). He radios John, warning him not to lower the jumper, telling him about the spike. John orders him to close the ‘Gate, but he can’t, and neither can Chuck. Sheppard and the others hurry down to the control room. John asks what they should do, just wait it out the thirty-eight minutes? Zelenka says that if the power keeps going the way it is, the ‘Gate will explode — in just ninety seconds! Then Amelia says closer to sixty! (’Cause ninety just isn’t enough jeopardy! … I wonder if other ‘Gates were affected, or if it was just that one because they opened the gate closest to a spot where a Wraith hyperspace window had been opened?) John says they need to evacuate; Zelenka argues that the explosion will have the power of several nuclear bombs, so there’s nowhere to go. John gets an inspired idea: collapse the city-shield around the gate. Zelenka tries it: it works! A yellow light fills the room; Zelenka yells at them not to look at it, to which John snaps that he could have said that earlier. (Um, power of several nuclear explosions ring a bell? Yeah, I’m thinking that should have been a given. Hey John, where’re your sun-glasses?) Zelenka sends more power to the shield, hoping to block more radiation; it seems to work. The ‘Gate looks like a flattened sun. Zelenka explains that the shield is slowly diffusing the energy of the explosion; unfortunately, the shield-emitters are frying out! John orders him to transfer all power in the city to the shields, then orders everyone else who doesn’t need to be there to evacuate. (Which turns out to be everyone but himself and Zelenka. Poor Radek, being stuck risking his life again — I doubt that’s how he imagines life as a scientist would turn out …. It’s odd to think that Sheppard and Zelenka haven’t really worked together, just the two of them, very much; only the latter half of “Grace Under Pressure” and brief moments in “Adrift” and “Quarantine” come to mind.) Teyla balks, but John insists; she reluctantly obeys. (I’m guessing that if not for Torrin, she wouldn’t have. Or that if she still didn’t, it would only be out of fear that her staying would distract Radek.) Zelenka works frantically, John encouraging him. Seeing the sun-like energy get darker, John thinks it’s going to work, but Radek insists that it’s not enough.

The tower explodes.

The episode ends.

Whoa! That’s an even better cliff-hanger than Michael’s lab exploding at the end of “The Last Man”! Obviously John and Radek don’t die — they probably evacuated at the last second. But losing the tower … I feel like a character died anyway! Well, maybe they can repair it, via nanites or via human work. At any rate, it’s generally difficult to pull off a sense of jeopardy when you know characters will survive, but they certainly managed it here! Big kudos to David Nykl and Joe Flanigan for pulling the panic off so well! We get more of this, more thrills and more Daniel and Todd, next ep? Saweet! And hey, we don’t have to wait several months, despite the fact that this was supposed to have been the mid-season cliffhanger! Well, okay, the two-week wait will still be a bit torturous, but at least we have the premiere of Sanctuary, starring Stargate alum Amanda Tapping (Samantha Carter) and Christopher Hyerdahl (Todd, Halling, and Pallan) to tide us over!

See you all in two weeks, for “The Lost Tribe”!

PS ~ I’m working on an erotic novel and could use some constructive feedback. If any of you are interested in seeing how I do with fiction (and are the legal age for reading erotic material in your community), drop by my page at WEbook. The novel (Universal Love) is bi-poly in nature, deals with alien life-forms (humanoid, but with some animal qualities, like wings, tails, a bit of fur — kind of like the Japanese concept of kemonomimi), and takes place at a university; it follows the lives of eleven students throughout the course of the school-year. It’s basically a story about finding sexual freedom and identity; it just uses a sci-fi/fantasy setting for the telling ….

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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.