Well, it's that time again. Wednesday means another installment of the Stargate Atlantis Rewatch. Thanks for stopping by! Today we'll be looking at season three's "Sateda." As you can probably guess from the title, today it is all about Ronon. There will, as always, be spoilers. Let's go!
What Happened
The team is scouting out a new planet and Ronon says he has a weird feeling about it. He isn't sure if he's been there before or not though, so they proceed. They find a village and as they enter, the villagers all stare at them suspiciously. Then they see Ronon. They start to run, screaming "wraith bringer" at him and then they start attacking the team. Rodney takes an arrow to the ass. The team runs back to the gate, Sheppard helping Rodney to the DHD. He tells Rodney to dial and go through and then turns to go back for Ronon and Teyla, who had fallen behind while providing cover. Teyla, Ronon, and Sheppard are all hit with tranquilizer darts and fall unconscious. Rodney manages to make it through to Atlantis, but he is the only one from the team to escape the planet.
Sheppard comes to and finds himself in a cage with Teyla and Ronon in the middle of the village. Ronon is moping and Sheppard tries to tell him it's not his fault but Teyla says she already tried that. It didn't work. Ronon tells them that he didn't recognize the place right away because the last time he was there it was night. He has a few flashbacks to the villagers taking him in and caring for him. Unfortunately, this was when he was a runner, so he wasn't there very long before the wraith showed up. They destroyed most of the village looking for him.
The village leader, Keturah, shows up and explains that while the wraith destroyed the village last time Ronon was there, they did not feed on everyone. They spared them and promised that if the villagers contacted them should Ronon ever return, holding Ronon for them, the village would forever be free of future culling. Keturah explains that they have already called the wraith to come get Ronon. Sheppard isn't terribly happy about this, and neither he nor Teyla really believe that the wraith will honor their deal with the village.
Rodney has been taken to the infirmary to have his, ahem, arrow wound treated. He isn't terribly coherent because Carson has doped him up on morphine. This is causing much frustration to a young officer who is trying to get details about the village in order to mount a rescue mission for the rest of the team.
Ronon takes advantage of Keturah's son getting too close to the cage to grab him and pull a knife. Ronon threatens to kill him if Keturah doesn't let Sheppard and Teyla go free. When Keturah doesn't relent, Ronon holds the knife to his own throat instead, pointing out that the wraith will be really pissed if they show up to find him dead. Keturah agrees to release the others but Sheppard and Teyla do not want to leave Ronon. He insists, however, saying it is his fault that the village was attacked and he is willing to pay the price.
Sheppard and Teyla arrive in Atlantis just as the young officer is preparing to leave to attempt his rescue. Sheppard calls for reinforcements explaining that the wraith are on their way to the village and they need to hurry if they are going to rescue Ronon. He has no intention of just leaving the man to be sacrificed. They arrive too late, however. The wraith have already taken Ronon aboard their hive and left. The village was completely destroyed. Teyla and Sheppard find Keturah's body and a few others, but most of the villagers have been culled. The wraith did not honor their deal.
The head honcho wraith watches as his scientists put another tracking device in Ronon. He tells Ronon that he will be taken to his home world, where the head honcho will watch him die. They drop Ronon off in the middle of destroyed Sateda. He makes his way through the city searching for cover and weapons, having flashbacks to the fall of the city. A dart whizzes by, dropping off a hunter wraith who begins to go after Ronon.
Sheppard is convinced that Ronon is still alive. He believes the wraith will want to make him a runner again, since he is the "one that got away." He and Teyla are both certain that the wraith would have implanted another tracking device. He asks Rodney if there is any way to pick up the signal. Carson pipes up that they still have the original tracking device that was removed from Ronon. Rodney thinks he might be able to use it to tune the city's long-range sensors to search for similar signals.
Ronon makes his way to the ruin of what was once his home on Sateda. He cobbles together a knife from the debris, remembering the woman with whom he shared his home. The hunter, honing in on Ronon's tracking device, finds Ronon. They fight and Ronon beats him easily enough. He heads deeper into the city, followed by a wraith probe that is recording his movements for the head honcho to watch from the hive ship.
Rodney has some success with the tracking device. He manages to locate seven different runners in the galaxy. Sheppard is less pleased by this, worried that they will not be able to figure out which one is Ronon in time to save him. Rodney points out that one of the runners is on Ronon's home world of Sateda and they are both certain that this is where Ronon has been taken. They try to dial Sateda but its gate isn't working, probably disabled by the wraith. Sheppard then calls on Caldwell, wanting to take the Daedalus to Sateda and just beam Ronon out. Caldwell balks at the suggestion, however, reminding them that without a working gate, that means the wraith probably have a hive ship in orbit and the Daedalus is in no shape for that kind of fight. Sheppard then tells him if he can just get them close enough, they can take a cloaked jumper the rest of the way and go retrieve Ronon from the planet that way. Carson volunteers to join the mission so that he can remove Ronon's tracking device as soon as they find him and the wraith can't follow them as they escape.
Ronon continues to make his way through the city, remembering the attack on Sateda by the wraith. He finds an armory and manages to arm himself. He encounters another hunter and after killing it, he finds the probe and tells the watching head honcho he is going to have to do better than that. He moves to a warehouse and sets up his weapons so that he can make a stand against the next round of wraith. As he waits, he remembers the woman again, Melena. He had traded everything they had so that he could get her to gate offworld before the attack began in earnest but she refused to go. She was a doctor and didn't want to leave when she knew the hospital would need her. They argued because neither would just run away even though they knew that Sateda would likely fall to the wraith and their chances of survival were pretty much nonexistent. A whole wave of wraith show up at the warehouse and Ronon manages to take them all out. One of them was armed with a self-destruct, however, and Ronon only narrowly manages to avoid getting himself blown up with the warehouse when it goes off.
On the Daedalus Teyla finds Sheppard and thanks him for going after Ronon. Sheppard seems surprised at her surprise. She explains that Ronon is an outsider, much like herself. While Sheppard and Elizabeth have always treated her as one of their own, she has still always felt a bit separated. Seeing that Sheppard would go to such lengths to get Ronon back reassures her that he will always strive to keep his people safe, even those not of his own world. He very awkwardly tells her that she, along with Elizabeth, Ronon, Carson, and Rodney are the closest thing he has to a family. There is nothing he wouldn't do to keep them safe.
Carson, checking up on Rodney's wound, asks him why he even bothered to come along on this mission. Along with his injury, he doesn't really seem to be all that fond of Ronon. Rodney is insulted, claiming he and Ronon are quite close, actually. Carson doubts this, but nonetheless it is clear from Rodney's blustering that he does actually care about Ronon quite a lot, despite their slightly antagonistic relationship toward each other. Carson clearly also cares for Ronon as well.
Ronon makes his way to the ruins of a hospital to patch up his wounds after the warehouse explosion. It is the same hospital at which Melena worked, and he remembers their last conversation. After his entire squad was killed in the wraith attack, betrayed by Kell, he went to the hospital to try to convince her to run with him. She still refused to leave, not wanting to leave all of her patients. As he tried to change her mind, the wraith attacked the hospital and Melena was killed in an explosion right in front of Ronon.
He is snapped back to the present by the sound of a dart outside the window. He looks outside and sees a swarm of wraith heading for the building. He hears a sound in the hallway outside of the room he is in and brings up a gun just in time to see Sheppard and Teyla enter. Ronon doesn't want to leave, however. He tells Sheppard that he can't risk the wraith going back on their promise to Keturah's village if he gets away again. Sheppard is surprised that Ronon is so willing to sacrifice himself for these people, and explains that it is all moot. The wraith did not honor their deal, the whole village was wiped out. Ronon starts to get angry at this and he tells Sheppard that he will leave--but not until the head honcho wraith has been killed.
Sheppard, Ronon, and Teyla fight their way through the swarm of wraith in the hospital. Ronon believes that if they kill all of them, the head honcho will finally come down and face him in person. Carson and Rodney, watching from the jumper, decide they need to go help take out the wraith. They get into an argument as to which of them should go, both wanting to go to Ronon's aid, despite the fact that neither is really qualified for the fight. Someone needs to stay with the jumper though. Before they can decide who will go, it is over, and Ronon and the others have killed all of the wraith. Ronon issues a challenge through the probe to the head honcho to come down and face Ronon himself.
The head honcho beams down, armed to the teeth. Ronon tells Sheppard to stay out of his way, he wants to kill this wraith himself. The two of them fight one on one as Teyla and Sheppard watch from a rooftop. Sheppard has a hard time not just ending it by taking the head honcho out with a well-placed shot. Teyla convinces him to wait though. She does not believe Ronon would ever forgive him if he did it. She also admonishes that the hive ship is probably watching and will start blasting the city from orbit the moment the head honcho is killed. Ronon is getting his ass pretty much handed to him. The head honcho pins him and is about to feed when all of a sudden the jumper appears right in front of them. Carson fires a drone pretty much point blank at the head honcho, killing him. Sheppard and Teyla waste no time getting Ronon into the jumper and they take off as the hive ship starts firing.
Once they get to a safe distance, Carson and Rodney go back to the rear of the jumper to check on everyone. Ronon demands to know who killed the wraith and Carson claims it was him, with Rodney saying it was his own idea. Ronon looms menacingly for a moment and Carson starts to get nervous. Sheppard pipes up that he could have killed the wraith at any time but Ronon had threatened to kill him if he did so. Also, Teyla wouldn't let him. After a moment, Ronon just pulls Carson into a huge hug, thanking him. Then he looks around at the rest of the team and thanks them as well. Everyone breathes a sigh of relief and Carson moves to take the new tracking device out of Ronon before the hive ship can find them. He is about to administer anesthetic when Ronon passes out from exhaustion. He gets the device out and they head back home to Atlantis.
Commentary
I always forget about Rodney getting shot with that arrow until I watch this episode and it happens. That whole bit was freaking hilarious, and David Hewlett really hammed it up wonderfully. It added a nice bit of relief to the tension of this very action-packed episode as well.
Likewise, Sheppard's random little competitiveness with Teyla about how many wraith he had killed was also fairly amusing. It had the potential to be obnoxious, but it is kind of a running joke throughout the series that as badass as Sheppard is, Ronon and Teyla are even more so. If you'll notice, whenever the three of them get knocked out, he is almost always the last one to come to again. It is a really nice touch to his character. His discussion with Teyla on the Daedalus was also a much-needed moment of character development for him. That whole scene felt very true in a way that a lot of Sheppard's personal moments don't. It was kind of amazing.
Carrying over from last season and the start of this one, this also shows that Rodney and Ronon are quite protective of each other. They might give each other crap like it is nobody's business, but I think that Rodney wasn't too far off the mark when he claimed that Ronon was like a brother to him.
This episode also gives Jason Momoa a chance to showcase his acting chops and gives us a huge look into Ronon's character overall. The flashbacks were done really well and integrated quite believably into the episode. None of them felt irrelevant or out of place, they had a very natural flow. We can see that he wasn't always so wild as he is now. But we also learn just how deeply affected he was by the destruction of his people at the hands of the wraith--and how personal it was. Ronon's sense of honor and duty are also firmly established here--both in why he stayed on Sateda when the wraith came, and in why he was willing to let the villagers sacrifice him to the wraith in the here and now.
Then there are Ronon's battle skills. From the flashbacks we can see that he was always a diligent soldier. But showing those right next to his present fight with the wraith hunters illustrates how his time as runner elevated him from a soldier to an actual warrior. Even Elizabeth commented on how dangerous Ronon can be. His time alone degraded some of the discipline he had picked up when serving in the Satedan military, and we can see that while his time with Sheppard is starting to slowly build that back up, he still tends to do the most damage when he acts on pure instinct.
Overall, aside from more fully developing Ronon's character, "Sateda" serves to firmly establish his place in Atlantis. He closes the door on his past here and fully embraces Atlantis as his home, and Sheppard and the others as his family. All in all, it really is an amazing episode. This season is full of a lot of gems, and this is the first one to really shine through. It definitely can be held up as one of the series' best entries, I think.
Favorite Quotes
"I have a bad feeling." (Ronon)
"Yeah, I always feel like that. Like something horrible's about to happen." (Rodney)
"That did not just happen!" (Rodney)
"No. Not once we've sacrificed the wraith bringer to his masters." (Keturah)
"He prefers Ronon. Probably also prefers not to be sacrificed to the wraith." (Sheppard)
"Have you seen a guy around? He looks like you, but he's got messy hair. I think I lost him somewhere. And...and a...and a pretty girl and a caveman." (Rodney)
"Excuse me. Why am I lying here?" (Rodney)
"You have an arrow, Rodney. In your gluteus maximus." (Carson)
"Oh, well, that sounds painful...gluteus maxiumus...glootus...maxim.... Oh my god! That's my ass, isn't it?" (Rodney)
"I won't bail you out if you get in trouble." (Caldwell)
"You say that as if we're always getting in trouble!" (Sheppard)
"What the hell is going on down there?" (Rodney)
"Ronon thinks he can get the head wraith responsible for all of this to come down and fight him if we kill all these wraith first." (Sheppard)
"That is the stupidest plan I have ever heard!" (Rodney)
"I don't know. Killing a bunch of wraith always sounds like a good idea to me." (Sheppard)
"They outnumber you twenty-five to three!" (Rodney)
"It's actually twenty-two to three...twenty-one..." (Carson)
"And Ronon appears to be quite angry." (Teyla)
"You kill him before I do, I kill you." (Ronon)
"What if he kills you first?" (Sheppard)
"Then you kill him." (Ronon)
~*~*~
That does it for this week, folks. See you back here Monday. We'll get the ball rolling on the season's big story arc with "Progeny."
Showing posts with label Jason Momoa. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jason Momoa. Show all posts
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
SGA Rewatch: Epiphany
Hello, and welcome to another Wednesday and another installment of the Stargate Atlantis Rewatch. Today's episode is season two's "Epiphany." Spoilers all the way down.
What Happened
The team is investigating an uninhabited planet in search of the source of an energy spike they picked up when flying over by jumper. It seems to be located in the outer wall face of a huge crater. The source of the energy spike is some sort of doorway covered by an energy barrier. Next to the portal is some Ancient writing. Teyla, who is in the process of learning the language, is able to make out a few words, "welcome" and "ascension." Seeing as it seems to be the only way through the crater wall by foot, Sheppard is gung-ho to go ahead through, but Rodney stops him. He attaches his video camera to a tree limb and sticks it through the barrier just to make sure there aren't any nasty surprises waiting for them on the other side.
Everything seems to be on the up and up. The camera reveals an empty cave. Sheppard decides to go through. As he starts to step through, however, the barrier seems to grab him and start actually sucking him in. He tries to back out, even having Ronon and Teyla try to pull him out, but it is no use. He is pulled through the portal and vanishes. He arrives in the cave in great pain, the trip through the portal is not at all pleasant. After a little while to recover, he tries to radio the rest of his team, reporting to them of his status. He gets no answer from the radio but continues talking to it just in case they can hear him. He does a quick recon of the area outside of the cave, finding nothing of interest, and returns to the cave to wait for the rest of his team. He is unable to get back through the portal from his side of things.
Outside, meanwhile, everyone is freaking the heck out. Ronon is mad at Rodney for letting Sheppard get sucked into the portal and Rodney is trying to figure out just what happened. Teyla tries to contact Sheppard on the radio but cannot get through. Rodney goes back over the footage from his "MALP On A Stick" to see if he missed anything. To his dismay, he realizes that even though he only stuck the camera through the portal for half a minute, it recorded several hours worth of footage. Time is passing faster on the other side.
This realization mobilizes Rodney, and he starts barking out instructions to Ronon and Teyla, explaining as much as he can as quickly as possible. He starts to hike back to the jumper, planning to return to Atlantis for supplies to see if he can figure out a way to get Sheppard out, asking Teyla to accompany him so he can give her more instructions along the way. He stops before leaving, however, and gathers up all of the food and water the three have on them to throw through the portal for Sheppard, realizing that no matter how much he hurries, Sheppard is going to be there for days at least and will need supplies. At the jumper, he loads Teyla up with more food and water, as well as extra batteries for the camera. He wants her to try to contact Sheppard but warns her that Sheppard might not still be in the cave by the time she gets back to the portal. Time is passing fast enough that he will probably use up his supplies well before then and go in search of some on his own.
We get glimpses of Sheppard in the cavern, trying to make contact with the team on his radio and getting increasingly frustrated as time passes without word from them. Eventually he uses up his supplies, he has already experienced several days, and leaves the cave to go look for more. He does leave a signal in the form of an arrow made of rocks on the cave floor, indicating the direction in which he left.
In Atlantis Rodney gathers up Elizabeth and Carson, as well as supplies, trying to explain as much as he can without wasting time. Elizabeth tells him to take a few minutes to stop and be sure he has everything he needs, since they probably won't get a chance to make another jumper trip and rushing is what got them into this situation in the first place. Rodney says he knows that but at this point he is just hoping he can get the problem solved within Sheppard's lifetime. Sobered by this news, Carson and Elizabeth follow Rodney to the jumper and they return to the planet.
As Rodney guessed, Sheppard had already left in search of supplies by the time Teyla returned to the portal. She takes hope from the signal he left behind, however, knowing that means that at least he was still alive when he left the cave.
After leaving the cave, Sheppard is walking through a field of tall grass on the edge of a wood when he hears a beast of some sort calling out. He begins to move cautiously, thinking maybe it is something he can hunt and eat. A man comes running through the woods, clearly fleeing the beast and Sheppard moves to protect him. The man proclaims that he will not be able to fight the beast but Sheppard says he can hopefully at least scare it off. The beast appears, sort of. It is a kind of invisible creature. It moves to attack and Sheppard goes after it. He does manage to scare it off, but he is injured and knocked out in the process.
When Rodney returns to the planet in the jumper, he has the pilot fly over the crater, realizing that it in itself must have been caused by the time dilation field. He isn't picking up any readings from inside the field. He was prepared for that, however, and brought along a probe that was meant to be split into two bits attached by a tether. The lower bit would go into the dilation field and take readings, transmitting them to the upper bit, which would then be relayed to Rodney. His hope is to see how bad the tidal forces between the field and the rest of the world are, and to learn if they can just fly down in the jumper through the field and pick up Sheppard then fly out.
Sheppard wakes up after his fight with the beast to find himself in a bed in a cabin. A young girl is tending to his wounds and calls out to someone that he is awake. A (very attractive) woman comes in and introduces herself as Teer and the girl as her sister Hedda. She says they have been taking care of him since he saved their brother Avrid from the beast. After he is up and about again, Avrid shows him around their home, the cloister, and welcomes Sheppard to it. He thanks Avrid but says that while he's happy to visit, he would love to be shown the way out. Avrid explains to Sheppard that the only way out is to ascend. The portal led to a sanctuary created by the Ancients as a place for people to go in order to ascend. Later, when talking with Teer, she explains to Sheppard that she and her family were born inside the sanctuary. Generations ago her people, who revered the Ancients, sought out the sanctuary and made a pilgrimage there, intending to follow in the footsteps of "those who came before." The people living in the cloister are the last of that line, they are all just waiting to ascend.
Sheppard, who still doesn't realize that the sanctuary is actually a time dilation field, is starting to feel like he's been abandoned by his people. He tries to settle in to live in the cloister but he doesn't quite fit in, feels like they aren't really living their life to the fullest.
Rodney's probe is torn apart almost immediately after it is dropped from the jumper. It still managed to get quite a bit of information before it was destroyed, however. Rodney sifts through the "gibberish" as quickly as he can. While they clearly will not be able to fly the jumper into the dilation field without being torn to shreds, the probe did manage to relay the location of the generator that powers the time dilation field. That means that Rodney can go in to the field by foot through the portal and beeline for the generator and turn the dang thing off, allowing them to return the area to the normal rate of time and retrieve Sheppard.
While Sheppard is speaking with Teer, the beast comes into the cloister and starts to attack. It has never come into the cloister proper before, and everyone is terrified. Sheppard moves to defend against it and is disappointed when everyone else skedaddles into hiding. Teer does come back to stand by him, but she is of little use. He fights the beast again, and again manages to defeat it somehow, though he can't remember how exactly (just like the first time). He wakes up once more in the cabin with Hedda tending to her wounds, it seems she has the ability to heal (a side effect of walking the path to ascension). Sheppard is very upset that no one else would fight the beast. Avrid explains that violence is not the path to ascension. Sheppard tells him there is a big difference between random violence and self defense, but Avrid disagrees. He says that they are all very close to ascending and cannot jeopardize their futures by fighting the beast.
Now that the beast is actually venturing into the cloister Sheppard wants to be able to defend himself (and the others). He goes looking for his weapons--apparently Teer and her people didn't bother to bring them along when they brought him to the cloister. He also swings by the cave and is excited to find new supplies waiting for him. His hope that his people are trying to get to him renewed, he returns to the cabin to find Teer waiting up for him, sad that he is still so determined to leave them. Like Hedda, she has developed special abilities due to trying to ascend. She has some precognitive capability and can also sense/watch others even when she is not present. She tells John she has always known that he would come to the sanctuary, has seen his face since she was a little girl. She says that he is the one who will lead them all to ascension, and that when the time comes, he will go with them. He says he was hoping she was going in a different direction with the "you are the one" stuff and she smiles and says she has seen that too. They make with the romance.
At the portal, Elizabeth manages to fully translate the writing on the wall. She tells the others that the time dilation field was created by the Ancients to allow them to work on ascension without having to worry about being attacked by the wraith. They also left it in place for any others who wanted to try to ascend as well. She confirms what Avrid told Sheppard about there being a warning in the writing that the trip through the portal was one way. Rodney replies that it is only one way for people who don't know how to turn off the dilation field, anyway. He, Elizabeth, Carson, Ronon, and Teyla gear up and head through the portal to get Sheppard back.
In the cloister, everyone is having a meal together and Sheppard is telling them about thunderstorms, which they have never experienced (the sanctuary has its own regulated environment and day/night cycles, but nothing like storms or anything). Teer says they will be able to experience such things once they have ascended and he tells her that's not the point. He tells him their lives aren't nearly as full as they seem to think they are and that by just living to ascend they are missing out on a lot.
He also says he thinks they are just hiding, rather than living, talking about the beast. Avrid reiterates that they can't risk fighting back and Sheppard says he doesn't know how they expect him to feel like he belongs if every time the beast attacks he is left standing alone to fight against it. Teer replies that he is not alone and says that his friends have come for him, they are in the sanctuary. Sheppard's excitement is quickly dimmed when she adds that the beast is moving too and is almost upon them. Sheppard immediately takes off to help them.
The beast gets to the others before Sheppard and they try to fight it but mostly just get their butts kicked. This particularly annoys Ronon. Sheppard shows up and attacks it, and once more it disappears. He immediately starts berating his friends for taking so long to come for him. Elizabeth tries to explain it has only been a few hours and he says it's been six months. Rodney starts to explain about the time dilation field but Teyla says that the beast is still nearby, she can sense it. They prepare to fight it again but just then Teer and the rest of the cloister appear out of the woods.
She tells him they have come to stand with him, and to finally fight against the beast. They have realized it is their final roadblock to ascension. It is a manifestation of their own fears, and they must face it before they can move on to the next plane of existence. They close on it and it simply vanishes, ceasing to be. The people of the cloister begin to ascend and Teer turns to Sheppard, asking if he will come with them. He says he's not ready for that, isn't sure if he ever will be, and though she is clearly disappointed, she understands. Before she ascends as well, she tells Rodney that he had better not turn off the dilation field. They will keep the portal open for the Lanteans to leave. Rodney tries to argue that once they've all ascended there will be no one needing the protection of the field (he is hoping to get a ZPM out of the ordeal), but Teer insists that the sanctuary will remain in place for anyone else who wants to follow in their footsteps. Rodney grudgingly agrees and she ascends as well.
Left alone, the group teases Sheppard about his beard a little and says it is good to have him back. Then they all head home.
Commentary
Yeah, this episode doesn't really add much to the series. It is okay, but it is definitely completely stand-alone. It's a cool concept episode, and it is nice to see the team's concern over the possible loss of Sheppard. But really, that's about it. I really don't have much to say about this one, honestly. It does give an interesting perspective on people who are so busy thinking about the afterlife that they don't really take time to appreciate their life, but it doesn't really add anything substantial to that particular conversation.
I suppose it is worth mentioning that this is the first instance of Rodney referring to Ronon and Teyla as Conan and Xena. The titles are only barely applicable, and really mildly insulting as Rodney uses them. Not that he intends them to be that way, I believe. I think it is just the illustration of how he thinks his mind works compared to everyone else's, as well as how he felt in this particular instance. He clearly realized what was going on and was getting very irritated at the need to stop and try to explain so much to them (and everyone else really) when time was so crucial to their endeavor. It is a little funny though that he kept referring to Ronon as Conan since Jason Momoa, who plays Ronon, went on to star in Conan the Barbarian which came out this past summer. Go figure.
Favorite Quotes
"Looks like a door." (Ronon)
"Yes it is remarkably door-like." (Rodney)
"Well you're either gonna eat me or I'm gonna eat you." (Sheppard)
"Very clever Rodney!" (Carson)
"Uh, yes. It is.... It was actually Zelenka's idea." (Rodney)
"Okay people, I'm starting to develop some serious abandonment issues, here!" (Sheppard)
"You've fought this thing before?" (Ronon)
"Twice." (Sheppard)
"How'd you beat it?" (Ronon)
"Still haven't figured that out." (Sheppard)
"Now'd be a good time." (Ronon)
"What is it with you and ascended women?" (Rodney)
That's all I've got for you today folks. Come back next Monday for the next installment. We'll be looking at "Critical Mass," which features, among other things, the return of Cadman, yay!
What Happened
The team is investigating an uninhabited planet in search of the source of an energy spike they picked up when flying over by jumper. It seems to be located in the outer wall face of a huge crater. The source of the energy spike is some sort of doorway covered by an energy barrier. Next to the portal is some Ancient writing. Teyla, who is in the process of learning the language, is able to make out a few words, "welcome" and "ascension." Seeing as it seems to be the only way through the crater wall by foot, Sheppard is gung-ho to go ahead through, but Rodney stops him. He attaches his video camera to a tree limb and sticks it through the barrier just to make sure there aren't any nasty surprises waiting for them on the other side.
Everything seems to be on the up and up. The camera reveals an empty cave. Sheppard decides to go through. As he starts to step through, however, the barrier seems to grab him and start actually sucking him in. He tries to back out, even having Ronon and Teyla try to pull him out, but it is no use. He is pulled through the portal and vanishes. He arrives in the cave in great pain, the trip through the portal is not at all pleasant. After a little while to recover, he tries to radio the rest of his team, reporting to them of his status. He gets no answer from the radio but continues talking to it just in case they can hear him. He does a quick recon of the area outside of the cave, finding nothing of interest, and returns to the cave to wait for the rest of his team. He is unable to get back through the portal from his side of things.
Outside, meanwhile, everyone is freaking the heck out. Ronon is mad at Rodney for letting Sheppard get sucked into the portal and Rodney is trying to figure out just what happened. Teyla tries to contact Sheppard on the radio but cannot get through. Rodney goes back over the footage from his "MALP On A Stick" to see if he missed anything. To his dismay, he realizes that even though he only stuck the camera through the portal for half a minute, it recorded several hours worth of footage. Time is passing faster on the other side.
This realization mobilizes Rodney, and he starts barking out instructions to Ronon and Teyla, explaining as much as he can as quickly as possible. He starts to hike back to the jumper, planning to return to Atlantis for supplies to see if he can figure out a way to get Sheppard out, asking Teyla to accompany him so he can give her more instructions along the way. He stops before leaving, however, and gathers up all of the food and water the three have on them to throw through the portal for Sheppard, realizing that no matter how much he hurries, Sheppard is going to be there for days at least and will need supplies. At the jumper, he loads Teyla up with more food and water, as well as extra batteries for the camera. He wants her to try to contact Sheppard but warns her that Sheppard might not still be in the cave by the time she gets back to the portal. Time is passing fast enough that he will probably use up his supplies well before then and go in search of some on his own.
We get glimpses of Sheppard in the cavern, trying to make contact with the team on his radio and getting increasingly frustrated as time passes without word from them. Eventually he uses up his supplies, he has already experienced several days, and leaves the cave to go look for more. He does leave a signal in the form of an arrow made of rocks on the cave floor, indicating the direction in which he left.
In Atlantis Rodney gathers up Elizabeth and Carson, as well as supplies, trying to explain as much as he can without wasting time. Elizabeth tells him to take a few minutes to stop and be sure he has everything he needs, since they probably won't get a chance to make another jumper trip and rushing is what got them into this situation in the first place. Rodney says he knows that but at this point he is just hoping he can get the problem solved within Sheppard's lifetime. Sobered by this news, Carson and Elizabeth follow Rodney to the jumper and they return to the planet.
As Rodney guessed, Sheppard had already left in search of supplies by the time Teyla returned to the portal. She takes hope from the signal he left behind, however, knowing that means that at least he was still alive when he left the cave.
After leaving the cave, Sheppard is walking through a field of tall grass on the edge of a wood when he hears a beast of some sort calling out. He begins to move cautiously, thinking maybe it is something he can hunt and eat. A man comes running through the woods, clearly fleeing the beast and Sheppard moves to protect him. The man proclaims that he will not be able to fight the beast but Sheppard says he can hopefully at least scare it off. The beast appears, sort of. It is a kind of invisible creature. It moves to attack and Sheppard goes after it. He does manage to scare it off, but he is injured and knocked out in the process.
When Rodney returns to the planet in the jumper, he has the pilot fly over the crater, realizing that it in itself must have been caused by the time dilation field. He isn't picking up any readings from inside the field. He was prepared for that, however, and brought along a probe that was meant to be split into two bits attached by a tether. The lower bit would go into the dilation field and take readings, transmitting them to the upper bit, which would then be relayed to Rodney. His hope is to see how bad the tidal forces between the field and the rest of the world are, and to learn if they can just fly down in the jumper through the field and pick up Sheppard then fly out.
Sheppard wakes up after his fight with the beast to find himself in a bed in a cabin. A young girl is tending to his wounds and calls out to someone that he is awake. A (very attractive) woman comes in and introduces herself as Teer and the girl as her sister Hedda. She says they have been taking care of him since he saved their brother Avrid from the beast. After he is up and about again, Avrid shows him around their home, the cloister, and welcomes Sheppard to it. He thanks Avrid but says that while he's happy to visit, he would love to be shown the way out. Avrid explains to Sheppard that the only way out is to ascend. The portal led to a sanctuary created by the Ancients as a place for people to go in order to ascend. Later, when talking with Teer, she explains to Sheppard that she and her family were born inside the sanctuary. Generations ago her people, who revered the Ancients, sought out the sanctuary and made a pilgrimage there, intending to follow in the footsteps of "those who came before." The people living in the cloister are the last of that line, they are all just waiting to ascend.
Sheppard, who still doesn't realize that the sanctuary is actually a time dilation field, is starting to feel like he's been abandoned by his people. He tries to settle in to live in the cloister but he doesn't quite fit in, feels like they aren't really living their life to the fullest.
Rodney's probe is torn apart almost immediately after it is dropped from the jumper. It still managed to get quite a bit of information before it was destroyed, however. Rodney sifts through the "gibberish" as quickly as he can. While they clearly will not be able to fly the jumper into the dilation field without being torn to shreds, the probe did manage to relay the location of the generator that powers the time dilation field. That means that Rodney can go in to the field by foot through the portal and beeline for the generator and turn the dang thing off, allowing them to return the area to the normal rate of time and retrieve Sheppard.
While Sheppard is speaking with Teer, the beast comes into the cloister and starts to attack. It has never come into the cloister proper before, and everyone is terrified. Sheppard moves to defend against it and is disappointed when everyone else skedaddles into hiding. Teer does come back to stand by him, but she is of little use. He fights the beast again, and again manages to defeat it somehow, though he can't remember how exactly (just like the first time). He wakes up once more in the cabin with Hedda tending to her wounds, it seems she has the ability to heal (a side effect of walking the path to ascension). Sheppard is very upset that no one else would fight the beast. Avrid explains that violence is not the path to ascension. Sheppard tells him there is a big difference between random violence and self defense, but Avrid disagrees. He says that they are all very close to ascending and cannot jeopardize their futures by fighting the beast.
Now that the beast is actually venturing into the cloister Sheppard wants to be able to defend himself (and the others). He goes looking for his weapons--apparently Teer and her people didn't bother to bring them along when they brought him to the cloister. He also swings by the cave and is excited to find new supplies waiting for him. His hope that his people are trying to get to him renewed, he returns to the cabin to find Teer waiting up for him, sad that he is still so determined to leave them. Like Hedda, she has developed special abilities due to trying to ascend. She has some precognitive capability and can also sense/watch others even when she is not present. She tells John she has always known that he would come to the sanctuary, has seen his face since she was a little girl. She says that he is the one who will lead them all to ascension, and that when the time comes, he will go with them. He says he was hoping she was going in a different direction with the "you are the one" stuff and she smiles and says she has seen that too. They make with the romance.
At the portal, Elizabeth manages to fully translate the writing on the wall. She tells the others that the time dilation field was created by the Ancients to allow them to work on ascension without having to worry about being attacked by the wraith. They also left it in place for any others who wanted to try to ascend as well. She confirms what Avrid told Sheppard about there being a warning in the writing that the trip through the portal was one way. Rodney replies that it is only one way for people who don't know how to turn off the dilation field, anyway. He, Elizabeth, Carson, Ronon, and Teyla gear up and head through the portal to get Sheppard back.
In the cloister, everyone is having a meal together and Sheppard is telling them about thunderstorms, which they have never experienced (the sanctuary has its own regulated environment and day/night cycles, but nothing like storms or anything). Teer says they will be able to experience such things once they have ascended and he tells her that's not the point. He tells him their lives aren't nearly as full as they seem to think they are and that by just living to ascend they are missing out on a lot.
He also says he thinks they are just hiding, rather than living, talking about the beast. Avrid reiterates that they can't risk fighting back and Sheppard says he doesn't know how they expect him to feel like he belongs if every time the beast attacks he is left standing alone to fight against it. Teer replies that he is not alone and says that his friends have come for him, they are in the sanctuary. Sheppard's excitement is quickly dimmed when she adds that the beast is moving too and is almost upon them. Sheppard immediately takes off to help them.
The beast gets to the others before Sheppard and they try to fight it but mostly just get their butts kicked. This particularly annoys Ronon. Sheppard shows up and attacks it, and once more it disappears. He immediately starts berating his friends for taking so long to come for him. Elizabeth tries to explain it has only been a few hours and he says it's been six months. Rodney starts to explain about the time dilation field but Teyla says that the beast is still nearby, she can sense it. They prepare to fight it again but just then Teer and the rest of the cloister appear out of the woods.
She tells him they have come to stand with him, and to finally fight against the beast. They have realized it is their final roadblock to ascension. It is a manifestation of their own fears, and they must face it before they can move on to the next plane of existence. They close on it and it simply vanishes, ceasing to be. The people of the cloister begin to ascend and Teer turns to Sheppard, asking if he will come with them. He says he's not ready for that, isn't sure if he ever will be, and though she is clearly disappointed, she understands. Before she ascends as well, she tells Rodney that he had better not turn off the dilation field. They will keep the portal open for the Lanteans to leave. Rodney tries to argue that once they've all ascended there will be no one needing the protection of the field (he is hoping to get a ZPM out of the ordeal), but Teer insists that the sanctuary will remain in place for anyone else who wants to follow in their footsteps. Rodney grudgingly agrees and she ascends as well.
Left alone, the group teases Sheppard about his beard a little and says it is good to have him back. Then they all head home.
Commentary
Yeah, this episode doesn't really add much to the series. It is okay, but it is definitely completely stand-alone. It's a cool concept episode, and it is nice to see the team's concern over the possible loss of Sheppard. But really, that's about it. I really don't have much to say about this one, honestly. It does give an interesting perspective on people who are so busy thinking about the afterlife that they don't really take time to appreciate their life, but it doesn't really add anything substantial to that particular conversation.
I suppose it is worth mentioning that this is the first instance of Rodney referring to Ronon and Teyla as Conan and Xena. The titles are only barely applicable, and really mildly insulting as Rodney uses them. Not that he intends them to be that way, I believe. I think it is just the illustration of how he thinks his mind works compared to everyone else's, as well as how he felt in this particular instance. He clearly realized what was going on and was getting very irritated at the need to stop and try to explain so much to them (and everyone else really) when time was so crucial to their endeavor. It is a little funny though that he kept referring to Ronon as Conan since Jason Momoa, who plays Ronon, went on to star in Conan the Barbarian which came out this past summer. Go figure.
Favorite Quotes
"Looks like a door." (Ronon)
"Yes it is remarkably door-like." (Rodney)
"Well you're either gonna eat me or I'm gonna eat you." (Sheppard)
"Very clever Rodney!" (Carson)
"Uh, yes. It is.... It was actually Zelenka's idea." (Rodney)
"Okay people, I'm starting to develop some serious abandonment issues, here!" (Sheppard)
"You've fought this thing before?" (Ronon)
"Twice." (Sheppard)
"How'd you beat it?" (Ronon)
"Still haven't figured that out." (Sheppard)
"Now'd be a good time." (Ronon)
"What is it with you and ascended women?" (Rodney)
That's all I've got for you today folks. Come back next Monday for the next installment. We'll be looking at "Critical Mass," which features, among other things, the return of Cadman, yay!
Monday, September 19, 2011
SGA Rewatch: Runner
Ah, another Monday, another Stargate Atlantis Rewatch post. Today I'm gonna discuss season two's "Runner." For my money, this is the episode that really kicks off the second season.
Spoilers, of course, lie ahead for those who have not seen the episode. Onward!
What Happened
Things kick off with Sheppard's newly installed second-in-command, Major Lorne (Major Lorne!!) following an extremely enthusiastic Dr. Parrish (botanist) through the woods at night. Parrish is waxing poetically about the fascinating flora on the planet, which apparently has an extremely ionized radioactive atmosphere during the day. It's really super close to the sun or something. The radiation means that animal life is not sustainable on the planet. Plant life should be out of the question too, but somehow it seems to thrive instead. Lorne, meanwhile, is questioning his life choices and wondering why he accepted the assignment in Pegasus. While examining a particularly interesting species, Parrish stumbles over the body of a dead wraith. Lorne radios back to the men at the gate, and learning that there has been no wraith activity, he marks the area and immediately hauls Parrish back to Atlantis. Overhead, Commando!Ford watches all of this silently from a perch in a tree.
Lorne reports the situation to Sheppard and Elizabeth on Atlantis and Beckett stops by to let them know that while he hasn't finished his autopsy of the wraith, he did find that its enzyme sac had been removed after it was killed. This immediately brings them all to the conclusion that Ford likely killed the wraith and the hope that he might still be on the planet, since the wraith was quite freshly dead. Sheppard, Teyla, and Rodney prepare to return to the planet with Lorne in a jumper to see if they can find their wayward friend. On the way out of Elizabeth's office, Caldwell pulls Sheppard aside and reminds him that Ford, with his knowledge of the city, is a threat to their security if he can't be recaptured. He advises that Sheppard needs to be prepared to kill Ford if he can't be brought back in. Sheppard doesn't want to hear it, but he knows it is probably true. Still, he is not willing to give up on Ford quite yet.
Back on the planet, Lorne's men are left to guard the gate and the jumper while Sheppard, Teyla, Rodney, and Lorne split up to search for Ford. They can't use the life signs detectors because the radiation absorbed by the plants during the day messes up the sensors at night. All of the foliage also prevents them from doing any kind of aerial search in the jumper. Sheppard and Teyla, looking at the site where the wraith was found, wonder what a lone wraith was doing on the planet on foot in the first place. As they search, each team thinks they've got Ford's trail and hear someone in the woods, giving pursuit. Lorne radios Sheppard just as Teyla is hit by a beam of red energy, falling to the ground. Sheppard tells Lorne he will have get back to him and goes to check on Teyla, only to be shot by the energy beam himself.
Sheppard and Teyla wake up in a cave, tied together back to back with their hands bound. A big wild looking dude, not Ford, is going through their stuff. Seeing they are awake, he comes over to them, and Sheppard starts talking, introducing himself, giving his rank and name, then Teyla introduces herself. The big man introduces himself as Specialist Ronon Dex. Sheppard asks if Ronon is military as well and Ronon replies that he used to be, but that was a long time ago. Now, he's just deciding whether or not to kill them and the rest of their friends. Sheppard quickly starts trying to negotiate their release, he and Teyla explaining that they mean Ronon no harm and are just there looking for their friend. Ronon flashes back to being chased by a wraith and encountering Ford on the planet. He tells them he saw their friend, that Ford killed the wraith that was hunting him.
Meanwhile, Lorne and Rodney, having lost their quarry as well as contact with Sheppard, have reported back to the jumper, radioing in to Atlantis for reinforcements to search for the missing team members. Rodney also has Elizabeth send through all of the city's radiation suits, since the sun has come up, but he is the only one who actually wears one (the other scientists have said that limited exposure to the planet's radiation will not be that harmful). He and Lorne are back out on the search and of course Rodney is slowed down by the cumbersome suit. While Lorne is distracted trying to cajole Rodney into keeping up, and realizing how much better he had it with Parrish, he is shot by a wraith stunner. Rodney immediately panics and tries to radio for help, pulling out his gun and waving it wildly about when Ford steps out from cover, easily disarming Rodney and taking away his radio.
He leaves Lorne where he fell and tells Rodney (at gunpoint when the scientist balks) to come with him. He tells Rodney that he is "better than fine" and loves his new "superpowers." He says he just needs to prove it to Rodney and everyone else so that he can go back. Rodney tells him he can come back any time, but he knows they'll try to "fix" him if he does. So first he's going to save Sheppard and Teyla to prove that he is better how he is, and then they'll let him stay like that and come home. Ford has clearly gone 'round the bend a bit by this point. Drugs are bad kids, mmmkay?
In the cave, Sheppard and Teyla manage to get free of their bonds and recover their weapons, getting the drop on Ronon. They have a standoff, Ronon says he just needs to get through the gate and go somewhere else. The wraith are coming for him. Something clicks with Teyla and she realizes out loud that he is a "runner." Sheppard is, of course, confused, and Ronon tells them about being captured by wraith who started to feed on him and then changed their minds. Instead they planted a tracking device of sorts in his back and set him free so they could hunt him for sport. He tells them that he decided to hunt the wraith right back.
Meanwhile, Ford is explaining to Rodney about "the guy" that has Sheppard and Teyla. He tells Rodney he was on a wraith-controlled planet trying to get some more enzyme when he saw one armed to the teeth go through the gate alone. He figured one wraith would be easier to take down than a whole gaggle of them and so he followed. The wraith must have been hunting Sheppard's captor, because when Ford caught up to him he was chasing that guy.
Sheppard, trying to bargain with Ronon, promises to call his men off and let him pass through the gate if he will give back their radios. Ronon doesn't trust either of them, says Sheppard can order his men to stand down in person, since he will be coming along to the gate as a hostage. Sheppard, realizing how skittish Ronon is, worries that someone is going to get hurt in this scenario. Grasping at straws, he tells Ronon that they can help him remove the tracking device. Ronon hesitates but then makes the deal, promising that if Sheppard can get the device removed, he will bring back Sheppard's friend.
Ronon lets Sheppard go back to the jumper to send for Carson, keeping Teyla as security. Carson is, of course, once more annoyed that his services have been volunteered without his knowledge. This time to do surgery in the middle of the woods on a hostile stranger with a crazy Ford presumed still out there and wraith due in at any moment. Still, he packs up his gear and heads out, determined to do what he can.
Rodney and Ford are still wandering the woods looking for Sheppard, Teyla, and Ronon. Rodney calls Ford out on being lost and Ford kind of cracks, alternating between threatening Rodney and trying to convince him he is just fine. Rodney somehow manages to almost talk Ford down, tells him to just come back with him to the jumper and everything will be fine. He is sure Carson can figure out a way to make Ford feel better without getting rid of his new "superpowers." Ford is very tempted, but says first he has to prove himself and save Sheppard and Teyla. He tells Rodney to head back to the jumper and then heads back into the woods. Exasperated, Rodney follows him.
Waiting for Carson, Teyla talks to Ronon, convincing him that it is not necessary to keep his gun on her. She asks him about being a runner. She had heard of them all her life but had believed the stories to be just that, tales. Ronon tells her that he has been a runner for seven years, alone all that time, not by choice but because he can't risk staying in one place too long. One time, he did, and it brought the wraith down on the village where he was staying, the wraith wiped it out completely. So he stays by himself and he keeps moving.
When Carson arrives at the cave (Sheppard stays out of sight up on a ridge, with a sniper rifle aimed at Ronon, just in case), Ronon isn't quite sure what to make of him. He keeps his gun pointed at Teyla during the whole procedure and refuses to allow Carson to administer any anesthesia or to lie down for the procedure. Carson grumbles but carries on, using a scanner to locate the device. Ronon's back is covered with scars from previous attempts to remove it (one his own, the rest "doctors" he encountered on various worlds). Carson is more affronted by the botched surgery attempts than Ronon himself. Carson manages to pull out the device and as soon as he does, Ronon passes out, leaving Carson and Teyla staring at each other in bewilderment.
In the woods, Rodney and Ford run into two soldiers from Atlantis. Rodney is relieved and goes to greet them but Ford stuns them with his wraith gun, claiming they can't be trusted. Rodney gets really mad and calls Ford on his crazy, pulling out the gun that Ford had given him during a friendlier moment and telling Ford that he is coming with Rodney back to the gate. Ford refuses and they exchange angry words, Rodney's gun accidentally going off and hitting Ford in the soldier. Ford looks at Rodney in astonishment and, realizing his error, Rodney turns tail and runs for his life, Ford shooting after him and Rodney shooting his gun in the air, hoping to attract the attention of allies.
Hearing the gunfire from Ronon's cave, Teyla and Sheppard duck back inside to gather their weapons and find that Ronon has disappeared. Sheppard tells Teyla to get Carson back to the gate and goes to investigate the shots. Just as this is going on, the gate fires up and a wraith dart comes through. Major Lorne manages to get the jumper cloaked in time and alerts Sheppard to the situation.
Running from Ford, Rodney gets caught up in a snare. Ford comes upon him hanging upside down and panicking. Rodney tries to talk some sense into Ford again but Ford replies no, he's still going to have to kill Rodney. Just as he is about to take his shot, Ronon barrels into him and the two begin brawling. Sheppard manages to find the group as Ronon disarms Ford. When Ford reaches for his gun Sheppard stops him and Ford takes off, refusing to go back with them. Sheppard goes after him, leaving Ronon to cut Rodney down from the snare. Sheppard tries to convince Ford one more time to come back, even going so far as to shoot him in the leg to stop him from running away, but it doesn't even slow Ford down. The wraith dart zooms overhead, culling beam out, and Ford jumps into the beam to escape, shouting "I'll show you!" at Sheppard in parting.
Back on Atlantis Sheppard makes his report. They are all worried about Ford but unsure of what they can do for him at this point. Caldwell is, of course, pissed at Sheppard for letting Ford get away alive, convinced that he will give away the fact that Atlantis is still very much around.
Sheppard goes to speak with Ronon, who came back with them. He asked them to contact his home world, Sateda, thinking to go back now that the tracking device has been removed. Sheppard ushers Ronon to the gate room where they show him an image from the MALP they sent to Sateda. It has been completely wiped out by the wraith, no survivors, and it looks like the damage was done quite some time ago. Ronon stalks off in despair.
Commentary
Major Lorne! Yay! I love his snarks with Rodney, it's wonderful. I adore Kavan Smith, largely because of his role as Major Lorne, so it is nice to finally have him in the city, calmly dealing with all of the crazy the Pegasus galaxy likes to throw at him.
Also, Ronon, yay! Jason Momoa actually initially auditioned for the role of Ford, but didn't get it because he didn't want to cut off his dreads. So when the showrunners decided they needed to bring in a new character, someone wilder and more of a challenge to Sheppard than the happy-go-lucky puppy dog Ford, they came up with Ronon, which Momoa was perfect for. I can't even imagine how things would have worked out if he had entered in as Ford in the first place. I wonder where the story would have gone?
Also, clearly, Ford is no longer happy-go-lucky, poor guy. He is determined that he is "better" in crazy doped up mode, and he is apparently a little obsessed with showing Sheppard that this is the case. It, well, it can't really end well, can it?
Largely this episode serves as an exit for Ford (though not the final chapter in his story quite yet) and an entrance for Ronon. We also get some further establishment of the power struggle between Caldwell and the senior staff--this time with Sheppard. He's got to find his place in Pegasus, and it's not going to be easy for him. Plus, we got some nifty expansion on the mythology of the wraith. Runners, what a horrible concept. Seriously, the argument can be made that okay, the wraith eat people and that's just their biology, that doesn't make them evil, necessarily. But their actions? Those actions just keep proving the evil is as evil does rule day in and day out, folks.
Favorite Quotes
"Major, you've got McKay." (Sheppard)
"Oh, lucky me." (Lorne)
"I've been keeping a running tally of my lifetime exposure to radiation: X-rays, cell phones, plane rides, that whole unfortunate Genii nuclear reactor thing. My god, last week we flew dangerously close to the corona of a sun! As it is I may have to forego reproducing!" (Rodney)
"Yeah, that's funny. I was just thinking that might be wise." (Lorne)
"For what it's worth, I'd never send you in there if I thought the guy was gonna hurt you." (Sheppard)
"Is that opinion based on some sort of evidence, or is it just a gut feeling that this gentleman isn't dangerous?" (Carson)
"I didn't say he wasn't dangerous. He could probably kill you in the blink of an eye. I don't think he will." (Sheppard)
"Well thank you, I feel much better now!" (Carson)
"You can't kill an unarmed upside down man!" (Rodney)
There we have it, another rewatch complete. Come back Wednesday to tackle one of my favorite episodes of the entire series, "Duet," won't you?
Spoilers, of course, lie ahead for those who have not seen the episode. Onward!
What Happened
Things kick off with Sheppard's newly installed second-in-command, Major Lorne (Major Lorne!!) following an extremely enthusiastic Dr. Parrish (botanist) through the woods at night. Parrish is waxing poetically about the fascinating flora on the planet, which apparently has an extremely ionized radioactive atmosphere during the day. It's really super close to the sun or something. The radiation means that animal life is not sustainable on the planet. Plant life should be out of the question too, but somehow it seems to thrive instead. Lorne, meanwhile, is questioning his life choices and wondering why he accepted the assignment in Pegasus. While examining a particularly interesting species, Parrish stumbles over the body of a dead wraith. Lorne radios back to the men at the gate, and learning that there has been no wraith activity, he marks the area and immediately hauls Parrish back to Atlantis. Overhead, Commando!Ford watches all of this silently from a perch in a tree.
Lorne reports the situation to Sheppard and Elizabeth on Atlantis and Beckett stops by to let them know that while he hasn't finished his autopsy of the wraith, he did find that its enzyme sac had been removed after it was killed. This immediately brings them all to the conclusion that Ford likely killed the wraith and the hope that he might still be on the planet, since the wraith was quite freshly dead. Sheppard, Teyla, and Rodney prepare to return to the planet with Lorne in a jumper to see if they can find their wayward friend. On the way out of Elizabeth's office, Caldwell pulls Sheppard aside and reminds him that Ford, with his knowledge of the city, is a threat to their security if he can't be recaptured. He advises that Sheppard needs to be prepared to kill Ford if he can't be brought back in. Sheppard doesn't want to hear it, but he knows it is probably true. Still, he is not willing to give up on Ford quite yet.
Back on the planet, Lorne's men are left to guard the gate and the jumper while Sheppard, Teyla, Rodney, and Lorne split up to search for Ford. They can't use the life signs detectors because the radiation absorbed by the plants during the day messes up the sensors at night. All of the foliage also prevents them from doing any kind of aerial search in the jumper. Sheppard and Teyla, looking at the site where the wraith was found, wonder what a lone wraith was doing on the planet on foot in the first place. As they search, each team thinks they've got Ford's trail and hear someone in the woods, giving pursuit. Lorne radios Sheppard just as Teyla is hit by a beam of red energy, falling to the ground. Sheppard tells Lorne he will have get back to him and goes to check on Teyla, only to be shot by the energy beam himself.
Sheppard and Teyla wake up in a cave, tied together back to back with their hands bound. A big wild looking dude, not Ford, is going through their stuff. Seeing they are awake, he comes over to them, and Sheppard starts talking, introducing himself, giving his rank and name, then Teyla introduces herself. The big man introduces himself as Specialist Ronon Dex. Sheppard asks if Ronon is military as well and Ronon replies that he used to be, but that was a long time ago. Now, he's just deciding whether or not to kill them and the rest of their friends. Sheppard quickly starts trying to negotiate their release, he and Teyla explaining that they mean Ronon no harm and are just there looking for their friend. Ronon flashes back to being chased by a wraith and encountering Ford on the planet. He tells them he saw their friend, that Ford killed the wraith that was hunting him.
Meanwhile, Lorne and Rodney, having lost their quarry as well as contact with Sheppard, have reported back to the jumper, radioing in to Atlantis for reinforcements to search for the missing team members. Rodney also has Elizabeth send through all of the city's radiation suits, since the sun has come up, but he is the only one who actually wears one (the other scientists have said that limited exposure to the planet's radiation will not be that harmful). He and Lorne are back out on the search and of course Rodney is slowed down by the cumbersome suit. While Lorne is distracted trying to cajole Rodney into keeping up, and realizing how much better he had it with Parrish, he is shot by a wraith stunner. Rodney immediately panics and tries to radio for help, pulling out his gun and waving it wildly about when Ford steps out from cover, easily disarming Rodney and taking away his radio.
He leaves Lorne where he fell and tells Rodney (at gunpoint when the scientist balks) to come with him. He tells Rodney that he is "better than fine" and loves his new "superpowers." He says he just needs to prove it to Rodney and everyone else so that he can go back. Rodney tells him he can come back any time, but he knows they'll try to "fix" him if he does. So first he's going to save Sheppard and Teyla to prove that he is better how he is, and then they'll let him stay like that and come home. Ford has clearly gone 'round the bend a bit by this point. Drugs are bad kids, mmmkay?
In the cave, Sheppard and Teyla manage to get free of their bonds and recover their weapons, getting the drop on Ronon. They have a standoff, Ronon says he just needs to get through the gate and go somewhere else. The wraith are coming for him. Something clicks with Teyla and she realizes out loud that he is a "runner." Sheppard is, of course, confused, and Ronon tells them about being captured by wraith who started to feed on him and then changed their minds. Instead they planted a tracking device of sorts in his back and set him free so they could hunt him for sport. He tells them that he decided to hunt the wraith right back.
Meanwhile, Ford is explaining to Rodney about "the guy" that has Sheppard and Teyla. He tells Rodney he was on a wraith-controlled planet trying to get some more enzyme when he saw one armed to the teeth go through the gate alone. He figured one wraith would be easier to take down than a whole gaggle of them and so he followed. The wraith must have been hunting Sheppard's captor, because when Ford caught up to him he was chasing that guy.
Sheppard, trying to bargain with Ronon, promises to call his men off and let him pass through the gate if he will give back their radios. Ronon doesn't trust either of them, says Sheppard can order his men to stand down in person, since he will be coming along to the gate as a hostage. Sheppard, realizing how skittish Ronon is, worries that someone is going to get hurt in this scenario. Grasping at straws, he tells Ronon that they can help him remove the tracking device. Ronon hesitates but then makes the deal, promising that if Sheppard can get the device removed, he will bring back Sheppard's friend.
Ronon lets Sheppard go back to the jumper to send for Carson, keeping Teyla as security. Carson is, of course, once more annoyed that his services have been volunteered without his knowledge. This time to do surgery in the middle of the woods on a hostile stranger with a crazy Ford presumed still out there and wraith due in at any moment. Still, he packs up his gear and heads out, determined to do what he can.
Rodney and Ford are still wandering the woods looking for Sheppard, Teyla, and Ronon. Rodney calls Ford out on being lost and Ford kind of cracks, alternating between threatening Rodney and trying to convince him he is just fine. Rodney somehow manages to almost talk Ford down, tells him to just come back with him to the jumper and everything will be fine. He is sure Carson can figure out a way to make Ford feel better without getting rid of his new "superpowers." Ford is very tempted, but says first he has to prove himself and save Sheppard and Teyla. He tells Rodney to head back to the jumper and then heads back into the woods. Exasperated, Rodney follows him.
Waiting for Carson, Teyla talks to Ronon, convincing him that it is not necessary to keep his gun on her. She asks him about being a runner. She had heard of them all her life but had believed the stories to be just that, tales. Ronon tells her that he has been a runner for seven years, alone all that time, not by choice but because he can't risk staying in one place too long. One time, he did, and it brought the wraith down on the village where he was staying, the wraith wiped it out completely. So he stays by himself and he keeps moving.
When Carson arrives at the cave (Sheppard stays out of sight up on a ridge, with a sniper rifle aimed at Ronon, just in case), Ronon isn't quite sure what to make of him. He keeps his gun pointed at Teyla during the whole procedure and refuses to allow Carson to administer any anesthesia or to lie down for the procedure. Carson grumbles but carries on, using a scanner to locate the device. Ronon's back is covered with scars from previous attempts to remove it (one his own, the rest "doctors" he encountered on various worlds). Carson is more affronted by the botched surgery attempts than Ronon himself. Carson manages to pull out the device and as soon as he does, Ronon passes out, leaving Carson and Teyla staring at each other in bewilderment.
In the woods, Rodney and Ford run into two soldiers from Atlantis. Rodney is relieved and goes to greet them but Ford stuns them with his wraith gun, claiming they can't be trusted. Rodney gets really mad and calls Ford on his crazy, pulling out the gun that Ford had given him during a friendlier moment and telling Ford that he is coming with Rodney back to the gate. Ford refuses and they exchange angry words, Rodney's gun accidentally going off and hitting Ford in the soldier. Ford looks at Rodney in astonishment and, realizing his error, Rodney turns tail and runs for his life, Ford shooting after him and Rodney shooting his gun in the air, hoping to attract the attention of allies.
Hearing the gunfire from Ronon's cave, Teyla and Sheppard duck back inside to gather their weapons and find that Ronon has disappeared. Sheppard tells Teyla to get Carson back to the gate and goes to investigate the shots. Just as this is going on, the gate fires up and a wraith dart comes through. Major Lorne manages to get the jumper cloaked in time and alerts Sheppard to the situation.
Running from Ford, Rodney gets caught up in a snare. Ford comes upon him hanging upside down and panicking. Rodney tries to talk some sense into Ford again but Ford replies no, he's still going to have to kill Rodney. Just as he is about to take his shot, Ronon barrels into him and the two begin brawling. Sheppard manages to find the group as Ronon disarms Ford. When Ford reaches for his gun Sheppard stops him and Ford takes off, refusing to go back with them. Sheppard goes after him, leaving Ronon to cut Rodney down from the snare. Sheppard tries to convince Ford one more time to come back, even going so far as to shoot him in the leg to stop him from running away, but it doesn't even slow Ford down. The wraith dart zooms overhead, culling beam out, and Ford jumps into the beam to escape, shouting "I'll show you!" at Sheppard in parting.
Back on Atlantis Sheppard makes his report. They are all worried about Ford but unsure of what they can do for him at this point. Caldwell is, of course, pissed at Sheppard for letting Ford get away alive, convinced that he will give away the fact that Atlantis is still very much around.
Sheppard goes to speak with Ronon, who came back with them. He asked them to contact his home world, Sateda, thinking to go back now that the tracking device has been removed. Sheppard ushers Ronon to the gate room where they show him an image from the MALP they sent to Sateda. It has been completely wiped out by the wraith, no survivors, and it looks like the damage was done quite some time ago. Ronon stalks off in despair.
Commentary
Major Lorne! Yay! I love his snarks with Rodney, it's wonderful. I adore Kavan Smith, largely because of his role as Major Lorne, so it is nice to finally have him in the city, calmly dealing with all of the crazy the Pegasus galaxy likes to throw at him.
Also, Ronon, yay! Jason Momoa actually initially auditioned for the role of Ford, but didn't get it because he didn't want to cut off his dreads. So when the showrunners decided they needed to bring in a new character, someone wilder and more of a challenge to Sheppard than the happy-go-lucky puppy dog Ford, they came up with Ronon, which Momoa was perfect for. I can't even imagine how things would have worked out if he had entered in as Ford in the first place. I wonder where the story would have gone?
Also, clearly, Ford is no longer happy-go-lucky, poor guy. He is determined that he is "better" in crazy doped up mode, and he is apparently a little obsessed with showing Sheppard that this is the case. It, well, it can't really end well, can it?
Largely this episode serves as an exit for Ford (though not the final chapter in his story quite yet) and an entrance for Ronon. We also get some further establishment of the power struggle between Caldwell and the senior staff--this time with Sheppard. He's got to find his place in Pegasus, and it's not going to be easy for him. Plus, we got some nifty expansion on the mythology of the wraith. Runners, what a horrible concept. Seriously, the argument can be made that okay, the wraith eat people and that's just their biology, that doesn't make them evil, necessarily. But their actions? Those actions just keep proving the evil is as evil does rule day in and day out, folks.
Favorite Quotes
"Major, you've got McKay." (Sheppard)
"Oh, lucky me." (Lorne)
"I've been keeping a running tally of my lifetime exposure to radiation: X-rays, cell phones, plane rides, that whole unfortunate Genii nuclear reactor thing. My god, last week we flew dangerously close to the corona of a sun! As it is I may have to forego reproducing!" (Rodney)
"Yeah, that's funny. I was just thinking that might be wise." (Lorne)
"For what it's worth, I'd never send you in there if I thought the guy was gonna hurt you." (Sheppard)
"Is that opinion based on some sort of evidence, or is it just a gut feeling that this gentleman isn't dangerous?" (Carson)
"I didn't say he wasn't dangerous. He could probably kill you in the blink of an eye. I don't think he will." (Sheppard)
"Well thank you, I feel much better now!" (Carson)
"You can't kill an unarmed upside down man!" (Rodney)
There we have it, another rewatch complete. Come back Wednesday to tackle one of my favorite episodes of the entire series, "Duet," won't you?
Friday, August 19, 2011
Birthday Week!
We have had a kind of crazy (in a good way) week over here in Cori-land. My daughter turned two on Wednesday. I have always been one to make a to-do of my birthdays, and because she is the center of my world of course we had to have a party for her, even though she is entirely too little to really realize what's going on. Since her birthday was in the middle of the week, we decided to go ahead and have her party this past weekend, on Sunday evening. I am super glad we went that route, because it allowed us to get all of the crazy work part of the celebration out of the way and then just enjoy the rest of the week basking in the glow of the aftermath.
We hung balloons and streamers, picked up some barbecue, and I made cupcakes. I got bouncy balls for all of Baby Girl's friends, and set up Duplo and coloring stations for the kiddos. There were leis for everyone in general--until Baby Girl decided that she must have them all, that is. There was also Baby Girl's slide/fort that I put together inside the house when we got it and still haven't moved outside because it's too darn hot. Add to that family and friends and it was, I must say, a rousing success. Here are some of the highlights:
Of course, that didn't mean that we did nothing for her actual birthday. Hubby took the day off and we spent it together. There was her two-year checkup in the morning, but we got that bit of unpleasantness out of the way bright and early. It wasn't even that bad, Baby Girl was incredibly well behaved, she didn't even cry when she got her shot, or her nasal flu vaccine. The doctor was impressed with her laid-back nature. I remarked to Hubby on the way out that Baby Girl sure does have everyone fooled. In the last six months she has managed to jump from the twenty-fifth to seventy-fifth percentile in height. She also jumped up from the very bottom of normal in weight to the twenty-fifth percentile (whew). Gonna be tall and skinny. She defintely doesn't get that from me. Thank goodness she takes after her father!
After lunch we let her open the rest of her presents.
We wrapped up her birthday with dinner at a Mexican restaurant--that kid loves her salsa. She will eat it with a fork or spoon (and did this time) if I don't pay close enough attention. Then we went home, had brownies, and played until bedtime. All in all, it was a good day.
Of course, that's not the end of Birthday Week, oh no. Because today, my friends, is MY birthday, yay! (Baby Girl's first gift to me was saving me from having to go through labor on my birthday by arriving more or less on time.) We won't be doing anything quite so elaborate as the celebrations for Baby Girl. But Hubby did take the day off again, so I look forward to spending it with him. I will also be going to the yarn store in a little bit. Tonight I'll have dinner with my friends and family (we're going out to eat this time around so I don't have to clean up), then catching Conan the Barbarian after that. I mean, come on, shirtless Jason Momoa in a movie opening on my birthday? Clearly this is one of my presents.
So I am off to enjoy my day. I hope yours is lovely. Have a fantastic weekend folks, and I'll see you back here Monday.
We hung balloons and streamers, picked up some barbecue, and I made cupcakes. I got bouncy balls for all of Baby Girl's friends, and set up Duplo and coloring stations for the kiddos. There were leis for everyone in general--until Baby Girl decided that she must have them all, that is. There was also Baby Girl's slide/fort that I put together inside the house when we got it and still haven't moved outside because it's too darn hot. Add to that family and friends and it was, I must say, a rousing success. Here are some of the highlights:
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| Balloons and streamers! |
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| Indoor slide! Complete with QA Cat. |
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| Bouncy balls for everyone! |
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| Pineapple cupcakes, with lemon or strawberry frosting. |
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| The birthday girl's cake. |
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| Lei Collector in action. |
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| Must have more leis! |
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| Blowing out her candles. |
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| She wasn't quite too sure about her cupcake, though. |
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| Hugs for everyone! |
Of course, that didn't mean that we did nothing for her actual birthday. Hubby took the day off and we spent it together. There was her two-year checkup in the morning, but we got that bit of unpleasantness out of the way bright and early. It wasn't even that bad, Baby Girl was incredibly well behaved, she didn't even cry when she got her shot, or her nasal flu vaccine. The doctor was impressed with her laid-back nature. I remarked to Hubby on the way out that Baby Girl sure does have everyone fooled. In the last six months she has managed to jump from the twenty-fifth to seventy-fifth percentile in height. She also jumped up from the very bottom of normal in weight to the twenty-fifth percentile (whew). Gonna be tall and skinny. She defintely doesn't get that from me. Thank goodness she takes after her father!
After lunch we let her open the rest of her presents.
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| Tony tests out the trampoline. |
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| An easel to stretch her creative muscles. |
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| She is starting to get the hang of this unwrapping thing. |
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| Wally checks out the stomp rocket. |
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| 3..2..1...LIFTOFF!! |
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| Feeding her My Little Pony a bottle. |
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| I can't stress how much she wanted me to get Elmo out of the box RIGHT NOW as soon as she saw him. |
We wrapped up her birthday with dinner at a Mexican restaurant--that kid loves her salsa. She will eat it with a fork or spoon (and did this time) if I don't pay close enough attention. Then we went home, had brownies, and played until bedtime. All in all, it was a good day.
Of course, that's not the end of Birthday Week, oh no. Because today, my friends, is MY birthday, yay! (Baby Girl's first gift to me was saving me from having to go through labor on my birthday by arriving more or less on time.) We won't be doing anything quite so elaborate as the celebrations for Baby Girl. But Hubby did take the day off again, so I look forward to spending it with him. I will also be going to the yarn store in a little bit. Tonight I'll have dinner with my friends and family (we're going out to eat this time around so I don't have to clean up), then catching Conan the Barbarian after that. I mean, come on, shirtless Jason Momoa in a movie opening on my birthday? Clearly this is one of my presents.
So I am off to enjoy my day. I hope yours is lovely. Have a fantastic weekend folks, and I'll see you back here Monday.
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