Stargate: Atlantis 2.4: "Duet"
Written by Martin Gero
Directed by Peter DeLuise
In which an encounter with a Wraith Dart merges McKay with a young woman named Lt. Cadman, and while McKay struggles with the effects, time runs out to find a cure...
This episode was, according to the promo, supposed to be about the process of bringing Ronon into the Atlantis fold. Instead, that was merely a subplot, and a rather basic one at that. The real focus was once again on McKay. While this is a very funny episode, I’m not quite sure that the emphasis on McKay was the right thing to continue this early in the season.
It seems like a lot of episodes have, on some level, an example of McKay looking like a fool, demonstrating some degree of expertise or unexpected strength, and then working himself out of the fix he’s in. Usually it’s a subplot, where it is typically not so blatant. This episode is 95% McKay and his wacky predicament.
The writers find an interesting plot device to make the episode work, and for the most part, David Hewlett is up to the challenge. When McKay is hearing Lt. Cadman’s voice in his head, Hewlett plays it very well. It’s very believable. He even does Cadman’s control of McKay’s body well. But when McKay and Cadman are fighting for control, it’s not nearly as convincing. One can only imagine how many takes they went through to get it even close to right.
Enjoyment of this episode is directly dependent on one’s enjoyment of the McKay character. I have to admit that, as much as I laughed, I wasn’t particularly enthralled. I was happy enough to watch this while eating dinner, and I laughed out loud during the date and any point at which Cadman was flirting with/tonguing Beckett.
There were some other highlights. It was great to see Sweaty!Teyla is action, especially when she decided to stretch out after sparring practice. I’m still waiting for her character to have a bit more to do this season, which is why yet more McKay is a little annoying. She looks good on screen, but there’s plenty of direction for her character now. Why not explore it?
In terms of Ronon, I’m still liking this guy. He has a massive amount of confidence, to the point where one can believe that he would find Sheppard’s offer to join Atlantis rather amusing. Is Ronon really better off with Atlantis, or is it more clearly a benefit for Sheppard, and by extension, Weir?
I have the feeling that this episode was more about establishing technology and its boundaries. Just as many of the first season episodes focused on revealing a single piece of information that would later become vital to the season arc, this episode seemed to be all about revealing how the Wraith Darts grab people and “store” them. Slapping McKay and very, very hot Lt. Cadman in the same body for a while felt like a means to that end. This episode also established that those on Atlantis are trying to remain out of contact with the Wraith, because they believe that such exposure would clue the Wraith in on the deception from “The Siege: Part III”.
But this wasn’t the kind of episode that I would want to watch more than a few times. It has its moments, but for the most part, this is the kind of episode that you watch a couple of times and then rarely. There’s nothing particularly wrong with it, but since I’m getting tired of the emphasis on McKay (as funny as it often is), this was not an episode that I found enthralling.
Writing: 1/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 1/4
Final Rating: 6/10
Directed by Peter DeLuise
In which an encounter with a Wraith Dart merges McKay with a young woman named Lt. Cadman, and while McKay struggles with the effects, time runs out to find a cure...
This episode was, according to the promo, supposed to be about the process of bringing Ronon into the Atlantis fold. Instead, that was merely a subplot, and a rather basic one at that. The real focus was once again on McKay. While this is a very funny episode, I’m not quite sure that the emphasis on McKay was the right thing to continue this early in the season.
It seems like a lot of episodes have, on some level, an example of McKay looking like a fool, demonstrating some degree of expertise or unexpected strength, and then working himself out of the fix he’s in. Usually it’s a subplot, where it is typically not so blatant. This episode is 95% McKay and his wacky predicament.
The writers find an interesting plot device to make the episode work, and for the most part, David Hewlett is up to the challenge. When McKay is hearing Lt. Cadman’s voice in his head, Hewlett plays it very well. It’s very believable. He even does Cadman’s control of McKay’s body well. But when McKay and Cadman are fighting for control, it’s not nearly as convincing. One can only imagine how many takes they went through to get it even close to right.
Enjoyment of this episode is directly dependent on one’s enjoyment of the McKay character. I have to admit that, as much as I laughed, I wasn’t particularly enthralled. I was happy enough to watch this while eating dinner, and I laughed out loud during the date and any point at which Cadman was flirting with/tonguing Beckett.
There were some other highlights. It was great to see Sweaty!Teyla is action, especially when she decided to stretch out after sparring practice. I’m still waiting for her character to have a bit more to do this season, which is why yet more McKay is a little annoying. She looks good on screen, but there’s plenty of direction for her character now. Why not explore it?
In terms of Ronon, I’m still liking this guy. He has a massive amount of confidence, to the point where one can believe that he would find Sheppard’s offer to join Atlantis rather amusing. Is Ronon really better off with Atlantis, or is it more clearly a benefit for Sheppard, and by extension, Weir?
I have the feeling that this episode was more about establishing technology and its boundaries. Just as many of the first season episodes focused on revealing a single piece of information that would later become vital to the season arc, this episode seemed to be all about revealing how the Wraith Darts grab people and “store” them. Slapping McKay and very, very hot Lt. Cadman in the same body for a while felt like a means to that end. This episode also established that those on Atlantis are trying to remain out of contact with the Wraith, because they believe that such exposure would clue the Wraith in on the deception from “The Siege: Part III”.
But this wasn’t the kind of episode that I would want to watch more than a few times. It has its moments, but for the most part, this is the kind of episode that you watch a couple of times and then rarely. There’s nothing particularly wrong with it, but since I’m getting tired of the emphasis on McKay (as funny as it often is), this was not an episode that I found enthralling.
Writing: 1/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 1/4
Final Rating: 6/10
posted by John Keegan | 18:00
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