Stargate: Atlantis 2.5: "Condemned"
Written by Sean Carley and Carl Binder
Directed by Peter DeLuise
In which contact with the world of Olesia results in the discovery of a corrupt justice system, where prisoners just happen to be condemned to the island where Wraith arrive to feed…
I wasn’t all that impressed with this episode, because from my perspective, it was way too easy to predict what would happen. Was it really such a shock that the Olesians were allied with the Wraith in some way? And that it would ultimately backfire? There was enough predictability that the character moments, especially the more obvious ones, were more annoying for it.
Once again, there’s an episode that prominently features McKay. Clearly, he’s a favorite among the writing staff, and there’s plenty of agreement among the viewers that he’s a strong character. But he’s rapidly falling into the “too perfect” category. Despite all of his character flaws, he’s always pulling something impossible out of his hat. It becomes a case of letting one character get away with the impossible with the convenient stroke of a pen. Characters should never be that enormously competent.
That’s not to say that this episode doesn’t try very hard to explore who McKay is and how he operates. It’s just not an amazing revelation. Yes, Rodney tends to claim that something is beyond impossible, only to find the miraculous solution when (perhaps subconsciously) it makes him look the best. But what I’m waiting for (and I imagine many others anticipate the same) is the moment when he really, truly cannot make it happen. It’s been on the table before, but not enough to really make McKay step back and evaluate his methods.
But note that the plot becomes so dominated by this exploration of the more obvious side of McKay’s personality that Sheppard, Teyla, and Ronon become overshadowed. Ronon gets a moment of characterization here and there, but it’s largely a matter of showing how he must resist his more primal urges and his old way of life. Teyla is once again left to stare intriguingly at Ronon and toss out a few fight scenes, in between looking rather hot in that tight halter. Sheppard gets to be flippant in the face of danger. We’ve seen it all before.
One highlight? Weir’s showdown with the Magistrate. Whatever tensions might exist between the military and civilian authorities, they disappear when common interests are at stake. Weir knows her resources, and she uses them effectively and without hesitation when the cards are on the table. It’s a great scene, hands down, and one of Weir’s shining moments.
The concept is vaguely interesting, but the whole question of how justice can be perverted to serve the needs of the elite doesn’t quite gel (at least for me). This episode felt like a way to remind the audience that the Wraith, once awakened, are out there in greater numbers than the food sources in Pegasus can reasonably sustain. This keeps the tension high, since few worlds will be free of Wraith culling operations.
Will the released prisoners become a recurring issue, much like the Genii in the first season? I personally hope that they are used sparingly, if at all. I simply don’t think of them as compelling villains or convincing allies. Eldon could be useful eventually, but for now, he’s just a plot device. The only real surprise of the episode was that Torrell didn’t kill Eldon outright.
Even if it wasn’t to my tastes, the episode was otherwise solid. Not everyone is going to think that this was predictable, and not everyone is as tired of McKay grabbing the spotlight as I’ve become. On the other hand, I can’t be the only one thinking that the writers need to start spreading the love around. After all, the next episode looks to be another McKay-centric tale, so sooner or later, it’s going to get old for everyone.
Writing: 2/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 0/4
Final Rating: 6/10
Directed by Peter DeLuise
In which contact with the world of Olesia results in the discovery of a corrupt justice system, where prisoners just happen to be condemned to the island where Wraith arrive to feed…
I wasn’t all that impressed with this episode, because from my perspective, it was way too easy to predict what would happen. Was it really such a shock that the Olesians were allied with the Wraith in some way? And that it would ultimately backfire? There was enough predictability that the character moments, especially the more obvious ones, were more annoying for it.
Once again, there’s an episode that prominently features McKay. Clearly, he’s a favorite among the writing staff, and there’s plenty of agreement among the viewers that he’s a strong character. But he’s rapidly falling into the “too perfect” category. Despite all of his character flaws, he’s always pulling something impossible out of his hat. It becomes a case of letting one character get away with the impossible with the convenient stroke of a pen. Characters should never be that enormously competent.
That’s not to say that this episode doesn’t try very hard to explore who McKay is and how he operates. It’s just not an amazing revelation. Yes, Rodney tends to claim that something is beyond impossible, only to find the miraculous solution when (perhaps subconsciously) it makes him look the best. But what I’m waiting for (and I imagine many others anticipate the same) is the moment when he really, truly cannot make it happen. It’s been on the table before, but not enough to really make McKay step back and evaluate his methods.
But note that the plot becomes so dominated by this exploration of the more obvious side of McKay’s personality that Sheppard, Teyla, and Ronon become overshadowed. Ronon gets a moment of characterization here and there, but it’s largely a matter of showing how he must resist his more primal urges and his old way of life. Teyla is once again left to stare intriguingly at Ronon and toss out a few fight scenes, in between looking rather hot in that tight halter. Sheppard gets to be flippant in the face of danger. We’ve seen it all before.
One highlight? Weir’s showdown with the Magistrate. Whatever tensions might exist between the military and civilian authorities, they disappear when common interests are at stake. Weir knows her resources, and she uses them effectively and without hesitation when the cards are on the table. It’s a great scene, hands down, and one of Weir’s shining moments.
The concept is vaguely interesting, but the whole question of how justice can be perverted to serve the needs of the elite doesn’t quite gel (at least for me). This episode felt like a way to remind the audience that the Wraith, once awakened, are out there in greater numbers than the food sources in Pegasus can reasonably sustain. This keeps the tension high, since few worlds will be free of Wraith culling operations.
Will the released prisoners become a recurring issue, much like the Genii in the first season? I personally hope that they are used sparingly, if at all. I simply don’t think of them as compelling villains or convincing allies. Eldon could be useful eventually, but for now, he’s just a plot device. The only real surprise of the episode was that Torrell didn’t kill Eldon outright.
Even if it wasn’t to my tastes, the episode was otherwise solid. Not everyone is going to think that this was predictable, and not everyone is as tired of McKay grabbing the spotlight as I’ve become. On the other hand, I can’t be the only one thinking that the writers need to start spreading the love around. After all, the next episode looks to be another McKay-centric tale, so sooner or later, it’s going to get old for everyone.
Writing: 2/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 0/4
Final Rating: 6/10
posted by John Keegan | 09:51
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home