Stargate: Atlantis 2.11: "The Hive"
Written by Carl Binder
Directed by Martin Wood
In which Ford’s team, along with Sheppard, Ronon, and Teyla, attempt to escape the Wraith hiveship, while McKay makes a deadly choice in the hopes of getting back to Atlantis…
Of the three “Sci-Fi Friday” series currently on the air, I was least satisfied with the first half of the season for “Stargate: Atlantis”. I felt that the writers weren’t capitalizing on the strength of the concepts and characters nearly enough, and in general, the series was in a slump. This conclusion to the mid-season cliffhanger has a number of the same problems that plagued the first half of the season, as well as the same relative potential strengths.
One thing I was happy to see (and hear) again was a full opening credit sequence and theme. I love the opening theme for this series and missed it terribly during the first half of the season. It gives the series an epic tone that I think it wants to achieve. Of course, it helps when the story hangs together better than this episode did.
It struck me, throughout the episode, that while some moments were rather clever (if a little predictable), like the enabled escape attempt and the concept of Wraith-worshipping humans, the final act of the episode relied on a number of vague assumptions and several plot conveniences. Sheppard manages to create an effective civil war between two hiveships far too easily, especially since the Daedalus was a juicy target already under fire.
The writers never explained how McKay recovered so quickly, after putting him in immediate jeopardy, and likewise, they never explained how Sheppard managed to get his hands on a Dart in the middle of a crowded hanger bay during an alert condition. Sure, they mentioned that the Wraith are becoming territorial to the point of insanity, but that doesn’t cut it when the conflict erupts in such an abrupt fashion.
Equally egregious was the overwrought manner of Sheppard’s survival. There was no chance that the three main cast members would die in the firefight, so the entire mess felt needlessly manipulative. The fact that it didn’t work made it even worse. The writers found such an unlikely way for the characters to survive long enough to escape in the Dart that it would have been ridiculous for them to die within reach of freedom.
The writers needed to preserve the safety of Atlantis while wrapping up the mid-season finale with some semblance of logic. As entertaining as it was, once the plot conveniences started filing in at a rapid pace, the quality of the episode suffered proportionally. That said, there were some good points. It was interesting to see the effect of withdrawal from the enzyme, Ford’s apparent heroics, the Cute Exposition Wraith-Worshipper, and there were some great comedic moments (that bit about clowns was inspired). And Ronon continues to be a fun character to watch.
I’m just looking for this series to bring back some of the storytelling richness and depth that was present in the first season. It’s possible that I’m missing some of the context without the second half of the season, but it still feels like the series is finding its own voice. There’s still a lot of time to turn things around, especially with a third season already in the works, but for now, I’m still worried about where the series is heading.
Writing: 1/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 1/4
Final Rating: 6/10
Directed by Martin Wood
In which Ford’s team, along with Sheppard, Ronon, and Teyla, attempt to escape the Wraith hiveship, while McKay makes a deadly choice in the hopes of getting back to Atlantis…
Of the three “Sci-Fi Friday” series currently on the air, I was least satisfied with the first half of the season for “Stargate: Atlantis”. I felt that the writers weren’t capitalizing on the strength of the concepts and characters nearly enough, and in general, the series was in a slump. This conclusion to the mid-season cliffhanger has a number of the same problems that plagued the first half of the season, as well as the same relative potential strengths.
One thing I was happy to see (and hear) again was a full opening credit sequence and theme. I love the opening theme for this series and missed it terribly during the first half of the season. It gives the series an epic tone that I think it wants to achieve. Of course, it helps when the story hangs together better than this episode did.
It struck me, throughout the episode, that while some moments were rather clever (if a little predictable), like the enabled escape attempt and the concept of Wraith-worshipping humans, the final act of the episode relied on a number of vague assumptions and several plot conveniences. Sheppard manages to create an effective civil war between two hiveships far too easily, especially since the Daedalus was a juicy target already under fire.
The writers never explained how McKay recovered so quickly, after putting him in immediate jeopardy, and likewise, they never explained how Sheppard managed to get his hands on a Dart in the middle of a crowded hanger bay during an alert condition. Sure, they mentioned that the Wraith are becoming territorial to the point of insanity, but that doesn’t cut it when the conflict erupts in such an abrupt fashion.
Equally egregious was the overwrought manner of Sheppard’s survival. There was no chance that the three main cast members would die in the firefight, so the entire mess felt needlessly manipulative. The fact that it didn’t work made it even worse. The writers found such an unlikely way for the characters to survive long enough to escape in the Dart that it would have been ridiculous for them to die within reach of freedom.
The writers needed to preserve the safety of Atlantis while wrapping up the mid-season finale with some semblance of logic. As entertaining as it was, once the plot conveniences started filing in at a rapid pace, the quality of the episode suffered proportionally. That said, there were some good points. It was interesting to see the effect of withdrawal from the enzyme, Ford’s apparent heroics, the Cute Exposition Wraith-Worshipper, and there were some great comedic moments (that bit about clowns was inspired). And Ronon continues to be a fun character to watch.
I’m just looking for this series to bring back some of the storytelling richness and depth that was present in the first season. It’s possible that I’m missing some of the context without the second half of the season, but it still feels like the series is finding its own voice. There’s still a lot of time to turn things around, especially with a third season already in the works, but for now, I’m still worried about where the series is heading.
Writing: 1/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 1/4
Final Rating: 6/10
posted by John Keegan | 12:42
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