Stargate: Atlantis 2.15: "The Tower"

Written by Paul Mullie and Joseph Mallozzi
Directed by Andy Mikita

In which Sheppard becomes embroiled in local politics on a planet with a buried city very similar to Atlantis, and the rest of his team deals with the related class struggle…


I was going to discuss how utterly predictable this episode was, how it was symptomatic of all my issues with this series this season, and what the writers need to do to get this series back on track. But as I sat down in my post-Super-Bowl-Dinner digestive haze, I realized that I had something else on my mind. Something that the writing staff needs to get through their complacent heads.

Most network series that get a full-season pickup have 22-24 episodes for that season. It is a completely reasonable expectation that the producers, writers, cast, crew, and everyone else involved with the production step up to the plate each and every episode. That’s what they’re paid for. The very idea that there might be room in the schedule for “filler” episodes is a complete crock.

Look, this isn’t comics. It used to be that every comics company, for each major title, had a number of “inventory” stories that were ready to go, just in case the usual suspects couldn’t deliver on time. These were the “filler” stories, the one-issue tales that did nothing to advance the character or change the status quo. They were pleasant enough, but annoying, especially if they were dropped into the schedule without advance notice.

But episodic television is different. They get hundreds of thousands of dollars per episode to bring it each and every week. They are expected to deliver a consistent quality product, because the same people should be running the shows each and every episode. Maybe they bring in a spec script once in and while, but the vast majority of the work is produced in-house by the writing staff. There should be no room for “filler” episodes. Yes, there should be character development and transitional arc episodes, but there’s no excuse for dumping something substandard into the schedule, as if “there’s room for a few mid-season filler episodes”.

Sorry. I don’t buy it. Especially when the writing staff for SFC shows get 20 episodes a season. That gives them less opportunity to phone in the scripts, and less excuse for slacking off. Look at “BSG”, which has exactly the same number of episodes. There’s not one episode that could be termed “filler”. An episode or two may not hit the mark, but it’s not for lack of trying. Each episode advances the plot and character arcs in some way, and details are very important.

What did this episode contribute to the advancement of the plot and character arcs for “Atlantis”? So they have a few more puddle-jumpers, lots of drones for the next Wraith attack, and so on. In the first season, incremental changes like that were usually tied to a solid stand-alone episode, not some waste of money and time. For that matter, take the episode of “SG-1” that aired on the same night (9.15): a stand-alone tale that leveled serious long-term consequences on the season arc. What did this episode do for what has been passing as the arc for this season of “Atlantis”?

A lot of people say that “filler” episodes are par for the course. Not every episode can be a winner, and if you give a writing staff the chance to experiment, not every experiment will succeed. Fair enough. But there’s a difference between high-concept experimentation and complacency. The writers for “Atlantis” are acting like they don’t even have to bother trying, and frankly, it’s starting to piss me off. I shouldn’t tune into “Atlantis” and find myself staring at an episode that would have been substandard for “Andromeda”.

Writing: 1/2
Acting: 1/2
Direction: 1/2
Style: 0/4

Final Rating: 3/10