Stargate: Atlantis 3.4: "Sateda"
Written by Robert C. Cooper
Directed by Robert C. Cooper
This is one of those episodes that has me caught between appreciation of what the writers, cast, and director attempted and reaction to how it all came together in the end. This episode came with a lot of praise and hype from the producers, and sometimes that can be a letdown. After all, shows like “Dead Zone” talk about how every episode is another example of how creative and inspired they are, and the audience wonders if they’re talking about the same thing. “SGA” has been falling into the same trap lately, and this episode is a good example.
On paper, this must have looked impressive. And conceptually, it is a cut above the average storytelling on “SGA”, especially since the first season. The flashbacks were slightly confusing, but it fit the scattered and frantic tone of the story, and it was good to see a bit more of Ronon’s past. Even the resolution of the episode must have looked good on paper. So why was I left feeling annoyed and even embarrassed for everyone who said that this was one of the best episodes yet?
I think it had a lot to do with the direction. I understand the stylized choices made to give the episode edge, but in a few instances, it made the whole thing look ridiculous. Had the main storyline retained a certain darkness, the disconcerting flashbacks would have worked very well. This could and should have been shot at night and it should have been horrific. Ronon should have looked like he was in shreds.
Instead, the director shot the episode like it was a bad action film. All the faux-Matrix shots, the slow motion cuts, the all-too-obvious staging of the action set pieces, and especially the showdown between Ronon and the Wraith commander all felt like something that would come out of a film school graduate on his or her first assignment, grasping for anything that might look badass.
I’ve been willing to give Jason Momoa his due when it comes to a relatively two-dimensional character. He plays Ronon well, especially the moments with edge. But in this episode, there are several scenes where line delivery is unconvincing, to say the least. This happens a lot in the final act. It certainly doesn’t help that he was saddled with those badly staged action scenes.
In terms of the staging, I should explain what I’m talking about, because it’s a fine line that gets crossed. Ronon knows that an ambush is coming, so he places weapons in certain places so he can respond. This all looks very smart, but some of those weapons are in plain sight. It’s hard to believe that the Wraith wouldn’t notice any of that, and that a hunting party would show such a lack of coordination. It didn’t make Ronon look like a survivalist; it made the Wraith look stupid. And that didn’t serve either Ronon or the Wraith well at all.
The bottom line is that the Cooper both wrote and directed the episode, and that led to shortcuts. The writing may have involved some contrivances, but good direction will help smooth out the worst excesses. In this case, the direction did little more than expose the shortcomings in the writing. As much as I wanted to like this episode, it fell short in some fundamental areas.
(As a sidenote: I also have a podcast associated with my various reviews called “Dispatches from Tuzenor”. Recent episodes cover the “Stargate: Atlantis”, so it might be something of interest. Go to http://entil2001.libsyn.com if you want to listen!)
Writing: 2/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 0/2
Style: 1/4
Final Rating: 5/10
Directed by Robert C. Cooper
This is one of those episodes that has me caught between appreciation of what the writers, cast, and director attempted and reaction to how it all came together in the end. This episode came with a lot of praise and hype from the producers, and sometimes that can be a letdown. After all, shows like “Dead Zone” talk about how every episode is another example of how creative and inspired they are, and the audience wonders if they’re talking about the same thing. “SGA” has been falling into the same trap lately, and this episode is a good example.
On paper, this must have looked impressive. And conceptually, it is a cut above the average storytelling on “SGA”, especially since the first season. The flashbacks were slightly confusing, but it fit the scattered and frantic tone of the story, and it was good to see a bit more of Ronon’s past. Even the resolution of the episode must have looked good on paper. So why was I left feeling annoyed and even embarrassed for everyone who said that this was one of the best episodes yet?
I think it had a lot to do with the direction. I understand the stylized choices made to give the episode edge, but in a few instances, it made the whole thing look ridiculous. Had the main storyline retained a certain darkness, the disconcerting flashbacks would have worked very well. This could and should have been shot at night and it should have been horrific. Ronon should have looked like he was in shreds.
Instead, the director shot the episode like it was a bad action film. All the faux-Matrix shots, the slow motion cuts, the all-too-obvious staging of the action set pieces, and especially the showdown between Ronon and the Wraith commander all felt like something that would come out of a film school graduate on his or her first assignment, grasping for anything that might look badass.
I’ve been willing to give Jason Momoa his due when it comes to a relatively two-dimensional character. He plays Ronon well, especially the moments with edge. But in this episode, there are several scenes where line delivery is unconvincing, to say the least. This happens a lot in the final act. It certainly doesn’t help that he was saddled with those badly staged action scenes.
In terms of the staging, I should explain what I’m talking about, because it’s a fine line that gets crossed. Ronon knows that an ambush is coming, so he places weapons in certain places so he can respond. This all looks very smart, but some of those weapons are in plain sight. It’s hard to believe that the Wraith wouldn’t notice any of that, and that a hunting party would show such a lack of coordination. It didn’t make Ronon look like a survivalist; it made the Wraith look stupid. And that didn’t serve either Ronon or the Wraith well at all.
The bottom line is that the Cooper both wrote and directed the episode, and that led to shortcuts. The writing may have involved some contrivances, but good direction will help smooth out the worst excesses. In this case, the direction did little more than expose the shortcomings in the writing. As much as I wanted to like this episode, it fell short in some fundamental areas.
(As a sidenote: I also have a podcast associated with my various reviews called “Dispatches from Tuzenor”. Recent episodes cover the “Stargate: Atlantis”, so it might be something of interest. Go to http://entil2001.libsyn.com if you want to listen!)
Writing: 2/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 0/2
Style: 1/4
Final Rating: 5/10
posted by John Keegan | 17:16
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