Stargate: Atlantis 3.11: "The Return: Part II"

Written by Martin Gero
Directed by Brad Turner

In a surprising twist against all expectation, “Stargate: Atlantis” went from being the pale imitation of the original in its second season to the far more consistent series in the franchise this season. Despite a few hiccups along the way, the third season has been much better, presenting stronger characterization and a far more interesting season arc. The Asurans may retread the Replicator episodes of “SG-1” in many respects, but the intersection of returned Ancients, Asurans, and Team Atlantis was a breath of fresh air.

Bringing Jack O’Neill into the mid-season event might have been an unnecessary attempt at better ratings, but it does continue to bring the two series together into one cohesive universe. Given the endless press releases during the hiatus, that is a crucial element. It also helps to remind the fans that O’Neill is still an important part of the franchise, even if Richard Dean Anderson wanted to retire.

Team Atlantis went rogue at the end of the first half of the story, and the first half of the episode is dominated by the counter-attack on the Asurans and the resulting flight from Atlantis. The special effects are excellent during the battle scenes, particularly the several fly-bys through the city. Things only slow down and become somewhat predictable once the jumper is trapped underwater, forcing the team to call on O’Neill and Woolsey to save the day.

Things get a lot more complicated from there, and those complications save the episode from a depressing predictability. Defeating the Asurans so quickly is not only anti-climactic, but damaging to the integrity of the season as a whole. One can only hope that the Asurans on Atlantis were only part of the overall population and that the threat is far from over. It would be a lot less impressive without the twists and turns required to retake Atlantis, especially after resolving the issue with the returned Ancients off-screen in the first half.

The reset button is further employed with the restoration of Team Atlantis to the command of the city, despite disobeying orders from Stargate Command. With all the issues between the SGC and the international oversight, even with Woolsey tossing in the good word for Weir, it’s hard to believe that the reinstatement would go so easily. All told, this is a far more conventional conclusion than the character development-heavy first installment would have indicated.

In fact, it’s not clear where the season will go from here. One would hope that the character development would continue, especially for characters other than McKay and Sheppard, and that the fracturing of the Wraith and its impact on the Pegasus Galaxy will be further explored. Hopefully the Asurans aren’t completely out of the picture, despite this episode’s conclusion, and there’s also the tensions with the Genii. There’s a lot out there for the writers to work with; it’s a question of pulling it together into something more than scattered plot threads.

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

Final Rating: 8/10