Post by Ahryantah on Aug 2, 2004 10:17:28 GMT -5
Review of the Stargate Atlantic episode "Thirty-Eight Minutes" first airing on the Sci-Fi channel on June 30, 2004.
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I've seen better.
I have. Last week's episode of Atlantis was better, I thought. Not saying that this episode wasn't enjoyable. It was. And I'm going to keep watching because so far I haven't been disappointed. I do think, however, that an episode like this is more appropriate for the middle or the end of the season, not for one of the first episodes ever of a new series. There's been three episodes of Atlantis (four, if you count the two-parter as two separate ones) and we have yet to actually see the Atlantis team go on a mission. I was okay with this at first, because they were spending a lot of time on getting all the characters settled into their new home, which is realistic. But this episode puts us right in the middle of the action: Sheppard's team is coming home from a mission and is in deep trouble.
A great episode, like I said, but I personally think they should have spent a couple episodes developing the missions, and then expand the storylines to include things like Gate malfunction. But maybe that's just me.
On its own the episode was really good. The puddle jumper Sheppard and crew are flying gets stuck halfway through the Stargate because one of the engines didn't retract all the way. The front end, with the two pilots, is demolecularized but cannot come through the other side of the Gate because the entire ship isn't through. Sheppard and his team are in the back, which is sticking out in space, and Sheppard is dying from some giant bug that has attached itself to his neck and it sucking his life force out. They've only got thirty-eight minutes (the longest amount of time a Stargate can stay open) before the ship is cut in two, annihilating the people in the front and leaving the back to drift in space until everyone dies from depressurization or suffocation.
In other words, they're screwed.
McKay sets to work on trying to retract the engine, while Teyla and Ford keep Sheppard alive. Meanwhile, back in Atlantis, Weir has everyone she can working on the problem. The tension in these scenes is great, because even though you know Sheppard isn't going to die and that the main characters at least will be saved, you're still wondering how they can possibly pull it off. The fact that they have to resort to desperate meaures is great. And we got to see Weir take some more command - her strategies are questioned more than once, both by her own people and by Teyla's, and she stands firm by her conviction to save everyone in the ship and exhaust all possibilities in trying to do so. This also could be the set-up for other troubles later on, like a group of people rising up against Weir and dividing Atlantis into factions. And Teyla's people are still a big question mark.
McKay is still the prissy, hungry coward of last week, but once again he proves that when the pressure's on he can come through and save the day (after a bit of whining and an energy bar, that is). Teyla I still don't like, though she showed some personality this week and actually changed her clothes. The tension of the storyline was the best part of this episode. When all is said and done, I'm still looking forward to next week. Hopefully we'll get to see them on a mission this time.
7 out of 10.
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I've seen better.
I have. Last week's episode of Atlantis was better, I thought. Not saying that this episode wasn't enjoyable. It was. And I'm going to keep watching because so far I haven't been disappointed. I do think, however, that an episode like this is more appropriate for the middle or the end of the season, not for one of the first episodes ever of a new series. There's been three episodes of Atlantis (four, if you count the two-parter as two separate ones) and we have yet to actually see the Atlantis team go on a mission. I was okay with this at first, because they were spending a lot of time on getting all the characters settled into their new home, which is realistic. But this episode puts us right in the middle of the action: Sheppard's team is coming home from a mission and is in deep trouble.
A great episode, like I said, but I personally think they should have spent a couple episodes developing the missions, and then expand the storylines to include things like Gate malfunction. But maybe that's just me.
On its own the episode was really good. The puddle jumper Sheppard and crew are flying gets stuck halfway through the Stargate because one of the engines didn't retract all the way. The front end, with the two pilots, is demolecularized but cannot come through the other side of the Gate because the entire ship isn't through. Sheppard and his team are in the back, which is sticking out in space, and Sheppard is dying from some giant bug that has attached itself to his neck and it sucking his life force out. They've only got thirty-eight minutes (the longest amount of time a Stargate can stay open) before the ship is cut in two, annihilating the people in the front and leaving the back to drift in space until everyone dies from depressurization or suffocation.
In other words, they're screwed.
McKay sets to work on trying to retract the engine, while Teyla and Ford keep Sheppard alive. Meanwhile, back in Atlantis, Weir has everyone she can working on the problem. The tension in these scenes is great, because even though you know Sheppard isn't going to die and that the main characters at least will be saved, you're still wondering how they can possibly pull it off. The fact that they have to resort to desperate meaures is great. And we got to see Weir take some more command - her strategies are questioned more than once, both by her own people and by Teyla's, and she stands firm by her conviction to save everyone in the ship and exhaust all possibilities in trying to do so. This also could be the set-up for other troubles later on, like a group of people rising up against Weir and dividing Atlantis into factions. And Teyla's people are still a big question mark.
McKay is still the prissy, hungry coward of last week, but once again he proves that when the pressure's on he can come through and save the day (after a bit of whining and an energy bar, that is). Teyla I still don't like, though she showed some personality this week and actually changed her clothes. The tension of the storyline was the best part of this episode. When all is said and done, I'm still looking forward to next week. Hopefully we'll get to see them on a mission this time.
7 out of 10.
