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The
team visits a technologically advanced planet inhabited by
a civilisation mysteriously unharmed by the Wraith. However,
they soon start to suspect that the idyllic environment may
be the result of a sinister pact between the planet's leader
and the Wraith...
Condemned
is one of those episodes where everything is clearly signposted,
meaning that you can see all the plot twists coming a mile
off. There is also some odd behaviour on the part of Weir.
Meeting a new race for the first time she starts throwing
her weight around even though they are doing all they can
to help her. Why does Weir not believe her host and why does
she threaten to rescind their new alliance? This seems a little
too heavy handed.
Peter
DeLuise explains in his audio commentary that this episode
was the show's homage to Mad Max and Waterworld
(although why you'd want to pay homage to the biggest flop
on record is anyone's guess).
Not
one of the best Atlantis episodes, but still watchable.
The Atlantis team may have found a new source of energy for
their city based on unperfected Ancient technology. Hope turns
to fear, however, when McKay's first attempt results in a
death. Can McKay unravel the intricacies of the Ancients'
technology without putting himself and Sheppard in mortal
danger...?
Trinity
sees Ronin learn that more of his people survived the attack
that he believed had left him as his planet's only survivor.
Apparently 300 of his people managed to survive and are living
on numerous worlds. Meanwhile Rodney has discovered an Ancients
outpost. The planet's atmosphere is littered with the wreckage
of Wraith ships. On the surface, the team discover that the
Ancients were experimenting on a new form of power to replace
the ZPMs. Can Rodney manage to get this technology working?
Only
someone who has never watched a sci-fi show will not work
out how this episode will turn out. As with Condemned,
you can see the twist a mile off. In fact if you don't guess
why the Ancients originally left the planet, before the Atlantis
team warms it up, then you probably only have a passing interest
in sci-fi.
Another
rather uninspired episode.
The team encounters a scientist, Zaddik, who has been living
with a Wraith child, Ellia. Dr. Beckett meets with Zaddik,
hoping he can begin a controlled experiment on Ellia with
a retrovirus he has been developing. However, the underdeveloped
formula has the opposite of the desired effect...
Instinct
is really a reworking of the old Frankenstein story
- in fact Zaddik's lab pays homage to the old Frankenstein
movies. This episode stars Jewel Staite as Ellia, the Wraith
girl. Staite is better known as Kaylee Frye in Firefly/Serenity,
and is totally unrecognisable in this episode.
I
did have a couple of issues with this episode. Firstly, we
learn that Ellia fed of Zaddik just the once when she was
very young (with his approval). Now it may be because she
was a juvenile at the time and not have sucked much of his
energy, but why didn't Zaddik change like Ford did when he
was fed on by a Wraith? And secondly, what on earth was Dr
Beckett doing walking around with several syringes full of
a retrovirus that was nowhere near complete. Is that normal
practice in medicine? Do doctor's really store their incomplete
drugs in syringes?
Despite
these nit-picks, this is an enjoyable episode.
Following
his encounter with a mutated Wraith child, Sheppard begins
exhibiting symptoms similar to the ones that plagued Ford
following his own Wraith attack. Dr. Beckett realises that
a small amount of the retrovirus, is now in Sheppard's bloodstream.
The team races against the clock to save his life...
Conversion
is a Sheppard episode that sees our hero start to loose control
of his body and mind as he fights against the tiny dose of
the retrovirus that has entered his blood stream. There's
not much originality here (O'Neill went through a similar
storyline when he started to evolve backwards in an early
SG-1 episode, and Star Trek has had numerous
stabs at this all too familiar tale), but the episode is enjoyable.
Extras
include Mission Directive: Instinct (15 minute featurette
on the episode Instinct with director Andy Mikita;
Profile on Paul McGillion (20 minute featurette on the actor
who plays Dr Beckett); audio commentaries on all episodes;
and a Photo and Production Design Gallery.
Not
the greatest collection of episodes to be released, but they
are all enjoyable in their own way.
Pete
Boomer
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