joe flanigan

(S04E10) We've all been waiting for it since October, and this week we got the return of Dr. Weir. Kind of. If that wasn't enough to capture your interest, the SciFi channel was also running promos all week letting you know that this was the last episode of 2007. Surely they wouldn't go into the break without a big episode, right? Kind of.
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(S04E05) The folks over at Stargate HQ are having a good week. First, Atlantis gets picked up for a twenty episode season five, and then they finish it off by heading into their weekend with another very good episode. It was, for the most part, another stand-alone offering, but we did get some hints at a couple things in the future. If that wasn't enough for you, they also had the good sense to hire Jill Wagner for a guest spot. My TV is better with more Jill Wagner on it.

Good news everyone. Or, good news for those of you that have a penchant for the SciFi original programming at least. The network has announced that they have ordered the fifth season of Stargate: Atlantis (20 episodes), which comes on the heels of the announcement for a third season of Eureka (13 episodes).

The SG-1 spinoff has performed well in its first season out of big brother's shadow. The show is currently averaging 1.8 million viewers, well above SciFi's 1.3 million prime time average. For its part, Eureka continues to be very popular, with the network touting it as bringing "3 million new viewers to the channel." I'm not sure how that number works out, but if it means more Eureka, I'm all for it. Unfortunately, there was no word on the fate of Flash Gordon. Although, the fact that the show at least got a mention in the article gives some hope.

Thanks to everyone who sent this in.

(S04E04) Last week, Rich commented on the previews for this episode and asked where have we seen that before? It's a fair point, because the dream device is something that has been used again and again in the sci-fi/fantasy/horror genres. I'm OK with that though. Much like episodes where we get to see two characters both narrate previous events from their own point of view, what I like about dream episodes is that they often give us a chance to see characters in a way that we wouldn't normally see them. We got a bit of that here with the evil Shepard.

Of course, the dreams weren't the only part of the episode that felt familiar. Carter made reference to when O'Neill was knocked unconscious by an energy being that took on his appearance. That's from the season one Stargate episode "Cold Lazarus." In an interview with Gateworld, writer/director/producer Robert C. Cooper called it an homage. That's a good way to put it, as you can see if you go back and look at the scene where O'Neill touches the crystal. That video is after the jump.

(S03E20) "I'm just saying... They're a cool team... and we're a cool team..."

This week Atlantis brought out what I consider to be a classic season finale. By the end of the show there are questions about who is going to live, the survival of the city, and an impending war with the replicators. As long as they don't kick off season four with Shepard stepping out of a steamy shower, or waking up next to Suzanne Pleshette, things are looking very good for the future of Atlantis.

(S03E19) This is more of what I have been waiting for as the season winds down for the Atlantis team. Here is an arc with a good enemy that builds nicely on the overall Atlantis story. I love the decision to bring back Michael. That's partly just because I like Connor Trinneer (Enterprise), but mostly because the story of Michael, and what the Atlantis team did to him, is very interesting.

(S03E18) OK, before we get to the story, let me backtrack to last week for a moment. I wasn't a fan of how Beckett died because I didn't think it was big enough for such an important character. This week, that same thing kind of highlights one small issue with the episode. I know SG Atlantis isn't a strict serial and that they are planning to be showing these all over our television for years to come, but could a brother get a mention? Maybe just a little acknowledgment that one of the main characters died? Perhaps even a reaction, or something to show that anyone might be just a wee bit effected by his passing? I guess not.

(S03E17) OMG! liz <3s mike 4 rel!

i no! n did u hear bout teyla n shep!?!

Good grief. I'm just not sure what all of that even was. The one thing that has been nagging at me a little bit regarding Atlantis is that there have been too many unrelated, stand-alone, episodes. It's a problem that big brother SG-1 shares. It's a minor complaint though, because a lot of these episodes have actually been pretty good. "The Tao of Rodney" and "The Game" were both very fun. And "The Ark" had an interesting story behind it. With the season winding down though, it's high time for a multiple episode arc with a little more meat to it.

This wasn't it. A lot of this just left me scratching my head. From Teyla hinting about some mystery guy, to Dr. Weir and her When Harry Met Sally flirtation with Mike, to Rodney's bumbling marriage discussion with Katie. I think that there is room for some kind of a romantic story in Atlantis, but this was too much too fast. Especially when you consider what was the big story of the episode.