Ford and his team open fire on the group of Wraith that have surrounded them on a city balcony (season 1's The Siege (Part 2)). Both sides effectively neutralize each other until only Ford and a Wraith warrior are left standing. It grabs him and begins to feed. They are both blown off the balcony and into the ocean when a downed soldier releases a grenade! Sheppard pilots the Puddle Jumper into the launch bay of one of the attacking hive ships. Moments later, the hive ship is destroyed in a nuclear explosion. Atlantis is contacted shortly afterwards by Sheppard. He reports that the Daedalus has arrived from Earth, and they used its Asgard transporter to beam him onto their ship. Its commander, Col. Steven Caldwell, orders the ZPM it brought from Earth to be transported down to Atlantis, so they can use it to power the city's shields. The Daedalus then engages the Wraith in battle. McKay is escorted by a pair of soldiers as he carries the fresh power source to the city's ZPM chamber. En route, they are attacked by two Wraith warriors, and the soldiers are quickly incapacitated. Before the Wraith move in for the kill, Teyla eliminates them with a surprise attack from the rear. She then protects McKay the rest of the way to the ZPM chamber. After seeing one missile after another being intercepted before they hit the remaining hive ship, Caldwell orders Dr. Novak (Stargate SG-1's season 8's Prometheus Unbound) and Hermiod, the resident Asgard engineer, to beam a nuclear warhead inside the enemy ship. The hive ship is destroyed, and the Wraith cruisers immediately flee into hyperspace. The remaining Darts make a kamikaze run on Atlantis, but McKay is able to activate the shield in time and protect the city. Sheppard leads a team of reinforcements to Atlantis to help clean up the remaining Wraith in the city. With Ford still missing, he orders Zelenka to use the sensors to search beyond the city's perimeter. They quickly located Ford's signal, and get him beamed to the infirmary—with the Wraith warrior still attached to him! Beckett reports that the sudden death of the Wraith pumped a large amount of a life-sustaining enzyme, that helps the Wraith feed, into Ford, and that allowed him to survive face down in the ocean for over an hour. Ford is now dependent on the enzyme, but Beckett believes they can gradually wean Ford off of it using a supply of enzyme salvaged from the Wraith corpses in the city. Sheppard and Weir are then summoned to the control room, where they are told that Atlantis's long-range senors have detected 12 more hive ships en route to Atlantis! She orders the Daedalus to intercept them at their next hyperspace stop. However, it's only a matter of time before the Wraith figure out how the humans are destroying their ships, and develop a countermeasure!

The Siege (Part 2) largely lives up to the promise of Parts 1 and 2. We get a massive space battle, that exceeds the spectacle in Part 2, and are treated to the most satisfying visuals of multiple Wraith hive ships being nuked! The episode also sufficiently shakes up the status quo, with characters that we thought wouldn't survive, surviving, and other characters unexpectedly being written out of the show! Overall, the character side takes a back seat to the action, but in general, there is a satisfying amount of it—along with a healthy dose of tension relieving humour—especially in McKay's part of the story. However, the episode kind of drops the ball when it comes to Col. Everett (season 1's The Siege (Part 2)). He is quickly removed from the show in a way that is completely predictable, and negates any potential conflict between Sheppard, Everett, and any commanders at Stargate Command that are on Everett's side. It's quite unsatisfying, as there was a potential to turn the conflict into a recurring thorn in Sheppard's side. Nevertheless, this is countered with the introduction of Caldwell, who is much more sympathetic and appears to have a lot more potential as an interesting character than Everett. (Note: this is not a critique of the actors' performances, merely an observation of how the show has written their characters.)

The most interesting part of the Daedalus's crew is Novak, who is constantly fretting about Hermoid, and especially Hermoid. One can't help but laugh out loud when he mutters—in an alien language no less!—his dissatisfaction with the humans for asking him to bypass the Asgard restrictions on using their technology for offensive purposes! The conclusion that sees Ford hijack a Puddle Jumper and flee to parts unknown through the stargate is a completely unexpected, and most intriguing development. Hopefully the series won't waste too much time before they continue exploring this development. Overall, the only part of the episode that doesn't quite add up is in the hurried ending. One would think that the Wraith would have, at minimum, dispatched Darts to visually check if Atlantis was truly destroyed. However, one can appreciate that this is an episodic TV series, and that time and budget restrictions are the most likely reason why we don't see the Wraith actually doing a more thorough check after Atlantis's apparent self-destruction. All in all, a great episode, and a must see as it thoroughly shakes up the series's status quo!

Atlantis's senior staff return to Earth through their now ZPM powered stargate. While there, new personnel are assigned to the expedition. Weir visits Simon (season 1's Home), and attempts to convince him to join her on the Atlantis expedition. However, he is resistive for unclear reasons. Sheppard meets with Ford's family and explains the situation as well as he can with the information blackout. He is also promoted to Lieutenant Colonel in order to lead Atlantis's military contingent. Sixteen days into their return trip aboard the Daedalus, the peace is interrupted by a report that Dr. Monroe, the Daedalus's chief medical officer, has been killed. With burn marks on his fingertips, it's logical to believe that he received a fatal jolt from his workstation. He had been running a routine diagnostic, but just before he was killed it's possible that all the power was rerouted in the section—concurrently disabling the cameras and doors—which gave him the jolt that he received. Nevertheless, the circumstances look suspicious. McKay's analysis reveals that the doctor was trying to initialize certain security protocols that would shut down corrupted programs. Apparently there is a problem with the ship, and it could be that someone killed Monroe to cover it up. Col. Caldwell (season 2's The Siege (Part 3)) orders an immediate drop out of hyperspace. Shortly afterwards, when McKay and crewman Lindstrom attempt to trace the power spike that killed Monroe, a coolant leak erupts in the room, forcing both men to evacuate. With Lindstrom trapped in an airlock, the outer doors mysteriously open and he is sucked out into space. McKay argues that no one could have determined where the men had been and what they were doing at that exact moment, indicating that none of the crew is a saboteur. Hermiod (season 2's The Siege (Part 3)) searches through the ships systems and uncovers the problem: an AI virus has infected the ship's systems. There is evidence of it in Navigation, Communications and Propulsion. The virus is also spreading, rewriting itself as it grows. McKay soon makes an even more disturbing discovery: the virus was written by the Wraith!

The Intruder is an episode that dives into the ramifications of the 3-parter that ended season 1 and began season 2. It does this by delving into the interpersonal ramifications, as well as the farsighted plotting of the Wraith to acquire the means to travel to Earth. The character aspect looks at how much Ford's disappearance at the end of The Siege (Part 3) has affected Sheppard—and by extension, the rest of the Atlantis crew. It also ends Simon's relationship with Weir, effectively writing him out of the show. This part feels more perfunctory, as the series has yet to really explore how the long distance is emotionally affecting Weir. At this point, it feels perfectly natural that the relationship ended a long time ago. On the other hand, Caldwell's part of the story shows the most promise. This episode indicates that Sheppard's promotion to Lt. Col. and being put in charge of Atlantis's military contingent has really irked him, and Weir butting heads with him over the chain of command suggests that this will be a source of ongoing tension and conflict in the coming episodes.

The Wraith AI virus that eventually subsumes the plot is most intriguing. Without going into too many details, I liked the depiction of the crew coming together to try and find the source of their problems. And once they know what it is, the surprising ways that it circumvents or otherwise outsmarts them as they race to get rid of the virus before something catastrophic happens! The role that the F-302 plays not only provides a lot of unanticipated action, it is also surprisingly inventive and gives this episode a lot of novelty in a plot that we have arguably seen many iterations of in both Stargate and other SF shows. Perhaps the most intriguing and worrisome aspect of the virus is how much it suggests about the Wraith: their technological, tactical and strategic prowess, and farsightedness are much, much greater than the series has suggested they are up until now. All-in-all, The Intruder is an episode that challenges the viewer, has some great action, and the novelty it adds to its well-worn SF plot keeps it interesting, even on rewatches.

A team from Atlantis is investigating P3M-736, when they find a dead Wraith, whose enzyme sack has been removed. Sheppard immediately suspects Ford, and orders a mission to investigate. Learning of the mission, Col. Caldwell (season 2's The Intruder) reminds Sheppard that Ford is a security threat, and that it is his job to eliminate that threat one way or the other. Shortly after arriving, Sheppard's team learn that due to radiation in the atmosphere, the life-signs detector does not function on P3M-736. He orders the team to separate and search in a pattern. Soon, Sheppard and Teyla find the dead Wraith. Teyla notes that the brush in the area has recently been distributed, and they follow it like a path. Shortly afterwards, McKay and Major Lorne (Stargate SG-1's season 7's Enemy Mine) begin to pursue a suspect at about the same time that Sheppard and Teyla begin pursuing a different suspect. Teyla is unexpectedly stunned to the ground, and Sheppard soon joins her. When they awaken, they are bound together at the mouth of a cave. A large, powerful man has captured them. After introducing themselves, the man shares his name and rank: "Specialist Ronon Dex". The next morning, Lorne and McKay continue their search for Ford. Not long after they set out, Lorne is stunned by a Wraith pistol wielded by Ford, who takes Rodney with him so they can catch up while on their way to save Sheppard and Teyla from Ronon. Ford explains that he had been scouting a planet on which a Wraith hive ship had landed. Seeing a heavily armed Wraith commander detach from the main group, Ford chose to follow him through the stargate. This led him to P3M-736. The commander was hunting Ronon, but Ford killed him and took his enzyme. Still holding Sheppard and Teyla captive, Ronon explains that the Wraith hunt him for game. He can't stay in one place for too long, because they installed a tracking transmitter in his back. Sheppard indicates that Beckett would have a good chance of removing that transmitter. Eventually Ronon agrees to trade the surgery for recapturing Ford. However, he will only let Sheppard go to summon Beckett, while he keeps Teyla hostage. Concurrently, McKay is still Ford's prisoner, and they are still searching for Ronon's camp!

The Runner's main job is to introduce Ronon Dex, Stargate Atlantis's new main character, and the episode does a stellar job at that. Ultimately we are given a glimpse of just how powerful and skilled Ronon is, and just enough of a taste of his backstory to whet our appetite for more. The most intriguing aspects in his introduction are: why did the Wraith abruptly stop feeding on him—as if Ronon's energy was somehow inedible—and the whole concept of Wraith hunting people for sport. The episode spends more time delving into the latter, especially how that has directly effected Ronon and tragically the innocent people in the village that he stayed too long at. The episode ending that depicts the total destruction of Ronon's homeworld by the Wraith indicates that the character will be opening up a lot of additional avenues for pathos, intrigue, as well as action.

The other half of The Runner's story is on updating us on what Ford's been up to after he fled from Atlantis at the end of The Siege (Part 3). It is a shame that in season 1 the showrunners didn't give Rainbow Sun Francks a script like the one he was given here, as Francks is much more engaging here, and looks like he was having much more fun making this episode. The bittersweet part of the episode is when it showcases the chemistry and rapport shared by Francks and David Hewlett (McKay). It's another missed opportunity that one wishes the showrunners had explored more of in season 1. Nevertheless, the episode ends with Atlantis gaining a powerful new ally, and Ford making the flabbergasting choice to voluntarily leap into a Wraith culling beam. His last message to Sheppard is cryptic, and one suspects that the next time we see Ford, things with him will be even more extreme!

A large team from Atlantis is exploring a recently culled world, when they hear a Wraith Dart in the distance. Lt. Laura Cadman, a security officer patrolling with McKay and Beckett, radios an alert to Sheppard's team. As they race back to the stargate, McKay and Cadman are swept up in the Dart's culling beam. Defending the stargate, Sheppard's team disables the Dart, and it crash lands nearby. Sheppard summons Zelenka from Atlantis in the hopes of extracting the personnel from the Dart's data storage. Zelenka soon discovers that there is only enough power to reinstate one of them, but there is no way to tell who is who in the storage device. Sheppard picks one. McKay appears, and he immediately falls unconscious. McKay and the Dart are brought back to Atlantis. Zelenka and his team work to reverse-engineer a stable power transformer for the heavily damaged Dart. McKay eventually wakes up, and it isn't long before he and Beckett realize that there's a serious problem: Cadman's body may still be inside the Dart, but her consciousness is in McKay's body! McKay isn't aware of her thoughts, but he loudly and clearly hears her voice in his head. When he goes to check up on Zelenka, Cadman's stream of questions force him to verbally lash out. Concerned about his mental health, Weir orders McKay to visit psychologist Heightmeyer (season 1's The Gift). En route, he runs into Katie Brown, and tells her that despite his earlier trip to the infirmary, they are still on for dinner the following evening. Sheppard checks in on Ronon, and asks him what he plans to do next. Ronon doesn't believe he fits in with humans, but promises to give it a try. Sheppard then pits him against some of his best men in hand-to-hand combat, in addition to testing his marksmanship with Earth weapons. Heightmeyer suggests that McKay try and release control of his body, and for a moment Cadman gains control of his speech and motor functions. After a few moments, however, a panicky McKay retakes control. Cadman, now knowing that she can take control, begins hatching plans. Back at the Dart, Zelenka forces McKay off the project, pointing out the mistakes he is making. McKay returns to his quarters, and quickly falls asleep. Cadman immediately takes over. She heads directly to Beckett, and invites him to join McKay and Katie for dinner! Half a day later, McKay wakes up in Cadman's quarters. His body is in pain, and naked...

Duet is a fun and intriguing episode. The fun comes from McKay having to host a personality that is his polar opposite, and the ensuing complications and hi-jinks stemming from that. The intrigue comes from Zelenka and the other scientists taking a deep dive into Wraith technology as they attempt to recover Cadman from the Dart. Interspersed between the two, the episode also takes a deep look at Ronon and shows us just how capable he is—and when it comes to dining manners, just how incapable he is! Ultimately, Weir agrees that Ronon should join Sheppard's team, but with the caveat that he is Sheppard's responsibility.

As Ronon's part of the story is essentially perfunctory, the production team wisely limits it to short, interesting vignettes, while staying focused on McKay and Cadman's crisis. While some parts of their story rely on common tropes from similar situations—the script even specifically points it out when Cadman plays the Cyrano de Bergerac role at one point—the sci-fi scientist and modern military soldier aspects add a fresh and interesting angle to the mix. In addition, by putting a here-to-fore unseen character into McKay, the episode maintains a high level of doubt on whether or not Cadman will survive. This adds a notable level of tension, and adds to the enjoyment as the writers introduce unexpected complications and twists. While the episode is heavier on comedy and lighter on advancing the overall Atlantis storyline, it is still well worth a viewing. Especially as it gives McKay's David Hewlett a great chance to flex his acting and comedic muscles, and his phenomenal performance knocks it out of the ball park!

Sheppard, McKay, Teyla, and Ronon take a Puddle Jumper to a new planet that none of them have previously visited. When they find smoke from a fire, Sheppard lands the ship nearby so they can investigate. They discover a desolate camp site with poorly-constructed shacks. Without warning, several arrows rain down on the team, one striking Ronon through the leg. They are being attacked by the camp's inhabitants, who are apparently protecting their land. An aircraft appears in the sky, and it uses its vectored thrust to physically blow the inhabitants away. As soon as Sheppard's team retreats to the jumper, the aircraft radios instructions to them to follow it back to the mainland. There, the team is officially welcomed to Olesia by Marin, an official who dispatched the ship. They meet the Magistrate, and learn that the stargate is located on an island penal colony—similar to Alcatraz. There, the Wraith are free to feed on the most violent of Olesia's inhabitants, leaving the society itself untouched. Sheppard reports this to Weir, who is skeptical about the Olesian's form of capital punishment. She orders Sheppard to return to Atlantis before negotiations for a trade agreement commences. Over the island, the jumper is attacked by anti-aircraft weaponry, technology that McKay couldn't even imagine the prisoners being able to produce. Disabled, the jumper falls from the sky and crash-lands near the stargate. Sheppard's unit is captured and tied up inside a shack at the camp. There they meet Torrell, the appointed leader of the prisoners. Torrell orders McKay to repair the jumper, so that the prisoners can use it to 'pay a visit to the mainland'. In the meantime, the Olesian prisoners ransack the jumper, and familiarize themselves with the weapons and radios that they find inside. While fixing the jumper, McKay meets Eldron, a prisoner who had put his skills to use in developing the weapons that were used to bring down the jumper. McKay soon discovers that it is impossible to repair the jumper's drive pods, cockpit, or on-board DHD. Thinking that he is bluffing, Torrell takes McKay back to the camp, and tells him to choose which of his companions will die first for him not cooperating in the jumper's repair!

Condemned is an episode were the elites have made a bargain with the much more powerful Wraith, in which the downtrodden in their society are sacrificed so that the rest of society can continue as is. It is a disagreeable bargain, and the Magistrate looks ash-faced and disgusted when the Wraith whom they've made the deal with demands even more victims. Before this, though, the episode has a brief, but interesting discussion on capital punishment. While Weir and the others view the Olesian version with disdain, the response by the humans in Sheppard's team when asked about capital punishment on Earth is thought provoking. The episode doesn't get into the details of whether capital punishment is right or wrong per se, but it does ask questions about whether the punishment fits the crime, and if the prisoners condemned to the island are actually guilty of the crimes that they purportedly committed. The episode also suggests that in order to supply the drastically increased Wraith demands for food, the threshold for capital punishment has also been drastically lowered, and that is causing distortion and unrest in Olesian society—especially among those who know what is really going on.

Ultimately, the episode's morals are a bit muddled, as it doesn't specify which of the prisoners are actual violent criminals, and which are innocents put on the island for unjust reasons. The episode concludes with the prisoners escaping to a safer planet, and the suggestion that the Wraith are going to feed on the purported elites on Olesia. However, as the episode has made a point that not everyone has agreed with the capital punishment policies, there will be plenty of innocent people who are also caught up in the Wraith culling. This episode is both intriguing for its moral ambiguity, but also troubling. Specifically, it indicates that the show's protagonists are willing to let innocent people suffer—both on Olesia and wherever the prisoners escaped to—in order to rescue and protect their own personnel. While the magistrate and the other Olesian elites get their just desserts, the show also doesn't let the protagonists acknowledge that innocent people are also being caught up in the culling. All in all, the episode reminds us of just how brutal life in the Pegasus Galaxy can be, but at the same time, it tarnishes the moral standing of the show's protagonists.

In the works!

In the works!

In the works!

In the works!

In the works!

In the works!

In the works!

In the works!

In the works!

In the works!

In the works!

In the works!

In the works!

In the works!

In the works!