Outcast - Review
23/10/2008 12:21 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rachel500Outcast is the 15th episode in Season Four of Stargate Atlantis.
Review
Review
In many ways Outcast doesn’t feel like an episode of Stargate Atlantis. With the action happening back on Earth and the absence of so many of the regular cast, the whole tone and pace is changed with the only Atlantis constants really being Sheppard and Ronon. As an Atlantis episode it sits uncomfortably in the mix yet viewed completely as a stand alone, there is a lot to appreciate.
The plotting of the episode is well done. Despite the missing Replicator, the focus is on mystery, hidden emotions and agendas, which lends the episode a gentler pace than most. It would be easy to categorise the story as simply Sheppard and Ronon chasing a Replicator on Earth but this is to miss the fact that the chase is simply the device used to tell Ava’s story.
From her introduction to her ending, Ava is a mysterious figure. Here is a Replicator built for social interaction; who has a conscience; who ultimately betrays her creator because he does not have the same morals that she displays. She worries that the missing Replicator will kill innocents and cannot allow it; she works to bring it to Sheppard’s attention, and helps capture it. She feels emotions; fear at being alone, regret that her ‘father’ died believing only that she had betrayed him. After years of seeing flawed human form Replicators, there is an implied suggestion that Ava could well be the first successful version (discounting FRAN who was created as a weapon to destroy the Replicators). For a long term viewer of the franchise, it is great to see this ‘what if’ explored and when the various options for her continued existence are discussed, there is a disappointment that she won’t be joining the SGC as suggested by Doctor Lee. The ending is a good compromise, and allows the Atlantis producers to revive Ava at a later date should they wish to reuse the character again.
Ava’s story is painted against the backdrop of another character; Sheppard. Sheppard’s background has also always been something of a mystery; the hints in earlier seasons suggested that he was alone or that there had been some kind of estrangement. Here the latter is finally settled upon. The privileged upbringing reveals a completely different side to Sheppard yet here the whole picture – the dialogue, the setting, the interactions amongst Sheppard and his brother reveal the Sheppard we know; his characteristic rebelling against a future planned out for him, the very polite relationship that exists between the brothers – even when they are arguing, indicating an upbringing where handshakes were the norm and why Sheppard is so uneasy at accepting hugs.
If the familial relationships all go to explaining Sheppard’s character, they also go toward the explanation of what happened to his marriage. His interaction with his ex-wife and their few scenes does much to suggest that it was Sheppard’s inability to emotionally open up alongside the demands of his job that killed the relationship. Yet there is also a suggestion of feelings and regret on both sides.
Exploring this personal side to Sheppard imbues the whole episode with a sense of emotional fragility. The scenes between Sheppard and McKay and Sheppard and Ronon are all about their personal friendships rather than anything Atlantis related. The viewer feels Sheppard’s grief; from his shock at the news, the moment by the coffin, the revelation that his father regretted their estrangement: all is exceptionally well acted by Joe Flanigan. When Sheppard tells Poole that he’s running out of patience, the viewer understands why; at a time when he needs to be mourning he’s having to clean up Poole’s mess. Yet his grief allows Sheppard an important emotional connection between him and Ava that is expressed in the scene where Sheppard notes that it is not possible to tell what someone else is thinking. The ending when Sheppard goes back to talk with his brother allows the viewer to hope that the character will finally get his chance to deal with his loss.
Against these emotional and character driven stories, the action pieces with the Replicator seem jarring but this also plays a part in connecting the audience with Sheppard’s emotions. Sheppard is grieving – the chase and fights might be necessary but they are an unwelcome and frustrating distraction; a jarring element in Sheppard’s usual life where he continues to excel as a soldier.
The story is in the main told well and the only major plot hole is why Sheppard needs to ask his ex-wife to scare up the classified information when there are plenty of other sources that he could use such as Homeworld Security or NID. Still, overall it is a tightly executed piece.
The main problem though is that it doesn’t feel like an Atlantis story. It feels like an episode of an entirely different show with even the musical underscore subtly different. The beginning on Atlantis contrasts sharply with the Earth action; Atlantis feels alien against the Earth reality. While it happily adds to the distance between Sheppard and his family, it also feels to the viewer that we are a long way from ‘home’. Even the use of the Replicators, Apollo, Bates and Doctor Lee seem to underscore this rather than bringing a feeling of familiarity (although while on the subject of Doctor Lee, it is good to see the character used effectively, actually providing solutions and being a contributing team member, not just as comic relief).
While the story does suggest there is another show the production team could consider one day (an Earth based show with a team dealing with threats generated from the existence of the Stargate programme), this isn’t the expectation when tuning in for an episode of Atlantis. In the end, this is a good story and well told with a surprising depth of character development and emotional content but it isn’t the usual Atlantis story. Is that a good thing? For this viewer, yes.
The plotting of the episode is well done. Despite the missing Replicator, the focus is on mystery, hidden emotions and agendas, which lends the episode a gentler pace than most. It would be easy to categorise the story as simply Sheppard and Ronon chasing a Replicator on Earth but this is to miss the fact that the chase is simply the device used to tell Ava’s story.
From her introduction to her ending, Ava is a mysterious figure. Here is a Replicator built for social interaction; who has a conscience; who ultimately betrays her creator because he does not have the same morals that she displays. She worries that the missing Replicator will kill innocents and cannot allow it; she works to bring it to Sheppard’s attention, and helps capture it. She feels emotions; fear at being alone, regret that her ‘father’ died believing only that she had betrayed him. After years of seeing flawed human form Replicators, there is an implied suggestion that Ava could well be the first successful version (discounting FRAN who was created as a weapon to destroy the Replicators). For a long term viewer of the franchise, it is great to see this ‘what if’ explored and when the various options for her continued existence are discussed, there is a disappointment that she won’t be joining the SGC as suggested by Doctor Lee. The ending is a good compromise, and allows the Atlantis producers to revive Ava at a later date should they wish to reuse the character again.
Ava’s story is painted against the backdrop of another character; Sheppard. Sheppard’s background has also always been something of a mystery; the hints in earlier seasons suggested that he was alone or that there had been some kind of estrangement. Here the latter is finally settled upon. The privileged upbringing reveals a completely different side to Sheppard yet here the whole picture – the dialogue, the setting, the interactions amongst Sheppard and his brother reveal the Sheppard we know; his characteristic rebelling against a future planned out for him, the very polite relationship that exists between the brothers – even when they are arguing, indicating an upbringing where handshakes were the norm and why Sheppard is so uneasy at accepting hugs.
If the familial relationships all go to explaining Sheppard’s character, they also go toward the explanation of what happened to his marriage. His interaction with his ex-wife and their few scenes does much to suggest that it was Sheppard’s inability to emotionally open up alongside the demands of his job that killed the relationship. Yet there is also a suggestion of feelings and regret on both sides.
Exploring this personal side to Sheppard imbues the whole episode with a sense of emotional fragility. The scenes between Sheppard and McKay and Sheppard and Ronon are all about their personal friendships rather than anything Atlantis related. The viewer feels Sheppard’s grief; from his shock at the news, the moment by the coffin, the revelation that his father regretted their estrangement: all is exceptionally well acted by Joe Flanigan. When Sheppard tells Poole that he’s running out of patience, the viewer understands why; at a time when he needs to be mourning he’s having to clean up Poole’s mess. Yet his grief allows Sheppard an important emotional connection between him and Ava that is expressed in the scene where Sheppard notes that it is not possible to tell what someone else is thinking. The ending when Sheppard goes back to talk with his brother allows the viewer to hope that the character will finally get his chance to deal with his loss.
Against these emotional and character driven stories, the action pieces with the Replicator seem jarring but this also plays a part in connecting the audience with Sheppard’s emotions. Sheppard is grieving – the chase and fights might be necessary but they are an unwelcome and frustrating distraction; a jarring element in Sheppard’s usual life where he continues to excel as a soldier.
The story is in the main told well and the only major plot hole is why Sheppard needs to ask his ex-wife to scare up the classified information when there are plenty of other sources that he could use such as Homeworld Security or NID. Still, overall it is a tightly executed piece.
The main problem though is that it doesn’t feel like an Atlantis story. It feels like an episode of an entirely different show with even the musical underscore subtly different. The beginning on Atlantis contrasts sharply with the Earth action; Atlantis feels alien against the Earth reality. While it happily adds to the distance between Sheppard and his family, it also feels to the viewer that we are a long way from ‘home’. Even the use of the Replicators, Apollo, Bates and Doctor Lee seem to underscore this rather than bringing a feeling of familiarity (although while on the subject of Doctor Lee, it is good to see the character used effectively, actually providing solutions and being a contributing team member, not just as comic relief).
While the story does suggest there is another show the production team could consider one day (an Earth based show with a team dealing with threats generated from the existence of the Stargate programme), this isn’t the expectation when tuning in for an episode of Atlantis. In the end, this is a good story and well told with a surprising depth of character development and emotional content but it isn’t the usual Atlantis story. Is that a good thing? For this viewer, yes.
