rachel500 | Sateda - Review (Reply)

Sateda is the 4th episode in Season Three of Stargate Atlantis.

Review

Sateda is a feast of a story from beginning to end. It is a well-judged character study not only for Ronon who takes centre stage but for the rest of the SGA flagship team in a serious drama lightened occasionally with humour and wit. It delivers on every level and leaves a satisfying warm, fuzzy feeling as the SGA team finally admits they are a family.

Ronon’s past and character form the main arc of the story. In many ways, Sateda is to Ronon what Cor-ai was to Teal’c; both focus on the past catching up with the warriors and the efforts of their team-mates in rescuing them. Just like Teal’c, from the moment Ronon is captured by the villagers, he demonstrates a beguiling and sympathetic mix of guilt and remorse, all tied up with an honourable acceptance of responsibility for his past actions. His sense of honour is sharply contrasted with that of the Wraith. Ronon will honour the deal he made with the villagers even when the prospect of freedom is offered to him. The Wraith, on the other hand, kill all the villagers and show the futility of trusting any kind of Wraith promise.

Ronon’s character is further explored through flashbacks to his life before he became a runner. The flashbacks are a fascinating insight into Ronon as a man. Here is a softer version of Ronon with his protectiveness, his love for his other half and anguish at her death all clearly illustrated in the memories of his past. His camaraderie and his sense of duty for his squad are also highlighted. This is the Ronon buried under the layers of pain and emotional armour he has acquired since that time. Yet, the theme of running is seeded among, and underscoring, every memory; Ronon was a runner and a survivor long before the Wraith made him one.

Just how much of a survivor he is, is aptly demonstrated in the various fights with the Wraith hunters on Sateda. While it is easy to dismiss Ronon as a hot-head with a gun, actually all the scenarios show he’s an intelligent strategist even successfully goading the head Wraith to the planet. Although it could be argued that Ronon doesn’t think intelligently in the final fight so completely overpowered is he in terms of strength and agility, his ultimately being saved from death by the team serves to illustrate that Ronon is no longer alone.

Family is the second theme seeded throughout the story and promotes the idea that the SGA team-mates are family to one another. From Ronon’s threat to sacrifice himself for his friends, Sheppard’s halting admission to Teyla, McKay claiming Ronon and he have an unspoken bond, and Beckett and McKay squabbling like a pair of competing siblings, the overall effect is one of team closeness and bonding. It is this that makes the rather serious drama of Ronon’s fight for survival and redemption uplifting and heart-warming.

This theme also provides the opportunity for most of the rest of the characters to have a moment or two of individual development. The most obvious is Sheppard’s discussion with Teyla. Sheppard’s evident unease yet also his sincerity is truly touching. Yet Teyla also receives some character development in the conversation as her continued feelings of being an outsider are revealed and how Sheppard’s actions in regards to Ronon have reassured her. McKay’s and Beckett’s discussion in the infirmary is equally revealing in regards to McKay’s character and how McKay also sees the team as family.

Beckett and McKay also provide much of the more light-hearted moments to balance out the darker main arc. McKay getting shot in the butt with an arrow has enough inherent humour to be funny without over-egging the pudding and Robert Cooper judges it just right; there is enough sympathy mixed in with the banter to eliminate any meanness and just enough referrals to it without it being overused. What is even funnier is the sibling behaviour on display both between Beckett and McKay, and between Teyla and Sheppard; with the former it’s the tussle over the gun and the quick blaming of Beckett, and with the latter, Sheppard’s constantly escalating number of Wraith kills and his comment of ‘Teyla wouldn’t let me’.

Unfortunately, Weir is rather on the outside of all this teaminess. Her concern for the team and support for going after Ronon do come across but by virtue of her being stuck on Atlantis she just doesn’t feel as included and one of the scenes she does appear in is practically the only one that doesn’t seem to work; the confrontation between the Atlantis team and Caldwell. This scene just feels awkward and the dialogue feels clichéd. Still it’s a minor quibble in what is a well-written story otherwise.

Additionally, the story is polished to a high finish; everyone turns in a good performance with Jason Momoa particularly outstanding. The direction is superb with use of the Wraith viewpoints, the beautiful choreography of the fight scenes and the underscoring music all heightening the drama and tension. The use of imagery and colour is stunning: warm oranges and reds in the flashbacks contrast against the cold greys and blues of the present and illustrate the rich life that used to be before the Wraith and the barren wasteland that followed their invasions. Equally, those same cold washes contrast sharply with the bright colours of Atlantis; Atlantis’s splendour against Sateda’s devastation signifying the new hope for warmth and happiness in Ronon’s life.

Sateda is definitely a showcase for SGA in terms of what the show can achieve with a well-written story that focuses on character development and has at its heart, the SGA team. Further, the attention to detail throughout and the use of imagery transforms Sateda from an hour of entertaining television to art. Kudos to everyone for this one.