rachel500 | The Return Part I

The Return Part I is the 10th episode in Season Three of Stargate Atlantis.

Review

The Return is an aptly named episode dealing with a number of returns within the storyline. It does an excellent job of setting up and building anticipation for the second part while it fails to hit the mark on providing a sense of the SGA team as a family as other episodes have done this season.

The episode and story are packed with references to returning; the return of the Ancients to Atlantis, the team’s return to Earth, the returns of the Asurans, Woolsey, Jack O’Neill, the Genii…if a Wraith had shown up, there would have been a full house of ‘returns’. Still, the title happily captures the essence of the story although ‘be careful what you wish for’ could have been an alternative as the team’s joy at the return of the Ancients quickly turns to shock. The Ancients peremptorily assuming control of the city is well done and Higginson does an excellent job of acting a blindsided Weir. Indeed all the cast do a good job at displaying disappointment and frustration as the reality sets in and they pack up and leave.

What are less well done are the scenes of the team leaving. These seem disorganized and fragmented with little cohesion and this is underscored by the lack of an overall team goodbye scene. It’s not that there aren’t good moments of goodbye; Beckett’s with McKay is suitably in character; Sheppard has a couple of great moments; the physicality between himself and Ronan indicative of brothers at play in Sheppard’s quarters, and the gentle forehead touch of goodbye at the gate between himself and Teyla. It’s just a shame that there aren’t more of these with other combinations of the characters. It would have been great to have had a Weir/Teyla moment; a McKay/Ronan even. In the end the impression is that they aren’t losing their family and home simply a city they wanted to keep, and it clashes badly with the sense of family that has been building through the rest of the season. One or two more scenes of goodbye might have just shaded this better.

The section of the story that deals with the characters as they adjust to life beyond Atlantis, particularly those on Earth is extremely well crafted. There is an almost immediate brutal return to normality well demonstrated as Sheppard returns from a mission with a team member prosaically having broken a foot, and by the inclusion of the usual SGC regulars such as Landry and Walter in the Earth scenes. The struggle for the SGA team to adjust is displayed in lovely moments; Sheppard eagerly offering to do a briefing on the Asurans, Rodney complaining he feels lonely and especially Weir holed up in an apartment contemplating writing her memoirs and avoiding her former team. Equally, Ronan and Teyla are also shown struggling back in Pegasus. The struggle for all the characters has a wonderfully real touch as these are accurate human reactions to loss and change.

From a story perspective, their plan to return to Atlantis is not believable. The rebellion; the stealing of the puddle-jumper, the escape through the Stargate relies on the SGC personnel being incredibly stupid. The SGC is covered in security cameras; you’d think someone would notice the four of them kitted out in battle gear making their way to the jumper and the scene of Weir distracting Dr Lee is almost cringingly bad although humorous. There is an also an absence of a compelling reason to return with their given reason seeming to be an opportunity to retake the city than about putting their family back together or even rescuing the trapped Woolsey and O’Neill.

The return of O’Neill is a little disappointing given how fleeting and brief his appearances are in this episode, and the nature of his role as the elder statesman/ambassador within the story. However, while it’s certainly true this is a matured O’Neill, his characterisations are all true to form; the eager excitement over the test flight; the awkwardness in the negotiations with the Ancients; the tugging on his shirt and tie as he tells the SGA team the news. Is he lacking some emotion about the team being summarily dismissed from Atlantis? Possibly but then O’Neill’s detachment is a good contrast to that of the emotionally involved SGA team.

What does feel awkward is the excuse used to place him in Atlantis at the time of the Asuran attack. Seriously, it smacks of last minute panic or just a lack of thought in the writing; there are any number of reasons that could have been used that would have worked better. Still, the scenes with Richard Dean Anderson and Robert Picardo, particularly the negotiation scene, give a glimpse of the great comedic chemistry between the two actors and there is a sense of anticipation about seeing the two work together more in the second part of the story as there is the hope that O’Neill will get to be more the action hero of old.

The episode is marvellous as a set-up. There is a real sense of disappointment at the ‘to be continued’ tag; the hints of a plan to retake the city; the team coming back together again; the promise of more O’Neill and Woolsey interaction; all lend a vibrant sense of anticipation and desire to see more. The end shot of the wormhole is extremely well done and evocative.

In the end, The Return is more of a success than a failure. While parts of the story don’t ring true and it is a little hit and miss in evoking a sense of team, the characterisations are all good and it does leave the viewer wanting more. Perhaps this is also a good summary for the first half of season 3 overall and this is one viewer certainly eager to see the rest of both the season and The Return.