Vengeance - Review
23/10/2008 03:16 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rachel500Vengeance is the 19th episode in Season Three of Stargate Atlantis.
Review
Review
I should say upfront that I’m not a fan of horror films. On the rare occasion my sister drags me to see one, I usually end up with my hand over my eyes or resolutely staring at the exit sign wondering how much longer the torture will last. Neither am I a huge fan of the Wraith retro-virus arc SGA has experimented with so it is with some surprise then that I found myself loving Vengeance. Wonderfully directed and well-written, Vengeance is filled with intrigue, tension and drama as it resurrects one of SGAs best villains, Michael.
Michael is a fabulous creation and the only good thing to come out of the whole Wraith retro-virus arc nonsense. Connor Trinneer has mastered his superb portrayal of the character, still managing to make Michael sympathetic and three-dimensional. The make-up and costuming is fantastic as Michael continues to be a strange mix of Wraith and human while he becomes less ambiguous from a character perspective as a villain. Just how dangerous Michael has become is well demonstrated in Vengeance; he’s building an army of bug people.
As always it is in a scene with Teyla that Michael’s emotions and thoughts are best revealed. There is a visible connection between the two characters that neither it seems wants but which exists. Trinneer and Luttrell have great chemistry and their scene is fraught with tension with Luttrell conveying an extremely frightened Teyla perfectly. There is a sense of disbelief that Michael will kill Teyla even as he releases the iratus bug yet that he does so drives home perhaps more than anything how Michael has changed; he will kill her not to feed on her but to experiment on her. Perhaps there is an underlying message that in picking up human ways of doing things, Michael is even more dangerous than as a simple Wraith.
What is extremely well done within the story is the whole sense of chickens coming home to roost for the Atlantis team; over their actions in going down the route of biological warfare and over their treatment of Michael. Here truly is the sense of karmic justice and Torri Higginson excels at the end of the episode in her scenes with Teyla and Sheppard as Weir acknowledges how the decisions the team made have led to Michael’s bug army and the deaths of their allies – her stunned shock with Teyla in particular is performed well and the scene is yet another wonderful demonstration of the friendship between the two women.
For me, this story provides a real sense of addressing the morality of what the team did with Michael, their mistake of experimenting with the Wraith retro-virus and in allying with the Wraith that has been missing in the arc to date. Another stand out scene is one between Ronon and Sheppard when Ronon questions Sheppard’s order to stun Michael not kill him, expressing how the time has come for Sheppard to face the fact that the retro-virus was a mistake. Joe Flanigan is in good form but Jason Momoa excels.
The story also gives Ronon an opportunity to spend time with McKay. The opening scene with Ronan trying to teach McKay some fighting skills is wonderfully done and very humorous. In fact despite the brilliant tension and drama, there is a nice sense of humour interweaving throughout the story from that opening scene to Ronon’s constant disappearance to the exchange over Weir sending back up (‘if you feel the need’; ‘I feel the need’) to the use of C4 and Sheppard and Ronon’s discussion on the plan to use the Wraith dart (‘I was going to suggest blowing it up but your plan is better’). It makes the character moments sparkle and helps lighten what is otherwise a very dark story.
The story is incredibly well-written by Carl Binder; it is well-structured and builds the tension throughout. The initial intriguing mystery of why their friends have not responded, the deserted settlement, the tunnels and the mysterious life-form, all help to engage the viewer. The revelation of Michael and his plan is well done; each scene between the characters extremely carefully crafted in terms of dialogue. The pacing is great. If the story and the episode feel a little like a homage to the Aliens film mentioned, it is a loving homage which attempts to emulate the strengths of the film rather than repeat the clichés.
Andy Mikita deserves a mention as director for creating such a tense, dramatic piece. The tension in the episode largely comes from the visual shots which focus tight on the characters’ reactions and the action pieces where visual effects of smoke and lighting are used to create the sense of confusion and panic, to obscure the view of the bug creatures which makes them all the more scary. The set design helps invoke the creepy atmosphere as does the musical underscore. It’s all very well done and I definitely jumped in places.
If I have one criticism with the story, it is with the sending of the Marine team as back-up. While necessary to allay Weir’s fears via the transmission from the hapless Lieutenant to prevent a rescue and create more of a sense of danger for the team, the plot device screams ‘red shirts’. Indeed when Weir uttered the great words, ‘I feel the need’, I happily tagged on the end of it ‘to send red shirts to be killed so the main cast is kept untouched.’ It was perhaps a tad too obvious that the brave Marines would die but it is a minor quibble in what is a great episode.
Every aspect of the show excels itself from make-up and costume to lighting and effects, to acting, directing and writing. It lacks the character development of a Sateda or a Common Ground but it deserves to be considered in the same category of excellence. This is accomplished story-telling at its best and I definitely wasn’t looking for an exit sign.
Michael is a fabulous creation and the only good thing to come out of the whole Wraith retro-virus arc nonsense. Connor Trinneer has mastered his superb portrayal of the character, still managing to make Michael sympathetic and three-dimensional. The make-up and costuming is fantastic as Michael continues to be a strange mix of Wraith and human while he becomes less ambiguous from a character perspective as a villain. Just how dangerous Michael has become is well demonstrated in Vengeance; he’s building an army of bug people.
As always it is in a scene with Teyla that Michael’s emotions and thoughts are best revealed. There is a visible connection between the two characters that neither it seems wants but which exists. Trinneer and Luttrell have great chemistry and their scene is fraught with tension with Luttrell conveying an extremely frightened Teyla perfectly. There is a sense of disbelief that Michael will kill Teyla even as he releases the iratus bug yet that he does so drives home perhaps more than anything how Michael has changed; he will kill her not to feed on her but to experiment on her. Perhaps there is an underlying message that in picking up human ways of doing things, Michael is even more dangerous than as a simple Wraith.
What is extremely well done within the story is the whole sense of chickens coming home to roost for the Atlantis team; over their actions in going down the route of biological warfare and over their treatment of Michael. Here truly is the sense of karmic justice and Torri Higginson excels at the end of the episode in her scenes with Teyla and Sheppard as Weir acknowledges how the decisions the team made have led to Michael’s bug army and the deaths of their allies – her stunned shock with Teyla in particular is performed well and the scene is yet another wonderful demonstration of the friendship between the two women.
For me, this story provides a real sense of addressing the morality of what the team did with Michael, their mistake of experimenting with the Wraith retro-virus and in allying with the Wraith that has been missing in the arc to date. Another stand out scene is one between Ronon and Sheppard when Ronon questions Sheppard’s order to stun Michael not kill him, expressing how the time has come for Sheppard to face the fact that the retro-virus was a mistake. Joe Flanigan is in good form but Jason Momoa excels.
The story also gives Ronon an opportunity to spend time with McKay. The opening scene with Ronan trying to teach McKay some fighting skills is wonderfully done and very humorous. In fact despite the brilliant tension and drama, there is a nice sense of humour interweaving throughout the story from that opening scene to Ronon’s constant disappearance to the exchange over Weir sending back up (‘if you feel the need’; ‘I feel the need’) to the use of C4 and Sheppard and Ronon’s discussion on the plan to use the Wraith dart (‘I was going to suggest blowing it up but your plan is better’). It makes the character moments sparkle and helps lighten what is otherwise a very dark story.
The story is incredibly well-written by Carl Binder; it is well-structured and builds the tension throughout. The initial intriguing mystery of why their friends have not responded, the deserted settlement, the tunnels and the mysterious life-form, all help to engage the viewer. The revelation of Michael and his plan is well done; each scene between the characters extremely carefully crafted in terms of dialogue. The pacing is great. If the story and the episode feel a little like a homage to the Aliens film mentioned, it is a loving homage which attempts to emulate the strengths of the film rather than repeat the clichés.
Andy Mikita deserves a mention as director for creating such a tense, dramatic piece. The tension in the episode largely comes from the visual shots which focus tight on the characters’ reactions and the action pieces where visual effects of smoke and lighting are used to create the sense of confusion and panic, to obscure the view of the bug creatures which makes them all the more scary. The set design helps invoke the creepy atmosphere as does the musical underscore. It’s all very well done and I definitely jumped in places.
If I have one criticism with the story, it is with the sending of the Marine team as back-up. While necessary to allay Weir’s fears via the transmission from the hapless Lieutenant to prevent a rescue and create more of a sense of danger for the team, the plot device screams ‘red shirts’. Indeed when Weir uttered the great words, ‘I feel the need’, I happily tagged on the end of it ‘to send red shirts to be killed so the main cast is kept untouched.’ It was perhaps a tad too obvious that the brave Marines would die but it is a minor quibble in what is a great episode.
Every aspect of the show excels itself from make-up and costume to lighting and effects, to acting, directing and writing. It lacks the character development of a Sateda or a Common Ground but it deserves to be considered in the same category of excellence. This is accomplished story-telling at its best and I definitely wasn’t looking for an exit sign.
