Stargate: Atlantis (TV Series) The Game (2006) User Reviews

Great episode

[Mischief810 · 8/10 · 26 August 2014]

Sheppard and McKay think they're playing a simulation game where they build competing societies. Over the last two years, both societies have taken on the philosophies and worldviews of the "players." McKay's society has been focused on technological and intellectual development. Sheppard's society has been focused on military strength.

The differences between the two turn out to be real--they've been directing the growth of two real societies, and the two societies are close to open warfare.

The conflict mirrors the constant back-and-forth between McKay and Sheppard. Sheppard always approaches problems and opportunities from a military perspective while McKay always approaches the same from a technological perspective. Both approaches have merits, but both also have problems. You can see this in how the two leaders of the opposing societies sound like echoes of McKay and Sheppard.

The real treat in this episode is Dr. Weir playing the role of a stern Mom trying to get obstinate brothers to get along.

One of the best, in a overused plot world.

[tmanandrew · 9/10 · 11 May 2020]

A very amazing episode in originality and fun, regardless of how the episode plays out, it is very interesting and brilliant. Not about whether characters in a simulation are alive or not, instead, what was thought a simulation is actually controlling real people. Wonderful!

Good episode

[tenshi_ippikiookami · 8/10 · 4 November 2015]

I have been watching Stargate: Atlantis on and off these last years, sometimes with a break of some months before watching four or five episodes in a couple of days. It is a series I enjoy, but not one I feel I need to rush to watch.

Nonetheless, I like its fun, camp and cheesy atmosphere, with some sci-fi and cool characters. This episode offers us more of that, but with a good script and great interaction between the best characters of the show: John Sheppard and Rodney McKay, who is probably everyone's favorite.

It all starts when a mission discovers that in a little town (here it's always small villages) they have an oracle whose appearance resembles a lot Rodney McKay. They decide to pay a visit and discover that a game that him and John Sheppard were playing back at Atlantis was in reality not a game, but real people, who received information from Atlantis computers thinking it was the voice of oracles. And with their intervention, what was a situation of peace is verging into war. From that moment, they work to defuse that dangerous situation, but things are not as easy as they expected...

David Hewlett and Joe Flanigan have great chemistry together, and they play perfectly the brain against muscle part, with retorts, quips and all kinds of back and forth that make for a fun episode every time they share the screen. Their "game" counterparts are good too, exaggerated representations of their persona, which seen from outside show to them their own flaws.

Stargate: Atlantis may be camp and cheesy, but sometimes is thoughtful and smart too. This episode is a prove of that. Good one.

A great case for the prime directive

[capricorn40 · 2 June 2014]

McKay and Sheppard find an electronic game that seems to be a large version of "Civilization" . They are able to control their retrospective countries and plans the growth of them. Little did they know they are controlling a real country with real people! So now the team must go down the planet and broker peace between the two countries. This episode showcases a real good case for Star Trek's prime directive and why outside entities shouldn't meddle in other countries affairs. Before McKay and Sheppard played this "game" the two countries were at peace with each other. McKay's country even shares McKay's distaste for citrus fruit! Sheppard's country needs his help in military advancement for impeding war! Very good episode.

What the Heck Happened?

[ltcwheatex-2-248128 · 1/10 · 20 October 2022]

I love this series. But this episode, if it had been the first episode I had watched, I would never have watched it again. The levels of incompetence and ignorance by people that are supposedly trained in negotiations and foreign/alien affairs is beyond belief.

The first thing Weir should have done was to explain the idiocy of citrus fruits suddenly becoming toxic. The idiocy that is Dr. McKay. At his best/worst. He didn't learn anything from the last episode, despite the appearance that he did. He just resorted back to his old, obnoxious, insufferable self. Not likely, after what he experienced. But, we can't expect disconnected writers to understand that. This is why shows get canceled prematurely; they hire anyone and everyone to write a script with limited knowledge of what went before.

OK. So we've established that Hollywood, including the Canadian Hollywood, is completely cheap and ignorant about viewers.

Nonetheless, without including too many spoilers, whoever wrote this drivel clearly has no clue what went before nor how to handle unusual situations except by pitting team members against each other. I'm so disappointed. But, at least it explains why the show only lasted 5 seasons. This is exactly what disappoints viewers and fans, writer ignorance.