"Stargate: Atlantis" Adrift (2007)

User Rating:

8.3/10   

Director:

Martin Wood

Writers:

Brad Wright (creator) &
Robert C. Cooper (creator) ...

TV Series:

"Stargate: Atlantis" (2004)

Original Air Date:

28 September 2007 (Season 4, Episode 1)

Genre:

Action | Drama | Sci-Fi | Adventure

Plot:

With a damaged ZPM, and diminished hopes of survival, the Atlantis team finds themselves stranded in...

Plot Keywords:

Scientist | Military | Galaxy | Spaceship | Made For Cable TV

Cast

Joe Flanigan	...	Lt. Colonel John Sheppard
Amanda Tapping	...	Colonel Samantha Carter
Rachel Luttrell	...	Teyla Emmagan
Jason Momoa	...	Ronon Dex
David Hewlett	...	Dr. Rodney McKay
Torri Higginson	...	Dr. Elizabeth Weir
Jewel Staite	...	Dr. Jennifer Keller
David Nykl	...	Dr. Radek Zelenka
Michael Beach	...	Colonel Abe Ellis
Bill Dow	...	Dr. Bill Lee
Linda Ko	...	Marie
Syn Narula	...	Young Doctor (as Surin Narula)
Yee Jee Tso	...	Systems Tech
Chuck Campbell	...	Chuck
Rick Wong	...	Med-Tech

Quotes:

Lt. Colonel John Sheppard: [responding to Rodney's watered-down explanation of the city's power situation] You dumb this down any more, you're gonna get hit.

Movie Connections:

References Asteroids (1979) (VG)

Confused Plot Line and So-So Acting

First I am not a big Stargate fan. I've seen a few episodes of both series but never got into it. Thus, I'm not sure about all the characters and their relationships and sub plots going on. But I do know good TV when I see it and this does qualify - barely. I was looking forward to watching this episode as I had seen the last episode of season 3 and enjoyed it. Also, I really like Jewel Staite and Tori Higginson from other work they have done and both are excellent actresses. As for the rest of the cast, David Hewlett is very good and seems to be in character the whole time, even though he is a bit annoying, in a funny way. The others, I really don't get yet. Joe Flanagan's colonel is very flat and one dimensional. The plot was confusing and had a lot of technospeak about their power source and shields and so on. I guess if I watched all the episodes I'd understand. But I was disappointed in the acting. Jewel had some good scenes and some bad ones, the good being where she was a serious doctor and the bad where they tried to have her inject some humor into her character. Tori was only in one small scene at the end, although she was unconscious for most of the episode and about to die. They seemed to be trying for humor and drama at the same time and it didn't work for me. I don't blame the actors so much as the creators, writers and directors. The humor just falls flat. This would have been great as a highly charged dramatic episode of life and death but the humor attempts cheapened it. Also, some things just didn't make sense. Why didn't the scientist and Flanagan take one of those little jumpers to repair that machine. And when he gets hit by the small rock, I'm sure it would have at least broken his leg and all his air would have escaped from the suit. Also those guys would not have died if they had just run instead of walking fast. Finally, all those jumpers went through that asteroid field and none of them got hit and no one died, despite all their protests that they weren't experts or used to flying these things. It would have been better if someone had bitten the dust so to speak. I'll keep watching, but I do hope it gets better.