Stargate Atlantis Rewatch: Duet
Brokeback Atlantis (Photo from GateWorld.net)
Duet
Written by Martin Gero
Directed by Peter DeLuise
Guest starring Jaime Ray Newman (Lt. Laura Cadman), Claire Rankin (Dr. Kate Heightmeyer), Kavan Smith (Major Lorne), David Nykl (Dr. Zelenka), Brenda James (Dr. Katie Brown)
WARNING: SPOILERS ABOUND!
Summary
An accident with a Wraith culling device puts the consciousness of a female Marine into Dr. McKay’s head.
General Impressions
I know it’s a cliché and it’s been done in many ways on many shows and in many movies, but it’s still really funny that Rodney has a woman in his head. This could have been a pure comedy episode, but then they ramp up the jeopardy by showing that Cadman’s consciousness is fading away, and all of Zalenka’s efforts to solve the problem have failed (the test mice all died, too). It was nice that Rodney came up with a solution while trying to reassure Cadman that he won’t let her die.
The Good
When I saw this episode when it first aired, it didn’t sink in with me that the team was investigating a village whose entire population had been culled. It’s only a few seconds of dialog, but Sheppard reminds us that since he woke up all of the Wraith there are too many Wraith to feed, or as he puts it, “too many hands to feed”. The implication is that this is happening all over the galaxy. It reminds us of what they’re up against.
“Dr. Fumbles McStupid”…heehee… Although, I don’t like it when people abuse Zalenka. He’s such a nice guy.
Rodney gets a date while he has a woman in his head. Hilarity ensues. I have to say, though, as soon as they established that Cadman has a thing for Carson, I knew that at some point Rodney would kiss Carson. It’s predictable but still funny.
I also liked the B plot of Ronon gaining acceptance in Atlantis, though they might have beat us over the head a bit with what a badass he is. I like his interactions with Tayla here. He bonds with her right away, and the two of them become like brother and sister in future episodes. The writers avoided the obvious ploy of having the two Pegasus natives become a couple. I don’t know why I like that, but I do.
The Bad
Wow, did they eat with their hands on Sateda? Or did seven years on the run make Ronon forget how to use utensils? I know he looks like a barbarian, but I don’t think they needed to take it this far. He came from a civilization capable of building cities and energy weapons, not a village of cave dwellers.
The Awesome
David Hewlett shows some real range here as he plays McKay and Cadman, imitating the actress’ manner of speech and her body language. This really comes through when he’s arguing with Cadman over whether or not to go back to the date after Cadman forced him to make a dramatic exit. They do the Gollum/Smeagol look left/look right depending on who’s speaking thing, too. Rodney as Smeagol. LOL. Hewlett’s really a terrific actor.
Once again we get to see that when someone else’s life is on the line, Rodney goes all out to save them. He may be awkward on a date, but when it’s in his power to save the day he becomes a superhero. It’s just really sad that he needs to have a woman’s consciousness in his head to be suave and romantic.
I love Wraith darts. No, I love Wraith tech in general. It just looks so cool. In this episode, we see how the cockpit hood of a dart works (it’s like gel that peels away with a gooey sound) and get a look inside the cockpit and at the guts of a dart. The hull of the dart looks like the bones of some kind of prehistoric beast. Everything about Wraith is just plain cool, except for the part where they feed on humans of course.
Rating
10 out of 10. Fun concept, and David Hewlett absolutely nails it.
