Customer Reviews
Rising again 
2008-07-23
Surprisingly, season 4 of Stargate Atlantis is better than season 3--it is just about on par with season 2. Most of the storylines are decent, with some very enjoyable ones; even with the mostly annoying characters, this season is tolerable.
Lt. Col. John Sheppard has deviated from his Jack O'Neill Jr. behavior, now becoming a standard yet spineless character; when faced with most women, he's quiet and weak-willed, barely standing up for himself--unlike his decisive attitude around men. Col. Samantha Carter, taking the place of Dr. Weir, is a capable and strong leader--at times, she is the only one to speak up for the right course of action. Dr. Rodney McKay, barely changing in the slightest, remains arrogant and smug; however, Carter can sometimes shut him up with a well-placed comment, which is quite satisfying. Teyla, although the victim of a sometimes pathetic plot twist, is very faintly better than she was in season 3, sometimes offering up Athosian wisdom for those in need. Ronon is, in my opinion, the best character in the show: he is on occasion the only person with common sense, and also tells it exactly like it is.
As for the episodes:
Adrift--5 of 10--We pick up where we left off in season 3, with the city floating in space and losing power. The whole of this episode is spent on creating and solving problem upon problem: an asteroid belt threatens the city, as well as badly damaged power conduits and loss of shield protection. This goes on until it ends in a very unsatisfactory manner. I couldn't help but think that a better solution could have been found to the main, crippling problem of this episode.
Lifeline--7 of 10--Even with the bad ending of `Adrift', this episode finishes things up very nicely, with a daring mission and brave help from the wounded Dr. Weir. Rodney of course discovers something else that they could try to do while going through with their original mission; I expected things to go from bad to worse and their plans to fail, but thankfully everything went well, with the city actually surviving somewhat unscathed. This is a good ending to a bad problem.
Reunion--8 of 10--Ronon stumbles upon three of his friends from Sateda (his home planet) and wonders whether he should leave Atlantis to stay with them. The Satedans are actually slightly dislikeable, being somewhat boorish and rough around the edges; they influence Ronon far too much at times, but they have an unpredictable secret that almost dooms Ronon. As with mostly all episodes focusing on Ronon, this is enjoyable--although it features some very strange fight scenes...
Doppelganger--4 of 10--Sheppard touches a crystalline object on an alien planet and soon appears in everyone's nightmares. The idea behind this episode is interesting; but throughout it, I was laughing! Unintentionally, it becomes more of a dark comedy instead of horrific and engrossing. Something about Sheppard being the villain in each and every nightmare is actually quite amusing.
Travelers--3 of 10--Sheppard is captured by a strange ship and tries to escape while dealing with the ship's stereotypically beautiful commander. This episode might actually outdo season 2's `Grace Under Pressure' in terms of being annoying. Larrin, the commander, is anything but military, even though she lives on her tattered ship; her hair is long and flowing, she wears tight black leather, and she saunters through the corridors like a fashion model. When she gets what she wants, her attitude is predictably smug--when she doesn't get what she wants, she becomes pugnacious and petulant, at one point stomping her foot and hollering like a twelve-year-old. All in all, this is useless.
Tabula Rasa--9 of 10--In an amazingly good and intriguing episode, Rodney finds himself tied to his desk, with almost total memory loss, and strange instructions from a recording of himself. The explanation of the memory loss is logical and understandable; the adventures ensuing are exciting and mysterious; the flashbacks to hours earlier are nice and enlightening; and it all serves to create an episode I heartily enjoyed!
Missing--6 of 10--Teyla and Keller, traveling to spend a day at the new Athosian settlement, find that the people are missing; they encounter the infamous Bola Kai tribesmen wandering the planet and must hide for fear of capture and death. In this episode, Keller at last shows her mettle--after whimpering and moaning for most of the time, she finds her inner courage and faces a dangerous enemy. The largest problem with the episode, though, is that in all other season 3 and 4 episodes, I saw no mention of the Athosians being relocated to another planet. I have no idea when they got there!
The Seer--8 of 10--Still searching for the Athosians, Teyla seeks out a well-known seer--the leader of a group of people on another planet--and finds that he knows much about Atlantis' future. Although the seer himself doesn't have much to do, his visions predict quite a bit of trouble for Atlantis; meanwhile, the team finds themselves inextricably linked with the Wraith in order to fight the Replicators. With the amount of adventures involved--and the very small amount of mistakes made--this episode is very good.
Miller's Crossing--5 of 10--Rodney's sister Jeannie is kidnapped and, in searching for her, Rodney stumbles into a trap. This episode gives Rodney and Jeannie a chance to argue and sulk, which they are both quite good at. Just as in season 3's `McKay and Mrs. Miller', the premise itself is not very sound; the decisions that Rodney, Jeannie, and even their kidnapper make are foolish; as a plus, Jeannie decides to call Rodney by his real name, Meredith, through the entire episode--even though he has already told her that he goes by the name of Rodney. Like before, this is rather worthless.
This Mortal Coil--9 of 10--After a strange drone from an unknown source crashes into the city, the denizens of Atlantis slowly begin to realize that there's something unusual going on. At the beginning, this episode is a game of `what's wrong with this picture?' Once the truth is finally known--shocking not only the team, but myself as well--the team must work to avert disaster and provide help...but those who need help are the most unlikely of people!
Be All My Sins Remember'd--7 of 10--Since the Replicators are attacking more and more planets, the team decides to settle things once and for all. Larrin, clichéd commander of the Traveler warship, gets an appearance; when Sheppard comes to her--virtually groveling for her help instead of candidly asking for it--she decides to tie him to a chair (apparently a running gag). What's nice is that Col. Ellis, commander of the Apollo, finally manages to give Rodney a piece of his mind before they all go off to fight the Replicators. In the end, though a new and shocking enemy is revealed to us in the audience, although the team knows nothing of them.
Spoils of War--7 of 10--The team, led by a signal from Todd's subspace tracking device, stumbles on a top secret Wraith outpost, where they will find many threats. Teyla finally gets a chance to help out, with as much courage as ever, while Sheppard, Rodney, and Ronon explore the facility. A Wraith queen is spotlighted and gets to hiss and spit in the usual over-the-top manner. Although this episode is contrived in spots, it still is somewhat decent.
Quarantine--6 of 10--After the city mistakenly quarantines itself, many of the main characters find themselves trapped together, giving them a chance to learn more about each other. We find that Dr. Zelenka raises pigeons; Dr. Keller graduated from college at age 15; and other assorted little tidbits. Rodney is of course featured prominently in this episode, as he is in almost all of them. The extremely good part about this episode is that Dr. Zelenka finally gets a chance to do something beneficial for the entire city. Otherwise, it's the usual, mediocre at best.
Harmony--4 of 10--Sheppard and Rodney agree to shepherd a young princess on a rite of passage; in a reverse of Star Trek: The Next Generation's `The Dauphin', the girl--who bears the Earth name Harmony--develops a crush on Sheppard. This results in her acting somewhat like The Lord of the Rings' Gollum, pretending to cry in Sheppard's arms while smirking at Rodney instead. She is the classic spoiled-brat child, not caring whether Sheppard or Rodney survive their mission, and explaining her actions with the words "I'm the queen!" Throughout most of the episode, I could see all the major events coming easily. This is a light, very faintly comedic episode that is worth seeing only once.
Outcast--6 of 10--Sheppard's father dies and he comes home to Earth for the funeral, but then finds himself in much deeper trouble than he expected. His polished brother wears a fancy suit and has perfectly coiffed hair; his ex-wife, even with her nightclub-style outfit, works implausibly for the Department of Homeland Security; strangely, Sheppard finds himself at a complete loss for words every time he encounters either of them. Otherwise, the main storyline--featuring Replicators, as well as an unexpected appearance by a former supporting character from season 1--is decent at the very least. Of course, there are some story points that I can see coming...but then again, that's true for almost all the episodes.
Trio--8 of 10--Carter, Rodney, and Keller are trapped in a former Genii mine that is racked by tremors. Thankfully, Rodney doesn't get to show much of his very annoying tendencies in this episode, although contributing an idea on how to escape; Carter and Keller also do their separate parts, trying to get out before the tremors destroy the mine. While this is the standard `a problem arises, and most attempts to solve it fail miserably' episode, it manages to be entertaining because of the interaction between the three characters. All three of them prove themselves by way of brave actions.
Midway--10 of 10--With Ronon about to be evaluated by the IOA, Carter decides that Teal'c could teach the Satedan much. However, when times grow tough, Ronon and Teal'c must work together to save Earth. This is by far the best episode of season 4, featuring a marvelous crossover and terrifying problems. There is a great (and regrettably short) fight scene between Ronon and Teal'c, featuring Chuck the gate technician taking bets on who will win. Even with the tribulations, the two warriors work well together; however, in the meantime, Sheppard and Rodney find themselves in equal trouble. I love this episode not only because of Teal'c, but also because of the interesting and plausible problem. If only every Atlantis episode had the wonderful writing this one does!
The Kindred, Part 1--6 of 10--In a slightly sharp decline from `Midway', Teyla finds herself having visions of Kanaan, the father of her child, and feels that she must search at a certain village. In the meantime, a sudden plague is sweeping through the galaxy. Almost everything in this episode results in disaster; Teyla--while searching for her people--is captured, and Sheppard and the other team members find that a familiar and annoying villain is behind the plague. Todd, the jolly Wraith, gives them slight help and asks for it in return, but in the end his information does them no good. The very last moment of the episode features a surprising return from a much-beloved character...
The Kindred, Part 2--7 of 10--While Teyla finds her people again, Sheppard and friends try to find her with the help of the newly returned character (whose identity I will not reveal). That person has quite a few health problems, which lessen his/her ability to help; in the meantime, Teyla learns more about the experiments being performed on some of her people. In the end, information is gathered and the Athosians are rescued, but Teyla remains a prisoner. Even though the villain in this two-part episode now has the usual mad-scientist qualities, this episode is far from terrible. The end is tragic as the returned character takes his/her leave from his/her friends. Not bad!
The Last Man--7 of 10--Sheppard comes through the gate and finds that he's been sent 48,000 years in the future; naturally, Rodney--once Sheppard went missing--came up with a hologram of himself that is programmed to help Sheppard in any way possible. Most of the episode is taken up by reminisces of events taking place after Sheppard vanished--there are many things that go wrong, such as Michael predictably trying to take over the galaxy. While Sheppard tries to find a way out of the future, the hologram of older Rodney tells him stories of Ronon, Carter, Teyla, Keller and Rodney himself too. This episode is good because of its similarities to the Star Trek: Voyager series finale, but unfortunately the ending is rushed.
Formulaic PC Tripe 
2008-07-18
For this seasoned fan, this season had a few special moments. Very few. I yawned through the entire second disk. I do not want to sound mysogynistic, but this entire season was an exercise in assigning all the strength and intelligence to women, both alien, enemy or ally and assigning all the blunders, ignorance and stupidity to the male characters. The last time I checked, human equality was a relevant cultural goal. If you made the mistake of buying this junk, or can borrow the set, just check nearly every episode. If you want balance and entertainment, forget it; the writing is boring, transparent and palpably annoying. If you're into political correctness and superficial social commentary, you will love it.
Yawwwwn. Sigh.
Jumped the Shark? 
2008-07-16
Im sorry I LOVE u SGA but this last season was not up to the high level that was set. The best ep was a direct ripoff of momento!
Another Exciting Season of Stargate 
2008-07-14
Very exciting, fast-paced season which grabbed my attention from the start and didn't let up until the end. I can't really understand why so many people seem to be so hard on this season. I think the writers did an excellent job, propelling the Atlantis franchise forward leaps and bounds in terms of storytelling. In my humble opinion it was the best season of Atlantis so far, striking a good balance between action and character development. To some, the season may seem to be a little Rodney-centric, but my wife and I find him quite humorous and enjoyable. Highly recommended to any fan of Stargate.
You've Gotta Be Kiddin Me! 2008-07-14
I've been a huge fan of the Stargate Series since its inception & have followed this series... Atlantis, since the beginning. I am terribly disappointed in its approach to telling this story. First the writers seem intent in placing women in all of the leadership positions ... all the time, whether the situation calls for it r not, and puleeze! stop preaching the new pc crap at every lull in the fighting! Stop talking down to me, or at least advertise & warn that the show is now written for the adolescent audience. I thought the irritating Dr. Weird got killed off?! Oh yeah, btw, how is it that she being merely an arbitrator at the start gets to head-up this endeavor .. making command decisions way over her pay grade and experience. Let's not forget the irritating and most obnoxious character in all of TV land ... Rodney, Stupid, arrogant, lacking all traces of humanity, self centered, cowardly, and oh yeah.. why is he always the only one wearing a "Country Patch"? No one else does, are the Canadians so starved for recognition that they have to shove that stupid leaf in our faces all the time? BFD! Who cares? Please kill this crap or hire writers desiring to tell the story instead of searching for a platform to force feed the masses their PC garbage. Great you brought Sam Carter on the set, Great character and actress, strong capable leader... NOW LET HER LEAD!!! and get rid of that condescending, uh, I think her name is Tira, you know the alien they found living in the stone-age during the initial series, who abandoned "Her" people, and seem now for some unknown reason to be like second, or third in command, have intimate knowledge of all the earth based & ancient technology somehow! BTW, did anyone ever even suggest or offer Ronin acting lessons? Did he really spend the money on these lessons or is he here only because he's some producers love interest. Fire this bum or teach him how to act, for God's sake.
Thanx
DWL
sigh 
2008-07-12
Disc 1:AdriftLifelineReunionDoppelgangerDisc 2:TravelersTabula RasaMissingThe SeerDisc 3:Miller's CrossingThis Mortal CoilBe All My Sins Remember'dSpoils of WarDisc 4:QuarantineHarmonyOutcastTrioDisc 5:MidwayThe KindredThe Kindred Part 2The Last ManSystem Requirements:Running Time: 900 minutesFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: TELEVISION/SERIES & SEQUELS Rating: NR UPC: 883904110132 Manufacturer No: M111013
Only for fanboys/fangirls 2008-07-12
The only people who will really appreciate Season 4 are the fanboys and fangirls out there who fanatically believe that the show can do no wrong.
Anyone who is honest with themselves will admit that Season 4 was, overall, a huge step down from the previous seasons. Even most of the good episodes this season had the potential to be far, far better.
----- Spoilers -----
The removal of two major characters, Beckett and Weir, was a huge mistake. Beckett was an absolute fan favorite and I don't think there's any SGA fan who will say that his absence and the addition of "I wonder which guy I'll be hooking up with this week" Keller was an improvement to the show.
Also, as far as Weir's removal.. the question is not whether or not replacing Weir with Carter was a good idea, because Carter was hardly even seen this season and was not utilized fully when she was. And she's already gone in Season 5! So the real question is whether or not removing Weir for *no reason* was a good idea or not, or whether replacing her with Woolsey was a good decision. The answer to either is a resounding NO.
A major part of this show, and Stargate in general.. is banter. McCay and Beckett were hilarious. Sheppard and Weir were equally charming. Likewise with Weir and McCay. Season 4 severely lacked this friendly verbal sparring.
Of course, the fanboys/fangirls will still love it just because the opening credits say "Stargate: Atlantis" and have some of the same characters. Such blind devotion is silly. People who really love Stargate can admit when an episode or season doesn't live up to expectations and needs improvement.
My favorite season so far 2008-07-12
I suppose everyone has different expectations, but I can't help but be puzzled by the many negative reviews of season 4. I'm a huge fan of SG-1, but from the beginning I liked Atlantis better (probably because the wraith are just so darn cool), and it is still improving. I thought season 4 was the best yet. If I have any complaints at all, it's that Sam's character was underutilized. She was a great addition to the show (much more pleasant to be around than Weir), but I would have liked to see more of her.
I think the strength of this season was the characters, especially (and as always) Rodney and Sheppard. It was good to see Rodney changing into a nicer person (even as a jerk he was always my favorite). It was also good to learn a little more about Sheppard and to see him in situations that brought out aspects of his character that we haven't seen before. Those two are stellar. Teyla's pregnancy added realism to the character that hadn't been there before, and I thought Ronon had a great season too, at least insofar as he did more than just glaring at people and occasionally flattening someone against a wall with a knife to their throat. The "minor" characters continue to be enjoyable, especially Zalenka, but I also like Major Lorne. I hope they continue. The death of a minor character early in the season was an unhappy surprise.
I thought the first and second episodes - the conclusion of last year's cliffhanger - were especially good. Other highlights include the return of the adorable Kate Hewlett as Jeannie Miller, the return of Sheppard's "ally" wraith in quite a few episodes, at least two episodes that take place on earth (these are worth watching just to see Ronon in earth clothes), and the season highlight of getting Ronon and Teal'c in the same room and seeing what happens. Now if we could only get Daniel to come visit.
I eagerly look forward to season 5 to see how the many story lines are followed up, and to continue to watch a great cast of characters in a series that just gets better. Long live Stargate Atlantis - may it continue for many more years!
GREAT Season! 2008-07-11
I do not understand why people were dissapointed with this season. So much stuff happens, and it's great! It is a darker season then its predessors. A majority of the episodes were some of the best. Having Sam command the base was another plus. I am purchasing this, and it is worth every penny! Do not miss out on this season!
Some very unfortunate decisions... 2008-07-08
After a few shaky moments early on, Atlantis and its characters really developed quite nicely through season 3. It was, however, very unfortunate that two cast changes were made at the end of the 3rd season/beginning of the 4th season. The first was the death of Beckett; the second was the ...loss...death...whatever... of Weir. The result is that the remaining (and additional) characters no longer balance each other out (e.g. brawn vs. brain; intellect vs. action). Bummer...
