Review: 'Stargate: Atlantis' - Remnants

By MIKE MOODY Nov-17-2008

The following contains MAJOR SPOILERS for the "Remnants" episode of the SciFi Channel series, "Stargate: Atlantis."

I just don't get the IOC. Atlantis has had three commanders in less than five years, and now they want to replace Woolsey (Robert Picardo)? How do they expect the mission to succeed when they keep chopping off its head?

Woolsey's battle for his job was a little unbelievable in this episode, but I liked that it help to solidify his place in Atlantis. Like I've written before, Woolsey has turned into a great character, and I'd hate to see Robert Picardo leave the show before it goes off the air.

This episode revealed a lot about one of our character's psyches. We already knew that McKay liked being the boss -- and I could've told you that Woolsey wouldn't turn away a tall, gorgeous doctor -- but who knew that Koyla (Robert Davi) returning to destroy the city is Sheppard's (Joe Flanigan) greatest fear. It makes sense. Koyla's one of those baddies that keeps coming back, no matter how many times you shoot him. I was fooled into thinking that the alien intelligence impersonating Koyla was the real deal, just like Sheppard. Luckily, I didn't have to go through the trauma of having my arm sliced off.

If I had to choose, I would opt to experience Woolsey's encounter with the mind-scrambling alien AI instead of Shep's in this ep. Having some presumptuous alien technology dial up the hottie of my dreams to follow me around beats getting tortured any day. Or maybe I would choose McKays's (David Hewlett) experience. I wouldn't mind hearing a long-time professional rival call me "brilliant."

What Worked

Watching Sheppard go Rambo on Koyla and his men is always fun, even if we've seen it before. Robert Davi is a solid bad guy, and the tension between him and Flanigan almost seems real.

I liked watching McKay's kinship with Zelenka, even if it didn't really happen. Seeing these two tech geeks excitedly work together on a new project is always fulfilling.

Again, Picardo continues to impress as Atlantis' head honcho. I'd love to see an episode that explores Woolsey's past. Maybe that's fodder for one of the upcoming TV movies.

What Didn't Work

The AI exposition scene at the end brought things to crawl. The pace was swift until then, but it picked up shortly after.

Ronon, Teyla, and Keller did little but sit around and eat breakfast in this ep ? a little disappointing considering their larger roles in the last episode.

Giving Credit Where Credit is Due

"Remnants" was written by Joseph Mallozzi and Paul Mullie and directed by William Waring. "Stargate: Atlantis" airs at 9 p.m. (8 p.m. Central) on SciFi Channel and stars Joe Flanigan, David Hewlett, Rachel Luttrell, Jason Momoa, Jewel Staite and Robert Picardo, who is awesome.

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About the Author: Mike Moody makes his living as a freelance writer and editor for a number of print and Web publications. He currently lives in South Texas where he spends his time writing, watching too much TV and witnessing the expansion of border drug cartels. He once interviewed Jonathan Frakes and he's still trying to land that Patrick Stewart interview. He loves science-fiction, especially Star Trek and "Battlestar Galactica," and he writes a blog.
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