Stargate Atlantis: Best Episodes Seasons 3-5
Alright everybody, buckle up for part two of my completely unnecessary and unwanted rundown of my favorite episodes of Stargate: Atlantis!
Sateda (s3e4)
Summary: After gallivanting about with the Atlantean expedition for a while, Ronon is unexpectedly recaptured by the Wraith and forced into a death match with a Wraith hive. Sheppard and Atlantis try desperately to find him before time is up and the rematch ends.
Overall Relevance: No relevance in terms of the overarching plot, but this was a major episode in the evolution of Ronon's character. He does a good job juggling the pathos of flashbacks to his previous life and the destruction of his world with a Rambo-style cat-and-mouse fight against seemingly insurmountable odds. It's pretty awesome to watch.
The Real World (s3e6)
Summary: Dr. Weir "wakes up" to find that her time in Atlantis was all part of an escapist fantasy during a mental break on Earth. But SURPRISE! It's a replicator plot. She struggles to find out whether or not her memories of Atlantis are real or not in the face of severe gaslighting, while back in Atlantis the scientists try desperately to deactivate the nanites that have invaded her system.
Overall Relevance: It seems like a gimmick-y episode that won't have any kind of lasting impact on the show, just a way to extend the excitement of the previous episode (the new Lanteans' explosive first contact with the Pegasus galaxy human-form Replicators). But in reality, this episode marks the beginning of the end for Weir, and sets up some of the ongoing hand-wavey uses of nanites and the Replicators.
Common Ground (s3e7)
Summary: Sheppard is captured by the seemingly bulletproof Genii Kolya (seriously, he rivals Michael for how many death fake-outs he had), and then tortured by his captive Wraith. When Sheppard befriends the Wraith, however, things go badly for Kolya. Back on the farm, Dr. Weir and the rest of the Lanteans try to negotiate with the Genii government, who are suspiciously useless.
Overall Relevance: A seminal episode for the continuing saga of the Genii being duplicitous dicks, Common Ground also kicks off the Todd storyline (which together with the Michael storyline encompasses most of the Wraith-based narrative for the show). This is a great episode because it shows the Wraith as an actual people (through the incomparable Christopher Heyerdahl's portrayal of the Wraith that will come to be known as Todd), capable of reason and alliance, rather than the Disney villains that many other episodes portrayed them as.
Doppelganger (s4e4)
Summary: Sheppard unwisely touches a glowing plant/crystal thing and becomes the villain in a plague of killer dreams throughout Atlantis. That's it, that's the episode. Doesn't make much sense, huh? Yeah, well, trying to explain that an empathic space plant that feeds on fear uses the image and reach of the first person to touch it as the touchstone for a dream-based reign of terror, resulting in a caffeine-fueled science binge and a climactic battle inside the mind-space of Sheppard and McKay...is not a whole lot more helpful. Just, accept that it's a fun episode that doesn't make any sense.
Overall Relevance: Nada, zip, zero. It's a filler episode to the max, and I love it.
The Shrine (s5e6)
A parasite in McKay's brain causes him to gradually lose his memories and mental faculties, and seems to be driving him to an early grave. His sister Jeannie makes a guest appearance as the team fights to give him one last chance, or at least one last chance to say goodbye.
Overall Relevance: McKay is the character we all love to hate. He started out as a throwaway character in SG-1, the perfect foil for calm, sweet, badass brain: Samantha Carter. Instead, he was arrogant, rude, selfish, creepy, and physically weak. And I honest to god believe that the best decision the Stargate showrunners ever made was to carry him over the Atlantis as a main character. In Atlantis, he's still all of those things, but he's given the opportunity (or had it thrust upon him) to take on more responsibility and more compassion. He's not my favorite character (he's still an asshole), but I appreciate his character arc the most.
The Prodigal (s5e14)
Summary: After spending years coming up with some of the more ridiculous Lex-Luthor-esque plots (creating an army of feral bug people, really?), Michael returns to Atlantis one more time in spectacular fashion. His creepy obsession with Teyla and her newborn baby continues to be obsessive and creepy. However, this is the point at which she finally hits fuck-it point, and stops trying to be nice to him about it.
Overall Relevance: As opposed to the last couple of entries onto this list, The Prodigal is actually a must-see episode for those trying to follow the narrative. As part of the run-up to the end of the show, this episodes shows to explosive culmination of the Michael stoyline, and as such is a must-see. On a different note, it's also a critical episode for Teyla's character, which is nice considering how under-used and largely ignored her character was in the last season. And yes, I know that Rachel Luttrell was actually pregnant and probably wanted to restrict the amount of time she spent on-screen (for good reason), but it just seemed (to me) that they could have done so in a more graceful way.
Vegas (s5e19)
Summary: In an alternate universe, a broken-down version of Sheppard hunts down a rogue Wraith that has crash-landed in Las Vegas. It masquerades as a goth kid while it tries to build a doomsday device, leaving a string of desiccated bodies in it's wake. Sheppard, who in this world was never part of the Stargate program and instead shines as an ethically bankrupt detective while a different Atlantean team parallels his investigation.
Overall Relevance: On the one hand, this is just the musical episode. You know, that episode around the end of a season (usually in the middle or the end of a series' run) where the showrunners get bored and/or desperate for something different, and decide to make something from a completely different genre. Buffy's Once More, With Feeling, or Bones' weird nightclub AU The End in the Beginning (or the even weirder noir thriller The 200th in the 10th). Usually it's just self-indulgent fluff put together because they can. And this is totally in that category but it's still a really fun episode, and one that plot-wise leads directly in the final conflict.
Sateda (s3e4)
 |
| This is basically Momoa's audition for Conan. And maybe Game of Thrones. |
Summary: After gallivanting about with the Atlantean expedition for a while, Ronon is unexpectedly recaptured by the Wraith and forced into a death match with a Wraith hive. Sheppard and Atlantis try desperately to find him before time is up and the rematch ends.
Overall Relevance: No relevance in terms of the overarching plot, but this was a major episode in the evolution of Ronon's character. He does a good job juggling the pathos of flashbacks to his previous life and the destruction of his world with a Rambo-style cat-and-mouse fight against seemingly insurmountable odds. It's pretty awesome to watch.
The Real World (s3e6)
 |
| You know, Weir gets a lot of shit but I think she's awesome. |
Summary: Dr. Weir "wakes up" to find that her time in Atlantis was all part of an escapist fantasy during a mental break on Earth. But SURPRISE! It's a replicator plot. She struggles to find out whether or not her memories of Atlantis are real or not in the face of severe gaslighting, while back in Atlantis the scientists try desperately to deactivate the nanites that have invaded her system.
Overall Relevance: It seems like a gimmick-y episode that won't have any kind of lasting impact on the show, just a way to extend the excitement of the previous episode (the new Lanteans' explosive first contact with the Pegasus galaxy human-form Replicators). But in reality, this episode marks the beginning of the end for Weir, and sets up some of the ongoing hand-wavey uses of nanites and the Replicators.
Common Ground (s3e7)
 |
| Goddamnit Kolya. |
Summary: Sheppard is captured by the seemingly bulletproof Genii Kolya (seriously, he rivals Michael for how many death fake-outs he had), and then tortured by his captive Wraith. When Sheppard befriends the Wraith, however, things go badly for Kolya. Back on the farm, Dr. Weir and the rest of the Lanteans try to negotiate with the Genii government, who are suspiciously useless.
Overall Relevance: A seminal episode for the continuing saga of the Genii being duplicitous dicks, Common Ground also kicks off the Todd storyline (which together with the Michael storyline encompasses most of the Wraith-based narrative for the show). This is a great episode because it shows the Wraith as an actual people (through the incomparable Christopher Heyerdahl's portrayal of the Wraith that will come to be known as Todd), capable of reason and alliance, rather than the Disney villains that many other episodes portrayed them as.
Doppelganger (s4e4)
 |
| So this is what this episode wants to be (gritty psychological horror, not weird self-porn) |
 |
| And this is what the episode actually is (random plot devices based around a couple fun concepts) |
Summary: Sheppard unwisely touches a glowing plant/crystal thing and becomes the villain in a plague of killer dreams throughout Atlantis. That's it, that's the episode. Doesn't make much sense, huh? Yeah, well, trying to explain that an empathic space plant that feeds on fear uses the image and reach of the first person to touch it as the touchstone for a dream-based reign of terror, resulting in a caffeine-fueled science binge and a climactic battle inside the mind-space of Sheppard and McKay...is not a whole lot more helpful. Just, accept that it's a fun episode that doesn't make any sense.
Overall Relevance: Nada, zip, zero. It's a filler episode to the max, and I love it.
The Shrine (s5e6)
 |
| Humor in the face of certain, undignified death. I eat this shit with a spoon. |
A parasite in McKay's brain causes him to gradually lose his memories and mental faculties, and seems to be driving him to an early grave. His sister Jeannie makes a guest appearance as the team fights to give him one last chance, or at least one last chance to say goodbye.
Overall Relevance: McKay is the character we all love to hate. He started out as a throwaway character in SG-1, the perfect foil for calm, sweet, badass brain: Samantha Carter. Instead, he was arrogant, rude, selfish, creepy, and physically weak. And I honest to god believe that the best decision the Stargate showrunners ever made was to carry him over the Atlantis as a main character. In Atlantis, he's still all of those things, but he's given the opportunity (or had it thrust upon him) to take on more responsibility and more compassion. He's not my favorite character (he's still an asshole), but I appreciate his character arc the most.
The Prodigal (s5e14)
 |
| Teyla as you've never seen her, disheveled, pissed, and unsympathetic. |
Summary: After spending years coming up with some of the more ridiculous Lex-Luthor-esque plots (creating an army of feral bug people, really?), Michael returns to Atlantis one more time in spectacular fashion. His creepy obsession with Teyla and her newborn baby continues to be obsessive and creepy. However, this is the point at which she finally hits fuck-it point, and stops trying to be nice to him about it.
Overall Relevance: As opposed to the last couple of entries onto this list, The Prodigal is actually a must-see episode for those trying to follow the narrative. As part of the run-up to the end of the show, this episodes shows to explosive culmination of the Michael stoyline, and as such is a must-see. On a different note, it's also a critical episode for Teyla's character, which is nice considering how under-used and largely ignored her character was in the last season. And yes, I know that Rachel Luttrell was actually pregnant and probably wanted to restrict the amount of time she spent on-screen (for good reason), but it just seemed (to me) that they could have done so in a more graceful way.
Vegas (s5e19)
 |
| This is honestly the most Western thing that ever drank itself half to death and then saved a town. |
Summary: In an alternate universe, a broken-down version of Sheppard hunts down a rogue Wraith that has crash-landed in Las Vegas. It masquerades as a goth kid while it tries to build a doomsday device, leaving a string of desiccated bodies in it's wake. Sheppard, who in this world was never part of the Stargate program and instead shines as an ethically bankrupt detective while a different Atlantean team parallels his investigation.
Overall Relevance: On the one hand, this is just the musical episode. You know, that episode around the end of a season (usually in the middle or the end of a series' run) where the showrunners get bored and/or desperate for something different, and decide to make something from a completely different genre. Buffy's Once More, With Feeling, or Bones' weird nightclub AU The End in the Beginning (or the even weirder noir thriller The 200th in the 10th). Usually it's just self-indulgent fluff put together because they can. And this is totally in that category but it's still a really fun episode, and one that plot-wise leads directly in the final conflict.
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