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Stargate Information Archive _ Atlantis Season 1 _ 109 - Home

Posted by: Arcady Sep 10th 2004, 3:01 AM

Episode 9 - Home
Air Date: (US) September 10, 2004

McKay's efforts to harness the energy of an alien planet's atmosphere allows for a return trip to Earth, but the team may not be able to return to Atlantis.

http://www.sg1archive.com/atlantis/s1.shtml#109 | http://www.sg1archive.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=7870 | http://www.sg1archive.com/teasers/a109.html

(This topic is for people who have seen the episode to discuss it. If you don't want to be spoiled, don't read this topic.)

Posted by: Aquila Sep 11th 2004, 12:08 AM

This episode was truly fascinating, I thought the acting was well done for Wier's character this time around, and the whole plotline was intrigueing, especially how they held back until the last.

I find that we learned alot more about the character's as well, and have finally seen some of Sheppard's near genius mathematical mind...as stated in the SCi-fi bio on him.

Posted by: xayeidemon Sep 11th 2004, 12:11 AM

Boring. If I'd never seen Gamekeeper, and if I hadn't known Hammond wasn't at the SGC anymore, I'd have thought this was an okay episode. But it just fell flat. I did enjoy seeing Rodney's boxers. Cute.

One question: What purpose does Ford serve?

Posted by: SlavsyaRossiya Sep 11th 2004, 1:03 AM

An interesting episode. A bit too reminiscent of Gatekeeper, but that was a relatively small part of the episode. We saw more of the characters, learned more about their past, etc....Weir even seemed interesting! My only criticism would be: Why didn't we see more of Fords mind? We saw a ton of the others but Ford seemed to be pretty minor....Are they intentionally trying to keep him boring? He has much more potential and they just aren't using them.

I'll give this one a...70, which by my new rating system is "Good".
Compared to SG1s 55, Atlantis beats Stargate for the fourth week in a row

Posted by: taujin Sep 11th 2004, 1:14 AM

As noted by the previous posts by others, this episode wasn't very original. There are just too many sci-fi stories of people being in alternate realities or under the influence or control of aliens.

One major goof in this episode for me was when McKay picked up the old packet of junk food from his couch and ate it. He has been away for months, so how can the junk food that he left be still edible?

I was also surprised that the aliens allowed McKay to experiment with a ZPM. If the aliens could read minds, they would have known that McKay would soon discover that they were not in a real world.

Finally, if the aliens can create pizza and beer, how did they not realize that the humans would die very soon if left unconscious on the planet's surface?

I liked last week's episode better

TauJin

Posted by: Arcady Sep 11th 2004, 1:25 AM

QUOTE (taujin @ Sep 11th 2004, 2:14 AM)

One major goof in this episode for me was when McKay picked up the old packet of junk food from his couch and ate it. He has been away for months, so how can the junk food that he left be still edible?

That's called comedy. Haven't you noticed he eats anything? (Except citrus, that is.)

In any case, it was nice to see Don again, even if he was a fake Hammond.

Posted by: RJLCyberPunk Sep 11th 2004, 1:39 AM

I personally liked this episode it had a lot of the clasic elements of ths SG-1 show, plus it was interesting to see the characters background. I hope the Weir character gets better scripts as it did this time around. Its the first time since the show started that he get to see Higginson's acting abilities put to work and she did pretty good.

Posted by: Raz Sep 11th 2004, 6:38 AM

This episode was OK, but not one of the best. Obviously this episode was somewhat like 'The Gamekeeper' and I hate it when Atlantis nab some of SG-1 storylines and turn it into theres! We need BETTER and newer storylines which I guess is the whole point of having a new spinoff series. The episode was reasonable but obviously Don wasn't acting as General Hammond as himself if u get what I mean!
Overall 6/10

Posted by: Kuwdora Sep 11th 2004, 6:47 AM

I thought the little homage to the Outer Limits was cute.. I bet they had no problem getting the..er.. "rights"(?) to the audio of the beginning of the show... seeing as Wright worked on Outer Limits for a good number of years?

I was bored by this ep, and I wanna know if the fog/misty dudes were the Big Giant Aliens and if they have Nick Ballard. That would have made this ep better.

But yes. McKay in his boxers. Priceless. I loved his "I'm with genius" tshirt with the arrow pointing up.

Posted by: ted_simple Sep 11th 2004, 7:17 AM

Sheppard really grows on me. The ironical way he created this absurd party scenario almost fooled me in believing I just had an amusing dream myself. Oh boy, that would have been a good one.

Lizzy (Elizabeth ) was gorgeous in her pink shirt.

Rodney had good moments like when he discovered that "this universe is not governed by the laws of science".

The plot was not very exciting. However, this episode addressed certain issues like why and in what frame the Atlantis expedition is legitimate, and Dr Weir showed more of her character. I liked the discussion with Sheppard in the beginning.

Posted by: Lord Malice Sep 11th 2004, 7:29 AM

Not a bad episode. Loved Rodney's reaction to strangeness of it all. I was about to say"Holy cow, Sheppard has a nice place". But it was all fantasy. I liked the party, an Johns reaction to it. Always love to see some guy waving a gun around drinking his bear.

Posted by: StillLoveJeffWebber Sep 11th 2004, 8:37 AM

aaaahh!

I lost the last few minutes...my VCR went off just as they were waking up...what happened?

Despite the familiar plot, the aspect of this epsiode that I enjoyed was the way the clothing and attitudes changed from perspective to perspective - even early on.

Posted by: ted_simple Sep 11th 2004, 8:54 AM

They just went to the DHD, McKay began to remove the control crystal again, and Weir said something like "be careful with that, I wanna get home", and McKay jokingly suggested if she meant earth with "home", they could cheat the energy beings and leave for earth after all. - Fade out.

Posted by: Trekkie Sep 11th 2004, 8:58 AM

I'd give 6-7 Out of 10 for this episode. It just bothers me a litte that the character of Simon is played by same guy as Narim.

Anybody noticed some similarities to (4x07 - Watergate) ?

Posted by: Annunaki Sep 11th 2004, 10:01 AM

I thought it was a pretty good episode. I really liked the part where Sheppard reveiled that the friends who were in his pad were suppose to be dead. It really wiped the smiles off of their face.

Posted by: dorien Sep 11th 2004, 11:33 AM

I partially watched this episode because Don S. Davis had a guest starring role. I say "partially" because I channel surfed a bit, turned the tv off and did other things for a while and then came back to it for the last twenty minutes or so.

The "things are not quite what they seem" scenario has been done on all scifi shows. But it was done okay here. I liked how the overlapping points of view were blended together. Especially the scene between Weir and McKay when they finally realized that something weird was happening.

But for a spin-off show that is supposed to explore stories that can't be told in the SG-1 environment, this sure felt like an episode of SG-1. Just minus any characters of interest.

QUOTE (xayeidemon @ Sep 11th 2004, 12:11 AM)

One question: What purpose does Ford serve?

I'm wondering that myself. No answer comes to mind. None whatsoever.

I'm also wondering about his hat. Basic military protocol calls for wearing a hat or "cover" when outside. Not inside. But here's this doofus walking around Atlantis with his hat on. Peter DeLuise learned all this hat/no hat stuff first hand in the SG-1 season 4 episode Prodigy. Was no one else paying attention?

Posted by: ted_simple Sep 11th 2004, 11:40 AM

Ford always felt useless, but today I really asked myself what the writers possibly intend to do with his character. I mean, this was an episode which heavily focused on characters, and all that his got was this crappy scene about his transfer to Antarctica.

Maybe Weir and the other three are featured as the main cast, and Ford was never intended to get an equally big role.

Posted by: Drizzt's Syn Sep 11th 2004, 11:49 AM

Hm.
Sheppard (to Weir): "It wouldn't be the same without you..."

Oh the irony!

Fun ep, loved the double-double crossing joke during the fade-out.

Posted by: wonderland Sep 11th 2004, 12:35 PM

If it hadn't been for Don Davis's appearance, this would have been a complete waste of electricity. I just watched it to see Don (and to fill in time to re-watch Stargate SG1). Waste time was exactly what I did.
And knowing it wasn't really Hammond at all, I just thought "oh, hell, the gamekeeper was here!"

Posted by: xayeidemon Sep 11th 2004, 12:39 PM

Hey, didn't the Gamekeeper pose as General Hammond, too? Wow, talk about your original, fresh new series. Seriously, Atlantis needs to stop copying off big sister SG-1. Maybe that's why the ratings have been going consistantly down since the pilot.

Posted by: Aquila Sep 11th 2004, 1:53 PM

QUOTE (SlavsyaRossiya @ Sep 10th 2004, 11:03 PM)

My only criticism would be: Why didn't we see more of Fords mind? We saw a ton of the others but Ford seemed to be pretty minor....Are they intentionally trying to keep him boring? He has much more potential and they just aren't using them.

Hmm, good observation, I didn't think of it at the time. I find this quite perplexing too, as they did hardly even show his mind at all, really quite strange, and I still don't understand why their minds had Hammond as the SGC commander?! Afterall, they did leave when O'neill had taken command...

Posted by: SlavsyaRossiya Sep 11th 2004, 4:06 PM

[Q] this sure felt like an episode of SG-1. Just minus any characters of interest. [/Q]

Sadly, I think you answered your own question:
Any Sg1 episode, even one without any characters of interest (which I dispute, but whatever) *IS* a story that can no longer be told in an SG1 environment

[Q]Maybe that's why the ratings have been going consistantly down since the pilot. rolleyes.gif[/Q]

Actually, I would speculate that its because the fandom is changing. If we look at the ratings for each episode, we get:

Rising: 3.2
Posisoning the Well: 1.8
38 Minutes: 2.5
Hide and Seek: 2.5
Suspicion: 2.2
Chidhood's End: 1.9

Now, rising is of course justified.
Notice that 38 minutes, alongside Hide and Seek, recieve a 2.5 rating which is quite high.
Childhood's End and Poisoning the Well, when you look at it from a storyline perspective, are much like Traditional S1-S5 SG1 containing interactions with a new culture, new problems, exploration...Yet they recieve a 1.8 and 1.9. That is about 938,000 viewers. 938000 people decided that watching them run around Atlantis or watching them be stuck in a gate was better than a traditional SG1 episode.
If we look at the Fan Rating, the results are slihglty more encouraging: 7.98 average for Posioningthewell-Childhoodsend as opposed to 8.02 average for 38minutes-HideandSeek. A small difference to be sure, but it shows a trend that is a bit worrysome...

I'm sure you've noticed the same thing happening with SG1 as time went on. Zero Hour, Avatar, Lockdown, Covenant, Affinity....In fan ratings, Icon (the only episode so far except for the Ishta one, and even that one is debatable) got a 7.11. Only Affinity scored lower. Zero Hour, Avatar, Lockdown, Covenant...
The influx of more people will always result in a reduction of quality. The producers want money and results, and thus they reduce the quality in order to appeal to the majority. Thus, the "soapeps".

You seemingly agree with me on this subject, and thus if you do then your arguement that Atlantis needs to stop copying from SG1 lest its ratings continue to decline is hypocritical and unfounded

Posted by: xayeidemon Sep 11th 2004, 4:14 PM

QUOTE (SlavsyaRossiya @ Sep 11th 2004, 5:06 PM)

You seemingly agree with me on this subject, and thus if you do then your arguement that Atlantis needs to stop copying from SG1 lest its ratings continue to decline is hypocritical and unfounded

How so?

Please explain. Are you referring to the earlier eps of SG-1? Or the latter eps of As the Stargate Turns?

SG-1's ratings are waning as well, but the drop off wasn't as steep as Atlantis's. What happened to all those people who watched Rising?

Posted by: SlavsyaRossiya Sep 11th 2004, 4:26 PM

Well generally, at least in MY opinion, quality has been rising the beginning - plots are becoming more detailed and nuianced, even if the plot itself has been done before. The acting is becoming much better....
However, popularity and viewership seems to be going down. Now, it should be noted that so far the average rating is 2.4, but its slipping

BTW, its not true that Sg1 is waning: Season 6 acerage rating was 1.7, Season 7 is 1.8, and right now the average rating for SG1 is 2.1. See, Stargate is no longer targetting the orignal auidence but a much wider auidence, one that isnt always watching scifi shows. Thus, it needs to be vastly simplified: Scifi plots need to go down tremedously to keep the new viewership. Thus causing "As the Stargate Turns" syndrome.

Eventually Atlantis will catch this as well: Unless the producers have the balls to keep Atlantis going in quality, eventually we'll be seeing love triangles and mysterious murders and all sorts of stuff. Why? Because Atlantis is popular, and to retain popularity it needs to be less scifi. Yes, it is ironic that TV series' on Scifi network need to be less Scifi, but....One word: Farscape

I think those of us who prefer Old SG1 are going to have to face the reality that Stargate SG1 is dead and probably will not be returning. An occasional episode perhaps, but it will not be the rule any longer. Thus I'm going to savor Atlantis while it lasts, before its either cancelled or dumbed down.

Posted by: aliaras Sep 11th 2004, 4:34 PM

I remember in an old interview(I think it's from the season 3 DVDs) RDA mentioned that part of Stargate was its intelligence. He said that he thought it was an insult to the fans to try and dumb it down. Now, that's kinda what they're doing. They're changing SG-1 from a nice, unique show into a carbon copy of all the s*** that's out there.

Atlantis will hopefully last for 3 seasons...hopefully...

EDIT: Crap removed, sorry 'bout that!

Posted by: NRJ Sep 11th 2004, 9:04 PM

We haven't much of the Wraith so far. We don't even know any Leaders of the Wraith. In SG1, in the first few minutes of 1st episode, there was Apophis. We find out later that he was one of many gods (false gods). Th Wraith must have a leader or several leaders. I'm not sure where this show is going. Hope we will find more later.

Posted by: Christy Sep 11th 2004, 9:54 PM

Im sorry, Aliaras, was that last post of yours, like, saying you don't like the new members of this forum or are you saying that because you miss the old days when this board just had all you older members and you all knew each other?

Stargate Atlantis has potential and with that comes decisions...whether the show makes big bounds or little bounds, do they explore or do they jsut stay where they are? New fans join watching stargate anytime during a season and if they join in with fandom because they watch Stargate Atlantis, what is so wrong with that?
They are both together and remember we wouldn't have Stargate if it wasn't for the movie.

Posted by: Cabbit Sep 11th 2004, 10:45 PM

back on the episode, Mist Alien Hammond said that Sheppard was the only one who seemed to be able to manipulate his fantasy reality. Assuming this is from the gene, why couldn't McKay?

Cab

Posted by: aliaras Sep 11th 2004, 10:51 PM

I'm sorry, that came out wrong. I'm really really sorry if I pissed anyone off...

I didn't mean either of the things you said, I need to edit my post. Again, I'm really really sorry...

Posted by: Christy Sep 11th 2004, 11:37 PM

no sweat Aliaris, there's more insulting things on this forum...I didn't get insulted by what you said, more confused in what you meant.

Posted by: Kuwdora Sep 12th 2004, 6:54 AM

This ep would have been better if that fog spit out Nick Ballard and said in a booming voice, "We are the giant aliens from Crystal Skull"... in my opinion, anyway.

though...

McKay+boxers=adorable!

It's things like McKay and Sheppard that is building the fanbase of women, *nodsnods* It sucks. And I know this and I am being sucked in as well.

Posted by: Seth Sep 12th 2004, 9:20 AM

This episode was VERY good. In fact, in my opinion, it was better than any of the s8 sg1 eps except for maybe Zero Hour and New Order. There was a good plot, good science, McKay's humour and good CGI.

The only thing that bugged me: They showed Weir, Sheppard, Teyla and McKay, but what about Ford? Is he really needed on the series?

Posted by: 1969 Sep 12th 2004, 2:31 PM

That did kinda suck they didnt put just a teensy weensy more about Ford. Maybe hell get more focus in upcoming episodes.

Also, why would those aliens allow him to leave the base and search for Sheppard if they were trying to keep them separated like Mckay and Weir, especially after he found out he was supposedly being transfered to Antartica? I think they should have monitored him more closely because of that and been cautious of him going AWOL.

Posted by: dorien Sep 12th 2004, 3:14 PM

The "real" Ford wasn't at Sheppard's place because that place didn't exist. The only "real" people there were Sheppard and Teyla. Just like the "real" Weir and McKay never interacted. They each were responding to a frabricated person. Only when alien Hammond brings them all together do they share the same false reality. Which is why there are so many questions about what was going on in Ford's mind. All we saw was the scene about his transfer. Apparently there's not much going on between his ears.

Posted by: ted_simple Sep 12th 2004, 3:21 PM

QUOTE

I think so too, the series is overall improving. Where's the problem? Home = Gamekeeper? I don't see it. Similarities are to be expected because the topics are close, but it didn't feel like a rip-off to me. And if it was, it was fresh and well done.

Posted by: 1969 Sep 12th 2004, 3:44 PM

QUOTE (dorien @ Sep 12th 2004, 3:14 PM)

The "real" Ford wasn't at Sheppard's place because that place didn't exist.

think about it, the aliens felt bad and saw his emotion when he received the news about transferring and decided to let him go to Sheppard to talk.

QUOTE

The only "real" people there were Sheppard and Teyla. Just like the "real" Weir and McKay never interacted,

I never said Weir and Mckay interacted, I said they were separated.

QUOTE

They each were responding to a frabricated person.

NO really? Wow, thanks for the insight!

Posted by: xayeidemon Sep 12th 2004, 3:53 PM

QUOTE (Kuwdora @ Sep 12th 2004, 7:54 AM)

I concur. I miss the Giant Aliens and Nick.

As for the fanbase thing....darn it to hell! I'm a slave to my hormones who want nothing more than to ogle Rodney. It defies logic. My higher brain functions are telling me I don't like this show, but my baser brain functions are like, "Rodney. Hot. Me see Rodney in undershorts. Me drool." But I think the episode sucked. But I watch for McKay. But I don't like it! But McKay is awesome! AAARRGGHH!

*brain explodes*

Posted by: dorien Sep 12th 2004, 4:03 PM

1969...Forgive me for using the Weir/McKay scenario that you clearly did understand to try to explain the same exact scenario between Ford/Sheppard which you didn't.

Posted by: 1969 Sep 12th 2004, 4:17 PM

QUOTE (dorien @ Sep 12th 2004, 4:03 PM)

1969...Forgive me for using the Weir/McKay scenario that you clearly did understand to try to explain the same exact scenario between Ford/Sheppard which you didn't.

Hey, I didnt say it was set in stone, it could have been a possibility. I think your wrong and it still could have been the real Ford.

Posted by: IndyJan Sep 12th 2004, 6:05 PM

What made this show for me was seeing Don Davis once again!

The one thing that bothered me was that they did see Hammond, and yet when they all left, Jack was in command. None of them even questioned that?

I did notice that while Atlantis was a home episode, SG did have gate travel. I think they actually have just so much money for special effects to be used between both shows. They cannot do something for both shows at the same time. So it's feast or famine.

Like everyone else, why is Lt. Ford even on the show?

Posted by: Linz Sep 12th 2004, 6:10 PM

I guess my opinions are differing than the most lately... I didn't like 809 (most did) and I thought 109 was pretty good, as I read that most thought it was horrible. I thought the idea, even if we DID figure it out, it was still interesting seeing the characters figuring it out. I liked it a lot... I likd the acting, I LOVED seeing Hammond again! and McKay in his boxers was great... lol.

Oh well, just my opinion.

Posted by: Mental Case Sep 12th 2004, 11:31 PM

QUOTE (Cabbit @ Sep 11th 2004, 10:45 PM)

back on the episode, Mist Alien Hammond said that Sheppard was the only one who seemed to be able to manipulate his fantasy reality. Assuming this is from the gene, why couldn't McKay?

Well maybe its the "imperfections" or maybe he changed that encounter with the woman at his front door a bit?

As for the episode itself though, I thought this was an okay ep, not that great but not horrible either.

Posted by: mithwriter Sep 12th 2004, 11:32 PM

First off, let me say that as someone who no longer reads spoilers, I think the dingbats at SciFi who put together the previews deserve to be strapped to a chair and made to listen William Shatner's version of "Mr. Tamborine Man" until their ears bleed.

Last year they tried to tease us with O'Neill possibly dying in Heros when everyone knew damn well he wasn't going anywhere. So far this year they ruined the major plot twist of Home by tossing in that great clip of McKay yelling "None of this is real!"

thanks guys...really.

From the moment I turned on this ep to the end, I knew that all the home stuff wasn't real, so then the only thing left was to ponder one question...

What was causing the illusion?
Answer: the misty aliens. Very cool, btw.

Also, I've noticed some Gamekeeper references in other posts, but the one I thought about after this was over was Watergate, when the aliens were actually water...sort of a variation on a them, yes?

The other thing I kept my eye on were the Atlantis crew, and I couldn't help ponder the following:

Is Weir truly incapable of cracking a smile? I only ask because if I went home after being away in a distant galaxy and found Narim/Phillip waiting for me, you're damn right I'd have a big grin on my face.
Shouldn't the first words after seeing Hammond in charge instead of O'Neill be something like "Where's General O'Neill?"
McKay didn't ask where Carter was? Oh, and if the aliens are able to read their minds, wouldn't they know from reading McKay's mind what both good and bad test results of a zpm should look like and be able to manipulate them accordingly instead of it being..what was the tehcnical term...gobblygook?
If Teyla was sharing in Sheppards delusion, and he was in the car..how would she know what a shopping mall looks like? Or better yet, it would've been cool if her version of the mall looked like an more extravegent version of places her people have gone to trade.
Very nice use of the Outer Limits. Not only did BW work on the show, but it poked fun at McKay's predicament
"Do not attemt to adjust your set. We control the horizontal and the vertical..."
Really liked the twist in Sheppard house with the two dead guys. The fact that he didn't let on to either another character or the audience was well done. Also intrigued by the fact that he could actually manipulate his 'reality'
The Weir/McKay switch in the science lab was a bit confusing at first, and I don't know if that was intentional or not.

Overall, I thought it was well done, but I'm still waiting for a truly great episode. None so far....

Posted by: seymour Sep 13th 2004, 12:27 AM

Why didn't we see Teyla in memories of her own life rather than on a shopping spree with Sheppard?

Poor Ford seems to be heading in the direction of Ensign Travis Mayweather-blending in with the scenery. Pity.

McKay seems to overwhelm the rest of the cast and I wonder if this was intentional on the part of the PTB. Weir comes across as simply boring; Sheppard as an "O'Neill-wannabe"; while Teyla has lost any character she had to begin (aaarh I ended that sentence with a preposition!). We would have learned more about her if she hadn't been shopping with Sheppard-unless of course this was just Sheppard shaping his 'dream' in order to see her legs and dress in tight clothes.

I thrive on character with a great sci-fi story background. McKay's over-the-top dominance of the show (funny and cute though he is) is not enough to carry me through more than one season.

Yes, I had as seen the episode several years ago when I watched "The Gatekeeper."

Anyone else think that the writers and producers have simply spread themselves too thin in their haste to expand the franchise, over-commericalize the "Stargate Universe" (computer games etc.), and make as much money as possible before the Gate shuts down?

Posted by: Reignfire Sep 13th 2004, 2:35 AM

QUOTE (seymour @ Sep 13th 2004, 12:27 AM)

Why didn't we see Teyla in memories of her own life rather than on a shopping spree with Sheppard?

As "General Hammond" explained, Teyla has never been to Earth so she had no memories of Earth and they just paired her with Shepard. I guess they could have come up with some way to get her to continue her own life. My guess is that it was easier to create Earth from 4 minds and throw her in then creating her own separate illusion from only her mind.

I agree about this episode being a combo of Gamekeeper and Watergate.

Best quote: "It's like looking through a microscope at a cell culture and seeing a thousand dancing hamsters."

Posted by: ted_simple Sep 13th 2004, 3:06 AM

QUOTE (mithwriter @ Sep 13th 2004, 6:32 AM)

McKay didn't ask where Carter was? Oh, and if the aliens are able to read their minds, wouldn't they know from reading McKay's mind what both good and bad test results of a zpm should look like and be able to manipulate them accordingly instead of it being..what was the tehcnical term...gobblygook?

I think they had problems to get the details right. McKay is especially sensitive when it comes to science, so he would notice discrepancies. Possibly it's not enough that he knows what he wants to see, but the aliens have to interpret his memories to create an illusion from it. I suspect the "fabrication" wasn't a direct feedback between McKay's expectations and what he got to see.

QUOTE

If Teyla was sharing in Sheppards delusion, and he was in the car..how would she know what a shopping mall looks like?

He wasn't in the car all the time, I suppose. And when he left before she did, the aliens could still access his memories to provide an accurate illusion for Teyla.
And it was very clever to pair Teyla with Sheppard, after all she was the only one who didn't find out it was an illusion because she couldn't compare it with the real world.

Posted by: Colonel_O'Neill Sep 13th 2004, 5:35 AM

Ok here?s what i don?t get, When they go trough the gate (illusional one) they find General Hammond in SG command....Ok i know Gen Hammond is still active duty, and they have like 2-3 other sg bases around the USA, but why wasn?t anyone of the Atlantis crew confused??? Like where is General O`Neill? The real SG General?

Sure they saw illusions, but they belived them at present time, still Sheppard knew his friends were killed back in Gulf war yet he don?t remember General O?neill????

Hope some of ya guys can give a good solution to this

Sheppard at the party, whil his saying " Now tell me what the hell is going on", the way he delivered that line made my skin crawl, sooooooooooo cheeeesy. I have nothing agianst him personally, but i think he needs to be a better actor, some lines he delivers are just to cheesy, kinda like all Orlando Bloom movies (well ok he was good in the LOTR trilogy, but his latest movie are all the same)

Posted by: Christy Sep 13th 2004, 5:58 AM

maybe their memories were changed??
like their perception of what happened when...maybe they still believed that General Hammond was in charge

Posted by: Sal'tesh of the Tok'Ra Sep 13th 2004, 6:02 AM

Can anyone else say gamekeeper.

I suppose it was alright, but i was a little like OMG, Gamekeepr.

I liked the fact that we got to see Hammond again. I loved him.

Posted by: toddy67 Sep 13th 2004, 6:17 AM

I thought it was quite a good episode,was a little confused as to how they intended to come back if it were the real Earth or anywhere else outside the Pegasus Galaxy for that matter but it all made sense as the story unfolded.

I also agree it was surprising they didn't question the fact that General Hammond was in charge of the SGC,and I'm certain when they were in conference at Atlantis about sending a radio signal to Earth,Dr Weir said something like 'we should at least inform General Hammond and the rest of the SGC about our progress' so I think it was just a bloopered oversight during production.

Another question that comes to mind,it was suggested that perhaps the Asgard could ferry them back to Atlantis,when they were told the Prometheus had been damaged in battle,I would have thought the SGC would have approached the Asgard before now and asked them to 'charter' one of their ships to check their fate,afterall the Asgard can travel between their own Galaxy and ours in a short space of time and owe us a favour or two.

Hopefully some sort of radio contact.if nothing else,using a Tollan Long Range Communicator or similar will be possible in a future episode.

Posted by: toddy67 Sep 13th 2004, 6:32 AM

Oh,and McKay would have to be the funniest character I've seen in a TV Show for a while,the scene where he checks his answering machine and receives no messages after several months and mumbling something about a possible power surge as justification for this was bloody funny.

Posted by: Christy Sep 13th 2004, 7:36 AM

when he checked his answering machine was cool...
and the way that weir thought shep. was back on atlantis and shepperd thought weir was back in atlantis that was sooo cute

Posted by: Nightdagger Sep 13th 2004, 8:04 AM

the only thing that really bothered me was that weirs husband was one of the tollans, i mean come on.. i just hate when they use old characters, thats lame..
otherwise it was a good ep

Posted by: dr_n_tesla Sep 13th 2004, 8:44 AM

Noticed how this episode explained why the Altantis gate was the only one able to dial out of the Pegasus Galaxy?
That came from the fact that Dr Mackay stated the offworld DHDs were all technically the same, except the Atlantis DHD due to it's control crystal.
So here it is folks, the Altantis DHD control crystal is what enables the gate to use the 8th chevron. Seems that the Ancients built the DHDs so that the Pegasus beings stay in Pegasus.

There is the Number 1 reason/explanation as to why Atlantis doesn't use the offworld style DHD. They wish to be the only ones to gate "Home" -> Earth.

We may still be able to assume that the DHDs in our galaxy are built similarly. It conforms with our ability to dial other galaxies as we have the dialing computer. But since control crystals are simply programmed to limit what the DHD can do, they can be reprogrammed as we have seen in "Avenger 2.0". Since Baal figured this out, I'm sure that other Goa'uld also know this as they use control crystals in their systems.

However perhaps only Anubis and Ra knew or at least came across information regarding Atlantis. Ra was clueless but Anubis ascended so got closer to finding it, yet the fact that we found Atlantis as is, proves that Anubis nor any other Goa'uld connected outside our Galaxy as there are no Goa'uld there. To do that they also need the address, which we so far only know of 2, Pegasus and Ida/Othalla (keeps changing names). The Goa'uld could've run through all the permutations if they wished, but if they didn't know that the power requirements were tremendous they will not have made a connection to the correct address, dismissing it as a failed permutation and moved on to the next sequence provided that they are using a reprogrammed control crystal enabling the use of the 8th chevron.

Posted by: Lt. Michael Sep 13th 2004, 10:36 AM

One little question just to be sure.

Is it the big giants aliens from crystal skull or ascended acients we are dealing with in this episode?

From what I remember the big giants aliens was not from the pegasus galaxy.

Posted by: ted_simple Sep 13th 2004, 3:48 PM

Neither nor. The giant aliens had to shift humans into their reality before they could speak to us, and it didn't appear as if they could tap into our minds to communicate. Ascended ancients won't be harmed by the activation of the stargate, and don't look like mist.

Posted by: CitizenK Sep 13th 2004, 8:48 PM

You know, I thought this was a really good episode. I would have called it outstanding were it not for the fact that this was a variation on the story, Watergate. This episode just reinforces my "love" of Rodney McKay. His character is just so wonderfully obnoxious. You just can't help but like the guy. He's trying sooo hard to be liked. I loved his "I'm with genius" T-shirt with the arrow pointing up. He takes pompous to a shiney new level.

but, I have to admit, I had a clue there was a problem when I saw Major Sheppard's apartment. It was just way too luxurious for him to be able to afford on a humble major's salary. I mean, I'd love an apartment like that !

and this is funny, but that's exactly how I pictured Rodney's apartment. No new messages on his machine. clothes and books strewn all over the place, everything in general disarray. it was quintessential Rodney. I even loved that he picked up a bag of chips that must have been stale after months of not being at his apartment.

it was so great to see General Hammond. I really miss him on Stargate. it was a comfort to see him. and I liked his scene with Sheppard. they work pretty well together.

now, with regards to the "blooper" involving General Hammond being in charge of the SGC. Actually, I don't think it was a mistake. on the contrary, when Weir and company left for Atlantis, General Hammond was still in charge of the SGC. they wouldn't have heard of his promotion to head of the entire earth defense program or that O'Neill was now in charge. That came after they left. Weir just handed O'Neill his promotion, she wouldn't have known he would become new base commander if it hadn't been decided then.

the mist beings were using known information from their minds. So, having Weir report to Hammond makes sense.

I also like Garwin Sanford as Weir's husband/ex-husband. I keep forgetting which he is. I think too many people forget that this man is an actor and he's playing a part and this part is different from Narim. I'd have thought folks would be happy to see the actor again and yet, all they can do is complain about the show reusing actors.
Gee, I think it's great they are giving these folks work where we can see them. I love seeing Garwin again. hope to see him some in future episodes.

hmmm.... what do I think of Weir ? she was okay. But, the writers really need to give some better material to work with because so far, I'm finding that Sheppard is starting to become smarter and more efficient a leader than she is. He was the one to catch on to the gig first.

this really was a well done episode. my only problem is that it wasn't original. The beings in Watergate were trying to save their people every bit as much as the non-corporeal mist beings.

I'd give this ep 8/10.

Posted by: toddy67 Sep 14th 2004, 1:40 AM

QUOTE (CitizenK @ Sep 13th 2004, 8:48 PM)

now, with regards to the "blooper" involving General Hammond being in charge of the SGC. Actually, I don't think it was a mistake. on the contrary, when Weir and company left for Atlantis, General Hammond was still in charge of the SGC. they wouldn't have heard of his promotion to head of the entire earth defense program or that O'Neill was now in charge. That came after they left. Weir just handed O'Neill his promotion, she wouldn't have known he would become new base commander if it hadn't been decided then.

the mist beings were using known information from their minds. So, having Weir report to Hammond makes sense.

In the atlantis pilot episode Rising Pt1 Weir has to get the nod from General O'Neill to use the ZPM to power the gate after Daniel discovers it's an 8 symbol address,she also claims she has been selecting members for this expedition for months suggesting some time had passed since General O'Neill's promotion.

It was General O'Neill at SGC who gave the expedition the final nod to depart after the MALP readings determined viable life support and he rolled the bottle of champagne through the wormhole prior to shutting it down.

In fact Dr Weir (different actress) replaced General Hammond in Lost City Pts 1+2,I don't ever recall a scene in SG1 or SGA where they have ever met.

Posted by: Nightdagger Sep 14th 2004, 6:29 AM

indeed, citizen you need to check your info, and for the complainingstuff, i dont complain, i just dont like to se the same characters playing different roles, that takes away some of the thrill, thats it

Posted by: CitizenK Sep 14th 2004, 7:39 AM

QUOTE (toddy67 @ Sep 14th 2004, 1:40 AM)

[
In the atlantis pilot episode Rising Pt1 Weir has to get the nod from General O'Neill to use the ZPM to power the gate after Daniel discovers it's an 8 symbol address,she also claims she has been selecting members for this expedition for months suggesting some time had passed since General O'Neill's promotion.

It was General O'Neill at SGC who gave the expedition the final nod to depart after the MALP readings determined viable life support and he rolled the bottle of champagne through the wormhole prior to shutting it down.

In fact Dr Weir (different actress) replaced General Hammond in Lost City Pts 1+2,I don't ever recall a scene in SG1 or SGA where they have ever met.

Good point, Weir did have to get O'Neill's okay to use the ZPM in the season opener. But, one thing that the mist alien did say to Weir was that they took and used memories from their minds to create a new reality for them. So, inspite of the fact that O'Neill was the new commander of the SGC, she still considered Hammond in charge.

Otherwise, why wouldn't it have been O'Neill's image the aliens took on instead of Hammond ?

Personally, I think that's something that ultimately would end up as a nitpick.

But, going to have to disagree with Nightdagger. I don't have any problems with good character actors being re-used in other roles. It doesn't take anything away from the performance as far as I am concerned.

Posted by: seymour Sep 14th 2004, 9:21 AM

QUOTE (CitizenK @ Sep 14th 2004, 7:39 AM)

So, inspite of the fact that O'Neill was the new commander of the SGC, she still considered Hammond in charge........... Otherwise, why wouldn't it have been O'Neill's image the aliens took on instead of Hammond ?

Because RDA will not be appearing in any more episodes of Atlantis!
He has been widely quoted as saying his association with the series ended after the pilot.

Pity since the Base Commander's contribution was all on-base it might have been relatively easy to work the episode into his schedule.

Posted by: Christy Sep 14th 2004, 4:51 PM

that's slightly unfair for Atlantis...does that mean we won't be seeing Michael Shanks either?

Posted by: linda_lol Sep 14th 2004, 5:03 PM

This episode was actually pretty good, but a little bit confusing. I haven't seen the Stargate Atlantis premiere so I thought Jack was replaced by Hammond again. Glad to see that he wasn't. Anyways, I like Weir's husband. They kept having these love scenes and I kept thinking, "Narim, ya like Sam ya bastard!" Maybe I was overeacting! jk! Anywho, he does look a lot older since the last time we saw him. It was a nice surprise to see him though!

I LOVE the part where Teyla comes out of that mall (was it?) with Shepard. Teyla kinda reminds me of me! I love to shop, especially for clothes. Just thought I'd mention it.....

Posted by: Christy Sep 14th 2004, 5:23 PM

he's not her husband...he's her boyfriend.

Posted by: linda_lol Sep 14th 2004, 5:37 PM

QUOTE

he's not her husband...he's her boyfriend.

Well, when you have a pizza in one hand and you're tellin your brother to shut up every 5 minutes its hard to focus. jk! I didn't know that.

Posted by: ted_simple Sep 14th 2004, 6:22 PM

QUOTE (linda_lol @ Sep 15th 2004, 12:03 AM)

I LOVE the part where Teyla comes out of that mall (was it?) with Shepard. Teyla kinda reminds me of me! I love to shop, especially for clothes. Just thought I'd mention it.....

Who wouldn't...
Shopping for the first time.

Don't forget, it was Shep's idea. I'm sure he was enjoying it too in the beginning. I wonder from whose memories the aliens created the clothes... perhaps Elizabeth's.

Posted by: Spence Sep 14th 2004, 9:41 PM

QUOTE (CitizenK @ Sep 13th 2004, 8:48 PM)

This episode just reinforces my "love" of Rodney McKay. His character is just so wonderfully obnoxious. You just can't help but like the guy. He's trying sooo hard to be liked. I loved his "I'm with genius" T-shirt with the arrow pointing up. He takes pompous to a shiney new level.

McKay is by far and away my favorite character on this show. I loved his sarcasm in Thirty-Eight Minutes when he said "The cockpit is regretably demolecularized at the moment." And my favorite part of this episode was his "I'm with Genius" T-shirt. His arrogance just slays me.

Posted by: Christy Sep 15th 2004, 2:49 AM

QUOTE (ted_simple @ Sep 15th 2004, 8:52 AM)

might have been from sheps memories of when he dated a girl?

Posted by: ted_simple Sep 15th 2004, 4:32 AM

I just don't think Sheppard can vividly picture a wide collection of bras. She certainly wore one.

For that matter, I think it's quite difficult to create a cloth store from anyone's memories. You have hundreds of different variations in every room.

Posted by: CitizenK Sep 15th 2004, 7:47 AM

You know, here's a minor nitpick about Sheppard that bothered me that I forgot to mention. Why is it... Many if not all people who go on some long journey end up bringing Tolstoy's War and Peace with them. Sure, it's a long read. But, does Sheppard strike you as someone who'd be interested in Tolstoy ? Yeah, I know, he was only on page 17.

But, why not Tolkien's Lord of the Rings ? How about Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix ? Shogun ? David Copperfield ? Those are all perfectly good long books.

Why do they always read War and Peace ?

Posted by: dorien Sep 15th 2004, 1:52 PM

QUOTE (CitizenK @ Sep 15th 2004, 7:47 AM)

Why do they always read War and Peace ?

For a moment I actually liked Sheppard for his choice....cliche though it was. But then he said he was only on page 17 and it was obvious this was a character who wasn't getting it. The book is an exciting and thought provoking read from page one!

Sadly, it's a tired joke perpetuated by those who've never read the book.

Posted by: seymour Sep 15th 2004, 2:40 PM

QUOTE (CitizenK @ Sep 15th 2004, 7:47 AM)

My nitpick about the Book is this:

"Did Sheppard bring two personnal items instead of only one?"

We know he brought his football videos but was everyone allowed to bring a big big book as well. Is this Sheppard bending/breaking the rules? Have the writers been inconsistent? Do I have a poor memory of that particular episode?

Posted by: Tullos the Terrible Sep 15th 2004, 4:35 PM

i personallly thought that the reason hammond was there was that since he was the leader of "homeworld security" he would be the one to be briefed about the atantis expidition. But, this a very flimsy excuse.................

Posted by: Christy Sep 15th 2004, 4:46 PM

would a book be included as a personal item?
did he go against regulations and include two personal items.

- i wouldn't include a book as a personal item more as something to read when he gets bored.

- you never know...

Posted by: Gunfighter Sep 15th 2004, 8:06 PM

QUOTE (CitizenK @ Sep 15th 2004, 7:47 AM)

Hmm... I would have figured Sheppard for the Iliad & the Odyssey. Kinda fitting for the situation, you know. I think he's figuring that he should bring something that will take a long time to finish, not just a long book. I mean, if you like a book, you kinda want to read as much of it as you can at a time. You could finish the Lord of the Rings in a couple days, barring the interruptions of life at the base. And then, what would he have to read?

If they were smart, they would've nabbed some eBooks before they left.

Posted by: Christy Sep 16th 2004, 4:14 AM

Well, it really does depend on the person...maybe this book was to show us a new side of him?
What do we know him as?
*these are my opinions*
he's a guy who goes after what he wants *he never leaves a man behind*
he's a considerate person
he has a caring side.
he knows authority
he is a supporting figure.

- now, why would you think that this book would not be a good choice for him?
When you think about all that you know of him, you have to think that he does have a softer side to him as well. And maybe this book is showing it

Posted by: jaz Sep 16th 2004, 8:30 AM

QUOTE (Christy @ Sep 16th 2004, 4:14 AM)

I think it was a deliberate way to show that Sheppards intelligent side again, even though he is entertained by football, he also has a side which enjoys settling down with a book, which we've seen before in Suspicion I think (unless he was reading a reports or something).
It adds to the 'mathematical genius' edge, which he uses sparsely, and he quickly made it seem he just picked up Tolstoy because it was long and not because he was enjoying it. I think he read a lot when he was stationed in McMurdo, and he didn't get round to reading War and Peace (or is re-reading it). I wonder why he hides his more intellectual side?

I haven't got round to reading War and Peace myself (I'm 17 give me a chance) so I only know a few quotes from it. Any themes in it which would be significant for his character?

Posted by: SG1Papa Sep 16th 2004, 8:03 PM

QUOTE (Jaz)

I wonder why he hides his more intellectual side?

It is easier for him to be stupid. It lowers the expectations of others and probably himself too.

Anyway, I thought this was a great episode. Wayyy better than SG1. Even thoug I had suspicions they werent "home", I really liked it and the way they handled it. Also, good to see Hammond too

Posted by: Christy Sep 17th 2004, 7:44 PM

I still reckon Hammond should have been the one to lead the Atlantis expedition...
i've always likes Don S. Davis.

Anyhow, there were quite a few things which started to add up that they werent really on earth, expescially whyen Shep said it should have been Weir that had gone back to Earth and the way he checked his fridge and there were beers in it and you could tell from his expressions that he knew that something wasn't quite right.

Posted by: Cuokuo Sep 18th 2004, 9:55 PM

Does anyone know if the writers/producers plan on letting them back home or is the whole thing about Atlantis that they never get home??

Personally i think they should let them back home soon... allows so many more possibilities for what they can do with the eps.

Posted by: Bakhesh Sep 22nd 2004, 7:01 AM

personally, I quite liked this ep. I liked the way they kept it ambiguous who had come home until about three quarters through. Because Sheppard and Tayla were together, you weren't really sure if McKay and Weir were too.

The only thing that I found a bit cheesy was the when Sheppard started waving the gun around. It struck me as too much of a copy of Farscape (A Human Reaction), although Sheppard came off as a second rate Crichton. I like the character of Sheppard, but I think Joe Flanigan could do with a couple more acting lessons. I find his delivery very irritating sometimes.

I thought they should have told the misty aliens to bury their gate to stop people coming though. Noone seemed to have any issues with going home, even though they knew several aliens were going to die as soon as they activated the gate. Of course, the series would have got boring if they had to wait the 800 odd years to go home by jumper.....

BTW, I agree with Cuokuo. Let them sort out the ZPM problem and get in contact with the SGC again. Maybe not straight away. Give it a couple of series first. It would allow them to use all the SG1 continuity thats going to be left to go stale after the end of S8. If they do get three ZPM's, presumably they could even fly Atlantis home if they wanted.

Posted by: Janos Sep 23rd 2004, 8:06 AM

I just don't want to turn into another Voyager. Obviously, they're not going to be able to go home (at least for a while). I knew right from the beginning that they weren't really on Earth because if there was a way to do it, it would kill the suspense. On Voyager, they found dozens and dozens of ways to get home. But the wormhole wasn't stable, or it was really an alien affecting their minds, or the technology isn't compatible, or the technology burns out, or this being has to suffer, or this reason, or that reason..... Of course they weren't going to get home because the series was based on their isolation. SG-1 even did this in the beginning (and middle). We find this amazing technology, but we can't keep Hathor's sarcophagus because it get's destroyed, we can't keep the weather device because it destroys the world, we can't access the 4 races database on Tantalus because the building is destroyed, we can't use the brain-controlled planes because the planet is at war, blah, blah, blah. Once again, if we did get ahold of something that could defend Earth, there would have been no reason for the show.

I'm just hoping that Atlantis doesn't go down that road as well. I'd hate to see a dozen Atlantis episodes where they almost are able to get home but for some reason, it doesn't work out because you know the series has to go on. They should just focus on Atlantis and the Pegasus galaxy and make this the last "We almost got home except for some silly reason" episode.

Also, does anyone know why the Ancients would build the gate and have it draw power from the lifeforms? I don't recall hearing about how the Ancients loved destroying other life forms. Even if they were unaware the mist was full of aliens, (which I doubt) don't you think that after using the gate a few times, one of those aliens would have contacted the Ancients the same way they did the Atlantis team? That kind of seems like a big plot hole. I just don't think the Ancients would have set up the gate that way.....

Posted by: Bakhesh Sep 23rd 2004, 8:47 AM

Pretty much my feeling too. Anything to make sure this show isn't like voyager in any way must be a good thing. Some of the episodes were a joke. What was that one where they discovered a method of going home in an instant, but the side effect was that you evolved into a giant slug? They managed to completely forget all about that technology by the next ep.

Although I appreciate the isolations element, and also the ability to reinvent the galaxy that they are exploring, it does cut you off from you established continuity. I know we aren't going to get members of SG1 in SGA, but what about other races like the tok'ra or replicators? Seeing as S8 of SG1 is supposed to be the last, it seems a little implausible that all the dangling plot threads can be fully resolved. It would be nice if some of them could continue onto SGA.

Posted by: dorien Sep 25th 2004, 6:04 PM

QUOTE (Janos @ Sep 23rd 2004, 8:06 AM)

Also, does anyone know why the Ancients would build the gate and have it draw power from the lifeforms? I don't recall hearing about how the Ancients loved destroying other life forms. Even if they were unaware the mist was full of aliens, (which I doubt) don't you think that after using the gate a few times, one of those aliens would have contacted the Ancients the same way they did the Atlantis team? That kind of seems like a big plot hole. I just don't think the Ancients would have set up the gate that way.....

I had the impression that the Mist Aliens came along after the Ancients left. That the explorers they spoke about were just others who figured out how to use the gate system.

Posted by: dburry Sep 25th 2004, 10:22 PM

QUOTE

I still don't understand why their minds had Hammond as the SGC commander?! Afterall, they did leave when O'neill had taken command...

I wondered the same thing!!! continuity police were sleeping in the making of this... need to fix this episode, as it's seriously broken.... go back and watch Atlantis 101 again, O'neill was in charge of the SGC when they left, they should definately find him again when they come back... or, at least be surprised at Hammond being there when they come back, like "oh, where did O'neill go? you get demoted or what?"

Now in actuality I suspect more like a contract issue, remember RDA is a much bigger bigshot than Don, RDA only made an appearance in the pilot to lend it credibility and will probably never ever guest star in Atlantis ever again, no matter what, period. But they should have at least dealt with any switch in command in the SGC in the storyline just so that Atlantis itself makes consistent sense in its own universe..... Also to anyone who's been viewing SG-1 season 8 it's a dead immediate giveaway that this is an alternate reality here, either that or a much worse continuity problem than it actually was!

This epi really irked me with the discontinuity! Not to mention the story was already done a few times as others have already posted.

On the other hand it's great to see into some of the character's previous lives, but they handled that bad too as you can't tell what's real anymore... And did I mention that discontinuity sucked?

Posted by: mithwriter Sep 29th 2004, 8:27 PM

QUOTE (Janos @ Sep 23rd 2004, 9:06 AM)

I'm just hoping that Atlantis doesn't go down that road as well. I'd hate to see a dozen Atlantis episodes where they almost are able to get home but for some reason, it doesn't work out because you know the series has to go on. They should just focus on Atlantis and the Pegasus galaxy and make this the last "We almost got home except for some silly reason" episode.

All they have to do is take that idea and flip it 180 degrees and they're all set for the rest of the show.

Let me explain: Instead of spending a bulk of the show's time trying to get the crew home, all they would have to do is create a situation in which they crew CAN go home, no strings attached, no gimmicks, no games...

.....but they CHOOSE TO STAY IN ATLANTIS...and DESTROY THE ONLY WAY THEY HAVE TO GET HOME.

Why? Any number of reasons. What if the Wraith find this way home and the crew has to destroy it to preserve their galaxy? What if the crew realise that if they leave Pegasus galaxy they'll have no way of telling what the Wraith are up to?

Its actually quite easy to do story-wise when you think about it, and then it opens up a lot of episode possibilites after that decision has been made.

Posted by: aliaras Sep 29th 2004, 9:04 PM

QUOTE (mithwriter @ Sep 29th 2004, 6:27 PM)

QUOTE (Janos @ Sep 23rd 2004, 9:06 AM)

Totally agreed. Then you also have the McKay quotes along the lines of: "we could have gone home, where there's wonderful food and no life sucking bad guys. But no..."

Lovely idea mith, hope it happens.

If it doesn't, there's always fic!

Posted by: Gunfighter Oct 3rd 2004, 3:23 PM

QUOTE (Bakhesh @ Sep 23rd 2004, 8:47 AM)

I like the character of Sheppard, but I think Joe Flanigan could do with a couple more acting lessons. I find his delivery very irritating sometimes.

Ditto.

QUOTE (Bakhesh @ Sep 23rd 2004, 8:47 AM)

No-one seemed to have any issues with going home, even though they knew several aliens were going to die as soon as they activated the gate.

This struck me as odd, as well, but after I thought about it for awhile it made perfect sense, even for the rather humanistic Dr. Weir. Sure, a few mist aliens will die when the team dials out. However, the humans' part of the deal is to keep that planet off-limits to other travelers, thus ending or at least reducing the number of sacrifices that the aliens have to make. You can be pretty sure that a search party would be dispatched from Atlantis to recover the lost team. If the search team was also lost, Atlantis base would still probably dial in for a communications check. One activation if the team goes home, or at least two if they don't. Pretty simple choice, although it would be nice if they had explained this reasoning in the episode.

Posted by: Dafmeister Dec 7th 2004, 5:14 PM

This episode totally confused me until about 15 mins before the end. I dont get why Hammond would have been at the SGC. They all knew (except Teyla, who looked really good in 'normal' clothing) that O'Neill was commander of the SGC so having Hammond greet them was just wrong. Having 'Narim' back to play Simon was bad aswell. Even though Narim wasnt exactly a main character he was easily recognised.

Was it the Ancient gene that allowed Sheppard to affect his own illusion? If so why couldnt McKay? He was injected with the gene.

Posted by: Thoris Dec 8th 2004, 7:53 AM

*tag*

PS. Good catch,

Posted by: invisible painting Dec 8th 2004, 3:24 PM

I didnt think that it was the ancient gene that allowed him to manipulate it, i just thought as he figured out it was a dream that he could change things, like in sg1 gamekeeper episode they could manipulate things once theyd realised taht things werent real, its the same thing, if u had a dream and realised you were dreaming you could do what you wanted, if you didnt wake, and its the same here.

And this might sound silly but i figured out it was a dream from the little preview that sky showed of it before it was on.

Posted by: Dafmeister Dec 8th 2004, 8:44 PM

QUOTE (invisible painting @ Dec 8th 2004, 9:24 PM)

Excellent point. Whats it called? Lucid Dreaming? Looking back at it now it was pretty obvious that Sheppard would have known it was a false reality when his 'dead friends' turned up. Plus whatever he thought of turned up at his door too.

Posted by: stargatesweetie Dec 9th 2004, 12:41 PM

I thought that this episode was weak. Even Nik asked why they were met by Hammond and there was no mention of Jack at the SGC! The premise of this episode (ie it's all a dream) seems very familiar
After a good start I am beginning to wonder where Atlantis going.

Posted by: invisible painting Dec 9th 2004, 1:31 PM

Its true atlantis hasnt been as good as it started, i said last week that it was getting repetitive and while this was a different episode the dream thing or it wasnt real has been done before on SG1 and on other shows, i only hope that the rest of the series gets a little better even though i dont have a major problem with it. We still havent even checked out the city properly yet there would be soo much to discover and we havent done it yet. The show will improve it think even though i like it but one thing is when it comes to the bad guys there running out of idea as they cant realy make a lot of enemies with the wraith around there kind of stuck there as a result. Atlantis cant go too many places but theyll find something for it to go and it will get better.

Posted by: 38 Minutes Dec 16th 2004, 11:53 AM

I havent seen the Gamekeeper, so I thought this episode was the best yet, especially learning more of the characters.

Posted by: Krystian SG1 Jan 9th 2005, 10:55 AM

Theres one thing i dont get. If McKay screwed up and couldn't use the DHD to dail back to Atlantis, why didn't he just take the PJ just in case. That way he could use the PJ DHD to dail the gate.

Posted by: BrandonTheGreat Jan 13th 2005, 9:40 PM

Good thinking, the writers never think of stuff like that. I would have never thought of that, but McKay's arrogance stops them from needing a backup plan.

Posted by: Desideratum Jan 16th 2005, 2:37 PM

Rather than being reminded of Gamekeeper, I was actually reminded of an episode of Farscape where John returns home only to learn that he hasn't actually returned home. If memory serves, it, too, was called Home.

Hammond was behaving out-of-character which severely annoyed me, although that can be explained by the fact that he wasn't really Hammond. It's a shame that Rodney didn't use the opportunity to get laid; Lord knows he needs it. Not particularly disappointed by the lack of Ford: don't know / don't care. The split-screen type effect was annoying.

Other than that, I thought the episode was well done. The Twilight Zone beginning was a nice touch, as was Teyla's skirt. (Yes, I *am* a slave to my hormones. What healthy twenty-something male isn't.)

Posted by: frostychocolatemilkshakes Jan 26th 2005, 12:09 AM

I thought General Hammond was transferred. Isn't Jack in Command?

Anyways it was a good episode. I think they should have picked a different actor to play Weir's husband. Garwin Sanford just looks so Tollan!

It would have been nice if they had gotten back to Earth though. Maybe in a future EP.

Posted by: Dafmeister Jan 26th 2005, 8:27 AM

QUOTE(frostychocolatemilkshakes @ Jan 26th 2005, 5:09 AM)

I thought General Hammond was transferred. Isn't Jack in Command?

Lets face it, TPTB have enough trouble getting RDA to feature in SG1. Look at how many scenes Don S. Davis was in, they would never get RDA to do that. It seemed a lot better with Hammond there.

Posted by: Dafmeister Jan 29th 2005, 12:15 PM

Not a double post, check the dates.

Do you think there is any connection between the aliens we saw in this ep and those we saw in 'Crystal Skull' on SG1? They both existed in a mist form. They could very well be the same race.

Posted by: Christy Jan 29th 2005, 7:10 PM

different galaxy though.
i wouldn't think that there would be a connection.

Posted by: stargate_addict Feb 3rd 2005, 5:39 PM

QUOTE(Trekkie @ Sep 11th 2004, 8:58 AM)

I'd give 6-7 Out of 10 for this episode. It just bothers me a litte that the character of Simon is played by same guy as Narim.
Anybody noticed some similarities to (4x07 - Watergate) ?

I agree with the 6-7 and the Simon guy and Hammond as General again was weird, as for water gate, i saw no similarity, but i did see a similarity with GameKeeper.

Posted by: Auntie Em! Apr 9th 2005, 7:26 PM

RATS, Defmeister I was going to say that. I agree, there was no way they would be able to get RDA for this episode. Gen. Hammond was the best answer and they let it slip by. I guess they didn't think we fans would notice. HA!

I liked this show. Takes watching it a few times to get all the little tidbits. (Not Timbits. For those Canadians out there LOL).

You got to love McKay. I would have liked him in briefs but hay thats just my opinion! The switching in McKays (Carters) room I didn't understand until I just saw the show again. I didn't catch the cloths changing. Usually I am faster than that but hey we all are slow once in a while EH!

Why are they getting rid of Rainbow? If they would just gave him a bone once in a while he would do ok but they kind of just gave up on him. To bad.

Sheppard. Well I can't get over his California accent. It has always erked me. Makes me think of Scooby Do. I find it hard to take him seriously. I don't find him at all to be a O'neill wanna be.

Posted by: Christy Apr 9th 2005, 8:42 PM

Shep has a californian accent? I must be pretty dumb because i can hardly pick up any accents except for the actors who need to put the accents on for their nationalities.

Having Simon in the episode was really weird for me because im used to him plaing Narim who is a shy guy who is awkward with the ladies.

Posted by: Auntie Em! Apr 10th 2005, 8:36 AM

QUOTE(Christy @ Apr 9th 2005, 9:42 PM)

Hell he has a thick accent. You can't hear a Boston or a NYC accent or a southern drawl either? Hell I can hear a Canadian west coast accent and the east coast accent. I just have trouble accepting certain accents.

Oh I sooooo had trouble accepting him as Weirs lover. YUK! He is so cute and cuddlely as the shy Narim. I agree with you very much. I kept expecting Carter to jump out of the bush and b*tch slap Weir for taking her guy.

Posted by: Teyla Emmagan Apr 29th 2005, 1:57 PM

Well Sam really can't jump him for "moving" on when she's pinning over Jack , as thousand of fans have said . Weir needs a man so does Teyla if Shep doesn't turn around .

Well Teyla looked cool in normal clothles , and also John/Teyla scenes were sooo cute .

I know shippers went crazy for that moment I sure did , But I'm a John/Teyla shipper myself

Posted by: Christy May 1st 2005, 4:06 AM

Ok so which actors have which type of accents?

Zelenka has a czech accent and beckett a scottish one and mckay has a canadian accent.

Weir sorta has a southern accent but then again i wouldnt have a clue...

Posted by: Sighfienerd May 14th 2005, 9:53 PM

QUOTE(Christy @ May 1st 2005, 5:06 AM)

Torri Higginson is actually from Canada, although I didn't detect any particular accent from her at all.

I was wondering why John was supposed to have picked up the deception so quickly. He knew almost from the beginning. Does his ancient gene give him some kind of extra power of discernment...because based on the events that occurred in his loop...I didn't see why he would have been suspicious as early as the cab ride with Teyla.

Posted by: soma_momma May 15th 2005, 9:48 PM

About the imaginary Earth Trips in the episode Home:
Since Teyla had never seen General Hammond,
I would think she would see the Fog as an important figure from her world.

**********************************

Replies to above:
I catch Tori's Canadian accent one in a while, but she does an excellent job of sounding American.
And I don't think it's the accent that prevents the guy who plays Sheppard from being the new RDA, it's his actual voice timbre. Too squeaky at times. But his personna is a lot like RDA's.

Posted by: General Jen May 16th 2005, 8:20 PM

I thought this episode was ok, a bit confusing at times but ok. 6.5/10

I didn't like that weirs boyfriend simon is also narim, they should have brought a new person in for that character.

i liked teyla's reaction to shopping and its good she liked earth even if it was a fake.

hope next ep is better

Posted by: JohnSheppard May 17th 2005, 10:54 AM

I liked this episode, thought it was very well done.

To put my view on a couple of points:

McKay's crisps wouldn't have been stale because he wanted to eat them and they were in his mind so they tasted ok.

Ford didn't really go to Sheppard's house because when they were talking to the Fog/Hammond he said that as Teyla didn't have any memories of earth she had shared in Sheppard's illusion and Sheppard turned to her and said, "I thought that was you!", which to me sounds as if he knew Ford wasn't.

And as for various things/people being too 'nice' or not the way they would really react, don't forget that we were in their minds. They would make the fabrication suit them, eg: Hammond being really enthusiastic and admiring towards Sheppard; Sheppard would like for that to happen but that doesn't mean it would, which I think is part of why he thought something was wrong earlier than the others. If you watch his face he does do expressions amazingly well and when Hammond said his transport was already arranged he did one of those, 'WTF? Oooooookaaaaaaay...' expressions.

I don't get the problem with Sheppard's accent? Is he not supposed to be from California then? Or is it just a personal thing against accents on your part Auntie Em? No offense or anything, just wondered.

Posted by: Christy May 21st 2005, 9:11 PM

I have now been able to extinguish some accents...like i never used to notice the difference in Australian accents and American accents...because in movies most australians put on accents but hugh jackman doesnt put on an accent but anyway...

John picked up so quickly because he knew things were not right...like why would a general be so happy and accomodating?

Posted by: Dafmeister Jun 22nd 2005, 4:37 PM

I was just thinking about this episode. According to 'Rising', the hologram says that Pegasus was a barren galaxy - there was no life there. Where did the aliens from this planet come from? Did the Ancients create them too?
There is a similarity between those aliens and the ones in 'Crystal Skull'. Could the ones from 'Crystal Skull' have come from Pegasus or could they aliens that live in Pegasus have come fromt he Milky Way?

Posted by: starryeyes Nov 15th 2005, 8:37 AM

Hmmm, confusing episode. I was prepared to like it until I saw Gen. Hammond waiting for them. Don't get me wrong I love Hammond and it was great seeing Davis again. But like others have said O'Neil should have been there. There should have been some statement right from the very beginning acknowledging this fact and an explanation as to his absence. And Gen. Hammond has three stars not two.
I didn't mind so much the re-cycling of actors. Babylon 5 use to do it alot. It seemed to me it took both Weir and Sheppard a long time to catch on especially Weir. There should have been questions earlier, but then I guess we wouldn't have an episode.
Overall a disappointment. The writers can do better than this.

Posted by: blackbelt83 Jan 30th 2006, 1:06 AM

you think shepard would say something if he knew it was wrong as soon as he got to his apartment. why did he go thought the hole party not say anything to tayla. well It might be nice to relax for a while. but still you think he would have a least said something

Posted by: Dafmeister Jan 30th 2006, 11:11 AM

If he had said something then the episode would have lasted for around 20 minutes.

Posted by: blackbelt83 Jan 31st 2006, 2:46 AM

QUOTE(Dafmeister @ Jan 30th 2006, 11:11 AM)

If he had said something then the episode would have lasted for around 20 minutes.

ya thats true. He probably just wanted a break so bad that he bought into it he dint wasnt to know the truth

Posted by: I'm a janitor at the SGC 715 Mar 6th 2006, 2:42 AM

Well tonight there was only two things on TV; a re-run of this episode or the ridiculous Oscars. Of course I chose to watch this episode. Thank goodness it was on.
I thought it was a good episode. The first time I saw it; for some reason I never guessed the aliens were inside of the mist. Seeing Sheppards "dream Bachelor pad" was funny (alot of strange stuff in that apartment).

Kind of a funny part at the end when Sheppard says to Mackay jokingly: "We could to our own double fake and dial earth anyway." I mean that must have scared the heck out of the mist aliens. HA.

Posted by: kordone May 30th 2006, 4:27 AM

QUOTE

Kind of a funny part at the end when Sheppard says to Mackay jokingly: "We could to our own double fake and dial earth anyway." I mean that must have scared the heck out of the mist aliens. HA.

ha... yea lol...

also funny when Mckay said "Dead people, what were you doing?"
the look on the Mckay's face was what made it really funny

Posted by: Nirmanakaya Oct 29th 2006, 11:11 PM

Hi,

I have a question about this episode .... I just recently started watching Atlantis, and i enjoy it (although not as much as SG1!)

Anyway, my question is: isn't the first season of Atlantis supposed to be happening on the eighth season of SG1? if that is so, wouldn't they be reporting to jack O'Neill and not to Hammond?. That did not make sense to me!

Posted by: Revan Oct 29th 2006, 11:42 PM

QUOTE(Nirmanakaya @ Oct 29th 2006, 11:11 PM)

The actor, Richard Dean Anderson, was taking a reduced schedule, and may not have been around to film the episode.

There is nothing wrong with Hammond being there, as he is higher in the chain of command than O'Neill.

Posted by: Nirmanakaya Oct 30th 2006, 10:17 PM

QUOTE(Revan @ Oct 29th 2006, 10:42 PM)

thanks! I understand that, I just thought it would have been more appropiate ...

Posted by: Dafmeister Oct 31st 2006, 4:05 AM

It doesn't matter if it would have been more appropriate or not, RDA was on a hugely reduced schedule so he couldn't appear.

Posted by: missmisschief Mar 25th 2007, 5:58 PM

I know that several posts have mentioned the ancient gene as the reason that Sheppard realized it wasn't real first, but I just think he became suspicious earlier because things were happening too easily. I mean there has never been a mention of Weir having or being given the gene and she realized everything was wrong at the same time as McKay. And I think Sheppard didn't say anything about his suspicions earlier because he wanted to see how far he could take it and have some fun.

Posted by: Dafmeister Mar 25th 2007, 6:10 PM

Sheppard realised it wasn't real first because the driver took him to a house that wasn't his. This was then confirmed when two of his dead friends turned up at "his home".
The others were in situations that were familiar to them i.e. being at the SGC and not in a personal situation as Sheppard was.

Posted by: Invisible Painting Mar 25th 2007, 6:24 PM

QUOTE(Dafmeister @ Mar 26th 2007, 12:10 AM)

The reason sheppard was taken to a home that wasn't his was because he started to realise, so started to play around with the reality a bit, hense why the people from his past showed up. The aliens didn't just throw him into a situation where he'd realise, he started to get suspicious before the house.

Posted by: missmisschief Mar 25th 2007, 9:52 PM

QUOTE(Dafmeister @ Mar 25th 2007, 7:10 PM)

But if you really watch his reactions in the limo, he already suspects something then. That's why the house that is "his" isn't really. If he hadn't already suspected something, they would have ended up where ever he really lived. And the others were in personal situations since they both went home and and had interactions with people they knew (at least a bit).

Posted by: kordone Mar 26th 2007, 1:27 AM

I believe that Shepherd would'av already thought something was up when he got back to the SGC, we didn't see the meeting with the other military personel, but he would have expected to get alot of stick for 'killing' Col. Sumner.