Storytime with Rachel F Hundred

A fitting tribute as we say goodbye to Carson Beckett

Heart-breaking best sums up Sunday as Atlantis says goodbye to one of its most loved characters, Doctor Carson Beckett. It seems fitting that the last story of a character who embodies the human soul of the expedition is rich in character moments and interactions. They provide a poignant back-drop of friendship and camaraderie for the primary story of Beckett’s final hours which is very well constructed. It builds slowly to its shocking climax with the final act given over to reaction and farewell. If it is all a little too reminiscent of SG1’s Heroes, it is equally emotional.

The final act especially tugs at the heart-strings; Teyla’s inability to express her emotions beyond ‘I feel a great sadness’, her wish to be at the memorial, the absolute silence of the gate room, Weir’s eulogy and the bag-pipes, the walk of the casket through the wormhole home to Earth. The last scene is given over to a moving farewell between McKay and Beckett; the former finding some peace from his feelings of guilt in a conversation with the latter’s ghost. Unfortunately, the moment is ruined a little by the falseness of the back-drops of both the sky and city. I would prefer the episode to end with the gate-room scene with the team gathered in farewell and the wormhole closing around the final pall-bearers to the strains of the bag-pipes; that brought to tears to my eyes. But admittedly it made sense to give McKay some closure given the events of the story.

The story is a beautifully woven tapestry with Beckett’s final day constituting the main thread that weaves in and out of the others. The concept of picking up each strand at ever increasing intervals back in time before returning to the present with Beckett’s own tale enables the intrigue over the initial event – the explosion that injures Teyla – to build interest and engage the audience as the full picture of what happened is slowly revealed. It is a little unfortunate the previous episode also began with an event and then retold the story as this looks a little like duplication but in contrast to The Ark, Sunday is much more complicated and much more subtle. Martin Gero deserves praise for writing such an intricately detailed script while Will Waring also deserves credit for the direction that brings it to the screen.

The story is packed with character moments and interactions; Teyla’s girly chats with Weir and the ill fated Houston, Weir’s date, Sheppard and Ronan’s discussion on relationships, McKay ranting at his junior scientists and his date with Katie Brown to avoid his promised fishing trip with Beckett, Lorne painting, Zelenka hustling everybody at chess. The scenarios all provide fascinating glimpses into the characters – although some get more insight revealed than others; who knew that Teyla, a self-assured warrior princess would prefer for a man to make the first move? Or that Weir feels she needs to isolate herself so much yet clearly craves the closeness that can come with a relationship? That Sheppard has been unhappily married and Ronan is still mourning the woman he lost on Sateda? That McKay has been inspired to think about marriage after reconnecting with his sister? Sunday is a fabulous cornucopia of character development.

Importantly, throughout each thread of the story, Beckett appears and interacts with the primary characters; from teasing Weir about her date, inviting Ronon and Sheppard fishing, letting McKay off the hook so he can be with Katie, unsuccessfully trying to recruit Lorne and Zelenka, reassuring Teyla as he walks with her to surgery. His friendship and fellowship with them all is showcased beautifully. This makes the moment of his actual death particularly moving and heartfelt.

There is a real shock factor to the explosion; the tension having been built with the palpable worry from the others, the lockdown, Beckett’s fierce determination to save his patient and the brief moment of belief that he has survived the danger only for it to be cruelly wiped out in the next instant. The act of saving his patient, putting him first, taking over from his ill colleague; all paint Beckett as the kind, compassionate yet quietly heroic doctor that he has been shown to be throughout the series. The story is a tribute to the character in many ways and Paul McGillion gives a wonderful performance as he so often does.

Yet the heart of this story, a doctor dying saving the life of a patient, has been done before in Stargate SG1’s Heroes where Janet Fraiser met her end saving a patient on the battlefield. The similarity in the underlying core of the story is startlingly familiar and feels a little repetitive for someone who watches both shows. While I have no idea of the creative vision or the business pressures that prompted the decision to kill Beckett off, just the resonance with Fraiser’s departure should have, in my opinion, caused them to rethink this one from a franchise perspective.

In conclusion

That aside, as a story that does kill off a much loved character, Sunday excels. Beautifully written, well directed, with only minor flaws around the special effects that jar a little, it provides an emotion-packed character-focused spectacle for Beckett’s final hurrah. I personally will miss the character and am sad to see him go, but if he had to go, this is certainly a fitting tribute and farewell to Carson Beckett.