Storytime with Rachel F Hundred

A return to more substantial fare

Good team episodes are hard to find but Infection falls into that category with a neat side dish of Sheppard and Todd interaction. Not only is the core team together (even if they are navigating yet another damaged ship), but the inclusion of Keller and Woolsey is appropriate and widens the ‘team’ zoom. The story itself is a solid continuation of the arc, provides some good additional back-story on the Wraith but occasionally slips into clichéd horror. Its real gem is the sub-plot between Sheppard and Todd as in some regards they come full circle.

It is a complete joy to see all the cast used within Infection and while Sheppard perhaps takes the lead in the story, the rest of the team are not pushed to the background and indeed the zoom is widened even further to encompass Woolsey, Keller and, in lesser roles, Lorne and Banks. It’s a good story for Woolsey which shows his growth as a leader very nicely; he makes the strategy calls, bending to the IOA wishes when it makes sense to do so but ploughing his own field in his decision to acquiesce to Sheppard’s request to release Todd. I particularly loved his acknowledgement that he had learned to be abundantly cautious where Todd was concerned and the concern Picardo manages to convey in the short scene where Atlantis sends rescue jumpers to the crashed ship. Here, more than in any previous episode of Atlantis, I got a real sense that the writing team had finally managed to recapture that magic of SG1’s General Hammond; tough but fair, the leader but one who cared for his team.

Keller also is used in her primary role as doctor and it’s nice to see a balanced view of her character; yes, she’s grown as her interaction with Todd demonstrates when she stands up for her viewpoint but here she’s also comfortable enough with new beau Rodney to express her self-doubts and inadequacies. It’s possibly the most balanced view of Keller written and shown within an episode as early episodes such as Missing made too much of the self-doubts and possibly later episodes such as The Lost Tribe have made too much of her newfound confidence.

The scene between Keller and McKay is a nice nod to their romantic arc without taking up much screen time and builds the sense that they are in a relationship without it getting too much. Otherwise, McKay is mainly left to fulfil his primary function of scientist and fix-it guy. I absolutely loved the moment with him and Todd where Todd snaps at him to stop complaining and find him more power, and the way McKay just instantly gets to it. It was a nicely humorous moment without being overdone as is the ‘someone got out of the wrong side of the pod this morning’ note.

Both Ronon and Teyla are also well used in their primary roles as warrior back-up to Sheppard and McKay. Teyla’s abilities in particular are highlighted; her Wraith spidey-sense and her attempt to control the ship. The two Pegasus natives demonstrate their different personalities in approach and dialogue very appropriately with Ronon happy to see all the Wraith dead and Teyla understanding the need to salvage the data so they may use it in future.

But the lead characters of Infection are really Sheppard and Todd, and specifically the nature of the relationship between them. For the most part Sheppard is also simply fulfilling his function as military leader. He calls the shots on the hive ship determining strategy for dealing with the hungry Wraith warriors and also cleverly suggests a pilot’s answer to crashing the ship. He’s decisive, acting with the best interests of his team and Atlantis at every turn.

In a strange way Sheppard’s primary concern is also Todd’s (another great performance by Christopher Heyerdahl); the Wraith is also primarily concerned with acting in the best interests of his crew. Here there are common motivations but no common ground. Given the arc, this is not surprising: Todd high-jacked the Daedalus and would have killed the crew of that ship without compunction to take out the Attero device, Sheppard doesn’t take kindly to being betrayed. Yet, this story also forces the two into another ‘deal’ which brings back their uneasy alliance. This thread is truly wonderful; the moment when Todd goes to attack Sheppard, the terse statements about Sheppard ‘owing’ Todd or not, the new deal, the ending with letting Todd go. It’s a great call back to Common Ground and Joe Flanigan excels in the scenes with Todd.

This sub-text elevates the story and the rest of the story did need to be elevated. The nod back to The Daedalus Variations by Ronon might have been hanging a lantern but the crux of the story is remarkably reminiscent of the team wandering around that malfunctioning ship. Moreover, the foggy hive and the mutated Wraith warriors all hint a little too much at Whispers for me. There is a fine line between the nods to the arcs and duplication, and here I get the feeling the line was smudged a tad too far. As someone who hates horror I also have to say the elements of cliché horror films weren’t welcome – seriously, a lone soldier wandering down an empty corridor? Hmmm, let me ponder what will happen…it couldn’t have been communicated more loudly if he had been a blonde teenage girl in a prom dress.

Production wise I have to say I was a little disappointed with some things; the continuity with Teyla’s hair, for a start. The set design was also a little iffy when they first enter the hive and the CGI of the crash into the ocean was clearly ‘false’. The hive ship breaking apart was much better. However, the episode did benefit from good characterisation from Alan McCullough and great direction from Andy Mikita.

In conclusion

Overall, Infection was a solid outing for Stargate Atlantis. It is a team episode with a fabulous Sheppard and Todd subtext. It has too many minor errors for me to consider this a classic but, after the fluff of Brain Storm and the lack of team in that particular episode, this was a nice return to more substantial Stargate fare and I liked it.