Television Review: Stargate Atlantis Season 5, Episode 16

Directed by Martin Gero

The romance between Rodney McKay and Jennifer Keller has been a point of contention since Keller's first foray into such territory. Fans were rankled by the abrupt nature of their mutual interest, especially since the writers had Ronon equally interested in Jennifer around the exact same time. Keller has struggled to gain traction with the fans, seen as an intrusive replacement for the "departed" Dr. Beckett, and her inclusion in a love triangle didn't help matters.

Thankfully, this is a pleasant little episode that goes a long way towards demonstrating why Keller is a good match for Rodney. She gives him plenty of room for his ego, but she does manage to rein it in from time to time. She's got equal determination and looks after his best interests, particularly when he's in "speaking without thinking" mode. And she looks damn good in a party dress (but really, does Jewel Staite ever look horrible?).

The plot had some interesting insights into the scientific community and the difficulties faced by those engaged in cutting-edge but classified research, but beyond that, it was a standard situation. Experiment goes awry, loved ones in peril, McKay saves the day. Special appearances by Dave Foley and Bill Nye the Science Guy weren't enough to overcome those issues.

In fact, it felt like the episode was trying to be more humorous than it was. Don't get me wrong; there were definite moments with chuckle-worthy material, but by and large, the synthesis of comedy and drama didn't quite hit the mark. I doubt it made much of a difference in the end, however, since I imagine reactions to the episode were based less on the content and more on the McKay/Keller relationship as a whole.

With only a handful of episodes left, it's a bit unfortunate that an entire episode was devoted to a couple of characters and an admittedly unpopular relationship. On the other hand, this does resolve the question of whether or not the two will even have a relationship, which ties up another potential loose end. The writers could certainly have done worse.