TVSquad

(S03E18) OK, before we get to the story, let me backtrack to last week for a moment. I wasn't a fan of how Beckett died because I didn't think it was big enough for such an important character. This week, that same thing kind of highlights one small issue with the episode. I know SG Atlantis isn't a strict serial and that they are planning to be showing these all over our television for years to come, but could a brother get a mention? Maybe just a little acknowledgment that one of the main characters died? Perhaps even a reaction, or something to show that anyone might be just a wee bit effected by his passing? I guess not.

Anyway... with that out of the way, back to "Submersion." This is what I would call a solid episode. It's not one that is going to have you rewatching it on the DVR again and again. No late night calls/IMs to all your pals making sure they didn't miss it. But it did deliver a pretty good story and marked the return of the wraith. Something I have been looking forward to.

The story was somewhat reminiscent of "The Defiant One" from season one. It would have been nice to see something more original, but I'm generally pretty easy on Stargate, so I was happy to go along for the ride. The change in venue added to this one quite nicely. I really enjoy the exploration of Atlantis and its surroundings. The voyage to the bottom of the ocean to find the portable drilling rig offered a compelling reason to get all of the characters down there. Although, exactly why Elizabeth was along for the ride I'm not completely sure of . Other than the obvious, of course.

The misadventures of Graydon and Dickinson didn't really come as a surprise. When they were sent off on their own you had to be thinking, "Why don't you just go ahead and issue them their red shirts right now." While the eventually amounted to cannon fodder, I did like the little name game they introduced to the story. Rodney hiring the wrong guy, "Are you sure?" "Yeah, it's my name." And it played out well when Dickinson actually knew Grayson, a heck of a scientist.

I really liked Teyla's part of the story. She's always just a little bit off center anyway, so it was fun to see that amped up even a bit more when she was taken over by the queen. The ending did come as a bit of a surprise. Based on how it all set up I thought we would see Teyla embracing her inner strength and laying the mental smack down on the queen, ripping the code right out of her head. Planting the false memory was quite the gamble, but being 30 minutes away from certain doom, gambles are in the ballpark.

As far as the queen herself, another nice job by Andee Frizzell. She's carved out a nice little niche playing wraith queens. That's the beauty of full facial make-up I suppose. I just really dig the wraith as an enemy. They're creepy as all get out and just badass. One thing I wasn't completely sure on though, is she really dead? The shootout would tend to suggest that, but this is not just a wraith we are talking about, but a wraith queen. And that last lingering shot of her lying on the floor seemed to suggest the possibility that we could see her again.

It remains to be seen just how, or if, this will all play into the story at large. Another huge power source is certainly an exciting idea. As is the possibility that Rodney could get the wraith ship operational again. I'm rooting for that, mostly because I just want to see a big showdown with the wraith, and that seems the most likely use of the ship. Just two episodes to go in the season, there should be big things on the horizon.