So Stargate Atlantis had it's fall finale Friday night on Sci-Fi. Interesting way to leave us hanging. It wasn't a major cliffhanger. No one was in immediate danger for a change. Perhaps the episode would have left us more in a lurch if the series wasn't returning in January. Fans of Stargate know that's a pretty big deal to have such a short amount of time between halves of the season. Usually Sci-Fi makes us wait months.
The major plot point for this episode is, of course, what happened to Elizabeth Weir. I like Atlantis much better this season with Colonel Carter at the helm, but there is something about Weir that I've always liked. Hearing that she was supposedly dead didn't sit well with me and since the actress is scheduled for one more episode this season I'm not giving up hope that the character will somehow return.
Overall the episode was quite engaging, obviously setting up several arcs for the remainder of the season. There were also a lot of nice character moments, especially the scene between Rodney and Zelenka at the end where they talk about the loss of Weir and Carson Beckett. Intentional or not, the scene felt like an acknowledgement to the fans that miss those characters.
The scene between the Replicator Keller and the Duplicate Weir was also well done. The two actresses played this scene well together.
My only complaint? Where was Sam? I know why she wasn't in the duplicate Atlantis but it did feel strange that she wasn't even mentioned in this episode. With any luck Amanda Tapping will sign on for a full season and the writers won't be faced with the dilemma of being so selective with their Carter episodes.
Finally... the end scene where the dots representing Replicator ships popped up all over the screen... loved the fade to black followed by more beeps and Rodney's, "Oh Crap." Nice.
