TV REVIEW Stargate Atlantis 4.20 "The Last Man"

Written by: Joseph Mallozzi, Paul Mullie

Directed by: Martin Wood

Rating:

The One Where: A freak anomaly in the Stargate sends Sheppard 48,000 years into the future, to a deserted Atlantis. A holographic McKay fills him in on everything that's happened, revealing Michael's plan, Teyla's location and the fates of the other Atlantis crew members, before figuring out a way to send Sheppard back and change the future. Sheppard's team goes to Teyla's location, but she's not there, and it's a booby trap - a bomb destroys the building, seemingly killing everyone.

Verdict: Much like the mid-season finalé, it really feels like they've tried to do too much in this episode, and although it works a lot better than "This Mortal Coil", it still doesn't quite feel like a season finalé. I do like the central idea and it's interesting to see how the plot strands develop, but there's still something about "The Last Man" that isn't quite working for me.

Michael: Teyla's baby helps him enhance his breeding programme and spread the Hoffan plague. He then exploits the political weaknesses of the other Wraith factions and ultimately brings them to their knees. With his hybrid army, he begins taking over the galaxy.

Teyla: The team doesn't manage to find her in time. After she gives birth, Michael kills her.

Carter: Is granted control of her own Prometheus-class vessel, the Phoenix. She leads several successful campaigns against the Wraith but is lured into a trap. After evacuating the rest of the crew, she takes the ship on a kamikaze mission, destroying three Hive ships.

Ronon and Todd: Ronon recruits a strike force to hit back at the Wraith. He and Todd end up joining forces to destroy one of Michael's hybrid bases. The mission goes wrong and they both sacrifice their lives to complete it.

McKay and Keller: Become romantically involved while returning to Earth. Keller later dies following her exposure to the Hoffan drug. 25 years later, McKay perfects his holographic program to help Sheppard travel back in time and fix the timeline.

Lorne: Returns to Earth and is finally promoted to General. He then takes command of the SGC and authorises McKay's holographic program.

Speculation: Why do I have this awful feeling that the season five premiere will open with the revelation that Sheppard's return to Atlantis, and the events that follow, are all just part of an in-stasis nightmare…?

Rubbish FX: Look carefully at the crowd outside Michael's tent and you'll see a few people have been (clumsily) digitally copied and pasted into the scene. The arm movements are also a dead giveaway.

Best Line:
Sheppard: "You're telling me I just traveled forty eight thousand years into the future in ten seconds?"
Holo-McKay: "I know – it is kind of cool when you think about it, isn't it?"
Sheppard: "Surfing a 30-foot wave in Waimei is cool. Dating a supermodel is cool. This is not cool!"

Leah Holmes