Remnants

Season 5, Episode 15, Aired
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Episode Summary

While exploring the mainland of Atlantis' planet, Sheppard is captured by a foe believed to be long dead. Meanwhile, Woolsey's job is at risk and he has an important decision to make and McKay and Zelenka make an interesting undersea discovery.
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Fan Episode Reviews (11)

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  • A slight disappointment

    6.0
    "Fair"
    By entil2001, Oct 14, 2011 Report Abuse
    The previous episode was fairly intense, even as predictable as it was, so it's a bit of a letdown to see the writers stray back into less interesting territory. Episodes like this make me wonder if the studio wasn't right to put an end to "Atlantis" and option a new series with a broader premise. It's getting harder and harder to tell stand-alone stories with genuine surprises. Much like the Star Trek franchise, it may be time to shake things up a bit.

    The most interesting element of the episode was Woolsey's realization that he was sent to Team Atlantis as a puppet of the IOA, and they are not happy with his quick and responsive independence. Woolsey, despite the fears of the entire team (and most of the audience) has been a capable commander. He's a bit nave at times, but that only serves to make the character more endearing in the end.

    Frankly, I was expecting a lot more time to be spent this season on the struggles with the IOA and the general impression that Team Atlantis is a collective of loose cannons. Bringing it up this late in the season was therefore a bit of a shock, even if it was a welcome chance for Woolsey to defend himself and show loyalty to his people.

    Unfortunately, Sheppard's apparent encounter with Kolya was only fun until the point where John lost a hand. At that point, it was clear that something else was going on, and that it was probably related to the artifact that Rodney and Radek had recovered. After all, once it was clear that something was unusual about Dr. Conrad, it didn't take long for the pieces to fit together.

    The premise strayed into territory that would have been overly familiar in the Trek universe, so at this point, a lot of people in the audience have seen it all before. I wouldn't say that it made the story entirely predictable, but it did mean that there were few surprises. I'm a sucker for the more thoughtful episodes in the "Stargate" franchise, but this one never went anywhere fresh.

    Which brings me back to where I started. I think that my growing dissatisfaction with this season is not simply a matter of wishing the series had ended on a higher note. I think it's the feeling that the cancellation has placed the remaining episodes under a more critical eye, as I hope for a strong sendoff, and it's not measuring up to expectations. If anything, I might even say there's a hint of complacency in the material. With another season and all the time in the world, that might have been ignored, but now I fear it's glaring. Perhaps shifting to a new series will give the franchise a fresh start and a chance to reshape our expectations.moreless

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    0 5

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    9.0
    "Superb"
    By TrueTvWatcher, Dec 11, 2010 Report Abuse
    Remnants was a great episode of Stargate Atlantis. This was a fun episode to watch, and it was not exactly easy to figure every thing out before it was revealed. I enjoyed watching this story unfold. An alien device is found on the ocean floor of the planet that Atlantis now resides on. Mr. Woolsey is up for review by the I.O.A. who have sent a representative to make a full report. Unfortunately she has her own agenda, to get Woolsey's job. The alien device had its own A.I. technology and this A.I. connected with Woolsey and Sheppard seperately, and made them both see things. For Woolsey it was a hot woman, for Sheppard it was Colya from the Genii, so it through us all for a loop. The alien device was meant to re-seed a planet to condition it for the rise of Sentient Beings, based on the civilization lost so long ago. This was a cool story, but how often do they change leadership at Atlantis, seriously! Also it was crazy when Sheppard got his hand cut off!!!moreless

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    0 1

  • What seemed like a good episode with flaws ended up a great episode with twists.

    10
    "Perfect"
    By ancient333, May 15, 2010 Report Abuse
    SPOILER WARNING
    I am really gonna miss this show. I have a hard time being surprised by most TV writing, save for Lost and a little bit of by Heroes this season, but Remnants really gave me a great ride.

    When I saw that Kolya was in tonight's episode during the preview last week, I was certain that it was an hallucination, but after his little explanation, I bought that he was real. Halfway through the episode I was
    ready to lambaste the writers for the exact same problem I had last week; a known, violent, thug leaving our people alive (and in this case stopping the bleeding of a severed arm) when killing them would've made more sense.
    In this case though it was even more logical and had it not been for Michael doing the same last week, maybe I'd have seen it as a clue. I found the last fifteen minutes of this episode delightful; from Woolsey keeping his job, to realizing that Zelenka never actually called Rodney brilliant. I do kind of wish he had told the IOA rep that, while it it would be educational for her to take the leader role and learn that rules and regulations don't cut the mustard in the real world, the Pegasus galaxy might not have time for the learning curve. That being said this was a tremendous episode and I eagerly await the rest of the season and as many SGA movies that they can make.moreless

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    6 1

  • Probably the best episode yet this season.

    9.5
    "Superb"
    By kciuq1, May 15, 2010 Report Abuse
    *spoilers below*

    While I still feel Robert Picardo is a bit wooden in his performances so far, he gets a good bit of character development in the subplot regarding his future as the commander of Atlantis.

    This was a great way to bring back Kolya, who was an excellent nemesis for Shepard in the first few seasons. The loss of the hand was an intriguing twist in the story, and left me wondering what kind of adjustments Shepard would be going through for the rest of the season. While it was of course "all just a dream"; even after Woolsey's new girl was revealed to be not so real, I did not connect Shepard with having a hallucination until it was revealed.

    Overall, an excellent episode that had many clever twists, with solid performances from Picardo and Flanigan.moreless

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    3 2

  • An old school stargate episode that keeps you thinking til the end.

    10
    "Perfect"
    By Hutchinator2005, May 15, 2010 Report Abuse
    Right from the bat I just want to say that I love watching Robert Davi as a bad guy. He's simply cool to watch. This episode reminded me of season 1 of Atlantis and the early years of sg1. McKay finds a device in the ocean while sheppard encounters Koyla again. Meanwhile Woolsey has a smitten relationship with a new member, Vannessa.

    Without giving anything away, the story seems flawed and messy but it all intertwines very nicely at the end. And for me that's what a good mystery does, by placing all the pieces of the puzzle together = giving you a nice fuzzy feeling. I liked the ending when we saw the true nature of the beings. Overall, a classic Stargate episode. I tip my hat to you good sirs and madams.moreless

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    2 1
 

Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

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  • Trivia

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    • It's revealed that the blonde, Swedish, female scientist that has been seen throughout the series has the given name "Ellen". Edit
    • Sheppard: I killed you. Kolya: You shot me. There's a difference. Sheppard: No – I killed you. Beckett confirmed it – you were dead. They are referring to the season 3 episode "Irresponsible." Edit
    • The capsule and the premise of the Humanoid median are very similar to the Stargate SG-1 episode "Scorched Earth," where a large ship had been sent across the Milky Way to search and terraform a planet for a Sulfur based life form, the Gadmeer, as well as all of the organisms of their homeworld and the knowledge of their race. Edit

  • Notes

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    • Anna Galvin (Dr. Vanessa Conrad) previously played Dr. Reya Varrick in the Stargate SG-1 episode "Collateral Damage." Edit
    • International Air Dates: -This episode aired in Canada on November 17, 2008 on Movie Central and The Movie Network. -This episode aired in the UK on November 25, 2008 on Sky One. -This episode aired in Sweden on January 2, 2009 on TV6. -This episode aired in Germany on October 28, 2009 on RTL II. -This episode aired in the Czech Republic on November 24, 2009 on AXN Sci-fi. -Syndication Premiere: March 6-7, 2010. -This episode aired in Australia on April 28, 2010 on 7TWO. Edit

  • Quotes

    ADD QUOTES
    • Conrad: I'm sorry I made you doubt your sanity. Woolsey: Who are you? What are you? Conrad: I'm a physical manifestation of your subconscious romantic and sexual ideals. Woolsey: Oh, God... Edit
    • Zelenka: My point is, it wouldn't hurt to be thorough. McKay: My point is your point is pointless. Edit
    • McKay (irritably): I'm sorry, you know, I don't mean to complain or anything. It's just that, you know, I have spent the better part of a day making sure this was in working order ... (He gestures at the device.) It'd be kind of nice, you know, just to get a little face time with the... (He gestures angrily at the device again.) Conrad: Here you are, Doctor McKay. (Rodney turns in surprise as he hears her voice.) Conrad: The true form of the Sakari. (She morphs into a slender, bald, skeletal humanoid shape with a silver skin. Rodney stares.) McKay: Neat! (Richard smiles a little at the alien.) Woolsey: Good luck. (It bows its head to him. A transporter beam whisks the device away and the image of the alien melts away. John and Rodney start to leave the room.) Sheppard: "Neat"?! McKay: What? It caught me off guard! What did you want me to say?! What would you have said? Sheppard: Uh, "weird." Edit

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