Stargate: Atlantis, season 3

FOUR STAR
-The Ark
Breathtaking and pulse-pounding. With the writing hardly ever rising above good, it's easy to forget that SGA was one of the most visually advanced sci fi shows ever. The space scenes are nothing short of stunning. The crew discover a space station over a dead planet, and the last survivors of the world below in stasis. Freeing two of them, their lives are put in jeopardy when one attempts to destroy the station. Teyla shows a duplicitous side never before seen, which is unsettling but also understandable.
-Sunday
Told in layered flashbacks, and bursting with ominous tension. A crew member explodes in the middle of the city, killing several and severely wounding Teyla. The explosion is traced to an alien virus. One other crew member was exposed, and Dr. Beckett races to save his life before he too explodes. The day starts as a rare day off, and it's profoundly refreshing...we feel like we're learning more about these characters in one episode than in the previous two seasons combined. Sheppard and Ronon play golf, and Elizabeth has a poignant flirtation with the ill-fated Mike Branton (Matthew Del Negro, THE WEST WING). Stunningly, Beckett dies too. You keep waiting for it to not be true, but it is.
NOTEWORTHY
-No Man's Land ***
A high-wire, visual fireball. Two wraith ships are hyper-jumping to Earth, with Rodney and Ronon held prisoner, and an undetected Sheppard. The Daedalus and Orion catch them. The Orion and one hive ship are destroyed, the other two ships disabled. The only hope for Daedalus, running out of oxygen, is to unleash the retrovirus which will turn the wraiths into memoryless humans. With the assistance of Michael (Connor Trineer, ENTERPRISE), who is now shunned by his fellow wraith because he was once human, Rodney and Ronon are freed, and the plan succeeds. Dr. Weir is summoned to Earth, where her decisions are cross-examined by a civilian panel that includes Robert Picardo (VOYAGER). If they'd just focused on the battle, this'n'd be four stars.
-Misbegotten ***
The remaining crew of the surviving hive ship, along with Michael, all now human, are transported to a gateless planet and monitored by Beckett. They discover their true nature, overcome their watchers, and summon a hive ship. Sheppard brings the captured hive ship, and the decision is made to bombard the planet from orbit rather than risk knowledge of Atlantis' survival getting back to the wraith. These are dark, brutal choices that move away from the touchy-feely "up with people" vibe most sci fi shows (including this one, previously) are burdened with. The decisions are understandable, but your sympathies go to Michael and the other wraith. A banner day for moral ambiguity.
-Irresistible ***
Richard Kind (SPIN CITY, STARGATE, MAD ABOUT YOU) dives into a delicious character, a snake-oil salesman who discovers a plant that makes everyone adore him. He quickly charms his way from a backwater planet where he has multiple wives, into the heart of Atlantis. Sheppard and Rodney return from an away mission to discover everyone under his sway. The writing becomes hackneyed, but it's a fun ride.
-Progeny ***
David Ogden Stiers!
-The Real World ***
Richard Dean Anderson! Alan Ruck (FERRIS BUELLER'S DAY OFF)!
-The Return ***
A shipful of ancients return to Atlantis. They are grateful to the earthers, but insist they leave. Our team returns to Earth and disbands, as Teyla and Ronon search for a way to continue the war against the wraith. The sense of loss is palpable. Replicators stage a successful attack on Atlantis. Disobeying General Landry's (Beau Bridges!) orders, our heroes steal a puddle-jumper and gate back, to find the ancients dead, and O'Neill and Woolsey hiding. A four-star appearance by R. Dean Anderson, and a gripping ride as they try to re-take the city.
-The Game *
Just in case you wondered whether SGA was capable of a really bad episode...it's easy to overlook this badness, because the production values and acting are so agreeable. But the writing is wretched. Plot holes, actions and attitudes that don't ring true...
-First Strike ***
A visually exquisite season finale. Watching a nuclear strike from orbit against a synthetic race is horrific, but the CGI images are incredible. The debut of Jewel Staite (FIREFLY) as the new doctor!