Review: 'Stargate: Atlantis' - Outcast

“It’s not going to be easy. If this was the movies, we’d dip him into a vat of molten steel or a volcano. You know, the fires from whence he came.” -- Dr. Bill Lee

This week’s episode of "Stargate: Atlantis" is another "buddy" adventure ... this time with Sheppard and Ronon, instead of the previous episode’s Sheppard and McKay team-up. But whereas "Harmony" was mostly comedy, "Outcast" is a little more action/adventure with a touch of "Terminator."

Sheppard is given some bad news by Carter: Sheppard’s father has died. Sheppard heads off the Earth for the wake and Ronon tags along for support, although he would never say that was the reason.

Apparently Sheppard’s dad was a rich "Utilities Mogul" who was not pleased with Sheppard choosing his own career path.

At the wake, Sheppard has three awkward run-ins: his brother Dave (Dylan Neal) with whom he has a strained relationship; his ex-wife Nancy (Kari Wuhrer); and a young female scientist named Ava (Emma Lahana) who works at a company (previously seen in "Miller's Crossing") that has an illegal project creating a human Replicator. Man, going to family events can be a real pain.

With the help of Ava, former Atlantis team member (now IOA agent) Sgt. Bates (Dean Marshall) and Stargate Command’s Dr. Bill Lee (Bill Dow), they track down the Earth-created Replicator. After a big fight for their lives and the discovery of Ava’s secret, Sheppard and Ronon manage to destroy the Replicator.

What Worked

I liked this exploration into Sheppard’s past, which had been hinted at in "Letters From Pegasus." It helps make the character seem richer and more real. It was nice to see Kari Wuhrer ("Sliders") guest star as Sheppard’s ex-wife. We find out why their marriage didn’t last. It was also great to see Bill Dow guest star again.

There were some really nice fight scenes in this episode, especially the big fight at the end.

I really liked how they tied in events from previous episodes this time around, including Sheppard’s past ("Letters From Pegasus"), the company that kidnapped McKay and Jeannie ("Miller's Crossing"), Bates ("Siege") and McKay’s reason he couldn’t go to the funeral ("Childhood's End").

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