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Stargate: Atlantis: Vegas (2008)
One of the best Stargate episodes ever.
When I spoke about this episode, Vegas, with the friend who got me hooked onto Stargate Atlantis in the first place, he simply couldn't understand why it was one of my favourites. This is my best attempt to put into words what I believe made Vegas so great.
The episode begins with a crime scene in the middle of the desert, a reporter buzzing around, trying to get the best photo or a key tidbit for her story. A red car rolls toward the scene, stops, and the driver's door opens. Det. John Sheppard steps from it. We don't know it for sure yet, but this is the alternate-reality version of the Lt. Col. John Sheppard we know from the series. This is completely held from the viewers until around halfway through - though of course many will figure it out before then.
Not long after this, a series of CSI-style re-enactments take place. I've disliked the vast majority CSI episodes that I see since I was 14, yet the urge as a viewer to scream at an unknowing Det. Sheppard - "IT'S A WRAITH ATTACK!" is overwhelming, which makes these cut-scenes quite bearable. This is one of the first things I loved about this episode. The filming style was truly unique, completely different to what we're used to on Atlantis - and it worked wonderfully.
Next up is the soundtrack. Who'd have thought that Wraith would enjoy rocking to Marilyn Manson's "The Beautiful People"? The show's main theme for Sheppard, "Solitary Man" by Johnny Cash, really fits Joe Flanigan's character both in this episode's reality and in the series' reality. There's also the untitled chase and Western instrumentals, which really added to their respective scenes.
My favourite part of this episode is where the alternate universe Dr. Rodney McKay tells Det. Sheppard of the "other Sheppard" - a truly thought-provoking and touching exchange between the two men. The unspoken moment in this scene really makes it perfect, with Hewlett and Flanigan playing it beautifully.
Of course, the finale - which I won't reveal - is, to my mind, open-ended. We, the audience, get to choose the fate of this alt-universe Sheppard. It's in our hands.
All up, "Vegas" was a wondrously crafted story with a lot of things done very differently. It's one of my personal favourite Atlantis episodes. If Joe Flanigan were to resume his role of the detective from this episode, in the form of a police procedural series with a scifi twist, I would without a doubt watch it. Any series like that would be truly amazing, just like this episode.