Stargate: Atlantis (TV Series) Grace Under Pressure (2005) User Reviews

finally, Stargate greatness

[robrosenberger · 9/10 · 6 April 2012]

Okay, okay, okay! I've done it. Yes Virginia, i've awarded a STARGATE episode a four-star rating. Not that this one's flawless, but it grabs tight and doesn't let go. Rodney is in a puddle jumper that crashes into the ocean. The pilot sacrifices his life, and they lose touch with the surface. Thousands of feet deep, hypoxic and hypothermic...suddenly his old crush Samantha Carter (Amanda Tapping, SG1) appears. Aware that she's an hallucination, he works with her for his survival while they bicker. The presence of an SG1 character should be a drag, but isn't. This is a particular challenge of series writing, portraying life-or-death situations when the viewer knows the star won't die. If there isn't someone in Hollywood who gives seminars on that writing challenge and nothing else, i'd be amazed. This episode should be part of any such presentation.

A good one worth (re)watching

[omero-omero · 9/10 · 30 July 2022]

Although some inaccuracies about how submersible crafts fare under pressure and some physic laws details involved, the character development in this episode is remarkable not only for McKay, the apparent protagonist.

It is quite every one else but McKay that saves him, including hallucinations and alien whales.

Ugh. More McKay?

[Mischief810 · 3/10 · 24 August 2014]

Frankly, I find Dr. Rodney McKay to be one of the most annoying characters in the entire Stargate franchise. This episode is all about developing his persona.

There are some great episodes in Stargate Atlantis. Unfortunately, this is not one of them and unless you're a big fan of the McKay character, you can skip this episode.

I came away disappointed, both with the storyline and my own dumb stubbornness to watch until the end.

Don't get me wrong here: David Hewlett is a gifted actor and plays his roll expertly. It's just that the character is an absolute pain.

File under jumping the shark

[antony-1 · 5/10 · 17 September 2015]

I remember Stargate Atlantis started to go downhill, and upon a rewatch I think this may be it.

After such well written and tightly crafted episodes, this one feels very below par.

The ensemble spark is gone, to make away for another Rodney episode. the trouble is it doesn't do anything for Rodney that hasn't been done before... and in fact isn't great for him because when you add up what he does in this episode he's not as brilliant as he often is. He just makes do until the others arrive.

Then Sam Carter... oh dear... what a forced and strange inclusion. It felt like they owed the actress a favour. Scrap that... she owed them a favour. It was completely unrealistic that even in his state Rodney was seeing her like this - and it did nothing for Sam, just making her look a dozy bimbo to amuse Rodney.

Not a good episode at all.

Borderline mediocrity .. mostly crap...

[heythisisrishabh · 5/10 · 16 December 2019]

McKay is just plain one dimensional boring character. Atlantis has been a huge disappointment when it comes to casting primary protagonists. Except shepherd (who is basically emulating McGyver. Lack of originality but works as nothing else working) most of the other cast is quite underwhelming and quite simply poor 1 dimensional actors. Manoa is painfully underused so is DRM Beckett who are the only two characters with good actors. One can easily see Atlantis was a short lived show. Lack of creativity in story and world building, bad actors, cheesy direction, wrong budget prioritization and awful writing... still gonna watch it coz I love stargate and lolling forward to Samantha Carter joining the cast to add some quality.