Saying goodbye is difficult, and yet again we are called upon to say farewell to another part of the Stargate universe. The fifth and final season of Stargate Atlantis has come to DVD, with a variety of extras that will enhance this final chapter and complete collections for fans.
Horror of horrors, Mr. Woolsey (Robert Picardo) is now the head of Atlantis. Sam (Amanda Tapping) has been called back to Earth and Mr. Woolsey is named in her place. And that is not all that is new on Atlantis, wait until you see Teyla (Rachel Luttrell) as a mom.
First of all special notice should be taken of the episode “The Shrine.” It has a superlative performance by actor (David Hewlett) as Dr. Rodney McKay. McKay who is brilliant and abrasive, impatient and condescending faces a mysterious mental deterioration with symptoms much like Alzheimers.
Without overplaying the drama Mr. Hewlett brings to life in often chilling reality the frustrations, fear, anger and finally impaired cognition that so many people suffer as they go through this degenerative process.
The reactions of friends, family and co-workers are equally well presented in the performances of the cast and guest stars. This is very well done, and deserves praise for both writers and actors, as the story is told with pathos and yet dignity in an achingly real situation that spawns the interaction of science versus belief.
In other adventures this season, there is the ultimate alternate universe traveling story in The Daedalus Variations, and a connection with the recent past in Ghost in the Machine. Sheppard and his team are tried for war crimes against indigenous peoples of the Pegasus Galaxy in the Inquisition, and homage to the best in old fashioned horror films in the episode “Whispers.”
There is much to love in Season Five, as there always is in Stargate stories. Some loose ends are tied, but the audience never gets the sense that this is all a wrap-up or a winding down of action. Even though we won’t see weekly episodes, there is a sense that the adventure continues.
Stargate Atlantis the complete Fifth Season is presented on five discs in three keepcases, illustrated with stills from the episodes and program notes.
Each disc has special features including commentaries on the selected episodes, Mission Directives on various episodes, and featurettes dealing with production, problems, or special work for selected episodes. One of the best is the Mission Directive for Whispers, the horror movie homage.
Watching this, one gets the sense of the variety of styles and art forms incorporated into Stargate episodes. Commentaries on the stories point out the humor and the intelligence of the show’s creators and production staff, but also the ability of the actors to translate the stories into reality.
The episodes are presented in widescreen format, in English, Spanish, and French audio, with subtitles available in English, Spanish and Portugese. The running time for the complete 20 episodes is 873 minutes. Along with the above mentioned commentaries and featurettes, there are photo stills for the episodes and design galleries and deleted scenes.
The fifth season of Atlantis has some stunning moments both in acting and storytelling, and as always is filled with special effects that add to the episodes rather than overshadowing them.
Stargate Atlantis: The Complete Fifth Season is now available at Amazon . It is available for pre-order at AmazonUK for an Aug. 10th release. Visit the DVD database for more information.
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