Review: 'Stargate: Atlantis' - Harmony

This week’s Atlantis is a Sheppard & McKay adventure. Visiting one of their favorite planets and chatting with two beautiful princesses, Sheppard and McKay are asked a favor. Now that their mother has died, a new Queen must be chosen. After a ritual, it was decided that the princesses’ 14-year old sister Harmony (Jodelle Ferland) should be the new Queen. But first, she must go on a dangerous journey through the forest.

Sheppard and McKay reluctantly agree to help. Of course, things get complicated. Harmony has an ego as big as McKay’s and keeps trying to boss everyone around. Oh, and they forgot to mention the monster (yikes). Plus, there are Genii trying to kill them.

It turns out that one of Harmony’s sisters wants the throne and agrees to work with the Genii, but only if they kill Harmony. Luckily with some quick thinking, some quick jiggering by McKay, good shooting by Sheppard and Harmony’s necklace that controls the monster (which turns out to be a swarm of miniature drones), they manage to defeat the Genii and reveal the traitor.

What Worked

This was a very, very funny episode. There were some classic Sheppard and McKay moments, the laugh-out-loud moment being the big portrait reveal at the end showing Harmony’s view of what had happened in that final battle with Genii. It was really funny to see Harmony go from hating McKay and wanting to propose to Sheppard, to thinking McKay is her hero.

Normally, child actors are a big danger. They usually just aren’t very good. But I was impressed by Ferland’s performance, enough so that I actually hope we see Harmony again someday down the road.

The Ancients' drone technology was an interesting explanation for the monster. It reminds me of one of the theories for the island monster on "Lost."

What Didn’t Work

I was a little disappointed not to see the rest of the team, but Sheppard and McKay usually make for a good story since they play so well off each other.

I was a little disappointed in seeing the return of the Genii turn out just being a group of mercenaries. The Genii have often been one of the most troubling enemies that Atlantis has faced, besides the Replicators and the Wraith, of course. I was hoping for a little more when I saw them pop up. Honestly, they could have stuck any old mercenaries in there and it wouldn’t have made much difference.

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