Stargate Atlantis: The Queen (season 5, episode 8)

TV episode review
US airdate 12 September 2008 (Sci Fi Channel)

Keller believes she has a gene therapy that could enable the Wraith to consume normal food, and thus not have to feed on human victims. They approach ‘Todd’ with a view to recruiting some test subjects, but their Wraith collaborator reveals he does not have enough influence within the Alliance. Without a Hive Queen he cannot approach the Primary and he convinces Teyla, with her Wraith DNA, to play the part…

Apart from the fact that Teyla’s transformation is exceedingly far-fetched and that when in Wraith guise she looks a little like a Thunderbird puppet, this is a tense, spectacular and engrossing episode, full of twists and surprising developments.

It’s very much a stock plot of science fiction television - Star Trek alone has done it at least three or four times - but it’s all done in such a wild, over-the-top way that it’s a real delight to watch.

Events move along at a cracking pace, almost too fast sometimes as you wish it would slow down in order to savour the moment or fill in the detail; this could probably have become a well-developed two-parter quite easily.

There’s no doubt about it, though, Christopher Heyerdahl is the star of the show – his Todd is menacing, devious, and seductive as he goes along with the plan only in order to pursue his own agenda. Thoroughly enjoyable. Brigid Cherry