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dr-futbol-blog · 7 days ago

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Allies, Pt. 2

The hive has finally reached Atlantis and everyone is on edge. They seem to be in continuous radio contact with both the Daedalus and the Orion, both of whom are hearing everything that is spoken on the Control Platform of Atlantis, as we hear the Canadian technician give Caldwell a status report when he asks for one. Essentially Caldwell and Sheppard ask for the same thing, Caldwell just manages to sound more official about it than Sheppard who seems to be calming his own nerves more than everything else by inserting some levity to the situation, making fun of how anxious he himself is to hear what is going on out there. Sheppard very obviously hates being on the sideline unable to do anything, having to wait to hear from where the action is.

Caldwell: Atlantis, report? Chuck: It's going into geosynchronous orbit. Hasn't armed any of its weapons. Weir: If they do, I want you to switch from cloak to shield as quickly as possible. Don't wait for my order. Chuck: Yes, ma'am. Sheppard: You could be a little more chatty, Elizabeth. Weir: I'm sorry, we're just waiting for them to make the next move. Chuck: Transmitting a signal, audio only. Weir: Put it on speaker.

Because we have both Caldwell and Sheppard wanting to hear from them, this scene seems to call back to the tense moment in the beginning of The Siege (S02E01) at the start of the season when Sheppard had been on the bridge of the Daedalus together with Caldwell, waiting to hear back from Atlantis after they had just watched the wraith bombard the city with darts, unsure whether McKay had been able to get the shield up in time. Sheppard had been very aware of the fact that everything was hinging on McKay being able to shield them. It had been a question of seconds and because of interference caused by the exploding darts, they were unable to hear from Atlantis, they were getting only static in response -- just as Sheppard had been getting only static in response from McKay in the previous episode.

In contrast to now, Sheppard had been hailing Atlantis instead of Weir or Elizabeth, and I had discussed at the time how many mainstream viewers interpret his worry as motivated by Weir while the fact that he had chosen to hail Atlantis (knowing better than to try hailing McKay directly when everything was hinging on him making the shield work in time) betrayed the fact that his concern had been above all for the man that he loves, and we have seldom seen him as afraid as he was then. Sheppard did not want to know whether Elizabeth had survived, he wanted to know if Atlantis was still standing. We are reminded of this by how Caldwell is the one hailing Atlantis now and Sheppard hails Elizabeth, sounding much more relaxed than he had been then, even though they are essentially in the same situation, because he knows McKay is not in danger. Not hearing back from Atlantis, Sheppard does not know what had happened. For all he knows, the wraith might have destroyed them outright. But because McKay is with him, we do not see Sheppard despair not getting an immediate answer from Atlantis like he had done at the start of the season. Sheppard cares about Atlantis and he cares about Weir, but he does not care about them the same way he cares about McKay.

That moment had also been one where Caldwell had likely clocked that Sheppard had some personal reason to be both as afraid and as relieved as he was when they finally learn that Atlantis had survived. What is real curious, and makes the end of the season rhyme with the beginning, is that Sheppard sharing the bridge with Caldwell had also been when they had first made a reference to allies. The two of them had the following exchange:

Sheppard: The Asgard gave you hyperdrives and shields. How come no offensive weapons? Caldwell: They don't like providing other races with anything that could potentially be used against them. Sheppard: I thought we were allies. Caldwell: Without the beaming technology, you wouldn't be here, Major.

As already indicated, this episode is not so much about Sheppard and McKay as it is about how they are perceived by others, what impact they and their relationship have had on the people around them. Like the Asgard, Sheppard and McKay do not like to provide the people around them with anything that could potentially be used against them. And like Sheppard was then, some of the people around them seem to be hurt by their perceived distrust, Weir chief among them. Sheppard has very good reasons to want to keep what they have under wraps, and McKay has agreed to keep his confidence whether they are together or not.

It is not a coincidence that it was Caldwell who delivered him the message that without their allies Sheppard would not even be alive any more, let alone rekindling his relationship with the love of his life. And throughout the course of this episode, we see character after character reveal in small ways that they are allies, that Sheppard can trust them. Sheppard and McKay have saved everyone so many times that all of the people on their orbit owe them a debt of gratitude. And while in Coup d'État (S02E17) we had heard Sheppard call her Doctor Weir and her call him Colonel, their use of the intimate address here speaks of this deep friendship that has formed between them and Weir's sincere desire to be an ally to him, which may have been one of the reasons she seems to have facilitated Sheppard, the person responsible for the security of Atlantis, spending the weeks leading up to the attack of the wraith away on his honeymoon on the Orion. As mentioned previously, but I want to underscore it, Sheppard's presence on the Orion is not necessary. They need the ship, yes. McKay and his team could easily have delivered them the ship, and Sheppard spending weeks sitting in the captain's chair, as lampshaded by McKay, was not crucial to the operation, and his skills as a strategists might have come in much more handy on Atlantis. And yet Weir had given him leave to join McKay.

Michael: We know you are there. We mean you no harm. Please respond. Weir: John, are you hearing this? Chuck: It's repeating again. Michael: We mean you no harm. There is no point in hiding, Doctor Weir. We know you are there. We mean you no harm. Please respond. Sheppard: Is that who I think it is? Weir: He's addressing me by name. I think we can assume it's Michael.

They are all shaken by the voice that they hear on the intercom, the prodigal son returning to remind them all of their mistakes. What is interesting is how what Michael is saying is overlaid with the reaction shots because there seem to be two layers here, the wraith being used as a metaphor for gay people but also for the allies in this episode. Michael's message might just as well be the same as would be sent to Sheppard and McKay by everyone who love them. We mean you no harm. There is no point in hiding. We know you are there, forced in the closet by the institution you serve. It is Sheppard that now gets the message "We mean you no harm" overlaid on him, and McKay gets the message "There is no point in hiding, Doctor," and it is not a coincidence that the word "Doctor" is spoken when we see him exchange a look with Sheppard. The whole message is further lampshaded by Weir asking Sheppard if he is hearing this, if he in particular is receiving this message.

What is interesting is that while through the character of Michael they are revisiting the question of Sheppard's sexual orientation, in this episode the onus is actually on the people around him, on how other people around them perceive Sheppard and his relationship, how entirely without his input and without him even noticing, there is a network of people who support them that seem to have formed around them. We see several examples of people being allies in the episode, which is clearly a new and unfamiliar experience to him. What we had learned in Michael (S02E18) about his past explained why Sheppard may have felt like he needed to bury his feelings deep and never let anyone see them -- but what he has found in and with McKay has just been too big for him to keep concealed, to keep it hidden away and not let anything show. They are obvious to anyone who sees them together even if they think they are being careful and clandestine. It is also fitting that they would have Michael deliver the words as who ever "Mike" had been in Sheppard's past, he seems to have been a false ally, seems to have been trying to get into his confidence under false pretenses and possibly at the behest of his father.

Caldwell: You don't actually intend to respond? Weir: Why not? Caldwell: Where do you want me to start? Weir: I think we can safely say our cover is blown. Caldwell: I wouldn't jump to that conclusion. Weir: The message is from Michael, Colonel. Dex: They know we're here. Caldwell: But they don't know exactly where we are. Sheppard: He's right. Answer them and we guarantee the first shot won't miss. Weir: Teyla? Teyla: Any attempt on my part to connect with Michael will confirm our location as surely as if you answer by radio.

The vocabulary they use here has a double meaning that is carried over the entire conversation, and it is no accident that it is Caldwell as the representative of the military that is advising against disclosure. Weir's mention of their cover being blown and there being no point in hiding is interesting in the context of this particular episode because this is one where we get a heavy textualization of the subtext later -- again in the context of someone being an ally. Another thing that we are reminded of here is the psychic connection that exists between Teyla and the wraith, and Teyla and Michael in particular, her being "exceptionally open" to him. It seems as though Michael has the ability to locate Teyla as accurately as they if were in radio contact, which again opens the question of the nature of the connection between Sheppard and McKay that may be hinted at the end of the episode.

It is also remarkable how relaxed Sheppard sounds now that he has assurance that McKay is not in any danger, when he is able to look right at McKay when he is talking about the destruction of Atlantis. He fixes his eyes on McKay as he says the words "the first shot won't miss," advising Weir against a course of action that might lead to the destruction of Atlantis. And yet he does not sound anywhere near as terrified as we have seen and heard him previously, unsure of the fate of the city. There are many people in the city he cares about, it is their home. And yet it is not an existential question to him like the thought of losing McKay is. Everything else he can survive but not that. Everything else is negotiable but not that. Even later on in this episode we can appreciate the difference.

McKay: I recommend you open a secure channel to the hive via the Daedalus. That way they won't be able to pinpoint Atlantis' position. Weir: And we can always turn the shield on. Sheppard: I believe we have enough combined firepower to take out a single hive if we need to. Weir: Have you ever heard of a Wraith behaving this way? Dex: No. Teyla: Nor have I. Weir: Right. Let's hear what they have to say.

McKay suddenly pipes up with a recommendation, seeming to bridge the two prevailing views: caution and making contact. What is notable is that McKay is standing behind the weapons' officer, a cute blonde woman that he has paid absolutely no attention to, whose station he was standing behind when we had first joined them on the bridge -- because fixing Sheppard up with the drones that he needs seems to be a priority for McKay. He has minions working on other fixes but he is being personally responsible for getting the weapons to work because that is what Sheppard had wanted from him. And given the way they had behaved in the previous episode, it is notable that in this episode neither McKay nor Sheppard seem to pay any attention to any blonde women whatsoever -- and we later see one make quite an obvious pass at Sheppard to which he remains oblivious. Sheppard seems to only have eyes for McKay, looking at him intensely as he speaks. And note that when Sheppard says the word "we," he once more glances at McKay. While he is obviously talking about all of them, Atlantis, the Orion and the Daedalus, he means the two of them as well. His "we" is always Sheppard and McKay first. In order to be able to shoot his load Sheppard needs McKay to roll up his sleeves, spit in his hands and get to work -- and not for the first time.

Continued in Pt. 3

#john sheppard #sga meta #sheppard is bi #sga #mcshep #rodney is gay #rodney mckay #stargate atlantis #ep. allies #ep. the siege #ep. coup d'etat #ep. michael

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