Episode Guide for Atlantis:
Season 1: Where we discover the Lost City of Atlantis actually exits. Where we meet the main folks who are going. And we watch with grins as Daniel tries over and over again to be a part of the Atlantis team, and Jack won't let him go.
What a great show. Really. Go buy the DVDs. This show rocks. In terms of slash, hmm, it's more like a Jack/Daniel thing, where Rodney and John are so married. They squabble, they act like boys, they save each other's lives on a regular basis, they snark. Married.
The casting person for this show totally rocks. Truly.
Warning: There be spoilers ahead.
1. The Pilot- Rising Parts I and II: Go watch it. Now. John and Rodney, Jack and Daniel. Happy sigh. We see how unprepared John Sheppard is for what ends up getting foisted upon him, being the ranking military leader for Atlantis. We see the snarky wonder that is Rodney McKay. We meet Teyla, who becomes one of my favorite characters.
Just watched it again. Happy sigh. Thought I'd make my way through the DVD while I'm waiting for season 2 to come out. I love this pilot. I remembered first watching it and wondering where the sparkage would be. Would there be slash? Would there be undeniable het that I couldn't deny? They tried. They tried a lot of combinations. There were some Ford moments, clearly he ends up with a case of hero worship for John, but IMHO, no sparkage. They tried John and Weir, or what ends up being called by the shippers, Sparky. IMHO, really no sparkage. If I had to pick a het pairing it would definitely be John and Teyla. He is totally Kirk with her, with the flirting and the bedroom eyes, and totally charming the hell out of her. I could have even gone with Teyla and John except for The Rodney. The minute he says: "Come with me, Major", it was all over for me. We get to see Rodney drool over John's mathiness. We get to see Rodney fix John's crisis du jour. So, by the time I'd first watched the pilot, I was already thinking McShep, and nothing since then has dissuaded me.
I was predisposed not to like Elizabeth in this episode. Unfortunately, she ended up being the character that the writers gave the job of exposition, so she came across as half school-marm, and half I don't know, but nothing particularly good. Fortunately, she ended up growing on me as the season progressed.
2. Hide and Seek: Thank God they got rid of the kids after this episode. Kids aside, this was a great episode. We get to see Rodney 'the coward' come out to play, which ends with Rodney 'the hero' coming out to play, totally impressing the hell out of John, and cementing the big gay love. LOL. And the scene where John throws Rodney off the balcony and the whole 'invulnerable' conversation is too fun for words. "I shot him," John says with a glee-filled smirk. Oh, and the conversation between Rodney and Carson at the beginning when Carson's about to give Rodney the ATA gene is wonderful. I'm sure it was grist for the Rodney/Carson mill, but again, IMHO: no sparkage. But, you can tell they've been friends for a long time. This is also where the fainting versus passing out thing came from.
I could see, now that I'm watching this episode after a couple of seasons have passed, that I think it was the writers intention to make Rodney pretty unlikable. But, due to the wonderfulness of the actor, and the way John sparks with him, it just didn't end up happening. Instead of being detestable, he's funny. Instead of being intolerable, he's so human you can't help but want to give him a hug.
3. Thirty-eight Minutes: Ewww. Bugs. Which sets up a theme for John for future episodes. And again, we get to see Rodney go from babbling malcontent to genius physicist, with John being the impetus. John and Rodney just get to each other. They both inspire each other to get out of their boxes, and their boundaries. The look on Rodney's face when they're trying to revive John is where the term Woobie came from. No one does misery better than Rodney.
4. Suspicion: So much to love about this episode and so much to hate. This is where we see that Dr. Weir's vaunted treaty and negotiation skills were a vicious lie. She and Bates manage to single-handedly alienate all the Athosians. This is also where we come to hate Bates, even if he was only doing his job. This is also where we come to love Rodney even more. He all about the nervous courage in this ep, too. He's the one who insists they go and rescue Ford and Teyla, he's the one who goes and sticks with the team even though he's scared to death. There are a couple great moments with John telling him he looks nervous. One of my favorite Rodney lines is from this ep where, after almost getting blown up, he says: This is fun for me. And at the end when John is taunting their Wraith prisoner, John quotes Rodney. To the Wraith he says: What was it McKay said?Oh yeah, we can't meet your dietary requirements. We also get to see Teyla being phenomenally graceful under pressure. If you're a John/Ford fan, there's some ammunition here.
5. Childhood's End: Lots of Rodney snark. At one point Ford says about his compass, Glad I brought it along, and Rodney says, Yes, how prescient of you. LOL. Lots of very annoying kids in this one. We do get to see Rodney's paradoxical appeal to children and how much he can't stand them, and of course he ends up making sure they're safe. All in all, not one of my favorite eps.
6. Underground: We meet the Genii. Lots of McShep banter in this one. This was actually the episode that totally cemented the McShep thing for me. Oh, and if you're wondering where all the stories where the Geneii steal/kidnap/keep McKay, you'll find out why in this episode.
7. Home: We see the first banter between Rodney and John where John wants specifics. Sort of. Rodney: I'm talking about a lot of energy. John: How much is a lot? Rodney: You talking joules or ergs? John: I'm talking lots. LOL. Unfortunately they separate John and Rodney for most of the ep. But when they're together, they're great. We meet John's book War and Peace in this episode, the infamous page 17. <g> We also meet Rodney's I'm With Genius t-shirt. We also get to see some of John's dead friends, and it gives you some insight into just how fast he had to grow up in Pegasus. If you're a John/Teyla fan, you'll love this episode, there's also some John/Elizabeth stuff here as well. Sort of a something for everything kind of ep.
8. The Storm: Part 1 of a 2 parter. Rodney-Zelenka banter!! Big big storm. The Genii, and we meet Kolya. Boo hiss. More great Rodney/John banter: John: Are these things even close to a transporter? Rodney: Yes, Elizabeth's is. John: And mine? Rodney: It's a brisk walk away. John: And by brisk you mean far? Rodney: And by walk I mean run. This is the episode where Rodney gets tortured by the Genii as they stick a knife in his arm. He gives under torture but there's still great Rodney being brave and smart bits. Great ep.
9. The Eye: Part 2 of a 2 parter. More Rodney being brave as he steps in front of a gun to save Elizabeth. And when John gets in a tough spot, he says to himself: Okay, what would McKay do. Loved that. Very gripping episode, although I hate that they make Rodney so stupid at the end of the episode with how he bandages himself up. Overall, a great ep.
10. The Defiant One: One of my favorite eps, with lots of John/Rodney. So much goodness I hardly know where to start. The beginning where Rodney whispers to John to help me when he's trying to talk Elizabeth into letting them explore an old spaceship. The way Rodney sticks with John. The way Gaul talks about how much Rodney has changed because he wants to be helping John. And then, the end when Rodney saves John's ass. Great stuff.
11. Hot Zone: Fabulous episode. We meet the prime not prime game in this ep. We also get to see that, when push comes to shove, that McKay understands medical science better than Beckett, not that that would be hard. Snerk. (Okay, not a huge Carson fan). Elizabeth gets really pissed at John in this one as they all try to protect the city from a loose virus. Tense episode as we watch Rodney's scientists die one by one. Major woobie-ness, and Rodney trying to say everything that needs to get said in the few seconds he expects he has to live, including mentioning his sister for the first time. Tell her, Rodney says, that I died saving a bunch of kids. LOL. This is also the episode where Rodney counsels John to fly as far away from the nuclear explosion as possible.
12. Sanctuary: Chaya.....boo hiss. LOL. This episode made me love Rodney even more. And we get to see John totally think with his dick. I realize that John is trying to win her loyalty but he tells this relative stranger everything about the city, and Elizabeth's not much better. Even if Rodney wasn't hopelessly jealous, he has every right to be pissed. For good reason, as it turns out as she's not what she seems. John keeps telling Rodney to be on his best behavior to which Rodney snarks that "this is as good as it gets, Major." He knows Chaya is totally lying and is pissed that John can't see it. Especially as John seems very focused on Chaya's breasts. Great Rodney snark through the ep, but all the McShep that's happening in this ep is Rodney's unrequited love and jealousy. We get the first Kirk line here, too, as Rodney accuses John of being morally dubious by romancing the alien priestess, very 1967 of him.
13. Before I Sleep: This is where we hear of Rodney's antipathy for Back to the Future. LOL. And we meet Elizabeth's other self, and watch everyone die in another reality. Wah!!! This is an awesome ep, no McShep to speak of except some very entertaining banter here and there and a great barb from Rodney to John about Chaya. Go watch.
14. The Brotherhood: In Sanctuary we saw a babe go after John, here we see one go after Rodney, and he's totally hopeless about it. John, from a McShep point of view is totally jealous. LOL. We also get to see the roots of Zelenka's crush on Elizabeth. We also get to see how completely hopeless Rodney is around women. This women is totally coming on to Rodney and he is CLUELESS!! His team has a lot of fun making fun of him. Kolya makes a reappearance, boo, hiss, and we get to see Rodney totally take him on. And when Rodney's being uber smart, Kolya is just eating him up. He SO wants Rodney, which is ewwww, but good for ficcage. LOL. We get to see John be a math geek, and here's where we find out he took the Mensa test which blows Rodney away.