Stargate-Atlantis S4: E12 Spoils of War
Ronon being the best: who says you have to keep up?
Ronon jerking oblivious McKay out of the room so Sheppard can talk to Teyla cracked me up.
This episode is more about Teyla than anything. Yes, we have the discovery and destruction of the Wraith cloning facility. And we have a growing relationship with Todd, who is actually named in this episode. We find out he stole ZPMs from the Replicators, showing us he always has a plan within a plan.
But really, this is Teyla's struggling with her shifting priorities. She wants to keep doing what she's doing, wants to find her man, and thinks she can do that while pregnant. The beautiful part is that Ronon and Sheppard both address this from different angles. Ronon, for all his gruffness, addresses it gently telling Teyla she doesn't need to keep up.
John does this directly as a commander would. You can't endanger your child by getting beat, shot, or stunned.
Teyla is hurt and defensive. John tries to repair things by bringing her on a safe mission that is anything but safe.
Teyla puts her child at risk and almost loses him.
John doesn't hesitate and saves Teyla's baby. 😭
This episode confirms Sheppard's worries, and now Teyla understands. She finds herself both weaker and stronger.
I love that they didn't just throw Sheppard under the bus as if he's stupid. He had every reason to be angry at her and every reason not to take Teyla on missions. She finally sees this when she realizes she can no longer just sacrifice herself for Sheppard, McKay, and Ronon.
I love that they let Teyla wrestle with this but ultimately choose her child, ultimately understand what Sheppard's problem is, and understand Sheppard saw what she couldn't. It's just really great.
