4. THE EYE
(Season One, Episode 11)
When we look back on the history of John Sheppard, it’s hard to separate it from his greatest foes. The first season’s mid-season two-parter introduced Sheppard’s own personal nemesis in the Pegasus Galaxy, the shrewd Genii military commander Acastus Kolya (played by Robert Davi). Under orders from the Genii leader, Cowen, Kolya led a strike force that infiltrated Atlantis and tried to seize control of the city and its advanced treasures. After he took the city’s control tower, only Sheppard remained at large — playing a game of cat-and-mouse to take out the Genii soldiers one by one.
Kolya was absolutely cut-throat, and when Major Sheppard got in his way and started killing off his men, Kolya was sure to hold a permanent grudge. After this first encounter, Kolya always seemed to hold a very personal grudge against Sheppard. Getting shot by the man will do that.
3. VEGAS
(Season Five, Episode 19)
(Beware of SPOILERS!)
The second-to-last episode of Atlantis‘s final season was a major departure, both stylistically and in terms of the story it told. The John Sheppard and Atlantis team we know and love does not appear for even a moment in this episode. Instead we follow the life of Detective John Sheppard, a struggling cop investigating a string of bizarre murders in the city of Las Vegas.
In this parallel reality, John Sheppard was booted out of the Air Force (rather than being re-stationed as a helicopter transport pilot in the Antarctic, where he would have met Jack O’Neill and Elizabeth Weir). He barely passed the detective exam (after a few tries), and is drowning in gambling debt. Things go from bad to worse when Richard Woolsey and Rodney McKay let him in on a big secret: the serial killer he is chasing is a Wraith, an alien that is living in hiding on Earth.
The episode is just cool, and it’s great to see another life that Sheppard could have lived. He seems to be in a much better place in our reality, demonstrating the value of his friendships and his participation in the Atlantis expedition. But Detective Sheppard is still the man we know at the core, and at the end he makes the right choice and is apparently killed in the line of duty, protecting Earth.
vegas should not be in there and what about remnants?
Wait… i just thought of this… Are the events that McKay talks about in Vegas the same events we see in Phantom??
Happy Birthday Joe!!!!
And Paul too.
My new favorite Shep ep is Vegas, but I also love Common Ground, Doppelganger, Outcast, Remnants, The Eye if I had to only pick 5.
So many others too, he is the reason I have loved Atlantis for these 5 years!
The Vegas epp was one of his best acting.
Vegas was awesome, and Common Ground is one my favourite episodes. The Eye was great and Phantoms was good too. Not sure about Doppleganger though, I found it a bit boring
This is a nice idea although as team leader I think you should have saved Sheppard for last. I’m betting you give that honor to McKay. Oh well.
If I had to pick I think I would have chosen the same five episodes. Doppelganger may not have been a favorite of mine but at least it allowed us a peek into Sheppard’s head and we learn a bit more about his character. The same goes for the other episodes.
Vegas was absolutely superb.
I liked all the above mentioned, but would have added Remnants to the mix instead of the Eye. I think it just said alot about the guilt that Shep carries around in that he pictured himself subject to that kind of abuse.
Vegas ROCKS!!!!!!!!!!
Common Ground makes my number one list and Phantoms would be my number two. The others wouldn’t be on my list. Hated Vegas. Dopplegangor wasn’t bad but not a favourite and didnt like the The Eye at all.
Others that would have made my list would be 38 minutes, Conversion and Infection.
Rising parts 1 and 2 and common grounda re up there but i love all of them really!
Oh yeah 38 minutes was good!
I just hope that the SGA movie will be good….
happy birthday Joe
Excellent choices. Couldn’t agree more.
darsfog-
no, it was diffrent, that is the sole reason he is not with atlantis, because that was diffrent.
He was so cute in Phantoms. “I’m sorry for shooting everybody!” Congrats for making it into all 100 episodes of the series…can’t wait to see him in the movies. BTW, am I wrong, or has he never taken his shirt off in the show? I think I would have remembered it if he did.
Good Choices. I have not seen Vegas yet as a friend hopping the pond later this month went into a pact to watch the last three epi’s together so we can cry on each others shoulders. I would have added Outcast And The Shrine <yes I know it’s a McKay epi but still showed what John wouldn’t do to keep his friends close and protected. Very emotional. Hope it gets number one for McKay epi’s :D.
One of my favorite John Sheppard episodes is The Defiant One. I prefer that one over Doppelganger. Vegas was superb! Happy Birthday to Joe and Paul! :)
Ok I am a little torn about Vegas. It was cool and all and really showed that John Sheppard could be a great detective any day. But I thought it was a waste of an Atlantis episode – like the one about Vala’s father. Why would you waste one of your last episodes on a CSI type story?
I am sure the producers and writers have their reasons, but I really missed Ronan and Teyla in this episode.
Ok I should have said like the SG-1 episode about Vala’s father in the last season. :)
All picks are great but I really enjoyed Last Man.
Vegas, Last Man, and Search & Rescue are my favorites……
@sammykewlguy
he did in The Lost Tribe
and 38 Minutes, though not completely off… =p
Happy Birthday Joe and Paul! Favourite John Sheppard episodes? I’d agree with Common Ground, The Eye and Doppelganger but my top five would also include The Last Man (being the last human alive has to be worth something!) and Conversion (Sheppard with scary Wraith abilities is definitely a winner – but only if it comes with a cure!). Of course there’s also The Defiant One (“Oh, you weren’t around for the end of the war. Your side lost.”) Quarantine (that climb was cool!), Outcast (“I’ve never been to Somalia”), The Shrine (I know this is a McKay one but the… Read more »
Oooooo how about best quotes?!? “I’m not taking a bath with you Rodney!” wasone of my personal faves. As well as “Yes Rodney I shot you and i said i was sorry” “You shot me too!” “I’m sorry for shooting everybody!!” I’m going to miss this show thank god for dvd’s remotes, good Canadian beer and junkfood. Oh and this has probably been asked and answered fifty million times already but why is Sci Fi not giving Atlantis the fanfare farewell SG1 recieved or at least a leave a thank you section would have been considerate dare I say even… Read more »
One last thing then i shut up for the night…
Happy Birthday Joe and Paul!!!
I really, really loved Vegas. It was a unique feel to SGA and John was at his best. My wife kept on asking, “Are you sure this is Atlantis? This looks like a new CSI.” (she’s a fan of CSI) Gatta admit, it wad confusing at first, but in the end all questions were answered (sorta kinda).
But yea, I would name that one number one in my book…but thats just me.
Oh, great. Common Ground is my favourite, too. And then I like Doppelganger very much. I don’t know Vegas yet (I’m from Germany), but Phantoms and The Eye are really great, too. I love so much Atlantis episodes, but my five favourite sheppard episodes are:
1. Common Ground
2. Doppelganger
3. Conversion
4. Search And Rescue
5. Phantoms
Happy Birthday Joe and Paul, hope you both have a great day. You are both amazing actors have a good one !!!
thegreatthor
my 5 favourites are:
remnants
doppelganger
and two cos of the humour harmony and the game
and conversion
Really enjoyed Vegas. It showed us how disturbed Sheppard’s character was even in a different reality. I also loved Common Ground and Phantoms, Outcast, Doppelganger, Remnants and anything else that Joe Flanigan is in. Happy birthday Joe and Paul.
I haven’t seen Vegas yet so I can’t comment but “Phantoms” and “Doppleganger”?! Two of the worst SGA episodes ever… “Commmon Ground” though was excellent. I absolutely loved the interaction between Shep and Todd.
And happy belated birthday to Joe and Paul!
I totally agree about Common Ground. The very best of JF. A also loved Conversion and, though not strictly a JS ep, he was great in Millers’ Crossing too. I think that he deserves real praise for the way he has developed the character and some terrific acting over the 5 years.
I can’t agree about Doppelganger. Loved it and Joe’s performance as ‘evil’ John.
hhmmm… my top five shep eps? thats a hard one. well i’d have to say…
doppleganger
common ground
the eye
conversion
phantoms
oh i can’t decide. defiant one, thirty-eight minutes, infection. they are all so good… there’s no way for me to pick five…
oh well, happy birthday anyways!!!
no, no, no, not common ground, that episode created a character that just wont go away and is responsible for ratings dropping. why not epiphany or something esle focusing on Joe?
Phantoms not a memorable episode? I think it’s one of the best Atlantis eps we’ve had. Credible performances from every actor on the show, all in one ep? Almost never happens, especially put together with engaging writing and respectable directing, as well as plot twists that we don’t see walking slowly towards us waving a red flag over the horizon. Once or twice, I even cared about what happened to the characters, because they developed and we learnt about them. It’s always the problem with action shows in which we know none of the leads are ever going to die;… Read more »
If we are talking about the character of John Sheppard, I think that “Sunday”, “Epiphany” and “Travelers” are perhaps more revealing than eps that focus on action. These obviously took more work out of Joe to come up with believable interraction, show feelings (yes…) and even in Sunday, interact on a personal level with Jason and others. Vegas struck me as a filler episode, interesting in that it cast Sheppard in a role which at first looks like it has nothing to do with his role in Atlantis, but in the end, loosely written and lacking continuity. Maybe it is… Read more »
That must have been hard to narrow it down for John Sheppard; he shines in like EVERY episode!! I wasn’t a fan of Vegas but Sheppard stood out, like usual.