Episode of the Week: ‘The Return’

The Atlantis expedition is stunned when a ship full of Ancients returns to reclaim their home. But after the city is attacked the team defies orders to try and save Atlantis from Replicator control — and to rescue General O’Neill and Richard Woolsey, who are trapped in the occupied city.

“The Return” Facts:

• After a year away former Stargate SG-1 star Richard Dean Anderson returned for a batch of five guest appearances. The producers wrote him into SG-1‘s 200th episode and “The Shroud,” but (somewhat to Anderson’s surprise) saved the other three for Atlantis: “The Real World,” and the mid-season two-parter “The Return.”
• Anderson’s return included a big new challenge for the veteran action star: a lengthy under-water dive in part two of the episode. It rivals the similar under-water scene that showcased Corin Nemec’s breath-holding skills in the SG-1 episode “Descent.”
• Megan Leitch returns to Stargate in what looked like it was going to be a major role: Helia, the Captain of the last surviving crew of Ancients. (As it turned out, it was only to be a few scenes — and Helia and the Ancients were killed off-screen.) Leitch previously played Ke’ra (Linea) in the SG-1 episode “Past and Present.”
• It may be the first, painful experience with a Replicator mind probe for Woolsey — but of course Jack O’Neill has experienced the ol’ hand in the forehead before. The device was first introduced when SG-1 met the first human-form Replicators in the Milky Way Galaxy, back when First interrogated him in “Unnatural Selection.”
• Actors David MacInnis and Panou, who play the lead Replicators who have taken control of Atlantis, have both appeared on Stargate SG-1 before: MacInnis played Agent Williams in the Season Nine episode “Ex Deus Machina,” and Panou played Lieutenant Fisher in Season Nine’s “The Fourth Horseman.”

“The Return” on GateWorld:

• Episode Guide (Part 1 – Part 2)
• Episode Transcript (Part 1 – Part 2)
• Fan Reviews (Part 1 – Part 2)
• Photo Gallery (Part 1 – Part 2)
• Screencap Gallery (Part 1 – Part 2)
• Discussion Forum (Part 1 – Part 2)
• Atlantis Season Three Podcast
• Interview with Torri Higginson (2006)
• Interview with Robert Picardo (2008)

Download “The Return” now from Amazon or iTunes!

Rewatch “The Return” this week! Then post your comments below, or head over to the episode discussion threads and see what people were saying back in the day. What are your favorite moments?

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