Dr. Rodney McKay (David Hewlett) has been a dependable presence throughout five seasons of “Stargate Atlantis.” McKay’s brilliance as an astrophysicist has proven invaluable to the Atlantis crew, who often encounter problems that only an expert of McKay’s caliber can solve. That said, the downside of having someone like him on the team is the constant threat of dealing with jaded condescension (which is an intrinsic part of McKay’s personality). He often belittles people for not being “smart enough” and approaches every problem with an air of exasperation. Despite these flaws, McKay’s presence in “Stargate Atlantis” is essential — beneath layers of egocentric arrogance lies a heart that never hesitates to save innocents or self-sacrifice for the sake of his team.
The fifth and final season of “Stargate Atlantis” wrapped up individual arcs as best as it could, and some episodes shifted focus to particular members of the crew to raise the stakes. In a conversation with GateWorld, Hewlett mentioned his favorite script (which happens to be a Season 5 episode) that was heavily focused on his character:
“My favorite script of all time, I just read: ‘The Shrine of Talus’ — which is [by] Brad Wright. He’s just written this script […] It’s the one that is going to blow everyone away. It’s unbelievable. It’s like a wicked acting piece. Whether I’m supposed to say this or not, Kate [Hewlett] is coming back. We’ve got Jeannie back. And it’s … just brutal. It’s like a total tear-jerker. It’s gonna be neat. And for McKay, it’s fantastic because there’s this whole deterioration thing happening. And it’s the one, without a doubt, that I’m most looking forward to right now.”
In case you’re confused, Hewlett is talking about “The Shrine,” the final season’s sixth episode that revolves around McKay and a serious infectious disease. The actor surely wasn’t exaggerating about the quality of the script, as “The Shrine” emerges as a brilliant “Atlantis” episode with a nuanced central performance by the gifted Hewlett. Let’s dig deeper into this episode to see what makes it so memorable.
