Stargate Atlantis/Recap/S03/E17 Sunday

"I don’t suppose there’s any chance you’d like to come fishing with me on the mainland, is there?"

- Dr. Beckett has about as much success finding a fishing partner as O'Neill.

Atlantis is experiencing an enforced day of rest. Everyone is indulging their hobbies, be it chess, fishing, painting, babysitting ferns, or making Sheppard look like an idiot in improbable Satedan fighting games. Those without personalities are expressing their interest in the opposite sex - even Dr. Weir has a hot date with some guy we've never heard of before. What a nice, happy, Breather Episode. KABOOM!

The Kaboom turns out to have been Dr. Hewston, a pretty brunette who just exploded for no reason. They eventually piece together that Dr. Hewston and Dr. Watson were exposed to some radiation that caused...wait for it... exploding tumors. That's right. They manage to track down Dr. Watson, who was injured when Hewston blew up but hasn't managed to explode yet, and Dr. Beckett removes the tumor. Huzzah!

But wait - these are exploding tumors, not "safely removed and therefore now harmless" tumors! Even though that's how McKay's Hand Wave explanation suggests they should work. KABOOM! Cut to a massive funeral scene, complete with bagpipes and dress blues, while the fans scratch their heads and say "wait, what?"

Tropes:

 * Accidental Marriage: McKay accidentally proposes to Katie Brown, but manages to backpedal out of it without completely ruining the date.
 * Amazing Freaking Grace: averted! Possibly the only scene in television featuring a funeral complete with bagpipes playing something other than Amazing Grace.
 * Anachronic Order
 * Dead Person Conversation
 * Dropped a Bridge on Him:
 * He's Just Hiding
 * How We Got Here: The flashbacks push the storyline ever earlier, each time from a different character's point of view, to ultimately explain the explosions.
 * Lockdown: Beckett locks down the infirmary while removing the exploding tumor from Dr. Watson.
 * Made of Explodium: Now in tumor form. Even Beckett points out that it simply doesn't make sense.
 * Mood Whiplash
 * Post Death Goodbye:  compare notes on the funeral.
 * The Rashomon
 * Shipper on Deck: Ronon apparently supports Sheppard and Teyla as a couple.
 * Smart People Play Chess: Zelenka, in particular. And he's winning.
 * Stock Episode Titles: 10 uses
 * Why Am I Ticking?: Exploding. Tumors. Yeah...