Stargate Atlantis/Recap/S04/E13 Quarantine

"I'll have the power off in no time. Ježiš, to je neuvěřitelný, já jsem takovej debil! Si bude myslet, že jsem naprostej idiot. Nó, tak co mně zbejvá, no... Tohleto né..."

- Radek Zelenka regrets his decision to crawl through air vents.

During a bit of down time, McKay finally decides to pop the question to Dr. Katie Brown, the Botanist he's been seeing since season two. No sooner does he arrive at the Botany lab, but the entire city goes into Lockdown, trapping pairs of regulars all over the city. It's a level 5 Quarantine, an improved protocol McKay wrote after the last major outbreak - but he's cut off from computer access and communications are down. Each group is on its own to save the city.

Sheppard, trapped with Teyla, manages to hack into the Atlantis systems using McKay's password. The good news is, there's no outbreak - it's a malfunction caused by a (natural) energy spike in the planet's ionosphere. The bad news is, Atlantis is broadcasting a "stay away, we have plague" distress beacon to the entire galaxy. Carter and Zelenka, trapped in a elevator teleporter have discovered the same thing, but can't open the doors. Sheppard realizes the only option is to break the window and climb up the outside of the tower to the control room. But if Batman can do it, why can't he, right?

Ronon ended up trapped in the infirmary with Dr. Keller and no explosives. They rig up an ingenious way to escape (and get to all the sick people who no doubt need the doctor's expertise) involving oxygen tanks - which fails utterly. So they decide to hook up instead.

McKay passes the episode in ever-growing hypochondria and despair, even managing to psychosomatically contract the non-existant plague. He also totally fails to propose - even after Katie accidentally finds the ring (because by now it's all pointless, since they're all obviously about to die, right?) And then the city's self-destruct alarm goes off.

The alarm turns out to be in response to Sheppard "compromising containment" by breaking through the window into the control room. There he finds Major Lorne, Technician Chuck, and other nameless technicians Amelia Banks, who have managed to get the ventilation system back on, but can't do much else without McKay's password. They get the beacon shut off, but then all the computers shut down as part of the self destruct sequence. What's worse, there is no way of telling how long the countdown is. Someone will have to make it down six levels and cut the main power - and it's in the center of the tower, so pulling another Batman stunt isn't going to cut it.

With the help of Major Lorne and some C4, they blast out of the control room and, as an added bonus, manage to free Carter and Zelenka. That was the last of the C4, however, so the only access to the main power room is via the air vents. Which are slightly too small for Sheppard to fit through. Enter Dr. Radek "slightly smaller than Sheppard" Zelenka to the rescue! Accompanied by much swearing in Czech, he eventually makes it down to the power room and reboots the city. Computers come back online, doors open, and everything is returned to normal.

Except McKay's relationship, which doesn't seem likely to survive his realization that "If we got married now, I would make your life miserable," and the episode ends with symbolically closing doors.

Tropes:
"Keller: You gotta be kidding me!
 * Accidental Innuendo: involving a plant.
 * Also Keller, suggesting she and Ronon "get to know each other better."
 * Almost Kiss: Ronon and Dr. Keller. Twice.
 * Almost Out of Oxygen: Alluded to as a problem, but the gate techs get it fixed before it really has any effect on the plot.
 * Air Vent Passageway: Zelenka
 * Cannot Spit It Out: McKay with his proposal.
 * Crowning Moment of Funny: When Ronon's Jaws-inspired oxygen rocket fails to have any kind of effect on the infirmary doors:

Ronon: It's a lot stronger than a shark."

"Katie: I've been kinda doting on it, giving it a lot of TLC and it keeps getting bigger... and bigger."
 * Cut the Juice: How Zelenka saves the day.
 * Does This Remind You of Anything?: Katie mentions the species of plant she named after Rondey has grown a lot.

"Sheppard: It's just that everytime one of these things happens in the movies, the pregnant woman goes into labor.
 * Enter Stage Window: Sheppard
 * Foreign Language Tirade: see page quote
 * Genre Savvy: Sheppard, regarding Teyla's pregnancy:

Teyla: I'm still a long way from my due day.

Sheppard: It's the same thing in the movies and then wham!"

"McKay: The point is, I came here earlier today to propose marriage to you, but after what happened, I realise I may have been rushing things. I just don't think I'm ready for this. I mean, if we got married now, I would make your life miserable and you are far too good a person for that."
 * It's Not You, It's Me: Although he didn't intend it as a breakup, just as a delay of proposal:

"Teyla: Wait, what are the other numbers?
 * Lockdown
 * Locked in a Room: Pretty much everyone. Played completely straight with Keller and Ronon, but has the opposite effect on McKay and Dr. Brown's relationship.
 * Plot Tailored to the Party: Subverted; every one is locked in various rooms and each person has a part of the skills that they need to get out of the situation - except no one is in a situation where they can use those skills. McKay The Smart Guy doesn't have a computer so Sheppard The Hero has to do all the technical stuff, Ronon The Big Guy is forced to do nothing, and Zelenka, another Smart Guy, has to do the dangerous air vent crawl that is pretty much Sheppard's trademark.
 * Self-Destruct Mechanism
 * Ship Tease: Keller and Ronon
 * Shout-Out: to The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy:

Sheppard: 42.

Teyla: What is that?

Sheppard: It's the ultimate answer to the great question of life, the universe and everything."


 * Stock Episode Titles: 29 uses