Everything in this episode from the writing to the acting, the special guest appearance to the score, made this quite possibly be the greatest episode in the five-year run of Atlantis.
From the first scene the story was developed in such a way that the exposition of the whole episode just kept building and building until the very end with the inevitable cliffhanger. The writing was so fresh and so crisp it was as if I was watching a brand new episode of a new show. At no point did the action ever let up.
The resurgence of Dr. Jackson was a fantastic thing, and watching him and McKay motor mouth off of each other was brilliant and hysterical. When McKay was first on SG-1 it was great to see him and Jackson interact, but we didn't get to see it much more after that. After way too many years we finally got the opportunity again. Thanks to the great writing both through continuity and development Jackson and McKay picked up where they left off, and even had an opportunity to grow beyond old petty differences. I look forward to part 2 of this episode and seeing where they end up.
The introduction of this new race of beings was incredibly cool. Although every time I see someone in the Stargate universe wearing full body and face armor I am reminded of the Kull Warriors, or super soldiers as they were called back in season 7 of SG-1. It isn't a bad thing, but I'm sure they could have looked like something else; it's a whole other galaxy, give us something fresh and unique. Back to the positive side of "First Contact," I loved the way they moved and worked together. Everything from the choreography and direction to these characters was smooth and fluid. Another thing I really liked in this episode was the editing around that device that melted through the Atlantean floor; it was hot, as was the rest of the cutting around this episode.
The continuing love triangle between Keller, McKay and Ronon took another step forward as Ronon got a leg up on McKay when he chose to accompany her on the mission to see Todd. When past episodes are referenced it really helps bridge the show together and gives us a sense of a time line. Even though the triangle really went into full effect only a week ago in "Tracker," it's something that in my opinion needs to happen more often in all television shows. Even in standalone episodes, it's good to reference something that may have happened in a past episode so it feels organic to the show and isn't completely a standalone.
Another thing that really popped this episode was the musical score. This season has heard lots of great music accompanying many episodes, but "First Contact" really drove it home. The subtle strings throughout were a huge reason this episode was such a huge success.
"First Contact" was a perfect mid-season finale, and did everything it was meant to do, leave us wanting more than we could possibly imagine. These next two weeks are going to be a grind, but thank the Ancients we only have to wait two weeks, and not 2 months!