STARGATE ATLANTIS SEASON TWO EPISODE GUIDE The Hive

The Wraith Hive Queen begins to interrogate Colonel Sheppard, but before she can get answers to her first question she becomes agitated for reasons unknown and orders him returned to his cell. Teyla senses that a second Wraith hive ship has arrived on the scene.Back at Ford's outpost, Dr. McKay pleads with his enzyme-enhanced guards to allow him access missing crystals to open the Stargate. The mission to the hive ship is long-overdue, so something has obviously gone wrong. But they refuse. While they play a board game McKay sneaks away to Jace's laboratory and gouges himself with an entire bottle of the Wraith enhancement. He easily bulldozes through the guards and returns to Atlantis, where he soon collapses in the gate room.An attempt to free themselves goes horribly wrong as Sheppard's group, including Ford and Kanayo, make their way to a Dart bay. En route, they come across three cocooned captives who are still alive. While pulling them free Wraith arrive, stun the entire party, and return them to separate cells. Sheppard awakens a short time later to an irritated Ford and a young woman he attempted to rescue, Neera. Ford admits the enzyme is quickly wearing off. Without an additional supply he will suffer possibly fatal side effects. Colonel Caldwell has pushed the Daedalus's hyperdrive engines and managed to arrive a few days ahead of schedule to aid in the team's recovery. McKay is now in the infirmary. Since Ford left with the city's only supply of the enzyme, Rodney will have no choice but to quit cold turkey. The massive dose of the drug in his system will not leave without him kicking and screaming

STARGATE ATLANTIS SEASON TWO EPISODE GUIDE THUMBNAILS GALLERY

Ronon, Teyla, Ford and Kanayo are facing identical withdrawals. Because Ronon and Teyla have only been taking the drug for a short time the absence from their system will be unpleasant, but not life threatening. While sprawling on the floor in pain, the absence of the enzyme in Kanayo's body kills him. Ford, too, is near death, but Sheppard is pushing him to stay alive. Wraith arrive to collect Kanayo's corpse and to put Ford into a cocoon to preserve him for when they are ready to feed.
After a lengthy struggle McKay returns to his normal self. Now coherent, he updates Dr. Weir about Ford, his coalition, and the Wraith's planned target: Edwin. McKay knows the coordinates, so with luck the Daedalus will be able to head them off and give the expedition time to warn the population.
Meanwhile, Sheppard is getting cozy with Neera, who has now told him about how her culture fell at the hands of the Wraith. She snuggles up to him for warmth and inquires about his world, but Sheppard stops himself when she asks for the name of the planet. Later, Sheppard is taken to the Hive Queen once more, but he starts off the conversation by assuring her that the woman she had planted for them to find, Neera, would not acquire any information for her.
When Neera appears at her side the Queen reveals that there are thousands of humans like her who revere, and even willingly worship, the Wraith. In exchange they keep their lives. Sheppard takes a chance and says he is the same, only he is working for the Queen on the other hive ship. The Queen promises to speak with her, but not before Ford enters the room and neutralizes the entire group of Wraith with Ronon's gun. Despite Sheppard's objections Ford, who has found more enzyme, promises to watch his team's back so they can escape.

STARGATE ATLANTIS SEASON TWO EPISODE GUIDE The Hive

The Daedalus arrives in the Edwin system, deploying Lorne and Dr. McKay in a cloaked Puddle Jumper to contact Sheppard, but they are taken aback when they discover two hive ships have joined together for the culling. After trying to reach Sheppard via radio they return to the Daedalus.Sheppard acquires a Dart and scoops Dex and Teyla into its culling beam. He pilots the craft outside of the hive ship, now deploying throngs of Darts for the culling. Instead of heading for the Daedalus Sheppard begins to lay down fire on the opposite hive ship. His plan works. Both squadrons of Darts, and the two massive vessels, destroy one another.
The Daedalus returns to Atlantis, landing in the water beside the city. McKay is shocked when he sees his three teammates alive and well. Sheppard escaped via Edwin's space Stargate, trusting that Ford made it out before the ship was destroyed. Valuable intelligence has been gathered on the Wraith, who possesses a more brittle relationship with one another than has ever been realized. This could develop into a very effective strategy in their defeat.

ANALYSIS

"The FX at the end of 'Lost Boys' are amazing ... topped only by 'The Hive,' which has maybe the biggest space battle this show has ever done."
(Writer and co-producer Martin Gero, in a message at GateWorld Forum) "The second half of the season starts out with 'The Hive.' Let me just say, there are four of us and 3,000 of them. Did I mention that the enzyme is wearing off?"
(Director Martin Wood, in an interview with Stargate-Project