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Rodney McKay is stricken with a mental affliction that robs him of his knowledge and memories, causing him to revert to a childlike state.
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NEWS & SPOILERS
(Newest information is added to the bottom)
Episode #506 is a "tear-jerker" written by series co-creator Brad Wright and directed by Andy Mikita.
This is the 300th episode produced in the Stargate franchise, excluding DVD movies -- 214 episodes of Stargate SG-1 and 86 episodes of Stargate Atlantis.
The episode title "Amort" first appeared on concept art documents shown at executive producer Joseph Mallozzi's blog. It is not yet known if this episode will appear later in Season Five, or if the working title has been changed. "Amort" is an archaic word meaning "being at the point of death."
"The scripts are flying fast and furious. Brad Wright turned in his first draft of a fun if atypical McKay driven story."
(Script coordinator Alex Levine, in a post at his blog)
"We also have a final draft of episode 6, 'The Shrine of Talus,' written by Brad Wright. David [Hewlett] e-mailed Brad to tell him how much he loved it. And it apparently made Jewel cry. But, in all fairness, I was giving her a Hertz Donut at the time."
(Executive producer Joseph Mallozzi, in a post at his blog)
"'The Shrine of Talus' will be a David Hewlett tour de force."
(Executive producer Joseph Mallozzi, in a post at his blog)
"The title of Brad's episode, 'The Shrine of Talus,' has been changed after running into clearance problems. I suggested an alternate, 'The Shrine of Glapnok,' which, alas, nobody else liked. Instead, the episode has been re-titled 'The Shrine.'"
(Executive producer Joseph Mallozzi, in a message at his blog)
"Today we're shooting the entire Atlantis away team, looking like drowned rats, cowering atop a submerged Stargate. OK -- Joe, Rachel, and Jason are crouching, and look more like the glistening sea-panthers ... but I'm doing my part and representing for the bedraggled geeks with sinus problems. The interesting part of today's filming is that all this takes place in the studio! Jim Menard, who shot our 'A Dog's Breakfast' film, is having all sorts of fun with little P2 cameras and snorkel lenses and aquariums in a bid to turn our corner of the studio into a massive glacial lake. So they hose us down, we climb up on half a gate and (apart from the fish tank) they put the water and the scenery in later. ... Got to love that green-screen technology."
(Actor David Hewlett, in a post at his blog)
"I've just finished a nice six-day run out at The Bridge Studios. ... Two episodes in those six days: 'Ghost In the Machine' and 'The Shrine.' Some nice McKay/Zelenka scenes in there. Two great eppies, too."
("Zelenka" actor David Nykl, in a post at his blog)
"It is the inverse of 'Flowers For Algernon,'" writer and executive producer Brad Wright revealed to GateWorld. (In the award-winning novel by Daniel Keyes, a man with an IQ of 68 has experimental surgery to increase his intelligence -- but the effects gradually begin to wear off.) "McKay ends up suffering from the effects of something that is very common among the very old in the Pegasus Galaxy that is equivalent to fast on-set Alzheimer's, that is called 'Second Childhood' in the Pegasus Galaxy. And he very quickly not just loses his memory, but becomes quite childlike.
"Interestingly, the first symptom is that he's a wonderful person. Nobody notices that there is something wrong at first, because they all like it -- until it is too late to operate. Ronon comes up with an idea, and the story takes off from there."
"It's a character study for practically everyone in the cast, and David gets to play as an actor in a very big way. I've heard it from a few folks reading the script that it has choked them up. Hopefully it has the same effect on the audience when they see the scenes. It's moving. And everything is OK ... I don't kill anyone!"
(Writer and executive producer Brad Wright, in an interview with GateWorld)
"My favorite script of all time is 'The Shrine of Talus,' [which] Brad Wright has just written. It's good to have Brad. It is the one that is going to blow everyone away. It's unbelievable. It's a wicked acting piece. Kate [Hewlett, David's sister] is coming back -- we've got Jeannie back. It's just brutal. It's a total tear-jerker."
"For McKay it's fantastic, because there is this whole deterioration thing happening. It is the one that I am, without a doubt, the most looking forward to right now."
(Actor David Hewlett, in an interview with GateWorld)
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As information is listed here while the episode is still
in production, remember that it is subject to change.
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