Instinct, written by Treena Hancock and Melissa R. Byer, opens with a bit of a nod to An American Werewolf in London. McKay (David Hewlett), Ronon (Jason Momoa), Sheppard (Joe Flanigan) and Teyla (Rachel Luttrell) enter a pub house on a distant world. They are unwelcome and urged to leave, but one of them warns that they can’t go out there… something is roaming (on the moors!).

First airing on 26 August, 2005, the team discover that the creature they are talking about is a Wraith. But when they go out to investigate they find an old man, Zaddik (John Innes), and a young woman, Ellia (Jewel Staite in her first Stargate appearance), who is in fact a Wraith.

Zaddik claims that he’s developed a cure that keeps Ellia’s hunger in check.

Beckett (Paul McGillion) head out to the planet to investigate; they could create a retrovirus that could turn Wraith to human.

Not everyone is willing to trust Ellia, and tensions are high througout. She’s a Wraith. At one point will instinct take over for her? Or will the cure/retrovirus work?

But what if there’s another Wraith on the planet?

When Ellia takes an unprepared retrovirus that Beckett created from one of those creepy bugs from season one things go very badly. And ends with a clash between her, Sheppard and Ronon which will directly affect the next episode!

There’s a commentary on racism, acceptance, ethics, and judgment in this episode. I quite like it, and have always admired Staite.

Conversion was written by Martin Gero from a story by Gero and Robert C. Cooper. It debuted on 9 September, 2005.

On arriving back at Atlantis, Beckett finds that the laceration Sheppard received from Ellia has healed already. That seems good, but it also signals he’s been infected with the retrovirus that Ellia took. That’s not good.

He slowly begins a genetic transformation caused by the DNA of the Irratus big that Beckett used. How are they going to cure him?

They’ll need to get stem cells from one of the Irratus bug eggs.

Caldwell (Mitch Pileggi) assumes Sheppard’s duties while Ronon, Teyla, McKay and Beckett head out to hunt down eggs. But things don’t go well at all, and the only person who may be able to save Sheppard is Sheppard. But is he too far gone?

Weir (Torri Higginson) and Caldwell clash, and there’s some great character bits because of it.

It’s tense, well-written, and the character moments shine. We’re two seasons in, and the characters, who were well-realized from the start, have continued to grow.

It’s a solid pair of episodes, and shows that the characters have become tight-knit and the stories are able to balance story and character. It’s solidly done, and despite being set in the same universe as SG-1, it is definitely it’s own thing now.