"The Shrine" is the sixth episode of the fifth season of the science fiction television series Stargate Atlantis.
The Expedition gives Jeannie a chance to say goodbye; Rodney has already regressed to a childlike state and all attempts at medical intervention have failed.
Jennifer Keller explains that McKay became infected with the Second Childhood parasite at some point over the past two weeks, and that she misinterpreted the first symptoms when they appeared after a mission to M44-5YN.
Keller blames herself for not catching the disease sooner, but refuses to give up even as McKay has only a few days left to live.
Ronon Dex proposes an alternative: a shrine on the planet Talus that grants those afflicted with the Second Childhood a single day of mental clarity, followed by a quick death.
However, since the cast change from Amanda Tapping (Samantha Carter) to Robert Picardo (Richard Woolsey) from the beginning of the season, the idea for "The Replacement" was dropped, and Wright went with "The Shrine".
[6] On Sky One, the episode received viewing figures of 497,000, which was the third most watched TV programme for the channel that week.
Tony Ireland Mell, the reviewer, praised the episode for numerous reasons, including the depth of Hewlett's character, through the day-by-day progression of McKay's video diary.