Dr. Jennifer Keller is going off world to look after some villagers who are suffering from a virulent strain of the flu. And despite the fact that it’s his day off, Rodney plans to accompany Keller on her goodwill mission. He claims that he’s turning over a new leaf, but the real reason Rodney’s going is because he’s got his eye on Jennifer, and is looking forward to spending some time alone with her. However, Rodney is annoyed to see that Ronon is also going along with them--and it soon becomes a contest of one-upmanship as both men vie for her affections. But a major monkey wrench is thrown into these romantic proceedings when Keller is abducted from the village and taken into the woods by man with strange powers. And to make matters even worse, the Wraith show up.

Written by Carl Binder (he shares a story credit with David Schmidt), who wrote last year's rollicking Midway, Tracker is a taunt, enjoyable romp in the woods that works very well on several different levels. Aside from the obvious conflict--rescuing the kidnapped Keller--Ronon and McKay, who started out as rivals for Jennifer’s heart, must now work together in an endearing odd couple fashion to find her. Meanwhile, Keller comes into her own as she fights as much as she can against her captor, who’s a runner from the Wraith named Kiryk (Mike Dopud). Jewel Staite and Mike Dopud are superb as Keller and Kiryk, making their scenes fun to watch. They start out with a tense, cat and mouse relationship that naturally evolves into one of wary trust.

Staite manages to deftly portray Keller’s burgeoning inner strength without coming off as a warrior woman cliché, while Dopud is believable as a rough and rugged runner who’s always thinking on his feet; yet he still brings a level of welcome complexity to his character that makes him more than one note. Director William Waring presents the story in his usual stylish manner, making the most of the exterior locations within the Canadian wilderness. And in addition to being smart and enthralling, Tracker also has some very funny moments, thanks mainly to David Hewlett and Jason Momoa. The best comedic moment comes when McKay shoots a Wraith while hopping on one foot--as corny as this sounds, Hewlett and Waring make it work, just as they and their cast and crewmates make Tracker as a whole work exceedingly well.