05.21.07
Posted in Reviews at 12:41 am by Administrator
Written by Martin Gero
Directed by Peter DeLuise
The main issue with the tenth and final season of “SG-1” has been consistency. While many were shocked when the end of the series was announced, that was more a matter of timing. The series had managed to avoid the chopping block for half its life, after initial cancellation at the end of the fifth season on Showtime. Knowing all of that, it’s surprising how little time has been spent clearing the decks and wrapping up plot threads.
For instance, who expected the producers, with only a handful of episodes left, to trot out a stand-alone installment with only the most tenuous links to the overall season arc? Granted, this was the problem with the ninth season as well, and a problem with the second half of nearly every season for shows given this “split season” format. The first half seems to be dominated by plot-heavy material, and the second half seems to deviate into stand-alone territory.
Knowing all of this, it would be easy to dismiss this episode and let frustration take its toll. That would be an unfortunate mistake, because taken on its own, this is a fairly amusing episode. No matter how serious the situation seems to get, there’s an underlying comic touch. This has been the hallmark of the series since its inception (though it was once a bit more subtle), and this episode keeps the tradition alive.
Beyond its surprising entertainment value, the episode is notable for its unusual guest star. Joshua Malina is better known for his dramatic work (“West Wing”, “A Few Good Men”) and his dry comic delivery than his appearances in genre television. At first, I thought my eyes and ears were deceiving me! Malina’s presence is both positive and negative. It’s positive in that it lends a certain legitimacy to the series, even at this late hour, but negative in that his character lacks depth and his performance pales to his better-known work.
That said, this is “SG-1”, and few members of the audience are looking for scripts on the level of an Aaron Sorkin. It’s all about the entertainment value, and the episode delivers that (and some twists and turns) rather well. If one can overcome the frustration of yet another stand-alone episode when so little time remains until the end, this is a pleasant hour’s worth of diversion.
Writing: 2/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 1/4
Final Rating: 7/10
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05.13.07
Posted in Reviews at 10:50 pm by Administrator
Written by Damien Kindler
Directed by Peter DeLuise
The Lucien Alliance is to “SG-1” as the Genii are to “Stargate: Atlantis”. They are the go-to villains whenever the writers need a generic enemy to fight or complicate matters. As a result, their involvement in an episode is usually disappointing, because motivations are often situational. In this instance, the writers needed someone to send bounty hunters after the team. Who better than the Lucien Alliance?
That fuzzy beginning gets a lot more interesting as the focus turns to each team member as they go about their various mundane activities. Mitchell and Vala end up at his hometown for his high school reunion, Carter ends up at a convention, Daniel is studying, and Teal’c is back to dealing with Jaffa matters. Each is targeted in turn, and the response to each attack is where the fun begins.
The most time is spent with Mitchell and Vala at the reunion, which helps to flesh out Mitchell’s character a bit. It’s all quite consistent with the information given previously, fitting Cam’s down-home attitude quite well. It’s scary to think that Mtichell’s home town was so small that only a couple dozen people attended the reunion (almost as scary as the genetic Cure-esque music).
Daniel’s subplot was a bit odd, especially when the femme fatale was mashed by a bus, and Carter’s subplot would have worked better if the scenes had been cut to a more interesting pace. Those scenes progressed far too slowly. Even Teal’c’s scenes felt oddly paced. A bit more attention to balance early in the episode would have helped.
The reunion setting is played for laughs, and at times, the comedy is a bit too broad. That said, the mixture of the serious and the comic (and even tragic) works pretty well, once the situation begins to fall apart. Unfortunately, it seems to end just as it gets interesting, and the little issue of using alien technology in the middle of a relatively crowded room is never truly addressed.
Unfortunately, as much as the premise seems to promise insight into Mitchell’s character, most of the exploration is fairly shallow and amounts to Mitchell seeing the girl of his youthful dreams. In other words, the usual “school reunion” cliché. There might be some consequence for the Lucien Alliance, but the audience isn’t given much reason to care. With so few episodes left, this average installment is more a reason for frustration than anything else.
Writing: 2/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 1/4
Final Rating: 7/10
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05.07.07
Posted in Reviews at 1:23 am by Administrator
Written by Robert Cooper
Directed by Andy Mikita
When we last left Daniel Jackson, he was in the lovely yet evil hands of Adria, the avatar of the Ori. Oddly, SG-1 has done very little to find or rescue Daniel since his capture. His return in this episode is a bit coincidental as a result; the team just happens to be on a planet where Daniel comes calling as a new and unusual Prior, extolling the virtues of Origin. The team, like the audience, is stunned and dismayed.
Of course, it’s not that simple. Daniel claims that he and Merlin (the part of the old Ancient still in his brain) concocted a plan to fool Adria into thinking he succumbed to her powers of persuasion. The team is less than convinced, especially when he explains that his plan involves letting the Ori Supergate open to the Milky Way. He claims to need that to bring Merlin’s completed weapon home for Earth’s defense. On the other hand, he could be lying, and it would allow the Ori fleet access to the galaxy, with a Prior in control of a weapon capable of killing Ancients. All in all, a situation with more than a little risk.
Enter General O’Neill, who is brought in to question Daniel, which is a nice touch, given their long and involved history. It’s almost as if O’Neill was never gone, something that helps to connect the dots as the series draws to a close. Between O’Neill and Teal’c, they come to the conclusion that Daniel is telling the truth. Unfortunately, the IOA wants Daniel taken out. Stargate Command and the IOA have rarely seen eye to eye, but this is the biggest point of contention yet.
In a nice twist, Vala is the one who takes the potential threat that Daniel represents most seriously. Given her evolving relationship with Daniel, she has plenty of reason to want him to survive. But her reasoning is sound: following Daniel’s plan is too much of a risk. The alternate plan is fairly obvious, but it was worth taking the time to let the various characters react to Daniel and his current status.
When things start to go wrong (as of course, they must), the twist and turns are slightly confusing. The end result, however, is that Daniel is back to normal, more or less, and the weapon was armed to detonate, with no evidence that it actually worked. And now that the Supergate is open for business, the armies of the Ori have the ability to send tons of reinforcements into the Milky Way. It’s hard to figure out if the risk/reward analysis was on the dot this time around, but considering that the Ori arc was always meant to extend beyond the end of the season, this complication makes a certain amount of sense.
Had the series been continuing, then Daniel’s quick and relatively simple return to the team might have seemed too quick. It would have been a lot more interesting if Daniel’s time as a Prior had stretched out over a few episodes. However, in light of the fact that the series is ending, a number of ideas will likely get short shrift, and this is just one such example.
Writing: 2/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 1/4
Final Rating: 7/10
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