The Stargate SG-1 Blog

Written by Brad Wright
Directed by Will Waring 

After the slight dip into mediocrity in the previous episode, the writers get back on track with this installment.  I was immediately impressed by the heavy continuity references throughout the episode.  Elements from many previous episodes, sometimes going back several seasons, came together in a fairly logical fashion.  I was quite impressed!

Using the Ancient database on Atlantis to find the location of Merlin’s weapon was a clever move, and one that helps bring the events on “SGA” into context.  I’ve been waiting for the chance to see both teams deal with the Ori and Wraith simultaneously, and this episode delivers on that potential.  In a certain sense, there’s a weapon against the Ori now, even if it’s one that can only be used here and there.  And now there’s only three Ori ships in the Milky Way, though that victory may be short-lived. 

Having the same writers on both shows, for all intent purposes, keeps the characters consistent.  There are the usual scenes between characters that never get to interact, but that is kept to a minimum and a lot of time is spent demonstrating why these people are so competent at what they do.  The Carter/McKay material was priceless, for instance.

The action sequences were all well and good, but my favorite material was Daniel’s plot thread.  For me, that was a lot more revealing.  The Ancients are definitely stepping back and letting the younger races deal with the threat of the Ori themselves, and it demonstrates one of the key issues that the younger races should have with the Ancients.  The Ancients seem to apply their rules with a disturbing amount of caprice, and their decision to stay out of the fight with the Ori is hard to reconcile. 

I was expecting the whole Morgan LeFay thing to stretch out over the course of the season, but it had an immediate and unexpected payoff.  That also impressed, and made me wonder if this season will manage to be as consistent as the ninth season in terms of season arc.  Granted, there will always be the stand-alone episodes of varying quality, but they could also trickle out a few plot points here and there. 

Very little time was wasted in this episode, and that was something I found exciting, especially in contrast to the episode of “SGA” that aired on the same night.  I was strongly invested in everything that was happening, and I felt like my long-term fan loyalty was being rewarded by all the ongoing continuity references.  It’s the kind of episode that I really wanted to watch again, to see what else I might catch along the way, and that’s exactly the kind of episode that brings me back for every new episode.

(As a sidenote: I also have a podcast associated with my various reviews called “Dispatches from Tuzenor”.  Recent episodes cover the “Stargate SG-1”, so it might be something of interest.  Go to http://entil2001.libsyn.com if you want to listen!) 

Writing: 2/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 3/4

Final Rating: 9/10
 

Written by Joseph Mallozzi and Paul Mullie
Directed by Andy Mikita

After the premiere, I was left wondering if this season would continue to pave new ground or fall back into familiar patterns.  In particular, I wondered if Merlin’s weapon would become something like the “Lost City”: something that would be the focus of a season-long search, with the solution being found in the season finale.  While this is not automatically a bad thing, it is repetitive.  And for that matter, so are episodes built around a virus or condition encountered on a planet, forcing the team to race against time.

So this episode was somewhat disturbing, because it fell into those familiar patterns.  The virus itself is hardly unique, nor does it serve to reveal anything particularly meaningful about the characters.  Is it such a surprise that Teal’c would struggle to the bitter end, the last to fall to the effects of the virus?  Nor is it surprising that the parasite had no long-term effects on the team.  By episode’s end, they’re back to normal, no worse for the wear.  Even a couple weeks of lag time can’t account for that!

But, there are some interesting twists.  If the Goa’uld gave the writers an excuse to mine Egyptian mythology for story concepts, then the Ancients War is the perfect chance to play with Arthurian/Celtic mythology.  Arthurian concepts are often fun, and in this case, the idea of Merlin being an Ancient is a nice touch.  Equally fun is the idea of Morgan LeFay running around, making things difficult, and a connection to Atlantis, furthering the deeply interwoven nature of the franchise.

It remains to be seen how far the writers choose to take this Arthurian conceptual connection.  It could be taken to extremes, and then the fun new direction becomes trite.  If the writers try to cast Mitchell as the new “Arthur” figure, that would be the immediate effect.  (I can hear the screaming from the fandom now, cascading from that possible future timeline!)

To make another reference to “Babylon 5”, those Arthurian comparisons have been made before, and they’ve worked.  So long as those references are metaphorical, played out visually and thematically, it can be subtle enough to avoid the worst excesses.  It remains to be seen whether or not the writers will be able to pull it off in the “Stargate” universe.

For all the familiar elements, the virus plot thread is at least a solid (if uninteresting) storyline.  Vala’s psychological evaluation doesn’t pass the same muster.  In fact, while revealing some measure of progress in Vala’s moral development, it doesn’t go nearly far enough to justify the outcome.  Vala doesn’t really prove that she can be trusted.  I would have felt better if the end scene played out, and then Landry pulled Mitchell or Daniel to the side, making it clear that they should deal with her if she poses a problem.  But that kind of dark territory is out of the question, despite the moral ambiguity at play on “SGA”.

For me, Vala’s plot thread kept the episode from succeeding.  With the rest of the episode being average at best, it was really a matter of how well they dealt with a tricky situation.  I, for one, was left unimpressed and disappointed.  Hopefully this is just a minor blip for the tenth season.

(As a sidenote: I also have a podcast associated with my various reviews called “Dispatches from Tuzenor”.  Future episodes will highlight “Stargate SG-1”, so it might be something of interest .  Go to http://entil2001.libsyn.com if you want to listen!)

Writing: 1/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 1/4

Final Rating: 6/10