Okay, so something is seriously up with my DVD set and it has this as the next episode before Singularity. Whaaaaat. Oh well. Pretend the lulz are for the next episode, since I’m going strictly in this order!
SG-1 steps out of the Stargate (wow, how many times have I typed that?) and enter into a village that Carter describes as “deserted”.
Okay, first of all, you never walk onto another planet with any preconceptions or assumptions whatsoever. If you do, you’re likely to be captured, killed, put on trial, etc. This especially goes for places that look “deserted”. My guess is they’re going to be ambushed any moment now.
Teal’c calls this place “Cartago” and says he has been here before. It’s a regular spot for the Goa’uld, and apparently like to get hosts for their icky little larvae here. (Must be a pretty beautiful… or at least compatible… population.) Indeed, everyone must be gone because they assume that SG-1 are all Goa’uld… except for Teal’c, who obviously isn’t, nor ever could be.
They enter into a temple and are… ambushed. By some natives. Human, of course.
(Ha! I was right!)
They speak English (per usual) and everyone eventually puts down their guns/crossbows. They seem a very skeptical people. In fact, the one who pulled his weapon on O’Neill initially immediately goes after Teal’c and we find out here that Teal’c… killed the guy’s father.
Oh, man. This could get ugly. First of all, I don’t think he did this. He might’ve. He was a very loyal Jaffa at one point, and if he never screwed up once, he’d be a very boring character. But they might have him mixed up. Poor Teal’c. Always having to answer for everyone else he’s associated with. However, I gotta say this… kudos to Teal’c for not raising up arms against the natives when they all had theirs pointed at him. He’s awfully willing to take on pain. Something tells me this may one day be his unfortunate downfall.
The man is named Hanno, and his friend says that he might be mistaken, because he doesn’t recognize Teal’c. They plan to put him through “Cor-Ai”, which I presume is some sort of trial. They take him away to the “elders” (always them). The elders tell them to leave, but insist on keeping Teal’c, as usual. Man, first Thor, now these guys? Hanno shows Teal’c a weapon, and it flashes back to a scene of…
…Of him shooting down Hanno’s father.
See, I hate this. Who knows how many years ago it was? And what were the circumstances? Was it either kill one man or Apophis goes slaughterhouse on the whole village? Was Teal’c pretty much totally controlled by the Goa’uld at this time? I know, I’m making excuses because he’s my favourite character. I’m already really excited to see how this plays out nonetheless.
Since Teal’c has pretty much silently confessed, they take him into custody despite O’Neill’s protests. They put him in a small cell, and O’Neill is already planning to break him out. Teal’c, being Mister Honourable, of course refuses to go along with their plan because it would be unjust to the Byrsa.
Later that day, they meet his “defense attorney” of sorts. O’Neill tries to bring up the concept of “innocent until proven guilty”, which doesn’t really register. O’Neill offers to be Teal’c’s “voice” for the Cor-Ai, which is met with a little surprise by everyone, but then they all decide to speak for him.
The next day is the trial, and they all enter the courtroom. Surprisingly, Hammo approaches Teal’c and asks for forgiveness for going counter to mandates. However, he then states that Teal’c is nonetheless guilty and the punishment is death.
In a very amusing scene, O’Neill steps up and shouts, “OB-JECTION!” insisting that Hammo can’t be judge and jury all in one (brownie points if you get the Cheap Trick reference). He asks that someone else be judge, and he asks the elder to preside, but she refuses.
Hammo approaches Teal’c and gets a full confession out of him. He takes it all in stride, though.
After the trial, only Teal’c and O’Neill remain in the room. Now, keep in mind, these two have already gone through quite a lot together. Between saving Teal’c’s son and the trials with Thor I’d say they’re relatively close. When O’Neill asks why he never told him, we get this answer from the Jaffa:
“You already knew. Only you did not want to hear it. That is why you asked me not to speak.”
Indeed, he was ordered by Apophis to kill Hanno’s father. But he still takes full, complete responsibility for his actions, no matter who ordered them. He’s obviously feeling guilty and has some major demons from his past to confront. This is likely the first in a long list.
Then, though, the real reason (presumably, if I know Teal’c well enough) comes to light… Once more, we’re back to the fact that Teal’c is a father. He killed a boy’s father. He’s likely thinking of how his son would be were he to die. O’Neill tries to console him with the ideology of the chain of command, but Teal’c flat-out refuses to agree. He says this:
“I cannot give all of [my victims’] loved ones retribution. But I can at least give it to this one.”
It’s lines like these that really make you feel for him as a character. He is so driven by his guilt and his sense of morality that he is more than willing to lay down his life because of what he did.
It’s actually a very, very powerful scene in terms of morality and the military. If you’ve never seen it, I would highly recommend looking this episode up. It’s an excellent scene for both Christopher Judge and R.D. Anderson and builds a lot into their respective characters.
Jackson’s plan as they all enter back in is to convince the people that he is a different man now than he was then. The presiding scene is very interesting indeed…
O’Neill has Jackson “approach the stand” as it were and tell of what happened to his wife, and how Sha’re was picked by Teal’c (at random, seemingly) to become the Queen. Jackson then goes on to say how, nonetheless, even though he wanted to hate Teal’c for what he had done, he still recognized the change in his character.
Carter then has Teal’c himself approach the stand and tell the jury how he turned on his fellow Jaffa guards and joined SG-1, despite that he may never see his family again. This was actually a very good move, given that we are dealing with a family-related case.
Jackson learns from a villager that when they all run to hide from the Goa’uld, either they all escape… or none do. This gives him an idea, and he asks Teal’c to recount the whole story:
In a flashback, we see Apophis ordering Teal’c to kill one of those they captured. My suspicions are proven right… Apophis says, when Teal’c hesitates, “Kill one of them, or I will kill them all.” Yup. Knew it.
He sees a man with one leg stretch his arm out in a sort of surrender and look directly at Teal’c. It was an act of mercy. It was a mutual understanding between both of them.
O’Neill nonetheless goes back to base and plans to bring an army on the way back.
Teal’c and Jackson are back in the courtroom. Their defense is more or less “the needs of the many over the needs of the few” – something it seems Hanno’s father also understood. He knew that by his sacrifice of sorts, the other villagers would survive. Jackson states it perfectly:
“So if Teal’c hadn’t made that decision, many of you might not be alive today to want him dead.”
But in the end, it all comes down to Hanno and how he feels. But Hanno asks,
“Can his recent actions or any future actions bring my father back from the dead?”
He doesn’t see the point in letting Teal’c go free since he can’t erase the past. He wants more than retribution. He wants revenge, no matter what the cost to the future or otherwise.
I can see this going one of two ways.
Option A: The Byrsa people will rise up in defense of Teal’c despite their mandates and Hanno’s feelings and ultimately let him go, or convince Hanno to.
Option B: O’Neill and a bunch of the Air Force will have to storm in just before the execution and get Teal’c out of there against his wishes.
At the base, Hammond reveals that the administration has, in fact, employed a sort of “prime directive”. It’s a non-interference protocol… the kind I’ve been waiting and watching for. Hammond echoes what I’ve been saying, that he’s a war criminal no matter what. Carter and O’Neill ultimately lose the argument.
Carter and O’Neill return to a burning village. The Goa’uld have arrived (or, at least, some Jaffa) and Teal’c is no longer in his cell. Jackson is not there, either. They were taken with the Byrsa, who try to run and are attacked by the Goa’uld, but O’Neill and Carter manage to stop some of them.
Shak’l appears again (DANGIT, GO AWAY YOU JERK) and faces Teal’c. Teal’c takes a knife he was hiding behind his back and stabs him. (YEAH, GO TEAL’C!!) He then manages tofight off a few more of the Goa’uld and saves many of the villagers.
In the end, he hands his spear to Hanno and stands, still, ready to face his judgment. “I save those who desrve to live,” he says. But even when he states that he was still the one who killed Hanno’s father, the young man says,
“No. That Jaffa is dead. You have killed him.”
This is huge. This is SO HUGE and I love it. Even as Teal’c has not himself been convinced, he has inadvertently convinced the man who wanted him dead above all else. Tears run down Teal’c’s face as he takes his weapon back and leaves with SG-1, who agree to help the Byrsa defend themselves against the Goa’uld.
Final thoughts… this was easily the best episode I’ve seen so far, at least in terms of Teal’c. Was there a whole lot of action? No, just a scuffle with the Goa’uld at the end (which was pretty cool), but the writing and dialogue were so perfect and spot-on it was beautiful. It was brilliant in that it was universal. Think how many soldiers have felt this way, that their crimes against humanity could never be forgiven? Furthermore, how many could truly confess it and face up? That is what sets Teal’c apart. In a way it seems like he wants to be punished, and can never accept who he was. But Hanno’s final line seems to seal it all up in a nice little package. “You have killed that Jaffa.” ..And also it’s pretty heartbreaking to see such a muscular, manly guy have that sort of emotional breakdown of defenses when he gets that mercy. Teal’c just breaks my heart over and over again.
PREDICTION FOR THE NEXT EPISODE… oh, never mind, I already tried that and it failed.
So here’s just a reflection on the last one.
(The crew has returned to Earth and is at the Hangout.)
O’Neill: We got pretty close that time, didn’t we?
Jackson: You’re telling me. I tell you, those guys were scarier than Thor and the Goa’uld combined.
Teal’c: (Smirking slightly) That is an overstatement, Daniel Jackson.
Carter: I don’t know, Teal’c. They had you ready for the slaughterhouse.
Teal’c: I still do not understand what changed Hanno’s mind. What difference can one, or even a hundred, acts of good do for a thousand crimes against a million people?
O’Neill: You heard what he said. You killed that man who did those things. He’s buried.
Teal’c: Then why do I still remember him so clearly?
O’Neill: Sometimes, a soldier can never forget his past.
Jackson: But that’s what keeps us from repeating it. It’s what helps us change the future to make it better than it was before we ever lifted a hand…
Carter: …Or a gun…
O’Neill: …Or a Ma’tok Staff.
Jackson: Come on. I’ve got more ‘80’s films you still need to watch.
Teal’c: Indeed, you are the best… friends… I have ever had.
(And the author melts a little inside.)
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