Oh, wow, “Serpent” to me automatically means Apophis and his cronies. So do we get to see Apophis again? How about Sha’re? Maybe the Tok’ra? So many questions, so few answers!! Better watch right away!
The episode opens up with a lone Goa’uld Death Glider flying away from two pyramid ships. Meanwhile, SG-1 is hanging out near a Stargate on a desert-like planet, and apparently they’re replying to a Tok’ra transmission. Teal’c spots the Death Glider, and it crashes not far from them. (A Tok’ra infiltrator on the run?) They all dash towards it, and a figure is crawling out, bloodied…
…it’s Apophis!
And he wants their help!
…All I can really say here is what O’Neill just said:
“Holy buckets.”
Or maybe…
“Holy Hannah!”
Okay, how did Apophis get a hold of the transmitter? Why is he running from his own people? Does this have something to do with the fact that he’s had his System Lord status stripped from him? Has he defected to the Tok’ra? Does it have something to do with the loss of his son? This is so crazy!
Teal’c’s ready to gun the guy down with a zat gun, but Carter insists that he’s more valuable to them alive than dead. More Death Gliders are on the way, so they escape through the ‘Gate with Apophis in tow.
He asks for sanctuary. Or, rather, he demands it. Fraiser, of course the doctor to no end, insists that he’ll die without immediate treatment, so they let him get taken away to the infirmary, but he’ll have guards on him at all time.
This episode is going to be cra-zy.
In the infirmary, we find out that the symbiote itself has been severely damaged. Carter has more “feelings” and knows that he’s been tortured, so the damage is largely irreversible. The same thing that killed Jolinar is killing Apophis.
Teal’c seems pretty pleased that his former master has sought sanctuary among them, saying that it’s a common part of Goa’uld culture to defect in exchange for life. O’Neill wants to get whatever information they can out of him and then toss him back through the ‘Gate to the other Goa’uld. Hammond, however, insists that they can’t, since he’s technically a prisoner of war. Jack walks out, frustrated, and mutters, “I should’ve shot him.”
Apophis regains consciousness and wants to speak to O’Neill. He tells Jack that he has valuable information about another Goa’uld who would destroy Earth. (I’m thinking Heru’ur.) However, that knowledge does not come freely.
Oh, he wants to strike a bargain. Of course. Ferengi at heart.
He wants a new host, and in exchange will tell them everything.
Just as O’Neill is leaving after denying Apophis everything, the Goa’uld says that another, Sokar, will eventually be Earth’s destroyer, and he will stop at nothing to find him.
They do a little research and find out that Sokar was once the most feared Goa’uld of all until he was conquered by Apophis, Ra, and others. Now that both of those have fallen, he seems to be out for revenge. There’s also a connection between him and the Unas, the first hosts of the Goa’uld. Essentially, he was the first Satan.
Just then, there’s an incoming traveler. (“Speak of the devil”, O’Neill says.) They close up the iris and everything’s good, but I think maybe Sokar’s on to Apophis…
Jackson goes to speak to Apophis now. Apophis tries to tell him that they have something in common (Sha’re/Amaunet) but then just goes on to insult him and tell Jackson he’ll never understand what he and Amaunet had because the Tau’ri are so vastly inferior. (That’s not a good way to try to get on someone’s side.) Then, though, Jackson reveals that he knows where Apophis’ son is. (Another bargain. Wow, these guys are going all out.) Still, though, nothing, and Apophis’ condition is ever-worsening.
The ‘Gate opens up and out come three Tok’ra, and one of them is Martouf. (Aw, man, more feelings! I thought we’d be done with that arc.) They’ve come bearing a warning, that they know SGC has Apophis and they need to return him to where they found him… immediately.
Martouf, or rather Lantash, goes on to confirm that if they don’t turn over Apophis to Sokar, they’re all going to die. He’s getting very upset with the fact that they are so headstrong.
They go down to the infirmary, and it seems that Apophis is losing all control. His voice falters out as he calls for Amaunet, and the host finally emerges for the first time pretty much… ever. He’s speaking ancient Egyptian. (Wow, old host.)
And there’s another incoming traveler. Martouf thinks it’s Sokar, and through the iris his voice comes. The iris is heating up, and they’re not sure how long it can hold.
Teal’c and Carter go to Apophis once more. He insists there is no way to defeat Sokar’s weapon, and as Carter walks off to get Fraiser, Teal’c speaks to his former master. He tells him that this day will be a day celebrated on Chulak: The day of Apophis’ death. Just as Fraiser is about to give him a morphine injection, Teal’c stops her, telling her to let him suffer until he can no longer stand the pain, and then he will tell them what they need to know. However, he eventually moves and lets Fraiser give the injection.
The iris is heating up dangerously. They start to dial up their own ‘Gate, hoping that that way they can dial in before Sokar, but they can’t. Furthermore, their most recent orders are to cease all medical treatment and send Apophis back through the Stargate to where they found him. Martouf tells them that since Sokar is at war with Heru’ur, he has no issue with the Tau’ri. They should be able to send him through the next cycle.
Apophis’ host awakens one last time and tells them of his life and his family. Jackson responds to him saying that he will bury the host’s body in Egypt and do the rites. Shortly after, the Goa’uld dies, but the host clings to life for a few more minutes as Jackson performs the rites.
SGC manages to open the ‘Gate before Sokar, and Teal’c sends Apophis’ body through the Stargate. Martouf, however, explains that with a sarcophagus, Sokar can still revive the body and torture Apophis.
The Tok’ra and SGC part, and O’Neill gives Martouf a remote transmitter so they can get in through Earth’s ‘Gate if they need to, and then they’re off.
Final thoughts… A lot of episodes in television follow a theme. And it’s not just Stargate SG-1 or science fiction in general; it’s everything from simple, obvious themes like you see in children’s shows or more complex, abstract concepts in primetime dramas. People like to have something to go off of and take back when the sixty minutes are over and they go back to their lives. That’s often a mark of good television.
The theme in this episode was definitely ethics. They may as well have just titled the episode as such, except for the fact that “Serpent’s Song” sounds about a million times better. We also have a bit of the cross-culture. The main difference between this and past episodes is that here, we’re not dealing with some politician or a slimeball like Maybourne. We’re dealing with the “good guys”, SGC and the Tok’ra. The truest mark of someone’s character is how they react when his or her worst enemy is in a time of need.
Janet Fraiser is, of course, sworn to the Hippocratic Oath: “Do no harm.” Her work literally requires her to be compassionate and unbiased towards any of her patients. She doesn’t see enemy or ally, she merely sees a patient who is in need of medical care. Fraiser really stuck to her guns, as she so often does. She’s actually a very strong character and it’s episodes like these where I gain a lot of respect for her, even if I don’t talk about her that often. So all you Fraiser fans: I’m with you.
We also have Hammond and the SGC. Hammond doesn’t have that much leeway when it comes to orders from the top, but I also have to consider that he’s technically the first person to have ever seen Apophis. Their first encounter was seeing the Goa’uld kidnap one of his people and take them off to Chulak, where she later died (“Children of the Gods”). He’s got some animosity there, too. Carter more or less falls into this idea, as well, since she doesn’t have much of a personal connection against Apophis, aside from their various encounters while she’s with SG-1.
Next, O’Neill. He’s one of the more openly passionate people here and when he realizes Apophis hasn’t changed at all, he’s ready to “throw him back to the sharks”. He’s not about to give anyone up as a new host despite everything. It’s just not in his nature and it goes against everything he believes in, that life is priceless. It’s another cultural sort of thing.
Jackson… Oh, Daniel, Daniel, Daniel, you’re such a good person but those tightly-reigned-in-feelings aren’t fooling anyone. He’s much more logical but he couldn’t even begin to imagine that Apophis had actually loved Amaunet as he had loved Sha’re.
(That’s another thing. Is Sha’re still alive? Apophis kept referring to her in the past tense, though perhaps he was simply realizing his own mortality and had more or less accepted it.)
And then… Teal’c. This was a pretty crucial, maybe even pivotal time for his character. It was this ugly sort of vengeance; this justice he’d been vying for for years now. I’m pretty sure he was bluffing when he said that no Jaffa were still loyal to Apophis and that this would be a day of celebration. It’s more likely he wanted to coerce Apophis into giving up his information to them out of desperation. It was almost disturbing how much he enjoyed watching Apophis suffer and it really makes you wonder about everything that’s going on with him. Sure, I can’t blame the guy for hating the individual who’s enslaved pretty much his whole planet, but still, it’s something to watch.
Finally, Martouf and the Tok’ra. They don’t seem to have quite the same code of ethics as the humans. While Western ideology is to nearly always give people a second chance to redeem themselves, the Tok’ra saw Apophis’ death as entirely justified due to his actions. What’s more, Martouf didn’t seem bothered in the least by the prospect of the Goa’uld being tortured for as long as Sokar could keep him alive. Again, there’s that personal connection and need for vengeance.
Overall, I thought this was an excellent episode. However disturbing it may have been to see some less-than-favourable character traits come to light, it was very well-written and may have signaled something of a change in the overall relations of these people.
PREDICTION/REFLECTION THINGY
(The crew’s not quite sure how to feel about all this.)
Carter: Well, he’s dead.
Jackson: Yeah, maybe.
O’Neill: You heard what Martouf said. Sokar probably has a sarcophagus.
Teal’c: Then Apophis will be tortured for as long as he is kept alive.
O’Neill: Unless he figures out how to escape.
Carter: Then we’re all screwed, all over again.
Jackson: And the host… He’ll be in immeasurable pain all over again, even after I performed the rites for him.
O’Neill: Our greatest enemy is dead. Why don’t I feel like celebrating?
Teal’c: Perhaps because it was a victory for no one…
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