"Crystal Skull" ( 3 x 21 )

I swear to God if this is anything like the Indiana Jones movie I’m just going to ragequit on the series altogether. Okay, no I won’t, because I know this will be vastly superior to that movie which was an insult to all the awesomeness that is Harrison Ford.

We open up at the image the MALP is sending back of an off-world pyramid. And what’s inside? A crystal skull… Just like the one Jackson’s grandfather found years ago.

Turns out that Jackson’s grandpa, Nick, had claimed that looking into the eyes of the crystal skull would teleport one to see aliens. Of course, in ’71, everyone thought he was crazy… but maybe he was right. They head off to check out the skull!

They cross a catwalk in the huge pyramid, and approach the very pink skull. Actually, now that I see it, it’s multi-coloured but still rather pink. The radiation in the cavern spikes as the skull starts to glow… and Jackson vanishes!

Okay, well, that’s not quite accurate. We can still see him, but no one else can, and Teal’c passes through him like he’s not even there! They had to get out of there before the radiation got the best of them, but it was a close call nonetheless.

Teal’c of course is okay, but Carter and O’Neill have been better. Later, they use the MALP to try to find Jackson, but he’s not registering there, either. Teal’c offers to go back to the planet to retrieve the skull in the hopes that they can use it to find Jackson.

On the planet, Jackson (as we see him) finally comes to just as Teal’c comes running down the catwalk. (Does that make him sound like a fashionista in a hurry? …Nevermind that mental image…) He tries to get Teal’c’s attention, but he doesn’t seem to hear Jackson, and indeed passes right through him. Jackson follows him out, and though Teal’c pauses momentarily as if sensing the archaeologist’s presence, he goes through the ‘Gate and reports his non-findings to Hammond.

Jackson follows Teal’c to the infirmary where Carter and O’Neill are still recovering. Daniel has realized, “Oh, no one can see or hear me,” so it’s kind of awkward that he responds to things though no one will hear. There’s a funny part where O’Neill tries to get out of his bed despite Fraiser’s insistence that he’s not yet strong enough, and he flops on the floor. Teal’c kindly flops him back onto the bed… face-down.

That’s Teal’c for ya, always willing to help out his friends!

Later in Teal’c’s quarters, Jackson has joined Teal’c during his kel’no’reem, but of course Teal’c can’t see him. However, at one point, his eyes flash open and he looks straight at where we know Daniel is, as if sensing his presence. He gets sort of a haunted look in his eyes, but now Jackson figures that they can maybe sense him, if nothing else…

…Like a ghost?

In an office, Jackson’s friend Robert (that, uh, lame guy who replaced him in “Forever in a Day”) is trying to figure out the skull, with little success. He doesn’t believe there’s anything significant to it. Carter, too, has now sensed his presence. Ooo, freaky!

Carter later suggests that they go see Daniel’s grandfather, Nicholas Ballard, but it’s a little more complicated than that… Nick is in a mental institution.

The three (er, four, rather, since Jackson-ghost-thing is with them, too) and we get another funny:

Nurse: Are you close? (to Jackson’s grandfather)

O’Neill: Yes.

Teal’c: (Simultaneously)  No.

(Everyone looks at him.)

Teal’c: …Yes, extremely.

Jackson goes ahead of his team and approaches his grandfather, and talks to him, despite knowing that he won’t respond. The rest of SG-1 enters and finds out that Nick was never very fond of his grandson’s aspirations. When they ask him about the skull, he denies that he ever saw anything. However, when they tell him there’s another out there, he insists that they take him to the Base, or he won’t tell them anything.

Jackson overhears a telephone conversation of Hammond’s with his granddaughter, and the general mentions Daniel as a “lost, close friend”. (Aww! That’s sweet!)

On base, Ballard explains his experience of being teleported to a cavern (uh, that pyramid?) and seeing giant aliens. (Uh…) He eventually came back, but the place he had come back to is destroyed now.

Jackson goes to his grandfather’s quarters, and realizes that his grandfather can, in fact, see and hear him. (Whoa!) He figures it’s because he had also had an experience with the skull, so he divulges everything – the Stargate, the skull, the program – to him.

Later, Ballard goes down to the Hangout and, by relaying what Jackson is saying to him to the others, convinces them that Jackson’s right there with him, simply out of phase. O’Neill speculates that it was Teal’c’s use of the zat gun which interrupted the process, and that’s why no one can see him.

SG-1 and Ballard go through the ‘Gate to the pyramid. It is the place that Ballard claims he was teleported to. They replace the skull on the pedestal, and it once again glows and…

…we can all see each other!

Except for, uh, Teal’c, because he gets left out of everything. (Aww…) So he goes back to Base.

Suddenly, the cavern begins to shake, and out of the mist rises a HUGE FIGURE. It introduces itself as Quetzalcoatl, and it says to them, “The enemy of my enemy is my friend.”

Oh… that makes sense. Goa’uld symbiote and all. Eh, well, maybe they can make up some day.

The figure recognizes Nicholas Ballard, and he agrees to stay behind with the alien in this dimension. The rest of SG-1 goes back through to the regular dimension, and it’s all good now.

Final thoughts… Well! That was a nice little… um… filler episode before we hit the season finale. The whole “I can see you, but you can’t see me!” thing was kind of fun to watch, since Jackson was more or less talking to himself the whole episode. I suppose even in the end it was best that his grandfather stayed with the entity – knowing about the SGC is kind of a security risk.

The storyline itself is really quite interesting: Crazy guy who encountered a weird object goes nuts and thinks he saw aliens, and is right. However, it reminded me too strongly of, say, an episode of X-Files or that horrid movie with Shia LaBeouf. (He ruined it.) There were some good moments, too; Daniel thanking Teal’c for coming back to look for him, Hammond naming Jackson as a close friend, and the fixing of his relationship with his grandfather.

There is… one more thing.

Exactly what was that Quetzalcoatl guy?

He reminded me vaguely of Oma Desala from “Maternal Instinct” – a great, wispy figure bathed in light (except he actually spoke and was kinda scary). He could just be some random, powerful alien, but like I’ve always said, anything has the potential to come back into the storyline!

SEASON FINALE, HERE I COME!!

PREDICTION/REFLECTION THINGY

(One… more… episode…)

Marie: NEAUUGGHH…

Teal’c: I believe it would be beneficial to your mental and physical health to leave your dormitory and go outside.

(She just kind of glares at him.)

Carter: Uh, Teal’c’s right, you know. A lack of vitamin D is bound to be detrimental in the future.

Jackson: Not to mention the fresh air.

O’Neill: Besides, it’s beautiful outside where you are!

Marie: …Wait. How do you guys know where I am? How do you know what the weather’s like? WHY ARE YOU STALKING ME?! …Geez, maybe I do need to get outside! I’m losing it!