It seems that so many people died this season. Martouf, who had been a regular, Shan’auc, Cronus, and essentially Sarah (Daniel’s fling) as well, since she was Goa’uld’ed. I mean, these guys go through hardships every season, but this time it was especially dramatic. I suppose part of me still can’t believe that Martouf is dead, so I have to keep reminding myself.
We started the season with Replicators, but the rest of the season we’ve been dealing with various Goa’uld – particularly those whom we have faced before and others whom could be potentially dangerous in the future. Among these new faces are Osiris and Tanith, the latter of course seen again in this season’s finale. He’s not a System Lord, but he’s still significant in that Teal’c has a personal vendetta against him… as we saw.
Other than that, we’ve got the Asgard indebted to us, some major tensions in a growing relationship with the Tok’ra, and some Goa’uld who would just rather see us gone. I’m thinking specifically of Yu and Nirrti, since they had signed the treaty alongside Cronus at the beginning of the third season. With one of their own gone, I fear retaliation may be in store. The Replicators aren’t being a problem right now, but I don’t think they’re gone for good. They’ve got to show again.
There were also some good character developments. The first that comes to mind for me is of course O’Neill and Teal’c, what with their little ordeal on the Interceptor in “Tangent”. They just really seem to have grown into having this bond between them. I hate to put it this way but it is totally a bromance. But it’s so fantastic. Love those two.
There’s also the whole Sam and Jack thing which we’ve kind of been teased with since “Solitudes” (1x19). It was hinted at in “Upgrades” and the truth solidified in “Divide and Conquer”. They then had their moments in “Window of Opportunity”, “Beneath the Surface”, and “Entity”. Of course, nothing’s actually going to happen, but it’ll be something to watch for as the series progresses.
And Daniel has another woman he loves roaming around the galaxy as a Goa’uld. That guy just doesn’t have a hint of luck. However, I will say that we saw some good friendship moments between him and Jack in “Absolute Power”, “The Light”, and maybe in “The Other Side”, too.
My biggest issue with Season Four? No Bra’tac. AT ALL. But I suppose all that Jacob kind of makes up for it. And a friend of mine tells me he’ll show up quite soon… let’s hope so!
So what were the best episodes for each of the SG-1 team? Here’s what I say:
Best episode for… JACK O’NEILL
“The Other Side” (4x02)
Okay, I know you all probably think I only liked this episode for Rene Auberjonois, but that’s not true! I thought it was also one of the best episodes for SG-1’s commanding officer.
O’Neill has to make a lot of tough decisions. Heck, he has to make tough decisions nearly every episode because he’s the colonel and everyone’s depending on him to make the right choice. However, he’s far from perfect. He is at times so goal-oriented and grounded in his military training that he fails to see the “bigger picture” as it were. Of course, that’s why he has people like Daniel around to keep him from making stupid decisions, but let’s face it: He doesn’t always listen. And this time, his not listening almost benefitted some very unpleasant people.
In the end, Jack realized what was going on and was able to stop things before they progressed further. However, he then made another morally questionable decision in his order to “close the iris” before Alar could get through. He’s a confident leader, but sometimes I think he gets a little too confident… But then O’Neill shows his true colours when push comes to shove and he’s got to make a choice. In the end, he usually makes the right decision.
Best episode for… DANIEL JACKSON
“Scorched Earth” (4x09)
As I think I said in the summary, this was Jackson at his finest. The other contender was “The First Ones”, but I felt that this spoke more to his overall abilities.
It’s always been my overall impression that Daniel is the most human character on SG-1. He really knows how to communicate well and is quick to empathize with others, even if they are so different from us. If humanity were to make first contact with an alien species tomorrow, I’d want Doctor Daniel Jackson to be the first one they meet. Where Jack can sometimes be a little narrow-minded, Daniel tends to be the worldly “big picture” thinker. He’s also in many ways a scientist in that he carefully considers each and every option, no matter how outlandish or improbable it may be.
In “Scorched Earth”, where Jack was ready to blow the Gadmere ship up, Daniel found a way to make it a win-win for everyone. The Gadmere got the planet they absolutely needed, and the Enkarans got to go home. O’Neill gets emotionally invested too, but he’s more the loyalty side than the everyone’s side like Jackson. They play off each other quite nicely and it’s always fun to see them interact, even if it seems like Daniel has more influence on his friend than Jack would care to admit.
Best episode for… SAMANTHA CARTER
“Small Victories” (4x01)
As the series has progressed, I’ve come to like Carter more and more. This episode was both Amanda Tapping at her finest and some very good writing for AT’s character.
The thing that sets Carter apart from other scientists in her field is that she’s very creative and has an uncanny ability to think out of the box. She usually ends up being right (which is of course great for her team), but it’s always a risk, and she took a huge risk with her plan to blow the O’Neill in order to take out the Replicator ships. What’s more, simply the fact that she was able to convince Thor to try her “stupid idea” was huge. We all know how smart the Asgard are, and despite the fact that they came to us doesn’t make it any less significant. Thor obviously had some major confidence in the major’s abilities in order to follow through on her plan.
All hail Samantha Carter, the queen of crazy ideas that always save us in the end!
Best episode for… TEAL’C
“The Serpent’s Venom” (4x14)
I love Teal’c in just about everything. I loved him in “Crossroads”, “Tangent”, “Point of No Return” (Murray… haha)… so many things. I love it when he just tilts his head and raises his eyebrow and totally steals the entire scene. But more than anything, I love to see laughing in the face of his torturous interrogator.
I’m really not a whump-obsessed kind of person. I found myself cringing through nearly all of Teal’c’s scenes in this one, but good god were they brilliant! The way he held himself up against everything Terok threw at him was just incredible. He was so steadfast in his beliefs and sense of rightness, that not even the threat of death and further torture could shake him. He’s got a heart of gold and an iron resolve.
However, even more than that, I loved his scenes with Rak’nor. Though Rak’nor had betrayed Teal’c and was essentially the one who got him into this huge mess with Heru’ur and Apophis in the first place, Teal’c was more concerned with convincing Rak’nor of the truth than saving himself. He saw his sacrifice as a worthy price even if it meant getting just one more Jaffa to renounce the false gods of the Goa’uld. He really cares about his people just as strongly as he cares about his family and about SG-1, and that’s evident over and over again. He wants everyone to know what he knows and to taste freedom as he has tasted it. He’s selfless. That’s pretty much all there is to it.
…God I love him.
Best episode for… THE TEAM/PLOT
“Window of Opportunity” (4x06)
All right, I confess, this one didn’t exactly further the plot a whole lot, nor was it really all that important in the long run, but it was such a good episode I had to feature it somewhere, so I figured, why not here.
WoO is amazing in that it showcases everything that’s ever been great about Stargate SG-1. Everything from Carter’s way with technobabble and science to Jackson’s linguistic expertise to Jack’s “yeah, he actually IS a smart guy even if he doesn’t always act like it” to Teal’c’s unwavering (well, mostly) resolve were big in this one.
And let’s face it, the episode was absolutely hysterical. Teal’c will never approach a door too closely again, and Jack will never have Froot Loops once more for the rest of his life.
It was a great episode to see everyone working together to solve the mystery, and ultimately swaying the man behind it all to let go of that which he had lost.
SHINING GUEST STAR
Peter Wingfield (Tanith)
Does anyone else find it funny that last season I featured Peter Williams, and now it’s Peter Wingfield? Just a random thought…
Anyways. Ah, Peter Wingfield, how you manage to play such a creepy character and play him so well is almost beyond me. Even just his few scenes in “Crossroads” (especially the final staredown at the end between him and Teal’c… ooo) and “Exodus” were nothing short of amazing. He’s creepy all the time, but his scenes with Chris Judge are among the best for both of them. It’s a very, very subtle sense of loathing that just makes you shudder a bit.
In fact, you know who he reminds me of? Greg Stillson, from The Dead Zone, specifically the USA Network TV series, in which he was played by Sean Patrick Flanery. It’s kind of funny. Stillson was a politician – and the primary antagonist of the series (and the book for that matter), and he was creepy in that he seemed so… slimy.
Not that Tanith’s a slimeball.
I reserve that for Maybourne.
All in all, a great season, with an incredibly evil cliffhanger. Better get on with SEASON FIVE!
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