Prediction: SG-1 takes a vacation and it all goes HORRIBLY WRONG! Or maybe something like that. Maybe they go to a planet that’s like an intergalactic resort or something. (Oh wait, that’s more like Star Trek.) God knows they need a holiday, though!
We open up in some kind of chamber; like for a council. An old man emerges from behind a curtain and Teal’c recognizes him (ah, Teal’c, what would we do without you?) as “Ma’chello”. He’s apparently on the run from the Goa’uld because he was developing technology against them. The man insists that Teal’c is mistaken… but to be honest, the guy seems a little off his rocker. He’s maybe got a bit of an identity crisis, too, but he does say he invented these machines.
Jackson touches one of the machines, and there’s a noise, and then Ma’chello collapses.
They all go back to Earth, Ma’chello in tow, and Jackson’s apparently all right. He suffered a sort of electrical charge and he’s exhausted, but nothing seems out of order to Doctor Fraiser. Ma’chello, on the other hand, is in bad condition and likely won’t last.
At the hangout are Hammond, Carter, O’Neill, and Teal’c. Carter picked up a database of sorts that reminds me of a tablet, or rather like a datapad from Star Trek. It’s got each machine Ma’chello invented as well as notes on each. However, she doesn’t know the dialect, and Teal’c doesn’t recognize it either. Jackson enters and takes a look at the tablet, but even he doesn’t know what it says.
Hammond approves a day of leave for Jackson, and I presume he’s in Colorado Springs now.
Carter, Jackson, and Teal’c are requested into the infirmary by Ma’chello… Who states that he’s not Ma’chello, that he’s Daniel Jackson, and that the machine they each touched somehow switched their bodies. (Freaky Friday!) He more or less proves that he is Jackson… but now they’ve got the Ma’chello issue.
Back in the city, Ma’chello wanders about and meets a homeless man named Fred. He’s generally acting quite strange, but does introduce himself as Ma’chello. Yup, the body-switch worked.
What remains of SG-1 returns to the planet they found Ma’chello and plans to retrieve the device. But just as Teal’c and O’Neill touch the device, despite their hazmat-looking suits, it activates and…
Oh, wow, this is going to be weird and hysterical.
They come back through and, indeed, their minds have switched. It’s a great little acting exercise as they more or less banter back and forth, effectively capturing the other character’s mannerisms pretty well. And according to Carter, unless they can figure it out themselves, they might be stuck like this for a while.
Another problem arises when Teal’c’s body gets sick. Of course O’Neill has no clue how to remedy this, but Teal’c tells him that he must go into a state of kel’no’reem, which is like a deep meditation, in order to allow the symbiote to do its work.
Teal’c takes O’Neill into his quarters and lights several candles. He then walks him through the ritual, which is primarily just a matter of getting the symbiote to know what to do next.
In the infirmary, Jackson’s condition is worsening, and he slips into a coma.
Back in the city, Ma’chello enters into a restaurant and basically just makes an awkward fool of himself. He also reveals that, though, he once fought valiantly against the Goa’uld, he now just wants to, “eat hamburgers and French fries and ice cream sundaes, and I want to be with good people like you, Fred.”
Something tells me SG-1’s not going to be happy to hear this.
O’Neill awakens from kel’no’reem and his first reaction is, “Whoa. Sweet!” (Infinitely O’Neill, but it’s so funny coming from Chris Judge.) He finds Teal’c about to shave his – Jack’s – head, and vehemently protests.
“Teal’c, you will not shave my head.”
“It is presently my head, O’Neill.”
He then goes to see Hammond, and they’ve tracked Jackson’s card back to Ma’chello…
…Who’s gotten into some trouble. Cops go after him, and Ma’chello tries to escape, but he’s caught and put into a cruiser. (No! Jackson’s body!)
Jackson comes out of his coma to the good news that they’ve found Ma’chello. He insists that the process cannot be reversed. However, he is willing to share his information about fighting the Goa’uld if they let him free in Jackson’s body.
Carter sits Ma’chello down with Jackson and they talk. Ma’chello believes he is entitled to have Jackson’s body because he suffered very long, and saved Earth in itself. Jackson admits that they owe him gratitude, but he then goes on to accuse Ma’chello of being a sort of Goa’uld. He flatlines and they work desperately to save him. His pulse returns, but it’s weak.
Carter figures that O’Neill and Ma’chello need to switch first. Now Teal’c and Jackson switch. The next switch is Ma’chello and Teal’c, and it works. They’re back to normal. The final is O’Neill and Jackson, and we’re all back to the way we were. Ma’chello flatlines, and now he’s at rest for good. His last words to Jackson were, “Thank you for my holiday.”
Final thoughts… Was this an excellent episode? Not really. Was it still pretty good? I’d say so. There were a lot of really good, really funny lines throughout, especially from Michael Shanks as Ma’chello and between RDA and Chris Judge. I would once again commend these gentlemen for a fine, fine performance. It was very entertaining to see how well they captured the other’s character, respectively. O’Neill/Judge’s face when he sees Teal’c/RDA with the scissors is nothing short of priceless.
Another part I liked was Ma’chello’s little excursion around what I believe was Colorado Springs. His sort of random friendship with Fred added a bit to his character, however short-lived he was. He was a soldier tired of fighting who just wanted to get away. He wanted to “retire”, and now he had a chance to. The fact that he felt justified in taking one man’s life because he felt he deserved it really says something about his culture versus the accepted Western/American culture. His self-justification is that because he saved this planet, they owe him more than just gratitude. Ma’chello wasn’t satisfied with being an unsung hero. He wanted a reward at the end.
In relative terms this is minor, too, but we now also know how Teal’c stays so healthy all the time. We’d seen him with the candles before, but it was neat to finally know what he’s doing. I know I always say this, but I love all the interactions between Teal’c and O’Neill throughout this series. Sure, it was awkward, but maybe they each understand the other a little better now.
I’m sure even Jackson was affected by this switch of sorts. He spent hours as a dying man, feeling trapped inside a body, unable to truly function. This is why he more or less got after Ma’chello, telling him he was a “Goa’uld” and the like. He’d literally taken Jackson’s body and ran. And, man, that’s just not cool.
Was this really that important for character development? Not really. Were there any huge changes in the plot? No, not really, because Ma’chello died before they could learn much of anything about his equipment, since it was in a coded language. Despite all that, I enjoyed this episode for what it is: entertaining television. Besides, I know that soon enough, there’ll be another epic episode.
PREDICTION/REFLECTION THINGY
(The crew rejoices now that they are in their own bodies.)
O’Neill: It is good to be human again.
Teal’c: Indeed it is… pleasing to once more be in a familiar vessel.
O’Neill: I had no idea how much Junior squirmed. How the hell do you get used to that?
Jackson: Uh, at least neither of you were dying!
O’Neill: Hey, I got pretty sick. Well, Teal’c’s body got pretty sick. And he wanted to shave my head. I mean, this body’s… Oh, whatever.
Carter: I guess I got lucky.
Jackson: I’d say so. (Teasingly) I don’t think you could’ve handled being a man for more than five minutes!
Carter: You want to bet on that?
O’Neill: Kids, let’s not go back and try that body-switching again…
Teal’c: We should celebrate our good fortune with a viewing of Freaky Friday.
All: NO!
Jackson: And nobody open any strange fortune cookies, either!
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