If you’re wondering where I’ve been, it’s home, with my laptop off. I convinced my parents to watch some SG-1 with me and they really liked it (score!). My folks are adopting a Golden Retriever named Abby (she’s 2 and so cute!) and I got a Crowntail Betta today! He’s so pretty! Hey, speaking of, he needs a name. I’m thinking Apophis. Seems very “him”. Any suggestions? I’m up for anything.
But now I’m back at school, and it’s back to Blogging Stargate SG-1…
A great second season! I mean, geez, what more can I say? We’ve met a bunch of new people, a few new races, Apophis isn’t dead, there are some weird Goa’uld out there, the Tok’ra, the Asgard… So many things happened! Frankly, I’m surprised that the series is moving as quickly – plot-wise – as it is. I suppose I can expect this pace to continue.
So what happened? Let’s see…
· Apophis and Klorel/Skaara’s ships blew up, and Earth is saved. The two survived, but Apophis has lost all credibility among the System Lords.
· Carter got taken over by a Goa’uld, which we later found out was really a Tok’ra.
· We finally meet that Thor guy and he looks just like the “Grey Aliens” in old sci-fi movies, and his race, the Asgard.
· Teal’c had to save his son from Apophis’ grimy hands and then sent his wife and Rya’c to live in the Land of Light.
· Jackson’s wife temporarily regains consciousness and they reunite briefly on Abydos.
· We finally meet more Tok’ra (they’re good guys! Really!), Carter has weird feelings, and her amazing dad, who was dying of cancer, blends with a Tok’ra named Selmak and becomes liaison between them and the Tau’ri.
· Maybourne is a slimeball again and again and again…
· O’Neill finally gets a face-to-face meeting with Thor.
· Apophis dies… we think.
· TIME TRAVEL TO THE SIXTIES. Complete with a flower bus and hippies!
· And finally, Hathor the creeper is back and now we’re all screwed.
So now I’ll do like the last season and say what I thought the best episodes were for each character, for the overall plot, and also a “shining guest star” feature.
Best Episode for… JACK O’NEILL
“The Fifth Race” (2x15)
Although I don’t agree with the idea that this is the best episode of the second season (maybe in the top five though) I did feel it was a big step in the larger plot of the series. I mean, now we finally get confirmation of the Alliance. I’d say that’s pretty big. But more than that, this was a big step for Colonel Jack O’Neill and his position as the leader of SG-1.
This was a great episode for him. We got to see pretty much all sides of O’Neill – as the leader, as the ambassador (even if he’s not fond of the position), as the friend, and as the guy who isn’t afraid to admit when he doesn’t quite know what’s going on, but will try his best to figure it out anyways. I like how, although he’s the “star”, he very much needs the rest of his team. It’s also a good showcasing of RDA’s acting ability. Overall, just a very good episode.
And of course he was once more the victim of “this week’s malady”. (It’s okay, Jack, we still love you!)
Best Episode for… DANIEL JACKSON
“Secrets” (2x09)
This was a really tough one to choose, but even over “Serpent’s Song”, “Thor’s Chariot”, and “Holiday” I felt this was Jackson’s episode. This is the first time since the pilot we find out about Sha’re! I’m betting that every time he finds himself face-to-face with a Goa’uld, or certainly facing Apophis, he thinks about her. He thinks about the wife and love that was stolen from him. Heck, I’m sure that for at least a short time there was a lot of animosity between Jackson and Teal’c because Teal’c had been the one to choose Sha’re as Amonet’s host.
This is also the first time we really see the love and relationship between Jackson and his wife. It’s hard for him to believe at first, but by the end you know he just wants her back. Sha’re really is his underlying reason and drive for continuing in the Stargate program. Yes, he is a scientist/anthropologist/archaeologist among many, many other things, but his quest to get her back is unending.
Best Episode for… SAMANTHA CARTER
“A Matter of Time” (2x16)
Was O’Neill important in this episode? Yes. But do I think he was more important in this episode than Carter? Nope.
This was really her time to shine. Captain Carter is so brilliant and so valiant, but I feel like she sometimes gets the proverbial short end of the stick. There has been so much focus this season on her connection with Jolinar/the Tok’ra, but I don’t really see that as part of her true character. To me, what’s more important is what she’s worked her whole freaking life for – working in physics, science, and with the Stargate.
Does she have a lot of these sort of “epiphany which leads to solution” moments? Yes, but this was arguably her biggest and best so far. She outsmarted a black hole! You don’t get more BAMF than that!
Best Episode for… TEAL’C
(No, no, I’m just kidding. Even though I do kind of like/agree with that statement.)
“Bane” (2x10)
Now everyone just hold your horses before you start tearing off my limbs! I really did think this was a very good episode for Teal’c, even though overall it was not fantastic. I almost said “Family”, except for the fact that his wife and son don’t show up that often and we all know what happened with Apophis.
I felt this one was more important because it happened right here, on Earth, within the SGC (more or less), where the “good guys” are. It’s great because it further establishes his “true place”… Or, rather, what different people think his place should be.
I know I get after Maybourne a lot because he’s a slimeball/scoundrel/scumbag, among other things, but he really is. This episode just solidified the ethical barrier between him and the SGC – and ultimately, Teal’c. However, the fact that everyone else was able to pull it together and save their friend (with the help of the greatest girl ever – yeah, you, Ally!) was awesome.
On that… This is really the first relationship that Teal’c has with a person that’s not revolving around his place in the SGC or the fact that he’s an alien. They become friends simply because she was compassionate enough to help him out, and in the end he repaid her in the best way he could. In many ways, Ally is Maybourne’s opposite. While all Maybourne can see is Teal’c’s alien-ness, it doesn’t make any sort of difference for Ally. To her, he’s just a guy (kind of a weird guy, granted) who was in a bad situation and needed a shoulder to lean on. And that’s cool.
Best Episode for… THE CREW/PLOT
“Serpent’s Song” (2x18)
There’s really not much I can say about this episode that I didn’t say in my Final Thoughts section of my blog on it. It’s just truly a “crew” episode more than anything. Everyone gets affected in a big way during this whole moral crisis of sorts. O’Neill, skeptical of everyone until the very end, never buys into Apophis’ claim of willingness to help them. Jackson finally faces down the man who quite literally stole his wife. Teal’c confronts the individual who he once served as a god and now despises more than anyone. Even Carter knows of his atrocities and is caught between what she knows is right and what she wants to do. Unfortunately it’s SG-1 at its collective worst, but that’s what makes it so interesting and eye-opening. It’s the truest test for them.
SHINING GUEST STAR
Carmen Argenziago as JACOB CARTER
JACOB is SO COOL.
He’s so cool, he’s bra’tac!!
All right, so maybe Jacob didn’t really show up until halfway through the season, but you can’t deny how awesome he is. I adore him. I love his dry sense of humour, his oddly casual way of looking at things, and above all his ability to see the big picture. He’s a man who refuses to give up no matter what, and no matter how bad the situation is, he’ll cling to life with an iron grip.
I also love the potential for character development. Already he’s had a bit of that, since his blending with Selmak. In a way he’s a man getting a second chance at life. I can’t wait to see more of Jacob Carter, but I think if he and Bra’tac got in the same room, the universe would explode from an overdose of awesomeness.
Let’s hope that does does NOT happen.
The season finale was a little dull and a little disappointing. But I’ve had a couple people tell me it gets better! So here goes SEASON THREE!
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