Fire and Water

DVD, Stargate SG-1 S1 (Fire and Water)

There's a good counterbalance between the real and the fantastic. While Jack and co. go through some sad memorial, wake and clearing Damiel's rooms, he's in some kind of Zelda Water Temple with bubbles, and rippling light, not to mention a scary alien who roars at the drop of a hat! The scientist's reaction to the demands placed upon him are in turn comical and tragic, especially as we learn the true nature of the request and how closely it mirrors his own experiences with Sharray. If the episode could be improved it's in this device - they should have made it more about Sharray and less about Omaroka, since this quest is one of the driving storylines of the season.

Otherwise, the underwater set looked alien in a good way, the breathing gills in practical costume were example of attention to detail, and the episode succeeds in the visual effects also, with moving characters through water and displaying the alien beach landscape. It even made me jump a couple of times, which is very rare in this sort of programme, although I admit I got confused and thought this was the one where they turn out to be robot doubles of themselves. But then why would he have implanted those memories? I wasn't being logical! Good implementation on all fronts (except the hokey hypnosis!), sad, sad scenes that are fascinating despite knowing they will be proved unnecessary. It shows the kind of thing they would go through if one of them were to die.

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