Serpent's Song

DVD, Stargate SG-1 S2 (Serpent's Song)

Who would have guessed that we would feel compassion for the villain of the piece, the creature that stole Daniel's wife and has terrorised them on more than one occasion. Now we see him reduced to a weak, dying form, afraid and with only the prospect of eternal torture from Sokar to look forward to. And so Apophis passes from the series - I assume he's not coming back as I never saw his demise and he doesn't appear in later seasons. If it was the end for him it's a piece of the series that has been a recurrent theme throughout. But perhaps it's time to move on, and it's this Sokar, talked about, but not yet seen, who could prove a deadlier foe, especially if what is hinted at - that he may be another Unas - is true. Heruer is also mentioned in passing and the System Lords are beginning to be revealed at last.

A change of fortunes for Apophis, thanks to O'Neill and the team, means a change in the balance of power also, and changes for the Stargate teams too, perhaps. The style of the episode shows an assured hand in control and we're treated to some epic CGI work and an exciting teaser with something we've never seen before - a backwards gate journey when O'Neill enters in that way while still firing. There was also an especially fluid and impressive shot when the soldiers race to the gate room and the camera tracks them smoothly all the way!

The episode has more than the tangible excitement of action to recommend it, as the theme is about how you treat your enemy when he's in your power. Each member of SG-1 gets their time with Apophis, and each reacts to him in different ways, but by the end they've all come to realise that the suffering of another, no matter how much he deserves is not satisfying and doesn't get them anything - O'Neill doesn't learn Apophis' secrets, Daniel doesn't find out where Sharray is, and Teal'c gains no pleasure in his former master's death when the frightened host is revealed beneath the symbiont's grasp.

The aging makeup was very good, and the actor's gaunt, expressionless face provides much horror as pain wracks through it, the bones standing out like a skull. The Tok'ra too, make another appearance, though sadly not Jacob Carter, and Martufe's symbiont comes across as a harsh type, confused that his enemies should treat Apophis with such care and attention. O'Neill would tend to agree, but the results don't exactly go their way and things look to becoming more complicated, not less, with Apophis' death.

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