Shades of Grey

DVD, Stargate SG-1 S3 (Shades of Grey)

My first thought was obviously that some alien coercion was forcing O'Neill to behave in that irrational and obtuse fashion. As his behaviour escalated I began to wonder if it was a test engineered by the Tolan to see how humans would react or to prove they were as honourable as they professed to be. If his superiors sorted out O'Neill and punished him then they'd waltz in and give Earth the technology they wanted. But gradually it dawned that it must be some sort of exposure of whatever Mayborn was up to, but I didn't guess there would be a mole in the SGC. O'Neill's actions and the hurtful way he had to act, in particular to Daniel, must have been a hard line to follow, but he knew that at the end of it he'd be able to explain his actions.

A clever story that has you believing in Jack's dissatisfaction despite the three seasons we've seen him working away as leader of SG-1. He has a really good answer to Carter's confusion over what he's doing - 'ever since I met you I haven't been who I really am, and now I am'. I was half expecting it to turn into a two-parter with such an organisation to bring down, but Mayborn's NID offshoot was on shakier ground than Daniel and Jack's friendship and like Mayborn they were shortsighted and a bit stupid. I wonder if Dawson was played by the same actor who played the guy when he jumped through the other Earth Stargate in the earlier episode or whether they got someone else in to reprise the role? Makepeace has certainly been in it before, and not a nice sort of guy either.

Jack returns to Edora sooner than anticipated, and we get to see Tolana again, so the growing continuity is burgeoning nicely. The Asgaard appear again, and other races are mentioned so the fabric of the series is more and more tightly knit together. I think I knew it was an undercover op when Mayborn got in touch with Jack. It was a bit of a giveaway that he only waits a week before contacting the Colonel, but even that must have been an exercise tougher than taking on the Goa'uld for O'Neill!

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