Nightwalkers

DVD, Stargate SG-1 S6 (Nightwalkers)

It's weird, and I'm not talking about zombie-like townspeople, but the way Colonel O'Neill isn't in this episode one bit. Not as flashback, voice on radio, cheap jibe at the end: nothing. Was he too ill, taking a break or just written out so the others could have more exposure? Because the last episode left him in critical condition with a symbiont inside him, and they say the Tok'ra are still looking for a new host for that symbiont to go to. I don't know, and I don't remember it ever happening before, but it certainly didn't harm the episode. This was one of the occasional Earth-based stories where they deal with NID or other government bodies, the stories that are a breath of fresh air, but can be a bit drab - I doubt anyone watches the series to see these 'real life' politics or grounded adventures, but they can add a little spice to the regular mix of alien planets or base-bound trouble, so I can't say I'm against them. Often they're just an excuse for the actors to wear civilian clothing, have a laugh at an alien trying to fit in with human culture and do more typical action fare, but this is one of the better examples of the sub-genre.

This time there are more aliens than humans, with Carter taking Jonas and Teal'c with her on the mission to find out what happened to a famous scientist who contacts her in the small hours, then dies mid-call. There isn't a lot of laughing at the aliens and their misunderstanding of ordinary human life, in fact there's a nice little conversation between Jonas and Teal'c in which the latter claims to be better acquainted with human behaviour than his SG-1 comrade, and they even discuss what they might do when their time as part of the SGC eventually comes to an end - Teal'c happy to return to Chulak, though poor Jonas admits he can't go back to his home planet. I wonder if this was inserted as the beginning of thinking about the series coming to its natural conclusion? Since most sci-fi TV series' don't last more than 5-7 seasons, they probably felt there wasn't much more to go, but in truth they were only just over the halfway line, which is a good thought.

One thing that works well here is how Jonas is used and comes across. Okay, maybe he's not used particularly for a specific plot device (as he was when first introduced), but he's fun and funny with that easygoing attitude and his habit of constantly eating various kinds of food. So he's much more likeable than in some previous episodes, mainly because he's not bursting to try too hard to impress and being written in a more traditional, understated 'Stargate' way. The opening where we're given a recap of who Adrian Conrad was, and the stuff about his symbiont is given to us in a clever way - Jonas claims not to know the details so has it explained to him, then admits he knew it all, just didn't want to seem strange, previously having knowledge of almost every detail to do with the Stargate that he could get his hands on (kind of like an obsessive and intelligent fan that's suddenly found himself working in the object of his fandom). That oddness, while not wanting to appear odd is very much what you might expect a visitor from another planet to exhibit. He's quirky, without being irritating, and now I begin to remember why I liked him. He's also shown to have Jason Bourne awareness levels when it comes to people and what they're doing, which is impressive and helps the team no end.

What are the people doing, though? It's not a bad little mystery, and I like the way it begins with the three of them kind of going into the Matrix in the way they're heading into unfamiliar territory where the people don't know about the 'real world' of their true reality that aliens are all around in the galaxy and Earth is very much part of intergalactic affairs, in a small way. The Matrix analogy first came to mind, unsurprisingly, from the clothing SG-1 opt to go out in: smart, black clothes aren't going to look out of place in small town America at all… Teal'c looks just like Morpheus in that long, black leather coat, making Carter Trinity (no shiny leather for her, though), and Jonas… Neo? The analogy breaks down there, but it was fun to see them like that. As we discover, the people aren't as unaware of aliens as we initially thought, the fact being that they are all aliens, or at least, all have immature Goa'uld symbionts in them! A good twist, and much better than the initial suggestion that this was going to be some kind of hick cult with that Messiah-like bearded figure addressing the crowd in the barn.

It's all to do with cloning, the company set up by Conrad able to clone his symbiont, whom were building a ship to escape the planet. It gets more complex when members of NID reveal themselves, and want SG-1 out of town because their plan is to let the townspeople complete the ship, then move in and take it for use in the planet's defence. Is this the origins of the 'Star Trek'-style starship that eventually gets built? Talking of cloning, Peter DeLuise, the Director (and Co-Producer) , gets his face onscreen as another character, after already showing up in 'Descent' a couple of episodes ago, this time as an extra walking out of a cafe. The camera follows him a little bit which is why he stuck out to me! The reason I quite enjoyed this story is simply that it's well-lit, simply done, has the occasional surprise, and good little moments for each of the cast. Yes, the scene where Carter's hotel room is advanced upon by a herd of Goa'uld townspeople could have been scarier if filmed differently (and did she need to be so obvious at the lighted window when watching them?), and the lockdown of the town looks cool, but a bit ludicrous, the way all these black-suited riot soldiers run down the street in a long line, flashing their torches, meaning there was no point in the earlier creeping around. But none of that matters in a pleasing and creepy jaunt for some good characters. And I agree with Carter: sending yourself something in the post is an excellent way to hide something for a couple of days!

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