Abyss

DVD, Stargate SG-1 S6 (Abyss)

I always remembered that they brought Daniel back during the Jonas season, but I'm surprised they did it so soon, only six episodes in. You'd think they would have given the new guy longer to bed in before showing the face of the one he replaced! Not that I'm complaining, I love that they did this and the way they did it, so touchingly and personally, when Jack is at his lowest point. Maybe it wasn't the worst predicament he's ever been in, but it would qualify high up the list, being tortured on a continual, never-ending cycle by an evil System Lord desperate for any information he can give, before using a Sarcophagus to revive him (shame they'd already used the revival footage in the credits montage for this season). The difficulty he's in is that he doesn't know any of the answers to questions demanded of him - it was the 'snake' in his head, the Tok'Ra, Kanan, who apparently took advantage of him in his weakened state and used him to rescue a personal slave (or lo'taur), of Baal. We can guess that he did it for love, just as we had the whole storyline of Jolinar in earlier seasons, the reason Carter can understand such things.

Things aren't quite as simple as they first appear, but not much more complicated either. O'Neill eventually tells Daniel the information he's been holding back, which is the reason, as we guessed, that Kanan went back for the slave woman. He's bravely going through all this pain and mental agony to protect the innocent and he's not even shouting about how good he is, he just does it, threatening Daniel that he'll eventually crack if he isn't saved or killed. Daniel was right when he talked about how good a man Jack is. But regardless of his feelings for his friend, Daniel is held back from directly interfering to save Jack. The episode was always so good whenever it was between the two friends, one dying every day and wanting permanent death, the other already 'dead' in the conventional sense, yet more alive than he's ever been before. I actually laughed aloud when Jack thanks him for stopping by after he admits that even with all this newfound power and life as an energy being, an 'evolved' form, supposedly, he can't do anything to help except comfort a friend!

I don't suppose anyone honestly thought to see Daniel Jackson again, he'd been written out, and though he hadn't been killed, instead allowed a mysterious sendoff that meant they could bring him back if they wanted to, he was, nevertheless, written out. I still don't know why Michael Shanks left the series, whether it was purely his decision, or what happened, but he must have quickly had second thoughts if he was willing to return so quickly to the series that made his name. It may have been a realisation that he couldn't easily jump into something equally as big, or he needed some money, or it may have been that there was such an outcry at a beloved character leaving that the writers were quick to come up with a cameo episode. What better way than to have him be there for Jack during his trial? If anyone could make the Colonel angry or irritated, it was Jackson with his wittering scientific mouth/brain, often making life more complicated for the simple military operations O'Neill wanted to run. But by the time he saw him ascend they'd become friends without even meaning to, and it was more than just being part of the team - we know the members of SG-1 have deep and mutual friendships. Somehow it became more between those two, which is why Jack was the one to see him go, and why Daniel doesn't appear to anyone here, but Jack.

It makes the ethereal sadness more real when Daniel's told us he can't interfere in, presumably, the affairs of mortals, so if someone else enters the room, he's not to be seen and yet he takes great care in being there when Jack most needs him, only once leaving because he had something to do. The implication you can draw is that he put the idea in Teal'c's mind during his meditation session, otherwise why say that he had to do something, and why does Teal'c react so surprised, like a lightbulb has gone on over his head? Daniel wouldn't tell Jack that he helped because he's not supposed to be doing that, he can only observe, as much as he wants to, and it also proves O'Neill's faith in SG-1 that they are the ones to come up with a way out for him: they pass on the location of the base to Lord Yu who attacks it. I thought he'd been killed last season by Osiris, but he must have survived if they're using him as a sort-of ally.

It was a simple plan, but all O'Neill ever needs is a fighting chance. He wasn't ready to give up on life and 'ascend,' something that you get the impression fills him with discomfort, being a very rational man who also doesn't like to take things too seriously. And how would this knowledge of an afterlife you can get to if you do some special energy thing affect how he sees the death of his son? It's an episode which refers to faith, though it remains pretty muddled and doesn't go deep into it with very humanistic ideals on display about humanity's potential and all that, something Gene Roddenberry would have loved, but not something this more down-to-Earth sci-fi series usually embraces. Still, there's as much humour in the two friends' exchanges as serious talk, and it's there that it's most enjoyable. Just seeing the two interact is wonderful and makes you wish they'd been able to do that more on the series in recent seasons. But then the Colonel didn't have so much need to listen to Daniel, he wasn't as important or meaningful as he is now that he's 'caught a plane to a higher existence,' as Jack puts it! He can't be ignored. Plus, he's dead, so it's nice to get any words in with him, from Jack's perspective.

Anything apart from Jack and Daniel isn't really necessary to think about, it's really their show, but the stuff with Councillor Thoran getting hoity-toity and smilingly prevented from leaving by man-mountain Teal'c, was quite fun. Also, the teaser was pretty good with a race through a darkened forest, a shadowy figure wearily dashing for the Stargate with his last effort and being shot down. I realised it was the Colonel as soon as we saw a closeup of the back of his head, but I didn't get it until then. All very well filmed and a good idea for a teaser. Another good shot was the transition from the torture grid to a similarly shaped image - the centre of the SGC's transparent galactic map. I'd also point to the bizarre, gravity technology at the enemy base, which is fun, if more trouble than it's worth - since when has that stopped Goa'uld from using such toys? O'Neill gets tortured on a metal rack that has the gravity of the floor, so daggers or acid can be dropped on him from across the room. The most visually appealing example would have to be the actual prison cell, which did at least have a good reason to use gravity in making the far wall into the floor - bars would still have been much cheaper, I expect! I noticed the arrows in the walls, which drop with whatever gravity orientation is on, but the set didn't entirely work as the arrows didn't drop all the way at least once. Still fantastic and imaginative to see O'Neill being dropped this way or that and slowly getting used to the idea so he lands on his feet.

***