Avenger 2.0

DVD, Stargate SG-1 (Avenger 2.0)

A return of one half of one of the best double-acts we'd seen on the series, Dr. Jay Felger, though sadly missing Simon Coombs, the other half, played by John Billingsley (though he is mentioned). This came out in 2003 when he was still part of 'Star Trek: Enterprise,' so it may have been he was busy, although that didn't stop him last season when he appeared in 'The Other Guys.' After the disappointment of no Billingsley, the first thing you begin to feel is irritation at Felger, the most childish, hyperactive, inappropriate scientist to ever grace Stargate Command. This time he has a different sidekick, his unnoticed, diminutive sidekick, Chloe, always there to encourage and support. But Felger only has eyes for the 'perfect' Major Carter, so the comedy potential is there when, having been threatened with dismissal after an experimental plasma weapon (O'Neill asks if it's a phaser, Chloe says it's more like a photon torpedo!), shuts down the base's generator (looked like the General was working on an important computer document at the time, accounting for his displeasure), he recklessly admits to another experimental project in development, and is allowed twenty-four hours before he must present it. Carter, remembering how he saved the team's life in the previous episode, tries to help him, surprising him by joining the project. It struck me that painting soldiers for a diorama of a Stargate and surrounding environs, might not be the best use of his time, but he's already submitted the proposal at that point, just awaiting the go ahead, so it does make sense.

The trouble with Felger is he's so annoying in speech and manner, and so slapdash at his work, that even though he has a brilliant mind (the stereotypical mad genius scientist), it's very hard to sympathise with him. And yet, you do find yourself, at least on the level of Carter, finding some common ground and understanding. She's able to use her diplomatic ability to persuade him to return to the SGC after the project goes as wrong as it could possibly go: Avenger is the name of the virus they use to scramble a 'gate's dialling codes, effectively rendering it unusable, as a defence against the enemy, but it appears to spread outward from the test 'gate throughout the galaxy. So Felger is apparently responsible for destroying the entire network of Stargates! As he says himself, it took the Ancients a thousand years to build the 'gate system, and it only took him one day to destroy it. That's the kind of wacky personality we're dealing with. Except, in a warm conclusion, we learn that the virus was actually modified and sent out from the first 'gate, meaning Baal must have been aware of the attempt to disable it, and used the same tactic himself, allowing his forces, with the advantage of greater numbers of ships, to alter the balance of power even further against the other System Lords.

It's a nice vindication of Felger's work, and stops him from being the complete 'screw-up' as he calls himself, and that he thinks he is. He's just so enthusiastic about SG-1 and the whole ongoing mission they're on, knowing how important it is, so it was actually quite good to get to know him a little better. Not that he stops being irritating, grating in his lack of judgement, but at least you understand him a little better. It even ends, in tribute to the first episode, with him having a daydream in which his assistant and Major Carter fight over him, as he and O'Neill watch, which wasn't a bad way to leave the episode. The experience gives me the wish to see the character again, as his crush on Carter is amusing, even if it wasn't played up so much, the comedy more attuned to Felger's ineptness, such as getting lost on the base, or standing around unhelpfully next to Hammond. I would hope to see his partner, Coombs again, next time, if they did do another episode, and I wouldn't be averse to his Chloe being part of the ensemble too, as it's quite fun to see the 'lower decks' behind the scenes of Stargate Command, when we so often see the frontline troops.

In some ways Felger's right about Carter being perfect, at least in how she seems: as he noted, she's modest and even her mistakes are useful mistakes, and there has been a tendency for her to be seen as the everyday technical solution to any problem, but as she admits herself, of course she makes mistakes, too. It's an insight into the view of professional people in some ways: they work hard, do a good job, and the SG-1 team are also heroes, but they're heroes that don't put on lycra or have special powers, they're just ordinary people with skill and dedication, and that's what makes the series uplifting in episodes like these, especially when the story is a commentary on the characters, and we're reminded that even people that feel useless can be productive in society if they have a little understanding and guidance. Plus, it's always fun to see Carter have to deal with people, as although she's a perfectly capable diplomat, she's more comfortable operating computers, and she's even more endearing because she does help Felger in this one, standing up for him, supporting him, getting through any doubts she has about him. I especially liked the moment she bravely fends off a whole troop of Goa'uld as Felger tries to do his work on the DHD, as although the odds are stacked against her, she keeps going, eventually saved by O'Neill and Teal'c swooping in on a stolen ship. We even see Siler at one point in a corridor, pointing to his eye as if telling the guy he's talking to of another injury he'd sustained! A pleasant viewing, even if the comedy is a little teeth-grinding at times, and not the episode about a new Earth-built starship that I thought it was.

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