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DVD, Stargate SG-1 S8 (Avatar)

The very definition of a bottle episode, which, despite the references, has nothing really to do with any other episode, purely a self-contained knockabout utilising nothing but the standing sets, main cast and some recurring characters. Nothing wrong with that, but did the SG-1 team not learning anything from all those 'Star Trek' episodes where the Holodecks malfunction and the safeties fail? O'Neill's a bit of a sci-fi fanatic, he even mentions 'The Matrix' films (he didn't understand them), which is fun, but he should know what's going to happen: someone's going to get trapped in the artificial reality and their life will be at risk. If not, there wouldn't be an obvious drama from which the episode could draw its story. Dr. Lee and his gang of scientists have developed a special training chair from alien technology (something to do with that of the Season 2 episode, 'The Gamekeeper'), in order to give realistic training to the troops. A noble goal, but of course the scientists weren't up to the job of tactical excellence, and since the chair was designed to learn from the player's experience to provide a challenge, Teal'c finds it all too easy. The big man needs to take an ego check, but it's hard not to be sympathetic to his plight, as his cockiness turns into weary acceptance that he cannot win or escape when his own experience puts the game up to a level that's almost impossible to win.

As I said, what did they think was going to happen if they programmed the chair to react and beef up the difficulty factor for the player? It's another sci-fi trope, but it's fine, and Teal'c was the ideal person to be the fall guy. Turns out Daniel was the ideal person to be his backup, sent in with the uncanny ability to see two seconds into the future (at the risk of lauding Trek, as usual, that had been done better back in the pilot of 'Enterprise'), but they don't really use the visual effect much, it's indicated more from Daniel's warnings. I think the setting may have hurt the story a little, because Stargate Command has always been a little bland, militaristic, and empty, whereas in the many Holodeck episodes of Trek, or travelling inside the mind of other series', they could recreate a much more interesting environment. The dialogue seemed to go in as many circles as Teal'c's 'Cause and Effect'-like experience, with Lee, Carter, the doc (how you miss Dr. Fraiser in situations like this - it just shows how integral the medical role is to a series like this), then Daniel and finally O'Neill, having similar conversations about what the chair can do and what it means for Teal'c.

Unlike some other episodes of a similar type, it didn't go any deeper than the basic concept of a reality in the mind which can kill you unless you win the scenario by achieving a set goal, but that's the series' usual attitude, and the reason it tends to be functional rather than completely satisfying, always relying (and getting away with), how much we like the characters, to get us through. But just off the top of my head, it could have been fun to throw in some paranoia beyond Teal'c shooting Daniel on sight until Jackson can explain he's from the real world, maybe having multiple realities, which I admit can be confusing, but would have added that extra twinge of tension the episode could have done with. It does a good job with the four of them (Teal'c, Daniel, Jack and Sam), meeting at the end of the game, none of them knowing if one of the other two is a Goa'uld, and it was good to see Siler get a dramatic death scene, but it did end rather soft. Also, was the computer graphic simulation they use to view Teal'c's in-game progress really just an advertisement for an 'SG-1' game, because I know one did eventually get released (there are trailers for it on the DVDs), but I don't know when it came out? If it was, then it needed some work, because the likenesses were pretty poor! Admittedly, the era had relatively primitive graphics compared with today's almost photorealistic games. It did seem like they were trying to be 'hip' by throwing in references to games such as 'Doom' and 'Def Jam Vendetta,' but it's funny to hear such things being mentioned.

We got close to the resignation and utter defeat of 'Groundhog Day' when we see Teal'c realising there's nothing he can do, repeatedly slumping against a wall and waiting for the inevitable destruction and reset, but it never had the full emotional despair that that film achieved, which would have elevated it. Saying that, it successfully reached a moment of triumph when Daniel arrives and is finally able to persuade his friend that there is hope and they can beat the scenario together (I thought of gassing the whole base so no one could be used as a Goa'uld, but it never came to that, Siler handily staying near the Naqadah generator). And there are plenty of little moments of goodness from the various characters, making me chuckle a few times. It just doesn't quite carry it in an episode that doesn't fully explore a good idea that's been done consistently much better elsewhere, as much as I liked to see these characters dealing with the situation, maybe they're better at doing specifically 'Stargate' episodes, steeped in their lore and heavy references, unrolling a semi-serialised mythology. Actually, I like the standalone stories, but this one needed a little more to it because I didn't feel I learned much about the characters or saw anything that I hadn't already. It was a little like being in the repeating simulation myself.

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