Origin

DVD, Stargate SG-1 S9 (Origin)

The series had to take a dip at some point and this is where it's not quite as strong as the opening two-parter. Part two left you wanting to know what was going to happen, where would this pale Palpatine figure lead Daniel and Vala, what was going to happen with Gerak and the new leadership of the Jaffa, would Carter be in an episode properly? This part is heavy with analogy, the theme clearly set as a mirror of our world's current state as encountering religious terrorism and it's not hard to see the solid parallels between the Ori and certain Earth factions right now, but also heavy-handed in its explanation. It's a bit of a wearing episode as so much is told to us, no doubt essential scene-setting, but at times it did feel like homework, keeping track of developments and the realisation of the Ori's purpose and intent. I was also dismayed by the lack of concern for the people Daniel and Vala inhabited, as if their escape from fiery execution was enough of a relief that the episode could bow out satisfied and content that the important characters are back where they should be. Salad and Harris, or whatever their names were, are left to burn, and although their friend, who was also murdered for his heretic status, assured Daniel he and the others were willing to die for their cause, and we see the pair looking peaceful as their doom overtakes, the lack of empathy, of any scene where Daniel, at least, showed some remorse or sadness that his freedom and life was purchased through the deaths of others, left the episode seeming callous and unfeeling.

It's 'unimportant character syndrome' of most TV shows, but on the other hand I'm not sure how else their story could have ended because Daniel and Vala had made the mistake of going to that place, and sometimes just the act of opening the box is all it takes to spread death and chaos on innocents through lack of knowledge and good intentions. It reinforces the harsh religion of the Ori, that of convert or die, so it was effective, but the episode just needed a tiny scene to reflect on charging into places without foreknowledge. Not that they could have done anything, their very presence in that galaxy is what makes our galaxy known to the Ori and a target for their harsh doctrine. There is a kernel of promise and interest from the idea that the power vacuum left by the defeated Goa'uld has meant opportunists setting themselves up in place, and promises myriad enemies to deal with, and the Ori's approach of at first sending these ghastly priors via Stargate to convert the weakened and surviving peoples in their post-Goa'uld existence, while also allowing the usual build up to something like a grand scale invasion. The Crusades are mentioned, and it could be in reverse.

The story was a little untidy in terms of its clear message about the Ori, and humans and Jaffa, the differences in belief and faith, and faiths, and it's always a tricky topic to try and cover in sci-fi when real religion and personal beliefs are attempted to be shoehorned into the backdrop, yet America is still largely a Christian country, so they do try not to alienate the viewers by suggesting that despite all this that has happened, the Ancients and the Ori could still be superceded by a higher power. But the tone of it is difficult to ascertain, I wasn't sure if Mitchell was proud of his Grandma's faith or sceptical of it, a burden upon his young self or a security, though General Landry seems more positive in that direction. Whatever the case I can see the writers trying to walk a fine line so as not to offend believing viewers, while also not being afraid to pursue the idea of a system that has ditched its (false) gods, as in the Jaffa. So at a time when the Goa'uld have been swept away and uncertainty reigns, even in the relative peace, power struggles have already led to Gerak becoming leader through political manoeuvring. We get to meet the guy here, and he is as uncompromising and difficult to read as Teal'c used to be, so not a man to be trifled with and perhaps more likely to become a problem than a reliable ally.

While the major powers try to come to some sort of understanding and work out what's to be done in the new regime, perhaps the common threat of the Ori will become a new banner to march beneath and help to bind alliance stronger? Or not. It struck me that the Ori were very much in the mould of the Pah-Wraiths of 'DS9,' the powerful opposing force cut from the same cloth as the Prophets, one set on goodness, the other on destruction (complete with fiery red eyes when taking a humanoid host). The questions of intervention by the Ancients and why/why not they would or wouldn't deal with the Ori are nimbly but shortly dealt with, basically saying the Ancients won't get involved, neither will the Ori directly, though they'll send their priors to convert and the human populations will become the threat. It's the fear of the enemy within, who is the enemy and what do they look like, how will we know they are the enemy until they strike? So some unnerving stuff and a bit heavy compared to the old fun-loving planetary adventures O'Neill used to preside over. A small taste of that warm comfort is remembered through his cameo at the end where he visits Daniel and goes flying with Mitchell. I didn't get what he'd come to tell him, but I guess it was something along the lines of they were going to make sure SG-1 didn't disband after all now that the Ori have proven a new danger. It was so nice to have him, but it makes you long for him and Carter, Daniel and Teal'c to get back together and do what they always did, even though I know that's not what will happen. It's just good enough to have the series continue, however that may be. But come on Carter, where are you?

**

Reply Box No. 666

DVD, The Champions (Reply Box No. 666)

The stand out for me in this episode was the quality and collection of the assorted villainy. In the first episode our champions of law, order, and justice were up against soldiers of a foreign power, while in the second it was a crooked surgeon and his associate. This time it's a gang of four with the impression they're part of a larger organisation intent on retrieving a special device that can make planes invisible to radar. I wasn't entirely clear if they were working for a power or wanted to get their hands on it to offer to the highest bidder, but they were an interesting bunch, not exactly cutthroat enemies that would be a match for Craig and his fellow super-humans, but not without threat. Corinne, the cold female pilot is able to dispatch Craig when she learns his alias is false and he's not the real contact they were expecting, and the story makes a good use of the fact they haven't yet mastered their powers, and shows the human limitations they're still under: Craig is still vulnerable to a well-aimed bullet (fortunately to the arm rather than the heart), and Jules, the heavily accented, womanising Frenchman can bundle him out of the airplane to what would be almost certain death for the average man. Except Craig exceeds that title and is able to swim however far he has to with one arm in a buffeting sea until he makes it to land.

The villains are rounded out by Nikko, the proprietor of a gift shop on Jamaica where the adventure takes place, a jolly character who gets his own catchphrase ("Enjoy your holiday in the sun, enjoy it!"), something that actor George Murcell would have in his next role on the series, so either it was the way he said it, or they liked giving him a little extra character to suit his performance. He's a fun guy that looks like a Klingon who's escaped from 'Star Trek,' though quite different in temperament. I'm pretty sure he was artificially darkened in skin tone, so that's probably the main reason I drew the connection, as I think in 'The Iron Man' he was light-skinned! The final member of the group is Bourges, the real contact sent to meet them on Jamaica, though at first I thought Jules called him 'boss' because of his thick accent! Jules was quite fun to see as I recognised Anton Rodgers who'd been in a lot of films (I only recently saw him in 'Dirty Rotten Scoundrels,' made twenty years later), and I get the impression they were often comedies unless I'm getting him mixed up with Clouseau. He didn't learn the vital lesson of this episode, which was propounded early on: don't let women interfere with your job! The episode begins with a James Bond character, Semenkin the explosives expert, whose weakness is women, and who gets knifed for his lack of professionalism. I wondered if this was a sly dig at 007, showing what was more likely to happen with such shenanigans, after all, the Bond films were highly popular at this time and 'The Champions' must have some in its DNA. Semenkin's mistake was not to have an author writing multiple books about his character!

As I said, Jules doesn't learn from Semenkin's mistake and is quick to fall for Sharon's relatively sober routine in order to get him alone and mesmerise him so she can get information about what's going on and where Craig is. The fact she has a case of differently sized rings makes me wonder if she was already into the dark art of hypnosis when she hovers over and selects the biggest, rather than an ability she'd discovered since her Tibetan operation. That's one thing slightly frustrating about the series, harking back to its time, when there could be next to nothing carrying over from episode to episode: we don't get to see them discover each power and first learn to use them. Either way, it proves effective at subduing Jules' amorous attentions (only just), but his mind is too well trained to give anything away. If it shows the limits of Sharon's power, Richard getting stuck in Nikko's storeroom does the same for him, as he has no way to escape until the big man's had his big lunch and gone off to sleep, an ironic position for Richard considering all the resources he could call on if he needed to batter his way out. But brute force and speed are only one set of tools, and the professionalism and experience of these agents is just as important in their successes. Yes, they often have shortcuts and can take on tasks a normal person could not, but they were very good operatives before their powers, and those powers are almost incidental to this story.

I don't think there was even a scene at the end where Tremayne shows confusion over how this or that could have happened, and it's all played very realistically, it seemed to me. Another example of their limits is when Sharon gets a feeling Craig's still alive, though under immense stress, while Richard senses nothing - she is able to draw a direction on a map, but they have to go to another part of the island before she can make a cross-reference and narrow down the exact island Craig must be on. Apart from rugged survival and the easy besting of the villains in a fight at the end, the only other ability on display is Craig's super-hearing, able to pick up the conversation Corinne has via radio with Nikko, so he knows the game is up and is ready to fight. Dodging bullets would have been a good skill to have, but he isn't Superman and remains vulnerable, which is one reason the series works: they need to have dangers to face that can be just as deadly as they would to an ordinary person, yet the edge they possess adds something different to the spy genre. Another example of the trio not having a full grasp of their powers is when Sharon visits Nikko's shop and her concern that the real Bourges shows up is communicated to her associates. She didn't know she'd communicated until later when Richard mentions it, though he didn't know exactly what was up, only that she was concerned. When Craig closed his eyes after looking at the map of the area the villains had covered I thought he was sending a message, but he must have been merely memorising it.

The quirky title and the reason for it is a little sketchy. Did they use the devil's number on purpose, or was it just an easy number to adjust to another? It all sounds a bit 'Avengers' to me, having an advert in the local paper, the Jamaican Daily Gleaner: 'Wanted: a parrot that speaks Greek.' Craig gets to show off a little of another tongue with his Greek and I think a bit of French, but the connection between it all was a bit slight. I also felt the villains were dealt with too easily, but the mystery was more in finding out what they were actually up to than any question of not being able to stop them. Craig gets a buddy called Clive, a native visiting the island where the original plane that contained the device had crashed, miraculously the vital equipment all in one piece! I'm not sure it made sense for Clive to ask if Craig had been in that plane, since the crash must have happened some time before, perhaps a number of days when you consider that two-thirds of the area had been searched already by the time Nemesis get involved. Craig wouldn't have survived several days lying on the bank the way Clive found him, but maybe he didn't know when the plane had crashed, although I'd have thought he would since he knew about it, and how else unless he'd heard it? It's a wonder he didn't go to it to find survivors (maybe he did?).

I must say the production values were particularly good, the use of stock footage, whether it be the plane, the views of the islands and the sea, or the speedboat Richard and Sharon use to get there, coupled with crewmembers lashing the windscreen with foliage to simulate their passage into jungly rivers: it all sold the effect and made the episode feel bigger, as if they really were on location. I sometimes couldn't tell if the scenes were shot outside or on a set, the foliage was that good! Even the fact that some sets were reuses or would be reused many times throughout the series weren't a problem at this stage. The plane set was the obvious one, already seen in 'The Beginning,' but I think this marks the first appearance of the room with the large staircase which would be in tons of episodes, this time dressed as a Jamaican bar where Sharon lures Jules. The kettle drums and the musicians wearing dark glasses, coupled with Semenkin's similarity to a double-0 agent made me think of 'Dr. No' and I half expected them to pull out pistols or sing 'Three Blind Mice'!

Although they are separated for most of the episode, a common device on the series, the team were all working towards their common goal admirably and I liked how the dynamics worked, so all things considered everything came together quite well. I think perhaps I couldn't rate it higher because it's all just fairly good rather than being thrilling or genuinely tense like the first couple of episodes. It wasn't really doing anything different enough, and though I liked the villains, the setting and so on, it wasn't quite there. Nothing wrong with it, just not doing as good a story as they might. I did enjoy the post opening credits scene with Craig locating a girlfriend's lost watch in a field, his sensitive hearing able to pick up the tick easily, though I mentally amended the triumphal opening narration to: '…allows them to use their powers to their best advantage to impress girlfriends'! I'm not sure the Tibetan race had that in mind when they passed on these amazing abilities, but it adds a human touch to the characters, far from boring, po-faced superheroes that never have any fun.

**

Avalon Part 2

DVD, Stargate SG-1 S9 (Avalon Part 2)

For a moment there I really thought the series had crossed a line into something much less innocent, quite a step for a series made for a general audience rather than the modern urge to go more 'adult' in content. It was very effective, but it was soon made right and the cloud fell away from the sun again. I'm referring to Vala's public burning in a pit of liquid fire, and all the time I'm expecting Daniel's words to change the alien people's minds, or some other outside force to prevent Vala burning to death, but it never happens and she is literally consumed by flame in a shocking development. Now I knew Vala herself wouldn't die because I know she becomes a regular at some point, but I was still aghast at the apparent violent destruction of the woman whose body she was inhabiting, and even though we don't know her, it was still a raw experience seeing an innocent treated so horrifically. But whether you come down on them, on the side of 'not having the courage of their convictions,' or on the side of relief that such a horror could be undone, it can't be denied how effective it portrays the power of the Orai, assuming the Emperor Palpatine-like figure who reverses her death, returning life to the burnt up corpse, is one of these.

As so often used to be the case in 'SG-1,' there's a ton of information, alien names, and lore to take in, and it continues to take me back to the earlier seasons when it was necessary to concentrate to keep track of all the races, friends, villains and planets that were established and returned to on multiple occasions, again making the start of this season feel like the beginning of a whole new series in some respects. The last couple of seasons had perhaps become slightly comfortable (though no less dramatic), relying on the long established lore to draw their stories from, but that pretty much got resolved as if the series had concluded, and pastures new had already been opened up for the spinoff, 'Atlantis,' so now they seem to be taking the idea of expanding the mythos on board the parent show, something they'd continue with 'Stargate Universe' as well. Speaking of that series, this episode marks the debut of a most important technology of The Ancients, used to great effect there: the communication stones that can allow people to Quantum Leap into the bodies of others vast distances away, while the consciousness of the host is 'leaped' to theirs. It was a fascinating device for 'Universe' as the only means they had of maintaining contact with Earth and Stargate Command, so if not a shock to see it implemented for the first time, it's still a pleasure, and yet another indication of the season's desire to explore in other ways than we've seen - I don't think we've even witnessed anyone go through a 'gate yet so far!

It's standard 'SG-1' fare all the way, as Daniel and Vala (still linked by the bracelets of doom, if you're keeping track), take a little trip within their minds to a far-off realm, inhabiting the bodies of some simple peasants in a basic agrarian community that happens to be ruled by fear of aliens known as the Orai. We haven't seen a trip quite like it in the manner of the execution (probably not the best word considering what happens to Vala…), but it's essentially the same visit to a backwards planet ruled by so-called 'gods' that have abused their power to lord it over the human population. So it still feels comforting and familiar, even without O'Neill or Carter (I'm not sure why she hasn't been in it yet, maybe Amanda Tapping had another job that kept her from starting the season in the same manner as everyone else, or perhaps Vala took her spot?), helped by the fact that the two main plots are Daniel or Teal'c centred. Teal'c's is slight in comparison, the political turmoil quickly turning to bad news on Takara, Rak'nor reporting what's going on. At first it appears to be about conflicted loyalties because Teal'c is spending too much time with his ol' buddies when he should be overseeing the direction of the Jaffa government system, but it becomes more about some guy called Garok (sounded like Garak!), who's used his position or Teal'c's absence to make short work of his brethren and rise to power. It's all said and not shown, and I imagine it would have been more effective had we been privy to the machinations as they transpired, but it makes me interested to see where it's going to go after this whirlwind rise to authority for someone Teal'c clearly doesn't esteem, and what else they'll do with it when they've so far sidestepped the drama there.

Bra'tac and Rayac score mentions, but aren't seen, and you can tell they're still operating on a TV budget in spite of such grandiose plotting. But I also wonder whether serialisation is going to be much more apparent as the story doesn't end with this second part, and while the next episode isn't named 'Part 3,' it must continue directly by the way it was left. The series has always tended its running threads through many episodes, but they've leaned towards the episodic format in general, so I will wait to see how far they go in the serialised direction, having already observed its use in 'Universe,' and to a lesser extent 'Atlantis.' The cliffhanger from Part 1 was quickly dealt with in traditional style and moved on from (I'm sure the mention of 'long ago and far, far away' was a 'Star Wars' reference), with Mitchell getting to be the action hero in an innovative semi-holographic sword fight with a knight in which only Cameron can use the sword as he pulled it from the stone, and the twist that it too is holographic was a good one. There are new developments in the form of General Landry and his connection to a new, presumably recurring, character, Dr. Lam. Dr. Lee is as useless as ever, and Daniel gets to spout a whole load of lore about The Ancients being known as the 'Al-Terra' or some such monicker which I didn't follow entirely, but the Orai appear to be a nasty version of them. Where Jackson and Vala have gone to, and what the result of their meddling will be I await in the next part of the story, but so far the series has looked good, felt 'Stargate,' yet new, and has shocked, so it's doing well so far.

***

Avalon

DVD, Stargate SG-1 S9 (Avalon)

It's so nice to come back to this series after being away for some time, but things are not as they were at the end of Season 8, and this is my first encounter with the series after that point, so it's a true voyage of discovery for me. It was a wise move to open the episode and carry it along for much of the time from the point of view of our new main star, Lieutenant Colonel Cameron Mitchell, played by Ben Browder. I didn't realise he was going to be the lead, although I knew he'd be joining. I assumed he'd be just another soldier, but I hadn't really thought through who was going to replace the departing General O'Neill. His position has been taken by Beau Bridges as a new General (though we are treated to a Richard Dean Anderson cameo as is only right and proper), so it's two new characters joining the team. Actually, SG-1 has been reduced to 'SG-me' in the words of Mitchell, himself a hero of the battle of Antarctica when the Goa'uld forces attacked Earth at the  end of Season 7, I think. So we get some spectacle from clips of that battle with some new footage (a bit like how the 'DS9' pilot showed part of the battle of Wolf 359 that occurred in 'TNG'), flashbacks to Mitchell's role that prompted decoration and visits from SG-1 to his hospital bed for his valiant efforts. I like that he's already part of the series' history and so has his foot in the door rather than being completely unconnected and having to do the old 'revealing the Stargate' stuff that's usual with new human characters.

Mitchell starts off rather disappointed, since the great SG-1 whom he chose to join after he was offered any assignment he wanted, has disbanded, Dr. Jackson packing his stuff for a trip to Atlantis, Lieutenant Colonel Carter off at Area 51 to dig into some research and development, and Teal'c getting into politics in the new Jaffa government. It looks like it would be a backward step for any of them to just return to being part of the famous SG-1 team again. But fortunately for Mitchell, (and Browder), Vala shows up (Claudia Black was of course his costar on 'Farscape' so it's a great reunion, bending the laws of TV and time), wanting to go on some quest for treasure, pops some old tech bracelet on her and Daniel, meaning they can't be separated or they'll die, and we're off on a mission again. Teal'c's there to assist after his concern for Daniel, but Carter's too busy (charming!), and Mitchell's newly formed, though likely temporary, team, heads for Glastonbury in England to go beneath some hill there and locate a 'door to the underworld.' There's shades of the past when we get a hologram of Merlin, who may have been an Ancient, appearing to give them a message, just as one of the Asgard did in the early seasons, and we've probably seen it on more than one occasion, so it definitely feels like the same series.

Not that any aspect of it doesn't, there's still the same sets, the ships, the corny humour and general jolly japes, it's just that things aren't quite as they were. Which is always a bit weird. But if you don't change anything it could begin to feel stale, especially when you consider this is the almost unprecedented ninth season, when so few series' last half as long, so I can understand their wish to shake things up, and this does have the impression of almost a pilot for a new spinoff series, just as the start of Season 8 had that flavour, except that time it was setting up for an actual spinoff in 'Stargate Atlantis.' This season would run in parallel with 'SGA' Season 2 (another season I haven't yet seen), so I wonder if there'll be any crossovers - Jackson has already been wanting to visit. For now, it's less about getting the band back together and more getting everyone singing on the same hymn sheet, something that goes awry when they all end up trapped in the underground caves having failed to beat the 'Indiana Jones' traps that will unlock the way to the 'underworld.' They're going for a more modern mythical approach this time, with the English lore of King Arthur and the fabled Knights of The Round Table, even down to a sword in a stone. Nothing wrong with that, and I do wonder what this is all leading to as they can't just keep bringing back the old Goa'uld foes, or Anubis' warriors, so no doubt there's going to be a new threat to face, aside from the innuendo-laden Vala tagging along and getting on everyone's nerves.

Too early to tell whether the new setup will work, bringing in new characters to an established and long-running series is always tricky, so changing half the cast is going to be tough. But the important thing is, I remembered how much I love watching these guys, and it's so lovely to be back with them again. Familiar recurring characters such as Dr. Lee and 'Chief Master Sergeant' Walter Harriman (as well as Siler, I think, and Obi Ndefo's Jaffa character), bring some comfortable recognition and the episode has plenty of the usual wry amusements to enjoy. If you've already seen 'Farscape' it's easier to accept Browder, rather than see him as a usurper, especially as the cast was in flux the last couple of seasons when General Hammond left and O'Neill became essentially a part-timer. So they must have realised there was room for one or two new faces to bolster the numbers, and as much as I'd have loved to see it, they'd have had to change the recurring characters too much to fit into the series as a regular, so it's probably for the best that new people were brought in. I'm not sure why Claudia Black isn't in the cast officially, only a Special Guest Star, but maybe she joins further down the line, or in the final season, it's all so exciting not to know what's going to happen from here on in. Can't say I favoured the new title sequence, something else that made it feel like a pilot for a new series, the CGI made it look a little lightweight rather than the solid and chunky film of the 'gate in previous iterations (or the pharaoh's sarcophagus), but I'm sure I'll get used to it and I was too busy seeing who was actually credited this season to worry too much. The main thing is that SG-1 are back, hurrah!

***