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"The Curse:" This was another one I somehow managed to miss in syndication. It's a bit of a shame that I already knew how it turned out, with Sarah becoming Osiris. Except I didn't know she was Osiris all along. I guess that explains why she was so interested in finding evidence to confirm Daniel's theories -- Osiris was really looking for info on what had happened with the Goa'uld since he was trapped.
Overall, this wasn't one of the best episodes, I think. The story was okay but not brilliant, and that buried Goa'uld ship seemed a bit convenient (why didn't Hathor have access to one of those?). But Anna-Louise Plowman is a captivating woman. Lovely face, beautiful voice which she wields with skill an theatricality, and
tall!! 
I regret we've only seen her in two episodes (AFAIK) since this.
"The Serpent's Venom:" Not bad. Seen it before, but forgotten -- good to see how Rak'nor got his start as a rebel. I guess he finally caught on -- the truth speaks for itself; only liars and cowards need to torture people into believing them. But I find "let's put the hero through extreme torture and prove how tough he is" stories a bit gratuitous at times; and the torturer's lines were almost incomprehensible through the Goa'uld voice treatment. (It's not just a deepening of the voice; there's a bit of a warbling distortion as well, at least during the fourth season.)
The subplot with the mine was an interesting techie piece -- rather clever to have a free-flying mine inside the ship and have to maneuver the ship to match its movements. But wasn't it convenient that the mine happened to be just small enough to fit in the teleport rings?
And I don't buy that a culture would add zero to a numeral system by redefining each digit so that 1 became 0, 2 became 1, etc. They'd be more likely to add a new zero symbol.
I'm increasingly feeling that the character of Jacob Carter has been grossly underused for years. All he ever is anymore is the spokesman for the Tok'ra, the one Tok'ra everyone likes. He comes along and says "this is the mission" or saves SG-1 or whatever. They don't do anything anymore about his relationship with Sam. They don't explore how his past as an Air Force general and an Earthling might clash with the worldview and agendas of the Tok'ra. And whatever happened to Selmak's wry sense of humor? We hardly ever hear from Selmak anymore, and when we do s/he's just a deepened voice spouting exposition. I think this is maybe the greatest creative failing of the show -- their total failure to do anything interesting with Jacob/Selmak since they were joined.
"Chain Reaction:" Another okay-but-not-favorite episode. The stuff with Jack, Maybourne, Kinsey and the NID seemed a little basic and unfocussed. Or maybe "methodical" is the word. It served to push forward a few plot points: Maybourne escapes, Kinsey's NID ties are revealed. But there's not much more to it than that, aside from some cute touches like "Starsky & Hutch." The way Jack arranges the escape from Kinsey's home is clever, though of course it backfires, since Jack basically set Kinsey's presidential run in motion here. (Kinsey did seem genuinely surprised at the reporter's suggestion.)
Actually there are some implausible parts here, some things that are just too easy. I have trouble believing the President would release someone convicted of capital treason just to do a favor for Jack & Hammond. And the NID backing down just because of some blackmail files... I don't know, it might work, but it seems a little too pat.
Although maybe their retreat had more to do with the near-disastrous consequences of their naquadah-bomb project. They and General Bauer lost all credibility with that one. As for Bauer, I wish he'd been more interesting and ambiguous as a character, less of an outright jerk, but I guess the plot called for a replacement who was too hard-line and blind and arbitrary, because he was really just an NID dupe.
"2010" was an interesting one, though I wish it'd had time to explore the post-Aschen world more fully. This is our one glimpse of a world where the Stargate is public knowledge, where contact with other worlds has altered our society rather than being hidden from it. Science fiction should be about exploring the social and human consequences of scientific progress, but too many SFTV shows insist on insulating society from knowledge that would change the status quo.
Also I wonder if the Aschen were really all bad. They went too far, but up to a point they were right -- our population is already too high, and if we ever want to prolong our lifespans by a considerable degree, we will absolutely have to accept much stricter birth control. Well, okay, clearly the Aschen went about it in a nasty way, keeping it secret, basically sterilizing most of the population; and in "2001" we get to see the ultimate consequences they're aiming for, a small, backward, subjugated population with its old knowledge lost. But the issue of population control is not a simple black-and-white one, and it bothered me that this episode painted something which is very socially responsible, the regulation of population growth on an overpopulated planet, as something unambiguously evil. It would've been a stronger story if the issue had been portrayed as less clear-cut, with good arguments on both sides.
Also, nobody really looked ten years older. Okay, that's due to the anti-aging vaccine, but it still made it harder to believe this was set in the future. And there was no chemistry between Carter and her husband.
Okay, so none of these was bad, all reasonably entertaining, but they all had things that didn't quite work for me.
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Posted 03 March 2003 - 06:48 AM
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Posted 04 March 2003 - 02:41 AM
I'd like to know what you think of the first seasons, maybe in a different thread though. 
I love the bit with Jack and General Hammond's children. 
Just...perfect. The ending allways tenses me up and leaves me nervous and jumpy. 
