Stargate SG-1 1014 The Shroud

[fignewton]

To parphrase puppet!Hammond: “Not spoiling is much cooler than spoiling!” Whee! I commented as I watched, but went back and clarified in some spots.

 

I admit that there was one spoiler that was probably impossible to avoid: that Daniel was going to turn up as a Prior. I didn’t know if he was brainwashed, forced against his will, or what. For some odd reason, though, I expected it to be in the final minutes of the show, not in the opener of the episode. But I wasn’t spoiled for other details (Jack! Jack! JACK!!!) and this episode was… hm. Rushed? Not as ambiguous as I’d hoped? A bit too pat? Let’s see.

Once again, Mitchell sees nothing wrong with using cultural references to Earth in his discussions with the native planet. Getting into an argument on the subject with Vala amused me, yes; but expecting it to be an apt illustration of the subject on hand was stupid. I’m charmed by Mitchell’s fanboy memorization of all the SG-1 mission files, and his apparent familiarity with pop culture is just fine as a personality quirk. Using pop culture in conversation with off-worlders, though, just makes him look idiotic. I hope this trend won’t continue.

Did they really think we wouldn’t recognize Daniel’s voice immediately?

GYAH!! What did they do to my Daniel?? That make-up! The hair! The… eyelashes are pretty funny, actually. :) Also got a bit distracting after a while. Does Daniel have longer eyelashes than most men?

Liked Mitchell being distressed at having Daniel being so good at acting as a Prior. Liked the presentation of uncertainty – if this was Daniel, we wouldn’t be worried, but this is Daniel with Merlin included, and what if the ensuing mental confusion put Daniel down for the count? I would have liked for this to continue throughout the episode, but the level of uncertainty wasn’t maintained.

“Still, it’s Daniel.” Yeah. You tell ‘em, Sam!

Liked the careful selection of what Daniel read, and how very apt it was to his own situation. “Hey! What took you guys so long?” Oh, I laughed. So Daniel. And then Mitchell zatted him! Congratulations, Mitchell! Now you really are part of SG-1! It was the only thing missing.

Daniel, you sweet arrogant thing, you. “It’s all part of the plan.” Of course it is. Daniel comes up with a plan and expects everyone to fall instantly into line. I love it, because it is so Daniel. And didn’t we just discuss this quite thoroughly in last week’s canon vs. fanon? Utter confidence that they’ll listen to him; frustration that not everyone instantly knows that he’s right. And honest admission: “She was way too powerful for me.” Yep. That’s my Daniel. :)

I remember green_grrl commenting about this as vaguely as possible – the super-blue uniform that Adria dressed Daniel in (he is clearly her life-size Ken doll here) as being obviously designed by the Boys at Bridge to bring out Daniel’s cerulean blue eyes. However, to be fair, Tomin was wearing the same uniform in Line in the Sand. I’m not entirely willing to believe that they specifically designed the Ori uniforms for the sole purpose of matching Daniel’s eyes in the flashbacks. But I suppose you can never tell. ;)

It was interesting to watch Daniel talking with Adria, actually. Especially when he spoke about the Ancients. Because while I don’t believe that he was swallowing Adria’s version – it’s amazingly different from what they tell the rank and file, isn’t it? – Daniel isn’t very fond of the Ancients and their Rules™, and it probably wasn’t all that difficult for him to portray honest dislike for it.

I like the way that Daniel’s speech patterns changed when he was channeling Merlin – more formal, more precise. Less of that patented Daniel fine-tuned irritation. :)

All those candles. The Ori advocate kel’no’reeming?

Adria looks a lot prettier with her hair down and without the stupid neckpiece.

“Affecti-what?” Hee! Daniel. I love the pole-axed expression, so suitable for so many occasions! But AUUUUGGHHHH! (excuse me for that Charlie Brown moment) That was sick. I mean, honestly sick. Adria is what, six months old? Seven or eight, tops? And she chooses to kiss Daniel to priorize him. That is seriously disturbing, and the metaphor a decidedly uneasy one, especially with her dragging Vala into it. (besides, silly Orici, he was ever so much prettier before!)

Once again, may I say how much I adore the sheer arrogance of Daniel’s plan? “I’ll finish the weapon for her, but I won’t until she makes me a Prior, which she’ll do because she wants me to convert Earth, and then I’ll steal a ship and fly it through the Supergate, because of course everyone on Earth will trust me despite the circumstances and allow me to shut down the Supergate and practically hand over the only weapon we have to our worst enemy in the faith that I’ll actually turn the tables on her, never mind the possibility that I might have slipped a cog or three along the way.” Daniel needs to remember that planning black ops is not his thing. It is, however, most definitely his thing to be utterly confident that he can do exactly what he plans to do.

JACK!!!! Jack Jack Jack! I love how he just casually shows up in the briefing room, no fanfare. Daniel needs him and Jack comes running. Jack!

“Jack, you have to believe me!”

“Why?”

That first talk with Jack fascinated me, because it was so uneasy. I don’t believe Daniel honestly expected them to fall into that flawless rapport they’ve always had, because they haven’t worked together in way too long. It takes time to get that back, and Daniel seemed to want to jump right into their old, “Jack,” “Daniel,” routine – but without the closeness and intuitive understanding of each other. Maybe that’s why the reference to Ba’al rang so falsely for me. Of all the things to bring up, that one was seriously bizarre. It’s hardly a memory that Jack values; it’s sketchy if Daniel actually remembers it on his own, or if that might be Merlin doing the talking after doing a rummage around Daniel’s mind; and Jack might even argue that Daniel didn’t do very much at the time – certainly not what Jack wanted him to do at the time. A much, much better reference would have been the way that Daniel never left Jack’s side in The Fifth Race, when Jack suffered from a similar overwriting of his mind and Daniel never stopped believing in him. Or even to Spirits – “How do I know you’re you?” “Because.” “Yeah, okay.”

I keep saying this about these last episodes, and I think it’s a good thing – Daniel wriggling in his chair out of frustration immediately flashed me back to, “You see? See? See? See? See?” in One False Step.

Jack and Sam’s scene was very nice, because there was no ship. How sad that I have to be gleeful about a scene between a general and a colonel acting professional.

Jack sends in SG-1’s patented lie detector test – Teal’c! And I loved that, because Teal’c and Daniel have always had that inherent respect, earned through the hardest of knocks. And for Teal’c to openly question Daniel… to me, that seemed to startle Daniel a lot more than Jack’s doubts. And I did like the ambiguity of Daniel admitting to more information than what he’d given before.

It was about this point in the show when I started to wonder if Priors have no need for bodily functions. Did they actually keep him strapped to a chair for two days without even a restroom break? And when Daniel mentioned to Jack that Merlin knew his brain couldn’t cope with sustaining two distinct personalities, I suddenly felt incredibly sorry for Daniel. Doctor Daniel Jackson, Ph.D in Brain Invasion. Machello and Beneath the Surface and Oma wiping his memories and Lifeboat and now Merlin and Adria both. I know we all talk about Daniel being scarred by his experiences, but sometimes I wonder, a little uneasily, how much of the original Daniel is even left by now.

I know that a lot of people see Woolsey as a villain. I don’t. I think the IOA serves as a much more real and honest antagonist than the corrupt NID ever was. And I quite liked that Woolsey is taking a lesson – even if it’s the wrong one! – from what happened the last time they allowed an advanced being to stay alive a little too long. …Hey! Daniel said the same thing! Of course, it’s more than a little ironic that it was Daniel who insisted on destroying Khalek then, and it’s Daniel who is being condemned here.

You don’t have to be a Daniel/Vala shipper (which I am most emphatically not) to seriously be amused by Vala sitting casually on Daniel’s lap. Especially since Daniel had no choice in the matter, and couldn’t have protested even if he wanted to. He did seem utterly relaxed with it, though, so I’m personally reading that visual as friendship. And I liked that when she had to say the more painful things about trust and risk, she couldn’t sit on his lap any longer, and took a chair instead.

“You kill Daniel over my dead body!” You tell ‘em, Jack! Although a little more passion would have been appreciated.

And here comes the teamy goodness, yay! “They won’t let Daniel do it. Let’s do it for him.”

“That’s assuming he tells you.” “Why wouldn’t he?” I loved Sam for that. She honestly believes him and that he’ll help them fix this problem. Sam didn’t get a one-on-one conversation with Daniel! No fair!

“It’s my plan!” Hee! Pouty Daniel. But yay to Jack for reminding him that they’re a TEAM, and they call all do it together.

I couldn’t tell if the team knew that Woolsey planned to put Daniel into stasis or not. I did respect Woolsey’s decision to come and tell Daniel himself. But I hope I’m right that the team didn’t know, and I hope that Daniel knew that.

“Not part of my plan.” Oh my dear arrogant Daniel. Never change. :)

Jack’s discussion with Landry was odd, because he’s been out of the field for three years. But I loved, LOVED Jack’s reaction to being beamed on board. Hands still in pockets. Immediate understanding. Slight smile. Resigned shrug. Drawl: “Daniel.” And Daniel in the captain’s chair! He was uncomfortable with it in the Lucian Alliance ep, but here? Totally comfortable. Shades of Absolute Power. This was one of the (too few) moments when the ambiguity really worked.

I was very pleased that instead of Sam being left alone, as we’ve seen way too often, she had Teal’c watching her six.

Jack’s conversation with Daniel – they’re slowly starting to get that level of communication back. Slowly. And I laughed at Daniel’s statement, “I’m afraid the rest of the team won’t be able to complete the mission without me.” Do I have to mention the arrogance thing again? And Jack calling him on it so calmly. Yes – still not quite back to themselves, but getting there!

Vala and Mitchell putting the device together – I’m sorry they went for the obvious humor. Couldn’t they have, oh, written down Daniel’s instructions? But I did like Vala’s anxiety about being stopped.

And, heh. They were stopped – by Adria. Sam’s competence doesn’t help when the offical Cheat Code shows up. What is it with Stargate and glowing eyes for the bad guys, though? Or even mutated eyes? Poor Daniel with those milky irises! Although I prefer the odd eyes to Star Trek’s various bumps on foreheads and noses.

“We’re cloaked.”

“This ship doesn’t have that.”

“It does now… Having a ZPM helps.” Oh, huh? What? They have a ZPM on the ship now? Or did Daniel casually swipe it from Antarctica before they went to hyperspace? If so, that is seriously funny. (scrupulously avoids the "a" word)

Nice touch with Daniel’s hand behind his back to avoid tipping her off. Final decision to trust or not. Yeah. Go for it, guys. Yes! And then everything races to the last countdown and WHOOM!

Sam helps Daniel sit down in the chair. And she shows complete trust, telling Vala and Mitchell, “Do it.” And then after he reverts, Sam tipping Daniel’s head back, ever so gently… ::sniff:: I wish they’d had a scene together.

And Vala is the only one who thinks of grabbing Adria. Or, y’know, HER NECKLACE. It infuriates me that they have her at their mercy and they don’t do anything about it. I know, I know – no time, and Jack grabbed the number of people he was supposed to.

Head ruffle! “Sleepyhead”! Daniel and Jack totally back to normal with each other, including the snark! “How’s Daniel?” “Sunshine”! Teamy goodness for the absolute win! YAY!!!

…Or not. Because, oops? How difficult would it have been to set off the Gate again…? Hm. Probably very difficult, actually. If Daniel had stayed Priorized just another five minutes longer, than he might have been able to dial out again. As it is, we’ve got more trouble.

Did it work or not? Was Adria affected as Orici or not? The necklace wouldn’t be any more help to her than being in the Ori galaxy. How human is Adria? Does she channel the Ori, or did they imbue her with power that she can still keep? If the former, and it worked, her power wiped out along with them; if the latter, she still has power of her own. I guess we’ll have to wait and see. If Teal’c is right and the Priors do still have their powers, then Adria probably still does, too. And does the Odyssey keep its cloak? It’s apparently still working, since all the ships that came zooming through the Supergate apparently failed to spot them. And does Sam get to figure out how Daniel did it, since Daniel can’t tell her any more? (loved that shrug of Daniel’s when they asked him. “I have no idea,” personified.)

Bottom line: what there was, was great. But I think there could have been a lot more. I’m wondering if they’d originally planned an arc – maybe three episodes, or even more – and that’s why I had the idea that “discovering Daniel is a Prior” was supposed to be the cliffhanger ending of an ep, not something we first discovered in a teaser. But really, this should have been longer – if not a two- or three-parter, then at the very least a 90-minute ep a la Threads. Because there wasn’t enough time – not enough to wonder, not enough to see true fear for what Daniel might have become, not enough to see SG-1 and Jack truly fighting for Daniel, not enough to give us an honest accounting of the struggle with the ambiguity.

And on a purely shallow note, because I know that for some people, Daniel’s toes are strangely, incredibly attractive: Was he barefoot when he dashed from the infirmary in his cute blue scrubs (hee!) up to the bridge to watch the Ori ships coming through the Supergate? Because inquiring minds want to know. :)

Comments

[abyssinia4077.livejournal.com]

It makes sense to me for the Ori to keep their followers limited. If they were allowed to develop techonology/knowledge they might also be more likely to question the Ori as gods, and also spend less time in prostration (and I wonder, does the power come in someone believing they are gods, or do they only get power during active worship?)

I'm not sure about the Prior-izing. In Shroud it looked to me like Adria kissed Daniel, then opened a lantern-like thing next to her from which flame came out to Prior-ize him (machine maybe?) and I thought in Origin (could be remembering wrong) the dude became a Prior when he looked into a giant pit of flame - could be the Ori, could be masking a machine. Dunno.

I guess - I'm wondering what prompted the Ancients to develop the non-interference rule. Did they start it right away, or learn from a mistake (like the Tollan?) or is there something that actually really backfires, and could thus cause problems for the Ori also? For that matter, I don't get the psychic worship juice. Is it like Peter Pan and believing in fairies? (*imagines entire galaxy chanting "I don't believe in the Ori!"*)

Okay, you have a point - though I think the Priors are closer to evil/bad guys than the Jaffa were - especially with the own agenda thing. But, you're right about the Ori having the ultimate bad plan.

And, it's true, the Book or Origin isn't so bad (it would have to be if you're using it to gain converts) - it's all about interpretation (um, not that they would be making statements on the real world here at all, oh no). Also, I still don't know how they argue that the Ori aren't gods - they seem fairly god-like to me, depending on how you define god, and there's no rule that gods have to always be nice and friendly (the old-testament god certainly has a vengeful side going, and if you look at other Earth theologies you get gods of all sorts of personality).

[sg-fignewton.livejournal.com]

I really saw the flames as a physical representation of the Ori. I certainly don't remember a lamp or what-have-you zapping Daniel. If you're right about the latter, that makes the kiss even more squicky. Ugh.

In the long run, does it matter if they're directly manipulating people or using machinery? They don't have a non-interference policy, so who cares what method they use?

I'm not interested in trying to draw parallels to the real world, much less theology! I personally get annoyed when the writers let their political leanings show too closely. I like my escapist fantasy to stay escapist, thanks.