Dial the Gate: Sight Unseen

[fignewton]

redial_the_gate recaps Sight Unseen later today. Here's one that I really don't remember at all from reading the transcript all those years ago. It's one of those eps that have absolutely no repercussions for later storylines. Possibly that is a good thing, considering some of the storylines that have been expanded upon! :) Actually, you'd expect other-dimensional bugsies to be something referenced in Citizen Joe - and perhaps it was, and I simply don't remember?

Anyway. I go into Sight Unseen knowing that Jonas touches something which spreads like a virus even outside the SGC with people suddenly seeing ghosties and beasties. As always, liveblogging my reactions without any real review of the ep. Onwards!

Teal'c says, "The wind was most pleasant," and almost smiles at Hammond when he says this. I want a missing scene fic for this right now. :)

Jonas' dimples are in fine form in this opener!

Ancient tech that may or may not be a bug zapper - that's supposed to be ironic, considering that it makes people see bugs?

Love Hammond doing lockdown. "This is not a drill. Repeat, this is not a drill."

How very odd that Sam of all people is skeptical about things going through walls. Narim and the Tollan? Not to mention Daniel wandering through walls on Kheb - and this is supposed to be Ancient-related, too.

Jack trying to get around calling Jonas delusional made me giggle, but ouch - shades of Daniel after TBFTGOG. And Legacy.

Oooh, and here I was thinking that Jonas would be sensitive to the idea of hallucinations after what happened to Kieran - here he actually brings it up himself!

I am oddly charmed that the woman who was in the opening scene working on the Gate map just happens to be strolling in the corridor ahead of Jack and Sam. That's getting the most out of your extras!

::cracks up:: And yet again Jack offers to take Sam fishing and is rejected in favor of Sam's latest "oooooh, shiny!" scientific experiment. Hee hee hee.

That device, artifact, whatever it is looks remarkably un-Ancienty to me, but what do I know?

Poor Jonas. "The possibility of being insane is interfering with my ability to relax." The writers didn't stint on the Legacy-parallels, did they?

Paused it just as the creepy critter flashed into existence (again as Jonas touches it, I notice). I don't see Ancienty symbols there, nope. I focus on odd things, I note.

I very rarely break the fourth wall when I watch, but Nemic is doing an excellent job of reacting to something that, y'know, isn't actually there when he acted out this scene.

JANET! ::squishes her::

Why oh why doesn't anyone suspect the artifact is involved here? It's not as if they don't have experience with this kind of thing.

Awww, sweet that Teal'c offers to let Jonas kel no reem.

"Be extremely happy that he did not ask." ::giggles uncontrollably:: Teal'c is never going to forgive Jack for all those mosquitoes, I tell you!

Wait a second. I was theorizing that Jonas touched the artifact and triggered the visuals, and that maybe Jonas touching someone else would cause them to see it, too. So how does Teal'c see it now?

Okay, so Jack sees it too. Jonas did touch him. I still haven't figured out how this spreads. And the attendant touched Jack's car, so if Jack was infected and his car got otherwordly cooties and the attendant touched it...?

Jack keeps his gun on the dashboard instead of on his person? I'm disappointed. :)

And there's skin-to-skin contact. Hm.

"Did you see anything?" "Just my life flashing before my eyes!" ::grins::

Y'know, it's kinda cheating for them to jump from just Jonas, to Jonas and Teal'c, to Jack off-base, to Hammond saying, "Yeah, we see them everywhere on base." I would've liked just a little bit more transition here.

At least Jonas is no longer off-duty.

This isn't just Jonas being not!Daniel; this is Jonas doing the work of the linguistics department. Bad, bad choice. The notebook propped up for Jonas to study is cute, but I still see nothing remotely Ancienty about the artifact in terms of markings and style, and if they're pressed for time, WHY IS JONAS THE ONE DOING THIS?

Interesting exchange between Jonas and Sam - the naquadria poisoning, "new guy," part of the team. How often does Jonas get praise, come to think of it? Also, Sam pretending to be all officious and Jonas responding in kind is sort of adorable. :)

When Sam talks about the device broadcasting a wave of energy particles in the briefing, I suddenly flashed on this: They're going to reverse the polarity to fix it! Sigh. Apparently I have read/watched more cliched sci-fi than I realized...

I am expecting Sam to be badly zapped when she tries to unplug the crystals. More cliches, but hardly unprecedented on Stargate. :)

Nope, no electrocution!

Yellow Jell-O! Were they out of blue, Sam? (I saw red and orange, but no blue.)

Teal'c and that wordless smirk - ah, First Prime of Pwnage. :)

Wait, did they go off-world without Jack?

Walter doesn't even snatch his hand away with those things crawling across his keyboard?

So now we are told that Teal'c touched the artifact after Jonas did, and that's why he saw it second. Kinda cheating to take this long to tell us that detail - it would've been a much better mystery if we'd know that from the beginning.

And how many other customers has that guy served - and touched - since he touched Jack? And I thought Jack was in containment mode. Why wasn't this guy locked down already?

This is the first time we actually get to see the writing on the crystals or what have you, and no they are not remotely Ancient. I don't know why this bothers so much, but it does. Also, I am getting really really frustrated that we don't get to see other teams working on the problem, not even regulars like Bill Lee or Coombs or even Felger. I loved the science teams in Message in a Bottle all working together. Considering the urgency here, why are Sam and Jonas doing it alone?

::goggles:: "Rearrange the order of the crystals"?! They are going to reverse the polarity! Oh, SHOW. :D

That driver is very lucky to still be alive. Janet was right to worry about that kind of thing.

Okay, time contraints of the ep and all, but that was way too pat for a creature to show up right then. They went hours between seeing them before this.

Can't blame Vernon for running. But I can't figure out why Jack didn't shout out to the SFs when he spotted him before the guy had time to run.

I'm... not sure what I think of Sam's tack with Vernon's grandmother. Especially the "I swear" part, which may be odd of me, but there you are. She's not dealing with Marty here.

Jonas trying to deny that they're a "couple" and Sam shutting him up by taking his hand! ::sporfles:: And then Jonas patting her hand and Sam's look that says, "He is so going to pay for that when we're back on base." There needs to be more Sam and Jonas friendship fic out there! I've only read a few. If you have any links, comment with them, please!

Teal'c in a hat is never anything less than a delight.

I am really tired of the cliche of a damaged veteran, and from SG-1 of all shows, I expect better.

Jack did a nice job with Vernon here. "We good?" "Yes, sir."

Aha - and here is something Random mentioned to me, that Jack places his hand on the back of Vernon's neck. Which, you know, he never ever does to Daniel. :)

"A place called Melmac." "Isn't that where ALF is from?" Hee hee. Thank you, Vernon, because while I've heard of ALF I certainly didn't get the reference, and I would've assumed it was from The Simpsons.

Here's a bit of meta for you about this: I'm profoundly disappointed in Janet and Hammond and SG-1. Jonas' experiences parallel Daniel's in Legacy so eerily it's downright creepy. Exposure to an alien device off-world, seeing what others don't, a "history" of mental disturbances, even the idea that their instruments can't find the problem... Not only is it ridiculous to suppose that Hammond et al never learn from the past, there's also the rather annoying tendency of the writers to not only make Jonas into not!Daniel, but also to make his life into not!Daniel. There's way too much of that as it is. Let's not even go into the parallel of S7 Jonas losing his girlfriend to the Goa'uld...

Ah, well. Aside from my enjoyment of Jonas and Sam's friendship, this was a pretty mediocre ep for me. If you disagree (or even agree, heh), I'd love to hear from you!