Stargate SG-1 1017 Talion

[fignewton]

I’m… very ambivalent about this one. Watched it through once on the treadmill, then skimmed again to review.

Nice creepy opening, and Bra’tac! I’m always simultaneously pleased and anxious when Bra’tac shows up. He’s way too popular a character to be safe from TPTB.

So, the poor Jaffa get whumped AGAIN. Why do they deserve this?

“At least one of them has been pretty much been here ever since they brought you in…” Yay teamy goodness!

The team discussion round Teal’c’s bed was just plain weird. Since when do they avoid talking honestly and bluntly to Teal’c, of all people?

Don’t like Landry. Nope. Disinterest and vague dislike has veered into outright hostility. Hammond earned our respect. Landry expects it. And I don’t blame Teal’c for his reaction in the slightest. Reducing the need to succor their allies to a “memo”? “He’s here of his own free will. He can leave if he wants to.” – And Landry doesn’t seem to mind too much, does he?

And SG-1’s reaction is wrong. Mitchell and Vala, maybe – but Sam? And Daniel? I don’t believe Daniel would have taken no for an answer. And I don’t believe Sam and Daniel wouldn’t have kitted up and marched right out that wormhole with Teal’c, because this isn’t the SGC’s business, it’s SG-1’s. And that they all stayed in the control room, instead of standing by his side…? So, so wrong.

We needed Jack here. I’m sorry for Teal’c that he wasn’t around to back him up.

Cute little Jaffa kid got on my nerves. Totally unnecessary.

I think my favorite scene in this was Daniel reading at Bra’tac’s bedside. I have a particular fondness for that friendship, and the way it’s changed and evolved over the years. ( kellifer_fic even wrote a ficlet for me about it once!) So I was charmed to see Daniel holding vigil, and the way he panicked and called for someone – heh. “Not that kind of a doctor.”

“Teal’c of the Tau’ri.” ::bounces:: Whee! I loved that. And hostility towards Jaffa from those that were once downtrodden by the Goa’uld makes an awful lot of sense, doesn’t it?

Daniel and Bra’tac talking is nice, but Teal’c’s mother... I didn’t like that at all. Arkhad is painted as a sufficiently bad guy without the need to make it personal like this. Also, it is totally out of left field, as opposed to Teal’c’s father and his vandetta with Cronus, which lasted nearly two seasons.

Reynolds there too! I’m really surprised they gave us both long-standing popular guest-stars in a single episode and resisted the desire to kill at least one of them.

So, the Jaffa revenge thing. Teal’c calmly executing the guy – even torture – didn’t surprise me very much. Taunting him was also very much in character; he did the same to Apophis, and to Tanith. Would I have liked to see Teal’c grow beyond that, in all this time? Maybe. But ten years among the Tau’ri won’t change the decades of adulthood that Teal’c had among the Jaffa. Some cultural mores run deep.

I think it’s an interesting twist, though, to have the Jaffa believing in the Ori. Don’t forget that Kheb was considered the Jaffa’s paradise. With that belief in their minds, the Ori would find the Jaffa to be particularly susceptible.

“We have no way of detecting a cloaked cargo ship.” WHY NOT? They’ve had years and years to work on this little problem, and they hadn’t figured out a way to do it yet? Even in S8, a cloaked ship that wasn’t in sleeper mode could be detected (Endgame).

How does Arkhad have the capability of making a visual transmission without a MALP? Why do they believe him for even a second? Why does the IOA have the right to dictate policy so much? They’re using the IOA too often as a cheap plot device. All it does is make Landry even weaker – he’s not actually in command at all, is he?

Hated the meeting with Arkhad on Earth. Hated that they believe him over Teal’c. HATED that all his years of loyalty mean nothing. HATED that SG-1 was sent after him, apparently sincerely.

Someone has to write me an ep tag where Daniel and Sam confront Teal’c and lambast him for taking them out without giving them a chance to tell him that they’d shown up on the planet for the specific purpose of offering their support, because I cannot accept that those two, at the very least, would put the SGC before Teal’c..

“Has anyone thought of the speech they’re going to give to Teal’c?” Daniel or Sam should have said, “Why, yes! We’re going to ask him how we can help!” Hated. that.

Sam knows better than to think Teal’c will fall into their trap, and Daniel wants to snag Arkhad and lock him in a room with Teal’c. But neither one of them is willing to back Teal’c. Hammond did, against orders, back in S3. Where’s the teamy goodness now? I was pleased that Daniel, at least, could get Teal’c to talk over the radio; but that he parroted the IOA line. Ugh.

Teal’c takes out SG-1 and leaves them unconscious and vulnerable. What? OTOH, the fight with Mitchell was quite fitting, I thought. Teal’c doesn’t have that sense of loyalty to him, not really; the two of them have been sparring since day one; and honestly? I think Teal’c would really, really like to have a good excuse to whump Mitchell on occasion. :)

The fight with Arkhad and Teal’c… Um. Not for me. And discovering that Arkhad killed Teal’c’s mother as a Jaffa Revenge Thing ™ leaves me more than a little uncertain. So, what? They’re even now? Or is it okay to kill people as First Prime, but not okay to take back-handed revenge? The violence was way too much for me. I actually covered my eyes in that final scene. This isn’t normal for SG-1 at all, and I hope this isn’t a trend that will continue.

The Bra’tac and Teal’c scene was seriously lovely. The open admission that the report was doctored made me grin. But the final score? Teal’c one million, SGC negative three. And I don’t think that’s good.

Comments

[green-grrl.livejournal.com]

Wow. I had exactly the same reactions as you right down the line. The only thing I'd add (because you had your eyes covered) is that the end of the fight was too Inigo Montoya-silly -- Teal'c is horribly wounded and has no symbiote anymore, yet he pops up from near-death and whales on Arkhad like he's fresh to battle. It's a cliche that was played a little too unbelievably for me. (And, yeah, the violence freaked me out. Children watch this show!)

I loved the most -- Bra'tac and Daniel, Bra'tac and Teal'c, Bra'tac in a bathrobe (there's a theme ;-)

Hated the most -- pulling Teal'c's mother out of a hat for a one-ep throw-away plot device, General Landry

[redbyrd-sgfic.livejournal.com]

Yes, me too, to everything..

Bra'tac and Daniel was good- we need fic for this *g*.

[sg-fignewton.livejournal.com]

::bounces excitedly::

Yes! Write me some Bra'tac and Daniel fic! Pleeeeaaaase? :) :)

[sg-fignewton.livejournal.com]

And, yeah, the violence freaked me out. Children watch this show!

I'm glad I'm not the only one. So, Inigo Montoya, huh? "You killed my mother, prepare to die"?

Bra'tac and Daniel, Bra'tac and Teal'c, Bra'tac in a bathrobe

Only Bra'tac could still look regal in a bathrobe. :)

So yay for Bra'tac! And bleah for General Landry. I realized by the end - it's not just his attitude. It's his complete lack of authority. Why would anyone respect him at all?

[green-grrl.livejournal.com]

"You killed my mother, prepare to die"?

Hee! Yup, pretty much. I absolutely adore Princess Bride (and Inigo!), but it's meant to be absurd and silly. SG can do absurd and silly, too, but this was a serious episode. Grrr.

Landry -- I realized rewatching some s9 that the only time I even liked him at all was when he was kicking Nerus's butt. But Nerus was the most pathetic goa'uld ever -- anyone who couldn't whip him into shape would be hopeless. I could just as easily have enjoyed watching Walter fake him out. (There's a missing scene I could go for -- Walter vs. Nerus!) I've more often actively disliked Landry, from his opening scene dissing the Marines to him forcing Cam and the team to go on vacation with him. Bleh. And Synecdochic poisoned his character permanently for me with her Close to Bone fic. Heh!

[sg-fignewton.livejournal.com]

Oh, please, try and point me to someone who doesn't adore the sheer silliness of Princess Bride. But you're right - there's a time and place for that kind of thing, and a supposedly serious ep isn't it.

I think that's the saddest thing to me about S9-10 - I have zero interest in rewatching. Pegasus Project. The Quest, both parts. And Bad Guys, for the fun of it. Hm. Maybe the S9 ep with Anubis' kid. That's about it. But my Landry dislike didn't slip into active antagonism until now. Seriously irritated or bored, yes. And how pathetic is it that Landry could only be imposing to the most pathetic Goa'uld that ever showed up on our screens?

You're right. We needed Walter to take over command of the SGC! That would have solved everything. :)

Not so bad

[randomfreshink.livejournal.com]

Actually, I was cool with this one (found it way better than the bounty hunter one, which only had to the goods Daniel and books, and Vala and Daryl or is it Darrell.) But getting back to this...

I totally buy that Sam and Daniel would let Teal'c head out on his own to do what he needs to. If he's told them no, they'd respect him enough to hold by it (there'd be quite the argument before, but ultimately, I think Daniel does let folks do what they need to to--ala Jack in Fifth Race--and Sam has to follow orders--as in she can't just walk).

As to them not saying anything about saying anything to Teal'c--again, I buy it. Not that I don't think there is more going on. My take on it (from Daniel's discussion with Vala) is they're not saying anything to Cam, because they can't really compromise his command. That means if they don't talk about it, they don't have to explain--always better to have to appologize than get permission. So if they just do it, they're clear.

Now, if they'd had Jack--Jack totally would not have taken no for an answer and would have gotten Hammond to work with him. But then Jack was never stupid enough to go hand-to-hand with Teal'c, and I do hope Cam's got that out of his system.

Teal'c was also impressively bad-ass (it is nice to see him do more than hold up a wall). Less fight, more moments would have been nice. As to Teal'c leaving SG-1 out cold--well, if he's already taken care of any outside guards, that would settle that. (And, actually, outside on that world seemed a lot safer than inside.)

So I'm willing to give it a thumbs up. And I do like that Cam's report is a work of fiction--shows he's going to back his team no matter what.

Re: Not so bad

[sg-fignewton.livejournal.com]

I can see what you're saying with Sam and Daniel respecting Teal'c's wishes. I still don't accept the sheer aloofness, though, with Teal'c standing alone in the Gateroom (no SFs, even?) and the others watching from afar.

You're right that Sam is constrained by her rank. Daniel isn't, and Daniel hurt me here a lot more than Sam - partially because of the chain-of-command thing, and mostly because Daniel and Teal'c really do have that unique connection, and I hated to see it so broken here.

Yes. We needed Jack.

"It's easier to get forgiveness than permission"? Maybe. But we never get a chance to see Daniel stepping over the line for Teal'c's sake. I need that ep tag really badly. :)

I'm glad you liked it, at least! And yes, we can look at the falsified report as Cam learning, even belatedly, that the team has to come first.

Re: Not so bad

[randomfreshink.livejournal.com]

Thing is, I'm not sure Teal'c would ever let Daniel step over the line for him. He's so much like Jack in that case--when they go dark side, they push the others back (except Teal'c was totally willing to drag Jack along to go after Tanith). But take Daniel into that--well, first off, Daniel would have been talking, and talking, and working like damn to get Teal'c talked around (and he generally can). But torture guys and let them blow up in front of Daniel--and Sam--don't think Teal'c would ever do that. (Meaning he knew what he was going out there to do.)

And the distance worked for me, too, in terms of watching from the control room (shades of Shades of Gray)--this was Teal'c heading off to do damned unpleasant stuff, and everyone knew it, and my bet is Teal'c told them all to back off (and not in a nice way). Of course, I just love it when things are totally screwed, and folks have to struggle back to anything close to normal.

Re: Not so bad

[sg-fignewton.livejournal.com]

Oh, yes, I can see what you're suggesting - Teal'c not wanting to drag Daniel down. I can accept that, yes. But you're only justifying Teal'c's side of things, and not Daniel's. And even if Daniel would accept that Teal'c is going a little too darkside initially, that still doesn't explain Daniel's apparent willingness to toe the line for the IOA when he actually had Teal'c talking to him on the radio.

I do like that observation about Teal'c taking Jack with him, though. Would he have done it if Sam or Daniel had been in the back seat instead of Jack? I'm not entirely sure. I think Teal'c considered himself to be Jack's First Prime for quite a long time, even if he'd grown out of it by the end of S3 or so. But I don't think Teal'c has ever grown out of the instinct to protect Sam and Daniel.