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redial_the_gate is more than halfway through S10 and I really want to actually, y'know, watch the entire series before the comm ends.
When S10 was first airing, I wasn't enjoying it much. I did start liking it more as the season progressed, but I didn't care much for Cam and Vala and actively disliked Landry. (Still don't like Landry much at all, although I've enjoyed the way some fans write him.) So since I wasn't home when Insiders and Uninvited first aired and I had no online access, I didn't make a particular effort to watch them. I knew Daniel wouldn't be there, and the transcripts left me really cold. On the other hand, even the worst eps (Family Ties, I'm looking at you) have at least one redeeming scene, so... :)
I've pulled out my DVDs, and here is Insiders. I go into this knowing that the Ba'al storyline (which I HATE) pops up again, that Barrett shows up and Sam caves, and that the redeeming scene is most likely Vala trying to arm-wrestle Teal'c. No proper review, just my reactions whenever I hit the pause button. Onwards!
The Fifth Race in the previouslies! Impressive, going all the way back to S2. Not sure why, though.
Vala sprawled in her chair, in jeans, totally bored. Hee. (She's still not an official member, so no BDUs, I guess.)
WAIT WAIT WAIT. NORAD is now in the know regarding alkeshes? Why are we so casual about this? Is this part of the S8 and onwards attitude of, "The Stargate isn't a secret anymore and we're not even pretending"?
Why is SG-1 "on it" when it comes to intercepting damaged alkeshes?
Nice jeep/mini-van (I don't know cars well). Hard to imagine Teal'c not claiming shotgun. :)
Now, see? SEE? THIS MAN IS NOT A GOA'ULD. No phlanged voice. Minor injury that doesn't immediately heal. No sneering, no arrogance. Did I mention I hate the six-pack-o'-Ba'als storyline? (Thank you for that term, Aurora.)
Hold on a sec. This is the first time Vala is meeting Ba'al, right? At least, since her Qetesh days? Why no reaction?
Continuity is always a plus - yay for blocking beaming tech! Although considering the way Thor used to beam up Jack every time he wanted to host an official meeting of the Jack O'Neill Fan Club, you'd think they would've figured that one out BEFORE the Gate was stolen. Also, it makes me kinda wonder how Daniel has no trouble beaming Woolsey down and Jack up to the ship later this season...
"That would make all of us." Hee hee. Although I'm surprised that Teal'c turns his back on Ba'al, even in these circumstances. Yes, it shows contempt, but Teal'c is too cautious for that.
So, every clone claims to be the original, right? Wouldn't the very existence of this one's chip suggest he's a clone too? And why is Sam giving him valuable info like this?
What am I missing here? Why can't they get kill the clones (yay) get the info and then kill this Ba'al too (double yay)? Because in terms of "honorable," the SGC left it behind somewhere around S9, when they took that memory device despite the ethical problems involved.
I'm sorry I know, watching this, that Barrett is somehow brainwashed. Because he's always been the honest, non-corrupted face of the NID, and he comes across as so reasonable here. Also, it makes me dislike Landry even more, which probably isn't fair, but there it is. :)
Oh, I remember being so taken by this exchange when I read the transcript:
"No, I know I can't control her, but that's pretty much par for the course. Sir -- Carter and I are the same rank, Teal'c's an alien, Jackson's a civilian. I learned a long time ago: I don't control anything."
Because that's very true, isn't it? There's no real leader on SG-1 anymore. That's what we needed in Jack. Even Sam in S8 wasn't so much in command so much as Teal'c and Daniel deferred to her -- can anyone cite a scene from S8 when Sam asserted command and got Teal'c or Daniel to do something they really didn't want to do? I'm not saying this to put down Sam or even Mitchell here. I'm saying it because that was Jack's very crucial role -- he made a team into team. And it's something that's sadly lacking, and the characters and show suffer from its lack.
Vala's plan is actually a good one. Not only does it get them on board, but it also reduces the number of people they'll have to face.
BUT.
She couldn't tell the others... why? And now the ship is alerted too, with a good chance of the team meeting whoever was manning the controls to send the reinforcements. Not to mention that if the rings were covered with dead grass, they haven't been used before, so why would reinforcements suddenly come through there now?
OTOH, really neat staging as we see the team vanish and the Jaffa right there, next second.
WHY is Vala taking point? Has someone taught her hand signals? Argh.
One big YAY for a Goa'ulded voice from this Ba'al. One big rolling of eyes that the Goa'uld is the only one who notices the the thing rolling into the room. Should've been a Jaffa who noticed it, yelled Kree! and fired a staff weapon at it. Which would've set it off, yeah, but would've made much more sense.
Okay, I know it would've cost a lot more from the make-up department, but I do wish they'd given the Ba'als different hairstyles/beards. SOMETHING. Although I admit it's kinda fun to see Ba'al reduced to prison drab. :)
Bechdel test, whee! I like nameless!scientist. I wish we got more of this. Don't get me wrong, I love every glimpse of Bill Lee we get, but COMPETENCE. It's one of my hot buttons. The more competent personnel we see, the better.
I miss the old wormhole effect. Sigh.
Wait a minute. Why are all the Ba'al clones strutting around in the same outlandish outfits, with only minor changes? Where's that Goa'uld sense of arrogance with extra gold braid? They should each be wearing something else, more gaudy than the rest. Guess they couldn't spring for extra costumes cost and more than extra make-up costs.
I like Walter being so diplomatic. Oh, yes, sir, very funny. Heh heh.
Hasn't the IOA more or less taken over by now? Odd to see the NID so helpless here.
Eye-flash. "That's better." Heh. And Cam getting in his face. I like this scene. See? This is why transcripts don't really do episodes justice.
That view of Ba'al's lunch reminded me of Jack's "tuna torture."
Oh, VALA. Sleeveless so can you vamp. And yes, I'm supposed to believe there's a Goa'uld with superhuman strength in that little confrontation? And that Vala really expects Ba'al to believe she can spill secrets in front of a recording security camera?
If we can have competent personnel doing DNA matches, why can't we also have competent personnel other than SG-1 running the investigation? Or, if they don't want to waste screen time with unknowns, at least reference the idea?
If I hadn't know there was something wrong with Barrett before this, that stupidly insane accusation of "this is about us" would've screamed it from the rooftops. What "us", for crying out loud? Barrett is one of the few recurring regulars with whom Sam had a professional, intelligent relationship that had nothing to do with any kind of "us," and I liked it that way!
The SF that Barrett confronts -- is he the same one that Jack pranks with the dog in his truck in the non-existent invisible ep in 200?
What kind of Goa'uldy mantra is Ba'al supposed to be doing in that odd kneeling position? Just wondering.
Oh, that little bit of arm-wrestling! For the win. Teal'c totally impassive and not even paying attention, Vala getting some feeling back in her fingers afterwards. Whee!
No way to flood the levels with sleeping gas or something?
I absolutely CANNOT see one Ba'al accepting orders from another. Or, for that matter, not changing out of prison drab as soon as possible. Just sayin'.
Ah, so they do have ways to flood the levels. Good.
I am so utterly charmed at Barrett's skewed tie. Don't ask me why. Although Sam's quicker recovery from the zat and Ba'al's apparent expectation she would be awake? Um... The protein marker helps with zat blasts, not just tranquilizers. Yeah, that's it. ::handwave, handwave::
I have to say, if I'd seen that scene with Sam surrounded by Ba'als looming over here before that scene in Quest 2 when she decked him, I'd've cheered even more loudly. :D
No, no, no. Absolutely CANNOT see a Ba'al walking the permiter. This is why the stupid clone storyline doesn't work.
I really feel disappointed on Teal'c's behalf that he didn't get to kill that one.
"But I will kill the other hostages." SO. WHAT.
See, this is the problem with this kind of storyline: Sam has faced this problem, over and over and over again over the years. And until S9-10 it hasn't worked. Daniel on board a ship that they need to blow up? Do it. Leave a completely innocent civilian behind to save the world from forced sterilization? Do it. Every single person that is a hostage here -- yes, even Barrett, who is a civilian too -- signed up for the dangers and walked into them open-eyed. This is NOT a typical hostage situation. This isn't a question of the ethics of dealing with terrorists; this is a question of saving the galaxy. I do not, CANNOT buy that Sam would cave, especially when she knows it's just a matter of time.
SILER AND BILL LEE TOGETHER!!! ::squishes them::
"You did something to slow the download, didn't you?" Well, why didn't she? Just by reading the transcript, I wondered why she didn't, say, download the SGC's bootlegged version of Quake 7 (or whatever, I don't play video games). And when she's left alone with only one of them, why doesn't she fight back, or pull the plug, or something?
I love Sam. I hate when the writers give her stupid choices that don't fit her character. Grr.
I'm sorry, but Vala in charge of her group makes no sense. Nor does it make sense that she's even there. She's not yet a member of the SGC, she's unfamiliar with the territory, and she's not trained. Sigh.
Let me get this straight. Sam is locked in a storeroom full of supplies with a working computer console and she can't break out/wreak havoc/do anything? Why oh why do the writers leave such stupid plotholes?
Poor Barrett. I know he gets referenced as having recovered, but we never see him again, do we?
"I should never have given Ba'al that code." No, she shouldn't have. And the real Sam wouldn't have. Not when the stakes are so high, and at this point, they really were. I hate when the writers hand weapons to the Sam-haters.
"Under the circumstances, you did the right thing." I don't buy that, I really don't. Sigh. Can anyone convince me otherwise?
Bottom line: hate the Ba'als. Hate what this ep did to Sam. Precious little to redeem the ep. I need to go watch some classic SG-1, now.
redial_the_gate is more than halfway through S10 and I really want to actually, y'know, watch the entire series before the comm ends.When S10 was first airing, I wasn't enjoying it much. I did start liking it more as the season progressed, but I didn't care much for Cam and Vala and actively disliked Landry. (Still don't like Landry much at all, although I've enjoyed the way some fans write him.) So since I wasn't home when Insiders and Uninvited first aired and I had no online access, I didn't make a particular effort to watch them. I knew Daniel wouldn't be there, and the transcripts left me really cold. On the other hand, even the worst eps (Family Ties, I'm looking at you) have at least one redeeming scene, so... :)
I've pulled out my DVDs, and here is Insiders. I go into this knowing that the Ba'al storyline (which I HATE) pops up again, that Barrett shows up and Sam caves, and that the redeeming scene is most likely Vala trying to arm-wrestle Teal'c. No proper review, just my reactions whenever I hit the pause button. Onwards!
The Fifth Race in the previouslies! Impressive, going all the way back to S2. Not sure why, though.
Vala sprawled in her chair, in jeans, totally bored. Hee. (She's still not an official member, so no BDUs, I guess.)
WAIT WAIT WAIT. NORAD is now in the know regarding alkeshes? Why are we so casual about this? Is this part of the S8 and onwards attitude of, "The Stargate isn't a secret anymore and we're not even pretending"?
Why is SG-1 "on it" when it comes to intercepting damaged alkeshes?
Nice jeep/mini-van (I don't know cars well). Hard to imagine Teal'c not claiming shotgun. :)
Now, see? SEE? THIS MAN IS NOT A GOA'ULD. No phlanged voice. Minor injury that doesn't immediately heal. No sneering, no arrogance. Did I mention I hate the six-pack-o'-Ba'als storyline? (Thank you for that term, Aurora.)
Hold on a sec. This is the first time Vala is meeting Ba'al, right? At least, since her Qetesh days? Why no reaction?
Continuity is always a plus - yay for blocking beaming tech! Although considering the way Thor used to beam up Jack every time he wanted to host an official meeting of the Jack O'Neill Fan Club, you'd think they would've figured that one out BEFORE the Gate was stolen. Also, it makes me kinda wonder how Daniel has no trouble beaming Woolsey down and Jack up to the ship later this season...
"That would make all of us." Hee hee. Although I'm surprised that Teal'c turns his back on Ba'al, even in these circumstances. Yes, it shows contempt, but Teal'c is too cautious for that.
So, every clone claims to be the original, right? Wouldn't the very existence of this one's chip suggest he's a clone too? And why is Sam giving him valuable info like this?
What am I missing here? Why can't they get kill the clones (yay) get the info and then kill this Ba'al too (double yay)? Because in terms of "honorable," the SGC left it behind somewhere around S9, when they took that memory device despite the ethical problems involved.
I'm sorry I know, watching this, that Barrett is somehow brainwashed. Because he's always been the honest, non-corrupted face of the NID, and he comes across as so reasonable here. Also, it makes me dislike Landry even more, which probably isn't fair, but there it is. :)
Oh, I remember being so taken by this exchange when I read the transcript:
"No, I know I can't control her, but that's pretty much par for the course. Sir -- Carter and I are the same rank, Teal'c's an alien, Jackson's a civilian. I learned a long time ago: I don't control anything."
Because that's very true, isn't it? There's no real leader on SG-1 anymore. That's what we needed in Jack. Even Sam in S8 wasn't so much in command so much as Teal'c and Daniel deferred to her -- can anyone cite a scene from S8 when Sam asserted command and got Teal'c or Daniel to do something they really didn't want to do? I'm not saying this to put down Sam or even Mitchell here. I'm saying it because that was Jack's very crucial role -- he made a team into team. And it's something that's sadly lacking, and the characters and show suffer from its lack.
Vala's plan is actually a good one. Not only does it get them on board, but it also reduces the number of people they'll have to face.
BUT.
She couldn't tell the others... why? And now the ship is alerted too, with a good chance of the team meeting whoever was manning the controls to send the reinforcements. Not to mention that if the rings were covered with dead grass, they haven't been used before, so why would reinforcements suddenly come through there now?
OTOH, really neat staging as we see the team vanish and the Jaffa right there, next second.
WHY is Vala taking point? Has someone taught her hand signals? Argh.
One big YAY for a Goa'ulded voice from this Ba'al. One big rolling of eyes that the Goa'uld is the only one who notices the the thing rolling into the room. Should've been a Jaffa who noticed it, yelled Kree! and fired a staff weapon at it. Which would've set it off, yeah, but would've made much more sense.
Okay, I know it would've cost a lot more from the make-up department, but I do wish they'd given the Ba'als different hairstyles/beards. SOMETHING. Although I admit it's kinda fun to see Ba'al reduced to prison drab. :)
Bechdel test, whee! I like nameless!scientist. I wish we got more of this. Don't get me wrong, I love every glimpse of Bill Lee we get, but COMPETENCE. It's one of my hot buttons. The more competent personnel we see, the better.
I miss the old wormhole effect. Sigh.
Wait a minute. Why are all the Ba'al clones strutting around in the same outlandish outfits, with only minor changes? Where's that Goa'uld sense of arrogance with extra gold braid? They should each be wearing something else, more gaudy than the rest. Guess they couldn't spring for extra costumes cost and more than extra make-up costs.
I like Walter being so diplomatic. Oh, yes, sir, very funny. Heh heh.
Hasn't the IOA more or less taken over by now? Odd to see the NID so helpless here.
Eye-flash. "That's better." Heh. And Cam getting in his face. I like this scene. See? This is why transcripts don't really do episodes justice.
That view of Ba'al's lunch reminded me of Jack's "tuna torture."
Oh, VALA. Sleeveless so can you vamp. And yes, I'm supposed to believe there's a Goa'uld with superhuman strength in that little confrontation? And that Vala really expects Ba'al to believe she can spill secrets in front of a recording security camera?
If we can have competent personnel doing DNA matches, why can't we also have competent personnel other than SG-1 running the investigation? Or, if they don't want to waste screen time with unknowns, at least reference the idea?
If I hadn't know there was something wrong with Barrett before this, that stupidly insane accusation of "this is about us" would've screamed it from the rooftops. What "us", for crying out loud? Barrett is one of the few recurring regulars with whom Sam had a professional, intelligent relationship that had nothing to do with any kind of "us," and I liked it that way!
The SF that Barrett confronts -- is he the same one that Jack pranks with the dog in his truck in the non-existent invisible ep in 200?
What kind of Goa'uldy mantra is Ba'al supposed to be doing in that odd kneeling position? Just wondering.
Oh, that little bit of arm-wrestling! For the win. Teal'c totally impassive and not even paying attention, Vala getting some feeling back in her fingers afterwards. Whee!
No way to flood the levels with sleeping gas or something?
I absolutely CANNOT see one Ba'al accepting orders from another. Or, for that matter, not changing out of prison drab as soon as possible. Just sayin'.
Ah, so they do have ways to flood the levels. Good.
I am so utterly charmed at Barrett's skewed tie. Don't ask me why. Although Sam's quicker recovery from the zat and Ba'al's apparent expectation she would be awake? Um... The protein marker helps with zat blasts, not just tranquilizers. Yeah, that's it. ::handwave, handwave::
I have to say, if I'd seen that scene with Sam surrounded by Ba'als looming over here before that scene in Quest 2 when she decked him, I'd've cheered even more loudly. :D
No, no, no. Absolutely CANNOT see a Ba'al walking the permiter. This is why the stupid clone storyline doesn't work.
I really feel disappointed on Teal'c's behalf that he didn't get to kill that one.
"But I will kill the other hostages." SO. WHAT.
See, this is the problem with this kind of storyline: Sam has faced this problem, over and over and over again over the years. And until S9-10 it hasn't worked. Daniel on board a ship that they need to blow up? Do it. Leave a completely innocent civilian behind to save the world from forced sterilization? Do it. Every single person that is a hostage here -- yes, even Barrett, who is a civilian too -- signed up for the dangers and walked into them open-eyed. This is NOT a typical hostage situation. This isn't a question of the ethics of dealing with terrorists; this is a question of saving the galaxy. I do not, CANNOT buy that Sam would cave, especially when she knows it's just a matter of time.
SILER AND BILL LEE TOGETHER!!! ::squishes them::
"You did something to slow the download, didn't you?" Well, why didn't she? Just by reading the transcript, I wondered why she didn't, say, download the SGC's bootlegged version of Quake 7 (or whatever, I don't play video games). And when she's left alone with only one of them, why doesn't she fight back, or pull the plug, or something?
I love Sam. I hate when the writers give her stupid choices that don't fit her character. Grr.
I'm sorry, but Vala in charge of her group makes no sense. Nor does it make sense that she's even there. She's not yet a member of the SGC, she's unfamiliar with the territory, and she's not trained. Sigh.
Let me get this straight. Sam is locked in a storeroom full of supplies with a working computer console and she can't break out/wreak havoc/do anything? Why oh why do the writers leave such stupid plotholes?
Poor Barrett. I know he gets referenced as having recovered, but we never see him again, do we?
"I should never have given Ba'al that code." No, she shouldn't have. And the real Sam wouldn't have. Not when the stakes are so high, and at this point, they really were. I hate when the writers hand weapons to the Sam-haters.
"Under the circumstances, you did the right thing." I don't buy that, I really don't. Sigh. Can anyone convince me otherwise?
Bottom line: hate the Ba'als. Hate what this ep did to Sam. Precious little to redeem the ep. I need to go watch some classic SG-1, now.
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...Well, perhaps not worst. The writers have a reverse sort of talent in that respect.
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Er, yeah. Sorry for the rant. Felt good, though. :D
::wanders off to check rec list for good Sam rereads::
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I like Cam and Vala just fine. I just don't find that getting a chance to watch them makes up for the huge plot holes, the missed chances, and the OOC moments.
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I've grown to... well, maybe not like Cam and Vala onscreen so much as tolerate them. I like the fandom versions of Cam and Vala, and I like many of the later S10 eps. But it's just not classic SG-1.
I'm happy for those who like it, though. And I'm looking foward to Cam Alphabet Soup. :D
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Yes, this exactly.