The Powers That Be
This is a much better episode than last week’s.1 It’s all Vala Vala Vala again but this time there’s more Daniel, an interesting plot and advancement of the season’s arc. SG-1 being concerned about the Priors, accept Vala’s suggestion to go a planet to meet one of the many Prior who keep turning up in our galaxy. She picks a backwater planet where she just so happened to rule as a god when she was a Goa’uld. These people haven’t heard of the Jaffa revolution so Vala intends to confront the Prior as the god of the planet. Daniel convinces her to come clean to the villagers about the Goa’uld being false gods thing so they throw Vala in prison. During Vala’s trial the Prior shows up and Daniel debates with him about religion. Daniel argues on humanitarian grounds and the Prior uses the time honoured debating tactic of pestilence.2
This episode came as a big relief after the previous’s ramblings. The plot is much more thought through and shows more about Vala than the last episode did. Meeting multiple shady people from Vala’s past adds little to her character; her history of ruling the planet and attempts to heal the population reveal much about her and we see how she could fit into SG-1 on a permanent basis.3 The writers obviously have plenty of material for her.
There is much more for Daniel to work with too. He has an excellent debate with the Prior which shows why he is such a useful member of SG-1 and certain other people aren’t.4 It is a chance for him to do debate about the philosophy of a culture, something he hasn’t really done since the first few seasons. It is a welcome return to his earlier roots and shows what a well rounded character he has become. I loved the Prior’s final remark to Daniel before he left.
I was concerned about General Landry and Dr Lam’s relationship. It turned out to be the more favourable of the two possibilites. This leaves open the potential of a Dr Lam/Mitchell relationship which I keep seeing hints of.
The plot twists more than an average SG-1 storyline. Usually the main problem for the team is known at the start but this episode changes half an hour in with the arrival of the plague. This is especially welcome after last week’s entire episode of continual fetch and carry quests. The Priors and the Ori are becoming a very interesting bad guy. I’m really liking this arc now. The Ori are closer to gods than Goa’uld and don’t treat their worshipers as poorly. They are harder to confront ideologically.
Hopefully we’ll be getting more of these caliber episodes and less of the ones like last week without the Ori. Hallowed are the Ori.
- Which I haven’t reviewed yet. But I will at some point. Most likely. ↩
- Something Jackson and I used to do in the school debating team. ↩
- If only. Sam gets back next episode. ↩
- Did I mention that Sam’s back next episode? ↩
Tom
October 7th, 2005 at 9:08 am
Once again a subtle theme runs through your review which eludes me. I’m storing up my irritation at the Vala/Sam switcheroo for the comments on the next episode.
This episode was very reassuring. The Ori are indeed an interesting villain but so far only a very abstract one; the next episode does something to fix this but I still reckon they could do with some sort of huge violence-doing machine/person/machine-person.
Shannon
October 8th, 2005 at 2:15 am
Are you both barking mad?! You actually LIKE this whole Prior nonesense? They are the worst bad guys in the history of television! They’re completely lame. Granted, the writers have been working up the whole ‘why we should fear them’ thing, but they are just BORING. They do nothing. Oooh scary white scaly make-up. How exciting. There’s no tension in any of the ‘oh dear its a prior’ scenes. I realise this is why you might think they are intersting, cos its a new TYPE of bad, but its bad.. bad. Its just bad. There is no tension, no suspense, no interest, no threatening feel.. they are just overly dramatic and overdone. If Jack were around he’d be making jokes about bad cliches. I guess I cant pinpoint really what it is that makes the Priors so gaddam crap. The couldn’t interest me any less. They’re just.. bad. So there. Hah.
Tom
October 9th, 2005 at 5:56 am
Okey dokey, where to begin?
I think the Ori are an excellent method of avoiding the ‘Glory Syndrome’ whereby a super powerful baddy is introduced and then does nothing for ages. They’re a long way away, and their threat increases slowly. I like that. They were rather dull in their first few episodes, but they’re a bit more interesting now. You’ve got to give Daniel someone to debate, that’s his role on the team, and sometimes it’s all that stops this show from being crummy and gung-ho.
I thought there was a certain amount of tension here; I honestly didn’t know how they were going to get out of the problem. And then SG-1 lost which was nice and refreshing.
If you’re not threatened by people who can (attempt to) extend a stargate into a massive floating in space super-stargate then I don’t know what will threaten you. They’re a bit over the top at times, these priors, but then as they’re clearly inspired (at least in part) by televangelists and the like, I think it’s appropriate.
I do think they need a more interesting figurehead though, for later in the season. And certain people who may or may not have been converted in the most recent episode don’t count as “more interesting”. Someone above Prior-level.
Shannon
October 10th, 2005 at 2:36 pm
This sentence was added later, by Tom.
Garrack becoming a Prior is going to become their main sticking point, I bet. He’s going to be the uber baddy and I didnt like him to begin with. Thats another thing that really bugs me about this season, those stupid free jaffa. Its all so real and mundane that they have won their freedom and now are struggling to govern themselves and keep the race together.
Hang on I’m too tired to start this debate right now, my mind keeps wandering off.. Im passionate, grr, Im just sleeeeeepyMore later
Tom
October 10th, 2005 at 10:31 pm
Incidentally, whilst spoilers are expected and encouraged in these threads, if we could phrase our comments so we don’t manage to get them onto the front page that’d be awesome.
I found Gerak and the Jaffa politics pretty dull too, especially when it was just Teal’c summarising it all for Mitchell. But I did like Gerak just a little in ‘The Fourth Horseman, Part One’ before he got all converted. However, because it has been my least favourite part of the season, I’m deliberately not assuming that it’s going to be the point. For all we know Gerak could get killed next episode. Though, probably not. I’m sure the politics will at the very least turn to violence quite soon.
Andy
October 11th, 2005 at 12:49 am
Vala and Dr Lam have lesbian sex. Ok so that’s not a bit true but it might attract some hits for our site. Perhaps a laser at ankle level in front of the stargate so when the priors walk through their feet get chopped off.
I’d like to see the writers put more effort into the council scenes. I’m sure they could be more engaging and do something interesting with the free jaffa.
Tom
October 11th, 2005 at 1:07 am
I’m always expecting that curly haired female Jaffa council member to do something interesting but she never does. The Jaffa council meetings are the sort that need someone interesting to waltz in, disrupt and rant at the stupid buggers, but I think they’d probably just have another meeting about it if that happened. All the cast seem to think that the Gerak actor is awesome but he could have done with a truckload more charisma to make him seem a likely leader. He’s playing it too gruff. Was playing.
I was going to ask how many Mitchell-Lam hints you’ve spotted Andy but you’ve distracted me with this hot lesbian action. Shall we take bets on how long it is before someone searches for “vala lam lesbian”? I noticed Mitchell has been touchy about people making suggestive comments about Dr Lam, but was this the ep where he made some comment about being tingly? I wasn’t sure if it was a come-on or random dialogue.
Shannon
October 19th, 2005 at 2:57 am
Terribly sorry about my first line spoiler. I forgot they went on the front page too. I’ll try and be more careful.
Wow this one is going to sound like an interesting post now in its tagline…
Anyway, I dont even remember any Mitchell/Lam stuff. I must have been asleep in those parts too. A bit of sexual tension can never hurt.. so long as something actually eventuates. I’m of the breed that likes when characters get together, unlike you silly smucks who seem to prefer the tension being unbroken. I bet you didnt want Mulder and Scully together either.
I dont really like Lam much. Not because she’s a dull character, but more because I think I wouln’t like a character like hers in real life. She’d shit me. Too bitter. Also, we seem to have hit the same irritating snag that TV always does – in that the one doctor does everything. She’s a neuro specialist, plus a surgoen, plus a GP, and thats only so far. Over on channel 10 the House doctors all have about 15 specialties each that I have counted so far. Collectivly about 150 years of study between them. I wonder if they might come up with some science-fiction reason why Dr Lam has qualifications that would have taken her around 50 years to get, when she doesnt even look 40. It was that time loop back in Window of Opportunity. Got stuck on her for a couple of decades.
Next thing, I keep expecting that female council lady to be significant too. Maybe there is still time. I am suspecting that she will betray Garrack and the council or whatever and side with the reason of the dreamy earthling daniel jackson.
Have they asked the Asgard about the Priors yet? Or is that too expensive (CGI beings that they are, and all..). Its not like they have to pay another actor.
Ok we’ve reached the end of my attention span again.
Jack
October 20th, 2005 at 12:09 pm
I’m sure the Asgard will show up. In fairness to them, they are in a different galaxy and have been trashed by the replicators. They obviously haven’t made their yearly visit to Earth to see how things are going. They’d just whinge about being overly stretched anyway.
Tom
October 25th, 2005 at 5:53 am
This just in…
If it means a season of Vala then I’m happy.