Stargate SG-1 9.1: "Avalon: Part I"

Written by Robert C. Cooper
Directed by Andy Mitika

In which Lt. Col. Cameron Mitchell is assigned to lead SG-1, but he is less than pleased when he finds the original team dissolved, especially when an old adversary comes calling…


As I was watching this season premiere, I was struck by the overwhelming touch of the familiar. It wasn’t just the return of a certain energy to the storytelling. It wasn’t just the welcome return of Ben Browder and Claudia Black to my television screen. It was the feeling that I had during the eighth season of “X-Files”, when the producers sought to continue that series once David Duchovny decided he was done with the show.

Robert Patrick was brought in as a new character (John Doggett) and immediately the fandom was fractured into two warring camps: those who wanted the series to end without Duchovny, and those who wanted to see where the writers could take things with a new character in the mix. The ratings took a predictable drop, and even now, the overwhelming opinion is that it was a mistake. Yet that masks something that many fans have since discovered on their own: the final seasons of “X-Files” were hardly the universal horribleness that some Duchovny adherents insisted.

There will inevitably be those who bemoan the fact that Jack O’Neill is no longer a mainstay of the series. True, he was the heart of the team for several seasons, but it’s been a while since he’s been truly a presence. He was reduced to a few snide (often lame) comments here and there, and at times, he was visibly bored. Browder looks anything but bored, and he has an equally strong comedic pedigree. If this episode is any indication, he understands the series’ inherent mixture of the serious and self-aware absurd and plays it to the hilt. There are shades of John Crichton in Mitchell, but the characters are distinct enough to allow the familiar to inform the unique.

Vala, however, is a more troubling character. Claudia Black certainly plays the character with relish, and it’s clear that she enjoys being sexy without apology. The corseted wardrobe definitely doesn’t hurt! But she sometimes plays the character too over the top, crossing the line that her initial appearance tred so carefully. Given how serious the episode was at the beginning, Vala’s antics brought the episode back towards the hilarity a bit too quickly. It’s still a lot of fun to see Claudia again, though, and she serves the necessary purpose of driving characters who were logically growing apart back onto the team.

Speaking of that necessity, I love the fact that the team is split up when the episode begins. It would strain credibility beyond all measure for the end of the eighth season to not result in a fractured team. It’s perfect to begin with the new commander and the new general. It’s still a hard break from the old regime, but it avoids the cliché of “passing the torch”. Landry is thankfully very different from Hammond or O’Neill. I’m still not sure what I think of him, but I didn’t immediately hate his guts, so it’s a better start that I was expecting!

With all the focus on the new characters, it’s almost jarring when Daniel and T’ealc return to the story. Daniel’s involvement is perhaps more logical, thanks to his character’s relationship with Vala; T’ealc feels like he was forced into the story. Amanda’s “delicate condition” thankfully makes her return a bit more protracted, giving the writers the chance to make that a more organic process. I’m not loving Daniel’s beard, but hey, it’s better than that thing that bonded to T’ealc’s chin a few seasons back!

As for the story itself: typically half-cheesy, especially the Merlin stuff. “Stargate” has always embraced its own inherent absurdity, reveling in the fact that the whole “mythological” motif was a bit over the top at times. Yet it makes perfect sense, within the context of the series, for Merlin to have been related to the Ancients and Avalon to have a real-world meaning. It can be goofy, but that’s part of the charm (at least for me!).

This is apparently the first part of a three part premiere, which means that there’s a lot still to be revealed. The writers are taking their time with things, and hopefully, I’m not the only one willing to see what they can so with fresh blood. As much as I admit that “SG-1” has always been about a core team of people, the series has enough legs to it to bring in new cast members and still survive. Unless, of course, the fans aren’t willing to go along for the ride.

Writing: 2/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 2/4

Final Rating: 8/10