Stargate: SG-1 10.4: "Insiders"
Written by Alan McCullough
Directed by Peter Woeste
Coming off the best episode of the season, I was a little wary of this latest installment. For one thing, Daniel was nowhere to be seen, and given that my favorite parts of “The Pegasus Project” involved his character, I was worried that there would be a letdown on those plot points. The second problem was the episode’s focus. I hated the idea of the Ba’al clones in the ninth season, and so a return to that concept in this episode wasn’t something I met with anticipation.
I suppose that my first fear was a wash. Daniel wasn’t in the episode at all, but the plot points were front and center, and the season arc continues to get plenty of exposure in each new episode. This was all about finding Merlin’s weapon and further complicating the information that Morgan LeFay provided, and that was promising. Sure, we’re still firmly in “Lost City Retread” territory, but I’m still finding elements to enjoy. So the lack of Daniel didn’t result in a loss of focus.
On the second point, I was far less impressed. The SGC has dealt with Ba’al enough that they ought to know better than to take anything for granted. On several occasions in this episode, they let their guard down, missing information or implications that were obvious to most of the audience. This is one thing that annoys me to no end: when writers intentionally make their brilliant characters stupid or gullible to facilitate a plot hook. Ba’al and his clones succeeded because the SGC overlooked the obvious, not because the scheme was particularly clever.
For example, the SGC personnel already know that the Trust has been taken over by Goa’uld and has a great deal of influence. They know that Ba’al is looking to stake his own claim and build an empire. Given the connections between the NID and the Trust, why wouldn’t they be watching Barrett like a hawk? Especially when he starts acting like a maniac. They know that Ba’al was using mind control techniques in the past, and they know he’s up to something. Why wouldn’t they place heavy restrictions on access and place layered security protocols on the prisoners? It was far too easy for Barrett to get to Ba’al, which was a key element of Ba’al’s plan.
I suppose this could be overlooked, considering that every series will eventually have a character act a certain way when the script simply won’t allow for anything else, but it was hardly the only offense. I was also bothered by the portrayal of the Ba’als in this episode. Some villains are best used in small doses; Cancer Man was arguably more potent in early seasons of the “X-Files”, as opposed to later seasons where his presence was more centralized. Too many Ba’als can be a problem, especially since the actor had trouble delivering some lines convincingly.
Having fallen into the same trap as the writers, I must mention that one of the downsides of the episode was the constant use of “Ba’als” as a punchline. Yes, it’s funny, but it also got to be a little strained, especially when the situation became serious in the final act. Since I already found the whole “Ba’al and his Clones” plot thread to be ridiculous, it didn’t help for the characters themselves to mock the idea.
(As a sidenote: I also have a podcast associated with my various reviews called “Dispatches from Tuzenor”. Recent episodes cover the “Stargate SG-1”, so it might be something of interest. Go to http://entil2001.libsyn.com if you want to listen!)
Writing: 1/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 2/4
Final Rating: 7/10
Directed by Peter Woeste
Coming off the best episode of the season, I was a little wary of this latest installment. For one thing, Daniel was nowhere to be seen, and given that my favorite parts of “The Pegasus Project” involved his character, I was worried that there would be a letdown on those plot points. The second problem was the episode’s focus. I hated the idea of the Ba’al clones in the ninth season, and so a return to that concept in this episode wasn’t something I met with anticipation.
I suppose that my first fear was a wash. Daniel wasn’t in the episode at all, but the plot points were front and center, and the season arc continues to get plenty of exposure in each new episode. This was all about finding Merlin’s weapon and further complicating the information that Morgan LeFay provided, and that was promising. Sure, we’re still firmly in “Lost City Retread” territory, but I’m still finding elements to enjoy. So the lack of Daniel didn’t result in a loss of focus.
On the second point, I was far less impressed. The SGC has dealt with Ba’al enough that they ought to know better than to take anything for granted. On several occasions in this episode, they let their guard down, missing information or implications that were obvious to most of the audience. This is one thing that annoys me to no end: when writers intentionally make their brilliant characters stupid or gullible to facilitate a plot hook. Ba’al and his clones succeeded because the SGC overlooked the obvious, not because the scheme was particularly clever.
For example, the SGC personnel already know that the Trust has been taken over by Goa’uld and has a great deal of influence. They know that Ba’al is looking to stake his own claim and build an empire. Given the connections between the NID and the Trust, why wouldn’t they be watching Barrett like a hawk? Especially when he starts acting like a maniac. They know that Ba’al was using mind control techniques in the past, and they know he’s up to something. Why wouldn’t they place heavy restrictions on access and place layered security protocols on the prisoners? It was far too easy for Barrett to get to Ba’al, which was a key element of Ba’al’s plan.
I suppose this could be overlooked, considering that every series will eventually have a character act a certain way when the script simply won’t allow for anything else, but it was hardly the only offense. I was also bothered by the portrayal of the Ba’als in this episode. Some villains are best used in small doses; Cancer Man was arguably more potent in early seasons of the “X-Files”, as opposed to later seasons where his presence was more centralized. Too many Ba’als can be a problem, especially since the actor had trouble delivering some lines convincingly.
Having fallen into the same trap as the writers, I must mention that one of the downsides of the episode was the constant use of “Ba’als” as a punchline. Yes, it’s funny, but it also got to be a little strained, especially when the situation became serious in the final act. Since I already found the whole “Ba’al and his Clones” plot thread to be ridiculous, it didn’t help for the characters themselves to mock the idea.
(As a sidenote: I also have a podcast associated with my various reviews called “Dispatches from Tuzenor”. Recent episodes cover the “Stargate SG-1”, so it might be something of interest. Go to http://entil2001.libsyn.com if you want to listen!)
Writing: 1/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 2/4
Final Rating: 7/10
posted by John Keegan | 16:51
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