Stargate SG-1, Season 4, Episode 11

"Point of No Return"

images used above are courtesy of Gateworld and MGM

Episode Rating:  Excellent

Commentary by:
William Gereghty -- Director
Jim Menard -- Director of Photography
Joseph Mallozzi -- Co-Writer
Paul Mullie -- Co-Writer

The commentary is very informative, and interesting.  Lots of behind the scene information.  The commentary stays on point with what is on screen.

Review:
At SGC, General Hammond calls a meeting with SG-1.  He plays an audio recording of a telephone call made to the SGC base switchboard.  The caller, whose name is Martin, knows O’Neill’s name, and after an amusing diatribe about various conspiracy theories, Martin displays knowledge about the stargate program.  He wants to meet with O’Neill.  General Hammond assigns SG-1 the task of discovering who Martin is, and how he knows about the stargate.  Thus begins one of the most entertaining episodes of Stargate SG-1.

O’Neill meets with Martin.  Martin is a hard-core conspiracy theorist.  He is delightfully earnest in his beliefs, and delightfully inept in his attempts to avoid detection.  Martin also believes he is from outer space, and wants to go through the stargate in order to return to his home world.  So far, the evidence supports Martin being a little nutty, and of Earth origin.  However, there is still the question of how he knows about the stargate.

Initially, the only proof is that Martin is a neurotic nerd, with a penchant for drama.  Before SG-1's investigation can shift to finding an information leak at SGC, mysterious men begin to run interference on the investigation.  Martin may be living in a world of make believe, but the men trying to throw SG-1 off the trail are real, and dangerous.  SG-1 must decipher facts from fictions, and find out who the unidentified men are, and how Martin knows of the stargate.

Willie Garson is Martin, and presents a completely wonderful portrayal.  Martin carries the episode.  O’Neill and Teal’c are the primary characters interacting with Martin.  Anderson and Judge are fantastic in their parts.  The episode is rife with humor.  There are dramatic aspects to the story, however those parts are secondary to the humor.

Failures:
None.