Monday, October 31, 2011

Stargate SG-1, Season 3, Episode 20


"Maternal Instinct"
images used above are courtesy of Gateworld and MGM

Overall Rating:  Good

Bra’tac gates from Chulak to SGC.  He brings news -- Apophis attacked Chulak.  Apophis’ survival, revealed to the viewing audience at the end of “The Devil You Know,” is unwelcome news for SGC.  The attack seems retaliatory against Jaffa who are no longer loyal to Apophis, and instead side with Teal’c’s rebellion.  Goa’ulds are not above wiping out everyone in order to destroy a few enemies.  Bra’tac and Teal’c realize that Apophis’ tactics in attacking Chulak involved more than just destruction.  Apophis was searching Chulak for the Harcesis.

No one knows the exact location where Amonet hid the child.  Daniel knows the name of the hiding place, Keb (“Forever in a Day”), however he does not know Keb’s location.  But, Bra’tac does.  The Goa’uld fear Keb, a legendary location where elderly Jaffa used to go when they could no longer carry a symbiote.  After some extrapolation, research, and good old fashion guess work, the probable stargate address for Keb is discovered.  SG-1, and Bra’tac, gate to the address.  SG-1 to search for the Harcesis child, and Bra’tac, the weary warrior, searches for his final resting place.

Although the Harcesis is the catalyst for the events in this episode, the first half of the show primarily concerns Bra’tac.  The second half relates primarily to Daniel.  Anderson is in great form as O’Neill during the second half of the episode.  The rest of the regular cast performs well.  The concept of ascension is introduced in this episode.

The promise of intrigue and suspense is strong early, but then much of the story’s momentum is lost during the middle of the show.  Things pick up again near the end, and result in a satisfying close to the episode.

Failures:
After everything that’s occurred since “Children of the Gods,” the Jaffa on Chulak still don’t seem to keep much of a guard on their stargate.

Daniel learned about Amonet hiding the Harcesis on Keb during “Forever in a Day.”  When, and how, did Apophis learn that Amonet hid the child on Keb?

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