Thursday, December 22, 2011

Stargate SG-1, Season 4, Episode 17


"Absolute Power"
images used above are courtesy of Gateworld and MGM

Episode Rating:  Very Good

Commentary by:
Robert Cooper -- co-Executive Producer, Writer
Peter DeLuise -- Director

The commentary is very informative, and interesting.  Lots of behind the scene information.

Review:
SG-1 is on Abydos meeting with Kasuf (“Forever in a Day”), Sha’re’s father.  Strange things are happening in the desert.  Odd wind events, and the disembodied whispering of Sha’re’s name.  The source of the disturbances reveals itself to SG-1.  It is Shifu, the Harcesis born in “Secrets.”  At some point in his brief life, nanites like the ones that induced aging in “Brief Candle” were used in Shifu, so he now looks like a ten year old, instead of an enfant.  SG-1 takes him back to SGC.  Shifu was raised by the powerful alien Oma (“Maternal Instinct”).  He learned many things from Oma, including how to quash his Goa’uld memories.  SGC wants to access the Goa’uld knowledge that is part of Shifu.  However, that means Shifu would have to unlock the repressed Goa’uld evil tendencies, along with the knowledge.  Instead, he zaps the repressed Goa’uld knowledge into Daniel.

Knocked unconscious by the zap, Daniel awakens in the SGC infirmary, with the Goa’uld information unfolding in his mind.  Daniel creates marvelous new inventions to protect the Earth from the Goa’uld.  He also begins to show some unsavory behavior, and have very Goa’uld-ish thoughts.  As time passes, Daniel negotiates using the Goa’uld information zapped into his mind in exchange for a position allowing him to influence major decisions about Earth’s future.  Earth is safe from a Goa’uld attack, but at a terrifying cost.

The story is interesting, as Daniel changes but the rest of the Stargate SG-1 world remains the same.  Everything is done well, from acting, to sets, to dialog.  There is a twist ending, however it adds to the overall story arc of the episode, rather than detracting from it.

Failures:
When, and how, the nanites got into Shifu is sketchy.

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