Stargate SG-1, Season 7, Episode 15

"Chimera"

images used above are courtesy of Gateworld and MGM

Overall Rating:  Very Good

Commentary by:

Will Waring — Director
Peter F. Woeste — Director of Photography
Damian Kindler — Writer

The commentary is informative and interesting.   It starts after the “previously on” segment.  The commentary stays on point with what is on screen.

Review:  

The episode opens with Daniel in a sunny apartment stuffed chock-a-block full of small “a” ancient artifacts.  Dr. Sarah Gardener is also there.  Hold on a minute.  The Goa’uld Osiris infested Sarah in “The Curse.”  Oh, wait.  Now we see Daniel asleep in his home during the night, with something that looks like the memory recall device Anubis used on Jonas Quinn in “Homecoming” stuck on his head, and Osiris is sitting nearby.  A Goa'uld specifically targeting Daniel, rather than, you know, devastating Earth.  Something nefarious is afoot.

In the next scene, we learn that Sam has a boyfriend.  His name is Pete Shanahan and he is a police detective.  Pete does not know about the stargate program.  The two enjoy their time together.  The next night, Daniel continues having happy (”G” rated happy) dreams about Sarah, not knowing that for some reason Osiris is involved in his having these specific dreams.

Pete is not buying Sam’s excuses about her work.  He exhibits some very creepy stalker behavior by using his connections in the police department to check Carter’s background.  Ew.  Sam, unaware of Pete’s “worthy of a restraining order and a face full of pepper spray” goings on, is concerned with how to balance being close to someone while having to lie about her job.  Meanwhile, it turns out that Osiris is manipulating Daniel’s mind in order to get information about the Ancient’s Lost City (”Fallen”).

Osiris goes off script with Sarah's behavior, and Daniel becomes suspicious.  He begins to think something else is happening, not just memory bits from his time as an Ascended being worked out while he sleeps.  Daniel has been talking about his dreams with his SG-1 teammates.  Teal’c mentions that the Goa’uld have technology that will explore a person’s memory.  Well, yes.  Osiris is on team Anubis, and as mentioned, there's what happened to Quinn in “Homecoming.”  They figure Osiris is on Earth.

Pete continues creeping on Sam, including secretly following her.  SGC sets a trap for Osiris.

Anna-Louise Plowman returns as Dr. Sarah Gardener/Osiris (”Revelations”).  Ms. Plowman's portrayal of Osiris is a favorite of mine, as she captures the arrogance and ruthlessness of an ex-System Lord Goa’uld in a delightful mix.  David DeLuise (brother of Peter DeLuise who directed a number of Stargate SG-1 episodes) as Pete Shanahan.  Both actors do a fine job, as does the regular cast.

Failures:

Sam Carter continues to get done wrong by writers when it comes to romance.  At least this time it isn’t a “love at first sight” alien.  But, it is someone who is comfortable exhibiting some very sketchy, and likely illegal, behavior towards her.  I think Sam could do, and deserves, better.

Daniel doubts his dreams because Sarah is nice about a situation in a dream that made her angry in real life.  Since he still thinks it’s all a dream, why would that make him so suspicious?