Stargate SG-1, Season 7, Episode 4

  "Orpheus"

images used above are courtesy of Gateworld and MGM

Overall Rating:  Very Good

Commentary by:

Peter DeLuise – Director
Peter F. Woeste – Director of Photography

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 is prepared as SG-1 fights their way through enemy Jaffa off world, and to the stargate.  The gate room is set, with a fully armed and ready for combat defense team.  SG-1 makes it through the gate, but so does one enemy Jaffa, who gets a shot off from his staff weapon before being taken down by the SGC defenders.  The staff blast hits Teal’c, and he collapses.  Some time later, Teal’c regains consciousness in the sick bay.  Dr. Fraiser has tended Teal’c’s wound, and gives him a dose of tretonin (”The Changeling”).  The injury would have been a fatal if Teal’c still had a symbiote, instead of being on tretonin.  As it is, Teal’c’s injury is still significant.  It will take time for Teal’c to heal up.

Although I don’t know how much real time has passed in the show, Teal’c has only been on tretonin for the last six episodes of SG-1 before this one.  And this is his first serious injury since no longer having a symbiote.  Jaffa are all about strength and fighting skill, and Teal’c is all about being a Jaffa.  Unsurprisingly, Teal’c is concerned that he will no longer be a real Jaffa, or of use to SG-1, after this injury.

While Teal’c is recovering, Daniel begins to faintly hearing Rya’c ("Redemption: Part 2") calling out in distress.  Despite years of experiencing the unusual during his time with SGC, Daniel initially dismisses what he heard.  Instead, Daniel focuses on trying to remember his time as an Ascended being.  Teal’c recovers, physically if not mentally, and Daniel rummages through SGC stargate logs to see if something sparks his memory of being Ascended.  One SG-1 team member ponders his future, and another team member searches for memories of his past.

Although medically released by Dr. Fraiser, Teal’c does not think he is fit for duty.  While still stronger, with more stamina, than a human, Teal’c has secretly thought that he was “less than” since going on tretonin.  Kek — a Jaffa word for both death and weakness is where Teal’c’s mindset is stuck.  O’Neill pretty much tells Teal’c to get over it.  Not out of meanness, but because in O’Neill’s experience one can hold a door open for someone, but they have to walk through it on their own.

Daniel Jackson wants to do more for Teal’c and continues to try and help Teal’c get his self-confidence back.  One method is using kelno’reem, a method of meditation and rest used by Jaffa with symbiotes instead of sleeping.  Being on tretonin means that Teal’c doesn’t need to kelno’reem.  But, something does come to Daniel when he and Teal’c give the meditation method a go.  A memory from Daniel’s time as an Ascended being resurfaces.  One involving Rya’c and Bra’tac.

In the present, Bra’tac ("The Changeling") and Rya’c are enslaved prisoners, along with other captured Free Jaffa, doing forced labor in a mining location for the System Lord Ba’al (”Homecoming”) on the planet Erebus.  Jaffa loyal to Ba’al oversee the slavery, and brutally punish any Free Jaffa who don’t work.  Based on information from Daniel’s resurfaced memories from his time as an Ascended being, SG-1, a couple of other SG teams, and Rak’nor (”Allegiance”) go to Erebus to free Bra’tac and Rya’c.  Things don’t go smoothly, resulting in Teal’c and Rak’nor being captured by Ba’al’s forces.

The rest of SG-1 and the accompanying SG teams try to figure out how to free their captured colleagues while faced with an overwhelming force of enemy Jaffa.  Meanwhile, Teal’c faces his fear that without a symbiote he is no longer of use to SGC, to the Free Jaffa, or to his son Rya'c.

This is an interesting episode that addresses an important aspect of the Jaffa society.  While tretonin is the best known way for Jaffa to overcome the Goa’ulds hold over them, tretonin is not a panacea for being without a symbiote.  It does maintain a Jaffa’s immune system, but tretonin does not promote fast healing like a symbiote does.  In this episode Teal’c expresses something that any Jaffa considering switching to tretonin likely thinks — with tretonin, am I still truly a Jaffa?

A big portion of this episode is carried by Christopher Judge’s performance, which he does very well.  The viewer is right there with Teal’c as his doubts surface about his future both with SG-1 and as a Jaffa.  Tony Amendola returns as Bra’tac, Obi Ndefo as Rak’nor, and Neil Denis as Rya’c.  Stargate SG-1 continues its wonderful practice of almost always keeping the same actors portraying their characters.  David Richmond-Peck portrays Ba’al’s Jaffa Commander at the Erebus mining site with an excellent balance of evilness without becoming a silly parody.  I always want to boo at the screen when his Jaffa character is shown.  Well done Mr. Richmond-Peck.  The regular cast does a great job with their characters, too.

Something that I think Stargate SG-1 excels at is scene lighting.  The skill of the people doing the lighting is on spectacular display in this episode.  My favorite being the one inside of a tent in the labor camp.  Despite being dimly lit, everyone in the scene is discernible, shown in a haunting way that exemplifies their feelings of despair in a seemingly hopeless situation.  It is all just so well done.

Failures:

Christopher Judge’s strong performance as Teal’c in crisis is offset at the end of the episode.  Not because of Mr. Judge’s acting, but because the story line is a bit predictable and mawkish by the end.