Stargate SG-1, Season 6, Episode 2

"Redemption, Part 2"

images used above are courtesy of Gateworld and MGM

Overall Rating:  Good

Commentary by:
Martin Wood -- Director
James Tichenor -- Visual Effects Producer

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

Review:
Continuing the events from “Redemption, Part 1,” with the failure of the X-302 as a means to contact the Asgard, the clock is ticking for Earth.  The energy build-up in the stargate continues.  Dr. Rodney McKay (“48 Hours”) is at SGC, working with (and against) Carter, and other scientists, to find a way to stop the impending explosion of the stargate.  Anubis revealed himself as the perpetrator of the latest attempt to destroy Earth.

Unknown to SGC, Teal’c and Bra’tac learn about Anubis’ attack on Earth, and they attempt to find, and stop, that Goa’uld.  Just two Free Jaffa against the might of Anubis’ Jaffa forces?  Of course not.  That would be silly.  Rya’c is going with them, so it is three Free Jaffa against the might of Anubis’ Jaffa forces.

Continuing the theme of redemption, Rya’c wants to prove himself a warrior to his father by accompanying him to stop Anubis.  Back at SGC, Jonas Quinn wants to redeem himself in O’Neill’s eyes, and work on his survivor’s guilt about Daniel.  After pushing a plan into action to stop the energy build-up in the stargate that fails, and leads to Carter being injured, Rodney McKay wants to redeem himself to Carter, sort of.  O’Neill does not have jack to redeem himself for, and is taking heroic measures to help save Earth.

While “Redemption, Part 2” is rife with adventure and suspense, it fails to maintain the quality level of the characters interactions and motivations in part one.  This episode lacks smooth transitions as individuals strive to redeem themselves for their real, or perceived, failings.  Instead, their redemptions take the form of grand acts whose successful completion is sketchy, or by pointing out the obvious to those folks around them.

All of the actors’ performances are fine.

Failures:
“Redemption Part 1” mixed character development with exciting action, and suspense.  In this episode, the character development is a distant second to the action.  I enjoy the action, and the special effects are phenomenal.  I think the handling of the characters seeking redemption in this episode is too glib, especially when compared to part one.

Stargate SG-1, Season 6, Episode 1

"Redemption, Part 1"

images used above are courtesy of Gateworld and MGM

Overall Rating:  Excellent

Commentary by:
Martin Wood -- Director
James Tichenor -- Visual Effects Producer

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

Review:
Three months after the events in "Meridian," SG-1 is off-world, running for the stargate, chased by a large number of the planet’s very angry inhabitants.  The team makes it back to SGC.  O’Neill’s knee is injured, and the ninth replacement for Daniel Jackson’s position in SG-1 is off the team.

Jonas Quinn lives on base at SGC, as Kelowna considers him a traitor.  He still blames himself for Daniel's injuries caused by the naquadria-bomb accident.  Teal’c is stoic about Daniel’s ascension, as ascension is the ultimate goal of many Jaffa who are at the end of their days.  Carter is cool towards Jonas, showing a disjointed mix of behavior towards him that wavers between acceptance and resentment.  O’Neill distances himself from Jonas, still angry that initially Jonas was willing to allow Daniel to be blamed for the naquadria-bomb accident.

Speaking of naquadria, a new flying craft is developed at Area 51 -- the X-302.  It is based on Goa’uld death gliders, but engineered from the ground up on Earth.  The X-302 flies in an atmosphere, or in space.  Additionally, the craft can also generate a hyperspace window, thanks to the naquadria pilfered from Kelowna by Jonas.

Colonel Chekov (“48 Hours”), the Russian envoy to SGC, wants a Russian to become the fourth member of SG-1.  Jonas Quinn also wants to become a member of SG-1.  O’Neill does not want either a Russian, or Jonas, on his SG team.  Jack is still hating on all things Russian.  Jonas’ initial unwillingness to come forth with the truth about what happened to Daniel left O’Neill not believing that Jonas Quinn is trustworthy.

Bra’tac gates to SGC with news for Teal’c.  Drey’auc is gravely ill.  Teal’c goes to Drey’auc, currently on the planet where the Free Jaffa movement is encamped.  There, he reunites with his son, Rya'c (“Family”), and checks on Drey’auc.

Later, SGC’s stargate activates.  No IDC is received, and no energy is detected coming through the wormhole.  Yet, the wormhole remains active, not shutting down even after the 38 minute window passes, the maximum time that a wormhole can continue (“There But For the Grace of God”).  Eventually, a build-up of energy is detected in the SGC stargate, a build-up that will lead to the destruction of the gate in a few days.  If the gate explodes, it will mean the end of life on Earth.  Unable to stop the energy feeding into their stargate, the decision is made to use the X-302 to contact an off-world ally for help.

“Redemption, Part 1” sets up a series of unrelated events that gradually begin to entwine.  Individual characters face the ramifications of their past actions, and wonder if there is any chance of redemption.  This is a very well written story, tying character driven plots with adventure.  All of the actors provide strong performances.  Chris Judge is outstanding in a brief scene between Teal’c and Rya'c.  Garry Chalk returns as Colonel Chekov, Tony Amendola is Bra'tac, and Neil Denis returns as Rya'c.

Failures:
None.

SG-1 Season Six DVD Set -- Content

I will rate each season’s DVD set before reviewing the season’s individual episodes.  My rating in this post solely reflects the DVD content, options, & extras (or lack thereof), not episodes.

Overall Rating for the Set:  Good

Audio commentary on each episode.

No "play all" option.
The only audio language is English.

Subtitles: None

This is a five-disc set, with 22 episodes.
Each episode is approximately 44 minutes long.

All episodes are anamorphic widescreen 1.78:1.

Sound: 5.1 (Dolby Digital)

The special features are not rated.

Although there are no subtitles, the episodes are close captioned. You can use the close caption option on your television to view the dialog in English.

The special features are not closed-captioned.

There is not a “play all” option.  Episodes have to be accessed for viewing one at a time.

Special Features -- A “SG-1 Directors Series” Featurette for:

Episodes 1 through 11
Episode 16
Episode 22

I rate this set Good because it has all of the season’s episodes in their entirety, and in broadcast order, and there is audio commentary for each episode.  Slim cases, and nice artwork.

SG-1 Season 5 At a Glance

My rating for each episode in season five.

Episode 1: Enemies -- Excellent
Episode 2: Threshold -- Excellent
Episode 3: Ascension -- Fair
Episode 4: The Fifth Man -- Excellent
Episode 5: Red Sky -- Fair
Episode 6: Rite of Passage -- Good
Episode 7: Beast of Burden -- Fair
Episode 8: The Tomb -- Excellent
Episode 9: Between Two Fires -- Excellent
Episode 10: 2001 -- Excellent
Episode 11: Desperate Measures -- Good
Episode 12: Wormhole X-treme! -- Excellent
Episode 13: Proving Ground -- Good
Episode 14: 48 Hours -- Excellent
Episode 15: Summit -- Excellent
Episode 16: Last Stand -- Excellent
Episode 17: Fail Safe -- Very Good
Episode 18: The Warrior -- Very Good
Episode 19: Menace -- Excellent
Episode 20: The Sentinel -- Very Good
Episode 21: Meridian -- Good
Episode 22: Revelations -- Very Good

I think this is one of the best seasons of Stargate SG-1. The storyline of the Goa’uld continues, and expands in scope, as new aspects of the Goa’uld System Lords are uncovered, and the depredations of the Goa’uld are demonstrated in new ways. This season also brought Anubis to the forefront, a powerful Goa’uld with plans that, if successful, will result in his being the one ruler of this galaxy, and his being a threat to the Asgard empire almost as great as the Replicators.

The Free Jaffa rebellion is covered to a greater extent during season 5. Up until this season, Teal’c and Bra’tac have been the faces of the budding Jaffa rebellion against the Goa’uld. Season 5 shows that the rebellion has been growing, and other Jaffa leaders are rising up in the fight.

Even most of the episodes that do not directly involve the Goa’uld storyline demonstrate improvements over previous seasons. Rather than such episodes being asides at best, filler at worst, they tend towards building on the Stargate SG-1 foundation, giving more depth to series, and the characters.

Season 5 ended without a cliffhanger, as Showtime had decided to stop producing the series, and a cliffhanger would be unfair to viewers. SciFi Channel took over producing Stargate SG-1 from Showtime beginning with season 6. SciFi Channel initially intended season 6 to be the series finale, however, the series was renewed at the last minute.

Why did Michael Shanks leave Stargate SG-1? Theories, and rumors, abounded on the Internet, with some finger pointing at Michael Shanks, and some at the controlling team of Stargate SG-1. My thoughts about the situation? I do not know Michael Shanks, nor was I involved in any part of the decision making process for Stargate SG-1. So, I don’t know what happened.  For me, the rationale behind Shanks’ departure is moot.

For season 6, I missed Daniel Jackson being on the show all the time. However, upcoming episodes do a nice job of moving on by continuing to nurture, and expand, the realm of Stargate SG-1. Season 6 is another example of how oftentimes, when a television show has a strong ensemble cast, a character can leave without crippling the series.

Stargate SG-1, Season 5, Episode 22

"Revelations"

images used above are courtesy of Gateworld and MGM

Overall Rating:  Very Good

Commentary by:
Martin Wood -- Director
James Tichenor -- Visual Effects Producer
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:
Daniel ascended in "Meridian," with the help of Oma Desala, leaving SG-1 to deal with the grief of losing their teammate, and friend.  Since Daniel ascended, rather than dying a true death, no one knows if they will ever have contact with him again.  Everyone is stoic, dealing with their feelings privately.  Except Carter, who is grief-stricken, and having a difficult time working through the conflict of hope because Daniel is not actually dead, and mourning Daniel's absence.

Freyr, an Asgard (“Red Sky”), arrives at SGC via the stargate with news.  Thor (“Small Victories”) is dead, his ship destroyed in a one-on-one confrontation with a Goa’uld mothership.  That Goa’uld (Osiris, although only the viewing audience knows this) used technology that rivals the Asgards’, and far exceeds the level of sophistication previously known to be in the possession of the Goa’uld.  The threat of facing the Asgards’ superior weaponry kept the Goa’uld in check, and made the Protected Planets treaty viable.  One Asgard space ship could take out numerous Goa’uld vessels.  Now, the Goa’uld have little reason to fear the Asgard, leaving all of the planets under the protection of the Asgard vulnerable to Goa’uld attack, including Earth.

The destruction of Thor’s ship occurred above a planet where the Asgard built a secret laboratory.  An Asgard scientist named Heimdall is still on the planet, and the Goa’uld vessel is in orbit above, searching for the lab.  The Asgard fleet is tied up in battles with the Replicators.  So, Freyr asks SGC to use the Goa’uld shuttle they have (“Fail Safe”) to go and rescue Heimdall.  Carter is still in grief mode, and does not consider SG-1 ready to take on new assignments.  O’Neill thinks the sooner the team goes out on missions, the better.  The now three-member team of SG-1 will try to rescue Heimdall.

Arriving at the planet where Heimdall, and the lab, are secreted, SG-1 learns the mission is more than a simple in-and-out rescue.  The team finds out why the Asgard kept a research facility in such an isolated location.  They also learn that a friend who is believed gone, is not, and attempt to help them return.  The simple retrieval of a stranded Asgard transforms into a mission pitting SG-1 against an overwhelming Jaffa force, and an insidious, very dangerous Goa’uld.

A well-written story that acknowledges the grief felt by SG-1 at the loss of Daniel, without getting mired in the team’s emotions.  I like that O’Neill, Teal’c, and Carter have very different ways of dealing with their feelings about Daniel, rather than everyone evincing the same behavior.  There is not one standout performance, however the separate portrayals mesh, demonstrating how the team members differences work together to make them stronger as a unit.  The effects are very well done.

Failures:
None.