posted
Woo hoo, the SG1 gang gets to play "The Goonies"! After a half-season of "just FIND it already!", we finally get an entertaining, if relatively by-the-numbers, little show which has our heroes running through a bunch of tests again to get to a goal. They last did this while passing Thor's tests to get to his batphone, back in the second season. IMO, the tests were a little tougher last time, but here Morgana was looking more for worthy morality than scientific competance.
-Of late, SG-1 has been going to lots of medieval stlye planets. This is the first one in a while to actually know what a Jaffa is. Perhaps it was under Goa'uld control in the past, by a System Lord who didn't know or care about the Sangraal? Even with the whole thing being a ruse in the first place, if the reference were out of place than SG-1 would have noticed.
-The prior seen up on the balcony is the same one-eyed guy from the season premiere et. al.
-Given all that SG-1 has been through all these years, you'd figure that a dragon wouldn't be so skeptically recived.
-The Ori armies have three helmets now, or at least three variations: an "officers" helmet that doesn't cover the face, a halfway faceplate that protects the eyes, and a full-mask edition. Still doesn't protect anyone from P-90 fire...
-To figure out the time distortion maze, Carter uses a tiny PDA-sized device. Anyone remember when they needed a whole F.R.E.D full of equipment to do something similar? Even in the fifth season, she was using a mini laptop for tricorder stuff. Now it's a modified Gameboy!
-If anyone had thought to mark their path with rocks... But noooooo...
-There were no floating rocks or anything to mark anyone's previous passage through the maze. How'd Baal and his Jaffa get through? Maybe the maze resets after a group passes through?
-To the episode's credit, not everyone stuck in the maze is wearing stereotypically medieval clothing. There's a guy in a Sodan outfit from last year, plus a smattering of existing costumes from over the course of the show. No one from an apparently advanced planet, though.
-When stumbling upon Baal in the woods, he's muttering "they're going to pay", appraently referring to his Jaffa. What happened to 'em? How easy would it have been to miss the chest if they hadn't heard him? Are there chests littered all over the place to ensure that they get tested? And how has Baal been avoiding number two for the three days he's been stuck in the trap?
-Baal gives up his dagger, which is of immense sentimental value. This harkens back to his use of daggers in "Abyss", in that really cool sideways gravity thing.
-What the hell was Vala going to plug the hairdryer into?
-Mitchell notes that holograms CAN be dangerous, recalling his fun with the various Arthurian black knights last year.
-Oh, she still hot.
-Even after the commercial break. STILL. HOT.
-Adria's Celestian necklace continues to astound. It's not just a protector against reboot devices - it's a personal forcefield, a disguise, and gives you super strength. Note that all new these things HAVE been seen in small tech devices before: the Goa'uld have a personal field; the "Stronghold" aliens have a disguising module; and the Tobin armbands can up your cage-raising abilities.
-Anyone willing to be that the six months we'll be waiting for the second half of the season will be used to, among things, getting the VFX guys to make a more realistic-moving dragon? The damned thing looks like it's STANDING on something while it's hovering there.
posted
I loved that hairdryer! Did anyone else get a Spaceballs flashback?
Concerning the "maze"... Using rocks to mark their path would've given it all away to the armies of the Ori, which could've been on their tail for all they knew. I joked to my friends while watching it, "I hope at least one of them has seen Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, so they know not to disable the booby traps as they get past them!" That was how Closet Nazi Guy made it through afterwards.
Also, HOT!
Though sadly, also clich�d. As soon as she ranted about how killing Baal wouldn't be worth the effort, it was plainly obvious that something inside the mountain was affecting her Ori powers.
I'm also disappointed that no one cracked a joke about telling Adria to get a new freak-out trick... the flashing eyes thing is getting pretty old. Different effects, same old story.
I also kinda guessed that Vala's dream was induced by someone... I should've guessed it was Adria (the obvious answer), but I did figure that it wasn't natural.
Finally, Mark, you forgot about the whole worthiness thing to get access to Merlin's treasure in "Avalon." Though not quite as elaborate as this or Thor's batphone (heh), it was still very similar.
One other thing that's kinda been silly but occurred to me... if the Ori have only four ships, then why the hell haven't they tried to go back and reconquer the planets that've submitted after they've moved on? So far, all the characters have acted as if each planet conquered is completely lost. Though come to think of it, considering the Ori's "convert or die" message, any planet that rebels after being conquered will probably be wiped out. So I guess that's not really a viable option, huh?
-------------------- “Those people who think they know everything are a great annoyance to those of us who do.” — Isaac Asimov Star Trek Minutiae | Memory Alpha
Registered: Nov 2000
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posted
I don't know about going back to season two. Solving such intense puzzles as the jar you have to open and then close was a large part of their first Merlin episode.
(So am I alone in thinking that plot points from subpar text adventures do not make for compelling television drama?)
Registered: Mar 1999
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posted
Yup, definitely a Spaceballs flashback there!
The dragon also disappointed me. It looked kinda... small.
As for getting through the maze, I would have thrown some sand. Assuming nobody's following you, that would be the easiest way to show the path.
Registered: Jul 2002
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posted
Right, right... Merlin's silly coin-in-the-bowl thing. Well, at least HE bothered to leave behind a hologram of himself to tell them what to do.
![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)
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