Stronghold (914)

[GateWorld]

SG-1 SEASON NINE STRONGHOLD EPISODE NUMBER - 914 Baal kidnaps Teal'c as part of a plot to brainwash those Jaffa advocating a move toward democracy. Cameron Mitchell learns that an old friend is about to die. VISIT THE EPISODE GUIDE >> SPOILERS! PHOTOS! AND MORE!

[Skydiver]

I know that it's not quite over yet but Ripple Effect now has competition as far as i'm concerned.

i kinda like the jaffa stuff, it's nice to see teal'c actually earn his keep

i did think that the cameron B plot was super cheesy and silly adn let's not even go into the plot hole of leaving classified alien tech u nsecured in a hospital (why didn't cam move him to the sgc?????)

but the rest was good.

and the whole 'i told my father' bit, was horribly blown out of proportion in the spoilers

sniff, i'm sad to see baal go though

i really hope i'm wrong and it's one of his clones

[Cinephilic TV Addict]

too many plot points for one episode - results in a few good parts but a mostly bad ep.

[AGateFan]

Pretty Dakara.
Hey the female jaffa has got an actual name but she has annoyed Teal’c…Bad female Jaffa.
Interesting how all the ‘good and wise’ jaffa are Apophis jaffa (judging from the mark on their foreheads)
She’s a spy? Well that stinks… hopefully just a clone… guess the old guy will be replaced with a clone now too. Maybe Teal’c will be replaced with a clone too.

B story? Hmmm brand new guest character I have never heard of before is sick, too bad for him. Lets get on with the A story please.
Ha, I told you …. clones.
B story stuff.
Bra’tec at the SGC. Poor Teal’c but scene is a bit overdramatic.
Ahh captured Teal’c…. Brain washing instead of cloning, maybe?
B story.
Bra’tec and Daniel… Bra’tec is pppeeddddd.
Ahhh so they ARE being brainwashed.
Bra’tec, master of looking into peoples eyes, at least that’s continuity.
Man, this B story is really slowing things down.

Teal’c is not easy to brainwash. As I always suspected, Teal’c rules!!
Baal, nice suite, not exactly systemlordy is it?
Oh, so Teal’cs former brainwashing is why he can’t be brainwashed…. So what they all have to go through the Mal’sharak thing.

Baal… hahahahaha giving up the God thing… I like his flanged voice though.
Are they setting Baal up to be an Alley? You can never trust him.
He wants to be the leader of the jaffa counsel? Hahahahahaha… got news for you bud you may not be deluded enough to think you’re a god but you are indeed deluded.

You must face Mal’sharak with clear mind and conviction? Teal’c was clear minded and convicted last time? Hmm…ok whatever I do think this brainwashing is not as intense as Apophis’s stuff.

Seemed like when Jacob had this exact same B story it was far less annoying. Plus we actually knew who that character was because he was introduced an ep or so earlier so maybe that helped. Hey I hope Mitchell pays for that. …. OK, Good for him!!!

Yep, that was clear minded….good call Bra’tec.
Baal he’s going to say “no” so why even ask? Gee your going to kill him eh Baal? I am sure Teal’c never suspected that.

So they don’t have airmen that can deliver stuff, you got to use a Lt col who should be preparing for a big mission and make her delivery person? Okey Dokey.. That’s pretty cool that he will show that guy with the memory device.. Guess they are maintaining a treaty with those people after all….OK, we know you are going to show him can we get back on with the A story? A. Story. Please. 8:45PM. Hmm kirking joke.
Reynolds!!!!
Not sure just standing there while an alkesh shoots at you is a good idea jaffa boy.
Maybe someone should snipe the cannons.
Not a sound military decision, shades of Immotep. Sodan training didn’t appear to take.
Teal’c is faking him out…faaaakkkkeeee oooouuuuuttttt.
Yes, Baal, he is.
Hmmm Super Mitchell (much like Super Crichton) that’s disappointing but much expected from S9.
Clone Baal #3 is dead.
Daniel acting like Jack again.
Yeah, good guy jaffa win.

Hmmm disappointing ep. Soo much potential so much missed opportunity. Maybe next week will be better.

[prion]

Wonder if tretonin prevents heart attacks and strokes? I think Teal’c has more stress now than ever before with the all the political garbage. I won’t lie; the political stuff is boring. And I could swear I’ve heard it all before in another episode.

Hmm, is Baal’s suit made out of drapes?

Alas, the Teal’c plot wasn’t very exciting. Baal’s becoming like a slick politician and I don’t recall him sounding so British before… and how many times have they already brainwashed Teal’c?

Sam’s hair looks dreadful. Quick, watch “Grace Under Pressure” to see how her hair SHOULD be styled. Alas, probably won’t happen. Maybe they have better hair products in the Pegasus Galaxy….

The Mitch subplot (plot B) was more interesting, although similar to Sam and her dad (dying, can’t tell classified information, but….).

I don’t know. The whole episode seemed sorta anti-climatic.

However, best scene was Mitch, in ‘bad mood today’ running into gou’ald ship and shooting everybody he saw. Alas, it was right at the end!

And Sam telling Daniel to stop playing handball.

And Mitch getting the letter about his friend passing away.

I’d give it a “C” for average.

[MasterPower]

Very nice action at the end.
Stronghold is by far the best episode this season.

[kharn the betrayer]

yet anouther Baal clone bites the dust (I hope as I love Baal)


I found this to be an Ok ep

nice to see Sam kicking butt again plus Baal :wub:

[Seshat]

Was I the only one who was bored out of their mind by this ep? I really liked the Jaffa stuff (and gosh, when have I EVER said THAT?), but the Mitchell stuff was just...ugh...as predictable as watching paint dry. Loved seeing Ba'al...yup, I'd bet anything that was one of his clones. Ba'al's waaay too smart to get killed off so easily. And what was with Sam opening and working on the control panel in full view and line of sight for the "bad" jaffa weapons...and NOT ONE hit her with a zat blast?? Geez, these guys were worse shots than ever before. Even I could have hit her. Brainwashing must really affect jaffa aim.

[NowIWillDestroyAbydos]

Good episode. I give it a ***. Best visual effects of the Al'kesh ever in the series.

The music at the end of the ep, what episdoe did I hear it in?

[JastersLegacy]

<exits lurking mode>

*raises hand* Favorite episode so far this season. If there was anything that bugged me, it was the Jaffa politics (but politics bore me anyway, so don't listen to my biased opinion). Thankfully there really wasn't that much in the way of politics this ep though.

I loved the Mitchell plot. I think because of this episode, I officially love the charachter. I like that he's becoming his own charachter now, without seeming like a Jack O'Neill clone.

*nods* Good ep. Very nice.

[Dani347]

Hey, Headmaster Charleston is a Jaffa! (Gilmore Girls fan here) Well, that took me right out of the story.

Hmm, I wonder about the whole gender thing with the Jaffa. I think Teal'c doesn't doubt that women are equal warriors (working with Sam all these years, than meeting Ish'ta convinced him of that) but he still seems to have some old fashioned (very old, I'm guessing) ideas.

I wonder if Ba'al is denying his godship to everyone, or did he just do it with Teal'c, because he knows that it won't work and he had to use another tactic?

Yay! Daniel and Bra'tac work together. I remember there was another episode I think last season where spoilers indicated that they would have some scenes together but it didn't happen in the actual episode. Okay, Daniel didn't do any solving of anything, but it was Bra'tac's turf, so obviously Bra'tac would take the lead. But, he did figure out for himself that Jaffa Charleston had been brainwashed and that he was ashamed. Just a bit of him making jumps with his mind. And, I liked how pleased Daniel was to hear that the referendum (sp?) had passed. And, Sam gets irritated at him when he's throwing the ball (um, why did he have a ball with him on a rescue mission?) which I liked seeing.

Okay, I do think they could have given Mitchell a better plot, or put him with the rest of the team for more of the episode. But, I think they might have changed a couple of things. I don't know if it was originally written into the script that he asked permission to tell dying friend everything. Maybe they heard some howls about that? And, I also seem to recall Sam originally saying that she might have told Pete anyway. I did think it was interesting that she asked him if telling his friend would change his (Mitchell's) guilt. And, also that Mitchell felt it was hypocritical to pull strings to use the memory device when he had become opposed to it after his experiences.

And, I was sooo afraid that all we were going to get was Mitchell telling us that he was impatient. I'm guessing that's his Achilles Heel, and I didn't want that to be like hearing some report. I would rather have just seen him acting impatiently without the announcement, because it still felt kind of contrived, but it was better than all tell no show.

Nice to see Sam being soldiery.

Skydiver

adn let's not even go into the plot hole of leaving classified alien tech u nsecured in a hospital (why didn't cam move him to the sgc?????)

I was thinking the same thing.

Daniel acting like Jack again

.

When?

eta: Can I vote Bra'tac leader of the Jaffa?

[Lt. Colonel Ryu Gaia]

Excellent ep, and it truly is up to the standards of old episodes. Second half of the season has been amazing so far.
As for the leaving the tech in the hospital, the doctor mentioned that it had access to more things than most - I think that it's working with the SGC, testing out new medical technologies brought back. The doctor knew about what was happenning, and mentioned that the patient hadn't got clearance, and then asked Mitchell how many strings he had to pull to get Ferguson in there without clearance.

[Dani347]

Originally Posted by Lt. Colonel Ryu Gaia

Excellent ep, and it truly is up to the standards of old episodes. Second half of the season has been amazing so far.
As for the leaving the tech in the hospital, the doctor mentioned that it had access to more things than most - I think that it's working with the SGC, testing out new medical technologies brought back. The doctor knew about what was happenning, and mentioned that the patient hadn't got clearance, and then asked Mitchell how many strings he had to pull to get Ferguson in there without clearance.

That could explain it. Still, what if family stopped by or something?

[Battousai the Manslayer]

I really liked this quite a lot. We actually saw machine gun fire, space ship battles, Baal!! Mitchell was awesome when he busted the coffee machine and then went in to save Teal'c gung ho style...I believe his character is finally being formed-and I like it quite a lot.

Oh, and Braytac was brilliant in this episode. I especially loved when he choked the Jaffa who was lying to him. This really felt up to the quality of the original seasons...I'm not just an old season purist, most of my favorite moments in this episode were from Mitchell.

[nccjones]

Can we say boring?! This episode was like watching paint dry. What was with Mitchell and his dying friend? Why should I care about his friend? I can't even remember his name. How is this supposed to help us know Mitchell? Well, I really don't care for Mitchell, but I think a better way is to learn about him with the team. Come to mention it, we did learn something about him with the team. He's brash and takes off on his own without backup.

Why couldn't Sam and Daniel go up with Mitchell and why was it Mitchell who went up? He's never fought Jaffa before and they let him go single handed? Made absolute NO sense. And the excuse of not having a way back down didn't fly. I seem to remember the team going into a ship together thinking they were going to go down together, and technically, Daniel did kind of die in that epi.

Teal'c. Jaffa stories bore me but this one wasn't too bad, probably because I was FF through all the Mitchell stuff. But I always like Teal'c...I love his smile.

Daniel was good in this episode. Sometimes I miss the young Daniel of yesteryears, but he had to grow up and become macho (no complaints). If anything, he should have been the one to go up in the rings to get Teal'c.

Sam was great. She can definately lead.

Did I say this was boring? Oh yeah, I did. Well, another week and TPTB haven't made me like Mitchell anymore than 14 episodes ago. I'm sorry, he needs to go. I really don't want to see him return in the 10th season. TPTB had plenty of time to have him meld with team and it's not happening. I just don't feel the love, it's still feeling forced to me.

[warmbeachbrat]

Originally Posted by kharn the betrayer

yet anouther Baal clone bites the dust (I hope as I love Baal)

Naahh--three staff blasts to take out Ba'al? I don't think so! He'll be back.

Originally Posted by prion

Hmm, is Baal’s suit made out of drapes?

Hey, I like Ba'al's outfit!

Speaking of Ba'al--rather interesting notions he's picked up. I wonder if he's sincere or if it's some new, nefarious plan. Maybe a little bit of both.

Originally Posted by Skydiver

i did think that the cameron B plot was super cheesy and silly adn let's not even go into the plot hole of leaving classified alien tech u nsecured in a hospital (why didn't cam move him to the sgc?????)

Yeah, I thought the same thing (and good point about moving his buddy to the SGC).

Originally Posted by seshat

And what was with Sam opening and working on the control panel in full view and line of sight for the "bad" jaffa weapons...and NOT ONE hit her with a zat blast?? Geez, these guys were worse shots than ever before. Even I could have hit her. Brainwashing must really affect jaffa aim.

LOL! I must confess I was wondering about the poor aim, also. Blaming brainwashing sounds good to me!

It was nice seeing Bra'tac again, but the whole Jaffa politics thing is just not that interesting to me. Well, except it's nice they finally have self-rule. At the rate they've been killing everyone off, I was a trifle worried that Tea'lc would do him in. I was thinking how absolutely awful that would be for Tea'lc, and Bra'tac is one of my favorites--I would really hate to see him go (especially if he were killed by Tea'lc).

I really like the way they're handling Sam and Cam's friendship. Little moments here and there--very nice.

[Dani347]

The scene where Bra'tac had his hand around the Jaffa's throat reminded me a bit of Prisoners, where Teal'c did the same thing to one of the prisoners who had apparently been bothering Daniel. Daniel still reacted (sort of like when Black Daniel asked Black Teal'c if zatting our Mitchell wouldn't have been easier) but he's no longer shocked by seeing that. I thought it was a nice look at how his experiences have made him evolve and how he's still the same, too. Although, I have a feeling the connection to Prisoners wasn't on the writer's mind when that scene was put in. Still, I'm glad I saw it.

BTW, why do episodes mention having "excerpts" written by RCC? What excerpts?

eta: I'm assuming the female Jaffa at the begining was brainwashed? Did Ba'al brainwash her, or did they explain?

warmbeachbrat

At the rate they've been killing everyone off, I was a trifle worried that Tea'lc would do him in. I was thinking how absolutely awful that would be for Tea'lc, and Bra'tac is one of my favorites--I would really hate to see him go (especially if he were killed by Tea'lc).

Same here. I just knew Bra'tac was going to get killed, and I was going to have to have a little talk with some writers about that stupid idea. Glad it didn't go that way.

eta (and I've been editing this darn post about 4 times already): Is it usually this quiet after an episode? I was expecting a lot more posts from people saying how much they loved it, hated it, loved part of it -but, hated most of it-except, or couldn't care less. Just more talk about it any which way.

[michelleb]

was pete mentioned? i heard he might be

[AGateFan]

Originally Posted by michelleb

was pete mentioned? i heard he might be

Yes, but not in the annoying way it was thought he would be. Not sure if that was a re-write or if the original spoiler was wrong.

[Lt. Colonel Ryu Gaia]

It was slightly predictable, although I expected that as soon as they handed Teal'c the weapon he would go at Ba'al.