Banner by Treknik
Synopsis
The one where a film-maker comes to the SGC to make a documentary that will never be made public, or at least not for many many years, and the various SG personnel spend most of the time avoiding him. Except for SG-13, who are offworld and have an encounter with a Goa'uld MALP which is never going to end well...
Analysis
Ah, the old documentary episode It comes eventually to all shows I do always like these episodes though - I think it's an interesting technique and does usually show us something new about the characters. Heroes is no exception. As Hammond points out, the camera changes things, and in the context of an episode like this, it puts an additional layer between us and the characters and encourages us to stand back and examine them from a different angle. We are looking at them through someone else's point of view, and from this perspective Heroes is rather like The Other Guys and Citizen Joe, all of which have a bit of an effect of making you look at how you view the characters - Bregman, like Felger and Joe, all view SG1 as heroes (in different ways ), as do we, but somehow it's different seeing it spelled out on screen, as it were.
The other interesting thing about this kind of episode, is that we see how the characters perceive themselves, and what they say about themselves, in a very conscious way. Normally you don't get that kind of insight, and you are left to infer what they think and feel about themselves. This is particularly relevant here for Sam, but I'll get to that in the shippy part...
Otherwise this part is really set-up and context for the emotional meat of the second part. Much like in Entity, the emotional second half is given more weight by dint of the contrast with a light-hearted first half. So here we have the comedy of things like Walter explaining his job, and Jack being especially flippant, and Siler nice and prominent in the infirmary when Janet is being interviewed. Plus we get SG-13's banter, which is great fun. Their scenes also serve to create contrast too - we see the mundanity of a lot of the SGC's work, a team who know each other well turning up on yet another planet and coming across as rather jaded about what they are doing and likely to find. So of course when it all kicks off in part two, we've been lulled into a false sense of security and are being reminded of how the danger can spring up out of seemingly nothing - the job may become routine, but is still risky.
Also on the set-up theme, I like the way Bregman is so convinced he needs to bring a story out of them, when of course the story does end up telling itself.
SG1's reactions to Bregman's presence are interesting, I think. Jack becomes even more of a smart-ass than usual and spends the whole time avoiding him, Sam goes all bashful and modest but secretly seems to quite like it, Daniel gets playful and awkward, and Teal'c clams up but co-operates to the letter of Hammond's request. Really shows how each of them react to being the centre of attention. I love that Janet is the most natural and confidently open of all of them - she really shines in her couple of scenes, which of course again is providing contrast to what is about to come.
The other set-up thing that we get in this episode of course does not relate to the second part, but to the longer-term political background, with Kinsey in full-on electioneering mode, trying to make himself look important (even though he surely can't be expecting to win votes at the SGC!) and impressive. It is lovely to see Bregman taking him down a peg with the accusation that he looked rehearsed, and then also to see Jack getting to make him look foolish in front of the camera - also a perfect example of the camera changing what it sees, as Jack clearly decides to let rip purely because it is being filmed and he knows that Kinsey cares more than anyone else about how he comes across. Actually that's an interesting contrast with SG1 too, as the way they all react to the camera doesn't show them to be overly concerned with how they appear to the potential viewers - they're not so much themselves (as they all react a bit oddly or exaggeratedly), but they don't really seem to care.
A couple of other random bits I love:
- Jack expressing his "deep and unyielding love" for Hammond
- Sam teasing Teal'c ("because usually it's so hard to shut you up")
Overall, this is a great establishing episode for what's to come, and finishes on a nice menacing note - as Jack says, they know full well that it's not likely to go well but don't feel they have a choice, and seeing them marching off with purpose right at the end is a great 'to be continued' moment.
Sam/Jack
Two scenes to talk about here
The first is the scene they have together, and it's a really sweet, comfortable one. I love how Jack asks Sam to explain what's going on even though anyone else could have (and probably has) told him and he has had memos (although of course, Jack and memos ) - just another example of how, as far as Jack is concerned, Sam has the answer to everything. I love how Sam knew he'd mentioned Mary Steenburgen, and I love the look they exchange when Sam asks whether he got the memo. It's just a really comfortable, affectionate scene
The second of course is Sam's interview. It's very, very revealing. At first, it's lovely to see her speak about Jack with such warmth, respect and admiration. We don't usually get to hear that. But then when Bregman hones right in on the possible underlying implication, Sam reacts just like every time she is put on the spot about her feelings or relationship with Jack (Birthright being the most recent example) - she goes awkward and embarrassed and over-justifies why there's nothing between them and that it's all so professional. It's completely "nothing to see here, move on". Methinks she doth protest too much And really, I defy anyone to watch that little segment and not think there's feelings there - she gives herself away so many times during it. The embarrassed dip of the head, the half-hidden smile, the 'professional', the 'Daniel and Teal'c are also like family', the 'even if there was potential for something more, and I'm not saying there is', the rules... yeah, not fooling anyone there, Sam
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