Emancipation (103)

[Starmover]

"What is an Oprah?"

[juggernaut975]

Love Sam's attempt at escape.....still fully clothed in all her ceremonial splendor

[Zaany]

Priceless

[Krisz]

I'd completely forgotten that the "What is an Oprah?" line came from this episode.

This is an episode I usually skip and I think I've only seen it twice before long time ago. It is good in a way doing this rewatch because it's making me watch these sorts of episodes again and they don't seem as bad as I remember them as being.

I think I found the; 'look at soldier Sam being forced to be a woman in front of the military men she's had to prove she's more than just a pretty face to' thing too much when I first watched this. Somehow the distance of time has softened my irritation with this. I just watched the episode as a new adventure for the team as they started to find their feet with dealing with new cultures and customs at odds with theirs. It was was much more fun this way!

[jlovette]

Love Sam's attempt at escape.....still fully clothed in all her ceremonial splendor

Give her some credit! She took the time pull the veil across her face!

[majorsal]

i loved sam's fight with the mongol leader!! kick his butt, sam!!

[NowIWillDestroyAbydos]

I really hate this episode. It's the worst episode of SG-1 in my opinion. I had totally forgot about Teal'c's Opera line ("What is an Opera?").

[JacksonMiracle]

I actually don't like the fact they decided to emphasise the point that they have been on other missions before this one. Being only the 3rd episode in the series and their first official off-world mission, I think it would have been better to keep up to date on all missions at this stage purely for character development continuation. I consider the idea we have missed a huge chunk of team bonding and a bit of a letdown. Later on in the series missing non-arc based stories is fine, but for now I think it separates the viewer from feeling like we are on the full journey with them. Thoughts?

I agree completely with this. I missed getting to see more of the early team bonding. Yes, they went through a lot together in CotG and TEW, and that has to bring a team closer together, but a real friendship takes time. I like knowing that they are starting to be a real team, and can joke around and have fun with each other, as well trust each other and work together whenever and however needed, but I would have liked to have seen some of the moments that led to that point.

Overall, not my favorite episode, but it's not terrible either. There were a lot of good Sam moments, and Jack's humor was stong as ever, and there was one conversation in praticular that I think could have significant meaning for Daniel. You'll have to read my fanfic to find out more about that.

[Traveler Enroute1]

SG Rewatched episodes: 101,102,103

Emancipation

Like many on the board, I felt this episode was cringe-worthy the first few times I viewed it. Not because Sam/Amanda had an episode that featured her strong points as a soldier but sometimes the dialogue and scenes didn't click for me.

Having the team decide to stay in the face of the unprovoked violence towards a member still befuddles me. However, I view it now with the knowledge that they were a very young team, and even with a black ops CO, no one could predict the actions of a lovesick teenage boy and how it affected Sam.

Some things that popped at me:

• Abu had help abducting Sam. One holds her down, one grabs her weapon. Then one holds the tent flap as the other hauls her out. Guess no one says no to the chief's son.
  
• The expressions on the males of SG1 at Sam's transformation is still comical. Jack is the most amused, probably remembering Sam's hard line as they first met. When he called her Samantha I still smile at the snark in his voice.
  
• Favorite line: 'Take it or die!' Turghan says to Abu. Hard to decline that!
  
• Most ridiculous scene: Abu sneaking up to Turghan's compound; so cartoonish I always laugh when I see his 'stealth' approach!
  
• And didn't Abu's tunic rip during the dog attack? Yet by the time he gets home his tunic seems intact.
  
• Amazing Amanda reacting to Turghan's proximity; I got the impression that 'rancid yakk butter' smelled a lot better then he did. The aura of imminent violence toward Sam is almost painful, though.
  
• Speaking of Turghan, always love Cari-Hiroyuki Tagawa. He's a versatile actor and also a martial arts master. Wonder if Amanda got the benefit of any of his techniques. He certainly falls well!
  
• What is sticking up from Sam's cleavage when she's chopping veggies? And Sam dons the veil as she escapes; strange time to adhere to tribal rules!
  
• On the way to see Turghan, Daniel talks to the Chief. It seems to finally dawn on Daniel that his suggestion to accommodate the natives has put Sam in a very bad position. Jack also seems to be less amused now and more worried.
  
• The expressions on Jack and Teal'c's faces as Daniel lists Sam's talents to Turghan - hilarious! Daniel is saying too much and I can hear Jack thinking, 'easy, big guy. Shaman??"
  
• When Abu rides up on them pleading for help, my heart is still hardened toward him. Sam was in imminent danger of violence from a man as bad as the one he wants to spare his beloved from marrying.
  
• But in spite of Turghan's harshness, I strangely felt feelings for him as he prepared to let his daughter be stoned to death. He apparently has feelings and a sense of the law of the land, and honors it. No, not forgetting he'd threatened Sam with terrible things to force her cooperation.
  
• Loved the fight scene. Sam drew first blood - yes! I thought the fight was nicely staged to be realistic with a slighter, trained soldier against a larger foe using brute force.

Certainly this episode spotlighted Sam's military training and sense of duty to protect and serve. While Sam was quite relieved at her rescue, beaming at them all, it didn't ring right that she wasn't more peeved with them for leaving her. I expected Daniel at least to be apologizing nonstop.

However, at the end she prevails against a powerful foe and her expression to the guys is just the right 'Hah!' attitude. Jack, meanwhile, is noteably less talky, probably thinking of how much he didn't know about the 'scientist' on his team. Teal'c gets his first look at a female Tau'ri warrior and I believe he's impressed, in his way. I think that scene when they bid goodbye to the chief and he makes his proclamation to honor Carter made the ep work for me. She'd proven herself and the guys would never forget it.

Oh, and just thought of this: The episode is Emancipation. At the end, there's a Proclamation. Coincidence, hmm?

Rated: 3/5

[juggernaut975]

The expressions on the males of SG1 at Sam's transformation is still comical. Jack is the most amused, probably remembering Sam's hard line as they first met. When he called her Samantha I still smile at the snark in his voice.

This is one of the saving graces of the episode for me. We get to see for the first time SG1 as a team on a mission together and right off the bat we see that they just mesh perfectly.

Emancipation gets a lot of good natured teasing from the SG fan community but watching it again it wasn't nearly as bad as I had remembered it. Like COTG and The Enemy Within, Emancipation is on that FIRST disc and it's one I don't pop in that often. In fact, I'd say it's been four years or so since I've seen the episode in one sitting.

[Traveler Enroute1]

This is one of the saving graces of the episode for me. We get to see for the first time SG1 as a team on a mission together and right off the bat we see that they just mesh perfectly.

Emancipation gets a lot of good natured teasing from the SG fan community but watching it again it wasn't nearly as bad as I had remembered it. Like COTG and The Enemy Within, Emancipation is on that FIRST disc and it's one I don't pop in that often. In fact, I'd say it's been four years or so since I've seen the episode in one sitting.

Ditto to the episode not nearly striking as sour a chord as it did originally. But I don't think they meshed that well. I still think Jack should have listened to Sam and high-tailed it out of there when they had the chance. For him to acquiesce to Daniel's 'archeologists did it' reasoning when they saw how ready the men were to kill Sam just never made good sense.

But I did say that they were very young, and sometimes the very young don't - you know.

[juggernaut975]

Ditto to the episode not nearly striking as sour a chord as it did originally. But I don't think they meshed that well. I still think Jack should have listened to Sam and high-tailed it out of there when they had the chance. For him to acquiesce to Daniel's 'archeologists did it' reasoning when they saw how ready the men were to kill Sam just never made good sense.

Agreed. At that point it would have made more sense to get back to SGC. If it was determined later that it was a lead worth looking into they could have returned with an all male SG team, neatly eliminating the obstacle to negotiation and the danger to Cpt. Carter.

But I did say that they were very young, and sometimes the very young don't - you know.

Yep, and it reminds me of what O'Neill said in SGU to Colonel Young....they really didn't know what they were doing back then. They didn't have a rule book or a list of procedures to follow...they were literally thrust into those situations every mission and it took a while before they could piece together a SOP for off-world missions.

[Lieutenant Sparrow]

Didn't hate this episode like I have on previous watches. Much funnier than I remember. Especially Teal'cs line at the end

What is an Oprah?

[shelsfc]

Yep, and it reminds me of what O'Neill said in SGU to Colonel Young....they really didn't know what they were doing back then. They didn't have a rule book or a list of procedures to follow...they were literally thrust into those situations every mission and it took a while before they could piece together a SOP for off-world missions.

That's something that's really hit me as I've started watching it in order from the start. They were so far out of their depth at the start. It was such an unknown, you forget that in later eps, when it's just become the norm for them. Makes me appreciate all the more Jack's lines toward the end of The Fifth Race

Spoiler:

"We're out there now. And we may not be ready for a lot of this stuff, but we're doin the best we can. We are a very curious race."

[Noxbait]

That's something that's really hit me as I've started watching it in order from the start. They were so far out of their depth at the start. It was such an unknown, you forget that in later eps, when it's just become the norm for them. Makes me appreciate all the more Jack's lines toward the end of The Fifth Race

Spoiler:

"We're out there now. And we may not be ready for a lot of this stuff, but we're doin the best we can. We are a very curious race."

exactly. It's easy to look back from the perspective of 10 years and think they were crazy in these early missions. But even though the writers etc were just getting started, so was the SGC and the team. Think about any other exploration in history. How many people made mistakes and died before the "west was won." Anything that is so new is gonna struggle to get it right.