Cold Lazarus (106)

[Starmover]

I enjoyed this episode also. I liked the way they tried to make the planet look different by making the sky dark blue, and the sand a little orange. They didn't make alien planets look alien very much, so I like it when they try. Ok, on to one of my favorites, Thor's Hammer.

[Matt G]

It was another Sunday afternoon...and another SG1 ep...

1. Liked the call back to the movie, and the reminder that Daniel has more history with Jack than the rest of the team.

2. Definately liked how RDA did 'Jack'...and this time around really noticed the rocking when he realised that he couldn't retrieve Charlie...

3. "Get me out of here...allright I'll say in nicely...get me the hell out of here..."

4. I'd like to know how they're going to cover that one up...

[Krisz]

I enjoyed this episode also. I liked the way they tried to make the planet look different by making the sky dark blue, and the sand a little orange. They didn't make alien planets look alien very much, so I like it when they try. Ok, on to one of my favorites, Thor's Hammer.

Said my little bit about this episode recently and the 'alien..ness.' of the planet.

http://forum.gateworld.net/threads/8...1#post12766237

[Scotaf]

I am not a particularly old person or a particularly young one. I am in my late 20's. I say this because I remember watching the episode originally and hating it, but I just watched it today again, dreading having to sit through it, but I actually found it very moving and enjoyable. I think when I watched the series when I was younger I might have just not had enough life experience to get all the emotions and the emotional impact of everything Jack was going through. Now I have had a lot more death in my life I've lost people (not a child) but I have felt that pain. Jack and Sara where amazing in this episode I felt their pain and even thought I might cry at times. I am very surprised but I really enjoyed this episode. Most times when I am watching through the series I skip this one, I am glad I did not do that this time around...thank you SG-rewatch!

[NowIWillDestroyAbydos]

Another average episode. We saw Jack's ex-wife for the only time.

I don't think I'm watching it in the right order, the DVD order is probably wrong. Eh, by Friday we'll be sync up.

[Lt.Colonel John Sheppard]

one of my favorite Season 1 episodes. we got to see Jack come to terms with Charlie's death thanks to the unity O'Neill. Richard Dean Anderson's performance in this episode both as the real Jack O'neill (especially his "Let me put nicely...GET ME THE HELL OUTTA HERE" scene. That had me laughing non stop) and the unity O'neill were just outstanding. Loved the unity jack/sarah scenes were very touching. i'm glad we got the flashback to how charlie's death happened it was nice seeing a happy jack. i think a couple of the most emotional scenes was with jack and sara's scenes own unique scenes with the unity charlie.

as for the whole sam looking like sara debate i do see a resemblance not physically but also personality wise and the fact they love to restore old vintage cars and motorcycles.

the episode for me gets a ***1/2 out of **** stars.

[ekolint48]

It's like you're inside my brain...

I especially agree about the S/J shippiness, throughout the series for me. I like those kind of things being hinted at, and it was to overt for me with these two. I liked when they highlighted Sam and Jack as friends early on they had a really good rapport in that aspect (There's a S3? ep that comes to mind). If they had developed it into a romantic attraction later in the series without this initial forced footing it would have have worked out better in my mind. Things like the S8 relationship confusion for the two (Pete and the Curly haired girl) were also not well done IMO.

Moving on: loved Daniel and Sam geeking it out together and getting into trouble, kinda, in the process. I also wish we had seen more of the former Mrs. O'Neill. She was very effective in her scenes with the crystal Jack. And the first thing that I thought of as soon as I saw her was her resemblance to Sam.

[Sealurk]

I had completely forgotten how good this episode is - it's easily one of the best of season one, maybe the whole series.

The character's personalities are definitely starting to crystallise (pun intended), we get not just a really alien alien but a really alien world (SG-1 was pretty good with these in the first two seasons, I seem to recall), both of which are well realised, some fantastic character development and in general the writing is brilliant.

In fact the only thing I didn't like was the music.

[Traveler Enroute1]

Stargate Rewatch episodes: 101-105; 106

Cold Lazarus

I liked this episode a lot. Here, fairly early on, we get a sneak peek at Col. Jack O'Neill's private anguish. We knew from the movie that he'd lost his son and was grieving, perhaps suicidal. This story gave us the details in a novel way, and it was done with sensitivity without mauldin dawdlin'. It was sad but that was a lovely, touching moment when Crystal Jack gave our Jack renewed hope that he could forgive himself.

Sarah also had to face her own denial at suppressed anger at Jack. But it seems neither could express themselves to each other back then, and with her anger simmering under her skin and Jack's guilt, he put distance between them. Now that Crystal Jack expressed what hadn't been said before, Sarah and Jack seem to part with more peace between them. It does seem final when Sarah whispers for him to take care of himself.

A sterling episode; by that I mean it was practically sparkling. The cinematography was stunning with the contrast of the flawless blue sky and the bright (crayola?) yellow sand. Then the sprinkling of deep blue crystals among the dunes and the shots of the team against this backdrop (looking muy cool in their shades) were captivating. Great set. Hope all those sandboxes got their sand back!

Fave line: Security reports to Hammond:

"Sir, O'Neill - the other guy - is nowhere in the mountain." He glanced at Jack and amended his report.

Other notables:

• Noticed that sometimes the returnees leap/jump back into the Gateroom. Guessing that the point of entry is higher than their destination point?
  
  
• And eyes opened wide on this one: Sam or someone asked why the iris didn't close when the gate unofficially activated, and is told that someone must have used their code. That doesn't seem to happen later.
  
  
• Camera uses a handheld technique to follow Crystal Jack through the SGC, coupled with spooky music, nice touch in visualizing his alien nature for the audience.
  
  
• Orlin did a pretty good imitation of Crystal Jack!
  
  
• The staff blast is one of my fave SG1 scenes! Sam and Daniel did their wonderful Science Twins hijinks, telling Teal'c that they had permission to fire the weapon but, hello base alarms ringing - they didn't! Wish there were more of these collaborative and playful moments. Great chemistry between Sam and Daniel in this ep.
  
  
• Teal'c and TV - LOL and uh-oh. He won't surrender the staff weapon when they go after Crystal Jack: "I have seen your world. I will need it." He was so young then.
  
  
• Another non-human alien life form. Wonder what became of them later? Ooh, plot bunny...
  
  
• Sarah mentions the 'O'Neill military bravado'. Makes his outburst on Argos more powerful.
  
  
• Happy, married, family Jack - priceless.
  
  
• Neat special effects when the crystal took the features of Daniel and Sam. Guess that particular crystal expired at the SGC? Didn't see them send it back.
  
  
• What a cool room Charlie had, done in a space theme.
  
  
• Series has given a look at some of Sam's life, Jack's life; Daniel and Teal'c reveals come later.
  

Rating: 3.5/5

[Starscape91]

I liked this episode we got to see more of Jack's background and how the death of his son affected him and his relationship with Sara. Loved the scenes between Sam and Daniel. Also Teal'c watching TV and saying he will need his weapon when they leave the mountain was hilarious!

[jelgate]

The crystal aliens are basically a plot device to explore Jack's backstory and devulge a little more into the death of his son. We don't really learn a lot of new information but I think we learn more about how that experence affected Jack. I don't quite care about the crystals being dangerous because that seems tacked on to give action to the insight we were exploring about Jack's character

[VampyreWraith]

This is one of my favorite season 1 episodes. I loved finding out more about Jack's family/ personal life and how the death of his son affected it. Teal'c watching tv and later wanting to take his staff weapon with him when he leaves the SGC was great.

[hlndncr]

Not my favorite episode. I understand needing to address the whole Charlie thing, but this one just doesn't resonate with me.

I love that they were still trying to make alien planets seem alien and we were meeting non-human entities. The crystal entity was pretty cool IMO.

I didn't really get the whole Sara thing. She was so whiney and needy and I'm still in love with you, are we going to get back together, we were the greatest, etc. It just never jived with the picture I had of Sara from the movie, standing in her kitchen ignoring her husband upstairs with a gun almost to his head, then walking out on him as soon as he was gone.

Personally, I don't think Jack and Sara had a great marriage before Charlie died. She mentions that he would never really talk to her even before Charlie died. That vision the alien had of this happy little family right up to the moment of Charlie's death just doesn't fit with that image. I think it was how Jack had idealized things after the fact and the alien was trying to interpret things he clearly didn't understand.

Personally, I'm glad we didn't see Sara again. But I admit the end was a little abrupt.

[SF_and_Coffee]

When she was in the kitchen in the movie, I got the impression she was at the end of her rope after trying to get through to Jack for quite some time, and lost in her own grief as well. They were both grieving over the death of their son, but it appears that Jack did so by becoming distant and not forgiving himself, while Sara wanted his support. I'd certainly want my husband's support if our son had killed himself; that doesn't make someone "whiney and needy", it makes them human. And before Charlie died, there would have been any number of things that Jack wouldn't and couldn't have talked to Sara about... the man was a career military officer involved in Special Ops and black ops. He'd have seen all kinds of things that would have messed with his mind, but he wouldn't have been able to discuss any of that with his wife because of the need for secrecy. (I know people like this, and their spouses. It isn't easy for either of them, and it isn't always pretty, either.) Jack was a fairly stoic individual to begin with, and his keeping things bottled up for multiple reasons would certainly have been an obstacle though not an insurmountable one. Now add in Jack's having been a POW during the Gulf War, with the effects that would most likely have had on his psyche, and now and the camel's back is carrying an awful lot of straws... Charlie's accidental death, using Jack's gun, could easily have been the one that broke it.

As for "we were the greatest", it was JACK who said that, not Sara. It seems pretty clear in the episode that he still cared a great deal for Sara. I know that it's very tempting for Jack/Sam shippers to view Sara as some sort of negative or disagreeable person, but let's be at least a little fair to her, okay? (It might also be nice to give Jack some credit for having NOT picked a cold-hearted bee eye tee cee aitch as a wife, either, after all...) And with regard to Sara walking out on him, we're never given a whole lot of that part of the story, so for all we know, he could have been threatening to walk out on her the day prior to the start of the movie... it's all speculation.

[hlndncr]

I get a little annoyed when the fact that I am a Sam/Jack shipper is used to discount my opinion. As I have said before, I do not think Sam and Jack were in love at this point. In fact, it's clear from this episode that Sam barely even knows Jack.

But I still think I have a legitimate point of view. I do not like the portrayl of Sara and I do not think their marriage was on a good footing when Charlie died. I think Jack had created an idealized view of their marriage later on that the alien entity picked up on because of his own guilt issues. I think Sara was being awfully pushy and needy when the entity showed up after she walked out. I don't buy the if you loved me you would follow me crap.

Others are free to construe Jack and Sara's relationship however they like, but I personally am glad she was never brought back.