Politics (120)

[SG1Member]

Kinsey was part of a long tradition on the show of someone or someones on Earth constantly challenging Sg-1 and their use of the gate. First it was the NID, the the Trust, then the IOA. Why is it that there always needs to be someone like that on the show, I ask? SG-1 has enough to worry about with the Goa'uld, the Replicators, the Ori, etc, without having to butt heads with their own government too.

[DigiFluid]

Whyyyyy would you make a clipshow episode in a show's first season??

[LeftHandedGuitarist]

What's unforgivable about clip shows? They serve a purpose.

It's not a rational dislike, sure, but it's mainly because they are not made for me - a fan. I watched the show every week, and don't want or need to see a repeat of what has gone before. Similarly, I'm the sort of person who could not watch any show without seeing it from the start, if I want to watch something I seek it out from the beginning. If they needed to save money, I'd rather they just made one episode less per season.

These days, clip shows don't seem to appear much. Rather, a studio will put together a specific recap program narrated by one of the actors to bring new viewers up to speed (Lost did this several times). This is a MUCH better solution.

[SF_and_Coffee]

It may well be, but remember, you have to judge these early SG-1 seasons by what was available in the day, and the reasons for doing things in certain ways. And really, there are an awful lot of hard-core SG-1 fans who only came to the show midway through the first season or even later. Hell, I didn't even have Showtime when SG-1 premiered there, and I know I'm not the only one. But that doesn't make me any less of a fan -- I just came late to the party. I enjoyed this ep, even though by the time I saw it, I'd managed to catch most or all of the first season in syndicated reruns. It was made for me -- a fan -- because I could grab several friends who had missed crucial eps and get them to watch with me and catch up, so that we could all enjoy what came next.

[NowIWillDestroyAbydos]

Bad episode, worst clip show of the series because there is only a season's worth of footage here.

Kinsey is introduced, he is always a bastard, wanting to always shut down the gate.

Tomorrow: The first season finale.

[jlovette]

For a clip show, I though it was a decent balance between old material and the scenes with Kinsey. Having said that, it was hard to stay focused having just rewatched all of those episodes over the last few weeks.

I don't necessarily mind the fact that it was a clip show in the first season, but its placement after the great ending from There But For the Grace of God was a total momentum killer. I did a rewatch at the end of SG-1 with my wife, who watching for the first time. We finished Grace of God after midnight and she couldn't wait to watch the next one. By the time Politics ended, she was more than a little irritated.

[mathpiglet]

The problem with the new material is that it was all talking heads. A bunch of people sitting around the table, probably reading their scripts. No new action. That's why it's harder to watch the second time around.

[SG3Marine]

While I don't understand why they had a clip show episode in the first season, I think the episode was saved from being a total wreck by Senator Kinsey. He was animated enough for it to be interesting. Can't wait for the season finale though!

[SF_and_Coffee]

While I don't understand why they had a clip show episode in the first season

To bring newer viewers up to speed on what was going on so that they'd understand the finale well enough to come back and watch the second season from the beginning. Jeez, this isn't rocket science, folks. It was 1997, and there was no such thing as Hulu yet.

-SF&C,
who remembers the old days before Hulu, Netflix and even VHS and Beta, so when you missed something, you REALLY missed it. Now get off my lawn.

[Naomi]

I'm not a fan of clip shows, although I understand their purpose -- condensed version of "the story so far," and production cost savings. I am a fan of this episode, though, because Ronny Cox is so good at being Senator Kinsey.

[chaddergate]

The problem with the new material is that it was all talking heads. A bunch of people sitting around the table, probably reading their scripts. No new action. That's why it's harder to watch the second time around.

Yep, hate clip shows...and I've been watching the new Outer Limits recently (from where Glassner & Wright came from), they have used them in the early seasons over there as well. Eh.

[jelgate]

I'm not anti-clip show like some people. Its all about the material between the clips that matters to me. And the Kinsey-SG1 conflicts is why I like Politics even though its a clip show. The battle of words delivers a punch as you can see them yelling. And a lot of that credit goes to Ronny Cox. He really sells Kinsey as a villian that the fights between him and SG1 feels real and makes for excitment. It also makes the season finale more dire.

[hlndncr]

Teal'c is so deep!

[Kunoichi]

It's not one of my favourite episodes for a couple of reasons. The first being the clipshow bit. I understand why they did it, and felt that the clips used did forward the episode's plot and help bring newer viewers up to date with what's happened, but it did slow the episode down for me personally.

The second reason is that I always finish the episode feeling really angry because of Kinsey. Whilst this means that the episode is not a favourite of mine because it leaves me wanting to hit something (or someone), I think it is actually a sign of a well written script and fantastic performance by Ronny Cox, in making Kinsey so thoroughly unlikable that my blood boils every time he comes out with one of his self-righteous, sanctimonious, ridiculous statements. I think a lot of what he is saying about the dangers of the Stargate program is true, but it is so obvious that (as Jack says) he had already made his decision before visiting that anything he says immediately loses credibility because of his obvious agenda.

That being said it does have some good moments, e.g. the reactions of Jack and Sam to being engaged in the alternate reality, and it was a necessary episode to set up the season finally and had obvious knock on consequences for later seasons.

[juggernaut975]

Having been subjected to a number of clip shows from other programs (Shades of Gray for instance.....shudder...) I found this one entirely satisfying.

It was a chance to rehash old footage and save money, sure, but it served as the intermission of sorts between the end of season arc which started with There But For the Grace of God and then continues on with Within the Serpent's Grasp and The Serpent's Lair. Although the bulk of the episode is flashbacks (Well Colonel...what about THIS mission with it's exciting footage?) it does two important things:

1) it sustains the urgency for the oncoming Goa'uld fleet and

2) it maintains the fact that not everyone within the US Military is as high speed, low drag as the members of SGC are. LTC Samuels is as weasely as they come and as we see the last of him we're introduced to Senator Kinsey who will be a thorn in our hero's sides for some time to come.


Like a lot of folks, I consider this to be a four episode story arc and Politics is sort of the breather in between. Unlike other clip shows however it provides some progression for the overall story and is, imho at least, a fun viewing.