Family (208)

[Brother Freyr]

I started to watch this episode and then stopped. First one I've skipped during the re-watch. Stories about the Jaffa culture don't resonate for me, I don't know why. Their redeeming aspect is that they often let Chris Judge show his acting chops. Sometimes even that isn't enough to overcome the irritation of the kid who plays Rya'c.

[Lieutenant Sparrow]

I really dislike this episode, and it's an unfair hate because much of what is here is pretty good. Christopher Judge gives a great performance, Jack is really on form. But it's overshadowed by the last 15 minutes or so, which are some of the worst scenes Stargate ever made. I mentioned in 'Bloodlines' that I don't like the kid playing Rya'c, and he is a thousand times worse here.

It's not entirely his fault, he's given some terrible dialogue to work with, and as an actor he improves drastically once he's older, but here he is damn near unwatchable and it ruins an otherwise interesting episode. The scenes at Fro'tac's house are very enjoyable and there is fun team interaction, not to mention another appearance for the wonderful Bra'tac. But God help me, I never want to have to sit through this one again.

- It hadn't occurred to me that the SGC assumed Apophis and Klorel were killed when the ships blew up. I always kind of had the impression they escaped, and just assumed everyone else knew! It makes sense that they didn't.

- The zat shot seemed a very simple solution, making for an unbelievable and unsatisfying conclusion (although I enjoy seeing that little **** Rya'c get shot)

- How is Jack so knowledgable on electroshock therapy and how similar it is to a zat blast? What's he been up to in his past?

- The hidden wall in Fro'tac's house blended in fairly seamlessly until the scene where Jack returns in the guard's uniform, where even the most idiotic Jaffa soldier would have figured out where they are hiding!

- Some plot elements didn't seem to fit into the established timeline, unless my memory is failing me. Drey'auc remarried because she thought Teal'c was dead? Correct me if I'm wrong, but she knew exactly where he was and what he was up to, and Bra'tac could have kept her somewhat more up to date. Similarly, Rya'c accuses Teal'c of promising to return and then never coming back - Christ, kid, it's only been less than a year since he told you he would return, and he made it very clear it was going to take some time!

RATING: 3.5 out of 10

I agree with a lot of this. The good parts of the episode still overshadowed the bad parts for me though. Jack doing what he does best.

I have always liked how a third shot from a zat gun disintegrates a person (Is that the right word?)

[dtheories]

....
Did anyone else noticed that (cant think of his name... Teal'c old friend) has a silver mark on his head? What would that mean?

I wondered about the silver tatoo as well and could only assume it had something to do with Fro'tak's rank in Apophis' administration. Anyway, it wasn't something I noticed prior to this viewing, so there you are!

And oh, by the way, Apophis returns! Agreed, it appears that he escaped in Serpaint's Lair, though I prefer to think he ringed to a Tel'tak rather than the 'gate before leaving the ship, but hey, it's movie magic!

I like that Hammond shows his concern and caring for Teal'c. What I don't like about Teal'c in this, and in other episodes, is how misguided he can become when overwhelmed by his emotions.

RDA is damn hot in this ep; never more so than when dishing out the zingers, "No wonder these guys are always cranky!"

While the burden of zatting his child is tremendous, the reality is this information sets the scene for 'deprogramming' in Seth. That an innocent child's deepest held fear or resentment is used to turn him into a weapon of mass destruction is another mirror of today's civilization. Knowing it wouldn't kill him, it did appear worth a try. Drey'auc is the only one with pure intentions in this ep and pays a huge price. I was happy she'd find some peace in the Land of Light.

[LeftHandedGuitarist]

I really dislike this episode, and it's an unfair hate because much of what is here is pretty good. Christopher Judge gives a great performance, Jack is really on form. But it's overshadowed by the last 15 minutes or so, which are some of the worst scenes Stargate ever made. I mentioned in 'Bloodlines' that I don't like the kid playing Rya'c, and he is a thousand times worse here.

It's not entirely his fault, he's given some terrible dialogue to work with, and as an actor he improves drastically once he's older, but here he is damn near unwatchable and it ruins an otherwise interesting episode. The scenes at Fro'tac's house are very enjoyable and there is fun team interaction, not to mention another appearance for the wonderful Bra'tac. But God help me, I never want to have to sit through this one again.

- It hadn't occurred to me that the SGC assumed Apophis and Klorel were killed when the ships blew up. I always kind of had the impression they escaped, and just assumed everyone else knew! It makes sense that they didn't.

- The zat shot seemed a very simple solution, making for an unbelievable and unsatisfying conclusion (although I enjoy seeing that little **** Rya'c get shot)

- How is Jack so knowledgable on electroshock therapy and how similar it is to a zat blast? What's he been up to in his past?

- The hidden wall in Fro'tac's house blended in fairly seamlessly until the scene where Jack returns in the guard's uniform, where even the most idiotic Jaffa soldier would have figured out where they are hiding!

- Some plot elements didn't seem to fit into the established timeline, unless my memory is failing me. Drey'auc remarried because she thought Teal'c was dead? Correct me if I'm wrong, but she knew exactly where he was and what he was up to, and Bra'tac could have kept her somewhat more up to date. Similarly, Rya'c accuses Teal'c of promising to return and then never coming back - Christ, kid, it's only been less than a year since he told you he would return, and he made it very clear it was going to take some time!

RATING: 3.5 out of 10

[Dave2]

No, they weren't.

Spoiler:

DREY'AUC
Before our son was taken, he was training with Master Bra'tac. He lost two teeth that day. They are no longer missing.

[...]

RYA'C
You cannot stop me!
[Chomps his teeth together…twice. Then he feels his teeth, stunned.]
DREY'AUC
They're gone, son.

[...]

FRAISER
The teeth were fake, hollow. Inside each tooth we found a different biological organism, sort of like a virus. They both appear to be dormant, harmless, until you combine them. Then they become deadliest thing I've ever seen.

CARTER
If he bit down hard enough to break the teeth the two organisms would begin to combine and multiply exponentially, releasing themselves into the atmosphere.

And like I said in my post after that one, Drey'auc didn't notice it until Rya'c smiled widely. I think it would be very obvious to anyone if his two front teeth were still there despite being knocked out earlier. Not to mention that it wouldn't make sense for Rya'c to chomp his teeth together if they weren't his back teeth and since they were supposed to break for the two agents to mix, it would indicate one is above the other.

You might want to check the episode again and watch the moment Drey'auc is startled and tells Teal'c, plus the later scene when she's in the brig with Rya'c.

OK, will do.

[fems]

Actually they were the two front teeth mentioned in the episode, which is why I was asking about it.

No, they weren't.

Spoiler:

DREY'AUC
Before our son was taken, he was training with Master Bra'tac. He lost two teeth that day. They are no longer missing.

[...]

RYA'C
You cannot stop me!
[Chomps his teeth together…twice. Then he feels his teeth, stunned.]
DREY'AUC
They're gone, son.

[...]

FRAISER
The teeth were fake, hollow. Inside each tooth we found a different biological organism, sort of like a virus. They both appear to be dormant, harmless, until you combine them. Then they become deadliest thing I've ever seen.

CARTER
If he bit down hard enough to break the teeth the two organisms would begin to combine and multiply exponentially, releasing themselves into the atmosphere.

And like I said in my post after that one, Drey'auc didn't notice it until Rya'c smiled widely. I think it would be very obvious to anyone if his two front teeth were still there despite being knocked out earlier. Not to mention that it wouldn't make sense for Rya'c to chomp his teeth together if they weren't his back teeth and since they were supposed to break for the two agents to mix, it would indicate one is above the other.

You might want to check the episode again and watch the moment Drey'auc is startled and tells Teal'c, plus the later scene when she's in the brig with Rya'c.

[Dave2]

1. Simple; if they were lethal on their own, Rya'c would be dead long before having the chance to fulfill Apophis' plan.
2. Indeed.
3. He didn't; Drey'auc said they were gone and Janet told the others the two teeth were hollow. There was no mention of which teeth they were, so apparently they were in the back and we couldn't see them or the empty space left behind after removal.
4. No.

Actually they were the two front teeth mentioned in the episode, which is why I was asking about it.

[hedwig]

I just skimmed through the episode and Drey'auc only noticed the teeth were no longer missing when he smiled. In the later scenes, after they have been removed and Teal'c is questioning Rya'c about why Apophis wanted him to sacrifice himself you can see they made his right lower tooth (left for us) black which I assume is to make it look like it's gone. The other tooth would have been above it, but we don't get a good angle to check.

Knocking out the teeth could have easily been done by a fist or staff weapon to the right side of his face (cheek for example).

Ditto the last line. It happens to children all the time when playing rough sports type games. Probably in this case a staff weapon, since I can't actually see Bra'tac doing training with his fist.

Moving on a bit. I've always felt very badly for Drey'auc in this episode, especially with the way Teal'c behaved. I understand he was hurt that she'd moved on, but I wish there had been more about the subject. Did he really expect her to sit around and wait for him? Did he really expect that nothing would happen to her because of his actions? She was, after all, left to raise their son, alone. She was only trying to make the best of a bad situation and try to give Ry'ac a decent home. She didn't actually love Fro'tac, but apparently people on Chulak don't find that to be necessary to marry (IMO).

[fems]

I just skimmed through the episode and Drey'auc only noticed the teeth were no longer missing when he smiled. In the later scenes, after they have been removed and Teal'c is questioning Rya'c about why Apophis wanted him to sacrifice himself you can see they made his right lower tooth (left for us) black which I assume is to make it look like it's gone. The other tooth would have been above it, but we don't get a good angle to check.

Knocking out the teeth could have easily been done by a fist or staff weapon to the right side of his face (cheek for example).

[hedwig]

Here's what Drey'auc said about Ry'ac's teeth:

DREY'AUC: Before our son was taken, he was training with Master Bra'tac. He lost two teeth that day. They are no longer missing.

It could have been front teeth or back teeth. If he was training with Bra'tac, it seems to me that his front teeth were in more danger from being knocked out than his back teeth were. Those are generally the ones that get injured or knocked out in any kind of sports related (or training) incidents. And since Drey'auc could see that they were no longer missing, I have to assume they were front teeth or she wouldn't have been able to tell.

So the continuity people likely goofed up in not showing him with two missing teeth. Quite a few things slipped through the cracks like that over the years.

[fems]

How did Samantha Carter know that the bacteria in Rya'c's teeth were lethal only when combined?
If Rya'c was fooling Teal'c all along then was he ready to die for Apophis?
Why did Rya'c still have teeth even after the bacteria was discovered?
Did Teal'c have to remarryhis wife?

1. Simple; if they were lethal on their own, Rya'c would be dead long before having the chance to fulfill Apophis' plan.
2. Indeed.
3. He didn't; Drey'auc said they were gone and Janet told the others the two teeth were hollow. There was no mention of which teeth they were, so apparently they were in the back and we couldn't see them or the empty space left behind after removal.
4. No.

[hedwig]

How did Samantha Carter know that the bacteria in Rya'c's teeth were lethal only when combined?
If Rya'c was fooling Teal'c all along then was he ready to die for Apophis?
Why did Rya'c still have teeth even after the bacteria was discovered?
Did Teal'c have to remarryhis wife?

1. She's a scientist. She knows these things.
2. Yes.
3. Miraculous things happen in TV.
4. Unlikely, since he got involved with Shau'nac in S5 and was prepared to go back to Chulak with her, even though he still cared a lot about Drey'auc.

[Dave2]

How did Samantha Carter know that the bacteria in Rya'c's teeth were lethal only when combined?
If Rya'c was fooling Teal'c all along then was he ready to die for Apophis?
Why did Rya'c still have teeth even after the bacteria was discovered?
Did Teal'c have to remarryhis wife?

[FrodoFraggins]

6/10

Bad kid actor ruined the episode, he's about as bad an actor as that little brat from Heroes whose dad could walk through walls.

[Noxbait]

I like seeing a bit more of chulak. SG1 gets their frequent flyer miles from visits to Chulak and Abydos. : )

oooh...first indications of that nasty little Jaffa revenge thing. poor Teal'c. not a happy visit, finding your wife all married off to your 'best friend.' and then to have your kid behave so badly in public. tsktsk.

I like the continuity of the one Jaffa guy...the one who comes to Fro'tac's door...the guy with the gotee...I'm sure he's been around before. very cool if it is the same guy, nice to see even some minor characters return in their positions.

Hooray for always vigilant...and hyper-suspicious Jack. aww..poor Fro'tac. what a domestic mess, eh? even aliens have soap-opera lives. Wow...a big smile from Teal'c when he gets Rya'c back in the ambush.
I like the mention of Cassie by Jack. Always nice to remember that she exists thank you very much.
I like Rya'c a lot. A cute kid in these early seasons...and a very cool thing that he grows up across the series and gets married in S8. Love it. Wish they'd have done more with Cassie.
Must have been a bit difficult for both Jack and Daniel to see Teal'c get his family reunited. considering they both know what it means to be without their wives...and Jack having lost Charlie.
Rya'c's such a skinny little thing! it was funny watching him fight and try to beat up on his daddy. yeah, like that was gonna work. ; )

anyone else think Daniel looked rather tired during the part where they were discussing ECT on Rya'c? Just before they zatted him? He looked rather worn out IMO.

ok...what took so long for them to figure out that it would be a good plan to take Drey'auc and Rya'c to a safer world? Think of how much trouble it would've saved if they'd have shipped them to the Land of Light after Bloodlines! : )