Collateral Damage (912)

[Dani347]

So Mitchell is working out Daddy issues.

I wouldn't exactly describe it as issues. Yeah, his dad went through a traumatic experience that I think shaped some aspect of Mitchell's character, but he still seemed to have a very strong relationship with him. I didn't get a sense of him being haunted by his dad, or had a difficult time with him. Or that he was fighting his reputation or anything like that. Just that his perserverance was an example for Mitchell. I thought it was a relatively non issue childhood.

[Domesticated Equine]

I think this was the best episode of the season and the first I've actually liked. I really don't care for the season's story arc so unlike in other shows I actually prefer stand-alone episodes such as this.

It was great to get some character development for Mitchell and for the first time I actually cared about his character. I like Browder now that he's given something to work with.

The episode wasn't without its problems, the plot wasn't all that original or exciting although I did like the twist with the killer. Mitchell flirting with and kissing the scientist felt really unprofessional and contrived. But fortunately, this time the good outweighed the bad.

[MarshAngel]

It was a good episode in terms of finally fleshing out Cam the way he needed to be. It was a nice single episode but they still have more work to do making SG1 feel like a team.
I enjoyed seeing a modern alien planet again; haven't seen that in a while with all the dusty Jaffa and the robes.

The story itself however is old hat. The first thing I thought of when I heard the summary was a Star Trek Voyager episode with Tom Paris and some guy's wife which incidentally was a rip off of the TNG episode with Riker and some guy's wife.... well it wasn't original and it's one scifi theme I'm not particularly fond of. It's ok to reuse ideas but it would have been less obvious if there had been a secondary plot where they could have made better use of other characters. Daniel and Teal'c were just standing around much of the time.

[Zelda]

Liked the action part of the murder; the new camera angles, lighting and direction were all very interesting. The scene where Mitchell wakes up and discovers blood on his hands and his confusion and horror at what unfolds--all were very well done.

I liked the flirtation and the kissing scene, also very well done. Judging how this one turns out, I expect Cameron will have a few reservations before hitting on the next off world female. Too bad, Mitchell looks like an excellent kisser. The Kirk syndrome--the SG1 male team members are all single so I don't have a problem with it. Sam has had a few relationships, hasn't hurt her intelligence as far as I can tell. Both Teal'c and Daniel have had serious and not so series connections of the female type. Personally, I hope Cameron has a lot of lady friends or an ex-wife that show up with regularity. I enjoy learning about the personal lives of the team members.

Liked the back story about Cam and the relationship with his father and also the story about the missile. His insistance on knowing who was killed and his remorse. Bits and pieces of life experience that make him who he is.

I liked seeing Mitchell in street clothes.

[MediaSavant]

And deep down I have to admit I enjoyed seeing an "emotional" side of Stargate. Makes a nice change from explosions and guns.

It's not deep down to me. I know on the surface that I prefer a character-driven show. I think I enjoy character-centric stories more than an episode like last week's where everything felt shallow despite there being a situation that should have carried some emotional wallop.

This still wasn't "great drama" like BSG is on a weekly basis or like Farscape used to be. But, it was a tad more engaging than last week.

I liked the fleshing out of Mitchell's background and I think it's unfair to say this is being forced. It's overdue and needed. When you have new characters being paired with characters that have been around the number of years the other three have, it creates an imbalance of knowing very little about one character and a boatload about everyone else.

If anything was "forced", I'd have to go back to last week when there was a whole Gen'l Hammond scene that wasn't necessary for the storyline and totally thrown in as a bone for fans.

If something serves the story, I'm fine with it. IMO, it serves the overall Stargate story to fix the imbalance on how little we knew about Mitchell vs. the other characters.

[Arative]

"it moved the plot along but you know since man first went to the stars, he's dreamed of making it with a hot alien chick!!"

After 7 years of a well-written intelligent sci-fi drama that never had to rely on these types of ordinary, cheesy sci-fi cliches now, IMO, the show feels it needs to become just another less-than-mediocre sci-fi by bringing in and relying on cheap cliches to move the plot along or to just plain make the show look stupid (and that is MO as I have watched it for 8 years and now have watched it degenerate in a very short span of time -- it is not a comment on those who may like it -- I think it's silly, foolish and stupid sci-fi cliche - others don't. That's the great thing about a free democratic nation - everyone is free to have their own opinions and is free to state them.)

Really, do you remember the early seasons of SG-1? How about the one where Jack was drugged with nanites that aged him and he made it with that alien? Or how about the one where Daniel falls for the girl that put him the the sarcoghous? I'm sure there are a few others that I've forgetten to mention but they've always used the girl to move along the plot in Stargate. This episode was no different.

[Beal]

I knew it was him as soon as he said it was his wife, I wasn't surprised at all.

It was nice to see SG-1 skip the stupid "did you do it cam?" moment though. Skip right to the good parts, I say.

[Zelda]

I forgot to mention: My question has to do with the transfer and implantation of the murderer's memory into Mitchell's brain. Did the killer drag Mitchell back to the lab and do the switch or was it a portable device he happened to be carrying with him? I think it was mentioned the memory had to be a precise placement to be undetectible. Sorry, just seemed like a big plot hole to me.

[cajnjirl]

I found this ep interesting and well done. A nice change.

I enjoyed seeing into Mitchell's past as opposed to hearing about it. I'm not bothered by the Father Issues. Nearly everyone I know has a parent thing to deal with, myself included.

The flirting and kissing was delightful. It was very well done and also hot and sweet. But we barely got to see Cam get his lips wet. I'm not worried in the least about 'kirking' Mitchell. If his goal was to sleep with every hot alien chick, wouldn't he have bagged Vala? NEWSFLASH: Grown-ups occasionally have sex with people they like. Alcohol increases the odds.

Makes me think Mitchell was married before.

Nice twist with the husband being the killer.

Wasn't young Mitchell the cutest kid?

[AGateFan]

I forgot to mention: My question has to do with the transfer and implantation of the murderer's memory into Mitchell's brain. Did the killer drag Mitchell back to the lab and do the switch or was it a portable device he happened to be carrying with him? I think it was mentioned the memory had to be a precise placement to be undetectible. Sorry, just seemed like a big plot hole to me.

Yep, thats a really really good question. Maybe the head researcher lady had a prototype in her apartment . Kinda seems like a security breach though.

So the guy stuns Mitchell, murders his wife, carries Mitchell out to his car (or whatever), takes him to the lab (where there are no cameras) does the memory thing (mitchell never wakes up). Drags Mitchell back out to the car (whatever), takes him back to the house and stages the scene (if you watch actual crime documentary stuff, this is really hard to do in a way that would not be detectable). Then he drives back to the lab and uses the device again to erase his own memory (not questioning himself after the fact to wonder why he was in the chair).

Shouldnt they have cameras and computer logs that watch that device?

But then, like you said, maybe they have a portable version... so then why have the big version if the portable one works so well.... Oh well, this really wasnt glaring to me until you mentioned it and I was able to suspend belief through it, so I will chalk it up to "just one of those things".

[Quinn Mallory]

This was a clever episode in how it introduced us to Mitchell's past, which was also powerfully done.

Yeah, it suffer from the usual mystery show in that you know the murderer is someone who is introduced in the episode and even though it could've been the ambasssador, you know it's not since they didn't have the time to add more interaction between the ambassodor and the dead scientist to distract us.

Anyhow, I don't quite understand the complaint of people with Cam hooking up with the alien scientists (or Shep hooking up with alien chicks in SGA). It's a TV show and sex often is incorporated one way or another. I guess one can say that the promiscuit was more common in the 80's, early-90's TV than it is now, but it is more of a general TV cliche than a sci-fi cliche.

[Quinn Mallory]

Wasn't young Mitchell the cutest kid?

I didn't think the kid had much resemblance to Ben Browder but than again, I didn't think the actor in Fragile Balanced looked like RDA. Not that it make me enjoy the show any less or anything.

[AGateFan]

This was a clever episode in how it introduced us to Mitchell's past, which was also powerfully done.

Yeah, it suffer from the usual mystery show in that you know the murderer is someone who is introduced in the episode and even though it could've been the ambasssador, you know it's not since they didn't have the time to add more interaction between the ambassodor and the dead scientist to distract us.

Anyhow, I don't quite understand the complaint of people with Cam hooking up with the alien scientists (or Shep hooking up with alien chicks in SGA). It's a TV show and sex often is incorporated one way or another. I guess one can say that the promiscuit was more common in the 80's, early-90's TV than it is now, but it is more of a general TV cliche than a sci-fi cliche.

There are some of us that beleive that one of the reasons Stargate was better then other shows was they rarely delved into the cliche "alien chick who thinks the hero is hot". Many of the earlier eps where it happend "Brief candel" and "Need" had extenuating circumstances. And episodes where it happened where there were no extenuating circumstances "affinity" (earth chick alien hero) were really not that good of a Stargate ep... IMHO.

[shiznaw]

Anyhow, I don't quite understand the complaint of people with Cam hooking up with the alien scientists (or Shep hooking up with alien chicks in SGA). It's a TV show and sex often is incorporated one way or another. I guess one can say that the promiscuit was more common in the 80's, early-90's TV than it is now, but it is more of a general TV cliche than a sci-fi cliche.

I believe that you've just pointed out the main reason why many of the sci-fi TV shows had never lasted past 4 seasons. Famed Galactic Human hero :boinking: the alien gurl has morphed into such a cliche, Stargate was a breath of fresh air.

Yeah....operative word...was

[nccjones]

Many of the earlier eps where it happend "Brief candel" and "Need" had extenuating circumstances. And episodes where it happened where there were no extenuating circumstances "affinity" (earth chick alien hero) were really not that good of a Stargate ep... IMHO.

Exactly...In Brief Candle, Jack was drugged. He had no idea he did anything with the girl until the next morning when he woke up. Even after that he pretty much stayed away from her. Same with Daniel in Need. Daniel was still very much in love with and searching for Sha're. I don't believe he would intentionally make love to another woman. The girl in Need was using Daniel by putting him in the sarc to get him addicted. It became a drug to him and she pretty much seduced him after that...oh, same with Hathor.

I call this a Kirking episode, because Mitchell did have the hots for the alien babe. He definately wanted more. Yeah, she seduced him along, but there were no drugs involved. Alot of alien females seduced Kirk and he was happy as all get out to be with them. Yep...Kirking to me.