Stronghold (914)

[scarimor]

This episode was, as they say, a game of two halves ;-) The B-story with Mitchell and his dying buddy felt quite disjointed and disconnected. But I did like the doctor who talked to Mitchell at the start - I hope we see some more of her.

I like Ba'al but I didn't feel he was used well enough - he stood around and gloated but we didn't see his machinations. Perhaps they're saving that up for one of the other clones. Teal'c getting tortured is getting a bit old - I say give one of the others a chance <g>. I didn't see the point of the tretonin incident - not sure what it was meant to demonstrate.

It was great to see Carter in command of a mission and delivering the goods. Her tactics were very sound, particularly when she had to think on her feet to deal with a Mitchell who was mis-firing on most cyclinders because of his "bad mood" - poor chap couldn't manage the ring controls he was so pumped. She took what could have been a liability and turned it into a positive for the mission, sending the hot-head in to use up his energy while she and Daniel secured their position and protected their escape. That ability to read people quickly and adapt to changing situations shows good leadership.

Mitchell's hot-headedness in the rescue mission was the one point at which the B-plot connected with the A-plot, so there was some satisaction there.

Bra'tac was excellent again too. Though I do wonder how much longer that chap has to go... he's had a lot of close calls and he ain't getting any younger.

[ChillinTheMost]

...poor chap couldn't manage the ring controls he was so pumped...

Wasn't it broken? Samantha had to take it apart and play with the crystal thingees to get it to work.

[scarimor]

Wasn't it broken? Samantha had to take it apart and play with the crystal thingees to get it to work.

I don't know whether it was broken - I assumed it had security and he couldn't deal with that. You may be right but either way his 'positive' <g> energy was better directed to mowing down Jaffa than securing their entrance and protecting their retreat, so it was a good call.

[Pharaoh Atem]

the only thing that sticks in my mind about this episode is baal talking abou the ori and how he doesn't want them to control our galaxy.

i liked seeing that side of him and i hope that there make more clones

[ChillinTheMost]

I don't know whether it was broken - I assumed it had security and he couldn't deal with that. You may be right but either way his 'positive' <g> energy was better directed to mowing down Jaffa than securing their entrance and protecting their retreat, so it was a good call.

Ah, I can accept that.

I'm more reacting to some earlier posts that said Mitchell rushed ahead when he wasn't even competent enough to know how to work the rings. We know he knows how to work them since he did in Avalon. Carter having to bypass the security sounds reasonable, though.

I agree with directing his energy properly, too.

[DEM]

All right, so there I am on the bus minding my own business, when suddenly, BLAMMO!

The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States. It is awarded "for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of life, above and beyond the call of duty, in actual combat against an armed enemy force." The Medal of Honor is presented by the President of the United States, who is also the Commander-in-Chief of the US Armed Forces, on behalf of the American people.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Congres...Medal_of_Honor

Avalon 1

CARTER: The Congressional Medal of Honor is the highest award for valor in action against an enemy force that can be bestowed upon an individual serving in the Armed Services of the United States of America. On behalf of the President....

Stronghold

FERGUSON: You know, I never did buy that you went down in a test flight.
MITCHELL: Why? That's what happened.

I know the *cough* of the awarding of the MOH was discussed when Avalon aired, but someone wanna take a stab at wanking this new info? :munch popcorn: this oughta be good.

[ShardsofGlass]

No wanking needed. Mitchell was dissembling because the information about what happened at Antartica was classified and Ferguson didn't have clearance. It was obvious that the official story of what happened to Mitchell was that he went down in a test flight. The real reason of why he went down wasn't discussed in this episode.

[DEM]

So he got the MOH for going down in a test flight? Eh?

[ShardsofGlass]

So he got the MOH for going down in a test flight? Eh?

Are you being deliberately obtuse? Of course he didn't get the MOH for going down in a test flight. THe test flight is the cover story that the military is using to explain how Mitchell got injured. That's why Ferguson brought it up and why he was skeptical of it. Do you expect them to tell the public that he was injured fighting aliens? No, they make up something else that sounds plausible, which is what the test flight story is.

[DEM]

What is the official reason he got the MOH?

[ShardsofGlass]

What is the official reason he got the MOH?

How should I know? We were never told any official reason on the show. That information was presented as a flashback of Mitchell's from a time when he was barely conscious. That's the only time the MOH was mentioned, ever. And that's the only information we have on it.

[PG15]

He probably got the medal for blashing aliens over Antarctica.

[scarimor]

Are you being deliberately obtuse?

Shardsof Glass, I believe you've missed the point of dem's question. We the audience are of course aware of the real reason Mitchell got his Medal of Honor. And of course we know that the "testflight" story is a cover. The point is that the citation for Mitchell's medal (including the reason it was given, i.e. the cover story) is available to those who have no clearance. His dying friend knows about it, hence his question. But the trouble is that citation does not meet the criteria for the award.

Anyone in the US military (and many others) would immediately smell a rat - like, "Say, you don't get the MoH for crashing a test-flight. What really went down here?"

So the Air Force have either a) left Mitchell open to public criticism that he's got an award he doesn't deserve, or b) jeopardised the security of the SG programme with a cover story you can drive a humvee through.

Do you follow?

[warmbeachbrat]

I was just reading the transcript for the episode and I was rather struck by something. At the end, when Teal'c is trying to comfort Mitchell, Cam asks him how he resists brainwashing..."Figure I might be in that situation one day…and I don’t reckon I’m going through the right of mal sharran."

Now, I find this interesting. With all the jargon and foreign phrases that Cam's been subjected to in his short time with SG-1, he remembers one of great significance to Teal'c. I think this shows, 1) the amount of research that Cam puts into his job, 2) his awareness of the importance of certain terms and events, and 3) his respect for Teal'c--that he would remember the event, the term, and it's impact on Teal'c and want his advice. It seems to me that Mictchell highly respects Teal'c and looks on him as a mentor, but also as a friend, hence his good-natured teasing of Teal'c at other times.

Just something I was thinking...

[cafine_us]

I do see your point, but I also think Mitchell's memory may just be a convenience of the script. Every character, except maybe Jack, can remember everyone's name and random seemingly unimportant facts and use them when needed. Even Jack could remember these details when he wanted to. In real life, most people don't have this good of a memory.