I can see why some were less than impressed by this one but I rather liked it because, leaving aside the plot (!) at the heart of this episode is the difference between Jack and Daniel (at that time - Daniel's changed a little since then, not drastically, but a little).
So all my comments below refer to Jack and Daniel at the time of the episode and not as Daniel is now:
Jack is military and his first instinct (as Daniel points out in a later episode (Entity, if memory serves)) is to protect -Jack will react defensively and with suspicion and where necessary Jack will attack rather than risk being attacked. He will make hard decisions and will sacrifice the few to save the many.
Daniel is Jack's opposite. Daniel's first instinct is to communicate and is unwilling to resort to violence until every other option has been exhausted. This approach has often brought him into conflict with Jack but on this occaision by going back to the ship Daniel would be blown up if Jack decided to continue with his chosen course of action. Having weighed up his options and realising the number of people that would die if he did not blow up the ship, Jack decided to put his personal feelings aside, unaware that Daniel would find another solution.
I found the clash of personality types fascinating and enjoyed the fact that Stargate SG-1 didn't shy away from making either man unsympathetic at various times. RDA and MS are good enough actors to carry off that sort of challenge.
This is one of those eps that might be worth revisiting once you know you're not watching it for the proper plot - if you see what I mean. Concentrate on the boys reactions to the situation rather than the situation itself and you might find something to like. Honest!
Izzy
So all my comments below refer to Jack and Daniel at the time of the episode and not as Daniel is now:
Jack is military and his first instinct (as Daniel points out in a later episode (Entity, if memory serves)) is to protect -Jack will react defensively and with suspicion and where necessary Jack will attack rather than risk being attacked. He will make hard decisions and will sacrifice the few to save the many.
Daniel is Jack's opposite. Daniel's first instinct is to communicate and is unwilling to resort to violence until every other option has been exhausted. This approach has often brought him into conflict with Jack but on this occaision by going back to the ship Daniel would be blown up if Jack decided to continue with his chosen course of action. Having weighed up his options and realising the number of people that would die if he did not blow up the ship, Jack decided to put his personal feelings aside, unaware that Daniel would find another solution.
I found the clash of personality types fascinating and enjoyed the fact that Stargate SG-1 didn't shy away from making either man unsympathetic at various times. RDA and MS are good enough actors to carry off that sort of challenge.
This is one of those eps that might be worth revisiting once you know you're not watching it for the proper plot - if you see what I mean. Concentrate on the boys reactions to the situation rather than the situation itself and you might find something to like. Honest!
Izzy
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