Entity (420)

[Ascendant]

This was a good one for first Jack's confusion,"I'm not getting all of my memos"And his reaction in the briefing "So were calling it a probe" Sometimes it takes so little to satisfy him.

I loved that part. You could tell he was feeling completely out of his depth, because there was nothing to shoot and all he could do was step aside and let the really smart people figure things out. He's trying hard to be helpful but unobtrusive, so when they finally accept his name for the entity he gets that little "I'm helpful" smile.

I also liked his interactions with the Probe when it was still in its "infancy". He's great with kids, and the Probe automatically takes an interest in him and plays with him a little bit with the camera. Right in the middle of their game, someone shuts off the power and he goes "heeeey!"

Personally, I'm all about the AIs. I love shows with robots that act human. So I loved the first part of the show, right up until the Probe zaps into Sam. I can kind of accept that kind of thing happening, but it just gets so creepy and cold and serious after that (aside from the Probe-In-Sam saluting Jack like he did to the camera earlier).

What really bothers me is the whole "Sam in the Machine" bit, though. I just don't buy that a person's consciousness could be completely transferred into a machine and then transferred out again, with apparently no ill effects. It might have worked if they even gave us a simple "how" for it. We're just supposed to accept that It's Magic. I could picture that sort of thing happening on Farscape, but not Stargate...

I still wonder, if that place was a home of the ancients, what the hell happened?

That was the other thing that I found cool about this episode. The machine world was neat, and it was made even more interesting because we know that it must have some connection to the Ancients - but it still bugs me that they introduced that plotline but never tied it up in the episode.

Incidentally, it's pretty funny to slow-motion through the personnel files that the Probe scans through while identifying SG-1 in the briefing room. I'm fairly sure that several of the people shown are on the crew. One screen shows a guy that is apparently on SG-1 with the rank "Master". Another gives a detailed analysis of how to skin and barbeque an Unas for maximum flavor potential.

If anyone else reads anything funny off of the personnel files, I'd love to hear it.

[Albion]

Definitely one of my all time favourite episodes. For the great blend of humour, angst and drama, the team moments and the ship. This one just seemed to gather all the elements that interest me in particular and put them into one great episode.

Too many favourite bits to mention - but I do adore the scene where Jack goes all Black Ops on us and threatens the probe head on. Very tense, very chilling and you really get a glimpse of the dark side of Jack O'Neill.

AT, as others have said, was very impressive throughout. And Daniel has some wonderful moments. His conversation with Jack when he tells him Sam wasn't wrong to try and communite with the probe and when he tells the probe that they don't care about its information they just want Sam back, two in particular that always strike a chord with me.

One thing which always amuses me in the scene with the voice machine is that Jack interrupts it. Surely this is impossible? As I understand it, Sam types what she wants to say into the machine, and the machine then relays that into mechanical speech. So whatever comes out of the machine must already be complete when it begins speaking. (Sam always stops typing before it starts to translate her words). So when Jack interrupts it, it should just carry on speaking until the end of its pre-typed sentence. Instead, it cuts off, as though he's speaking to a person, rather than a machine:

O'NEILL: The one you're talking about is a person. Her name is Major Samantha Carter.

ENTITY: Then I am Major --

O'NEILL: No. No you're not.

Still, a glitch that can easily be forgiven since it's such a great moment with O'Neill hastily jumping in to deny it's claim to be Carter.

And did I note Jack trying to resist the temptation to reach out and touch her at the end? You betcha!

This is one that I'm glad I have on DVD. Otherwise it would be worn away to nothing by now, given the repeat plays it's had over the years! Whenever I'm in the mood for something team/ship/dramatic/humourous that will leave me with a warm glow by the end credits, this is what I reach for.

Albion

[Ascendant]

That voice machine is operated by magic. It's funny to hear Sam/Probe press three keys, then hear a ten-word sentence come out of the machine. It's understandable why they'd do that, but it's still funny.

[sharnee_1823]

A few people have noticed that when the entity read Jack's file, the name displayed on the screen was " O'Neill, John. " Perhaps this was the one reference in the entire series (at least that I can find) to the name given to him in the original movie, which, in the end credits was Jonathan "Jack" O'Neil.

[Mr Prophet]

A few people have noticed that when the entity read Jack's file, the name displayed on the screen was " O'Neill, John. " Perhaps this was the one reference in the entire series (at least that I can find) to the name given to him in the original movie, which, in the end credits was Jonathan "Jack" O'Neil.

It's actually one of the main differences, that one is Jonathon the other John. Jack is a common diminutive of John or Jonathon and while common as a Christian name in its own right these days, it would be quite unusual for someone of Jack's age to have been christened so.

[AGateFan]

A few people have noticed that when the entity read Jack's file, the name displayed on the screen was " O'Neill, John. " Perhaps this was the one reference in the entire series (at least that I can find) to the name given to him in the original movie, which, in the end credits was Jonathan "Jack" O'Neil.

Whats funny is I was about 100% sure the champain he sent to Atlantis in RISING had his name as Jonathon "Jack" O'Neill. Because I remember stopping my VCR and rewinding because i couldnt read it at first. But when I watch the DVDs it just says Jack O'Neill..... I think they "fixed" that, like how they changed the "I wonder if it gets showtime" line ro "hmmmm goa'uld TVvv" when they moved to syndication\scifi.

[skeezix]

To me this episode had a corny premise with the whole being in the computer stuff. But it was executed pretty well, I totally did not expect Jack to zat Carter twice. Jack wanting to call it a probe was classic Jack. To the person that said Jack resists the urge to reach out and touch her, I didn't notice that, I'll have to watch it again. I really liked the part where Jack interrupted Daniel telling the Entity that we would send probe after probe and Hammond chimes in perfect Texas Hammond fashion, "Damn right we can." Kind of a hokey premise but well executed and turned out to be a good Jack/Sam episode.

[Jump237]

what was really corny about this episode is the surveillance cams in the SGC, which clearly have no servo motors for remote pan and tilt or power zoom, are able to do exactly that, with the requisite servo sound effects added to convince us idiots otherwise.

[captain jake]

I just decide to ignore little unimportant details like that. (Personally)

[Chelle DB]

I loved this episode because of the way O'Niell reacted to the Entity/Sam. The emotions that all the characters were showing was such a change to what we had been previously exposed to that it was quite refreshing. Nice episode but not on the top of my most favorite list.

[captain jake]

I thought jack was foolish to let sam go to the computer. He should have gone with his first instinct and blown it up!

[Mattathias2.0]

This episode illustrates classic SG-1!

Mattathias

[captain jake]

Why did the entity choose sam she could have manipulated general hammond, why not the leader of the base?

[Mr Prophet]

Why did the entity choose sam she could have manipulated general hammond, why not the leader of the base?

Because General Hammond didn't try to work the keyboard.

[captain jake]

Well duh! But she pulled carter in, she could have attracted hammond some other way.