Jacob Carter/Carmen Argenziano Thunk/Discussion/Appreciation

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The Tok'ra Part 2

Summary:
Sam and Jack return to earth and propose to take Sam's dad, Jacob Carter, back as a potential host for the Tok'ra Selmak, whose current host, Saroosh is dying. General Hammond reluctantly agrees, and he and Sam go to the hospital where Jacob is dying of cancer to share the news about what his daughter actually does for the Air Force and how it might save his life, if he's willing to share that life (and his body) with a Tok'ra symbiote they still don't quite trust.

Jacob is thrown into the wacky alien filled world of SG1 with a vengence. After traveling through the stargate, Sam takes Jacob to meet his new potential soulmate, while the rest of the team helps with an emergency evacuation in the face of an impending goa'uld attack and Jack attempts to unmask the spy who betrayed them. After interviewing the host and being interviewed in turn by the symbiote, Jacob and Selmak agree to the blending. Sam and Martouf are left to watch over them as Selmak repairs Jacob's cancer-ridden body while the others escape through the gate.

After a successful blending Jacob/Selmak, Sam and Martouf dodge goa'uld death gliders and manage to dive through the gate back to earth, where Jacob informs General Hammond that, based on the knowledge he has gained from the blending, he made the right call. Jacob then volunteers to become the liason between earth and the Tok'ra. He says goodbye to his daughter and leaves to help the Tok'ra regroup from the attack.

Favorite Scene:
Selmak interviewing Jacob to determine whether she likes him.

Favorite Lines:
(Stepping out of the gate.)

Jacob: You do that a lot?

: Yeah, once or twice a week.

Jacob: It beats the hell out of a shuttle on the back of a rocket.

: Goes a lot further, too.

Generally:
This is such a great episode for Jacob, and he really is the A storyline. We see him go through so many different emotions and changes in temperament and character in such a short time. CA does an amazing job of showing us this range. He starts off the tough no nonsense general stoically facing his end, then becomes the overwhelmed and uncertain father--dying of cancer and depending on his daughter and these unknown aliens for a cure, and finally he is two people in one, with a whole new universe opened up to him.

Jacob/Sam:
One thing I love about CA’s performance is that he is able to show curiosity and wonder at seeing the gate for the first time, being led through the alien tunnels, meeting Teal’c, and so on. At the same time theirs this little touch of apprehension and confusion. Jacob is clearly not used to being out of control and looking to his daughter for guidance.

We can already see an evolution in Jacob and Sam’s relationship in this episode. When Sam comes to her father in the hospital he is his usual brusque self, not willing to show any weakness in front of his daughter. Then he is launched into this very alien (pardon the pun) situation and his walls begin to come down.

Before he accepts the blending he realizes this may be his final opportunity to really let Sam in. When he tries to open up emotionally, Sam initially reacts by backing away and giving him an out. You can see that she is not any more comfortable with confronting personal issues openly and honestly than is her father. But Jacob, like a soldier facing an enemy line, pushes forward. He is able to tell Sam that he is proud of her for who she is and not who he wishes her to be. We get the impression that this is the first time Sam has ever heard anything like this from Jacob and she’s not entirely sure how to react. Despite the strained relationship, Sam is realizing that this may very well be the last time she has her dad as himself.

Almost immediately after the blending there is already a softening in Jacob. When he first wakes he calls her Sammie (instead of Sam or my kid). And before leaving the SGC with the other Tok’ra he is able to smile and joke with Sam about being the oldest and the wisest, to which she rolls her eyes. He hugs Sam goodbye and even says “I love you.” It is in marked contrast with the cold and formal parting earlier in Secrets.

Jacob/Selmak:
Just as an aside, I have to begin by noting I really love Saroosh. She looks and sounds so much like my own grandmother who was one of my very best friends. The actress did a wonderful job of portraying two characters in one, and this is the only time we get a sense of who Selmak is apart from Jacob. Saroosh tells us that Selmak is selfless, caring, humorous, and well educated. We also learn that she has lived through some horrible times and seen many goa’uld atrocities. The two things Selmak is concerned about when she meets Jacob are his political views (with regard to goa’uld), showing her dedication to the Tok’ra cause, and his character (is he a good man?), which demonstrates her moral character. I think what endears Jacob to her is his blunt practicality. He points out that both of them will die if they don’t choose to blend so there is really no choice. I think in the end, the concern he shows for maintaining a relationship with his daughter also gives Selmak reason to like Jacob and choose to blend with him.

I would have liked to have seen more of an exploration of the differences between these two characters throughout the series. We get glimpses from time to time, but most often it is Jacob speaking. I don’t think Selmak as a character was developed and used to the fullest.

On a technical note, I think the CGI symbiote (Selmak) that entered Jacob looked too small and underdeveloped, more like the larval goa'uld than a full grown (and in fact very aged) symbiote. But that was a small thing to me, that I can easily overlook.

Jacob/Other:
We see a continuation of the friendship between Jacob and General Hammond. Hammond shows incredible trust in both Sam and Jacob in allowing Jacob to go through the Stargate and undertake this mission. In the end, Jacob tries to reassure his friend that he did the right thing.

I have always loved the interactions between Jacob and Jack. We see here Jack’s friendship with Sam influencing his actions. He wants to get her back to her father and he is willing to back her when she suggests her father might be a host to Selmak. Then when Jacob is brought to the gate that first time, he is very solicitous of Jacob. At the same time you can sense a little smugness in his attitude at being able to show Jacob what his daughter really does (how do you like them apples?). The teasing banter that becomes such an integral part of their relationship is not lost here. And at the end when Jacob says to Jack, “Don’t call us, we’ll call you,” it is clearly Jacob showing that he once again has the upper hand in their little rivalry.

Finally, we have the hints at a future friendship between Jacob and Martouf, as Martouf promises Sam he will look after her father as if he were his own. It is clear at this point that his promise is based on his fondness for Sam (or at least the part of Sam which carries the memories of Jolinar). While I’m sure he knows and respects Selmak, I don’t get the feeling that there was a strong personal connection between them before Jacob.

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Show and Tell

Summary:
A genetically engineered child comes through the Stargate claiming to have a message from his "mother." He warns the SGC that a group of rebels from an invisible race called the Retu are out to destroy all potential hosts as a means of stopping the goa'uld who destroyed their world, and they are going to begin with earth. When our team discovers that Teal'c's symbiote can sense the presence of the Retu "mother" the Tok'ra are called in to assist. Jacob comes and brings a weapon, the TER, that can both detect and kill the Retu. The base is infiltrated by a rebel squad after a reconnaissance shows just how large the rebel faction has become. SG1, with Jacob's help is able to prevent the rebels from escaping the base and causing any real harm. Meanwhile the child is about to die because of mistakes resulting from the genetic manipulation required to allow him to act as an intermediary between humans and the Retu. Selmak offers to take him to the Tok'ra where he will become a host and live.

Favorite Scene:
I don't know that I have one. But when the team and Jacob are looking over the ridge and we see hundreds of Retu appear and disappear as they sweep the landscape with the TERs is pretty cool.

Favortie Line:
(Not a Jacob line, but just too good to resist.)
Son, how did your mother do that?
Charlie: I am no longer called son. Call me Charlie.
(Hammond smiles indulgently.)

Generally:
This is the first time we see Jacob since his blending with Selmak, but not the first time we have had a visit from the Tok'ra since we first made contact with them. In Serpent's Song our team believes they have received a message from the Tok'ra, but when they go to investigate they discover an injured and dying Apophis who is fleeing from Sokar. Later Martouf comes through the gate and we learn a little about what Jacob is doing. Sam is told her father couldn't come to earth at that time because he was tending to "more urgent matters," again emphasizing the importance of Selmak. Martouf also suggests that he has spent some time getting to know Jacob and learn more about the Tau'ri and he expresses his admiration; although Lantash's reaction makes me wonder whether he feels the same. One key point at the end of that episode is they exchange communication devices (a tollan device from Tok'ra and a GDO from the the SGC), which plays a role in this episode and shows how Jacob's association with the Tok'ra is in some way helping to advance the earth/Tok'ra alliance.

Jacob:
We get a different look at Jacob in this episode. He is acting very much the soldier and the general. You can see in his competance and command of the situation that it was no accident that he rose to the rank he did. He is also clearly in the liason role here as well. The information he conveys during the briefing scenes clearly comes from Selmak, but Jacob is the one doing the talking.

We also see his relationship with Sam from an interesting new perspective. This is the first time they are working together on a joint mission, first to recon the Retu rebel staging planet and then to track down and destroy the infiltrators. They are very much all business and work well together. Although she does show concern and hesitate when Jacob is shot, and Selmak has to take over and order her to go on with the mission. I think in turn Jacob demonstrates pride in seeing his daughter at her kick-a$$ best.

The progression in their personal relationship is also evident. When Jacob first comes through the wormhole and Sam immediately asks for Selmak's help he shows some defensiveness with her (I thought maybe you just wanted to see your old man) and Hammond (Nice to see you too, George). While it is coached as playful banter, perhaps Jacob has an underlying concern that he is no longer sufficiently important to the people he cares about, except as a host to Selmak. I wouldn't go so far as to say he resents Selmak, but there might be some slight anxiety about his place now. By the end Jacob is very much reassured and we see both friendly and tender moments as he says goodby for now to his daughter and friends; Sam even gives him a little wink as she sends him off.

Selmak:
We do get some insight into Selmak's character in this episode. First, it is notable that she (I'm calling Slemak she because I felt that when they started using the male pronoun they took away one of the most interesting ascpects of this character--that she had previously inhabited a female host for at least 200 years) did allow Jacob to take the lead for the most part; even though it is clear that she definitely commands some authority and a great deal of respect among the Tok'ra. However, when she was in control she was very much a presence. When she is faced with new information and challenges she is able to assess the situations and formulate a plan of action very quickly, including: ordering the other Tok'ra to return and fetch TERs, doing recon on the planet, ordering Sam to go after Jacob has been injured, and offering to take Charlie to become a host. In fact, I think Selmak's offer to take Charlie with her is very telling about her character. She herself had said that she had seen awful things and faced much loss. She was quick to offer help that would prevent Charlie's death. It was not only compassionate (which I believe was definitely her primary motivation), but a further cementing of the alliance, as the need for hosts played a big role in the Tok'ra's willingness to consider the arrangement in the first place. She further demonstrates her compassion and concern when she admonishes Teal'c to be vigilent.

Trivia:
We really know nothing about Sam's mother at this point, but it is notable that Jacob is still wearing his wedding ring.

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It's time to move on to looking at Jacob/Selmak in season 3.

Here are the episodes:
Seth
Jolinar’s Memories
The Devil You Know
Tangent
The Serpent’s Venom

I will be putting up a review of Seth shortly.

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Seth

Summary
Jacob is sent by the Tok'ra high counsel to ask the SGC to help them locate Seth, a banished goa'uld System Lord who may have been hiding out on earth for thousands of years. Sam discovers that Selmak has an alterior motive for coming, she wants Jacob to resolve the lingering issues with his estranged son, Mark.

When Daniel tracks down a cult leader who may be their snakehead, SG1 with Jacob goes to try and root him out. They come across a father who's son, Tommy, has been sucked into the cult, and feels guilty that the rift in their relationship may have contributed to his son's entanglement.

With some help from the President, Jack is given command of the ATF operation and Sam devises a way for the team to infiltrate the compound. When their ruse is discovered, they begin evacuating initiates with Tommy's help, who they have discovered and freed from Seth's mind control. Jacob/Selmak go in to provide back up and try to take down Seth. When Jacob is injured Sam is forced to take the goa'uld hand device and engage Seth. After a brief duel, Sam crushes him to death.

Later Sam and Jacob go to Mark's house and begin the process of reconciliation.

Favorite Scene
Jacob and Jack meet with ATF agent Hamner in the command tent.

Favorite Line

Hamner: You have a rather insubordinate subordinate, General.

Jacob: He's not insubordinate to me. Only to people such as yourself. Saves me the trouble.

Generally
This is the first Jacob/Selmak on a mission with the team episode. We did see them go on a short recon mission together in Show and Tell, but here the Tok'ra have sent Jacob to deal witha problem and he has recruited SG1 to assist him.

The focus of this episode really is Jacob and his relationships with SG1, his son, and Selmak. We get a lot of interesting insights into many facets of his character.

Jacob and the Team
I really think Jacob's incorporation into the team is a highlight of this episode, and we see it right from the start. When Jacob comes through the gate at the beginning of the episode he greets every member of the team personally. We haven't seen that before. Up until now when Jacob arrives he greets Sam and usually has a few words for Hammond (the people he has a long standing relationship with). But I think, especially after his last experiences working with them fighting the Retu, he's started to see each member of SG1 as someone he respects and would consider a friend.

As the episode goes on and we see Jacob hanging out in Daniel's office with the team, listening to Jaffa jokes, and strategizing together in the field it seems the team has taken Jacob in as one of theirs too. There's some great camraderie between them, especially the scene with Teal'c and Jacob in the command tent when they discuss the issue of loving one's children (a beautiful scene IMO).

And I can't mention Jacob's relationship with the team without highlighting the Jacob/Jack dymanic because I just love these two together. Jack is clearly in charge, and Jacob understands that, but Hamner doesn't. Jacob handles it very well by defering to Jack and backing him up. You also get a bit of Jacob's snark, so similar to Jack. I can't help but see a number of layers in Jacob's remark about Jack not being insuboridinate to him. On a litteral level that statement is absolutely true. Jacob is retired and there as a Tok'ra representative. Jack is not his subordinate. And up to this point, Jack's been pretty respectful to Jacob. We see that change as they become closer. In fact, just a few scenes later Jack actually calls Jacob "Dad" to his face. (While he does continue to call him that when talking to Sam, I don't think he ever says it directly to Jacob again.) Interestingly, it doesn't phase Jacob a bit. I've always considered that Jacob believes (and probably rightly so) that he'll always have the upper hand when it comes to Jack (be it because of Jack's feelings for Sam, Jacob's superior experience and wisdom, or just his understanding into Jack's character, which is fairly similar to his own).

Jacob and Selmak
Once again we see a little of Selmak's forceful character and the effect she has on Jacob. And I think it's the only time we get to directly see into the relationship the two of them share. When Selmak says Jacob's unresolved issues with Mark are beginning to irritate her, you have to wonder how that can be. I don't see Jacob actually "conversing" with Selmak about it. But, of course, she is inside his head. So he must dwell on Mark and their issues with some frequency, and it must really bug Jacob that she knows that. He's spent his life repressing his emotions and hiding from his true feelings, and now he has someone he can't hide it from, and then she has the audacity to tell his daughter.

When he denies what Selmak says about the hurt he felt when Mark wouldn't see him on his deathbed it is obvious to Sam (as it certainly should be) that he is not fooling anyone. Yet he continues to lie to himself (and Sam), probably because 1) he's never been forced to confront these emotions fully and truthfully before and Selmak won't back down, and 2) he doesn't know exactly what to do about the situation, and doesn't like being put in a situation he can't control.

For I think the only time, we see some tension between Jacob and Selmak. He says she is the one who requested the mission from Garshaw. And he says she is pushing him to mend fences. And he is clearly pushing back, by showing his unwillingness to do so. But of course Selmak wins the point in the end.

Jacob and His Family
First I'll start with Jacob's relationship with Sam. They have clearly reached a much more comfortable place, but he is still not at ease talking with her openly about his feelings and the past. While the rift between him and Sam was never as great as it appears to be with Mark, Sam continues to suffer some of the effects of that estrangement because her brother has also chosen to shut her out (and it sounds like Sam may harbor some of her own resentment towards Mark for his actions).

In the tunnels under Seth's compound we get something of a replay from the scene in Show and Tell where Jacob is shot and Sam must leave him and face their enemy alone. The first time, Sam was reluctant to leave because of her concern for her father, and she had to be ordered away by Selmak. This time, her reluctance has to do with her own abilities to work the hand device. After Selmak reassures her on this front she is able to leave her father without additional prompting. It shows the trust that she has developed in Selmak.

I like that the final scene in front of Mark's house begins with Jacob and Sam sharing a long hug. It shows that the two of them have come to value and need one another's support, something Jacob certainly wouldn't have accepted before his blending with Selmak. It also says to me that they don't know what will happen with Mark, but no matter how it goes, they will have one another.

We don't hear much directly about Jacob's relationship with Mark except that there is a pretty severe rift. He refused to even take Sam's calls when Jacob was dying. While Sam says she hasn't seen Mark since his kids were born she does have his contact information, and mentions the children in Cold Lazarus (saying she misses them and doesn't get to see them nearly enough). What we do have is the relationship between Mr. Levinson and his son Tommy that is clearly used as a stand in for Jacob and Mark's relationship. Listening to Levinson talk about how he grew apart from his son and his own regrets clearly register with Jacob. But I think the real game changer was the wisdom Teal'c imparts.

Many things are complicated, General Carter. In Jaffa society, loving one's children is not one of them.

And while Jacob comes back with the response that for humans sometimes it is; I'm not sure he really believes that. This prompts him to take that first step, to open himself up, both literally and figuratively, to his son at the end.

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Jolinar's Memories

Summary
Martouf and SG1 go to Netu, Sokar's very own, custom-made hell, to rescue Jacob and get vital intel that could prevent Sokar from wiping out the System Lords and becoming the supreme ruler of the galaxy. But the only escape from this inescapable prison is buried inside the memories left in Sam's mind when Jolinar died. When the team thinks they've found the means of escape, they are confronted with an old enemy returned to life—Apophis.

Favorite Scene
In the control room when Hammond tells Sam she will bring her father back and Jack jumps in and says, "Yes, Sir. We will."

Favorite Line
By all means. To hell with us.

Generally
Jacob doesn't actually come on the scene until near the end of the episode, and he hasn't much to say, but his predicament is the reason for the mission. And from it, we get a small peek at the work Jacob/Selmak do undercover, and a look at how the team has come to feel about Jacob. They are willing to put their lives on the line and do whatever it takes to bring him home. Yes, they are motivated by their relationship with Sam, but I think each member of the team has a genuine fondness for Jacob as well, and in many ways they consider him a fifth member of SG1. Jack and Hammond are just as determined to get Jacob back as Sam is, and later we see Daniel helping to care for him and Sam entrusting him to Jack’s care when she goes to confront Bynar.

I also have to note that Jacob has had it pretty bad for the last few episodes. So far he’s been hit in the shoulder by a Retu weapon and knocked around by a goa’uld hand device, and now tortured by Sokar so badly that Selmak is dying.

Jacob/Selmak and the Tok’ra
We see here just how influential Selmak must be because the mission Jacob/Selmak has been given is so vital. It appears that they have been sent to infiltrate Sokar’s court because Jacob says that he saw Bynar there to report to Sokar four days before. We don’t know how long they were undercover or how they were discovered and captured. But considering the short amount of time he has been on it make me wonder what other operatives the Tok’ra may have had nearby to have discovered his capture and mount a rescue mission so quickly. Yet, they still weren’t in a position to have knowledge of the extent of Sokar’s fleet and battle plans, which Jacob discovered and needed to report. In fact, the first thing he does when discovered by Martouf and the team is share his intel, like the true soldier he is. When it looks like he maybe too weak to escape with the team, he wants them to leave him because he knows the intelligence he’s passed on is far more important than his life. This is another sign of the type of soldier he is; the mission comes first.

We also see evidence that Martouf has kept his word to Sam and is watching out for her father. He is the one leading the rescue mission and he comes prepared with medicines that will aid Jacob/Selmak. It is clear that he is strongly motivated by his duty to the Tok'ra to get the information and pass it along, and there is the personal stake he has in understanding Jolinar's actions, but I also think he shows a great care and regard for Jacob here, which I think is partly motivated by his regard for Sam.

Jacob’s Past
We get a little tiny glimpse into Jacob’s past when Sam is trying to access Jolinar’s memories on the cargo ship and we see the day her mother dies. This scene isn’t fully explained or the implications of this event explored until the next episode, but I’m going to jump ahead here a little. At this point we don’t know the circumstances of the death of Sam’s mother, but we do see Jacob crying when he comes in and has to tell Sam about her mother’s death. We know Jacob is not one to show his emotions. The fact that he is crying demonstrates the deep bond he must have had with his wife. (And we know from the final scene in Show and Tell that he continues to wear his wedding ring many years after his wife’s death.)

Now I’m going to go into a little unwarranted (well, at least not strongly justified) speculation. When the team is first thrown into the pit and Jacob here’s them he calls out. It’s hard to make out what he says. The transcript I’ve read indicates that he repeats Sam’s name. But that’s not what I heard. I heard, “Theia.” Now step into the looking glass with me for just a moment. We never learn the name of Sam’s mother, or what she looks like, or much of anything about her at all except that she died when Sam was a teenager. What if her name were Theia? Jacob is delirious and half-dead. He hears a voice that reminds him of his wife, assuming Sam looks and sounds a lot like her mother, and he calls for her. I just really like that idea. It’s a bit of a stretch, I know, but it creates such lovely possibilities in my imagination.

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The Devil You Know

Summary
Apophis tortures the team for information and pleasure, while Jacob continues to fail. Sam is given a narcotic and has the memory device used against her. While in this drug induced state, she remembers a conversation with her father just after her mother’s death, and realizes it is a pivotal point in her life that has lead her and her father to this place. When the Tok’ra take action to destroy Netu, the team is able to use the chaos and destruction to assist in and cover their escape, with the help of some fancy flying by Teal’c.

Generally
We really don’t see much of Jacob in this episode. In the present, he is basically out of it. He is cared for by Sam and the team and carried to safety. We do get a little insight into what really matters to him. And it provides an interesting counter point to Sam’s memories of her father at the time of her mother’s death.
When it looks like there is no escape, Jacob wants to tell Sam goodbye, but she won’t allow it. She reminds him of his grandchildren and begs him not to leave her to explain his death to them. This is enough to strengthen his resolve and get him through the next several hours or days as they wait for rescue or an opportunity to escape.

When they finally do get back onto the cargo ship, Jacob suggests a father daughter vacation. I think this is significant because after such a close brush with death, Jacob realizes it was Sam and the thought of his family on earth that pulled him through. He has said that his family was the most important thing in his life (his life is over without Sam and her brother), but really for the first time he’s acting on it. This shows how much he’s changed and grown as a parent.

Jacob’s Past
It is hard to know how much of the memory we see of Sam and Jacob’s past is genuine. It is influenced by Sam’s experience and perceptions, and subject to Apophis’s manipulations, but I shall take as much of it as possible on face value.

So we see pictures of Sam’s mother, and we see that Sam does take after her in appearance. We also learn how she dies and where Mark’s animosity comes from. Her mother was in a car accident when she was forced to take a cab because Jacob was late picking her up. It is never said explicitly, but presumably Jacob was held up at work. Mark blamed Jacob and likely also the military. It seems Sam did at first too, although she came to forgive her father and chose to join the military herself.

It is interesting that Jacob says he doesn’t want to see what was most important to his wife die with her, but their family (certainly the most important thing) did break apart from this point. Sam’s decision to join the military may not have been solely a means to gain approval from her father, but a way to hold on to her mother as well by trying to hold the family together with this bond she and her father could have in common.

As to Sam’s feelings toward her father, she may have forgiven him but I think she persisted in the notion that his work was more important to him. That may be why she tried to reach him through his work. And while he told her she and Mark were the most important things in his life; he certainly did not always act like it.

You can also see how lost Sam was after the death of her mother. It is hard for a girl to lose her mother at anytime, but during the teenage years would be most especially painful. Jacob probably recognized how inadequate he was to the task of raising Sam alone, but did not really know what to do about it. It certainly left Sam very confused about how to handle relationships later in life.

[hlndncr]

Summary
Jack and Teal’c are trapped in a modified death glider with a hidden recall device that has taken control of the craft, punishment for betraying Apophis. When all options for getting themselves safely home are exhausted, Sam and Daniel undertake a dangerous mission to find an undercover Tok’ra operative who may be able to help them rescue them before Jack and Teal’c die in the cold emptiness of space. The Tok’ra turns out to be Jacob who pushes his cargo ship to its limits in the race to save their friends. Despite a few close calls and tense moments, they are able to reach Jack and Teal’c and ring them aboard the ship before it is too late.

Favorite Scene
Daniel claims to be the great and powerful Oz.

Favorite Lines
Hey…Jacob…Thanks for stopping by!

Jacob: What the hell? I was in the neighborhood! Ya need a lift home?

Generally
It’s been sometime since we’ve seen Jacob. Almost a full year episode wise, although it’s impossible to tell how long it has been in show time (especially after the WoO time loop that lasted for at least 3 months). We have no idea what Jacob has been doing in the interim. He likely took some time to recover from his imprisonment on Netu. After that, it appears that he went back to the type of undercover, Tok’ra operations to undermine the stability and powerbase of the goa’uld, which is what Sam and Daniel find him doing here.

There are two roles Jacob has that receive some attention in this episode. First, Jacob as Tok’ra, and second, Jacob as Dad—not just to Sam, but all of SG1.

Jacob as Tok’ra
Selmak doesn’t come out to play much in this episode, but everything about Jacob tells us that she and her knowledge and experience are there, coloring his actions and demonstrating how much a part of him she has really become. For one thing, Jacob didn’t appear to balk at Selmak’s admission that the Tok’ra held back their knowledge of the recall device. When Jacob lectures Sam and Daniel about the wisdom (or lack thereof) in retrofitting a death glider he allies himself as one of the Tok’ra. It’s not that he’s relinquished his allegiance or ties to earth; he’s just repositioned himself because of his blending and experiences in the last couple of years. He sees both sides and he doesn’t really have his feet firmly planted in either camp (although right now he’s definitely more on the Tok’ra side of the line), which will later come back to haunt him.

The other thing we learn about his life as a Tok’ra is that it continues to be dangerous. He is undercover and about to blow up a planet essentially. Not exactly a calm and easy retirement.

Jacob as Dad
As I mentioned earlier, in this episode Jacob is very much like the Dad of SG1. They get into trouble and come to a point where they realize they can’t handle it themselves and they need help. I don’t think Sam thought of it as coming to Dad when she was in over her head, but that’s very much how it plays out. The scene in the cargo ship where Jacob rings in Sam and Daniel looks a lot like Sam and her friend coming to Dad to help them get their other friends out of a jam because they couldn’t handle the adult consequences of their choices, at least that’s how Jacob appears to see it. He yells at them like they are kids who disobeyed his warnings and now he needs to bail them out. He does, however, change gears quickly and makes no qualms about going to Jack and Teal’c’s rescue when he learns of the seriousness of the situation. He’s just as anxious to save them as Sam and Daniel because they are his kids too in a way.

I think part of what is motivating Jacob’s reaction (dressing down Sam and Daniel, lecturing them, etc.) is a genuine worry, both for Jack and Teal’c in this instance and for the Sam and the rest of SG1 in general because he knows what they do is dangerous and something like this or worse going wrong is always a possibility. Parents often get mad at their children when they are scared for them.

His relationship with Sam here feels a little bit like a throwback to earlier times. He’s lecturing her and trying to show her that he knows best. She’s chaffing against the accusations and implications. When we’ve seen joint operations between Jacob and SG1 before he’s shown some deference to Jack, but with Sam he’s the General and he considers himself in charge. I think in particular she is a little peeved about his superior attitude given that she introduced him to the wider universe, and, Selmak’s experiences notwithstanding, she’s actually the more experienced of the two.

In the end Jacob demonstrates ingenuity, quick thinking and even some longsuffering with Daniel and his not so convincing act as “the great and powerful OZ.” When Jack and Teal’c are brought safely aboard the cargo ship he is very gentle and kind with them, shaking Teal’c hand and patting Jack on the shoulder, which I think shows something of the depth of affection he’s developed for his daughter’s merry band of galactic explorers. And Jack even puts aside his usual irreverence and calls Jacob “Sir” when thanking him. To me that scene is really something of a family reunion.

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Watching Castle tonight. Carmen is on. It's nice to see him.

[Hathor_girl]

Tok'ra Kree! - a Stargate challenge for Tok'ra-centric fanworks. Fic, art, and videoes welcome, as long as the focus is on the Tok'ra. Fanwork can be gen or any pairings. Any rating, any category - including crossovers. First round starting March 1st.

Theme for Round One: Re-imagine an episode that has Tok'ra in it. What could have been done differently?

Sign-ups and more information (DW): http://tokra-kree.dreamwidth.org/4141.html
Sign-ups and more information (LJ): http://tokra-kree.livejournal.com/4657.html

If you don't have a DW or LJ account, and don't want to create one, you can participate with OpenID.

Timeline:

Sign-ups: March 1st - March 29th
Deadline for fanworks: April 5th
Posting: April 5th - April 7th

[Lt.Colonel John Sheppard]

i was reading a threads-related fic and it made me wonder if George Hammond ever came from washington to see Jacob on his death bed. i mean through the series it was hinted that they were very good friends (and maybe even the best of friends) and even though it was off-screen i would've still would've liked to have seen one last hammond/jacob scene just for old times sake.

[LtKatia]

You're right. I didn't think of that, but it's strange Hammond didn't come to visit.

[AmberLM]

You're right. I didn't think of that, but it's strange Hammond didn't come to visit.

I would suspect it's because of Don's health/unavailability. I think he left the series partly because his health was not great. Great man, sorely missed.

[Ikorni]

I would suspect it's because of Don's health/unavailability. I think he left the series partly because his health was not great. Great man, sorely missed.

That I can agree. Big, big loss to Stargate.

[GeneralSelmak]

Never saw there was a thread to Jacob/Selmak and Carmen Argenziano before! Yay! My fave character!

[AmberLM]

Never saw there was a thread to Jacob/Selmak and Carmen Argenziano before! Yay! My fave character!

I'd never have guessed by your name/avatar He is fantastic, he's one of my favourite minor characters