Beast of Burden

The Unas episodes just don’t do it for me. This one was particularly hard to watch, because the story slowly plodded along. The resolution wasn’t very satisfying, either.

About three-fourths of the show was dedicated to explaining how slavery is bad. Really, was this a moral question that needed to be tackled? It was such an obvious point. I felt like the writers were almost preaching to a group of third graders.

The twist at the end was much more interesting than the rest of the story. It created a true moral dilemma. Rather than focusing on this, the writers just sent the team home. This likely resulted in a rebellion that benefited neither side and led to more death and more hostility. Brilliant.

The one positive that came out of this mess was that we got an excellent Jack O’Neill-ism. “Yeah, I know, the grass always looks cleaner.”

Rating: 2/10

New Ground

This one didn’t do much for me. It might have been better if we saw the Optricans and they all wore glasses. Also, it would have been nice for the Bedrosians to have a back-story that involved sleeping disorders. That would make sense, because their army was in pajamas.

Nyan had some impressive sideburns. I kind of felt bad for him. He made the most important discovery in the history of his people and helped Teal’c save SG-1. His reward? He got to be Daniel’s intern. Now get me a Frappuccino.

I really can’t think of anything else to say. This episode just seemed like a waste of time.

My Rating: 2/10 

Cor-ai

Trials are a crutch for lazy writers.  It’s pretty easy to throw a group people in a room and have them gracelessly debate both sides of an issue. Sadly, this episode plays like a crappy version of Law & Order: Space. 

The plot revolves around Teal’c’s decision to execute a one-legged man while in the service of Apophis. Teal’c felt guilty about the atrocities he committed during that time and wanted to face the trial, even if it resulted in a death sentence. Along the way, we get thumped with a morality hammer. 

Ugh, this episode was just too boring and heavy-handed. I knew it would be bad the moment I saw that leather beanie. 

My Rating: 2/10