Chain Reaction

Jack turned to Maybourne, who was on death row for his treasonous involvement with the Russians, after General Hammond resigned his position on short notice. The NID had previously pressured Hammond to pursue weapon technologies, and they went so far as to threaten his grandchildren to achieve their goals. As much as it disgusted him, Jack offered to speak to the President on behalf of Maybourne if they could find the people who forced Hammond out.

Back at the SGC, General Bauer immediately started screwing things up. He gave Daniel a desk job, assigned Sam to build a bomb, and put Teal’c on SG-3. I know General Bauer was supposed to be a stereotypical hardass, but he actually reminded me of the Admiral from Hot Shots!. I kept waiting for him to say something like, “My eyes are ceramic. Caught a bazooka round at Little Big Horn. Or was it Okinawa? The one without the Indians.”

Jack and Maybourne’s hunt lead to Senator Kinsey. Everyone’s favorite person to hate had been involved with the NID all along. With the information they obtained from Kinsey’s computer, Hammond was able to return to the SGC and Maybourne was transfer to a more hospitable prison. Maybourne was last seen sipping a tropical drink with his arm around a woman. Presumably, he had escaped.

Fun tidbit: Oscar, Senator Kinsey’s dog, was actually Richard Dean Anderson’s dog. He was a cute doggy.

My Rating: 7/10

Watergate

The Russians found the stargate that was in Thor’s ship after it sunk to the bottom of the ocean. With the DHD they acquired after WWII, they decided to start their own program. It didn’t take the Russians long to screw things up, so SG-1 took a trip to Siberia.

Maybourne was in cahoots with the Russians, so they knew everything about our operations. Jack and Teal’c found him frozen with a liquid alien stuck inside of him. Uh oh, he’s going to be in trouble. The watergate was pretty cool, tough.

I was shocked Daniel was so willing to skydive. He made an “oh no” face when the idea was first brought up, but he didn’t hesitate to jump. Teal’c, on the other hand, was not comfortable with the concept. There is no way I would have jumped out of that plane.

My favorite part of this episode was when Jack said, “Oh dang, I’ve never been in a submarine before.” Of course, he was in a Russian submarine just a few episodes ago, and Svetlana probably knew about it. Nice try, Jack.

Bonus point for Daniel’s line, “But it’s Swiss.”  

My Rating: 7/10

Shades of Grey

“Come to retrieve your vastly superior stuff? You know, it’d be a lot more superior if it wasn’t so easy to steal.”

Jack was so out of character that it became obvious something was going on. However, the plot twists made this episode fun. I certainly didn’t think Colonel Makepeace was involved with Maybourne. He always came across as a loyal, by-the-book guy up to that point. I guess that shows why the NID was so powerful.

I loved the moments between Jack and Daniel. Yeah, they do have some differences of opinion, but they also have a special bond. It was great to hear Jack’s mumbled apology at the end. You know it killed him to act like the bad guy for that long. 

I thought Sam’s reactions in this episode were great, too. She seemed shocked and disappointed to see Jack like that. It was like she lost her hero.

This episode was probably best summed up by Jack’s line, “We don’t need their stuff, Makepeace. But we do need them.” The Tollan were surprisingly tolerable this time, and it’s always nice for the Asgard to make a cameo. 

Bonus point for Jack reading MAD Magazine while listening to an opera.

My Rating: 8/10

Foothold

My favorite part of this episode was when Jack punched Dr. Fraiser in the face. “That was weird.” It was also fun to see Teal’c kick some butt.

The aliens in this episode reminded me of horseshoe crabs. I liked the mimic device idea, and it was funny to see everyone hanging from the rafters. It’s a shame the aliens just blew themselves up and were never heard from again.

A lot of minor characters made appearances in this episode. Siler, as always, was beaten up and knocked out. Major Davis had a lot of screen time. I’m a huge Maybourne fan, so it’s always a bonus when he shows up.

And when Maybourne shows up, the insults quickly follow. “You are an idiot everyday of the week. Why couldn’t you have just taken one day off?” It was a shock not only to see him get credit at the end, but also for him to acknowledge Sam.  

My Rating: 8/10

Touchstone

I love Maybourne. He is an unrepentant weasel who grates on your nerves the whole time he is on screen. Teal’c only needed fifteen seconds to take the first shot at him. “In my culture, I would be well within my rights to dismember you.” 

This episode started after a few members of the NID stole an advanced piece of technology that could control the weather. The Touchstone caused bizarre events on Earth, and its disappearance threatened catastrophe for the Madronanes. SG-1 raced to track down those responsible for the secretive operation before Madrona turned into an ice ball. 

The team recovered the Touchstone, but questions about the NID were unresolved. The blind priest fixed the weather, and his cute niece ditched the robe that covered her skimpy dress. Yes, she qualifies as a foxy space lady. 

I got a chuckle out of SG-1’s arrival at Area 51. I have a feeling the lighting crew called in sick that day, because everyone on the team turned into a talking black blob. The background, however, was bright and clear. 

My Rating: 7/10

Bane

Space bugs. Ugh, this could have been awful. Maybourne saved this episode from being a complete disaster, but it was still pretty bad.

SG-1 arrived on a recently deserted planet. The former inhabitants appeared to possess a similar level of technology as Earth, but their absence was unexplainable. Cue the giant space bug. It stung Teal’c and started a process that could create a space bug epidemic. 

When the team returned to Earth, Maybourne was granted custody of Teal’c. Teal’c escaped after his transport van was off the base, and he wandered around the city. He managed to make friends with a young girl who liked to play in abandoned buildings. I’m sure most parents would be pleased by the idea of their child hanging out in a secluded, dark room with a strange man who had an obvious disease. What could possibly happen?

Like I said earlier, Maybourne made this episode. He just brings out the best in people. I love the contemptuous dynamic between Jack and him, but Maybourne is capable of getting under anybody’s skin. It’s like he’s a natural born punching bag. 

“General Hammond, request permission to beat the crap out of this man.” 

My Rating: 4/10 

Enigma

I really enjoyed this episode. The Tollan were introduced, Maybourne made his first appearance, and the Nox saved the day. Hey, Sam even kissed a dude. 

The Tollan, led by a balding jerk named Omac, were found moments before death by SG-1. The team rescued them and brought them back to Earth. The highly advanced Tollan were stranded, because their new home world was outside the stargate network. 

Colonel Maybourne then arrived at the SGC to take control of the Tollan. He planned to use them as forced intellectual labors in an effort to develop new weapons. He played a predictable bad guy in this episode, but he later becomes one of my favorite characters. Everyone loves to hate Maybourne. 

While the Tollan were stuck on Earth, Narim took an interest in Sam. He dropped a couple of cheesy lines on her, and she gave him a cat. God, somebody should buy her a book of dating advice. She’s just not very good with boys. 

Those two eventually did a little smooching but were interrupted by Daniel, who was busy trying to save the Tollan. His “whoops” in this scene was comic genius. Well played, sir. Well played. 

Lya, the female Nox, showed up at the end to save the Tollan from Maybourne. Omac finally dropped the jerk routine to thank Daniel. Then Lya did a neat trick to open the gate and disarm the soldiers trying to prevent an escape. 

This was a great episode, but who picked out the silver jumpsuits? I mean come on. Also, Omac was a little too annoying in the beginning. 

My Rating: 9/10