The Tomb

This episode had a vintage Stargate feel to it. Daniel was in archaeology mode, the team was looking for a mystical artifact, and there was a Goa’uld on the loose. The writers even mixed in some political drama with the Russians.

I love the animosity between Jack and the Russians. To be fair, the vodka drinkers were operating on secret orders and had a knack for screwing things up. I knew the Russian with the dodgy mustache was going to die the first time I saw this episode. People with that type of facial hair don’t last long in the entertainment industry. Alternatively, I wasn’t surprised the cute girl made it out alive. Good-looking people get all the breaks.

I thought the little creature that ate everyone and was host to a Goa'uld was well done. It gave the episode a bit of a horror movie feel. The idea of it continuously eating someone while trapped in the sarcophagus was kind of creepy.

Eventually the Goa’uld took one of the Russians as a host, and the team escaped after they found a ring transporter. The ziggurat collapsed with the Eye of Tiamat buried in the rubble. Its power would remain unknown.

The one other notable thing to mention about this episode was that Colonel Chekov made his first appearance. I always liked him.

Rating: 8/10

Absolute Power

They should have called this episode “Daniel is a Big Jerk.” Fortunately, he was just having a bad dream. Shifu used the knowledge he gained from Oma to teach Daniel about the corruptive power of Goa’uld genetic memory.

I didn’t like this one. It had the same problem “2010” just had, in that none of the main events actually happened. This story wasn’t even as interesting. In the end, Daniel woke up with an epiphany, and Shifu flew away.

I think it’s funny how Daniel doesn’t wear glasses whenever he is supposed to be a bad guy. As someone who hates contact lenses, I fully endorse that idea. Glasses are awesome. In my opinion, all girls look foxier with a hip set of frames. But I’m getting off topic.

Those ascended being sayings never get old, and it was neat when he destroyed Moscow.

My Rating: 5/10

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

Small Victories

“I don’t know, Carter, you may not be dumb enough.”

How much did I like this episode? So much that I can forgive the producers for that blonde thing growing on Teal’c’s chin.

The surviving Replicator we saw at the end of “Nemesis” boarded a Russian submarine and killed the crew. Fearing an international incident, the US government picked up the abandoned sub and towed it to a harbor. Despite Jack’s advice, the military wanted to study the bugs and ordered a reconnaissance mission. The mission did not go well.

In the meantime, Thor arrived at the SGC looking for a few dumb ideas. An Asgard homeworld was about to be invaded by Replicators, and they hoped human strategy and ingenuity might be able to overcome their technological limitations. Sam was sent on the field trip.

Daniel spent most of this episode watching monitors, but he also realized the Replicators on the submarine were made out of steel. Which meant they would short circuit and corrode in the seawater. If the lone Replicator that survived the crash could be destroyed, the rest of the bugs could be eliminated with a torpedo.

Jack and Teal’c volunteered for the new mission. They managed to kill the motherbug, but the other Replicators were not happy. Trapped on the ship with no escape, Jack ordered the destruction of the sub while they was on board. The torpedoes were launched.

After learning that Thor likes the yellow ones, Sam devised a plan to save the Asgard. She convinced Thor to send his newest ship, the O’Neill, into hyperspeed and allow the Replicator controlled ships to chase it. Much to Jack’s dismay, the O’Neill was set to self-destruct. The explosion was large enough to destroy the Replicators, because they lowered their shield to follow it.

Back on Earth, Thor beamed Jack and Teal’c out of the submarine just before it went kaboom. The bugs were squashed in both galaxies, but it was just a small victory against an imposing foe. The Replicators will be back.

A couple more things:

• I liked Sam’s new haircut, but there were moments when she looked a little frumpy. However, she looks cute even when she’s frumpy.
  
• I can’t believe Sam rejected Jack’s fishing trip offer again. The thought of Thor fishing is pretty amusing, though.
  
• “They had asses?”
  

My Rating: 10/10