Classics: SG1 2:9 – Secrets

Overall Rating: 9.5

Carried once again by a pair of wonderfully crafted stories of the personal struggles of SG team members and some fantastic acting all around, Secrets is one of the strongest episodes in early Stargate canon. It showcases all four of our heroes from SG1 in ways that make us appreciate them as loving, caring people, and it teaches us some very important things about their lives and their relationships that will become crucial parts of the story down the road.

Plot Synopsis, written by SABR Matt:

The episode opens with video footage of Kasuf (the father of Sha’re) waving to the MALP left on Abydos by Daniel Jackson a year ago at the start of his quest to find his wife and destroy Apophis. He is keeping his promise to unbury the Stargate exactly one Abydonian year after Daniel’s departure and wait three days for communication. Daniel insists he be allowed to go to Abydos and inform his father-in-law about his search and Teal’c agrees to accompany him. Jack and Sam cannot follow because they’re due in Washington to attend a celebration in their honor. They’re being awarded the Air Medal for having blown Apophis’ two ships to hell two months prior.

In Washington: Jack and Sam arrive, swapping banter about the hell of attempting to navigate the city…the specifics of the banter will become important shortly. When they reach the ballroom where the President will be appearing to honor our heroes, they find General Hammond talking to General Jacob Carter – Sam’s father. Sam is stunned to see him there and, after a few moments of idle chatter, he tells her he doesn’t buy her cover story, but it’s not important. Whatever work she’s doing at Cheyanne Mountain can’t possibly compare to what he has in store – he has pulled strings and gotten her to the front of the line to join NASA and some day, to go into space on a shuttle. Normally, this would be a dream come true, and a great gesture for a father to do for his daughter. Unfortunately, Sam can’t explain to him that she is already going into space on a weekly basis and doing work FAR more important than orbiting Earth and docking with our puny little international space station. He seems deeply hurt that she isn’t interested.

Meanwhile, Jack is confronted by a reporter who claims to have inside knowledge of the Stargate program and plays a recording of he and Sam talking – mentioning phrases like traveling halfway across the galaxy and getting the Stargate program up and running. O’Neill plays it cool and very smoothly BS’s an excuse for the galaxy comment. He reports to Hammond and Carter about the encounter and they agree that he must find out what the reporter knows before they can decide what actions should be taken. While Jack waits for the reporter to return, Sam’s father drops a bombshell on her, revealing that he has lymphoma and may be dying. He begs her to reconsider going into space – his dream is to see her live out her dream before he dies. Heartbroken, she refuses him again, and he exits unceremoniously – refusing to discuss it further and leaving her in tears.

When Jack is once again approached by the reporter with the inside source, he tries to pump him for information and the reporter “does him a favor” by telling him some of what he knows – it is shockingly accurate. But as he is leaving the scene, proclaiming that the story will go forward and there’s nothing anyone can do to stop it, he is suddenly struck by a car in a hit and run “accident” and killed. The events put a stop to the ceremony and the team returns to Cheyanne Mountain to conduct the ceremony in private. Jack questions Hammond’s conviction that the accident truly was innocent.

On Abydos: Daniel and Teal’c are terrified to see Sha’re living among the Abydonians. They hold her at gunpoint and demand an explanation, much to Kasuf’s confusion. She tearfully admits that Amaunet (her goa’uld) is dormant because she is with child (very visibly near the end of her term), and that the child was fathered by Apophis. Daniel is disgusted by the story and walks out, leaving Sha’re to believe that he can no longer love her. Teal’c assures her that she is wrong – that Daniel cares for her greatly – and in the ensuing conversation, learns that she possesses all of Amaunet’s memories. The potential intelligence she might provide the Tauri is too important to pass up and Teal’c tells Daniel they must return with Sha’re through the stargate immediately. Daniel is furious – she’ll be studied by Maybourne and subjected to interrogation tactics that would make most men cringe in all likelihood. But Teal’c forcefully reminds him that the alternative is far worse and, after conferring with his wife in private, they agree that they will go back to Earth and that Sha’re will submit herself to their questions.

Unfortunately, as they are preparing to leave, Heru’ur arrives in a ship and parks on the pyramid, and, mistaking it for Apophis, Amaunet awakes momentarily to answer her pharaoh’s call and her awakening triggers labor. They beat a hasty retreat to the caves where her people once hid from Ra while Heru’ur’s Jaffa interrogate the villagers and search high and low for Apophis’ queen. The baby is coming too soon, but Daniel insists on staying to help deliver against Teal’c wishes, so Teal’c poses as one of Heru’ur’s Horus Guards and leads the Jaffa away from her for as long as he can. During the last moments of delivery, Daniel promises that she can never lose him – a very dramatic and touching declaration indeed – but the baby arrives and Amaunet takes control once more. At this moment, Teal’c returns (in full Horus Guard regalia) and demands the child to trick Amaunet into thinking Heru’ur is taking him. He and Daniel then return to the pyramid (Daniel posing as Teal’c prisoner) and report to Heru’ur that Apophis has taken the child. Daniel even makes a bid to form an alliance against their common enemy (Apophis) which amuses Heru’ur momentarily before he threatens to kill Daniel with the ribbon device.

Thankfully, at that moment, Jack and Sam arrive through the Stargate expecting to find Daniel and Teal’c waiting safely for their return. They walk right into a firefight and most of Heru’ur’s personal guards are killed but Heru’ur himself is protected by a personal shield so all Jack can do is nail his ribbon device with a knife to disable him. He flees to his ship, promising that they’ll pay for their insolence. At this moment, Apophis finally does arrive through the gate and finds Amaunet (who sees the SG team members hiding but does not reveal this to Apophis – an interesting little twist). She reports that Heru’ur has taken the child. They return home, followed quickly by SG1.

SABR Matt’s Ratings:

Writing: 10.0

This episode is just LOADED with intimate two-person scenes that are strikingly well written (and will be heavily featured in the comments below). Sci-fi shows don’t, in my opinion, focus on this kind of dialogue enough – particularly Stargate, which tends to be more about teamwork and has a larger and less intimate feel much of a time. This is also one of the first episodes I can point to as an example of truly expert use of language. The way each character speaks is distinctive, and we see two of them – Sam and Daniel – in a whole new light (or at the very least, in Daniel’s case, a light that has never been so bright).

Acting: 10.0

If there are any blemishes to be had at all in what is, without a doubt, an extremely well-acted presentation, they would be limited to bit players like the reporter, Armin Selig (Chris Owens) and, perhaps, Kasuf (Erick Avari). RDA hits his few high notes perfectly, playing the unflappable undercover hero with a mind locked up tighter than Fort Knox. Chris Judge gives an unusually strong performance in a couple of crucial scenes between he and Daniel that help guide him in the right direction. Amanda Tapping has never looked as radiantly talented as she did in this episode. You will really feel the anguish she experiences having to keep her big secret no matter how much it hurts her dying father. But as good as everyone else in the cast was, they don’t compare to Michael Shanks and Vaitiare Bandera (Sha’re). All of their scenes separately and together just explode with perfectly conveyed emotional distress, love, pain and intimacy.

Message: 9.0

The take home message, for me, is that true love (romantic or familial) makes us capable of enduring incredible hardship and walking paths we never dreamed we could stand in the service of the greater good. Soldiers do great things – truly heroic and seemingly impossible ones – every day in defense of this country. They are, on some level, driven by belief in the ideals of their homeland, but for most of them, it’s a labor of love. They do it for their brothers in arms and for their loves ones at home. It’s distinctly personal, and it has to be, or that magical devotion that lets them fight tooth and claw and do things that would make most of us weak would never happen. Sam can’t walk away from the secrets and the hardships that come with her job because she has too much love – for her father, her colleagues, and her home. Daniel has to make some impossibly difficult choices in this episode – he continues his fight after such trauma because there is nothing else for it… he’s a hero because his love for Sha’re gives him the strength. I note with interest that Stargate has always been careful to make sure that its villains – the representations of evil within us – are incapable of that kind of love. Love like that can only come from a place of hope and goodness that is incompatible with true evil. The lack of any such strength of conviction is generally their downfall, as well. And that’s a message worth celebrating.

Stephanie S.'s Ratings:

Writing: 9.0

I don't know that I would give this episode a perfect score on the writing. It is quite outstanding, however. For one thing, it is an episode that brings us back to Daniel Jackson's roots - an episode that reminds us, once again, of the personal stakes Daniel has in this fight. For another thing, it is an episode that uses dramatic irony to devastating effect: a dying Jacob Carter pulls strings for his daughter, not knowing, as we do, that Sam has already fulfilled her childhood dream a thousand times over.

Acting: 10.0

I think I like Michael Shanks' performance here more than I like his performance virtually anywhere else, and I think what clinches it is the subtlety. Consider, for example, his reaction take when it is revealed that Sha're is pregnant with Apophis' child; here, Daniel's confused mix of emotions is clearly readable in just a few flickers of his expression. Consider also Shanks' portrayal of Daniel at the birth of Sha're's child; here, Daniel's quiet tears tell us more about his aborted dreams for Sha're than any explicit dialogue ever could.

Message: 9.0

SABR Matt is right: this episode is about love. It is also very much about hope and redemption. The hope is especially found in those final moments when Sha're, though under the influence of Amaunet, conceals the presence of Daniel and the others from Apophis. It's such a small gesture, but it means the world because it indicates that the Goa'uld's hold over Sha're is not total. And so it is with many who are trapped within Evil's grasp.

Highlights, compiled by SABR Matt:

O’NEILL: You know, I can navigate my way across a galaxy, but I get lost every time I come to Washington.
CARTER: Don’t worry, sir, these are my old stompin’ grounds.
O’NEILL: Sorry to hear that. (LOL)

TEAL’C: This is most difficult. (BEAT) Daniel Jackson...we must return with Sha’re through the Stargate immediately.
DANIEL: Why?
TEAL’C: As long as the Goa’uld within her sleeps, Sha’re shares its memories.
DANIEL: So? So what?
TEAL’C: It would be of great strategic benefit to have access to the Goa’uld genetic memory...even for a few days.
DANIEL: What? (BEAT) Access? Do you know who it is we’re talking about?
TEAL’C: I do. And soon she will give birth.
DANIEL: Well, hasn’t she gone through enough?! I mean, what are you talking about here, Teal’c, handing her over to Maybourne for study?!
TEAL’C: The knowledge she possesses could one day save your world.
DANIEL: I don’t care! I will not put her through that, too! I’m sorry.
TEAL’C: More sorry for yourself, it appears, than for Sha’re. (BEAT) Within a matter of days, Sha’re will give birth. The Goa’uld within her will reawaken. Apophis will take this child and leave Abydos forever. That is the fate you choose for Sha’re by allowing her to stay.
DANIEL: Then I’d like a moment with my wife. Alone.

JACOB: When General Hammond told me you were up for the Air Medal for your work in…what the hell was it again…?
SAM: Analysis of deep space radar telemetry.
JACOB: Riiight…(snerk)

JACK: Carter…as in?
SAM: As in my father, Jacob Carter, yes, sir.
JACK: Get out of town! Sam’s dad? I’ve heard nothing about you, sir. (thanks, Jack. :) )
JACOB: Well what’s there to say about an old General waiting to retire?
SAM: I talk about you all the time, Dad. (adorable look shot back at Jack)

SHA’RE: You hate me.
DANIEL: No, no, no…I love you. Very much.
SHA’RE: Can you ever forgive me?
DANIEL: Oh god…(he rushes to her and takes her in his arms, welling up as he continues)…there’s nothing to forgive!
SHA’RE: I am so ashamed!
DANIEL: I hate what’s been done to you. I hate the plans Apophis has for the child growing inside you. (with deep feeling, now) Look at me. I love you. Everything else…I love you!

JACOB: I made a call to Bolinger himself – the head of NASA…
SAM: I know.
JACOB: I told him you wanted to be an astronaut since you were a little girl…that you gave up…
SAM: I didn’t give up, Dad.
JACOB: Let me finish. I told him you’d given up waiting for the shuttle program to be reinstated after the Challenger disaster.
SAM: It was bad timing.
JACOB: Well, I called in a few markers – told them all about your qualifications. If you apply again as an air force candidate, I think you’ll find NASA very supportive.
SAM: There’s a waiting list a mile long.
JACOB: Not for you, there’s not.
SAM: Dad…you can’t do that.
JACOB: It’s done.
SAM: Without asking me?
JACOB: You’re telling me you don’t want this, Sam? They know what you’re capable of offering the space program and they want you!
SAM: That’s not the point, Dad. The work I’m doing right now is very important to me.
JACOB: It’s not your dream…
SAM: Let’s just leave it that, please. (the tension mounts……..)

DANIEL: It’s OK…breathe…breathe. This is where we hid from Ra, do you remember that? Do you remember?
SHA’RE: I remember.
DANIEL: Good. We’re safe here.
TEAL’C: You are incorrect, Daniel Jackson. If it is Sha’re that Heru’ur seeks, he will find us. We cannot remain.
DANIEL: I’m not leaving her, Teal’c.
TEAL’C: The moment the child is born, the Goa’uld within her will reemerge, Daniel Jackson.
DANIEL: I said…I’m not leaving her!
TEAL’C: Then I will do what I can to keep the Horus Guard away from you.
SHA’RE: You do love me!
DANIEL: Yes I do…more than anything.

ARMIN: Looking for me? Find out what he knows while our people check on his credentials, right?
JACK: Ah, that’s a cliché, Armin.
ARMIN: I’m very good at this, Colonel. I’ve been doing it for quite a while. Granted this’ll be the biggest story I’ve ever broken; but then…it’s the biggest story anyone’s ever broken. Isn’t it?
JACK: Tell me.
ARMIN: Look, I’ve got all I need. I don’t need you. But I’ve got to admit I wanted to meet you anyway. When this breaks, you’re going to be a hero.
JACK: Cool! What’re you gonna say about me?
ARMIN: Subtle. Okay, I’ll do you a favor. You’re the team leader of a unit called SG-1. Between nine and twelve such units operate out of Cheyanne Mountain under Norad. You travel to other planets through a device called the Stargate.
JACK: (perfect deadpan) Wow, that’s pretty amazing.
ARMIN: The program costs just over seven billion a year, but the defense department hopes to bring back superior technology to offset the expenditures.
JACK: Armin, let me do you a favor. You don’t know anything. Don’t embarrass yourself.
ARMIN: I know those two brilliant flashes in the night sky were really alien spacecraft on their way to attack Earth. You blew them up.
JACK: I did? Alright, if you’re gonna go ahead with this, I just want to make sure you get one thing right. It’s O’Neill – two ‘l’s’. There’s another Colonel O’Neil without one, and he’s got no sense of humor at all.
ARMIN: This story’s going to run, Colonel.
JACK: It’ll read like science fiction, Armin.

JACOB: I have cancer, Sam.
SAM: What?
JACOB: Lymphoma.
SAM: That’s bad!
JACOB: Well it’s not good, but it’s not the worst. Don’t you worry, I’m going to be around for a while.
SAM: Oh God, Dad…
JACOB: I was hoping to stick around long to see you become and astronaut. Look, kiddo; I don’t care what it is you do underneath that mountain. Nothing in the world can compare to the chance of going into space! Not for you. It’s something you wanted your whole life. And I’ll admit; I want to see you fulfill your dreams before I die.
SAM: But it’s my dream. Doesn’t that make it up to me?
JACOB: Father’s have dreams too.
SAM: I’m sorry…I can’t.
JACOB: Alright, fine. Like I said, this thing’s going to go on for months, so there’s no need to check up on me tomorrow.
SAM: Dad…(crying)…please don’t go like this…
JACOB: Congratulations on the medal, Sam. I’m sure you deserved it.
SAM: Dad!! (ow)

DANIEL: It’s alright, Sha’re, push!
SHA’RE: The demon will come back!
DANIEL: Sha’re, you have to push!
SHA’RE: I will lose you, Daniel!
DANIEL: Look at me…
SHA’RE: Aaahhh…please!
DANIEL: LOOK at me! I love you! I will always love you. Do you understand? The Goa’uld will never be able to take that away from us, understand?! Never!
SHA’RE: Daniel…the pain comes again!
DANIEL: I’m here, Sha’re.
SHA’RE: DANIEL!!
DANIEL: I’m here…and the baby’s here now, so you have to push!
SHA’RE: Forgive me! (the baby comes forth and Sha’re is immediately possessed)