Overall Rating: 7.2
A for effort (re: sending a pro-freedom message), C for believability of plot concept...the result is a solid episode, but one that drags a bit on tempo.
Plot Synopsis:
Stargate Wiki provides the recap.
The Skinny:
I can't think of a situation in recorded human history where a slave proposed a really good idea that would dramatically improve productivity and profitability for her master and that idea was rejected. The slave owner might take credit for that idea - he might even take steps to make sure that the slave did not benefit from that idea - but the notion that, in order to keep the slaves busy, an overseer would intentionally make their work harder than it needed to be is a little hard to swallow. It's also a little tough to believe that memory-blocking technology would be so effective for so many different people...and utterly fail to keep SG-1 from learning the truth in their dreams, or that it could keep the masses at bay but simply wear off when SG-1 returned home. That's just...goofy.
But looking past the obvious problems with the script, we've got a good plot *idea* with a good (and moral) message about the inevitable ascent of slaves powered by their thirst for freedom...marred a bit by a script that languishes a bit from slow pace. I don't think back on this episode as one that pulls me into the story to any great degree, and that's a shame because it could have been VERY interesting if done well. Still, you do have to appreciate the final moments of the episode in which O'Neill frees the industrial slaves and Earth cuts off diplomatic ties with the city dwellers above them. A good time, that certainly was.
Writing: 6.0
Kind of a bland script with some majorly convenient plot constructions and a few snippets of purple prose thrown in for good measure. A par effort at best.
Acting: 7.0
The strongest performance here was, IMHO, given by Amanda Tapping, but really, no one stood out in any particular way, good or bad, with the exception of the hammy antics of the city's governor.
Message: 8.5
Ironically, some viewers might see this episode as a pro-union cry for the working class, but I see something different. Beyond the freedom-loving message I've already mentioned, I believe this episode makes the case that capitalism (and freedom in general) would have caused fewer long term problems than the worker's gulag. A few smart engineers and BAM...the city would be far more productive, everyeon would eat better, have more time for leisure, and be happier. Carter's ideas getting turned down made no sense...and I do believe that may have been the point...albeit delivered in a way that stretches believability.
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