Overall Rating: 8.6
One of the stronger episodes of the 2nd season. Gate has tended to be better when it focuses on the people and gives them greater depth. Teal'c's character, in particular is capable of great power when they decide to give him a chance to shine, and this episode is no exception.
Plot Synopsis:
When Bra'tac arrives at the SGC unexpectedly, he is quite obviously deeply troubled. He delivers some very bad news to Teal'c. Not only is Apophis still alive; he has reclaimed Chulak in his name and taken Rya'c in an apparent attempt to ensnare Teal'c and reassert his power. The fact that it's an obvious trap does not stop Teal'c or his friends on Earth from plunging headlong into a rescue mission. When they arrive on Chulak (after gassing the guards at the gate), they come to a very nice looking home in the city where Drey'auc now resides - a fact that confuses Teal'c. That is, until he meets the home's true owner - his former best friend Fro'tac - and learns that Drey'auc has disowned him and married Fro'tac for the good of her son. O'Neill and Bra'tac combined barely manage to keep Tea'c from killing Fro'tac on the spot and force him to promise not to commit revenge murder.
Carter, O'Neill, Teal'c, Fro'tac and Bra'tac plan a daring rescue at Apophis' palace, but the plan goes horribly awry when Rya'c fights them and calls for the guards - he has obviously been brainwashed into serving Apophis. Teal'c returns to Fro'tac's home a broken man, blaming himself for his son's fate. That evening, Apophis announces, to the entire town that Teal'c is among them and must be found and Rya'c denounces his father, calling him a Hataka (demon in Goa'uld). However, he also delivers a cryptic message when he calls Drey'auc "Drey'auc of the morning Chappa groves" - she is not from that region and Rya'c knows it. Teal'c is certain his son is fighting his brainwashing and giving them a chance to capture him the next day in the Chappa groves. O'Neill, Carter and Bra'tac all think it's another deception, but decide they don't have a choice but to make the attempt.
Meanwhile, Teal'c confronts Drey'auc and demands to know why she'd disowned him and, in particular, why she'd married his best friend rather than someone completely new (which would have seemed like less of a slap in the face). She insists she has no feelings for Fro'tac and married him only because no one else offered and Rya'c needed a good home. They kiss and, unfortunately, Fro'tac sees this and, in a fit of jealous rage, sneaks off to the palace to rat them out. O'Neill has been keeping an eye on him, follows him to the palace and, when he is given no alternative, kills him and vaporizes his body. Drey'auc, upon hearing the news, blames herself for making vows she could not keep.
The morning rescue goes entirely according to plan - everything seems "too easy", including their escape through the gate and Rya'c remarkable transformation. Suspicion grows when Rya'c starts insisting on visiting the surface of Earth to see it for himself. They catch on to the trap and extract two of his teeth which contain two biological specimens that when combined would form an incredibly virulent and deadly virus that would wipe out Earth's population. His deception bare, Rya'c demands to be returned to Apophis and, when rational attempts to break him of his mental conditioning fail, Teal'c is forced to shoot Rya'c with a Zat (a Jaffa equivalent of electro-shock therapy), causing him excruciating pain but freeing him from his mental prison.
Writing: 8.0
The bulk of the script is pretty standard Gate...these guys know how to craft a great plot, write strong characters filled with redeeming qualities and pathos, and even bring the funny in the most serious of episodes, but the core of the writing staff lacks the eloquence and beauty of the best from Deep Space Nine or House. They're ditch-diggers - extremely good ditch-diggers whose ditches will stand the test of time and continue to be well-used far into the future, but even they would tell you that they aren't laureates. One of the great things about Gate, as we'll see much later in the series, is that the authors never take themselves too seriously. They love to make fun of their own creation and remind us all that their show is supposed to be fun. That's fine with me - there's a reason I'm a fan. :) But there can be no denying that this episode would have been feature worthy if the script had popped more than it did. As it is, it's carried by a great core message and some very good acting and lacks the words that would give it the power it deserves.
Acting: 8.8
Chris Judge, when handed a vehicle that lets him do more than cock his eyebrow curiously and utter the best catch phrase in science fiction..."Indeed"...never fails to prove what an amazing actor he really is. This episode is the second Teal'c "exclusive" and they get better the longer the show runs, trust me on this. We all love Richard Dean Anderson - he and Michael Shanks are absolute pros...but I think Chris Judge outshines them both when he gets the chance, and that's high praise. The only thing that keeps this episode and its' deeply affective confrontations between Teal'c, Fro'tac and Drey'auc from scoring a 10 the way "Need" did on the back of Michael Shanks' best performance of the first two seasons is the pretty unconvincing performances of Peter Bryant (Fro'tac) and Brook Parker (Drey'auc). Teal'c didn't have a good foil in this episode, and it's a shame that he didn't. On the other hand, Tony Amendola (Bra'tac), though playing a bit part this week, remains awesome, and for a child actor, Neil Denis puts in a credible performance as Rya'c.
Message: 9.0
I just love Stargate's general attitude toward family. Stick with me for a moment, those of you who might have been turned off a bit by Teal'c treatment of the women in his life. While I certainly agree that barking "Be silent, woman!" is hardly the attitude I want to take in my future relationships ( :) ), I do think it's important to acknowledge the basic good in a man even in the face of flaws caused by his upbringing. The Jaffa society is feudal - kept from real education and new ideas by false Gods, and part of their traditional structure is the patriarchal household. These things are passed from generation to generation and accepted without a second look - there are bigger problems for the average Jaffa to face - such as the prospect of imminent death at the hands of his merciless false god in pointless war with rivals from his own race. Teal'c is a product of his culture...but that doesn't mean he lacks virtue. The honor with which he carries himself is overpowering, and there is no doubt that he is absolutely 100% committed to the mission of defending his family at all costs. Would that more people in today's generation prioritized their families above themselves the way Teal'c does.
When it comes right down to it, I think the patriarchy i our own history is misunderstood at any rate. A careful and honest reading of the accounts of women in history reveal that women were not nearly as downtrodden in free western societies as we seem to concede unquestioningly in schools and in Hollywood. Despite the lack of female suffrage and the general understanding that women and men were to play different roles in the world, a reading from the journals of American and European women (those educated enough to be literate - and that separation was along lines of class, not along lines of gender...literacy was uncommon among the lower classes until very recently) demonstrates that they didn't perceive themselves as holding a lesser importance in their own societies. Why should we think differently? (My co-author will love what I'm about to say) Abigail Adams' own writings reveal more about women in the educated part of American society in the colonial era than any current history text. I find myself wondering why Hollywood assumes that women before the sexual revolution were either weak and inferior or endlessly miserable (they'd have to be to accept their place in the kind of society dreamed up in Hollywood that supposedly mirrors the pre-1960s patriarchy)?
All of this is not to say that I think such a system is the ideal way to go...but it's nice to see a bit of sci-fi media recognizing the potential good in a man who is very much a participant in a patriarchy. Teal'c and Drey'auc - written as very clearly intellectual equals - are happily in love, they're both good, respectable people, and all of this in a world that modern historians imagine to be absolute hell for any woman. Yes, Drey'auc had to participate in a marriage of convenience to protect her son - a quite unfortunate situation, to be sure - but Teal'c is not the bad guy, and I think it's important to keep that in mind. And more than that, Drey'auc is a very strong female character...in fact she rather soundly kicks Teal'c ass in the debate circuit and ropes in his anger. Teal'c might try to dismiss her when he gets frustrated, but you know he respects how powerful she is within his "temple."
Highlights:
O’NEILL: Of course it’s a trap, sir. (beat) And in knowing it’s a trap, we can avoid it. He's vulnerable right now.
BRA’TAC: He never will be more so. And I still have a few friends among the Serpent Guards that Apophis does not know of.
O’NEILL: If we can pull this off, sir, we can grab Teal’c’s kid, and nail this mother... Goa’uld in one sweep. (heh...I love your enthusiasm, Jack)
FRO’TAK: I will tell him. When it appeared that you may never return, and that you may indeed be dead...(beat) ...Drey’auc had her marriage removed. (beat) She is now ~ wife, Teal’c. (Revenge Teal'c emerges like the Incredible Hulk and he tries to strangle For'tak with both hands before O'Neill and Bra'tac can stop him)
O’NEILL: Hey, knock it off! Come on, come on... Just knock it off! Knock it off! This doesn’t help.
FRO’TAK: I wished to be the one to tell you myself, old friend. I am sorry.
(next scene)
TEAL’C: How could you not have known this, Bra’tac?
FRO’TAK: We will wait outside, and give you time to sort through this uncomfortable news.
O’NEILL: Captain Carter...would you go with them. See what you can find out about the kid.
CARTER: Yes, sir.
BRA’TAC: TeaI’c...on my word, as a warrior, I did not know. If I had, I would have told you before we arrived.
O’NEILL: Look, I just want to know if this guy...Fro’Tak can be trusted not to turn us in.
TEAL’C: Is it not obvious, O’Neill? He cannot be trusted.
O’NEILL: WelI, no offense, Teal’c, but I don’t think that assessment is born of a cool head. (beat) What do you think, Bra’tac?
BRA’TAC: Fro’Tak is one of Teal’c’s oldest confidants. Both were my wards in the Bashaak training. He has indicated to me many times that he agrees with my beliefs that the Goa’ulds are
false gods.
O’NEILL: Yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah... Can he be trusted?
BRA’TAC: I believe so. Yes. But I suggest we keep a close eye on him at all times.
TEAL’C: A better response would be to kill him. (I know it's not funny...but LOL!!)
O’NEILL: Del Mar hokeem?
DANIEL: That means something like "revenge by the wearer of horns", which I’m guessing is a Jaffa term for being a cuckold. (ow)
O’NEILL: Hello. (LOL!)
TEAL’C: We will find Rya’c and bring him home. This I swear.
DREY’AUC: Thank you, Teal’c.
TEAL’C: After that is done, I will never lay eyes on you again. (aw, snap!)
DREY’AUC: How dare you judge me and dishonor Fro’Tak in his own house.., after what you have done.
TEAL’C: Woman, be silent.
DREY’AUC: That is not an answer, Teal’c. You were the one who abandoned us.
TEAL’C: What I did was for the future of my people.
DREY’AUC: What I have done...is for the future of our son.
TEAL’C: Perhaps...(beat) But why Fro’Tak?
DREY’AUC: Because he was the only one who asked.
TEAL’C: Do you have love for him? (beat) Do you have love for him?
DREY’AUC: No, Teal’c. But Rya’c, our son, deserves a better life than the camps. And Fro’Tak has offered it to him.
TEAL’C: Rya’c, my son.., hear me. You must remember when we were family...(beat) Remember how you loved the satta-cakes your mother made for you? Remember the stories we told by the fire at night... and how we laughed together? Rya’c, my son, that is love. (This is among the sweetest declarations of affection you will ever hear in the entire run of Stargate SG1)
TEAL’C: Forgive me, my son...(he fires his zat and Rya'c convulses violently, falling to rest and looking nearly lifeless)
DREY’AUC: He barely draws breath.
TEAL’C: He is in great pain... (beat) There was ancient song you used to soothe him when he was a baby.
DREY’AUC: (singing) Kel... ma kree, Sha’shan...Kel na t’ai.., or’intani...Kel, han’dai...
RYA’C: (singing)... Iti Sha’shan...han’dai. (now speaking normally) Did you forget, Mother? Where are we, Mother? (beat) Father! You have returned home?
DREY’AUC: We are not in Chulak, my son.
RYA’C: But we are with Father?
DREY’AUC: Yes.
RYA’C: Then to me, we are home. (awww :))
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