Overall Rating: 7.2
I wondered how long it would take for the Universe writers to maroon a whole gate team on one of these planets as Destiny jumps to FTL. Answer: 14 episodes. A tab disappointing that they're firing all their bullets so early. On the bright side, the episode humanizes Dr. Rush *without* softening on the evils he's perpetrated since arriving on Destiny.
Plot Synopsis:
Rush has decided he's had enough of being on a ship he can't fly. He needs the access code ot the ship so he can pilot the thing manually and stop all these crazy gate missions with a ticking clock of doom. He finally grows some nads and hops into the ancient information chair himself - unlike the repository of knowledge encountered by Colonel O'Neill, this device reaches into his mind and he spends the rest of the episode reliving key moments in his life before he was recruited into the Stargate program. We find out that, before he took up the mission of dialing the ninth chevron, Rush had a wife who died of cancer (thus, we finally have an explanation for why Rush was so emotionally unstable even before he landed on Destiny). We find out that she died without him by her side because he was too busy trying to make a difference in the Gate program. And we learn that somewhere...deep inside of himself...he does indeed have a conscience. When he interacts with the reflection of Gloria (his dead wife) in his own mind, she berates him for all of the horrible things he's done on Destiny.
The purpose of the trip through memory lane seems to elude Rush for a long time...he gets caught up in emotional memories and self-loathing as he fruitlessly tries interviewing "Daniel Jackson" (in his mind of course) about the meaning of the encoded equations that control Destiny (among other things he does to try to force some recognition about the ancient codes into his mind). It's not until he realizes that he's seen an unusually large number of occurrences of the number 46 in his visions - and subsequently talks to his wife one last time (during which conversation, she remarks that because of one defective gene, she can't be there with him) - that Rush gets the break he's been looking for. The ship is coded to ancient chromosomes (there are 46 of them in humans and, we presume, in Ancients since they had our form) and Rush needs to write a computer algorithm to search the Ancient database for the right combination of genetic code to unlock the ship's key systems.
While Rush is searching for this revelation and TJ and Young are looking after him; Greer, Eli, Chloe and Scott take a little trip through the gate to explore some ruins on a deserted planet. Unfortunately, Eli loses the Keno in a below-ground labyrinth and the team becomes stranded inside the network of tunnels when Greer is forced to fire his gun at a massive spider, causing a cave in that blocks the exit. Rush is awakened with just a few minutes to stop the ship from jumping to FTL and leaving the team on the surface, but he informs him that it can't be done in that short a time period. Destiny does indeed jump away, but Rush reveals what he knows about the master code, promising that he'll eventually crack it and turn the ship around to retrieve their lost comrades.
Writing: 7.0
The pacing of this episode is unfortunately quite slow. Considering the potentially high impact nature of the plot, I did spend quite a lot of time having trouble paying attention (though, this may have been in part due to having watched this episode with my girlfriend...LOL). I went back and viewed it a second time, to make sure I got the full story, but...aside from two well-written exchanges (one funny, one dead series - both found in the highlights below), I found the dialogue to once again be rather bland.
The characterization of Rush, however, did take a giant leap forward and that deserves a lot of credit. This whole time, I've been wondering why Rush was in tears repeatedly (in private) during the pilot...not to mention my attempts to understand why this mission has become such an obsession to him. The layers of background and emotion that got added this week (the death of Rush's wife, his subsequent frustration that he was inadequate to solve a problem that a 20-something gamer with no formal education walked right in and solved, and his desperate struggle to avoid his own death, having seen it work its ugly ravaging "magic" on his loved ones) give me a lot more to think about when viewing Rush as a person.
Acting: 7.5
Robert Carlyle was rather clearly the center of attention in this episode...he delivered what I would have to classify as a competent but not-overwhelming presentation for us. It's both a good sign and a bad sign when you watch a television show and can't think of anything that stood out in the acting (good or bad). It means you were fully involved in the character they were portraying and not paying attention to minor details (competence)...but it also means you weren't bowled over by moments that reached you on an emotional level far beyond the normal casual viewing experience. The rest of the cast did its usual solid work - especially Jamil Walker Smith and David Blu - but I am hard pressed to gush positively about anything in particular.
Message: 7.0
I am gingerly pushing this rating toward the positive in the hopes that my reading of Rush's confrontation with his dying wife is correct. It is not certain, at present, whether Rush will really be made to suffer from guilt over his unquestionably evil actions and serve proper penance before he returns to good standing with himself and with his shipmates. It certainly FELT like some part of Rush was forced to admit that he'd been a bad little monkey, though, and we hope that he'll have to endure a lot before his character finds any sort of stability. Or, alternatively, he could attempt to reform and then, ultimately, go evil again because his character is inherently flawed to the point that he can't accept responsibility for his actions...that would be equally cool to watch.
I'd have gone a little higher with the message score, but I am a little disturbed with how fast Chloe has apparently regained the trust of the crew - ESPECIALLY Eli. Chloe betrayed Eli rather directly (as well as Lt. Scott or course), and yet when she wants to go off-world, Scott and Eli are all for it...clamoring for her to come along. It maketh no senseth. I could see Chloe regaining Matt's respect while they were on the planet in "Faith" - they did have a lot of time together to talk things out. But Eli wasn't there...he should still be smarting.
Highlights:
GREER: I'll wait up here - cover your butts.
ELI: What's the matter, Ronny - scared? (Greer glares menacingly back at Eli) Um...OK...I thought...we were...at that point already. You know...where we could kid around with each other...make jokes? I guess we're not. (Greer continues staring him down) I'm sorry? I didn't mean anything by it! (Eli starts to panic a little) Please don't kill me? (LOL!!)
GLORIA: You are capable of doing so much good for humanity - what have you become since I left you?
RUSH: I made tough choices...we all did. You don't know what it's like out there...I did what I had to do to survive.
GLORIA: You had to hurt people? I don't think so, Nicholas. You're not the man I married. Not anymore. (Ouch!)
RUSH: How can you say that?
GLORIA: Nicholas...this is your own mind...you can't argue with yourself. (you've got yourself there, Nicky...)
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