This is a brilliant episode -you could see it as Teal'c version of O'Neill's "Abyss". There is no Stargate trip, no space ship and no alien menace, but I find it really riveting.
Part of its brilliance comes from the sheer simplicity of the plot. It digs up technology encountered years ago in "the Gamekeeper", which is a great example of continuity. R&D has created a simulation game that actually adapts to the player, so Teal'c gets to test it in order to improve it. Of course, something malfunctions and instead of releasing him when he wins, the IA just keeps creating more missions, practically keeping him prisoner inside a virtual SGC. So Teal'c ends up having to defeat again (and single-handedly) all the threats that have plagued Earth over the last few years.
The whole "game" environment is absolutely great. (I'll bet there's a real game based on this.) You can easily translate what happens in terms of "levels", "reset", "lives", "boss" (and even healing potions). As a real-life warrior, Teal'c is quite a formidable player: tackling every problem calmly and stubbornly, out-maneuvering the game's IA, getting NPCs to help, and even making statistics of previous "games".
But the "action" part, despite its real cleverness, is only the tip of the iceberg. The most interesting thing here is the insight it gives us into the characters' mind (mostly, Teal'c's) Because once again, when all is said and done, there is nothing wrong with the MACHINE. The bug actually comes from Teal'c, and the first explanation that comes to everybody's mind is that he is simply too stubborn to admit defeat. But it turns out that the problem is quite different, and much darker. It's actually *victory* that Teal'c can't believe in, even after (or especially after?) all those years of endless fighting. So this is the one and only time we'll ever see Teal'c beaten, exhausted and ready to give up: a really sobering thought, all things considered.
Despite the focus on Teal'c, however, there are several nice "team" moments. I particularly love how Sam, Jack and Daniel volunteer as one to save Teal'c; I like the fact that the whole team (players and NPCs) is there for the "final level"; and I find it deeply moving that once again it's Daniel who goes in to comfort his comrade(see "Abyss" and "the Changeling").
So in a nutshell, this is a very good, clever and well-conceived episode, with tons of action and technology and some really insightful character analysis.
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