This second part begins with Earth on its way to a global pandemic while everybody at SGC scrambles to counter the Prior's formidable powers. Meanwhile, Garek's latest surprise has swayed the Jaffa Council and nonbelievers might soon face destruction.
Needless to say, there's plenty of dramatic intensity in this episode, almost enough for a finale. What makes it especially efficient is that while alien invasion clearly falls under the heading of science-fiction, a global epidemic doesn't. Not nowadays. Having the body count regularly listed by sober but frightful news flashes is a terribly convincing way of showing how dire the situation is.
I also really like how many different plot lines and loose threads this particular story manages to bring together and develop. Everybody gets their moment in the spotlight, a narrative feat that has been sorely underused lately. Carter has a few moving scenes with Orlin, Teal'c gets to make his most eloquent speech so far, Landry and his daughter share a few important moments, and of course Hammond's and Bra'tac's presence only makes things better.
My favorite part, however, is watching Daniel and Mitchell together. I am SO glad that the show didn't try to artificially recreate the kind of relationship Daniel and O'Neill had built. Instead those two are astonishingly similar (I think that the peas-in-a-pod cliché really works here). Beyond looking somewhat alike, they share the same humour and the same habit of talking non-stop without any regard for consequences. Just watch one of them talk while the other adds air quotes in all the appropriate places!
Despite its humour and constant optimism, this two-parter is very gloomy, ending with a rather dismal victory (I really feel bad for poor Orlin). Yet here is what really irks me: that this victory should be due to Gerak's last-minute change of mind. Two episodes ago the man was a fierce, uncompromising warrior. Then he suddenly converted and became a Prior, and now, within 5mn Teal'c manages to talk him 1°) out of killing thousands of Jaffa, AND 2°) into *sacrificing himself for a world he hated*? Sorry: too much, too fast, won't buy it. I appreciate that for once Teal'c saves the day (with his mouth!), but those twists feel very contrived. (Don't even mention the "how come the Ori could kill somebody here?" issue).
Needless to say, there's plenty of dramatic intensity in this episode, almost enough for a finale. What makes it especially efficient is that while alien invasion clearly falls under the heading of science-fiction, a global epidemic doesn't. Not nowadays. Having the body count regularly listed by sober but frightful news flashes is a terribly convincing way of showing how dire the situation is.
I also really like how many different plot lines and loose threads this particular story manages to bring together and develop. Everybody gets their moment in the spotlight, a narrative feat that has been sorely underused lately. Carter has a few moving scenes with Orlin, Teal'c gets to make his most eloquent speech so far, Landry and his daughter share a few important moments, and of course Hammond's and Bra'tac's presence only makes things better.
My favorite part, however, is watching Daniel and Mitchell together. I am SO glad that the show didn't try to artificially recreate the kind of relationship Daniel and O'Neill had built. Instead those two are astonishingly similar (I think that the peas-in-a-pod cliché really works here). Beyond looking somewhat alike, they share the same humour and the same habit of talking non-stop without any regard for consequences. Just watch one of them talk while the other adds air quotes in all the appropriate places!
Despite its humour and constant optimism, this two-parter is very gloomy, ending with a rather dismal victory (I really feel bad for poor Orlin). Yet here is what really irks me: that this victory should be due to Gerak's last-minute change of mind. Two episodes ago the man was a fierce, uncompromising warrior. Then he suddenly converted and became a Prior, and now, within 5mn Teal'c manages to talk him 1°) out of killing thousands of Jaffa, AND 2°) into *sacrificing himself for a world he hated*? Sorry: too much, too fast, won't buy it. I appreciate that for once Teal'c saves the day (with his mouth!), but those twists feel very contrived. (Don't even mention the "how come the Ori could kill somebody here?" issue).
