superbadgirl | The Serpent's Lair

I really do enjoy the older episodes, and I want to hang onto that as the show progresses in a direction that doesn't quite have as much emotional impact on me. Okay, fine. It doesn't have any emotional impact on me.

Speaking of emotional impact...I do believe The Serpent's Lair is worth watching if only for THAT scene. It's worth it in many other regards, of course, but if there were only THAT scene it would still be a decent episode. More on that later.

Loved the very beginning - Daniel doing the unexpected thing and placing the final charge. Not sure why he had a spare, but I don't care. It worked. Jack's impatience as he presumes Daniel's about to make debate, Daniel brushing it off and proving he's got quite a military mind for a civilian. Nice.

And then there's the waking up in the dark. Quite effectively done, mostly on Teal'c and Sam's part. Jack's actor never quite convinced me. ;) Daniel being all hopeless in the corner. Poor woobie. From his pitch black standpoint, that's all she wrote. They're doomed. The planet is doomed. There's no telling how long the guy's been awake in that dark (figuratively and literally, eh) place.

Bra'tac! This episode was chock full of things to love about Bra'tac. I didn't remember him killing that Jaffa so easily. He didn't even flinch, but I wonder exactly how he felt about that. Loved Bra'tac's irreverence toward Jack throughout. They're alpha males, the both of them. Total ego tug-o-war. I'd say they're about dead even. They've both got their strengths, and boy do they have their weaknesses.

Meanwhile back on Earth, we got to Hammond in action. He might have been ready to throw in the towel a couple of weeks ago (at least on the surface), but that all disappeared the second the Goa'uld threat appeared. He was still, sadly, rather helpless - the idiots above him put their faith in the idiots named Maybourne and Samuels. Made for great opportunities to witness Hammond putting the smack down on that weasel Samuels the entire episode. Every time he snarked, I wanted to get up and cheer. What ever happened to Samuels? Me thinks he's cleaning toilets on a base in Alaska or something. Still, after 10 years. ;)

Okay, now. THAT scene. Poor Daniel. Poor Jack! Poor both of them together. No words I can put down can possibly describe how THAT scene makes my little H/C heart go pitter-pat. From "Daniel...awww, damnit!" to "Just go!", I want to hug them and squeeze them and call them George. (<-- obscure Looney Toons ref.) It's horrible. It's wonderful. It's wrenching.

I do wish, once they brilliantly navigated the ships closer together and knocked out the shields, they'd at least made mention of how Daniel might be proud or something. Wishful thinking on my part, though I have to say Jack's face speaks a thousand words and emotions in the glider scene. He's happy the mission worked, but he always struck me as really melancholic there as well. I fanwank that he is at least thinking about how glad Daniel would have been that they were successful.

Ah, but that's neither here nor there. I don't know how Daniel managed to be so damn smart after he was revived (with repaired clothing, too). But still, I love the scene where he's muttering "betasite, betasite...betasite, betasite." Don't know why, but it kind of represents to me just how quick on his feet Daniel can be. And his face when Hammond asks where the rest of SG1. Aww, he was so glad to be alive, I honestly think he hadn't given himself time to think about how his friends were all dead...

Only that's also neither here nor there.

Finally, the gateroom welcome home. Beautiful. I never quite picked up the spacemonkey ball and ran with it, but that hug. That HUGE hug. That always meant much more to me than a random nickname by Jack. Hugs all around after that, each of them big and happy and yay the world is saved!

Quotes I liked:

"Well, I suppose now is the time for me to say something profound." [long pause] "Nothing comes to mind. Let's do it."

"Just a minute!" (<--Love how Jack manages to be funny even in the face of an impending attack.)

"This is turning out to be a bad day."

"Yes, as pathetic as it may seem at the moment." (<--Bra'tac, staring at Sam and Daniel, on how Earth is the greatest hope to beat the Goa'uld.)

"Well, we have a number of...of..." Jack lends Daniel a hand for the last word. Unison-speak. Love. "Shuttles."

"Let us burn their world to ashes!" (<--Seriously, Klorel doesn't generally frighten me...this line, though, is filled with such fierce anger it really does succeed at being damn scary)

"Call me a pessimist, but I think it's time for a new plan."

"Whoa...what was that?" (<--Only made it in because Daniel said it so cutely)

"YOU are a parasite within a child, and I despise you."(<--do you feel the Bra'tac love, 'cause I do)

"Daniel...awww, damnit!"
"I'm dead anyway, just get out of here."
"I'm not leaving you here, Daniel."
"Get out of here!" (<--Sniiiiffffflllleee, his voice got all high-pitched, forced out by pain)

"I have spent 133 years worshipping false gods. No more!" (<--I want to marry Bra'tac and have his babies)

"Betasite, betasite...betasite, betasite." (<--Brilliant boy)

Tada. Excellent end to that arc. Indeed.