First I though, "poor Damian Kindler, getting stuck with writing the Jaffa again"... I'll say this much; he does a damn fine job this time.
The episode starts when a Prior returns to Dakara and finds Gerak convinced that Origin is the way to go. From there, the main plot threads center around three things: The Jaffa and their possible fall to Origin,the work on the anti-Prior device and the Prior plague hitching a ride with SG-6 and running rampant on Earth.
There's an ominous tone all the way through this one, and I like it. They build the suspense nicely with the plague spreading too fast for the military to contain, until they just have to admit they've lost control. Earth is actually vulnerable! This makes the Ori, again, a bigger threat than the Goa'uld ever seemed to be (although they did have their moments).
But it wouldn't be SG-1 if they didn't spice it up with a little humour. The scene with Carter and Dr.Lee in the lab, for instance, made me laugh. He's rambling on and on, and there she is with her earplugs in. Hah. And then, enter the creepy kid. Sorry, Orlin. Orlin?!? The previously ascended guy who built a Stargate in Carter's basement? He's a kid now? They give us an explanation equaling "a kid's brain has more room for all the ancient knowledge then an adult brain", but I'll assume that's technobabble for "the actor who played him last time couldn't make it". Never mind; he gives us some backstory on the Alterans and the Ori - which is awesome!
We're of course revisiting the Orlin-Carter romance, which Carter certainly is past but Orlin is not. There is a conversation or two about this, but the images they invoke are just icky and the whole thing is best forgotten. And speaking of forgotten: Orlin's deteriorating condition makes the plague-fighting part very suspenseful. Will he manage to do what he needs to do before he's useless? Exciting!
The episode ends on Orlin's brain slowly dying, the USA closing its borders and Gerak stepping into the Jaffa council's chamber as a Prior!
The episode starts when a Prior returns to Dakara and finds Gerak convinced that Origin is the way to go. From there, the main plot threads center around three things: The Jaffa and their possible fall to Origin,the work on the anti-Prior device and the Prior plague hitching a ride with SG-6 and running rampant on Earth.
There's an ominous tone all the way through this one, and I like it. They build the suspense nicely with the plague spreading too fast for the military to contain, until they just have to admit they've lost control. Earth is actually vulnerable! This makes the Ori, again, a bigger threat than the Goa'uld ever seemed to be (although they did have their moments).
But it wouldn't be SG-1 if they didn't spice it up with a little humour. The scene with Carter and Dr.Lee in the lab, for instance, made me laugh. He's rambling on and on, and there she is with her earplugs in. Hah. And then, enter the creepy kid. Sorry, Orlin. Orlin?!? The previously ascended guy who built a Stargate in Carter's basement? He's a kid now? They give us an explanation equaling "a kid's brain has more room for all the ancient knowledge then an adult brain", but I'll assume that's technobabble for "the actor who played him last time couldn't make it". Never mind; he gives us some backstory on the Alterans and the Ori - which is awesome!
We're of course revisiting the Orlin-Carter romance, which Carter certainly is past but Orlin is not. There is a conversation or two about this, but the images they invoke are just icky and the whole thing is best forgotten. And speaking of forgotten: Orlin's deteriorating condition makes the plague-fighting part very suspenseful. Will he manage to do what he needs to do before he's useless? Exciting!
The episode ends on Orlin's brain slowly dying, the USA closing its borders and Gerak stepping into the Jaffa council's chamber as a Prior!