Solitudes

Plot: Daniel and Teal'c arrive back at the SGC without Sam and Jack, who were supposedly right behind them. A malfunction with the gate diverted the wormhole, sending Sam and Jack to an icy cave, where they must find a way to get the DHD working and dial home, before Jack's broken leg and internal bleeding cause him serious problems.


I thought this was a very special episode. Harrowing for sure, but intriguing as well, as we're introduced for the first time to Earth's 2nd gate. Yes, when the worm hole jumped, it jumped to the closest gate in the network, which happened to be on Earth. Unfortunately for Jack and Sam, they couldn't figure out that the gate wasn't working for that reason. As Daniel put it, it was like trying to dial your own phone number.

This is the kind of episode where we really see the relationships between the characters grow. In this case, the ordeal that Sam and Jack have gone through will serve to really strengthen their bond. Sam really showed her strength in not giving up, whatever the circumstance. She tried everything to get that DHD working, including turning it off and on again. At the SGC, we see a similar bond, as Teal'c and Daniel unite to try and find their friends, first off world and then on.

Of course, I knew that they were on Earth for the entire episode, but it must've been a real Planet of the Apes type moment when viewers saw this for the first time. It's a cleverly written episode that's well played by the SG-1 crew.

The second gate will prove useful as a plot device in many future episodes. It's amazing how much drama an extra device can provide, but also the possibility of jumping a wormhole from one gate to another can develop exciting themes.

There are only three episodes following Solitudes in this season and I'm looking forward to seeing how it'll all play out. :)

8 out of 10