Chain Reaction…
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The fact that the late Don Davis considered this episode one of his personal favorites makes me exceedingly proud. Â It was one of those rare episodes that explored Hammond and offered us a peek of the man behind the uniform. Â Don was his usual brilliant self and the palpable love and respect SG-1 held for their commander reflected the similar love and respect Don commanded, not only from his fellow cast members, but the entire crew as well. Â Although I got along well with the entire cast, Don was the one I would occasionally go out to dinner with, sharing a love of food with the fine, Southern gent.
2010…
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Anytime we can kill off all main characters is an opportunity not to be missed. Â And they go out in blazing style in the closing moments of this episode, my favorite Brad Wright script of the showâs fourth season. Â This was the first part of what could have been an Aschen trilogy, bookended by 2001, but that third episode â like many intriguing notions â just never came to fruition.
Absolute Power…
âŚcorrupts absolutely.  Actors love to play bad guys and, in this episode, Michael Shanks delivers a terrific portrayal of our Daniel gone dark side.  Destroying Moscow is pretty bad, but one of the most unsettling acts he commits never found its way into the finished version of the episode.  In an earlier version, there is mention of the fact that Tealâc inexplicably vanished years ago.  The truth about his mysterious disappearance is revealed when Jack stumbles upon his old friend, a prisoner of Daniel who has been experimenting on him, transfusing blood from the Jaffa in an effort to master control of goaâuld technology.
The Light…
While the final quarter of the showâs fourth season delivers some great hits (Entity, Exodus) it also offers up a few misses, this episode being a big one in my books.  The beat of Jack rushing Daniel back to the planet aside, the episode never really delivers â surprising given what was, up to this point, a fairly strong season.  In similar fashionâŚ
Prodigy…
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This one was another disappointment. Â I believe Iâve already mentioned elsewhere how the character of Jennifer Hailey was originally conceived as a younger version of Carter (Samantha Jr.) but, in the end, came across as petulant and unlikable. Â Without a doubt, our weakest script of the fourth season, but an episode notable for the very first onscreen appearance of Ivon Bartok who plays the cadet, in opening tease, who asks: âDid you say TEN dimensions?â. Brilliant. Â The role of Hailey came down to two extras, Elizabeth (who eventually won the part) and an actress named Jennifer Halley. Â It stuck in my head because, in my first draft of the script, the character had been named Jennifer Halley before Paul changed her last name to Hailey. Â Anyway, Elizabeth was better suited to the role of the young ingenue, but Jennifer would later land the role of Lieutenant Tolinev in season 5âs The Tomb. Â The seemingly distant cousins of the alien life forms (zapping bugs) that complicate matters in this episode put in an appearance in Stargate: Atlantisâs The Defiant One and Stargate: Universeâs Water.
Entity…
The premise was fairly standard but, like most every episode, what set it apart was what made it special for our characters â in this case, Amanda who got to go all Terminator, and Jack who is faced with a very tough call in dealing with the threat. Â What I found particularly interesting about this episode was that, after many stories in which Jackâs military stance conflicts with Danielâs peaceful civilian position, invariably resulting in the latter being proven correct, the results are reversed here. Â Jack was right. Â He should have destroyed it when he had the chance rather than allow Daniel and Sam to attempt communication with the entity.
Double Jeopardy…
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SG-1âs fourth season finishes strong with two terrific back to back episodes. Â This one saw the return of the team robots, last scene in Tin Man, and offered up one of my favorite act outs ever: Daniel Jacksonâs apparent decapitation. Â No, wait! Â Speaking of DJ, this episode marked Michael Shanksâs directorial debut and it was a doozy. Â With all the twinning and big action sequences, Double Jeopardy would have proven a challenge to even the most seasoned of directors, yet Michael stepped up and the result was spectacular.
Exodus…
You have no idea how much we appreciate the concept artwork coupled with your commentary. If we can’t have a continuation of the show, these posts are definitely the next best thing. Thanks so much!
Don Davis! We occasionally see him on some the older shows. He was such a good actor. Glad to hear he was a really good guy, too.
The artwork is so detailed! You did have an amazing cast/crew to work with.
From yesterday: âour stunt coordinator John Stead who was meticulous when it came to safetyâ Hiring competent people is the way to go!
Hereâs a few interesting key points from the Rust shooting:
First assistant director David Halls had handed the gun to Baldwin while proclaiming “cold gun,” to let the crew know a gun with no live rounds was being used, according to a search warrant affidavit.
The film’s armorer, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, filed a lawsuit alleging that the ammunition boxes supplied by the prop provider “failed to state” that “the contents contained both dummy and live ammunition.” However, I have read that the crew were playing with live rounds after hours (target practice). She must have known the crew were doing that, yes?
FYI, This was only her second time as head armorer.
Iâm not sure what procedures there are on a film set. Is the armorer the person that is supposed to hand out the guns and double check the weapons? This is such a mess. I donât envy a jury.
The “Rust” story reminds me of this Independent film tragedy a few years ago: https://nypost.com/2015/03/09/movie-director-gets-2-years-for-train-crash-that-killed-crew-member/
The director was trying for a good “dream” sequence with the train passing close by for dramatic effect.
Don’t forget your post for the 20th.
I was always very fond of Hammond. He was commanding but avuncular, and highly competent but also somewhat out of context amidst all the weirdness and thus funny. It was a highlight when he got to go through the gate.