I am super picky about pacing issues and sg1 is replete with them as a series. This episode is no exception. Having said that, I gave it a ten with good reason. Both parts are packed with marvelous moments of that golden confluence you so rarely see in television shows. When the writing is somehow natural, inspiring, and entertaining all at once. When the direction is cohesive, intuitive and entirely unobtrusive. When the acting is outstanding. When the plot threads are driven by genuin character motivations. When all of these things sing in a transcendent harmony on screen you feel it deeply.
A lot of people have expressed frustration or disappointment with the way the good doctor's death came about and how it was revealed. Please understand this was not poor writing. This is a brilliant commentary on the life of any service personnel in any armed forces. When someone in service dies it should be frustrating and upsetting and feel senseless. That is the nature of their service. That is why they are heroes. If you felt this way it was by design. Now you understand in a tiny way how all those feel who lose loved ones, friends, and brothers and sisters in arms. Frustrated, upset and like it was sadly senseless. And then, something amazing happens. Once you've mourned the loss and questioned why one survives and another does not, you begin to see that the violence is senseless but the courage in its face is not. The loss of that life is not a thing taken but opportunity given. This is the very rollercoaster ride of grief and acceptance played out in these episodes. Right down to the burning fervor to know the truth, as portrayed through the brilliant acting of Saul Rubinek.
I appreciate shows that have an objective and then execute them brilliantly. These two episodes do that.
A lot of people have expressed frustration or disappointment with the way the good doctor's death came about and how it was revealed. Please understand this was not poor writing. This is a brilliant commentary on the life of any service personnel in any armed forces. When someone in service dies it should be frustrating and upsetting and feel senseless. That is the nature of their service. That is why they are heroes. If you felt this way it was by design. Now you understand in a tiny way how all those feel who lose loved ones, friends, and brothers and sisters in arms. Frustrated, upset and like it was sadly senseless. And then, something amazing happens. Once you've mourned the loss and questioned why one survives and another does not, you begin to see that the violence is senseless but the courage in its face is not. The loss of that life is not a thing taken but opportunity given. This is the very rollercoaster ride of grief and acceptance played out in these episodes. Right down to the burning fervor to know the truth, as portrayed through the brilliant acting of Saul Rubinek.
I appreciate shows that have an objective and then execute them brilliantly. These two episodes do that.