A very, very odd episode --pleasantly so, but it really requires some thinking. And understandably so, as it deals mostly with Teal'c's dreams... and besides being, well, Teal'c, he is a Jaffa, which means he doesn't normally sleep or dream. Ever.
I think dreams are a great way of giving us some insight into Teal'c's mind without making him too familiar, which would just ruin the character. The episode constantly switches from his "dream"-life as a firefighter, back to his "real" life at the SGC (Or so it seems). Like any dream, "Tee" 's life is filled with symbols, every element standing in for something we can trace back to his true life. Which means that you can re-watch it several times and always find new details to analyse. (It's also nice to see Christopher Judge act and speak "normally" for once.)
It is always nice when an episode acknowledges the viewer's ability to think. This one really maintains the suspense for a very long time, leaving us to try and guess what might be happening, and to wonder what the mysterious kidney transplant that everybody keeps mentioning is all about (after all, this is Stargate SG-1, not E.R.) So it's all about wondering what is real and what is not. A rather old existential question, you will say... except that the final twist turns it on its head rather neatly.
All in all, a very psychological episode, but it is well-built, really significant in terms of long-term development (also, nice bit of continuity, as the episode picks up some loose ends from Cure), and *certain people's* guest spots are always appreciated. On the downside, well, with so much focus on Teal'c, the rest of the team really don't do much. Also, the title is a total red herring, but I guess it is part of the mystery.
I think dreams are a great way of giving us some insight into Teal'c's mind without making him too familiar, which would just ruin the character. The episode constantly switches from his "dream"-life as a firefighter, back to his "real" life at the SGC (Or so it seems). Like any dream, "Tee" 's life is filled with symbols, every element standing in for something we can trace back to his true life. Which means that you can re-watch it several times and always find new details to analyse. (It's also nice to see Christopher Judge act and speak "normally" for once.)
It is always nice when an episode acknowledges the viewer's ability to think. This one really maintains the suspense for a very long time, leaving us to try and guess what might be happening, and to wonder what the mysterious kidney transplant that everybody keeps mentioning is all about (after all, this is Stargate SG-1, not E.R.) So it's all about wondering what is real and what is not. A rather old existential question, you will say... except that the final twist turns it on its head rather neatly.
All in all, a very psychological episode, but it is well-built, really significant in terms of long-term development (also, nice bit of continuity, as the episode picks up some loose ends from Cure), and *certain people's* guest spots are always appreciated. On the downside, well, with so much focus on Teal'c, the rest of the team really don't do much. Also, the title is a total red herring, but I guess it is part of the mystery.
