I thought this episode was an exciting, well crafted, beautifully acted show reminiscent of the episodes of the 2nd and 3rd season.
There was enough plot in this show to actually have been spread over two episodes and as a result, there were some missing bits. Jack O'Neill — and the viewer — suddenly find themselves on a hostile world with no idea how he got there. Likewise at the end of the episode, we are not privy to how he escaped. We are shown no establishing shot of Ba'al fortress and we are told, not shown just how impenetrable it is. Instead, we are limited to a few pivotal, beautifully designed sets. And I'd like to take the opportunity to thank the writer/producer and director for making those choices. Instead of a multitude of shots of them of running down corridors and endless gun battles, the time was spent with the characters as they struggled with a terrible situation. Jack O'Neill was tested to the edge of his endurance with torture and repeated death and we got to see his courage, his fear and finally, his frailty. Daniel Jackson returned as an ascended being in this episode to comfort his old friend in his time of need and perhaps to help him. We saw his compassion, his affection and belief in Jack O'Neill and his frustration at the situation. It was wonderful to see an episode about the characters again, and it is always a treat to see these two actors roll up their shirtsleeves and dig into a meaty script.
In the opening sequence, I love how the Stargate is lit with torches. It's an impressive prop and for some reason, I get a thrill at seeing it in the different landscapes. Kanan, the symbiote, freely leaves Jack O'Neill, the host. Why he does this, is never explained. Supposedly his earlier host 'died' while on a mission. One can only surmise that Kanan is a bit of a coward and abandons ship at the first sign of trouble, leaving the host confused and own their own. The snake must have perfected a way to lurk in ponds until another host happens by — or maybe he has a tiny little LoJack he activates to get picked up by the Tok'ra.
Back on Earth, the friction between the SGC and Tok'ra is increasing. Kanan obviously has acted as a Goa'uld would and the Tok'ra representative displays full outrage at the mere suggestion of this truth. The members of the SGC are becoming more suspicious and less patient of the Tok'ra's motives and the resulting conflict between the two is actually a relief to this viewer. The Tok'ra state that they accept that Kanan is lost to them. Hammond, who is wonderfully commanding and quite concerned for Jack, tells the Tok'ra that that is the difference between them: the SGC does not leave their people behind.
Ba'al's fortress is wonderfully designed and delightfully lit in a kind of Art Nouveau meets Halloween motif. Deep oranges and rich yellows contrast with dark doors, floors and metalwork and accentuate the sharp, toothy edges. The place simply looks like it's a dangerous place to be. There's a large grill that seems quite decorative until the artificial gravity behind it is activated and Jack is pulled onto it looking exactly like he's trapped on a large spider web. This effect and the concept of having a jail cell trapping its prisoners with artificial gravity is very science fictiony, extremely imaginative and really, really cool. Being a science fiction series means that you can stretch the imagination and it was wonderful to see the exploration of something new and unusual again in the SG world.
Ba'al is dressed in a dark, tailored outfit and both the camera angle and ominous music on his introduction tell us he is a very bad and powerful man. Jack's helplessness is very worrisome indeed, especially when Ba'al starts to play with long, wickedly serrated knives. Jack gives him a few flip answers that are designed to insult Ba'al, who then releases the knife. The artificial gravity causes it fly quickly and forcefully into Jack in apparent defiance of the laws of physics; it's a weird, creepy effect that really increases the unease and disorientation in the viewer. A nitpick for me would be that with a knife through his lung, Jack would not be talking, he'd be drowning in his own blood, but I'm willing to overlook that as I was not at all looking forward to seeing Jack, a character I quite like, repeatedly tortured to death. I very much appreciated that there wasn't much blood, and that most of what happened to him was done off camera. Another thing that causes unease is that Jack's face looks totally different with the unusual gravity making him appear laying down as opposed to the usual standing up; his features are softened, the hard lines are gone. He appears weaker than his usual craggy self.
The segue between scenes of Jack dying on the spider web grill to the SGC was brilliant because the next shot was a close up on the star chart, and it also bears a nodding acquaintance with a spider web. Nicely done.
The Tok'ra proves to be stonewalling the SGC's efforts to try to find Jack. (boo hiss! Who is the villain in this story, again??) Jonas is making notes in a notebook. We've been told that he has a fantastic memory so why is he walking around with a notebook?
Meanwhile, Jack is escorted back to his gravity cell and we are treated to another Escherish cool effect of his floor becoming a wall which he slides quite far down into a pit. The cloud–like light fixtures and muted, warm flesh tones give Jack's cell a timeless, ethereal feeling. The extreme camera angles give the visual illusion that Jack, who is dressed in contrasting dark brown, is suspended in limbo — which is precisely the case as he is trapped indefinitely between life and death. The corridor that leads to this cell has a couple of circular wall treatments that remind me of either giant mechanical gears, or of ancient Norman arches. One is industrial, the other medieval; neither is a comforting sight and their toothy presence just heightens the unease. Another unusual visual is that Jack's guards tower over him…which is quite amazing since Jack is a very tall man.
Into this abstract and otherworldly place, appears Daniel Jackson, who is now made up of energy but appears real; he says 'hi' and gives a little welcoming wave, looking for all the world as if he's been told to go sit in the corner. He's dressed in an off–white sweater and slacks, which contrast very metaphorically with Jack's dark clothes — Jack's loose turtleneck is vaguely reminiscent of a cowl on a Benedictine monk's robe. The scene starts off with medium shots as Daniel attempts to convince Jack he's really there and not a delusion. As their conversation touches on their past and how Jack helped Daniel at the moment of his death to ascend, the shots get tighter with over the shoulder shots, which heightens the connection between the two. Once Jack does accept that it's Daniel, the shots become close ups, the dialogue speeds up and these two old friends resume their bantering. It's a delightful moment.
When Daniel tells Jack he can't help to break him out of jail, Jack gets understandably snippy and the camera changes to film them in profile with close ups. I assume it is to underscore the conflict between the two, but it felt intrusive and too tight. These two actors can express so much with body language; I enjoy seeing more of them as they act. Daniel sums up Jack's situation, which is genuinely hopeless; Jack is destined to be tortured to death repeatedly until there is nothing about him worth reviving. Daniel states he will not let that happen and offers to help Jack ascend. Jack looks stunned by the thought and there's another nice segue into the next scene as the screen is filled with a bright, luminous light. Foreshadowing, perhaps? The tension grows.
The next scene is in the SGC. The Tok'ra representative is refusing to send the SGC's request for Kanan's mission reports (nice to know that bureaucratic paperwork is truly a universal plague.) Hammond refuses to let the Tok'ra leave until he does so, so the Tok'ra eventually capitulates.
In the next scene Jack queries Daniel about what it means to be ascended, and when Daniel gets vague, Jack accuses him of sounding like Oma Desala. It's quite humorous as this really ruffles Daniel's feathers and he begins to stutter from the desire to quickly deny that comparison. Things get grim again very quickly as Jack's captors come back to fetch him for another session. Jack pleads with Daniel to help him in any number of small ways but Daniel refuses and disappears, promising to return.
Back in the SGC, Jonas tells Sam and Teal'c what Kanan's motivation must have been. Teal'c, who's lived his whole life amongst symbiotes and Sam, who has the memories of Jolinar is lectured to by Jonas, whose knowledge is from observing a few Tok'ra and reading all their mission reports.
Back to Jack, who is being tortured by Ba'al…this time with acid. Jack breaks enough to tell Ba'al that his symbiote was named Kanan, and Jack is rewarded with the antidote to the acid. Ba'al is an interesting villain as he is more three–dimensional a character than we've had in a long time. He listens to Jack and appears to be able to accurately evaluate Jack's answers. He's cruel, but he isn't stupid and this makes him much more threatening than any of last year's Goa'uld. The quality of a show's villains has a direct effect on how the 'heroes' appear; if the villains are stupid, laughable rejects from costume party, then the heroes will be seen to be fighting a bunch of jokes.
Jack is thrown back in his cell. He sees for the second time a projection/vision of one of Ba'al's slaves. In a beautifully composed shot, she is seated on the ground in a long, dark gown and framed by the edge of the prison, her pose reminiscent of a medieval lady, the multiple light sources suddenly resembling clouds. She, too, is trapped in limbo; sad yet graceful, she keeps asking Jack, "Is it you? You shouldn't have come back." She is compelling and one desires to know more about her and to help her. She vanishes when Daniel returns. He doesn't see her, but believes without question Jack saw her.
Jack is angry and frustrated that Daniel refuses to help him escape. Daniel counters that he is not qualified to play god and the hardest part about being who he is now is not being able to help those he cares about. Daniel is concerned for Jack's soul and believes that Jack should ascend. Jack is adamant in his belief that he is not good enough while Daniel expresses complete belief that he is worthy. It's a powerful scene, riveting and fiercely dramatic. Jack would be an avenging angel if their situations are reversed, terrible and deadly, he would destroy the whole fortress. Daniel says the others wouldn't let him — which makes me wonder if Daniel doesn't have an invisible chaperon waiting to stop him should he make the wrong choice and interfere; perhaps Daniel is also between a rock and hard place. Jack tells Daniel he has another choice; the one he'd prefer is to be allowed to die once and for all. Daniel absolutely refuses to do that, even when Jack says he'd do it for him. The guards come for Jack, and he lays down in preparation for the change in the orientation of the gravity. Such a small thing, but it's so Jack, taking control of what he can and quickly adapting to whatever bizarre situation he finds himself in. Even his choice of choosing permanent death and refusing ascension is in character; he truly has never forgiven himself over his son's death and perhaps other events he feels responsible for. This man has a terrible burden he'll need to release and it was satisfying to see continuity to characterizations from the earlier seasons.
The next scene at the SGC, Sam presumes that because Kanan used Ba'al's most trusted slave — who was a woman — to find out Ba'al's secrets, they must have had a sexual liaison because "well something had to be going on between them, otherwise why would she take the risk?" This is quite a leap in logic and vaguely insulting that she assumes the only motivation a woman would have had was sex. She's a slave…what about revenge, retaliation, the chance for freedom for her or perhaps others that share her unfortunate situation? She is Ba'al's most trusted servant, but Teal'c was also must trusted when he was so sickened by Apophis' behavior that he rebelled and helped the enemy. Why not her? Anyway, Sam, Jonas and Teal'c deduce that Kanan absorbed Colonel Jack's code of honor when he blended and he went back for the girl because now he also believes that 'you don't leave your people behind.'
In a briefing with Hammond, Sam, Teal'c and Jonas admit that they intuitively know that Jack is being held in Ba'al's fortress, but stress there is also reason behind their beliefs. Nevertheless, the fortress is so impenetrable, and Hammond states they do not have the capability to go in there for a rescue.
Meanwhile, Jack has been tortured to death and revived again. Exhausted, he is returned to his cell and sits down, his despair very apparent. The camera zooms up and out and we are left with a very powerful imagine of our beloved Colonel Jack, looking small, lost and oh so alone.
Back on Earth, Teal'c is meditating and surrounded by flickering candles. Suddenly, his eyes open and we can see he is startled by some revelation. He goes to Hammond and tells him they could mount a rescue of O'Neill if they can get another System Lord to attack Ba'al fortress.
Meanwhile, Jack is being interrogated again by Ba'al and is answering the questions in a spiritless, exhausted tone, his words slurred. Ba'al is determined to ferret out the one, last thing that he senses Jack is still keeping from him. Though it is time to return Jack to the sarcophagus for revival, Ba'al promises that the next interrogation will be much worse. Jack, who obviously has nothing left to fight with, weakly calls out for Daniel.
At the SGC, they are gearing up to go in to rescue Jack under the cover of what they hope will be an attack by Lord Yu. By giving the fortress plans to this rival System Lord, they've profoundly upset the Tok'ra, but aren't too concerned about that. Apparently they've requested Lord Yu to attack the power generators first because it will give Jack 'a fighting chance.'
Back in the cell, Daniel returns to Jack's side. Jack quietly notes that 'you were gone' and he sounds so terribly lost and tired. Daniel knees down and apologies, stating there was something he had to do and that he will now stay with him until it's all over.
Jack tells Daniel he has to end this because if he goes back, he'll break and tell Ba'al everything, including that Kanan loved the slave and when Ba'al finds out that, he'll torture her like he's been torturing Jack. He has been tested to the end of his strength and he knows he will fail. Jack is in profile for much of this confession in a close up shot that fills a third of the screen. Daniel, in the background and somewhat out of focus, fills the rest of the screen. The composition of this shot emphasizes the incredibly intimacy of the moment when Jack, stripped of all his defenses, confides to his old friend his helplessness and hopelessness.
Daniel tells Jack that he was right, there's always a way out, or 'at least a chance.' Jack, showing an interest, asks what Daniel has done. Daniel denies he has done anything. Instead, he says that Sam and Teal'c and Jonas, too, thought of something; the last is said with a small, secretive smile. Jack leaps to his feet and an explosion rocks the building. The camera moves from hovering above Jack — an angle that emphasizes his vulnerability — and pans down until Jack's standing body fills the foreground and towers over Daniel; suddenly, he is infused with renewed power and is a man of action again. Daniel tells him 'this is it. All you've ever wanted was a fighting chance, Jack, now you have it.'
With explosions that sound like rolling thunder and lights flickering like lightning, the power to his cell fails and he is able to walk out. One of his guards approaches and Jack is on him instantly, beating the man senseless as the storm of his pent up emotions rages. But when the guard is unconscious and helpless, Jack chooses not to kill the guard; he simple takes his zat gun and looks for a way out. The tempest is over, the lights are dimmed, the thunder quiet; Jack is the man that Daniel had faith in, not the unworthy man who would destroy all in vengeance. He finds the slave woman that Kanan loved and tows her to safety behind him as he escapes.
The last scene is back at the SGC, and Jack is lying pale and weak in a bed, recovering from his ordeal. Sam, Teal'c and Jonas are tying up the loose ends of the story and Jack asks them to leave as he is trying to get some sleep. When they do, Daniel returns and they say goodbye to each other again. Daniel assures Jack that Jack will be okay. When asked how he knows that, Daniel smiles and says 'you're just going to have to trust me.' Jack readily agrees, "I can do that." It's a warm, poignant moment as the viewer realizes that the strange friendship between these two men, present from the movie on down, is as strong now as it ever was…even though Daniel is no longer on the same plane of existence as Jack. The background music is both sad and sweet. Daniel disappears when Sam returns with the water Jack requested. After she leaves, Jack breathes the word 'thanks' as he stares up at the ceiling.
Addendum:
Joe Mallozzi, an associate of Brad Wright who wrote this script, has stated in a chat and quoted per Paladin at the SG1 Fans list (post number 26345) that Daniel did not influence anyone in their search for Jack O'Neill, not even Teal'c. That causes a problem because one of the things I admired in this tightly written story was the subtle but logical hints in the story that Daniel did influence Teal'c. Daniel shows up from his astral life to comfort Jack who is in dire straits. He says he cannot interfere to help him escape, but states he will stay with him and he has nothing else to do. Later Jack admits to being so full of despair he wants to stay dead and asks Daniel to help him accomplish that. Daniel is shocked and refuses. While being tortured, Jack is seen calling for Daniel, who is not there. With the Oma Desala theme music from Maternal Instinct playing in the background, Teal'c gets a sudden insight while in a state of Kel'no'reem — which for long term viewers will harken back to Crystal Skull when he was able to sense Daniel who was 'out of phase' at the time — and comes up with a plan to save Jack. Daniel reappears at Jack's side, says he's sorry but he had something to do and he won't leave again, and that Jack needs to hold on as help is coming. There is an explosion and Jack is freed. Earlier, Daniel stated he is not 'all–knowing', so how would he know help is coming unless he was at the SGC? Or that Sam, Teal'c and even Jonas helped in planning Jack's rescue? Why would the crew add elements that purposefully remind us of past episodes that support the idea that Daniel did visit Teal'c and plant a germ of an idea? And what could possibly have been more important to Daniel than comforting Jack at one of the darkest moments of his life?
Daniel was both a passionate and compassionate man who many times acted despite the consequences. He was also famous for his lateral thinking and solved problems by looking for solutions that were outside the box. Teal'c is a smart man (and should be shown contributing more solutions than he does now) and is capable of coming up with that solution, but between him looking so surprised and Daniel knowing about it, and Daniel and Teal'c using the exact same words about giving Jack a fighting chance, it is logical to assume the writer wanted us to draw the conclusion that Daniel did find a subtle way to help Jack. It's in character for Daniel to help Jack. Daniel wanted to help Jack, Jack wanted Daniel to help Jack and the audience wanted Daniel to help Jack, in fact they spend quite a bit of time waiting for Daniel to figure out a way to help Jack. For that not to have occurred, well, it unravels all those threads and you have to wonder why the author would direct our attention repeatedly at something that isn't going to happen. Instead of an orchestra reaching a harmonious crescendo that is pivotal to helping the plot climax, we have a bunch of instruments that only give the illusion of playing the same tune.
Brad Wright also penned SOLITUDES, a story somewhat similar in structure to ABYSS. In it Carter, who is trapped in an ice cave with an injured Jack O'Neill, keeps dialing Earth on a Stargate, but it won't engage. Daniel, who is pulling all–nighters at the SGC to try to figure out where Jack and Sam might be, notices a vibration — which is actually being caused by Sam as she tries to engage the second Stargate. Her actions helped precipitate Daniel's solution, thereby connecting the team together and making it a group effort as they solved their problem. It is much more satisfying to think that all the members of SG–1, past and present, helped in finding a way to rescue Jack.
So, until Mr. Wright says otherwise, I think I will continue to view this as a tightly written script instead of one filled with non–sequiturs and red herrings.
I thank the entire cast and crew for putting together a truly excellent episode.
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