Stargate SG-1: Singularity

Episode 15 (Singularity) is a bit of a mixed bag. Rather like the last episode, there are some really good ideas in there, but the execution is lacking. We do get a bit of character development and setup for later episodes though.

They mostly come out at night. Mostly.

SG-1 heads to a new planet to observe a nearby black hole. For some reason they have to do this during a solar eclipse. That bit makes no sense to me, but it's also pretty much irrelevant to the plot. It just serves as a reason to have another SG team already on the planet for SG-1 to find dead (along with the locals).

He's dead, Jim.

Suspecting a disease, SG-1 immediately put on protective gear (except for Teal'c who is immune to basically everything) and search for survivors. They find only one, a small girl and bring her back to Earth. And for once they actually bother with decontamination and quarantine. Also Daniel's allergies make a rare return specifically so everyone can momentarily freak out about him being infected.

Why isn't this here permanently?

The episode then spends a lot of time spinning its wheels. At first the girl won't talk, but takes an immediate liking to Carter. Eventually she does talk though and by the end of the episode she's basically made a full recovery from seeing everyone she ever knew die of a mysterious and incredibly rapid disease. They also discover Naquadah (stargate material) in her blood.

The girl (Cassandra) begins exhibiting symptoms of some strange illness (not the same one that killed everyone else on her planet) which they eventually discover is being caused by an explosive device implanted in her by a Goa'uld (Nirrti, an enemy of Apophis). They can't remove it without killing her, and Teal'c believes it will explode and destroy the stargate should they attempt to send her through. She also seems to be dying.

Also Daniel was there.

Fortunately there's an abandoned nuclear facility twenty minutes away, and they decide that their best course of action is to take her there where the explosion will be contained. Seems cruel, but she is already in a coma and dying, and it's better than having her explode anywhere else.

She's so maternal. Like all women.

Unfortunately, Cassandra wakes up and Sam can't leave her to die alone there, so she decides to stay. This is just really unpleasant to watch and doesn't fit the show's normal tone at all. If this were a more realistic, more serious show then it might work, but SG-1 is normally a light-hearted action adventure. Even when characters have died before it hasn't really been dwelt on or affected anyone too much, but they really play it up here with Carter. It's worth noting that none of the men really get too emotional about any of this either.

For contrast, imagine Jack and Daniel looking vaguely concerned.

But of course the bomb doesn't go off and the girl makes a full recovery. All they had to do was take her away from the Stargate and the bomb harmlessly dissipated into her blood. And Dr Fraiser ends up adopting her, because there's only two women in the regular cast and Carter's too busy going to other planets all the time.

We've become so close in these few hours, now goodbye forever.

As far as the story goes there's very little I'd actually change, but tonally this episode just doesn't work for me. It also drags a bit in the middle, but that's a complaint I have about almost every episode so far. I think probably this episode would have been done differently had it happened later, after the show had had more time to establish exactly what it was trying to be.

Also Teal'c was there.

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