Even
though the stakes are so high, SG-1 stays in character consistently the whole
time. Outgunned and outnumbered with
just their guns and the supplies on their backs, they treat this infiltration
like a spec ops mission, applying their military training on Earth accordingly
for the most part. Since this was long
before Stargate Command had their own starships and space weapons, SG-1—and
Earth, for that matter—is more vulnerable at this point in time, which
heightens the suspense.
Every
step of the way, every decision SG-1 makes could send the story in any
direction, making the situation at hand unpredictable. In “Within the Serpent’s Grasp”, the imminent
arrival of the Ha’tak vessels to Earth makes every second feel tenser. “The Serpent’s Lair”, on the other hand, is
where the suspense and tension really pay off, as SG-1 gets trapped in several
of what seem like lose-lose situations if not for some careful planning to
resolve them in their favor. Throughout
both parts, you will have no idea of where the plot is headed next until it
happens.
On a
side note, I also appreciate how these episodes, especially “The Serpent’s
Lair”, show the desperation of the U.S. government back on Earth, coming up
with their own plans off to the side to destroy Apophis’s strike group. This doubles the tension in the conflict by
raising the question of not only will Apophis succeed at striking Earth, but
whether or not Stargate Command will go public at all. While it is obvious neither of these will
happen in retrospect, on first watch there is a greater sense of uncertainty
that is communicated well with the precautions that General Hammond & co.
take at Stargate Command.
As
the climax of the first season’s story arc, some of the characters’ arcs and
relationships are coming to fruition here, especially in “Within the Serpent’s
Grasp”. For instance, Teal’c’s
reputation as the Shol’va (“traitor”) is addressed, once again, and both
Apophis and his son, Klorel, act differently but accordingly to their
personalities; Apophis wants Teal’c dead now, but Klorel prefers showing him
and Jack O’Neill the “fun” of watching Earth get conquered first. While Apophis is the main villain, it is
Klorel who gets to really shine in Part 1, presented as quite a threat and
sporting the “cool villainy” style of the Goa’uld that is being established at
this point. When the time comes, he does
not pull any punches, such as when he almost kills Daniel with his hand
device. He also sports a typical
threatening villain’s theatrical side, like with his goal is to emotionally
break Jack by being nice enough to show him his home planet getting destroyed
before finally killing him.
Speaking
of which, the friendship between Col. Jack O’Neill and Skaara (a.k.a. Klorel’s
host) forms this two-parter’s emotional core.
Klorel being the commander of the Ha’tak vessel SG-1 is onboard gives
them, and especially Jack, an emotional anchor to hold on to. Jack has to find a way to get to Klorel while
avoiding jeopardizing the mission. While
his plan does not exactly go as planned, it is noble and admirable. During the scene where Jack confronts Klorel
and is able to get Skaara to break through, even if it is for just one minute, their
brief moment together plays out like a true father-son reunion. This is so important when considering Jack’s
past, and Skaara really being the closest thing he has to a son left. This makes the conflict more investing because
it’s not just about getting to their leader—it’s about helping a friend in
jeopardy. It goes to show that
personalizing a large-scale conflict always makes audience investment a lot
easier.
Both
episodes are not without their fair share of lighthearted moments, either. On his own, Jack gets to use his sense of
humor to try and intimidate the enemy, like when he asks, “Seen a bathroom
around here?” to a Jaffa who has him at gunpoint. Master Bra’tac, who turns up in Part 2,
personifies this episode’s mixture of wit and drama. He has a valid motive and a well-thought-out
plan of his own to stop Apophis’s invasion—in other words, he means serious
business. However, there is a funny
little quip when he and SG-1 get into an awkward conversation about Earth’s
(lack of) capable defenses. Near the
end, there is one situation that is set up really well, but is properly
subverted at the last moment in a way that is sudden but self-aware and
actually pretty funny. All this humor
does not get in the way of his seriousness with the mission, and the transition
between the two moods works very seamlessly.
Plus, it helps to have some humor in what is overall a dark and very
tense episode.
For
what is basically the finale & premiere of SG-1’s first and second seasons, both these episodes sported some
of the strongest production values in the show at the time. On the inside, the Goa’uld Ha’tak vessel’s
rooms and corridors are very consistent with the established Goa’uld
architecture from previous episodes, as hieroglyphics similar to the Abydos
Cartouche line the golden walls. It is
very admirable how the Ha’tak vessel reveals itself to SG-1 (and thus, the
viewer) the further they explore it. The
CGI and green screens are minimal overall, but used effectively. Some of the CGI effects look clearly computer generated
now, but most of them were
strong for cable television in 1998. The
best examples of this are all of the space shots of hyperspace, the Solar
System, and the Ha’tak vessels over Earth.
The former two work especially well when shown in the window on the
Ha’tak’s bridge, blending in right with the scene in the foreground.
Together,
“Within the Serpent’s Grasp” and “The Serpent’s Lair” form one of earliest high
water marks of SG-1. Both take a perfect blend of action, tension,
humor, heart, and drama, and splice them all together into a single cohesive
and very exciting narrative. Personally,
I would rank this pair as two of my absolute favorite episodes of Stargate SG-1.
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