Imagine getting an actual chance
to hang out with your real heroes!
That’s pretty much what SGC scientist Dr. Jay Felger gets to do when
he’s on an offworld expedition under the command of his idols, SG-1. He loves SG-1 so much that when the team gets
captured by Jaffa, he and his buddy, Dr. Coombs, set out to rescue them. They are… the Other Guys.
When writing this episode, writer
Damian Kindler clearly knew this absolutely ridiculous premise could only work
if written as an action-comedy. And HOLY
SHIT, the comedy is incredible!!!
Dr. Felger and Dr. Coombs, as characters, are supposed to feel
out-of-place in this situation, but that’s why it works so well. Since we’re used to hearing SG-1 speak their
usual military jargon, historical exposition, and technobabble with occasional
pop culture references in other episodes, hearing a couple of civilian
scientists talk about university, their kids, and Star Trek while stuck
in this same kind of situation is so outrageous you can’t help but laugh so
hard.
Also, much of the comedy relies
on how guest actors Patrick McKenna and John Billingsley just click with each
other so perfectly. McKenna plays Dr.
Felger, the personification of just about every Stargate fan having the
time of their lives. This is a guy who
honestly cares about SG-1’s well-being and looks up to them as his heroes. Damian Kindler makes Felger a real person, a
guy who means well who, while making some mistakes, just wants to help his
heroes.
Of course, Felger couldn’t have
done it without Dr. Coombs, who is a perfect sidekick. The best kind of sidekicks are the ones who
also have a lot to do in the plot, and Coombs is great at assisting not only
Dr. Felger but also SG-1. The more
hapless of the two, he clearly doesn’t want to be there but will get the job
done anyway. Hearing him talk about his
kids and reference Star Trek grounds the episode in relatability. (Bonus
points for him being played by Star Trek: Enterprise star John
Billingsley, who just kills it in the role.) It helps to give both of the other
guys some sincerity and humanity, after all.
Otherwise the episode would not be nearly as funny—or compelling.
In addition to being a comedic
marvel, “The Other Guys” is also an exciting adventure on its own, and comedic
and dramatic moods flow between each other seamlessly. SG-1’s storyline is actually very serious,
and their sequence of events are often unpredictable. The tension is consistently kept very high
with a clear sense of constant danger—especially for the other guys, who are
complete fish out of water in this scenario.
Much of this is because of He’rak, the future First Prime of Anubis, who
comes off as quite tough and threatening and will do anything it takes to
achieve his goal. Plus, just seeing SG-1
interact with Dr. Felger and Dr. Coombs is where the comedy and the drama meld
together the best. For example, look at
how Jack is all serious and getting genuinely upset at both scientists when
they turn up at their prison cell. Also,
seeing the team do their usual business, bouncing around witty banter and
technobabble with newcomer Jonas Quinn in the mix, is just as fun to watch as
always.
“The Other Guys” is a phenomenal
episode from the sixth season. It
utilizes its narrative device of exploring the civilian side of Stargate
Command very well and also plants a few minor seeds for the Anubis storyline,
all inside this outright really funny sci-fi action-comedy. This episode is an example of how, even with
the (brief) death of Daniel Jackson at the end of last season, the transition
from Showtime to Sci Fi went over so smoothly in 2002.
No comments:
Post a Comment