Storytime with Rachel F Hundred

A lot of winning by the bad guys

‘Flesh and Blood’, or as it could have otherwise been entitled ‘A Lot of Winning by the Bad Guys’, provides a satisfying start to the new season delivering a well-constructed story that subtly focuses on the reuniting of the SG1 team and the bond they share against the wider space opera of the Ori’s invasion of the galaxy and the introduction of their new leader.

The Orici forms one thread and is told through the eyes of her mother, Vala. The mother-daughter encounters provide a good vehicle for disseminating information about Adria while also delivering an interesting dynamic as the two characters display a natural worry and concern for the other yet are automatically distanced from each other by their different viewpoints on the Ori with each believing that they can convert the other given time. The thread showcases Vala and Adria as a characters; important given their addition to the Stargate universe as permanent fixtures for season ten.

As this thread is told from Vala’s perspective, the audience sympathises with her as she is creeped out by the truth of her pregnancy and begins to distance herself from the child (in naming her after a much-disliked step-mother) despite her visible maternal bond which she seems unable to resist (intervening when Daniel is about to shoot Adria). All provide Vala with much needed depth while retaining the core of her character as an opportunistic survivalist.

Adria is a refreshing change of pace as an enemy. She is creepy by her very unnatural existence and extremely blood-chilling especially in the way she espouses the fanaticism and propaganda yet has an outwardly youthful innocence. Finally it would seem the Ori arc has a character that delivers a believable manifestation of the Ori as an enemy in a way the ubiquitous Priors never did.

The Ori’s invasion of the galaxy and specifically Chulak forms the second thread and serves two aims: firstly, it reconnects the Jaffa to the Ori arc although the throw-away line of why the Ori have chosen Chulak would have had more resonance and made more sense had they referred to Teal’c’s stand against Prior!Gerek on Chulak that prevented the Ori from converting the Jaffa than harking back to the Jaffa rebellion against the Goa’uld.

Secondly, it emphasises the scale of the Ori’s vast superiority and the inability of our heroes to make so much as a dent in their armour despite their never-give-up-nature (all of which is supported by the special effects both of the scenes of devastation at the Supergate and the battle at Chulak, and in the costume and scenery design of the Ori ship). Mitchell provides the main voice to this thread from the initial aftermath of the battle by the Supergate through their attempt to fight the Ori at Chulak to the final scene as he often notes that they’ve gotten their butts thoroughly kicked.

While Mitchell exhibits a nicely understated mix of frustration and encroaching realism about their situation, it is also through him that the never-give-up mentality of our heroes is highlighted especially with the juxtaposition of his approach with Bra’tac’s. This is the weakest element of the story overall as the juxtaposition is marred by Mitchell’s anticipation of Bra’tac choosing ‘pointless noble death’ and planting a beaming transmitter on him. Given he or preferably Teal’c could have simply grabbed Bra’tac as Daniel grabbed Vala when the Odyssey beams them out, it seems an unnecessary plot device and as it makes Mitchell look a tad disrespectful of Bra’tac, it is also an unfortunate blip on what is otherwise a showcase story for the character.

The final thread focuses on the reunification of SG1 and Sam is used as the touchpoint here; from her calls reawakening the unconscious Mitchell in his glider, through her own rescue by him in the Odyssey, their rescue of Teal’c from the Lucien Alliance (whose status as villains is reinforced and given credibility through their unnecessary torture of the Jaffa and attempt to take the battle-damaged Odyssey) to her belief in Daniel’s survival and eventual contact with him. She is also utilised as the team’s emotional centre as she is reunited with each team-mate and visibly demonstrates gratitude, concern and joy in turn. This emphasises the bond between them and leaves an impression of a very cohesive team that cares about each other. It makes the overall episode feel like it focuses on SG1 as a team even though they are only together fully for the final scene.

Daniel and Teal’c are very much supporting characters yet still play an important role in the various threads which do reinforce their character’s histories; Teal’c in his connection to Bra’tac, the Jaffa and Chulak, and Daniel in his connection to Vala and the Ori. Even Daniel’s comment regarding shooting Adria because she was Ori and not a child is a nice reminder of the Daniel who once shot up a tank of infant Goa’uld. Landry, on the other hand, feels rather shoehorned into the story although again his impatience with politics and concern for his people is reinforced. Indeed, Flesh and Blood, is a story that seems to truly honour the rich history of the show and its characters through the reinforcement of character history and traits, the use of Chulak, the appearance of Bra’tac and the tease of Daniel’s death woven throughout the various threads.

In conclusion

Overall, the episode delivers a quality story that is well constructed, well acted and solidly directed. All the threads are united together at the end just like SG1 and while there is ‘a lot of winning for the bad guys’, and little good news for our heroes, the stage is set for their continuing battle with a revitalised enemy in the Orici.