Storytime with Rachel F Hundred

Shines on every level

Light is a high quality episode which excels at every level. From music to visuals; from acting to the human drama on show – everything is simply outstanding. It’s an episode that deserves to be considered a Stargate classic. Indeed, it is difficult to find fault with it but if I have to I would say the Eli-Chloe-Scott dynamic was possibly over-egged although overall it didn’t detract from what was a truly exceptional episode.

I could gush at length about the story. I remember during my review of SG1’s Morpheus I complained that too much time was spent explaining the sleeping illness about to kill the team and not enough time spent on how they as characters handled imminent death. Here the heart of this story is all about how the characters handle that. From Matt and Chloe’s incredibly spontaneous decision to take physical comfort in each other, Greer’s grace and acceptance of his end, Young’s thoughts of his wife, Rush’s decision to stay aboard Destiny, some play cards, other’s pray and there’s even Spencer’s desperate anger at not making the shuttle: all reactions are showcased quite realistically. All reactions reveal something about the characters and add to what is known about them.

Yet there is great tension throughout the episode despite the focus on the human drama; this is provided by the lottery in the first half and the need to reconnect with the shuttle as Destiny survives in the second half. There are some lovely nods to the first part of the story, firstly with the lovely and humorous repeat of the guy coming out of his room to declare the lights were back on (whereas in Darkness he had declared the lights had gone out) and secondly with the ending back where it had begun with the mess hall, talk of showers and Rush causing Young headaches. It makes Darkness and Light combined feel like a complete story.

The only issue I had with the story – indeed with the whole episode – is that of the Eli-Scott-Chloe dynamic which acted as a form of sub-plot. I should declare that I have no vested interested in shipping Chloe with either; in fact, I would have preferred the character to have remained single for a lot longer. But triangles are uncomfortable, awkward and usually never done with any degree of subtlety. This was subtle in that most of the triangle was played completely without dialogue. The audience only sees it in Eli’s disappointment and shock when Chloe abruptly goes off with Scott, at his anger at both when they turn up for the kino project, in his bemusement at Chloe lying her head on his shoulder and holding his hand, hugging him only to run for Scott the moment he arrives back. But, for me there was probably one shot too many of Eli and Chloe getting touchy-feely. In the overall scheme of things though, this is a very minor grievance and I will say that I think David Blue acted it superbly.

Indeed, the acting was stellar. Louis Ferriera continues to do a great job as Young. Robert Carlyle continues to show glimpses of Rush’s vulnerabilities which make him very likeable while ensuring the character remains completely ambiguous. Ming-Na got to show off her acting chops, portraying a Wray that wasn’t afraid to challenge Young but stopped when he threatened her (great scene between the two of them); who cried in guilt when she was picked for the lottery. Jamil Walker Smith absolutely stole the show with his performance of Greer though; measured, understated at times, accomplished.

If the acting of the human characters was stellar, I also have to give a shout out to the other character on show: the Destiny herself. There is a great ambiguity about Destiny’s actions in the storyline – is she helping them? Is she simply going about her usual ship’s functions? Is there an awareness? I love the ambiguity: LOVE it. And I hope it gets explored further as the show continues.

The special effect and design team deserve huge applause and the shot of the Destiny in the sun was just amazing – especially the scene from the observation deck and Rush looking out when he realises what has happened. It fully brought home the wonder and glory of the star; awe-inspiring.

The lighting throughout the episode was absolutely beautiful. Scenes were lit up with a gorgeous amber glow which just added to the otherworldliness of it all. This was helped by a truly fantastic score. The music was wonderful. It just enhanced every scene where it played and as the shuttle lifted away from Destiny it brought a tear to my eye. The quality of the overall production on Light is simply breathtaking. The episode deserves to be considered a classic. It elevated the show from entertainment to art for me.

In conclusion

Perhaps it’s also appropriate to take a moment here to consider we’re a quarter of the way through the season. Universe’s first five episodes have all been of a high quality with focus on characters, slowly revealing who these people are to us through the story of their survival – in the same way much of SG1’s first season revealed its characters through the stories of their exploration. Pacing has sometimes been off in these episodes – possibly because the stories were originally envisaged as a two-part in the case of Air and a single episode in the case of Darkness/Light. Action has been thin on the ground and while there have been great climatic moments such as the Lucien Alliance attack in Air Part I, the run back to the ‘Gate in Air Part III, the shuttle docking in Light, I am hoping for more in the coming episodes. Overall though: so far so good.

And, Light definitely shone on every level.