Stargate SG-1: Series Finale -- Unending

[butterfly]

I haven't been posting much about the Canadian-aired season, but now that the finale has aired (in Canada), I feel prepared to share my thoughts and feelings on the last episodes of SG-1 (the word 'last' would be making me cry if it weren't for the movies).

I adored Adria and Baal in Dominion. And MB really got to shine when Adria was taken over by Baal. I really felt like I was watching Cliff Simon in there. And I love that the door was left open for either of them to be in the movie. It was nice seeing the Gou'uld make their last stand, via Baal (who was always the smartest of them).

Unending was a real treat for me. I really enjoyed the entire episode and what they did with each of the characters (though, you know, "more Teal'c" is a continuous battle cry). Starting with the least important first, Landry finally felt like part of the team here. He clicked for me, in a way that he hadn't before. I liked his sense of peace as the years passed by -- it was an important point of view and one that we wouldn't have gotten with Jack in his place (much as I would have loved having Jack there).

Having Walter get to say the entire chevron sequence at the end was a really sweet moment -- he's been with us since the beginning and it took the man so long to get a name. I'm glad that we never lost him.

Seeing Thor was a delight, though losing the Asgard was painful. But it makes sense -- this is what their storyline has been about from the beginning. They were our 'mentor' race in a lot of ways and the mentor always dies when his knowledge has been imparted. And it explains why the Asgard haven't been involved in the fight against the Orii -- they've been too busy, first trying to save themselves, and then putting all of their knowledge together as a gift for the Tauri. Speaking of, if we couldn't have Jack there for Thor, it was lovely to have Sam's conversation with him. She's had a connection with the Asgard since Small Victories and the hug was truly beautiful.

And SG-1... it was really fascinating, seeing what being trapped together did to them. Notably, none of them were at each other's throats. They lived out fifty years in peace and harmony with each other, having what appeared to be (at least) daily meals together. I don't blame them for each going off during the day alone, definitely. That's probably a large part of why they weren't getting sick of each other. Cameron could run, Sam could play the cello, Teal'c could... Teal'c, Daniel could research, Landry could garden, and Vala could... be bored, mostly. I can see why she took on Daniel (and, later, helping Sam) as her project.

Cameron kinda broke my heart for just how much he needs SG-1. It's something that hasn't had as much focus recently and this episode just set it all out. "You're a pilot," Landry tells him and Cameron says that he was only a pilot because he didn't know about the Stargate yet. Echoes of Jack telling Sheppard that choosing not to go through the gate would make him a moron.

And, Vala, the other person miserable about being trapped aboard the ship. I have felt, since about the end of season nine, that Vala and Cameron together add up to Jack. Emotionally and relationship-wise, it's math that's really been working out for me. Both Vala and Cam felt stir-crazy, stuck on that ship and I can see Jack having that same reaction. We've seen it from him before. I love that Vala was the one who had the idea that saved them and that Sam was the one to figure out how to make it work. Team-work is love.

I loved Sam learning the cello. It was really beautiful, the way it was used to move time forward. I loved Teal'c and Cam's sparring sessions. I loved seeing Landry's plants grow. I loved Christmas dinner and Cameron kissing people under mistletoe.

And Teal'c was so fantastic. That he has these memories is... I can see where people might regard it as a tragedy, but considering that, in the normal course of action, he would outlive all these people that he loves, having those extra fifty years of memories is something of a bonus. And he knows their feelings -- that Cam needs SG-1 and the gate even more deeply than he shows, that Sam wants to create music and beauty, that Vala and Daniel are only a step away from something that Teal'c knows for a fact would be a real and true relationship.

Saving my favorite for last -- Daniel was... just what he is. Daniel's my One True Character for Stargate. He's the reason that I fell in love with the show. He's the character that I want most to be happy (that's really how you can pick out my OTC). It was intensely clear that Vala made him happy, over those fifty years. She had him smiling at dinners and just... looking the way I've wanted him to look since Sha're.

I'm a multi-shipper for Daniel. Daniel/Sha're for seasons 1-3, Jack/Daniel for seasons 4-8, and Daniel/Vala for seasons 9-10. I love Jack/Daniel fic, but I am... almost incapable of reading any that takes place before Sha're's death. Likewise, for the time period between her death and Jack deciding to leave, all I'm interested in is Jack/Daniel. But Sha're died and Jack left. And I want Daniel to be happy.

I mention above that I see Cameron and Vala as together filling in the space that Jack left -- Cameron is the pilot who lives for his team and going through the gate. Vala is the irreverent civilian who gets impatient with long explanations. To me, Vala represents the part of Jack that could have made Daniel happy, if the rest of Jack (the military part of Jack) hadn't gotten in the way.

And Daniel's rant was... horrible but not surprising (plus, not all that hard to tweak to a slash reading, even easier to tweak to an unrequited slash reading). No, he doesn't trust Vala with his heart. More importantly, Daniel doesn't trust his heart. His romantic history isn't exactly littered with success. His one big relationship was destroyed by the Gou'uld, and Vala can't help but remind him of that by being a former host herself. And Vala is flirty and has tricked Daniel in the past. Daniel is terrified that she'll hurt him. He says as much in his tirade. And she gets it too (which is why she forgives him and moves past it, I think) -- she hears him say "your way of having a laugh at my expense" and she looks so confused for a moment, because she doesn't see the same Daniel that Daniel sees. Daniel doesn't imagine that a woman like Vala could truly be interested in him and lashes out because he feels like she's mocking him by pretending interest. The second he realizes that he's off-base, that Vala is actually being hurt by what he's saying, he stops. Before that, he's too caught up in his own pain, but once he gets wise...

As far as them lasting so long, I don't see why not. Vala has been very clearly in love with Daniel for quite a long time, and Daniel has probably been half in love with her since at least Memento Mori, though he's been fighting it this whole time. And the fact that it occurs only three months into their isolation says that it's very close to the surface now. They are very near the tipping point (which I noticed in Dominion -- the way Daniel touches her in that episode does not scream 'friend and colleague' to me).

The ending was perfect. Again, evoking the idea of Jack by bringing up cliches, allowing each person to be a part of the group, and then heading off together, into the unknown. There couldn't have been a better way to end it all.

Comments

[iamrosalita.livejournal.com]

I don't see Teal'c's memories as a tragedy. I think it's beautiful. These people lived together for 50 years. If no one remembered, it would all be lost. And that would be the tragedy.

And you see Daniel the same way I do. He's my One True Character, too. I'm a J/D slasher at my core, but Vala makes Daniel happy. That's enough for me.

[butterfly.livejournal.com]

I don't see Teal'c's memories as a tragedy. I think it's beautiful. These people lived together for 50 years. If no one remembered, it would all be lost. And that would be the tragedy.

I'm definitely glad that someone remembers. And Teal'c was so perfect at the end -- with that little smile when Sam brought up his knowledge. Yes, it'll be hard not telling the others, but I don't think that it's hard at all for him to know these things.

And you see Daniel the same way I do. He's my One True Character, too. I'm a J/D slasher at my core, but Vala makes Daniel happy. That's enough for me.

Indeed. Daniel could use some happiness in his life and Vala has so much energy and joy that she can share.

[noseyroser.livejournal.com]

Oh, I cried like a baby in the middle, when Daniel made Vala cry. This is one of my all time favorite Stargate eps, and a really good send off, I thought.

*misses*

[butterfly.livejournal.com]

Daniel's rant was painful, but ultimately, it made Daniel and Vala's relationship believable and real for me in a way that it wouldn't have been if we hadn't seen the depths of Daniel's confusion and pain.

It was a wonderful episode and I love these guys so much and I really don't want them to go away (thank goodness for movies). Because I'm already missing them, too.

[scrollgirl.livejournal.com]

Dammit. I really should watch this episode. I think it's gonna make me cry. Daniel! Teal'c! Sam! God, I'm gonna miss them.

I have felt, since about the end of season nine, that Vala and Cameron together add up to Jack. Emotionally and relationship-wise, it's math that's really been working out for me.

My God, your brain is so tasty. You are so, so right! I never even considered this, but this makes perfect sense. Which is probably why I too 'ship Daniel/Vala, in spite of being a die-hard Jack/Daniel girl for so long. Because she's teasing and playful, and can get Daniel outside of his own head, and she's got hidden reserves of strength like Jack has, and tenacious -- oh so tenacious! Which is what she'd need to live with Daniel.

And I like that Cameron is there too, being that friend. And maybe he'll never replace Jack, but he doesn't have to because there's room for more. Which is why I like Teal'c remembering them all. Because better to remember, and have more life and love, right? Ten years, man. It's kind of beautiful.

[butterfly.livejournal.com]

Dammit. I really should watch this episode. I think it's gonna make me cry. Daniel! Teal'c! Sam! God, I'm gonna miss them.

They are so much love in this episode. I just... I love all of them so much.

My God, your brain is so tasty. You are so, so right! I never even considered this, but this makes perfect sense. Which is probably why I too 'ship Daniel/Vala, in spite of being a die-hard Jack/Daniel girl for so long. Because she's teasing and playful, and can get Daniel outside of his own head, and she's got hidden reserves of strength like Jack has, and tenacious -- oh so tenacious! Which is what she'd need to live with Daniel.

She is! And she does. There's a moment in an episode where Daniel's talking about an artifact and she says, "This is all fascinating, I'm sure, but get to the good part!" and it just so strongly reminded me of Jack. And both Vala and Jack have a way of regressing Daniel to age five at times. And she can handle Daniel's wanderlust in a way that Jack couldn't. Vala isn't bound by the military and isn't tied to the SGC, not by anything but choice anymore. She has more options than Jack does, including the option to reach out and say to Daniel that she wants to be closer.

And I like that Cameron is there too, being that friend. And maybe he'll never replace Jack, but he doesn't have to because there's room for more. Which is why I like Teal'c remembering them all. Because better to remember, and have more life and love, right? Ten years, man. It's kind of beautiful.

Yes! All the memories that Teal'c has... of dinners and laughter and tears and, most of all, just this time spent with these people that he loves so much. Extra years that he wouldn't normally get, especially as there's still an excellent chance that most of them won't make it to being very old.

[whisper99.livejournal.com]

You know, the whole thing with Teal'c, I can't decide if I should feel sorry for him - because he lost his friends of 50 years, or happy for him because he's gotten a second chance now with his friends. And his choice to keep silent on what happened - how hard is that exactly? He's got all these memories, he *knows* things about his friends that they don't know he knows...I...like I say, I'm not sure how to take this all in. It's all very, VERY bittersweet, I think, for all of them.

How will he related now to seeing old friends he hasn't seen in 50 years? He's much older and wiser...I can almost imagine him telling Brata'c his story, so that his friends and their sacrifice (and it was a sacrifice to save the Asgards legacy) won't be forgotten. It's just sad...

And, and what about Daniel studying all that knowledge? All that work for nothing. And Sam? I'm sure she made discoveries while on that ship, did research and that's all lost too. In the back of my mind, I think that Sam gave Teal'c a memory crystal that contains everything they discovered and he's just going to bide his time before giving that last little bit of his cherished friends TO his cherished friends.

[butterfly.livejournal.com]

You know, the whole thing with Teal'c, I can't decide if I should feel sorry for him - because he lost his friends of 50 years, or happy for him because he's gotten a second chance now with his friends. And his choice to keep silent on what happened - how hard is that exactly? He's got all these memories, he *knows* things about his friends that they don't know he knows...I...like I say, I'm not sure how to take this all in. It's all very, VERY bittersweet, I think, for all of them.

Indeed. It's a complicated set of emotions for a very complicated guy. But if any man can hold the burden (and joy) of those memories, it's Teal'c.

How will he related now to seeing old friends he hasn't seen in 50 years? He's much older and wiser...I can almost imagine him telling Brata'c his story, so that his friends and their sacrifice (and it was a sacrifice to save the Asgards legacy) won't be forgotten. It's just sad...

Yeah, I think that he's a couple of years older than Bra'tac now. Wow!

The last time that I felt compelled to write fic was left-behind-Daniel in Moebius. Teal'c is starting to inspire similar feelings in me now. All that he saw and experienced, knowing how his beloved friends (more so for spending fifty years with them alone) age and grow. Knowing that Vala and Daniel could make each other happy, knowing just how much Cameron needs SG-1 and the Stargate, and knowing that Sam wants things that have nothing to do with military science... it will affect his interaction with them. And his first meeting with Jack now -- will they be out-of-step, after years without being around him?

[whisper99.livejournal.com]

His first meeting back with Jack - I'd love to read *that* story. I can imagine he'd also tell Jack what happened, if only enough to tell him that they never gave up and that they were at least safe and relatively happy (most especialy DANIEL was happy) :) I think that would go a long way to allieviating any concerns Jack might have.

[wolfenm.livejournal.com]

I'm a little seasick now, having been nodding my head practically the whole time I was reading that. :) Bravo. I think you totally hit the nail on the head about Cam needing SG-1. And I was thinking the same thing about Teal'c, that it was great for him that he's gotten extra time with the people (outside of Bra'tac and R'yac) that mean the most to him...

[butterfly.livejournal.com]

Thanks. It's nice to know that other people felt the same way about Teal'c! So many people just seemed to feel bad for him. I agree that keeping the knowledge will be hard in many ways, but remembering fifty years of closeness and affection is not painful.

[ninja007.livejournal.com]

Beautifully put.

[butterfly.livejournal.com]

Thank you!

[ninja007.livejournal.com]

You're welcome butterfly!

I love you "compassion" icon! Can I snurch (steal) it if I give credit?

[szeretni.livejournal.com]

I agree, especially with what you said about Daniel. Just so well put! :)
I'm adding you to my LJ now. :D

[butterfly.livejournal.com]

Thank you! Daniel is my favorite Stargate character, so I was just very thrilled to see him get to be happy.