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This review is also kind of an synopsis of the story for those that have not seen
this part yet! Just want to say at this point, that whilst many will consider this a 'shipper'
episode and totally misplaced... I consider this a cleverly thought out episode and very well acted by
everyone, most especially Amanda Tapping.
OK, we have a little synopsis of previous Prometheus episodes. Least dwelled on the better as we...
sorry YOU, want me to get on with the action.
Carter and Colonel William Ronson are walking through the ship talking about Carter's idea of studying
a gas cloud, which is nearby the next short hop that they are making. It appears that
they were able to part repair the Prometheus using an Alkesh hyperdrive that was
fitted to help the Prometheus get back, but it still posed a problem with over heating.
Unfortunately, they get scanned by an alien ship, who then
attacks them for no reason, at least they never tell them why, as they paused to allow the engines cool. To avoid the obvious destruction of the ship, they perform a
evasion manoeuvre 'delta' which fails, leaving Carter to pull an idea out of her butt and get into
the gas cloud to prevent them from following. She goes to override the system and gets knocked out.
When she awakens, she is alone, and there is no one aboard...ya think??
Yes, I am writing this! I know it's obvious! sheesh... back to the story. Stay with me, this little
talk with myself is relevant later!
She is badly concussed, and forces herself to stay awake to avoid further problems in her condition.
She then starts a 'personnel ships log' to explain her time aboard.
That got to be a little too like the 'ole MacGyver narration...or even on a par with Lt Dunbar in Dances with Wolves.
She finds out the crew escaped in the pods, and she can't get the sub light engines
online to get out of the gas cloud, she can't get the hyperdrive to form a window to get out.
Bit of a problem as you can imagine. Plus, some thousand dwarves are pounding on her head
and they don't help with the thinking process of course. No, not a thousand Gimli's!
Focus people! Teal'c appears and tells her NOT to go to sleep.
OR - SHE - WILL - DIE. He's not one to mince is words, our Teal'c.
He disappears again and she wakes up disorientated, with someone singing 'Twinkle Twinkle Little Star'.
Sam walks the ship to find out who it is, but puts it down to her injury. She sends out a distress
beacon, but realises that they may not get it for another hundred or so years. She has enough food and
water to last her several months, however, if she rations it she can double it.
It is in the stores, that she first sees a child. She again puts it down to her
head injury and goes to figure out why the Hyperdrive won't work. Daniel then appears and explains
that he is part of her subconcious, 'you're me, talking to me...'she explains to herself.
See...
I told you I wasn't going mad...What??? What?
Now, please bear in mind that this next part, is this reviewer's theory...I
think that it is her way of trying to figure out everything, Daniel is her creative side, Teal'c her
protective, warrior side... I'll let you figure out the role Jack plays later! 'Danielsam' wants her
to consider studying the cloud, not the engines as a way out.
Danielsam is her 'out of the box' side to herself and having him there helps her to consider
other options as how they worked together on problems in the past.
After she theorises for a while on the ship again, she goes for food, the child is back singing,
then the ship starts to make noises. No, the ship isn't talking to her, I promise not to theorise
on that! The gas cloud is corroding the hull and damaging the ship to the point of a breach is
is going to occur in about eight hours. Then no more Sammy...
We cut to a scene in the SGC, where Daniel jumps into the lift, or elevator depending on
where you live, and joins Jack, who looks pensive...
He shoots down all Daniel's efforts to check out the plantets around the Prometheus' planned journey,
where they could have landed escape pods on the planet's nearby. Jack is more than a little pissed.
Daniel thinks that they are at least doing something to help.
I think as a viewer, you would know that they would do everything they could to help her...
He leaves Daniel standing in the lift.
Ok, indulge me again, this episode is about Sam. It's about how, in way, she
views herself and solves/deals with problems in her head and about how she thinks of the people in her life.
I had a little problem with the SGC based scenes, but that is me. You may like Jack going all stoic,
and pining for Sam in the way she did for him. I think that that particular scene wasn't needed.
Back to the injured, hallucinating Samantha Carter, who shuts off some of the areas where the breaches are
to stave off the inevitable. The child appears again. She tries to talk to her, but she leaves,
beconing Sam to follow her and Sam rounds the corner almost bumping into Teal'csam, who,
as the voice of reason, explains that she could be giving the enemy ship access to the Prometheus'
technology, or about Earth. The child could be the way they are doing it.
She argues that she is sure that she is on the Prometheus not the alien ship,
but wakes up in a corridor on the floor, much more fatigued having passed out.
Making her way back to the bridge, she figures that to move the ship, she would have
to vent areas of the ship to shift it out of the cloud.
As she does it, she notices the child trapped in the vented areas, and stops. She leaves the
bridge to help her, and behind her, Danielsam, at his witty best, offers up his 'latest theory',
that the cloud is a sentient being. The cloud is alive and it's the kid.
He tells her to talk to it.
'You want me to talk to the cloud...' That's arguably the funniest line delivered
in the episode. On with the synopsis and opinions...
Sam passes out as she talks to the child, explaining that her mother
used to sing the song to her. She awakens in the commissary of the ship, where the child tells her
her name is 'Grace' and sets a plate of fresh fruit in front of her, telling Sam to eat and keep her
strength up, Sam asks her who she is.
Grace tells her she knows who she is and they pause, Grace disappears and Jacob Carter, Sam's
father for those not up to speed, appears.
He is her voice of reason and past regret. Think about it peeps...
He asks her if she is happy, withot regurgitating the whole scene, this is some of the
best acting in the episode between Carmen and Amanda, if not the series. He encourages
her to let go of her control side, and face up to the fact she is alone.
This is as if
she is acknowledging to herself that she has an issue with being alone. He encourages her
to seek love and be loved. Nice little talking to herself in the form of the talk that she would have
always liked to have had with her dad, if they had the time. He then disappears.
Jack, Daniel and Teal'c return to the SGC after searching the seventh planet without success.
They discuss the Tok'ra who have traced the route and cannot find them, extending their search to
long range scanners, Jack walks off without being dismissed as Daniel, Teal'c and Hammond exchange looks.
Jack throws his hat off in their ready room, his back turned to the door as Teal'c walks in.
I think, he thinks that its Daniel and is suprised to find Teal'c there. Teal'c explains that
Sam was feeling the same, frustrated and despaired of the thought of not seeing him again, when he
was lost with Maybourne. Jack asks if Teal'c did too and Teal'c said of course, he is like a brother
to him. In Jack's inimitable way, he deflects his feelings in humour, saying Teal'c is what 140 years old?
Teal'c then replies that he then is a younger brother perhaps...to which Jack acknowledges what
T is trying to do...but he turns away. Personally, I'm not entirely sure we needed this scene either,
however, it does show a different take on the situation, Teal'c being the one to hear his confession
of caring in 'Divide and Conquer' and the one to see Sam break down in 'Paradise Lost' at the thought
of not seeing him again. Hell watch it and make your own mind up.
Back with Sam and Grace, who is blowing bubbles. She says that when she was a child she used to
wonder how bubbles where formed and launches into how to Grace. She shouts 'BORING!'
The only man that would dare to utter those words to her, appears silouetted in the corridor.
Jack is in civillian clothes, he and Sam talk... Well, she talks to herself as Jack, trying to
figure out what options they have together. If you really want a word for word transcription of it let me know!
It's a good interaction, even with the stolen quick snog at the end, which is dismissed by herself in hindsight.
Jack is what gives her the get up and go to get herself out of the situation and
says 'I will always be there for you, no matter what, believe me.'
She gets up and sees Grace, who is blowing bubbles, this I think, is her inner child, not an
entity as everyone theorises. The bubble blowing gives her the idea, rather like the one in 'Fail Safe',
where she extended the hyperspace bubble around the asteriod, only she does it around the ship.
All three men appear as she manages it, gets the ship moving then finds the alien ship. Jack tells
them to shut up and let her work, while she communicates with the aliens and gives them an ultimatum.
They have to give her crew back intact and she will help them get out of the gas cloud. They agree
by sending them back, they appear on the bridge, she helps the Alien ship out.
It all ends happily ever after.
The alien ship leaves, Carter asks to be relieved of duty and is escourted to the infirmary.
Back at the SGC, it is Jack by her bedside as she wakes. Yup, you guessed it, she calls him Jack,
instead of sir. He explains everything that went on, that she had been gone four days,
says Daniel and Teal'c are planning a shindig and that there is talk of cake, which naturally, is his idea.
I just thought you would want the last few words, just for you shippers...
Sam: 'Thank you sir'
Jack: 'For what?'
Sam: 'Nothing sir...'
Jack: 'Think nothing of it. I have plenty of that...'
And we end with Grace singing 'Twinkle Twinkle'...
Maybe annoying for some, but on hindsight, I think they were going for more of a 'thinking'
episode than a shipper one. Grace, Sam's inner child....magical or utter tosh, you decide....
maybe we should all let our 'Grace'
out more often and the world would be a better place for each of us.
Moral of the story?
Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens,
Knocks on the head bring you lots of nice kisses!
Gas clouds in space make you hall-uc-inate,
These are the things you need to ne-gate...
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