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Mitchell and Carter manage to get transported to an alternate
dimension. Meanwhile, Teal'c is off world visiting the Sodan
warriors home planet. He believes that Volnek, a warrior,
may have been brainwashed by the Ori...
Arthur's
Mantle has plenty of comic potential as Mitchell and Carter
end up walking around the SGC without anyone being able to
see or hear them. I couldn't help but be reminded of the Star
Trek: The Next Generation episode The Next
Phase, in which Geordi LaForge and ensign Ro find themselves
slightly out of phase with the rest of the crew of the Enterprise.
It wasn't just the fact that two character end up in an alternative
dimension that reminded me of the Next Gen episode,
it was also due to the fact that Mitchell goes off world with
another SG unit and discovers that Volnek is using a cloaking
device to wipe out his own men - in The Next Phase Ro
and Geordi tag along with Data on a shuttle mission where
they learn that the Romulans are secretly testing a new cloaking
device.
The
audio commentary (with writer Alan McCullogh and director
of photography Jim Menard) is well worth a listen. McCullough
takes us through some of the original draft ideas that never
made it into the finished episode. They also discuss a number
of nit-picks like how come when Mitchell and Carter are in
the other dimension they still cast shadows and are able to
walk on the floor without falling through it?
This
is an enjoyable episode that helps to set things up for the
season finale.
Vala
somehow manages to reappear in the body of Daniel Jackson.
She comes with important news, firstly about what has happened
to her since her disappearance, and secondly of a major threat
to Earth...
Crusade
sees the welcome return of Claudia Black as Vala. The
writers cleverly incorporate Black's real life pregnancy into
the story without making it look forced. In fact it looks
like she's also unwittingly managed to influence how a major
story arc in next season will unfold. Maybe she should ask
for two additional fees - one for the fact that she has helped
to shape the future of the show, and another for the fact
that her unborn child is actually a major character in this
episode.
Seriously,
though, this Crusade sees Vala appear in Jackson's
body as she uses an Ancient device in order to communicate
with the SGC from the region of space populated by the Ori.
She has some very important news for them, but she feels the
need to go around the houses and fill in the back story before
she reveals this earth shattering news. It's a bit like a
fireman bursting into your house, then telling you what a
day he's had before he tells you that your house is on fire
and you'd better get out quick.
But,
ignoring that slight fact, this is a fantastic episode. It
also stars Michael Ironside as Seevis, and I loved the way
that the writers played with our preconceived ideas of Ironside's
usual roles.
The
audio commentary, with writer/director Robert Cooper and director
of photography, Peter Woeste, is interesting too. This is
Cooper's first attempt at directing, and the results are incredible.
In fact, the one scene I had problems with (there is a very
poor segment in the SGC where the hand held camera is being
operated by someone who seems to have the shakes) was actually
shot by Peter Deluise - shame on him. Cooper is also brutally
honest about his experiences on this episode and how he couldn't
sleep at nights after leaving the set. He also offers a refreshingly
honest view of working with a well known actor. While he doesn't
complain about Ironside, he does offer an interesting tale
about working with him.
Upon
receiving a lead on an Ancient device, the team travels off
world to Camelot in order to track down Merlin's weapon that
maybe capable of killing the Ori. But can SG-1 work out the
riddle and gain control of the weapon before the first batch
of Ori ships begin arriving at Earth?...
Camelot
sees our heroes heading off to the Stargate address that
they discovered in Arthur's Mantle. When they arrive
they are surprised to discover that this is Camelot, mythological
homeland of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table.
The centrepiece of the village is the famed sword in the stone,
which the villagers believe will see the return of Arthur
should one of their number manage to free it from the stone.
This
episode stars Katharine
Isabelle (of Ginger
Snaps fame) as a young villager.
The
audio commentary, with director Martin Wood and Amanda Tapping,
reveals some interesting facts. It was a shame that a scene
paying homage to Monty Python and the Holy Grail was
cut due to time constraints, and I was a little disturbed
to hear that Ben Browder had tried to weave a little bit of
a love story in between his character and Isabelle's - her
character's supposed to be 15 years-old. Wood also points
out the scenes in which Tapping was ill, as well as describing
exactly how sick she was - very amusing.
This
episode has something for everything - from sword fights to
large space battles. And, being the final episode of Season
Nine, there's the obligatory cliff-hanger. It was interesting
to learn that when this episode was written they had no idea
whether they would be coming back for a tenth season. Thank
goodness they are as this would have made a really odd conclusion
to the show.
Extras, other than the audio commentaries mentioned previously,
include Directors Series Crusade featuring Robert Cooper
(15 minute look behind the scenes of the episode Crusade);
Profile on Brad Wright (21 minute featurette on the role that
Wright has played in the Stargate franchise); and Production
Design and Photo Gallery.
Darren
Rea
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