PhoenixE: An open letter to Mr Joseph Mallozzi part six: humour continued

Window of Opportunity

Right off the top, not the most original idea in the world, the premise of this story, is it?  But then, season four seems to have been the beginning of a lot of 'innovations' in the creative direction, characterisation and writing of the series.  Not only is it the Season of Jack and Sam leading into the Season of Sam, the start of getting down to the destruction of the Jack/Daniel friendship and the team dynamic in earnest, but it is also the beginning of a completely different approach to story writing. Recycling, Stargate style.

By and large it would appear the practice of wasting creative energy coming up with original plots and storylines has been frugally curtailed - no doubt in aid of the conservation of the considerable genius of the writing staff in a thoughtful effort to spare them undue mental stress, thereby leaving them free, fresh and unencumbered for devoting their full mental energies to their air hockey games.  In lieu of boring originality we are offered the new writing innovation of 're-imagining' and adapting existing material from other sources.  A scene here, an entire concept there - all through most of season four and season five you've liberally 'homaged' the crap out of just about everything you could get your hands on.  From Abyss to Armageddon - you've even given a couple of Stargate episodes the 'do-over' treatment.

Why reinvent the wheel?  If someone's already done the work for you - why not use it?  Labour, time saving?  What?

Doing it once or twice might be seen as 'clever' but doing it practically every single episode doesn't make you look so much clever as - um - lazy.  What's more, boasting about how 'clever' you are ripping off this and that and everything else in interviews and DVD commentaries doesn't make us want to heap accolades at your feet and tell you just how damned brilliant you are, it tells us you pride yourselves on being uninspired imitators thinking that's a GOOD thing.

Which explains a lot, actually.

Trust me - it isn't a good thing.  We don't think you're 'clever' doing it either.  It's become rather a bit of a running joke in the fandom - who can name the 'source' of the latest episode the quickest.  We play 'spot the rip off' practically every time a new ep airs.  And we are NOT impressed.

So, although it might hurt like hell to try and find an original idea, why don't you give it a shot now and again?  You might even find you like it.  We'd certainly appreciate the effort.

Bluntly stated - seasons four and five are the seasons of the wholesale rip off - and Window of Opportunity is one of the most blatant examples of the practice.

That this episode is nothing but a cheap - and not very amusing or clever no matter what you think - rip-off of an already 'done over to death' premise we all KNOW is a rip off (um, who HASN'T seen Groundhog Day, hands up?) but apparently the whole romp was conceived for the sole reason of providing a no consequences vehicle with a reset button for Jack to be able to kiss Sam and get away with it...

According to PDL on the DVD audio commentary....

PDL - we needed him to quit the Air Force before he could
actually exchange  a lip lock with Carter..

I'll refrain from quoting the rest of the entirely revolting and salacious reaction to the actual event.

I was already honked off enough watching some of the events in this episode but I gotta tell you guys - some of your audio comments about this episode - how OLD are you guys anyway?  In the Q&A you recently participated in you at least acknowledged you were aware your core audience was WOMEN.  And not giggly teenaged girls, either.  Women!

I have to ask you - do you KNOW any?  Based on the audio comments for WOO and D&C I would have to say not, if you are all labouring under the misapprehension the majority of your audience would find coarse, cruel, mean-spirited frat boy humour or insulting, leering remarks about the female member of the cast amusing.

Handled properly, this premise could have been quite funny. I mean, if you were bound and determined to 'adapt' the idea you could have done oh, so many interesting and dramatic things with it.  The possibilities are astonishing.  Bearing in mind in the original movie the whole POINT of the loops was to give the main character an opportunity to become a better person - which he did, although he first did go through an 'exploitive' stage before he realised endless self-induglence was empty and unfulfilling.  The main character's slow and at times painful evolution towards enlightenment and self-improvement was enthralling and moving.  We learned as much as he did.  Having Jack go through a similar odyssey of self-discovery would have been quite a ride.

Unfortunately our Jack never gets beyond the school boy stage, does he?  Squanders his opportunities to have meaningful interactions with the people he cares for on carrying on like a twelve-year-old in the SGC.   See Jack. See dumb Jack.  See dumb Jack act up.  See Jack wear funny clothes.  See Jack wear funny clothes, ride a bicycle, stand back and gloat as Daniel gets knocked on his ass, play golf in the gate room and snog Sam in front of the General and leer suggestively at her afterwards.  Twice.  Woo hoo, hold me back.

 Okay, fine, you didn't want to write anything 'meaningful, you wanted to have fun and write a 'comedy' show.  Fair enough.   We can do comedy.  We like comedy.  Played strictly for laughs this premise could have been hysterical as well.   Unfortunately, it isn't, because the episode not only relies much too heavily on cheap, slapstick adolescent humour but also introduces yet another level of antagonism and mean-spiritedness between Jack and Daniel which has never been in evidence in their relationship before and does Jack no favours in the bargain. Jack in WOO reveals himself as a bit of an unprincipled and salacious creep who should have gotten his smarmy, smirking face shoved in that fricking oatmeal!

I'm going to be asking you this question a lot more before I've finished with all of this but I really would like to know -  why are you trying so darned hard to get us to HATE Jack?  I certainly don't want to but boy oh boy, there isn't much about him to like in this one.

The jokes are cheap and they don't hold up.  You watch this baby once - that's all it's good for.  It is most emphatically NOT funny a second time. Wasn't even that funny the first time.   I fast-forward through a LOT of it, especially that goddamned kiss - and unforgivable leer Jack gives Sam in the briefing room right afterwards.  And as for the ending?  Just to warn you, I'll be doing some screaming about that in due course.

This ep is also the introduction of the second 'new improved' dynamic of the fourth season.  Teal'c as Jack's new 'sidekick' and straight man.  Jack hangs with Teal'c plenty in the fourth season.  We have Small Victories, The Other Side, Crossroads,  WOO.  Watergate.  The First Ones.  Point of No Return. Tangent.  The Curse.  Prodigy.

Holee crap, look at that - heavy duty Jack and Teal'c, one on one, with no Daniel in sight, doing their buddy buddy thing - which consists largely of Teal'c standing around and doing a damned fine imitation of a hat rack while Jack goes through his comedy routine of the moment.  The fact he has not resorted to hitting Teal'c in the puss with a custard pie yet is only due, I am sure to the fact Teal'c is very large and would probably flatten him by way of a proportional response.

They do all this Daniel-less bonding and joking in ten episodes of out twenty two but just because the colonel now seems to like to hang with the Jaffa all the time doesn't mean Jack and Daniel aren't still friends.  Or so we are told.   Oh really?

What do Jack and Daniel, who are still friends, or so we are told, get up to in the fourth season? We get negative interaction aplenty in TOS (yelling and humiliation), Scorched Earth (yelling and attempted murder), Window of Opportunity (no yelling but abetting an accidental assault), Beneath the Surface (yelling AND assault), a scene at the beginning of the Curse where he doesn't yell, hit, or humiliate Daniel but also doesn't seem to give a crap he's just lost someone who means a lot to him and would rather hit on his 2IC, get shot down and then go fishing than be emotionally supportive, followed by him yelling at Daniel YET AGAIN and hanging up on him.  So that's five episodes where he's pissed at him for some reason or another and trying to either beat him up or kill him.  Or get him killed by not letting him inform him he's about to go after a Goa'uld running around on Earth killing people and really could have used some back up from the other two members of his team..

Positive interaction?  J/D cameo moments in Small Victories. Consisting of him mostly ignoring Daniel and yelling at him to blow HIM up.   Upgrades, at least he's not yelling at him, and hey, they both get to beat a bunch of guys up.  That's good, quality guy time, right?  In Crossroads, Watergate, in the same ep but barely interact.  But at least he's not yelling.  That's nice.  The First Ones - they are in the last scene together Doesn't try to kill Daniel but does kill one of his friends.  That's harsh. But no yelling. Woo Hoo!  Point of No Return they do not exchange one single word.  Not one.  More cameo moments in Serpent's Venom, Chain reaction Sans yelling.

So that's seven eps where they briefly engage in conversations/activities that do not consist of Jack mainly yelling at Daniel.  Not huge amounts, but they are actually in the same room and do actually speak to each other. Nicely.  Seven out of 22 episodes.

Actual episodes that contain significant Jack/Daniel positive interaction?  That are even close to the level and quality of interaction we've seen in the past that would suggest they do indeed still have some sort of friendship/positive regard for each other?  That show any indication Jack in particular gives a shit about Daniel, and in fact still 'loves' him as we have been assured?

Two and a half.  I'm serious.  Absolute Power.  Exodus.  The FIRST half of The Light.  Once Jack gets Daniel to the planet and it turns out he's not dead he basically ditches him for the kid for the rest of the entire episode.

Double Jeopardy is an interesting exception to the rule, and a rather sad one, for although 'our' Daniel is not in it at all, because the man portraying him is behind the camera directing, Jack's robotic counterpart manages to show us, a few seconds just before Daniel is killed, that he cares a hell of a lot more for his Daniel than our Jack seems to. For our Daniel, that is.  That exchange of looks between them just before the execution was more powerful and eloquent than almost everything that has passed between our Jack and Daniel for 19 out of 22 episodes in the fourth season.

What does it say for what has happened to this relationship that two 'robots' showed us more feeling for each other in a few seconds than the 'originals' have been allowed to express practically all season?  And what's more, it happened in an episode directed by Michael Shanks.  For which we thank him.

Back to Window of Opportunity.  Opening scene in the episode right after Jack and Sam have finally 'realised' their deep feelings for one another and confessed them in D&C, we have them engaging in yet another one of their typical, deep and meaningful conversations as they have seen so many times before, practically every time we have seen them talk to each other on screen, in the course of it fully demonstrating, as they always do whenever they speak to each other,  the mature emotional quality of the interpersonal rapport they have achieved.

Sam spouting technobabble and Jack going d'uh in response.  I can feel the love, I don't know about you.  Then, Jack takes a shot at Daniel.

Then you take a shot at Daniel.  Or rather, Malaki does, and if the line he delivers to Daniel when they confront him in the last scene  'It never did?  You're living proof' is to be believed - he KILLS Daniel, right there in the teaser scene.  This is never confirmed, however, because before we know it, there's a bright flash of light and Jack is staring at a spoon full of fruit loops and the fun begins.  Roll opening credits.

Encountered a couple of 'hey - wait a minute' moments during my initial viewing of the commissary scene and the first briefing room scene.  Namely the Daniel's snarky comments at Jack with regards to his intelligence.  Or lack thereof.

Sorry. Wrong.  No way.  This sort of snideness at other people's expense - but particularly at Jack's expense is completely out of character for Daniel.  He just is not mean and or nasty to people, even when he is angry he does not make rude, cutting, spiteful  personal comments.  Never.  (the fact he snarks at Sveltlana in Watergate also had people going 'huh'? but I have a little theory about that I'll get into when I deal with the ep).  Daniel does not vent or take out his anger on other people, verbally or otherwise.  That's Jack's speciality.

Snake-baiting and mouthing off to system lords and other bullies, yes.  But making rude and snide comments at his team mates and friends?  No way never.  Absolutely not.  He makes one observation (correctly) in Cor Ai that Jack's style is antagonistic rather than diplomatic but he has never, never, EVER made fun of Jack or been anything but supportive when Jack has been at a disadvantage and needed a word or an explanation.  He no more makes fun of Jack than Jack yells at him the way he did in TOS and SE.  Jack does not hesitate to turn to him when he needs information or the correct term, or something explained.  Which Daniel does quietly, patiently, tactfully and quickly and without rolling his eyes and going 'oh, for god's sakes, are you STUPID or what?' Or laughing at him behind his back.

Unlike Sam, who has been known to smirk at him up her sleeve when he's being dense while she's trying to explain wormhole physics to him or acting up in briefings.

This scene is pure invention and character assassination for the sake of a cheap joke.  Which wasn't funny.  And as I said, sets a precedent for further negative interaction in the same vein.  Oh look, Jack yells at Daniel so Daniel gets pissy at him and insults him with witty, cutting comments Jack is too dumb to figure out but we get it so we can not only laugh at Daniel cutting Jack to pieces but we can laugh at Jack not getting it. Double your pleasure, double your fun.  Talk about your battle of wits with an unarmed opponent.  Oh boy, my sides are splitting.

Of course, Daniel insulting him in this scene gives Jack all the justification he needs to get 'back' at him in the corridor scene not once, but twice.

This opening antagonism is not who these men are or in any way typifies the way they habitually relate to each other.  Although 'antagonistic' has become a popular buzzword lately for characterising the Jack/Daniel relationship.  I submit it is simplistic and far from accurate.

Confrontational at times, definitely challenging, but being two men who sometimes hold opposing points of view and come to be at odds with each other because of it does not mean they lose sight of the mutual respect they have for each other in the process of working through the dispute.

It is possible to care for someone deeply and yet have that same person be the one person who can make you crazy like no one else can.  Often it is in the challenge of the 'opposite' - trying to understand the most extreme, different point of view from your own which enables you to discover the most about yourself through the strength of the effort required to comprehend and incorporate the vastly different viewpoint. This compelling struggle allows you to achieve your greatest personal insights and learn your most powerful lessons.  And gain the most respect and affection for the one who teaches you these particular personal lessons on a regular basis.

So it is with Jack and Daniel.  These men frequently do not agree and in the course of their confrontations they actually bring out the best in each other. That intense, highly charged, extremely entertaining and ultimately positive interaction is both their greatest strength and the highest service they do for each other.  Their relationship is not pointlessly confrontational and antagonistic it is SYNERGISTIC.  Even when they seem most at odds they are actually on the same side, working together, bringing out the best of what they both can be, becoming together something better than either can be on their own. The sum being definitely greater than the parts.

Neither is entirely whole or effective without the other.  They balance each other out. Define and enhance each other.  Jack without Daniel's tempering, mediating influence becomes excessive, overbearing, crude and cruel. (Witness most of the fourth and fifth season.) Daniel without Jack's grounding reality tangents and loses focus and effectiveness, as he at times can get pulled off course by his enthusiasm and be lacking a proper sense of perspective.  He needs to be brought back to down to earth, redirected - and at times reined in as much as Jack needs to be.

To reduce this wonderfully complex and positive interaction to the level of crude, petty antagonistic sniping, bitching and the engineering of adolescent pranks is frankly revolting and ultimately insulting to both Jack and Daniel.  What's more, it really, really honks us off to see both of them abused in this fashion.

These men care about each other.  Even when they're disagreeing.  They are friends.  If your definition of 'friendship' includes subjecting the people you care about to this sort of abuse I suggest you get a different definition.  Or you'll soon be needing to find some new friends.

So, the briefing room scene has me already seeing red, what's next on the agenda?

Oh joy, the first 'the geek gets accidentally knocked on his ass' scene.  We are supposed to find this funny.  We are  furthermore supposed to find Jack finding this funny - funny.  Apparently, again according the audio commentary for this episode.

'PDL: it's always funny when a four-eyed guy gets hit in
the face with things'.

Oh really?  I'm sure all the 'four-eyes' out in the audience who have oh, so fond memories of the way their peers at school made their adolescence a living hell are deeply appreciative of this attitude and even now are lining up to make their contribution to the betterment of the human race by volunteering their faces for targets for our amusement.

Words absolutely fail me (don't you wish).  However, the horribly protracted and very difficult to watch scene in the blooper reel' of Wormhole X-Treme of the Daniel substitute being repeatedly pelted with huge Styrofoam rocks - that was supposed to make me LAUGH - not cringe.  I get it now.

I guess I just don't have a proper grasp of what's funny.  Did I mention that although I'm not a guy, I do wear glasses? Was a geek in high school?  And was not at all amused at any of the acts of personal humiliation visited on me during my formative geek years in high school by the 'cool' kids who thought it was just a scream to make me the butt of their jokes?  Even though they were many, varied and at times extremely creative?

I never had anything thrown in my face, but having the spit valve of a trumpet emptied on my head, how does that qualify?  Funny enough for you?  Sure broke up the senior band practice.

This whole attitude of 'humiliate the geek' makes me angrier than I can say.  And considering the 'geek' in question is a character I feel an enormous amount of affection and respect for -

Whatever this is, it is not funny.  None of these characters should be subjected to this thinly veiled contempt masquerading as 'humour'.  We don't appreciate it, and believe me, we're not laughing.

So, we quickly fast forward through that first reprehensible incident of gratuitous Daniel-bashing and oh, lord, now what?  The 'keep me apprised' scene.  Ack.  Poor, love sick, angsting Jack feeling sorry for himself (which he does far too well, and which never looks good on him) over his cup of coffee while the beauteous and ever unattainable Samantha first makes fun of him (So, don't you know what I'm going to say?)  and then throws him wistful, dimply smiles in between spouting more tender, affectionate, deeply emotive and meaningful  technobabble at him.

Thank GOD this is the one and only time we ever see any of this sort of foolishness.  Although I'm sure if you'd had your way we would have been treated to this crap on a regular basis.

This scene makes me want to throw up.  Or at least it would, if I watched it.  And we're fast forwarding.....

Straight into the next 'knock the geek on his ass' scene.  You already know how I feel about the first one - so I'll spare all of us the pain of a second rant.  Unlike Jack, who couldn't seem to resist the urge to get his kicks a second time from watching Daniel hit the deck.  If he'd actually gotten hurt, do you think Jack would have enjoyed himself even more?

Again, I ask you - why do you want us to hate this man so much?  Unfortunately for Jack, you're just getting warmed up.  I could find lots of people who'd cheerfully volunteer for the necktie party by the time this episode ends.

An interesting comment from the beauteous and ever unattainable Samantha as she and the general are strolling through the hall discussing how dumb the colonel is.

"When was the last time you heard Colonel O'Neill use terms like subspace field and geomagnetic storm.  And he actually used them correctly.  For the most part."

This comment is in fact quite in character for Sam and accurately reflects her opinion of her commanding officer's intelligence. Along with the commensurate amount of respect she accords him in believing him to be a dunce and saying so to the general.

(and before you jump up and cry - that's not true, Sam doesn't feel that way about the colonel - doesn't believe he's an idiot - well - that's what she says right here with these remarks. The fact she KNOWS  he's ordinarily incapable of using the terms correctly and he does now tells her he must be telling the truth about the time loops.  Ergo she believes when he doesn't have the benefit of her 'splainin' things to him in previous loops he's too stupid to figure it out on his own. And if she didn't believe it she wouldn't say it.   Can't have it both ways!)

Which brings to mind the obvious question why would a woman who makes no secret of the fact she's thinks she's better than the dumb colonel - and certainly knows she's WAY smarter (I mean, she ALWAYS uses the terms subspace field and geomagnetic storm correctly and even knows what they MEAN) be in wuv with him?  Supposedly?  Not only that, she 'wuvs' him so much she's running him down behind his back to the general? Would you take a cheap shot at a person you were supposedly harbouring 'feelings' for? Behind his back, to his COMMANDING OFFICER?  A highly inappropriate thing for her to do on the first count alone, but certainly on the second.

I mean, let's just think about this for a moment.  The beauteous and ever unattainable Samantha is the dense Colonel's subordinate.  His 21C.  She has just offered an extremely unflattering opinion about the intelligence of said commanding officer (which would also naturally have to speak to the opinion she consequently would have to hold about his leadership abilities and outright FITNESS for the job he is doing - he's THAT dumb and he gets to command SG-1?) to the man in charge of all of them.  Who could - oh, I don't know - give her JACK'S job - if he thought the poor, dumb colonel wasn't up to it - as has been so thoughtfully pointed out to him by the woman under his command - and the plucky, manifestly more intelligent major was.

What the hell is she doing citing the example Jack knew how to use a few big words correctly as PROOF  (thereby implying he's routinely too stupid to have known what they meant without having the benefit of having previously heard them ) he's telling the truth about this loop thing to the general - who incredibly - seem to share her opinion about how dumb Jack is.

If he is in fact so fricking STOOOPID then what is he doing commanding SG-1?  How did he happen to become a colonel? Win his promotion in a card game? If he really is so incredibly dense  shouldn't he be doing something more in line with his demonstrated mental abilities like swabbing out the latrines somewhere?  Or what - is he too stupid to handle that job as well?

Geez, guys!  I know the 'dumbing down of Jack' was largely RDA's idea and so glad you finally seem to have to left off making him look like he hasn't got enough brains to blow his nose with, but for awhile there -

There is no possible way the man could be as much of a clod as he's been played and even made it into in the Air Force, never mind a colonel.  The educational requirements he would have needed to achieve in order to qualify for the rank he currently holds?  A little research gives us this, just for starters....

To get into the Air Force officer program he needed a bachelor's degree. To become a major, he needed a master's degree and the professional education required at each rank would be at least  master level.

So the fact he is a Colonel in the United States Air Force tells us right off the bat he is an educated man.  Has to be.  Or else he wouldn't BE a colonel.  As they don't tend to hand out degrees to dummies who don't posses the brainpower to earn them - the man is not a dunce no matter how stupidly he is being portrayed.  To present him this way and furthermore expect us to accept such a manifestly stupid man could achieve and hold the position he does is not only supremely insulting to the character but to OUR intelligence as well.

We LIKE Jack.  Or, at least, we did, until you started turning him into this dense, petty, perpetually combative clod.

Fifth season, at least fifty per cent of the message has been heard.  Jack is not QUITE so dumb.  He is however, still petty, angry, combative and extremely unpleasant.  Considering he is also SUPPOSED to be the star of the show (although with all the focus on Sam, I'd be calling his 'star' status into serious question), the seemingly relentless and deliberate campaign to turn Jack into a completely unsympathetic character is totally incomprehensible.  At this stage of the game the only character we dislike more than Jack is SUPERSAM.  For exactly the same reason.

Both characters are gross distortions - caricatures of themselves.  Not the characters we know and love.  Not even a faint resemblance.  We hate what you've done to them - we want the REAL Jack and Sam back.  We want Daniel back.  We want our team back, the way it used to be.  Before it's too late and the damage is irreversible.

Gee, I wish the last two seasons of Stargate were a time loop we could just reset back to the beginning of that scene where SG-1 comes back through the gate in Small Victories so we can do the whole thing over again with the characters all being who they SHOULD be interacting the way they SHOULD have in the first place before they were run through the 'new agenda' machine and folded, spindled and mutilated beyond recognition.

If you don't know what I am talking about, I refer you to the first three season, particularly season two.  When the show was the best, the most on track, and the hottest in the ratings.

Ah, next scene.  Jack gets some points for heroically refraining from the impulse to indulge himself watching Daniel bounce for a third time (hey, he only kissed Sam once, read whatever you will into THAT).

Sam's idea to dial out before the incoming wormhole is sound, and still is when she finds out why it didn't work the first time.  Because she tried to dial a gate that was 'outside' the subspace bubble which made it impossible to connect to it.

However, she tells us there are over fourteen gates linked together she CAN access - so, why doesn't she?  Why doesn't she try dialling one of the worlds she CAN contact to block the incoming wormhole?  The theory is still sound - it should still work, she just tried to dial the wrong gate last time.

But - that would have left you quite a bit short of episode, wouldn't it?

The scenes with Daniel and Jack 'discussing' translation priorities are good.  As well as the way Daniel handles Jack's attempts to record information from the previous loop.  Doesn't make fun of him, but gently informs him he and Teal'c have to 'learn and remember'.  Good scenes.

As are the scenes of Jack and Teal'c juggling.  Now THIS is funny stuff.  The pair of them doing the 'bad boy' stuff behind Daniel's back and the look on Daniel's face when Jack corrects his translation is really quite priceless.  Nobody is ridiculed, reviled, snarked at, made fun of or knocked on their ass.  These sequences are the first genuinely funny ones in the whole episode - the humour was a logical extension of the characters of Jack, Daniel and Teal'c - was warm and amusing and did not have to rely on anyone getting trashed, belittled or bounced.

And I definitely feel for Jack in the 'WHACKO' scene.

More good stuff with Daniel commiserating with Jack and there's our boy, our quick, original thinker pointing out the one crucial detail that seems to have slipped Jack's mind even though he seems to have SEEN Groundhog day or at least be familiar with the premise (as per him mentioning it to Malaki during the final confrontation scene).

No consequences.

The second the seed is planted see Jack and Teal'c run off lickety split to indulge themselves.  Here we go, folks, here it comes, the real reason for this ep.

 No consequences.

While this sequence - right up until the kiss, is light-humoured and harmlessly amusing, when you put it in the context of what is actually happening all around Jack and Teal'c while they are having a grand old time acting out and being endearingly naughty for our entertainment....

Nice to know the inhabitants of fourteen worlds are stuck repeating the same ten hours over and over again  while Jack and Teal'c get to improve their golf game, learn new skills, enjoy injuring unsuspecting SGC members and take advantage of their female team members.

Oh, but you say, Jack acted perfectly honourably!  He resigned before he kissed her.

Crap.  Perfectly honourably my ass!  The fact he 'resigned' (why bother, he knew it wasn't going to 'count' anyway once the loops reset,  makes the whole resignation thing pointless) does not change the fact he shows no respect whatsoever for Sam by doing something to her he can remember and as she can't.  It didn't really happen for her.  Although - it did for him. The fact he confines himself to kissing her doesn't excuse his actions either  - he might as well have jumped her in the stairwell and had his way with her, it amounts to the same thing.  No consequences.  Not for HIM anyway.  He gets to have a juicy, salacious little memory he can leer at her over and make her feel intensely uncomfortable about (which he does - twice) and she gets used and insulted.  Once when he did it to her in the original loop and however many times he feels like leering at her about it and forever making her wonder - what they hell he DID to her in the loops anyway.

Nothing good, from the way he's smirking about it.

If you were Sam and had your CO smirking at you like he'd been peeking at you in the showers or God knows what all else - knew he was in a position to have done who knows what - and remember it even though you don't because it never happened for you, this time, but did happen for him, sometime - and what's worse  you will NEVER be able to know what it was or be in a position to defend yourself against it or 'undo' whatever it was  - how would you feel?

The term 'violated' comes to mind.

But again, from the audio comments, I guess we're supposed to see all of this as 'funny' and shake our heads at what a 'naughty' boy our wacky Jackie is.

Going back to the comments between PDL and James Tichenor about the kissing scene.

PDL - we needed him to quit the Air Force before he could
actually exchange a lip lock with Carter...mmmm....WHO'S YOUR DADDY!  MMMM. Any excuse to get these two to kiss!

JT: Everybody loves that.  Everybody loves that.  Who wouldn't love that?

(hands up!  Me, for one!  I expect I have lots of company on this one as well.)

Next scene - Jack leering at her in the briefing room scene immediately following the kiss.

PDL   'Jack...Mmmm

The devilish pleasure that he got from kissing her.'

And the final one, the comment about Jack's pointed look and lingering smirk at Sam over his oatmeal.

PDL  'I kissed you and I have carnal knowledge of your face.'

Well, one hardly knows what to say to this, does one?  I'm sure Sam deeply appreciates the opportunity to be used by Jack to get a cheap thrill and to furthermore provide him with hours of subsequent enjoyment gloating over his tawdry little memories.  Cheap, cheap thrills. You can't call what he did anything BUT that.

If he'd really been sincere in his intentions he would have tabled the resignation and the liplock, sought Sam out and asked her how she really felt.  If in fact she was serious enough about him to make resigning his commission to pursue a relationship with her worth both their whiles.

But - that would mean he loved her enough to be willing to give up his career to  be with her, wouldn't it?  Obviously, he doesn't, because he hasn't  (the it's all going to be undone when the loop resets so it doesn't really count 'resignation' notwithstanding) - and we saw no evidence in WOO he used his chance for no consequences with the loops to explore the implications of a deeper relationship.  Or the possibility of one even existing.

What does Jack do instead?  He uses Sam to get a cheap thrill.  Gloats about it afterwards in a truly revolting way.  That clearly shows not only does he feel no deep emotion for her, (how could you do this to someone you really cared about, I mean now, I ASK you!)  but very little respect as well and I suspect her realising what has happened - even though she doesn't know specifics still can get the gist from the way Jack smirks at her - when you combine it with what he does to her in SE - goes a LONG way to contributing toward her rapidly deteriorating attitude and noticeable lack of respect for HIM which first rears its head in the beach scene in The Light and continues to characterise the way she relates to him (and vice versa) in season five.

After all this hilarity they finally get around to helping Daniel finish the translation and getting down to the business of shutting the loop down.

Finally.

Although in the course of discovering why Malaki is messing with the machine Jack displays a degree of sensitivity he has up 'til now not given the slightest indication he is capable of it's a bit aggravating because once again someone who's experienced a loss far more relevant to Malaki's situations is not allowed to share so Jack can get yet more mileage out of Charlie.

I'm not saying it's not terribly tragic Jack lost his son all those years ago -  yep, it's a damned shame, but it's also a loss which happened off camera, before the movie even started - an event we only heard about and saw the results of, never witnessed  -  and yet, we've gotten to see Jack eat his heart out over it in the movie and at least one episode ever season.  We are definitely never allowed to forget Jack had a son he tragically lost.

However, Jack isn't the only one who has suffered a tragic loss in the course of this series.  We also have Daniel who has had to endure the triple tragedy of first watching his wife kidnapped and turned into a host before his eyes, having to deal with her being raped and impregnated - and delivering the result of that union - and then watching her die before his very eyes after having been killed by a team mate in order to save his life.

This is all stuff we've watched happen, gone through with him, seen for ourselves first hand and witnessed the events as they actually happened - it's all unfolded on the screen, right before our eyes, not been some off camera loss we haven't experienced directly, and don't know anything about except what we've been told after the fact.

Daniel's personal tragedy had much more relevance to the issue at hand, but as in most of the series, once again the loss of Charlie takes precedence over the loss of Sha'uri.  A dead child beats a dead wife?  In Stargate, apparently so.

Although, if you want to tally up the clear winner in the personal tragedy department Daniel has two lost parents to weigh in with the dead wife.  So he's the clear winner across the board.

But that doesn't matter, Jack is the star, so when we need a tragic example for the guest star, we get Charlie.  Whether it's the most logical story choice for the situation or not.

Oh yeah, in the last scene where Sam says the Tok'ra have been trying to contact  the SGC for three months and there's no way to know how much time?

Pfffft, of COURSE there is!  The SGC and the Tok'ra both have calendars, don't  they?  All Sam has to do is tell the Tok'ra the date where time stopped for the Earth and compare it with the what 'today' is for the rest of the universe.  If it's April 1st on Earth and the equivalent of December 1st everywhere outside the area of the time bubble - quick, do the math and tell me how much time has actually passed.

Which pretty much brings us to the end and that dreadful last scene.  Daniel's delightful speculation, complete with slightly mischievous grin as he contemplates the idea of no consequences culminates in Jack answering the question with a pointed look at Sam and that dreadful, suggestive smirk.  Complete with the oatmeal emphasis.   'Carnal knowledge of her face' indeed.  Barf!  Like I said, Sam should have smashed his face in that oatmeal and left him choking on his own smugness, departing with the only gentleman sitting at the table.

A totally, utterly classless performance from Jack rounding out an episode laden with truly inexcusable behaviour which was supposed to be 'funny' and was anything but.  Blech.  I need to take a shower now.

Next up - the Tomb and some REALLY funny stuff.....

PhoenixE

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