Redial the Gate: Family
I enjoyed Bloodlines immensely, so why does Family almost bore me? It's got Bra'tac. It's got teamy goodness. It's got angst and some great Teal'c moments. It's got fantastic Hammond and Little Doc. It has the huge impact of discovering that Apophis is actually still alive (although there is no way that anyone Gated out after Daniel, when he dived through a second before the C4 went off - he and Klorel must have Gated out before Daniel got there). Why doesn't it resonate the way Bloodlines does?
Maybe it's the reduced conflict. Bra'tac is still calling Jack names, but it's affectionate now, and he respectfully refers to "Doctor Jackson" instead of threatening to snap his wrist. He barely addresses Sam at all, but that's because he calmly accepts her as part of the team, instead of being contemptuous of her as a woman. Contrast this with his treatment of Drey'auc - he never refers to her by name at all: she's either "your wife" or "the boy's mother."
(And on a side note, I strongly recommend Minxy's excellent meta analysis of Bra'tac, as part of her "DVD commentary" of a story that is on my short list for reccing. I watched Family in two parts, and I read her meta in between, and it resonates very strongly with this episode - particularly his attitude towards women.)
I miss the conflict between Drey'auc and Teal'c, too. The Drey'auc of Bloodlines was spitfire, physically attacking Teal'c and getting right in his face. (I must also confess that certain characters are more endearing to me when they are a bit scruffy. Perhaps it's not just that Drey'auc is played by a different actress here, but that she is also well-groomed and expensively dressed?) The Drey'auc of this episode, in contrast, was meek and very much the quiet loving mother figure. The only time she moved me was when she said quietly, after Fro'tac's betrayal was revealed, "The fault is mine. I made vows I could not keep." Just... go on, try and picture the Drey'auc of Bloodlines accepting a comforting hug from Sam. I'm not suggesting there's someting wrong with either offering or accepting such comfort, but it really is a huge turnaround from how Drey'auc was originally portrayed, isn't it?
On the other hand, Drey'auc earns my admiration for her personal courage to ignore her own feelings and desires for the sake of offering her son a better future. She openly admits to Teal'c that she doesn't actually love Fro'tac. She sends for Teal'c, knowing how he will react, yet willing to endure his anger for the sake of saving her son. That's the story of women throughout many centuries of history: using what little power they have, working the system, accepting the uncomfortable for the sake of a greater purpose. That takes courage, even if it's understated and not immediately obvious.
Fro'tac, now, saddens me. He had the potential to be a great character - a childhood friend of Teal'c's, a fellow protege of Bra'tac's, the man who offered shelter to the wife and child of another - even if he took that wife as his own, after she formally divorced her first husband. He allowed Teal'c to practically spit in his face and still did what he could to help them, including risking his life by stalling for time when the serpent guards showed up. And yet, after witnessing Drey'auc kiss Teal'c, he turned it all around and immediately turned traitor? I was so angry that the writers made his betrayal so trite and complete. I could understand an impulsive anguish leading him to storm from the house - yes, with Jack following, and maybe reaching him before he got the palace, and arguing with him. And Fro'tac could have been sullen and angry and miserable, but still not willing to betray people he's cared about for so long - and then maybe they're caught, and Fro'tac is killed in the crossfire. There, you see? Storyline still intact, with more realistic angst. Sigh.
A large part of it might be that Ry'ac carries a large part of the episode, and as Redbyrd pointed out when we were discussing Family, he's still much more of a plot point than a character. I like him a lot in Orpheus, but the actor is five years older by then! Do we ever get a reason why Apophis didn't prompt him to go with the team the first time? Would Jack have been so leery (and I love that he was - it was so very in character for him!) if Ry'ac had fled with them as soon as they tried to rescue him?
Redbyrd is also the one who highlighted the timeline for me, in regards to Family and the very next episode: Secrets. When Daniel has the courage, in the face of Teal'c's fury, to step up to him and point out that at least Drey'auc and Ry'ac aren't reduced to living in the camps... Well. How much of that gave Teal'c the courage to get in Daniel's face on Abydos and confront him about his initial rejection of Sha're?
Random question: Fro'tac, as far as I can tell, works as an accountant. Teal'c, by contast, was First Prime. Yet compare the size of their homes! Maybe Apophis values money more than victory...?
Maybe it's the reduced conflict. Bra'tac is still calling Jack names, but it's affectionate now, and he respectfully refers to "Doctor Jackson" instead of threatening to snap his wrist. He barely addresses Sam at all, but that's because he calmly accepts her as part of the team, instead of being contemptuous of her as a woman. Contrast this with his treatment of Drey'auc - he never refers to her by name at all: she's either "your wife" or "the boy's mother."
(And on a side note, I strongly recommend Minxy's excellent meta analysis of Bra'tac, as part of her "DVD commentary" of a story that is on my short list for reccing. I watched Family in two parts, and I read her meta in between, and it resonates very strongly with this episode - particularly his attitude towards women.)
I miss the conflict between Drey'auc and Teal'c, too. The Drey'auc of Bloodlines was spitfire, physically attacking Teal'c and getting right in his face. (I must also confess that certain characters are more endearing to me when they are a bit scruffy. Perhaps it's not just that Drey'auc is played by a different actress here, but that she is also well-groomed and expensively dressed?) The Drey'auc of this episode, in contrast, was meek and very much the quiet loving mother figure. The only time she moved me was when she said quietly, after Fro'tac's betrayal was revealed, "The fault is mine. I made vows I could not keep." Just... go on, try and picture the Drey'auc of Bloodlines accepting a comforting hug from Sam. I'm not suggesting there's someting wrong with either offering or accepting such comfort, but it really is a huge turnaround from how Drey'auc was originally portrayed, isn't it?
On the other hand, Drey'auc earns my admiration for her personal courage to ignore her own feelings and desires for the sake of offering her son a better future. She openly admits to Teal'c that she doesn't actually love Fro'tac. She sends for Teal'c, knowing how he will react, yet willing to endure his anger for the sake of saving her son. That's the story of women throughout many centuries of history: using what little power they have, working the system, accepting the uncomfortable for the sake of a greater purpose. That takes courage, even if it's understated and not immediately obvious.
Fro'tac, now, saddens me. He had the potential to be a great character - a childhood friend of Teal'c's, a fellow protege of Bra'tac's, the man who offered shelter to the wife and child of another - even if he took that wife as his own, after she formally divorced her first husband. He allowed Teal'c to practically spit in his face and still did what he could to help them, including risking his life by stalling for time when the serpent guards showed up. And yet, after witnessing Drey'auc kiss Teal'c, he turned it all around and immediately turned traitor? I was so angry that the writers made his betrayal so trite and complete. I could understand an impulsive anguish leading him to storm from the house - yes, with Jack following, and maybe reaching him before he got the palace, and arguing with him. And Fro'tac could have been sullen and angry and miserable, but still not willing to betray people he's cared about for so long - and then maybe they're caught, and Fro'tac is killed in the crossfire. There, you see? Storyline still intact, with more realistic angst. Sigh.
A large part of it might be that Ry'ac carries a large part of the episode, and as Redbyrd pointed out when we were discussing Family, he's still much more of a plot point than a character. I like him a lot in Orpheus, but the actor is five years older by then! Do we ever get a reason why Apophis didn't prompt him to go with the team the first time? Would Jack have been so leery (and I love that he was - it was so very in character for him!) if Ry'ac had fled with them as soon as they tried to rescue him?
Redbyrd is also the one who highlighted the timeline for me, in regards to Family and the very next episode: Secrets. When Daniel has the courage, in the face of Teal'c's fury, to step up to him and point out that at least Drey'auc and Ry'ac aren't reduced to living in the camps... Well. How much of that gave Teal'c the courage to get in Daniel's face on Abydos and confront him about his initial rejection of Sha're?
Random question: Fro'tac, as far as I can tell, works as an accountant. Teal'c, by contast, was First Prime. Yet compare the size of their homes! Maybe Apophis values money more than victory...?