| Synopsis | Review | Quotes |
First Aired On: July 2, 1999 (United States)
Written By: Jonathan Glassner
Directed By: William Corcoran
Guest Stars: Carmen Argenziano (Jacob Carter/Selmak), Robert Duncan (Seth), Mitchell Kosterman (Hamner), Stuart O'Connell (Tommy), Lucia Walters (Disciple), Greg Michaels (Joe Levinson)
Synopsis: The episode opens with Jacob Carter coming through the Gate. He greets SG-1 and General Hammond, then tells them he needs their help. We cut to the debriefing room where he places a cool holographic device on the table. While Sam is oogling the technology of the device, Daniel is entranced by what it's projecting, a pyramid with a dozen Egyptian symbols floating around it. Jacob explains that it's a pyramid of the Goa'uld hierarchy, with Ra at the top and Apophis, Heru-Ur, Hathor, and everyone else below him. He explains that the Tok'ra have been tracking the System Lords in order to find out who's where and ruling what. They apparently have most of the Lords covered, except for one--Setesh, a.k.a. Seti, a.k.a Seth. Turns out they lost track of him after the revolt in Egypt...Holy Hannah! There's a Goa'uld still on the loose on Earth!
Jacob explains to his daughter that the Garshaw ("Tok'ra Part 1" and "Tok'ra Part 2") has assigned him this mission. Carter asks if there's another reason he took the job...maybe to see her and find out how she's doing? Selmak surfaces and explains to Carter that she's getting annoyed that Jacob left some important, unfinished business on Earth--seeing his son, Mark, Sam's brother, whom he hasn't spoken to in years. Carter says she tried to contact him when Jacob was sick, but he never answered her call. Jacob denies that he was hurt when Mark refused to come see him when he was on his deathbed, claiming Mark was "no longer his son." Ouch.
They arrive at SG-1's office, where Daniel has been very busy doing his homework. He reports that there have been cults devoted to Seth throughout history. He was known among the Greeks as Typhon, and resurfaced during the 1800s near Stonehenge, but, more importantly, there is currently one branch of this cult just north of Seattle. Carter asks how he can be sure that it's the right guy, and Daniel pulls up some web pages about Seth. He explains that the cult is devoted to a man who has amazing regenerative powers, uses a lot of fire power to defend his cult, will kill his own members if necessary, and reportedly can make his eyes glow a golden color. Bingo! They've located Seth. Somewhere during the middle of all this, Teal'c tells a joke that he finds absolutely hilarious (have we ever seen Teal'c laughing like this before? Hopefully the sign of things to come...?) but unfortunately the joke doesn't go over so well with SG-1. Aw, poor Teal'c. =)
SG-1 travels to this Seattle compound. Once the local Sheriff leaves them alone, they run into a man named Jason who wants to know if they're going to free the people under Seth's control. Why is he so curious about this? Because his son Tommy is a member of the cult and he wants to free him. Jason hasn't talked to Tommy in several years and is feeling guilty about it. Have we heard this before?
Anyway, SG-1 does some scouting with Jacob assisting and discovers that the compound is heavily guarded. They return to the entrance and find themselves surrounded by the ATF (Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms...special thanks to Rachelle and Jan for pointing this out). Hamner, in charge of the ATF operation, takes them to their camp and they discuss the situation. The ATF doesn't want the Air Force involved in the mission, but O'Neill makes a well-placed call and, next thing you know, suddenly the President is calling Hamner and telling him that O'Neill is in charge of the operation. Ah, it's good to have connections in high places.
Now they have to find out how to get inside Seth's headquarters. Daniel explains that, from all the digs in Egypt, he's learned that the Goa'uld generally have underground passageways to get in and out of their buildings. SG-1 goes searching with the help of the ATF and, voila, they find a grate-covered manhole. Returning to the camp to discuss this newfound entrance, Jacob explains that Seth uses a biological compound called Nishta, transmitted through air, that makes all inflicted become his slaves. It's a more powerful form of the drug used by Hathor in "Hathor" to brainwash people. To break this brainwashing, all you need to do is apply a jolt of electricity, i.e. a zat gun charge, after the chemical has permeated all of the body's tissue. If the charge is applied too early, it could be detrimental, however, since the chemical is "smart" and will find a hiding place inside the unaffected tissue then return later with a vengeance. Anyway, to counter this chemical, SG-1 (minus Teal'c, who's not going with them because Seth would sense the Goa'uld inside him; same goes with Jacob/Selmak) plants remote-controlled electrical charges inside their ears. Teal'c will wait until Jacob's command and shock O'Neill, Carter, and Daniel, thus snapping them out of their role as Seth's faithful servants.
So SG-1 enters the compound. O'Neill and Carter ask what Seth will do with them once he gets them where he wants them. Daniel explains that women generally joined his "harem"; males on the outside were warriors, etc., males on the inside were, um, eunuchs. (You know, "snippedy doo-dah," in O'Neill's words--look it up in a dictionary or encyclopedia if you don't know what one is). Anyway, SG-1 winds up at a dead end and everyone turns to Daniel to tell them their next move. However, before he can really answer, those cool Goa'uld rings appear in the center of the room and transport them to the upper level, where Seth and his followers are waiting. Their guns are confiscated, and Seth sends his Nishta chemical to brainwash them.
The chemical works, and when they wake up they believe that Seth is their god and they live only to serve him. We cut to Teal'c, who asks Selmak if he can zap them yet; Selmak says no, not yet. There's a little scene with Jason spilling some coffee and discussing his son again, then back to SG-1 we go. Carter is sitting in front of Seth, gazing adoringly at him; Daniel and O'Neill don't look real happy or sad...they're pretty much zombies. Trouble arises, however, when Seth senses the remnants of Jolinar inside of Carter. He asks them who sent them--the System Lords or the Tok'ra. Carter replies that she vaguely remembers being sent by the Tok'ra. Outside the compound, Teal'c asks Selmak what they should do and if enough time has passed. Selmak replies that they don't have a choice--they have to zap them and hope it was enough time.
Teal'c zaps them and they wake up but maintain control of themselves. O'Neill tells Seth that they're reveling in the "bliss that is Seth." Unfortunately, he recognizes it as a lie and orders them to be killed. However, O'Neill attacks out the guard sent to take them away and grabs his zat gun, then shoots him. He wakes up from his reverie and says his name is Tom...gee, what a coincidence, could it be Jason's son? How convenient! Anyway, Tom gets SG-1 a nice supply of zat guns and they set off to free the others from Seth's control.
O'Neill sends Carter out of the compound to make sure the first batch of people they free escapes, and he and Daniel take off to shoot some more people with their handy dandy zat guns. They free just about everyone in the base until only Seth is left. Seth shoots O'Neill and Daniel with his hand device and, while they're lying stunned on the floor, he plants a bomb near them and escapes through the rings. O'Neill and Daniel wake up just in time to get away before the bomb goes off.
Meanwhile, Jacob has come to the conclusion that SG-1 needs help and heads down into the tunnel to find his daughter. He searches all the freed cult members to sense Seth, and finally does. Seth, however, shoots Jacob with his had device, temporarily disabling him. Selmak gives Carter the Goa'uld hand device and tells her that she needs to kill Seth with it. Carter replies that she has no control over it; Selmak tells her she can do it because she has the will to do it. She goes off in search of Seth, and when she finds him he holds his ribbon device at her, but she's able to get hers going first. He's zapped to the floor and is about to shoot her but she zaps him again, blasting him into the ground...ouch. He's dead, and Carter can now use Goa'uld devices! Of course, she doesn't look very happy about it at all--after all, it's a reminder that she once was a Goa'uld host and can now kill exactly like them. Maybe this will be explored in future episodes?
Final scene, Jacob and Sam are standing outside a nice-looking house. Carter gives her dad a hug to encourage him, then he rings the doorbell. Mark answers and, after a moment of hesitation, Jacob pulls him into a hug...awww. A cute little girl with blond hair climbs into Jacob's arms...his granddaughter. Sam gives her brother a hug next and they're invited inside. Such a sweet ending. =)
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Related Episodes: "Into the Fire" is referred to by Jacob. "Cold Lazarus" is where we first learned Sam has a brother who has two children. "Family" is where Rya'c was brainwashed by the Nishta. "Hathor" and her drug are referred to in relation with the Nishta. We last saw Carter try to use Goa'uld devices in "Thor's Chariot." Carter was a host during the events of "In the Line of Duty." Jacob's cancer played an important role in "Secrets" and "Tok'ra Part 1" and "Tok'ra Part 2."
Daniel Jackson's History/Linguistic/Mythology Lesson:
Sam Carter's Physics Lesson:
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Quotes:
Jacob: "So, you guys are the talk of the Tok'ra water cooler."
O'Neill: "For what?"
Jacob: "For kicking some major Hathor behind."
O'Neill: "Yes, we do take pride in good work. But that's not why you're here."
Jacob: "No. We need your help."
Carter: "You need our help? With what?"
Jacob: "Let's just call it a Goa'uld hunt."Daniel, seeing Jacob's holographic device: "It's fascinating."
Carter: "No kidding. A projected hologram with no silver-hallid(?) covered plates, no photo polymer film, no...."
Daniel: "Actually, I was talking about what's being projected. It's a family tree of the ancient Egyptian gods."
Jacob: "Actually of the Goa'uld system lords."
Daniel: "Ra, Apophis, Hathor, Heru-ur...."
Teal'c: "The symbol for Setesh is oscillating."
Daniel, surprised: "That is the symbol for Setesh."
Jacob: "Have you met him, Teal'c?"
Teal'c: "I have met descendants of his Jaffa."
O'Neill: "Alright, who's this...Setesh fella?"
Daniel: "Otherwise known as Setek, Set, Seti, Seth, the ancient Egyptian god of chaos and embodiment of hostility and...outright evil."
Hammond: "Why haven't we heard of him before?"
Daniel: "Well, I'm guessing we haven't even scratched the surface of the Goa'uld system lords. There's probably thousands we've never even heard of, right?"
Jacob: "Only dozens at the ranks of system lords. There's thousands of Goa'ulds in general."
Carter: "What makes you think we would've met this one?"
Jacob: "The Tok'ra council has been taking a Goa'uld census of sorts. Where the system lords have positioned themselves, what domains they rule, who serves under them, that sort of thing. But there's one Goa'uld we've lost track of."
O'Neill: "Seth?"
Jacob, nodding: "Our record of him ends when your Stargate was buried in ancient Egypt."
Carter: "Uh...are you saying he never left?"
Jacob: "That's our theory. We think he still might be here, hiding among Earth's people."O'Neill: "Alright, let me cut to the chase on this one. You want us to help you find this snake head who, if he's here at all, would be hiding within one of 6 billion people on Earth?"
Jacob: "Yes."
O'Neill: "Oh."
Carter: "How do you know he's still alive?"
Daniel: "He's alive if he still has a sarcophagus."
Jacob: "Or if he changes hosts every 400 years."
Hammond: "But, if he were here, why wouldn't he have tried to get at the Stargate sometime between when it was buried and now or why wouldn't he have tried to take over the Earth like Ra did?"
Jacob: "Seth had a hefty price on his head. He tried to overthrow Ra. The system lords wanted him dead, as did the Tok'ra. We believe if he's still here that he's using Earth as a place to hide out."
O'Neill: "Kinda gives 'needle in a haystack' a whole new meaning."
Jacob: "Well, I know it's a long shot."
Daniel: "Not necessarily. Remember, Setesh is a Goa'uld."
O'Neill: "Yeah....?"
Teal'c: "As a Goa'uld he will never lose his thirst for power."
Daniel: "And they do have a pretty common M.O. for getting that power."
Teal'c: "False religion."
Daniel: "Which shrinks the proverbial haystack considerably. Let me do some homework, see if I can track him through archaeological and historical records."
Hammond: "Do it."Carter: "So Dad, you really don't think we have a chance of finding this Goa'uld, do you?"
Jacob: "It was the mission Garshaw assigned me."
Carter: "You didn't request it? Dad?"
Jacob: "Why would I request it?"
Carter: "Come on, would it be so awful to admit that you just wanted a chance to see me?"
Jacob: "Of course not, you're right. That's why I requested it."
Carter: "Okay, so that's obviously not the reason. What's going on?"
Selmak: "It s I who requested the assignment."
Carter: "Selmak."
Selmak: "Nice to see you once again, Captain Carter."
Carter: "Likewise. So...let me ask you the same question."
Selmak: "Your father has an unresolved issue here on your planet and frankly it's beginning to irritate me."
Carter: "Mark."
Selmak: "Yes. Your father is a proud man. He refuses to seek out your brother and mend their relationship."
Carter: "Yeah, well, Mark isn't exactly rushing into my father's arms either. Even when we though Dad was going to die, he wouldn't take my call."
Selmak: "That hurt your father deeply when his son didn't come to him on his deathbed."
Jacob: "Now why would it hurt? As far as I was concerned, the kid wasn't my son anymore, it didn't hurt a bit."
Carter: "Dad, I have a number for Mark in San Diego."
Jacob: "So?"
Carter: "I just...thought you might want to know."
Jacob: "When was the last time you saw him?"
Carter: "I haven't seen him since either of his kids were born. I guess he paints me with the same brush he does you."
Jacob: "Well, Selmak's pushing me to go mend some fences."
Carter: "Maybe Selmak is as wise as they say. Look, I'll go with you, when do you want to do it?"
Jacob: "No, I didn't say I'd go, I just said Selmak's pushing it."Jacob: "So what's the bad news?"
Teal'c: "On the contrary. We have good news."
Carter: "You do?"
Daniel: "I did a timeline-Boolean search for religion, cult, Set, Setesh, Setek, Set..."
O'Neill: "Yadda."
Daniel, shooting O'Neill a nasty look: "And, here's what I found. It appears there's been a cult of Setesh in one form or another since around 1000 B.C."
Carter, pointing to an animal on the screen: "What is that?"
Daniel: "Oh...yeah, that. Well, Setesh was represented by an animal that was either fictitious or now extinct, ah, most likely the former rather than the latter since anthropologists haven't discovered any fossils of an animal like this ever existing."
Teal'c: "Because the creature represents Setesh, the helms of the Setesh guard have continued to be the source of many jokes among the Jaffa."
O'Neill: "Jaffa jokes? Let's hear one of them."
Teal'c: "I shall attempt to translate one, O'Neill. A Serpent guard, a Horus guard, and a Setesh guard meet on a neutral planet. It is a tense moment. The Serpent guard's eyes glow. The Horus guard's beak glistens. The Setesh guard's nose drips." Teal'c bursts into laughter...but nobody else laughs. Guess it's a cultural thing. =)
Daniel, taking a sip of coffee and pretending to forget Teal'c's joke: "Okay, after Set was supposedly killed in ancient Egypt along with his minions, a similar god showed up in Greece called Typhon. Similar back stories and domains, another fictitious animal representation. In one of Typhon's last legends he killed 300 followers then disappeared from Greece. At that point he seems to disappear from recorded history altogether until I found this. A new cult arose in England in the early 1800s, strangely enough near the location of Stonehenge. The cult had an enigmatic leader named Seth. They were constantly under attack by the Christians and then, and this is the important part, the worshippers, all of them, were found dead, having slit their own throats. But Seth's body was never found."
O'Neill: "Guy liked to leave a lot of dead bodies behind."
Carter: "Did you lose Seth there?"
Daniel: "I thought so until on a whim I did a search of the U.S. Government classified net in case the CIA had a record of something somewhere. And guess what came up on the ATF page? A cult whose leader is named Seth, just north of Seattle. The ATF are investigating him now because they've become so heavily armed and fortified. This guy has about 50 followers who are all ready to die for him."
Jacob: "You mean to say you've actually found this guy?"
Carter: "How do we know he's our Goa'uld?"
Daniel: "The program experts describe Seth as having miraculous powers and the ability to heal. Ah, they also claim he has murdered several members in front of the others. And here's the best part, several independent reports have stated that the cult leader can make his own eyes glow."O'Neill: "AK-47s, a couple of UZIs, anyone think they observe the requisite 15-day waiting period for those weapons?"
Carter: "Sir, their sidearms." They're zat guns. "I think it's safe to say there's a Goa'uld there. And...that looks like a pair of 50 cals."
O'Neill: "Does the concept of overkill mean anything to anybody?"Hamner: "Lower your weapons."
O'Neill: "I was wondering when you folks were going to show. We got bets. I say FBI, they say ATF."
Hamner: "Special Agent James Hamner, ATF."
O'Neill: "Damn."Hamner: "General, you want to tell me what interest the Air Force has here?"
O'Neill: "That would be classified."
Hamner: "This way, General. You guys Special Forces?"
O'Neill: "Also classified."
Hamner: "I was talking to your commanding officer."
Jacob: "He's right, it's classified."
Hamner: "I have top-level clearance."
O'Neill: "Oh, not top enough."
Hamner: "You have a rather insubordinate subordinate, General."
Jacob: "He's not insubordinate to me, only to people such as yourself. Saves me the trouble. Now, maybe you can tell me what you and your cohorts are planning here."
Hamner: "This compound is owned by a cult. It's run by a charming guy, goes by the name of Seth Fargough. We recently acquired intelligence to confirm they have a horde of prohibited weapons here."
O'Neill: "That's a mighty find intelligence you've got there."
Jacob: "So what do you plan to do?"
Hamner: "Surround the compound, negotiate, try to get them to come out peacefully."
Daniel: "You have no idea what you're dealing with."
Hamner: "And I suppose you do."
Daniel: "As a matter of fact...."
Hamner: "Great, then why don't you tell me?"
O'Neill: "Ah, that would be...classified as well."O'Neill: "Somethin' I can do for you?"
Hamner: "You want to tell me what's going on?"
O'Neill: "Didn't you say you knew more than I do?"
Hamner: "Apparently not. I just got off the phone with the President."
O'Neill: "Of the United States of America? Sweet! How's he doing?"
Hamner: "He seems to have a thing for you."
O'Neill: "Yeah, well, you know..."
Hamner: "In fact, I am to issue you an emergency special agent credential. He's put you in charge of this operation."
O'Neill: "Excellent. My first order of business--get me one of those cool jackets. Extra large. Double XL if you've got it."O'Neill: "Comprehend?"
Carter: "So Daniel, you feel pretty certain that if we get caught he'll turn us into one of those zombies instead of try to kill us?"
Daniel: "Well, we're more valuable to him that way."
Carter: "Why? How do you think he'll use us?"
Daniel: "Well, historically he used women as a harem. They catered to his every whim and as a result they were well cared for."
Carter: "Wonderful."
Daniel: "And the men outside the main court were used mainly as warriors and guards protecting the compound, pretty much doing his bidding."
O'Neill: "Dare I ask about the men inside the compound?"
Daniel: "They were turned into eunuchs."
O'Neill: "Eunuchs as in snippedy-doo-dah? Sweet."O'Neill: "Daniel?"
Daniel: "What?"
O'Neill: "Now what?"
Daniel: "Why are you asking me?"
Carter: "Well you knew there'd be tunnels."
Daniel: "Well, in the digs there were stairs leading up to the main structure." They're surrounded by Goa'uld rings and transported to the upper level.O'Neill, after the ride through the rings only to find himself being stared at by Seth: "I hate when that happens."
Seth: "Welcome. Who are you?"
O'Neill: "Well I'm Larry, this is Moe" (he points to Carter, then finally to Daniel), "and of course, everybody's favorite, Curly."O'Neill: "So help me if I wake up and I'm singing soprano...."
Jason: "I found out from his college roommate 'cause Tommy and me hadn't been talking for something like six months when they sucked him in."
Teal'c: "I do not understand. How could a father not speak to his son for so long a time?"
Jason: "Yeah, that' the funny thing about it. I don't even remember why. Obviously something pretty stupid in the scheme of things. I'll get out of your hair."
Teal'c, to Jacob: "Do human parents not love their children unconditionally?"
Jacob: "Well, sometimes things get complicated."
Teal'c: "Many things are complicated, General Carter. In Jaffa society, loving one's children is not one of them."
Jacob: "In human society, sometimes it is."Cult members: "Seth is life. Seth is happiness. Seth is almighty."
Seth: "How dare you challenge the power that is Seth?"
Carter, when Jacob is hit by a blast from Seth's hand device: "Dad!"
Selmak: "Your father will survive." She gives Carter the Goa'uld device. "Stop Seth."
Carter: "How? I can't control this."
Selmak: "You have the will within you. You must summon it."Daniel, to Carter about Seth: "You killed him."
O'Neill: "Hail Dorothy."
Into the Fire Fair Game
