I cannot say I was bored while watching this episode, mostly because the alchemy between Vala and Daniel is still great: she drives him completely insane but he gets her better than she does. Even though she is still very far from becoming a SG member, she clearly is too good to lose --at least from a scriptwriter's point of view. This is a good thing, considering that we're still (sorely) missing Carter, and that Teal'c only makes random appearances at SGC --leaving us with a rather problematic case of Where's My Series Again?
The problem with this episode is that, even though Vala's antics and fibs ARE entertaining, this is about all the plot has to offer. There is little character development and almost no action to speak of, so we're left watching people lie and barter for about 3/4 of the episode. The team spends days hunting for a Thingummy that will lead them to a Trinket which is in turn necessary to obtain a piece of Stuff. Just add a small victorious jingle as each Quest is finished, and you have yourself a very nice old-school adventure game instead of a SG-1 episode. And let me say, the conclusion does not improve that feeling of uselessness.
So while the dialogue is interesting and continues to develop Vala's character and relationships, there is little to say about the rest. Really, the series is taking its sweet time finding its pace again. The only thing that feels sadly familiar, unfortunately, is SG-C's continued problems with financing and the IOA, but that part is barely touched upon.
The problem with this episode is that, even though Vala's antics and fibs ARE entertaining, this is about all the plot has to offer. There is little character development and almost no action to speak of, so we're left watching people lie and barter for about 3/4 of the episode. The team spends days hunting for a Thingummy that will lead them to a Trinket which is in turn necessary to obtain a piece of Stuff. Just add a small victorious jingle as each Quest is finished, and you have yourself a very nice old-school adventure game instead of a SG-1 episode. And let me say, the conclusion does not improve that feeling of uselessness.
So while the dialogue is interesting and continues to develop Vala's character and relationships, there is little to say about the rest. Really, the series is taking its sweet time finding its pace again. The only thing that feels sadly familiar, unfortunately, is SG-C's continued problems with financing and the IOA, but that part is barely touched upon.
