“Though a candle burns in my house, there’s nobody home.”
- Release Date: 19th July 2002
- Season 6
- Episode 6
- Director: Martin Wood
- Writers: Brad Wright
We see a Tok’ra and a woman fleeing from some Jaffa, with the Tok’ra telling her to hide until the Stargate is active. As he dials the DHD, he gets shot by a staff weapon and collapses. The symbiote leaves the body, and the host slumps to the ground. When a Jaffa turns over the body, we see that it is Jack. We cut to Jack being revived in a sarcophagus with a Jaffa telling his master that the host lives.
At Stargate Command, the Tok’ra visit to let them know that Jack is missing – apparently he just got up and walked off in the middle of the night. When discussing what might have happened, the Tok’ra representative, Thoran, suggests Jack’s hatred of blending might have something to do with it, but Fraiser points out that while the symbiote can take control, the host can’t force control. Thoran says he trusts the symbiote – Kanan – and that he would never do such a thing.
We see Jack in a strange torture room, stuck to a strange grid on the wall. Ba’al introduces himself and hurls a knife into Jack. Jack tells him who he is, but Ba’al isn’t interested in the host, only what he knows about the symbiote. Jack says he doesn’t remember anything, and the last thing he knows is that he was sick and dying. Ba’al asks about his slave (the one Jack was running off with). When Jack refuses, Ba’al tells him that he’ll help on dying and being revived until he gets an answer.
Jack gets thrown into a really good gravity cell where he ends up standing on the back wall. He sees the woman he tried to rescue them gets interrupted by… Daniel Jackson. After Jack throws a shoe through him, Daniel explains that he’s real, it’s just that his energy is here, as he no longer has a physical body since ascending. Jack asks for help escaping, but Daniel says he can’t – while he has all sorts of magical powers, he can’t interfere.
Daniel asks Jack what it’s all about and Jack says he doesn’t know. Daniel points out that absolutely nobody knows where Jack is, and even if they did, the place is too well fortified. Jack isn’t exactly pleased with this news, or with Daniel not helping, but Daniel does say he can help with one thing: he can help Jack ascend. Jack isn’t exactly happy with this idea and asks Daniel for some recon or a zat. When guards come, Daniel vanishes.
Thoran tells them of Kanan’s last mission, but there was nothing unfinished, and that it will take months to hear back from anyone on his other recent missions. Carter asks for his mission reports but gets denied. When Thoran tries to leave, he gets stopped. Hammond won’t let him return until he gets the reports, as indicated by part of their treaty. Thoran mentions that relations between their people might be damaged, but Hammond calls his bluff, so Thoran says he’ll send a request for the reports. Looking through them, Joana suggests it must be a personal reason as there’s nothing really unfinished.
Ba’al tortures Jack with some kind of super acid, which is designed for immense pain without causing too much damage. After a bit of torture, Jack eventually gives the name Kanan. Ba’al uses another liquid to stop the pain, and sends Jack back into the cell, to show thet revealing stuff gets him a relief.
Daniel visits Jack again and talks more about how he wishes he could help but can’t. He mentions how the sarcophagus will destroy who he is, so ascension will need to happen before he loses his soul. Jack doesn’t think he can do it, so Daniel mentions that the Asgard wouldn’t name a ship after him if they didn’t see something special in him. Jack thinks that Carter, Teal’c and Jonas will figure it out, but Daniel doubts it. As the guards approach, he tells Daniel that he can make this time the last time.
Looking at the reports, Carter gets an idea. There was a mission where Kanan mapped out a secret base that Ba’al was using for research (unknown to the other Gou’ald). Kanan used Ba’al’s personal slave for this information. She thinks he went back for her. When Teal’c points out that the Tor’ra are fine with sacrifices like this, Carter says Kanan would have been confronted with Jack’s sense of honour and unwillingness to leave someone behind.
Jack gets another vision of the slave, which gets interrupted by Ba’al, as it’s time for another torture session. He asks more questions, with Jack saying he doesn’t know. Ba’al says he believes him, but that the torture will help bring left behind memories to the surface. So there’s no escape for Jack. He gets revived again and placed in his cell.
Hammond and Thoran are told of where SG-1 think Jack is, but they both say the fortress is too well guarded, especially for a large force. Carter suggests a small team, but Hammond isn’t willing to put more lives at risk. Later, when Teal’c is meditating, there’s a stance presence in the cell and he wakes up, he goes to Hammond and suggests they could get another Gou’ald to attack the base. They give the information to Lord Yu, much to the dismay of the Tok’ra. They expect Lord Yu to attack, which will give Jack a chance to escape.
Ba’al tortures Jack yet again, but gets nothing. When he hears Jack mutter Daniel’s name, Ba’al thinks he’s lost his mind, so time for another revival. Daniel finally turns up again, saying he had something to do (I don’t think it’s a coincidence that he vanished when Teal’c had an idea during meditation). Jack tells Daniel that he can’t cope with more, and that he’ll tell Ba’al that Kanan loved his slave, which would lead to her torture. Daniel tells him to hold him a little longer – Jack was right, there’s always a way out, and that Sam, Teal’c and Jonas thought of something. The power goes off and Daniel says it’s time before vanishing.
Jack takes out a nearby guard and takes his weapon, finding his way to the slave and taking her way with him. As this episode focused so much on the character development, we don’t get to see any more of the escape, as we cut to Jack in the infirmary. The slave, who is finally given the name Shallan, has stayed with the Tok’ra to continue Kanan’s mission.
Jack asks Carter for some water and while she’s away, Daniel appears to tell Jack he’s going to be ok, and that Jack will just have to trust him on that – which Jack can do. Carter hands him the water and leaves, with Jack thanking her and then thanking Daniel (who vanished when Carter returned).
It’s lovely seeing Daniel return, especially to help Jack, considering their constant disagreements. It once again shows that they respect each other’s differences and trust each other. Also, it’s great to see Ba’al get a bit more to do, he’s an intriguing Gou’ald.
