“Someone duplicated the duplicators?”
- Release Date: 18th December 2002
- Season 6
- Episode 14
- Director: Peter DeLuise
- Writers: Katharyn Powers, Joseph Mallozzi & Paul Mullie
We open with an assassin in a building assembling a sniper rifle. His target appears to be Senator Kinsey, who has just finished giving a speech. The assassin shoots and hits Kinsey, packing up his rifle and taking it with him. We see him as he exits the building – it’s Jack O’Niell. We cut to the SGC a few days later, with Jack returning from a vacation, seeming surprised about the news that Kinsey is dead. Hammond enters with a few guards, they have orders to arrest Jack on suspicion of the assassination – Jack pleads guilty and Hammond believes him, but they still have to do this properly.
The rest of SG-1 have a briefing with Hammond and Major Davies. Jack was seen on CCTV at the hotel where the shot came from, and the gun was found in a lake near his house – with a neighbour witnessing him throw it in. They discuss the bad blood between Jack and Kinsey, with Carter informing Jonas that the NID, under Kinsey, threatened Hammond’s kids until Jack found a way to blackmail him. And with Kinsey reluctantly on their side, it makes no sense for Jack to kill him – but this is information that can’t be presented to a civilian court. Even the president can’t just step in and solve things. Hammond isn’t bound by politics, however, so he gets SG-1 to try and figure out what has happened.
Jonas and Teal’c let Jack know about the evidence, but he has no clue – he was fishing at home. Unfortunately, this means he was nowhere near anyone else who could provide an alibi. Teal’c thinks that this was planned specifically for when Jack would be alone. Back at SGC, Carter confirmed that the footage is genuine and Teal’c brings up that they have encountered technology which can mimic other people. Hammond informs Jonas that a race nearly took over SGC using mimic devices, and they kept it off the records. However, the leftover devices are at Area 51 for study.
Carter studies the devices at Area 51 then meets up with the others and Jack at the prison. She informs them that the devices there are all fake and the real ones are missing. They now have a solid reason to doubt the footage, but there’s still the issue that “alien technology” isn’t evidence they can submit to court. Returning to SGC, Carter explains that the scanner is still at Area 51, so the devices are limited to mimicking the 12 people they were originally used for, including Jack, Dr. Fraiser and Daniel. Carter asks Jonas and Teal’c to look over the personnel files of everyone that had access to the devices, while she heads to Washington, although it doesn’t take long to find a scientist that supposedly died a few weeks earlier.
In Washington, Carter visits Agent Barrett of the NID, indicating that perhaps the NID had something to do with it, like how their members stole the Prometheus, which he blames on “rogue agents”. Whilst dismissing any involvement from the NID, he hands Carter a note to meet him at a nearby park. At the part, Barrett explains that his office is bugged and that there’s still a shadow organisation using the NID. Barrett explains that the President gave him a direct order to investigate it, and that Kinsey was about to reveal a ton of information to him. So few people know about the mission that it’s a risk for him to talk about it with Carter. She then claims that she knows Jack is innocent just because she’s worked with him for so long – keeping the mimic devices a secret.
Jonas has a briefing to reveal his findings, pointing out that the scientists at Area 51 could get the technology to work for new people, but only for a few minutes at a time. He also points out that the dead scientist’s dental records were falsified and he probably isn’t dead, so they need to find him. Barrett takes Carter to a warehouse, which is a place that sells illegal weapons, and they are allowed to do so as they provide the NID with information. The murder weapon was indeed purchased there – by someone that looks like Jack – but he also handled another weapon without gloves. Carter, realising how these people operate, buys it. They find two sets of prints – one will belong to the dealers, but the other (which is not Jack’s) is likely the real killer. Carter asks Barrett to check it against NID records, who reluctantly does so. He finds a match with an NID agent called Devlin.
Jonas and Teal’c track down the scientist, with Teal’c mentioning that Daniel Jackson taught him to drive in 1969. They knock on a door, but it’s not the scientist that answers. As they walk away, Jonas realises that he looks just like an airman from SGC (why didn’t they get a list and photos of the 12 compromised people?). They manage to stop him from running away, taking him back to the SGC. Hammond urges the importance that the scientist has rights, but Teal’c has a plan. He sits down and stares at him. The scientist flutters, tries to deny it then says he’ll tell them everything, including the names of a group called The Committee, and they can send him to a safe place off world.
Carter and Berrett reach Devlin’s house, but find it rigged to explode, narrowly escaping, with Barrett jumping on top of Carter and having an uncomfortable moment (for Carter and the viewers). Back at Carter’s hotel room, Barrett accuses Stargate Command of a leak, but Carter says she trusts her team. Hammond contacts her and lets her know that they have the names. She decides to tell him the truth about the devices, but Barrett doesn’t think the testimony of one scientist is enough. He then reveals that Senator Kinsey is alive and currently under guard. He gets word that Major Davies is on route to the hospital, and Carter points out that he’s one of the people who can be copied.
We cut to Devlin speaking to members of the committee (one fun fact: one of the committee members is played by Dale Wilson, who voiced Gus Bonner in Stargate Infinity) as he confirms his kill of Senator Kinsey, and it’s cut with flashbacks of Devlin (disguised as Davies) trying to get through the hospital, despite a fire alarm messing with his plans. They instruct him to pay General Hammond a visit and if he chooses to not retire, kill him. Devlin then turns into Carter – she was using the mimic device (they said they could use it for a few minutes) and Barrett comes in to arrest everyone.
We cut to Jack and Kinsey, who has now recovered. Kinsey wants Jack to shake his hand on the news, which will help verify his innocence, and Kinsey gets a great political boost from the situation. Kinsey addresses the public, saying he put the scheme in place to track down and expose these people that had infected the government, but all is now good. He exonerates Jack by indicating that any evidence was part of the plan. He leans to Jack and confidently thanks Jack for helping him win the election.
It’s another well-done Earth centric episode and it’s nice to see Carter in charge of the investigation. I also like that the shadowy organisation wasn’t out of just being evil, but just pure greed – a group of businessmen funnelling alien technology into their products.
