1x18 Solitudes

A classic stranded-and-hoping-for-rescue episode, with a nice mystery twist. I love the way this plays out, especially the stuff back at the SGC. The Jack/Sam stuff is fine - and I'm sure it triggered a huge amount of shipping among fans - but can begin to drag in parts. The dialogue is so quiet and slow which gets in the way of some good character stuff. It's the search that's that really interesting part, especially Daniel's efforts.

• General Hammond is becoming warmer by this point, and Don S. Davis was just the best in this role. I love the way he gets caught up in Daniel's enthusiasm once they begin to figure things out.
• In fact, Daniel is the most important part of this by far. He figures out everything by himself. I loved it when they really let him use his brain.
• And on the other end, Carter gets to show her smarts too. She and Daniel are really in sync even when apart.
• First appearance of Siler! Although he doesn't get injured in this one, something that will become a running joke. He also flips around the classic Star Trek routine of an engineer being able to effect repairs far quicker than their estimates by saying no, can't be done.
• The comedy is improving! It's maybe not laugh-out-loud at this point, but definitely elicits some good chuckles.
• The reveal of where Jack and Sam are, and the second Stargate, is fantastic. It opens up a lot of new potential storytelling.