Previous: 1.03 "The Enemy Within"

Hey, let's talk gender politics.

Sam's portrayal in this episode is 100% a product of the Strong Female Character™, by which I mean she's a woman doing "man stuff." This is a pretty common trend in 90s feminism, characterizing women as being "as good as" men and male coding themselves rather than including their gender as part of their greatness. Even Sam is buying into this lightweight feminism, telling Turghan, "I am a warrior and a scholar. I do the work of men." This is a repeat of her standing up to the boys during her introduction, shooting off to Kawalsky, "I played with dolls when I was a kid," and of course the infamous "reproductive organs on the inside" line. All of this combines to create a character who seems to reject her gender, possibly because for her whole life she's been told that who she is as it relates to her gender is "wrong." (No, I'm not overly identifying, what?)

This episode might be the first step in her discovering that "women's work" is not lesser work, that learning how to cook, weave, and dye isn't inferior to doing the work of a warrior or a scholar. Turghan tells her, "The spirits have brought you here to teach you how to be a woman," and while he said that as an utter asshole, I think this episode is the first in Sam's character growth of embracing her gender. (The next major moment that challenges her preconceptions comes after blending with Jolinar and incorporating Jolinar's experiences of being gender fluid, thus expanding Sam's mind about gender presentation and what that means.)

While the sexism in SG-1 is sometimes frustrating, Sam's journey is actually more progressive than I've ever given it credit for being.


A few last notes of significance:

• This is Daniel's first "incredible opportunity to study an ancient culture up close." Daniel, I love you, you nerd.


• I love that everyone fully backs Daniel's bluff that Sam is their chieftain. No one even bats an eyelash.


• It's very clear that SOP for SG teams is based on the repeated gaffs and near catastrophic events caused by SG-1 in their first year of operation—in this episode: kidnapping mostly as a result of not using the buddy system.

Quote of the Week:

Teal'c: What is an Oprah?

( Episode Stats )

Next up: 1.05 The Broca Divide