By Jonathan Klotz
| Published
Stargate SG-1 sent the crew to the far corners of the universe and pitted them against deadly foes who inspired myths and legends throughout Earth’s history, but at the same time, it also included the villainous Doug in one of the show’s strangest, but most satisfying episodes. In “Affinity,” the seventh episode of Season 8, Teal’c (Christopher Judge) is living away from Stargate Command and attempting to assimilate into human life, with mixed results. Turns out, Teal’c becomes a magnet for crime, and though Stargate Command wants him to keep a low profile, he makes the choice to do what’s morally right instead and stops a robber with a perfectly placed high-velocity avocado.
Life Away From Stargate Command
After Teal’c steps in to stop a fight near his apartment, Dr. Daniel Jackson (Michael Shanks) pays him a visit, and proves that in addition to being a genius archaeologist, he’s a fantastic wingman by playing along when Teal’c’s neighbor, Krista (Erica Durance) drops in. Jackson goes from advising the Jaffa warrior to keep a low profile to letting the two go off alone. It’s his teenage neighbor, Eric, who shows Teal’c’s true character, and Stargate proves it’s never been a normal franchise when the thrown avocado lands perfectly on a fleeing robber’s head in time to the dramatic background score.
Stargate SG-1 writer and director Peter DeLuise frames the avocado shot perfectly, first, with Eric asking why Teal’c is going to let the robber get away while the alien warrior tries to stick to his promise of non-intervention. Yet, with great power comes great responsibility, and to the delight of the neighborhood, Teal’c knocks the thief down, making it look easy, and is dubbed “T-Money” by Eric. Fans of the series knew of the warrior’s stoic demeanor and strong sense fo honor, so it’s no surprise he can’t sit on the sidelines when there’s injustice taking place right in front of him.
That combination comes into play later when Teal’c learns Krista is being abused by her boyfriend, Doug (Derek Hamilton), setting off a chain of events that ends with Krista and Teal’c sharing a romantic kiss and Doug winding up dead in her apartment. The entire plotline of Teal’c being framed for murder serves to introduce The Trust, a terrorist group involved with the Goa’uld, as Stargate SG-1 manages to work in a plot point that comes into play throughout the rest of the series but remains overshadowed by an avocado. In fact, the episode could have been a simple series of slice-of-life scenes between Krista and Teal’c and still be incredibly entertaining.
Stargate SG-1 Could Have Used More Earth Stories
By the time “Affinity” aired in Season 8, Stargate SG-1 had transformed from the “planet of the week” format to a more cohesive series with characters that the audience wanted to spend time with and episodes focused on their personal lives away from the military base became immediate fan favorites, even without avocado tossing. When Eric goes to show off his new skateboard design to Teal’c, of course, it’s his golden Jaffa mark, the symbol of his position under Apophis, but to the human Eric, it’s simply a cool tattoo. Seeing Chrisopher Judge get across the mixed emotions Teal’c feels in that moment brings forward all of the feelings and history from every season, every battle against the Goa’uld, and yet he recognizes the gesture as the warm and supportive one it was meant as.
“Affinity” is a glimpse at what Stargate SG-1 could have been, with more Earth-centric episodes focused on the daily lives of the team, but with a touch of the off-kilter humor that ran through the series, than again, Stargate Universe was a drama without any avocado toss, and it only lasted two seasons. The amazing ability to balance off-world adventures, high-concept science fiction, and character-driven stories is what makes the first series the best of the franchise. When given the ball, Christopher Judge ran wth it, turning this off-beat late series episode into a fan favorite, and above all else, proving that Teal’c is the man.
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