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stargatefan.com : episodes > season 2 > next episode: show and tell

The wormhole engages at the SGC as a UAV is being prepared to fly into it, to conduct a reconn mission to PJ2-445 - a follow-up to sg-1's short range mission of the prior day. Sam confirms that the ATR (Automatic Terrain Radar System) is functioning and should enable more long-range reconn in the future. "Cool!" is Colonel O'Neill's reaction.

Problems develop with the controls of the UAV, and Sam switches to manual control. The signal is lost and it crashes - apparently into a large plant. "We didn't need that UAV, did we sir?" Jack asks Hammond hesitantly.

Realizing the Colonel really doesn't want to go trekking around the planet retrieving the UAV, Sam winces and responds "Uh... I need the flight recorder, sir, to see why the controls failed!" They all realize it will be about a 10 mile walk each way. As the signal from the on board camera is once again recovered, they observe a small, bald, mottled-white skinned "alien" peering into the UAV video camera, and then he moves away. So! There are life forms on PJ2-445! The camera then shows the UAV is being dragged away, presumably by these beings.

SG-1 exits the Gate on PJ2445, as Daniel comments, "Déjà vu!"

Teal'c tells him, "I am unfamiliar with that term."

"Uh, it means, it feels like I've been here before," Daniel explains.

"That is correct, Daniel Jackson, yesterday, when we first arrived on this planet!" Teal'c answers somewhat impatiently.

"Right! What was I thinking!" Daniel shoots back sarcastically. Then he begins to have sneezing fits.

Daniel: "You know, I thought the alien on the video looked fairly docile. More curious than harmful."
O'Neill: "I thought he looked bald, white, and naked."

As they continue on, Teal'c ponders, "As it is their planet, it is not we who are the aliens?"

"Actually, the word alien refers to anything characteristic of a very different place or culture - anything really strange relative from our own perspective," Daniel clarifies.

"You think we call you alien because you're from Chulak? Ha!" Jack jokes. They continue on.

Arriving at the injured plant, they take samples and Daniel continues to sneeze. They follow the drag marks of the UAV. Finally they see mud hut dwellings. Sam notices one of the aliens peeking at them from behind a bush not far away, and grabs Daniel's arm. He reacts silently as well, and tries to tug on Jack's elbow - as Jack continues to look at the dwellings through his field glasses. Finally, he reacts and looks over. Daniel waves and says, "Hi!" The alien runs away making a high-pitched trilling sound, toward the dwellings.

SG-1 cautiously approaches the aliens, who gather around them - staring. They mimic hand and body motions as well as mouth movements, but seem unable to speak. Jackson suggests smiling and the aliens smile back.

Jack is uncomfortable; "This is bizarre!"

Daniel (to approaching alien): "Hi!" (Alien being runs away while wailing a high-pitched sound) "...Well, I guess that was the wrong thing to say."

The aliens close in the circle, trying to touch the team. "Uh, Daniel..." Sam expresses concern.

"Keep smiling, don't move!" Daniel confidently instructs.

Teal'c frowns, "I am not fond of this!"

Jack concurs, "Me neither!"

"They just want to see what we feel like!" Daniel happily explains. "Oh... hey! WAIT!!!"

"What?" Jack asks.

"One of them got my knife!" Daniel says sheepishly.

"I got it!" Sam offers as she locates a smaller alien with the knife in hand. "That's not for you, it's very dangerous!" she states as she reaches for the knife. He offers it back to her, blade first - just as Daniel sneezes loudly causing the alien to pull back startled, and the knife blade cuts Sam's hand. All the aliens back away now, as Daniel tries to explain that it was just a sneeze.

Daniel attempts to communicate again, going into one of the huts alone. One of the aliens is applying white paint to another's face. Daniel sits near them and points to himself, "Daniel."

They point to themselves and move their lips. "You don't speak at all, do you?" Daniel half asks, half comments. He tries drawing a stick figure of a person in the dirt and they join him drawing lines and Xs. He takes off his glasses, and they paint his face with white lines, "Thank you!" he responds.

Outside, the others wait. "Ya gotta wonder what they're talkin about in there!" Jack thinks out loud.

The scene shifts to Daniel inside the hut, "flying" about in circles with his arms outstretched, making airplane noises, finally coming to rest on the ground. There is no apparent reaction from the aliens, so he rejoins SG-1. "Well, they're not naked. They're covered with something... some kind of body paint that hardens into a second skin when it dries. One of the strangest cultures I've ever seen! They're communal, but there's very little sign of social communication. No tools or signs of a functional civilization."

"So, they're a little less evolved than we are," Jack sums things up.

Daniel cautions, "We don't want to jump to any conclusions... remember the Nox!"

"And they did build these... homes..." Sam adds.

"That's a kind appraisal!" Jack quips. "What about the UAV?"

"Well, I've tried everything I know about rudimentary communication. To be honest with you, I've had more successful communication with dogs!" Daniel says in despair.

Jack knows he's right now, "So?"

"So, they're probably a little less evolved than we are," Daniel reluctantly agrees.

Suddenly, the aliens appear carrying the damaged UAV. Daniel jumps up, "Yes! Yes the... the..." he puts his arms out to his side once again like wings, "This is a major breakthrough!" One of the aliens is wiping a black substance from the UAV off of his hand. Daniel sneezes yet again, stating "I'm sorry, this is nothing to worry about!" Just then, one of the aliens collapses on the ground. Daniel continues, "Of course, I could be wrong!"

Sam can't find a pulse, but doesn't know if that means anything, as the alien is still apparently breathing. "I really hope this isn't because I sneezed on him!" Daniel worries.

Teal'c observes, "This one appeared to have lubricant from the UAV on his hands. Perhaps that is what has made him ill."

"It could be their national past time for all we know! Maybe they have low blood sugar..." Jack is interrupted as the entire village begins "singing", trilling in high pitches, mouths open. More of the aliens collapse.

The team begins to debate what to do. "O'Neill, should we not leave now?" Teal'c advises.

Daniel is shocked, "What?"

"Our presence here might make more of them ill," Teal'c explains.

Sam concurs, "I was wondering the same thing, Daniel. What if we're what's causing this?"

Daniel is quite upset, "Look at them! I don't think they know what's happening, much less now to help themselves!"

Jack does a reality check, "Hey! We don't even know what's happening, much less now to help them!"

More collapse, as Daniel ruefully comments, "Well, whatever it is, it's turning into an epidemic."

Three members of a medical team from SGC come through the Gate in full hazard gear, Doctor Frasier's voice is heard "Now THIS is a house call!"

Sam apprises the Doctor of the situation, "We're up to 14 afflicted... they double over in pain, and then pass out and remain unconscious."

Jack tells her, "The UAV ran into the plant thing I showed you."

Daniel adds, "I've been sneezing like crazy ever since we got here."

"I cut my hand and one of the aliens could've come in contact with my blood," Sam offers.

Finally Teal'c says, "One of the aliens had lubricant from the UAV on his hands."

Frasier concludes, "Fact is, it could be somebody's after shave!" She wants to bring one of the aliens back to SGC for more extensive tests. Carter and Frasier return to the SGC, while Jackson, O'Neill and Teal'c remain behind. Jack and Teal'c walk to some neighboring villages to check on possible spread of the disease. Jack is obviously not feeling well, he's weak and is having bad headaches.

At the SGC, Dr. Frasier is not having much success. As she prepares to do an ultrasound, the alien shrieks in fear or pain. She opts for an MRI. She really can't determine what is "normal" but discovers an odd organ for which she can't determine a function.

Daniel is wandering about the village, when he sees one of the aliens next to a tall mushroom-like plant. As he approaches, the plant retracts back into the ground! He can't get it to repeat itself. Just then, Jack and Teal'c return.

"What's up?" Jack asks.

"The plant... or at least it was," Daniel answers honestly.

"What?" Jack asks again.

"It had grown to over six feet tall, and when I came up to it... it just shrank back into the ground!" Daniel continues to stare at the small white mushroom caps on the ground.

"Witness if you will... squat!" Jack disgustedly comments.

Teal'c tells Daniel, "Many aliens in nearby villages are ill."

Daniel is more distressed now, "OK, what are we gonna do?"

"How should I know?" Jack quips.

"Well, we need to do SOMETHING!" Daniel's frustration is growing.

"I agree with you, but I haven't had the brilliant revelations you seem to have had," Jack sneers motioning toward the plant.

"Well, maybe you could try coming up with something a little bit better than inappropriate sarcasm!" Daniel indignantly comments.

Jack is angry now, "You want sarcasm?... Nice to meet ya!"

An alien approaches and tries smiling at the two men nervously. Teal'c stands between Jack and Daniel, "He appears to be bothered by the tone you have taken towards each other, as have I!"

Jack slips back into commander mode, "Teal'c, head back to the Gate. Get a message to Hammond, let him know what's goin on here."

"And the two of you will be fine?" Teal'c asks hesitantly.

"Ya... ya... we'll be OK. I'm gonna stick around and work on this quarantine thing with plant boy here..." he abruptly stops and looks at Daniel who simply glares back at him.

Hammond is seen talking with Dr. Frasier and Captain Carter, "I just got a report from Teal'c. The sick now number over 100, and that's only among the aliens that they could count! The disease is not confined to the one village."

Frasier isn't certain how long she can keep the alien at the SGC alive.

"The unfortunate reality is, that this scenario was not totally unexpected," Hammond tells them. Then he implies they should leave as there is not enough time or resources to solve the problem. Frasier reminds him that she didn't say the situation was hopeless.

Sam feels she must speak up, "Sir, we can't just keep trampling through the galaxy with no regard for the damage that we can do!" The women tell the General they need more time.

"How much time you've got is not up to me... You said it yourselves.. .they're dying!" Hammond concludes.

Jack is having a tough time trying to keep the well aliens quarantined from the sick ones, he turns to Daniel, "Why aren't you helping me?"

"Oh, it's no use," Daniel comments. "They don't understand. They want to be with each other."

"Well, we're not gonna stand around doing nothing," Jack quickly responds.

"We're not doing nothing," Daniel says.

Jack answers in a frustrated tone, "You're videotaping a PLANT!"

Not reacting to Jack, Daniel calmly responds, "I think this might be important."

Jack is on a tear now and won't be deflected, "I think you might be losing what's left of your mind!"

Daniel: "What's that supposed to mean?"
O'Neill: "It means that on a good day you can be a little flaky."
Daniel: "And on a good day you can be a little ignorant and condescending."
O'Neill: "Not condescending. You're obviously misreading a basic philosophical difference of opinion on how to handle a crisis."
Daniel: "Oh, please, we have a difference of opinion on just about everything."
O'Neill: "Give me an example."
Daniel: "I don't know, pick something! H-how about mythology?"
O'Neill: "Rumors, lies, fairy tales."
Daniel: "See see see see see see see? Mythology is one of the primary motivations for cultural development!"
O'Neill: "Maybe it is! What does it have to do with filming a plant?!"
Daniel: "Exactly!"
O'Neill: "What does that mean?!"
Daniel: "I don't know!!! (They pause, staring at each other.)

Hesitantly, Jack asks, "OK... what was that?"

With a confused look, Daniel answers, "I don't know.. I don't feel so good. Maybe we're getting whatever they have..."

Another alien collapses as he says this. They carry him into a hut and sit down, in obvious discomfort.

"Getting worse?" Daniel asks Jack with true concern.

Jack is rubbing the back of his head, "Ya, kinda." They return to the SGC to get examined and they leave Teal'c to supervise things and keep watch on the video camera.

Daniel: "Can you do me a favor? Could you keep an eye on this plant thing for me?"
Teal'c: "I will keep both of my eyes on it, Daniel Jackson."

As they exit the Gate at the SGC, they instantly begin to feel better!

Now they are seen sitting uncomfortably, waiting for test results in the infirmary. Each is fidgeting, eyes downcast.

Jack begins "Listen... ahhh... umm..."

Daniel interrupts, "No, no... Sorry... you were..."

"It's just that... ahh... well... you know..." Jack eloquently continues.

Still they avoid looking at each other, "Uh... no... I know... I know... You know that I'd..." Daniel fumbles for words.

"I know!... It's obvious there's something..." Jack begins.

"Something wrong with us." Daniel finishes.

At that precise moment, Dr. Frasier enters with her medical opinion, "Well, there's nothing wrong with you!" To which the two respond, "What?" and "Huh?"

Frasier is paged to critical care and the two remain fidgeting on the exam table. The alien is flatlining.

Back on the planet, Teal'c sees the plants grow and shrink. He also discovers they are interconnected under the ground. He sticks his hands into some green gooey sap, then holds his ears and collapses in pain on the ground.

Daniel observes the suffering alien at SGC and is very distressed, "If he's gonna die, shouldn't we at least let him be with his own kind?" He heads for his office and Jack finds him there rewatching plant videos.

"What are you lookin for?" Jack asks him.

"I don't know, something... anything," Daniel answers absently.

"Daniel, we can't always expect things to go the way we want them to," Jack tries to make him feel better.

"The way we want them to? I mean one wrong move... one false step and a whole fragile world gets wiped out!" Daniel wipes all the papers and tapes onto the floor in frustration, "We are KILLING a whole race of people here! How can I not care?" Daniel freezes a moment and sways a bit.

"What?" Jack asks.

"My head hurts again," Daniel states.

Dr. Frasier examines him, "Your pupils look fine."

"It's the strangest thing, I feel fine... again," Daniel puzzles.

"OK, when did this start?" Janet asks.

"Well, it was probably when I was watching the... excuse me..." Daniel leaves the room abruptly, obviously on to something.

Back in his office, with Sam in tow he states, "There has to be something the camera recorded, something we can't see."

"Or hear... give me the tape!" Sam states excitedly. She analyzes the tape and finds sounds in the long amplitude range, playing them so they are now audible.

"It's kind of annoying!" Jack comments. Sam agrees with a nod. "Why don't you turn it down?" Jack suggests.

Dr. Frasier tells them it's more than simply annoying, it could be responsible for the symptoms they've been describing, headaches, nausea, severe irritability. Teal'c returns and tells them what he has discovered about the plants. They put all the information together and as General Hammond sums it up.

Hammond: "So, this inaudible sound is what was making you sick... but not in the same way it was affecting the aliens? It is a sound the aliens need to live, but we altered it by harming the organism that makes the sound?"
O'Neill: "Sounds right."

As they play an unaltered tape of the planet's sounds prior to the UAV crash, the alien revives and "sings" briefly.

Back once again on the planet, Sam is setting up sound emitters. The team then observes from a distance. SG-1 waves, and the aliens wave back.

The aliens begin to sing, and the plants begin to grow and blossom.

Sam comments, "I had a feeling there was a symbiotic relationship between the aliens and the plants... they probably don't even realize it!"

"Then how did you realize it?" Daniel asks.

"Captain?" Jack prods, as she is reluctant to respond.

With a shrug she finally answers, "I talk to my plants... kay?"

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