Lets take a look at Season 8 as we near the end of the series!

Stargate SG1: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (Season 1)

Stargate SG1: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (Season 2)

Stargate SG1: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (Season 3)

Stargate SG1: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (Season 4)

Stargate SG1: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (Season 5)

Stargate SG1: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (Season 6)

Stargate SG1: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (Season 7)

Season 8 is the beginning of a major transformation in SG1 as some of the cast members start taking time off from the series. The emergence of the Atlantis spin off series was also an unwelcome distraction as viewers finally get to see the elusive "lost city" from the previous season. In a pleasant surprise, the vast majority of episodes in this season are great and really progress the main story lines which ends in a somewhat interesting finale which (for once) does not leave the audience hanging. In my personal view, Season 8 is the last of the truly classical seasons with widespread changes in season 9 which unnecessarily prolong the series. I would have been happy if SG1 finished after this season as everything is tied up nicely towards the tail end of the season.

SEASON 8

The Good - Reckoning: Parts 1 & 2 - Episodes 16 and 17 - Well it had to happen eventually. The threat of the Goau'ld had been around for over 7 years and the tension with the replicators had been built up nicely from the start of the season. The producers did an awesome job of finally seeing the two main enemies clash in a banging finale. The cross link with Dakara and the Ancients/Goa'uld was a fantastic surprise and a fitting place for the final battle. The CGI in the battle over Dakara is almost overwhelming considering The main cast really shine in their unique traits and are ably supported by Jacob Carter and the ever lovable Ba'al. In my opinion, these episodes should have swapped with Moebius as the finale for this season but beggars cant be choosers.

The Bad - Full Alert - Episode 14 - A real toss up between this one and Affinity. A very confusing episode with accelerated timelines and not much action. The episode is supposed to highlight how close we actually came to a war with the Russians but the tension cannot be felt. This is the final hurrah for Kinsey but I was disappointed in the way he was phased out (especially given how much of a PITA he has been). Once again, this episode highlights the "all normal, nothing to see here" nature of tying up storylines which is highly annoying.

The Ugly - Icon - Episode 5 - Once again a very difficult decision as there arent very many unpolished episodes in this season. I think given the experience that SG1 now has with warring factions on other planets, I was surprised they were not able to peacefully talk their way out of the situation on Tegalus. The faux romance between Jackson and Leda is also a bit cringeworthy at times. Soren's character also seemed a bit souless in some of the dialogues.

The Honorable Mentions - Episodes 4 (Zero Hour), 6 (Avatar), 8 (Covenant), 11 (Gemini), 13 (It's Good to Be King) and 18 (Threads) - Easily the largest list of Honorable mentions this season. Heaps of good episodes with a mix of humour and seriousness. Zero Hour showcases the inner workings of the SGC and the plethora of decisions that General Hammond had to make during his tenure. Avatar, Gemini and Threads take each of the main cast members to the next level with brilliant perforamcnce. It's Good to be King is a fitting finale to the conniving Harry Maybourne and "Mr Sheffield" does a superb job in Covenant.

Hope you enjoyed and as always I would be very interested to hear the community's feedback and thoughts!