Ugh, this episode could have been so much fun!
O'Neill and Teal'c switch bodies, and hilarity ensues and deep feelings are revealed and the actors get to stretch their abilities. What isn't to love? Well, except none of that stuff really happens.
I get that this is not a comedy show, and there's a plot that has to be resolved, so there isn't time to dig into all the potential an episode like this presents. But at least we should get the fun of the actors switching roles.
Unfortunately, the Anderson and Judge don't quite hit the right notes in their swapped portrayals. They try, and I get what they were going for, but neither of them quite get it right.
Richard Dean Anderson does a fine job of matching Judge's cadence, but the tone of voice and the facial expressions are never really there. Rather than a character who is always serious -- the poster child of "if looks could kill" -- Anderson's Teal'c comes off as a Vulcan after a lobotomy.
Christopher Judge fails in a less obvious way. Again, the cadence is fine (O'Neill is a pretty normal guy, after all), but once again the facial expressions and tone of voice don't quite get there. Judge plays him as a generic character reciting these lines. There isn't the underlying tone of command. As light-hearted as O'Neill can be, there's never any question that he's in charge. Judge's portrayal isn't any more O'Neill than it is any number of characters from any number of other TV shows.
They almost get it right, but that just makes it all the more frustrating. Could the actors not give each other tips on playing the characters? Couldn't the director? Because it wouldn't have taken much. It's so close! But that makes the miss is all the more distracting.
O'Neill and Teal'c switch bodies, and hilarity ensues and deep feelings are revealed and the actors get to stretch their abilities. What isn't to love? Well, except none of that stuff really happens.
I get that this is not a comedy show, and there's a plot that has to be resolved, so there isn't time to dig into all the potential an episode like this presents. But at least we should get the fun of the actors switching roles.
Unfortunately, the Anderson and Judge don't quite hit the right notes in their swapped portrayals. They try, and I get what they were going for, but neither of them quite get it right.
Richard Dean Anderson does a fine job of matching Judge's cadence, but the tone of voice and the facial expressions are never really there. Rather than a character who is always serious -- the poster child of "if looks could kill" -- Anderson's Teal'c comes off as a Vulcan after a lobotomy.
Christopher Judge fails in a less obvious way. Again, the cadence is fine (O'Neill is a pretty normal guy, after all), but once again the facial expressions and tone of voice don't quite get there. Judge plays him as a generic character reciting these lines. There isn't the underlying tone of command. As light-hearted as O'Neill can be, there's never any question that he's in charge. Judge's portrayal isn't any more O'Neill than it is any number of characters from any number of other TV shows.
They almost get it right, but that just makes it all the more frustrating. Could the actors not give each other tips on playing the characters? Couldn't the director? Because it wouldn't have taken much. It's so close! But that makes the miss is all the more distracting.