Episode Guide for Stargate SG-1:
First of all, bear in mind that this is an ensemble cast, so there's not as much Jack/Daniel as I wish there was. But, with that in mind, there are still quite a few excellent episodes, and many wonderful J/D moments. Then, there are other eps which are great showcases for Jack and/or for Daniel.
However, before I start working my way through the seasons, if I had to pick the top three shows that I think best exemplify who Daniel is, and what Jack has to deal with <g>, and have some poignant Jack/Daniel moments, I would recommend the story arc of Chaka, and the Unas. It starts with The First Ones in Season 4, then gets picked up again in Beast of Burden in Season 5, and finishes with Enemy Mine in Season 7. Enemy Mine has, IMHO, some of the most classic Daniel scenes of any episode in the entire series. And the Jack/Daniel moments in this ep are priceless. If I had to pick a favorite episode of the show so far, it would be Enemy Mine.
Other favorites: One False Step, Deadman Switch, Urgo, Maternal Instinct, Crystal Skull,
Okay, now on to the individual seasons.
Actually, I need to back up and say go watch the movie. That is where Jack and Daniel first meet, although of course they are played by Kurt Russell and James Spader respectively. But it is here that you discover the Stargate, how Daniel opened it, and how Daniel, in more ways than one, saves Jack and they become friends.
Okay, NOW on to the individual seasons:
And do remember that this is totally my opinion and absolutely reflects the opinions of the maker of this website, which is me. And here be occasional spoilers.
Season 1:
Having fairly recently watched all the eps on the Season 1 DVD, I suggest you rush out to watch these episodes for EXCESSIVE Jack/Daniel moments, or just great episodes in general:
1. The Pilot: Children of the Gods. You have to watch the pilot, just cuz you do. It's like the law or something. Here we see Daniel lose his wife and brother-in-law, and reconnect with Jack. Not a lot of warm fuzzies between Jack and Daniel, but there're enough. And I found the tissue scene to be very amusing.
2. Cold Lazarus: This is a great Jack ep. He plays two parts, and does a fab job. You see him with his wife Sara, and watch as they go through the horror of losing their son. You also see nice glimpses into the deep friendship between Jack and Daniel.
3. The Torment of Tantalus: Intriguing ep, and another insight into how important knowledge and the search for knowledge is to Daniel. And the scene where the world they're on is shaking apart and Daniel won't leave is a good one between him and Jack.
4. Fire and Water: Best J/D ep of the season, IMHO, or at least one of the two. Daniel dies, again, or at least the rest of SG-1 thinks he's dead, and Jack flips out. The whole team does, but Jack in particular.
5. Hathor: There's plenty of material here for eye-rolling, but I think Hathor is one of the best Goa'ulds ever. Not much J/D, but lots of whumping all around, and there's a lot of fanfic based on Hathor and what she does to Daniel.
6. Enigma: Another great Daniel episode, and the look Jack gives him at the end is wonderful. Happy sigh.
7. Tin Man: I love this ep, and it has launched a lot of fanfics. SG-1 get replaced by androids, but even the androids don't know they're fake. I loved Harlan. "Comtraya." You meet the androids again later on in the series. It's fun to watch Jack snarking with Jack.
8. Solitudes: Sam and Jack are stranded, and Daniel is trying to rescue them. And even though Sam and Jack are stranded together, I still love this ep because we get to see Daniel being so smart as he figures it out. Everyone is great in this ep. No J/D moments to speak of but it is a great ep.
9. There But For the Grace of God: Second best J/D ep of the season, IMHO. And why do I say that, you ask? Especially as this is the first of two times that they go through the quantum mirror to find Jack and Sam either married or engaged? Gah. Weeelll, I say that, because when the Jack of the alternate reality meets Daniel, sparks fly, and Jack gives it all up for him, his life, his world, his everything, just on Daniel's say so after knowing him for all of five minutes. This is where all of us J/Ders can say that the only reason Jack and Sam are together in those other universes is because Jack didn't have a Daniel. <g> Another reason this ep is important is that the idea of the quantum mirror, and other reality dopplegangers have launched a thousand fics.
That's it for Season 1. No real minefields in this season, although they are trying to set up the idea of Jack and Sam in There But for the Grace of God. It comes up every season, sometimes more, sometimes less, but it always makes me cringe. I have nothing against a nice het relationship if I can see sparks fly, but there are no sparks here. None. In fact, Jack always looks like he wants to run away and hide.
Now in terms of characters and situational canon you see in fanfic, here is where you meet/see them:
Shauri (also spelled Sha're sometimes) and Skarra, Daniel's wife and brother-in-law from Abydos: Children of the Gods
The Land of Light (not really a character, but you hear it a lot): The Broca Divide. Oooh, gah, you see some Jack/Sam stuff here, but in a certain light, you could interpret it as Jack/Daniel. Daniel daring to sniff around at Sam, and Jack not liking it. LOL.
The Nox: The Nox, by the way, if you watch this ep, notice how whenever Jack and Daniel are sitting by each other, they're practically in each other's laps. <g>
Cassie (Janet's alien daughter): Singularity
The Tollan/ Narim/ Omac: Enigma
Harlan: Tin Man "Comtraya!"
Kinsey (Boo hiss) There But for the Grace of God
Season 2:
Okay, here's the eps I think you ought to make sure to watch:
1. The Serpent's Lair: The big spacemonkey hug. Gotta see it. Happy sigh. I love the little noise Jack makes when he hugs Daniel, and the fingers in the hair... happy, happy sigh.
2. Need: Okay, this one is sort of hard to watch because Daniel falls for someone, and she messes with his mind, and he treats Jack and gang badly. But, the scene near the end when Jack and Daniel are fighting, and Jack wins Daniel over is great. And we get to see another hug.
3. The Fifth Race: Jack downloads the knowledge of the Ancient's into his brain. Watch Daniel stand by his man. <g>
4. The Serpent's Song: I love this ep. We get to see Daniel at his very best, when as much as he hates Apophis, he still cares for his host. And watching Jack, as Daniel speaks to the host, allaying his fears, is lovely.
5. Holiday: This is a great ep for all the boys. They do some fabulous acting as they all switch bodies. And the end when Jack ends up in Daniel's body is a hoot, even if it only lasts a few seconds. Great Daniel ep, too, as he plays two characters.
6. One False Step: LOL. God, this is a great ep for Daniel/Jack squabbling. And the scene in the sickbay when they are trying to sort of apologize to each other is priceless. Here is where Jack calls Daniel Plantboy. <g> Very clever ep.
7. 1969: I like this ep. No particular J/D stands out, but it's a fun romp, and it's fun to see Hammond as a young man.
8. Out of Mind: Again, no real J/D, but if you just want to watch a good Jack ep, where he is particularly yummy, this is a nice one. I like him in the white outfit. Yum. Plus we get to hang with Hathor again, although that might not be until the first ep next season which continues from this one.
All in all, not a whole lot of blatant J/D going on except as listed above, but they also didn't torture us with a lot of Jack/Sam. We do see a couple instances of Sam ending up with the credit for Daniel's ideas. Wah!!
Now in terms of characters and situational canon you see in fanfic, here is where you meet/see them in Season 2:
Jack taking Daniel's glasses off when they're in prison: Prisoners. This is also where we meet Linea. Jack also calls Daniel Danny boy in this ep.
Daniel's parents dying in front of him when he's eight: The Gamekeeper
Daniel's addiction to the sarcophagus: Need
Jacob Carter: we first meet him in Secrets, but then The Tok'ra parts 1 and 2 bring him back as a regular character.
Cimmeria, the place Thor set up to de-Goa'uld people: Thor's Chariot. This is also when we first see Thor. Jack pissed me off in this episode when he makes Daniel set Teal'c free. Grrr.
Re'tu, the invisible aliens: Show and Tell. We also meet the young boy who takes the name of Charlie, in honor of Jack's son, and ends up becoming a Tok'ra.
Season 3
Okay, I haven't watched all of season 3 yet, but here's what I've got for you so far. Go and watch these episodes:
1. Into the fire: Same reasons as for Out of Mind in Season 2. Continuation of that ep. Handsome Jack. Hathor. No real J/D.
2. Fair Game: I love this ep because Jack is so wonderful in it. And Daniel gets to strut his stuff as well.
3. Legacy: Kind of a hard ep to watch because of the Daniel misery, but he does a wonderful job. And besides, this ep gets brought up a lot in fanfic. By the way, I don't think Jack is as bad in this episode as fanfic makes him out to be. If there's anyone who should get smacked upside the head, it's Janet for believing MacKensie.
4. Deadman Switch: LOL. One of the best eps in my opinion. Very entertaining, great J/D sniping, and a lot of fic acuse Daniel of flirting with the bounty hunter in this ep. Go watch it. You won't be disappointed.
5. Demons: Okay, the only reason I'm reccing this ep is for one line. Jack's all for getting out of there, and Daniel's all for rescuing the woman who's about to be killed. The line Daniel snarks at Jack had me rolling on the floor.
6. Forever in a Day: A very clever ep. Can't tell you much more because it will give too much away. Bottom line is here is where Sha're bites the big one. Watch it just for the cleverness.
I have to make a note that so far, these eps don't have much J/D in it. In fact, to be honest, there isn't a lot of J/D in the entire series. LOL. At least not the canon stuff like Due South and Smallville. It's mostly in the small stuff, the way they look at each other, stand close to each other, argue like married people. So, with that in mind, I'll press on.
7. Past and Present: Kind of a fun ep to watch. You get to see Daniel being sweet on someone, which is nice to watch. You hardly ever get to see him this way. The fact that is isn't Jack sort of sucks, but still. Then, you get to see Jealous!Jack in action. He's not happy Daniel's sweet on someone. At least from a slasher's perspective, and that's all that counts IMHO. LOL. Many fanfics mention this ep as an example of Jack's possessiveness.
6. The Devil You Know: I actually think this is a J/D ep, at least from Daniel's side. When the Goa'uld is trying to get them to confess secrets, he sends the most trusted, loved person to each member of the team in a dream to get them to spill. Sam gets Jacob, Jack gets Charlie (son Charlie), Martouf gets Sam, and Daniel gets....you got it, Jack. Woo hoo. <g>
7. Foothold: I liked this ep. Lots of pretty shots of Daniel. <g> No J/D to speak of, but Daniel's in civvies almost the whole ep. What can I say? He's so pretty.
8. Urgo: Go watch this immediately. Even better than Deadman Switch. Dom DeLuise was too hysterical for words and the only thing that would make this better is if there were out-takes because I understand he had the staff in stitches. Besides, all the orgasm looks on Jack and Daniel's face are nice visuals.
9. A Hundred Days: Totally not a J/D ep, but Jack's great in it. You do have to watch Sam suffer when she loses Jack, both during the episode while he's missing, and at the end when she sees he hasn't exactly been missing Sam. I love how Daniel is clearly the one the rest of the team go to to explain Jack, and how he, like a good friend, gives Jack the privacy he needs for his good byes.
10. Shades of Grey: It's funny how much I avoid eps that have launched a thousand fics, because I assume they'll be painful to watch. Now, this isn't the easiest ep to watch because Jack treats everyone like shit, but it's a great ep. Note the word everyone. Fanfic makes it sound like he only whales on Daniel, but he says cruel things to Sam and Teal'c, too. And while the Daniel whumping is more protracted, Daniel gets his revenge at the end. Plus, Daniel is the only one that Jack tries desperately to apologize to. And I don't know who said it, but I agree that they didn't draw straws at all. That was just Daniel's way of saving face, and Sam and Teal'c went along with it. Jack does a great job having a meltdown at the beginning of the ep. You also get to see Daniel in a suit. Yum.
11. Maternal Instinct: Love this ep. Nice Jack/Daniel sniping. You get to see Daniel in all his brainy Zen glory. The trust scene isn't as wonderful as it could have been if Jack had just put the damn gun down, but it still works. Because even if Bra'tac hadn't been the first to trust Jack, Jack still wouldn't have gone along with it if he didn't trust Daniel. Jack's not the sort who gets pressured by people around him.
12. Crystal Skull: Another great ep. You get more glimpses into Daniel's less than wonderful childhood. Only scene I didn't like is when Sam and Jack break off early to get some rest and Daniel feels a bit abandoned. It comes up a lot in fanfic. But, overall, a great ep. Not much J/D, although Jack is the first one who realizes Daniel is in the room with them.
That's it for this season.
Eps where you meet people/situations you read a lot in canon:
Ke'ra (AKA Linea, destroyer of worlds). Past and Present
Nyan: New Ground
Daniel in mental institution: Legacy
Sha're dying: Forever and a Day
Urgo: Urgo
Oma Desala: Maternal Instinct
Daniel's grandfather, Nick Ballard: Crystal Skull
Replicators: Starts in Nemesis
Daniel's appendix being taken out, and Jack asking to see the scar: Nemesis
Jack/Sam Minefields:
Point of View: Another Jack/Sam kiss, although it's an alternate Sam. But it's another brick in the Jack/Sam ship TPTB are trying to build. Only saving grace? Jack always looks like his testicles want to crawl inside his body when there's Jack/Sam tension in the air.
A Hundred Days: But only from Sam's side.
Nemesis: Jack asks Sam to go fishing with him in his cabin. She says no, but it's one more brick. Gah.
Season 4
Okay, here we go. I'm gonna do this disk by disk. Lots of great episodes in this season and an equal number of minefields. Some really clever plots, but they really push the Jack/Sam stuff this season. Gah. And again, Jack always looks like he wants to run in the other direction. It's like anti-chemistry.
Meanwhile, here are the eps I think you should watch (Spoilers ahead) or run away from:
Small Victories: I found this episode to be very entertaining. I love the whole stupid idea thing with Thor and I really like the replicators. But if you're looking for proof that the entire armed forces believes that Jack belongs to Daniel, this is the episode. When Jack is insisting that the sub he's on be blown up to save the world, when he's ordering Major Davis to send the torpedoes, no one does a thing, letting Daniel make the call. After all, what's more important than the safety of the entire world? More important than the chain of command and obeying orders? Jack and Daniel's relationship, that's what. Plus I love how speechless Daniel gets when he realizes Jack's all right.
The Other Side: This one's a bit tricky. I think it's a great ep, very clever, and lots of ethical stuff to chew on. However, Jack, for most of the episode treats Daniel like shit. He is unforgivably rude, and you really see the demands of the military for big honkin' space guns run afoul of Daniel's belief in what is right. Even Hammond gets in the middle of it. But, when Jack finally realizes that DANIEL IS RIGHT, once again, he apologizes awfully pretty-like, even holds Daniel's hand.
Upgrades: This one is also very entertaining, and watching Daniel be jealous of Jack when he can read at super-duper speeds is entertaining. There is a bit of a Jack/Sam moment which TPTB revisit two eps down the road. Clearly, TPTB are mostly on drugs. The scene at O'Malleys is pretty funny, too.
Divide and Conquer: Arrugggahhh, warning Will Robinson!!! I'm pointing out this episode so you can run in the other direction. On the other hand, it is an episode that has launched many fics. This is the one where Jack says he cares more about Sam than he should. Ack. And he looks like someone's sticking a hot poker up his ass while he's saying it. And they all to decide to leave Daniel out of the loop which really frosts my butt. I felt like I'd been sent to a parallel universe when I watched this ep. Brrrr.
Window of Opportunity: Okay, here's another schizophrenic ep. Good side: the ep is very entertaining, as Jack lives through the same day over and over again, a la Groundhog Day. And him having a meltdown with condiments is giggle-worthy. And it's fun to watch him learn Latin and impress Daniel. BUT and it's a big but, there is a big negative side: There is a Major Jack/Sam moment in that he kisses her. Blah. The lack of chemistry continues to astound. And there is also a look at the end of the show that Jack shoots Sam in front of Daniel that gives me the creeps. The best story to read as an antidote to this episode is: Acts of Consequence by Apocrypha at http://www.thealphagate.com/stories/ActsofConsequence.asp. Biblio also does a nice job with that look at the end of the show with her story: Dissonance (which actually fixes Divide and Conquer and then the sequel Affinity, which addresses the creepy look in Window of Opportunity. Her stories are here: http://www.jd-divas.com/biblio/biblio.html
Watergate: I really liked this episode. Not much J/D in it, but Daniel is at his best as he figures things out, and he is very snarky and channels Jack at one point, even admitting it. LOL.
The First Ones: This is the first one of the three Chaka eps that I referenced way at the beginning. Not much J/D in this one either. In fact, Jack really is sort of a cold fish in a few of these eps. He goes to rescue Daniel but he sort of looks put out by it more than anything. But, Daniel is just fabulous as he "first contacts" his way out of being dinner to being allies. And he's so purty in his bandana. <g>
Scorched Earth: Oy. Okay, I like this episode because it's a GREAT Daniel ep, doing what he does best which is finding a non-violent solution to a problem. But if you're looking for any J/D, forget it. And Sam leaves her brain behind in this ep. So, watch the ep for Daniel goodness alone.
Beneath the Surface: Run away, run away! That rabbit has a mean streak a mile wide. <g> One of the few eps that actually has really badly acted moments, like somehow everyone forgot their cues. Weird. Way too much cutesy Jack/Sam crap. However, there are 'Daniel longing for Jack looks/moments' which I think have helped launch many fics from this ep.
Point of No Return: Entertaining ep. No slash to speak of.
Tangent: Ah ha!!! Say what you will about this ep, at the end it is totally Jack and Daniel all the way. Jack gives Daniel smiles and touches that make me want to wipe a tear from my eye. Daniel's off screen, but we know how everyone is situated, and it's Daniel he gives that "I love you" smile to TWICE, and Daniel he reaches up to touch, TWICE. Awww. I could watch that last bit over and over again.
The Curse: This is a great Daniel ep. We see some of his past, meet an old girlfriend, and peers. However, Jack is a COMPLETE horse's ass in it, and this ep appears in a bunch o'fics. This is where Jack takes the batteries out of the phone and pitches them into the lake. Meanwhile, Daniel goes on to battle Osiris and gets ribboned. Bad Jack. Bad. Bad.
The Serpent's Venom: Something for everyone. This is the ep with Jack pushing up Daniel's glasses in the elevator and it is a very slashy scene, because he takes his time. Plus the look Jacob shoots Sam is entertaining. There's also a couple Jack/Sam moments, and a couple Sam/Daniel moments, so, like I said, something for everyone.
Absolute Power: One of my fave eps. All the knowledge of the Goa'uld gets downloaded into Daniel's brain and he takes over the world. Mwahahaha. Evil Daniel at his finest. And I love it when he tells Jack that he never was too bright. Great ep. No slash to speak of, but a real Daniel fest.
The Light: Another great ep, with slashy moments. Everyone's getting affected by this addictive substance and going crazy. Jack gets to Daniel just in time to keep him from offing himself. And then Jack goes crazy when Daniel is dying and saves Daniel's life. Lovely stuff. And this episode shows that Jack and Sam do not know how to argue like an old married couple the way Jack and Daniel do.
Sam and Jack minefields (season 4):
If you really can't stand even a hint of Jack/Sam, steer clear of:
Divide and Conquer: When Sam goes to talk to Jack about their "feelings they can't talk about" I was all "huh?" Oy.
Window of Opportunity: There's Jack/Sam kissing here. Gah.
Beneath the Surface: Cutesy finger down the throat Jack/Sam moments. The ep's loaded with them.
2010: Future story where Jack is ANGRY that Sam didn't pick him, but instead married an ambassador. Cool plot line, but much Jack/Sam to trip over.