Usually, I don't like the "clip shows" but this episode only used the "clips" from previous episodes sparingly and the story about Joe the Barber is really funny without it becoming one of the shows that questions the whole story.
17 Reviews
Love this!
tom99230 May 2019
Just pure fun!
Doc_Rancher25 March 2015
Warning: Spoilers
This is more a humorous reflection of the series than it is an episode. But I like the fact that it's not a short TV-special or a DVD bonus but a whole episode that (mostly) could happen in the Stargate-Universe. Those of you who are mostly in for the action and story development might skip this one, but you'll miss a lot of fun if you do.
First of all: the Simpsons-Connection! Homers sisters in law (Patty and Selma) are huge MacGyver fans. In return O'Neill is a huge Simpsons fan. In this episode Dan Castellaneta (Homer Simpson, here Joe Spencer) holds a gun at Richard Dean Anderson (Angus MacGyver, Jack O'Neill) and says "You ruined my life!". Joe even acts a bit like Homer when he gets obsessed with SG-1 and neglects his family and his job. And of course he agrees that Burns might be a Goa'uld.
But mostly I like the humorous comments on the SG-1-series so far. Joe of course "watches" the adventures just as we do and becomes a fan. But none of the stories are interesting enough to be picked up by magazines and his listeners not always like the stories either. One of the best dialogues (shortened): "How many times can these folks save the world from Apophis?" (...) "This story's about Anubis." (...) "What's the diff? (...) It's getting a little repetitive". I just love it when people who normally do a (mostly) serious and very good job (SG-1) show a great sense of humor by making fun of their own show. And do it in an episode that is not "just funny" for its own sake but in most part believable (exceptions: Joe and apparently his wife are told that SG-1 really exists; Jack has for seven years seen images of a barber's life and never mentioned it) and tragic, too. Nice story, great dialogues and great acting, especially Dan Castellaneta. Oh, and for the old footage: it's not as excessive and unnecessary as in "Politics", it mostly fits this story and of course I loved it when Joe sees "Wormhole X-treme" as a "real" TV-show. ("Cancelled after only one episode. Bad ratings")
As I said: you can easily skip this one but I recommend you just sit back and enjoy this excursion, especially since it's nicely placed between (great) episodes full of action and tension. I loved this one.
First of all: the Simpsons-Connection! Homers sisters in law (Patty and Selma) are huge MacGyver fans. In return O'Neill is a huge Simpsons fan. In this episode Dan Castellaneta (Homer Simpson, here Joe Spencer) holds a gun at Richard Dean Anderson (Angus MacGyver, Jack O'Neill) and says "You ruined my life!". Joe even acts a bit like Homer when he gets obsessed with SG-1 and neglects his family and his job. And of course he agrees that Burns might be a Goa'uld.
But mostly I like the humorous comments on the SG-1-series so far. Joe of course "watches" the adventures just as we do and becomes a fan. But none of the stories are interesting enough to be picked up by magazines and his listeners not always like the stories either. One of the best dialogues (shortened): "How many times can these folks save the world from Apophis?" (...) "This story's about Anubis." (...) "What's the diff? (...) It's getting a little repetitive". I just love it when people who normally do a (mostly) serious and very good job (SG-1) show a great sense of humor by making fun of their own show. And do it in an episode that is not "just funny" for its own sake but in most part believable (exceptions: Joe and apparently his wife are told that SG-1 really exists; Jack has for seven years seen images of a barber's life and never mentioned it) and tragic, too. Nice story, great dialogues and great acting, especially Dan Castellaneta. Oh, and for the old footage: it's not as excessive and unnecessary as in "Politics", it mostly fits this story and of course I loved it when Joe sees "Wormhole X-treme" as a "real" TV-show. ("Cancelled after only one episode. Bad ratings")
As I said: you can easily skip this one but I recommend you just sit back and enjoy this excursion, especially since it's nicely placed between (great) episodes full of action and tension. I loved this one.
just...awesome
ivko19 March 2021
A fantastic episode guest starring Dan Castellaneta as average guy Joe Spencer from Indiana who starts having visions about the SG1 team. Really he's just watching the show because this is a clip episode, which is normally the absolute worst episode of any shows season, but I have never seen such a creative approach to the concept before, which made it a very enjoyable episode for me.
So, if you were born in the twenty first century, you may not have any idea what a clip episode even is. For a variety of reasons cable and streaming shows don't need to need to make clip shows very often so the idea is slowly disappearing. I don't want to get too into the weeds, but in general terms, when a show is picked up for a season the producers figure out how many episodes there will be and how much it will cost to make each one and that all gets put into a contract: X episodes for Y dollars. But network television contracts have kind of strict requirements. They need to have a large number of episodes per season, typically twenty to twenty five. And each episode has to have a run time within a minute or so of some standard length, so the network can sell ads around it, etc.
Life being unpredictable and all, it's common that shows spend more than they expected to over a long season and realize they need to save money to stay within budget. So they start looking for ways to shoot cheap episodes. Clip shows can often be made at a fraction of a regular episodes cost because they reuse as many assets as they can that have already been paid for. Things like sets, actors, and especially footage. Unfortunately, this usually makes for an unbelievably boring episode, but sometimes creative shows will look to put a little bit of polish on that turd to try and make it fun. I'm happy to say that Stargate found a very entertaining approach; in fact, it worked so well that I didn't even realize it was a clip show until the episode was nearly over!
The episode details how Joe's life gets derailed when he begins having visions (the aforementioned clips) of the thrilling adventures of SG1, his obsession with them eventually causing his life to fall apart. Convinced that there must be some meaning to it all, he tries to track down the team to get some answers. Along the way the show pokes a little fun at itself by having the people in Joe's life critique some of the less successful stories or point out plot holes. It's total fan service, an enjoyable homage to overly obsessive fans that had me laughing the whole time. Observant viewers will realize that there are in-jokes even in the casting of the episode, as SG1s leader Jack O'Neill is a superfan of 'The Simpsons' and Homer in particular who, of course, is voiced by Castellaneta.
The episode wisely avoids getting too dark, quickly defusing even tense scenes and letting the cast react to Joe not as a threat but rather as a slightly odd neighbor you might roll your eyes at, but with a certain amount of affection. Like all clips shows the plot is self-contained and doesn't really contain any story elements that will carry forward but it's funny and relaxed enough that you don't mind. For me the show gets top marks for coming up with such a smart and entertaining way to create a budget episode.
So, if you were born in the twenty first century, you may not have any idea what a clip episode even is. For a variety of reasons cable and streaming shows don't need to need to make clip shows very often so the idea is slowly disappearing. I don't want to get too into the weeds, but in general terms, when a show is picked up for a season the producers figure out how many episodes there will be and how much it will cost to make each one and that all gets put into a contract: X episodes for Y dollars. But network television contracts have kind of strict requirements. They need to have a large number of episodes per season, typically twenty to twenty five. And each episode has to have a run time within a minute or so of some standard length, so the network can sell ads around it, etc.
Life being unpredictable and all, it's common that shows spend more than they expected to over a long season and realize they need to save money to stay within budget. So they start looking for ways to shoot cheap episodes. Clip shows can often be made at a fraction of a regular episodes cost because they reuse as many assets as they can that have already been paid for. Things like sets, actors, and especially footage. Unfortunately, this usually makes for an unbelievably boring episode, but sometimes creative shows will look to put a little bit of polish on that turd to try and make it fun. I'm happy to say that Stargate found a very entertaining approach; in fact, it worked so well that I didn't even realize it was a clip show until the episode was nearly over!
The episode details how Joe's life gets derailed when he begins having visions (the aforementioned clips) of the thrilling adventures of SG1, his obsession with them eventually causing his life to fall apart. Convinced that there must be some meaning to it all, he tries to track down the team to get some answers. Along the way the show pokes a little fun at itself by having the people in Joe's life critique some of the less successful stories or point out plot holes. It's total fan service, an enjoyable homage to overly obsessive fans that had me laughing the whole time. Observant viewers will realize that there are in-jokes even in the casting of the episode, as SG1s leader Jack O'Neill is a superfan of 'The Simpsons' and Homer in particular who, of course, is voiced by Castellaneta.
The episode wisely avoids getting too dark, quickly defusing even tense scenes and letting the cast react to Joe not as a threat but rather as a slightly odd neighbor you might roll your eyes at, but with a certain amount of affection. Like all clips shows the plot is self-contained and doesn't really contain any story elements that will carry forward but it's funny and relaxed enough that you don't mind. For me the show gets top marks for coming up with such a smart and entertaining way to create a budget episode.
No such thing as a filler SG-1 episode
XweAponX15 February 2023
This one reveals a piece of tech that becomes important in Seasons 9 and 10.
It also becomes a main aspect of Stargate Universe.
A normal "Joe" has developed a direct connection to Jack O'Neill (2 L's). Why? How?
Although this episode appears to be just another "strip show" showing pieces of episodes going back 7 years, it's way more than that.
Each season has had an episode like this, each season used this type of episode to show us a major piece of new Tech or some new bad guys.
Eventually the bad guys all get blown up, "and then there's cake", but these stripped eps usually introduce sonething or somebody even worse.
This time, a very important gadget is introduced, and it's done with finesse and humour.
And it poses the question, what kind of effect does Jack O'Neill have on regular schmoes who ordinarily never would have heard of him?
Find the answer here...
It also becomes a main aspect of Stargate Universe.
A normal "Joe" has developed a direct connection to Jack O'Neill (2 L's). Why? How?
Although this episode appears to be just another "strip show" showing pieces of episodes going back 7 years, it's way more than that.
Each season has had an episode like this, each season used this type of episode to show us a major piece of new Tech or some new bad guys.
Eventually the bad guys all get blown up, "and then there's cake", but these stripped eps usually introduce sonething or somebody even worse.
This time, a very important gadget is introduced, and it's done with finesse and humour.
And it poses the question, what kind of effect does Jack O'Neill have on regular schmoes who ordinarily never would have heard of him?
Find the answer here...
Far too little credit
warriorpoet-142963 October 2020
Warning: Spoilers
Ok, this episode is easily one of the best in the entire series, and here's why.
Every television show that's successful and runs for a decade occasionally needs to create "reminder" episodes, which are episodes that show a lot of clips of previous episodes in order to bring new watchers up to speed in a time where shows where being shown once a week. These types of episodes give watchers, new and veteran alike, some important back story elements that will be needed for upcoming storylines when they're getting ready to dive into deep storyline mode.
This episode is exactly that, but wrapped in a very interesting and we'll written way. A very ordinary man suddenly being aware of SG1 and being able to watch them go on missions? He then starts telling people like they're just stories he's inventing, which inevitably leads to people becoming fascinated, exactly how the show has fascinated you and me. Why else would I write this and why else would you be reading it right now?
And true with the directors style of hating many aspects of his previous episodes, which he mocks as often as he can (S8E19 for example, alternate-Carter's practice speech (reproductive organs on the inside) where she says, "Who would ever say that?" was the exact speech she gave O'Neill a few seasons ago and the director commented about how much he hated it on the DVD commentary)..... I digress....
True to his style, he pokes fun at himself and the show on some of their earlier, and a little cringier, styles (the never explained gold tint on T'ealc's skin in early seasons) and it's hysterical if you are a true fan of the show.
Also, it's a running theme that O'Neill's favorite show is the Simpsons. There's many references to that show in this one, and the barber is non other than Dan Castellaneta, the voice actor of Homer Simpson. A very element and pretty much had the entire show about him. This episode is unique in that aspect.
Lastly, it was very well written with some really great scenes. Dan Castellaneta stole the scene where he meets SG1 for the first time (greeting T'ealc in customary Jaffa (Jafa?) custom and speaking Jaffa to him was brilliant). Being both appreciative of everything they'd done, but more importantly from the aspect of being entertainment, he showed great awe and wonder at everything they'd been through. By doing this, he connected with some part of the audience out there who truly enjoy this show and its storylines. More than once I've found myself saying out loud, "What great writing this is. This is a really cool storyline direction," with this episode being one of them. Connecting with your audience is what separates good shows from bad, and this show, evidenced by 10 seasons of 20+ episodes per, is definitely one of the good ones because of elements like this.
A great episode, some great writing, and a great way to get everyone caught up for the amazing episodes and direction the show goes. Kudos to them.
This episode is exactly that, but wrapped in a very interesting and we'll written way. A very ordinary man suddenly being aware of SG1 and being able to watch them go on missions? He then starts telling people like they're just stories he's inventing, which inevitably leads to people becoming fascinated, exactly how the show has fascinated you and me. Why else would I write this and why else would you be reading it right now?
And true with the directors style of hating many aspects of his previous episodes, which he mocks as often as he can (S8E19 for example, alternate-Carter's practice speech (reproductive organs on the inside) where she says, "Who would ever say that?" was the exact speech she gave O'Neill a few seasons ago and the director commented about how much he hated it on the DVD commentary)..... I digress....
True to his style, he pokes fun at himself and the show on some of their earlier, and a little cringier, styles (the never explained gold tint on T'ealc's skin in early seasons) and it's hysterical if you are a true fan of the show.
Also, it's a running theme that O'Neill's favorite show is the Simpsons. There's many references to that show in this one, and the barber is non other than Dan Castellaneta, the voice actor of Homer Simpson. A very element and pretty much had the entire show about him. This episode is unique in that aspect.
Lastly, it was very well written with some really great scenes. Dan Castellaneta stole the scene where he meets SG1 for the first time (greeting T'ealc in customary Jaffa (Jafa?) custom and speaking Jaffa to him was brilliant). Being both appreciative of everything they'd done, but more importantly from the aspect of being entertainment, he showed great awe and wonder at everything they'd been through. By doing this, he connected with some part of the audience out there who truly enjoy this show and its storylines. More than once I've found myself saying out loud, "What great writing this is. This is a really cool storyline direction," with this episode being one of them. Connecting with your audience is what separates good shows from bad, and this show, evidenced by 10 seasons of 20+ episodes per, is definitely one of the good ones because of elements like this.
A great episode, some great writing, and a great way to get everyone caught up for the amazing episodes and direction the show goes. Kudos to them.
Unique
ple-may14 January 2021
This is one of those flashback 'save money' episodes. I've just watched it again and I still find it's execution unique.
It's an entertaining episode and underrated. The flashbacks actually serve a purpose unlike most of these attempts where they're just packing. They also don't fill a large proportion of the screen time as there is actually a story to tell beyond them.
Optional but fun episode
fig-7527518 September 2020
On the DVDs, this episode comes after Reckoning and Threads. I'm glad that it did, because I was burnt out after watching those, and I didn't want to start watching the season finale (Moebius) without having a break.
This episode is just that, a break from all the action. It is a very light episode that consists mostly of flashbacks to earlier episodes. It was just what I needed, so my score of 8 out of 10 is perhaps a bit higher than it would have been otherwise.
Still though, it's nice to have a reminder of the earlier episodes woven into an at least partially plausible story. One highlight is that the writers have not been afraid to make fun of themselves and include some self-criticism. I totally agreed with them about Apophis and Anubis!
I can go and watch Moebius now :-)
This episode is just that, a break from all the action. It is a very light episode that consists mostly of flashbacks to earlier episodes. It was just what I needed, so my score of 8 out of 10 is perhaps a bit higher than it would have been otherwise.
Still though, it's nice to have a reminder of the earlier episodes woven into an at least partially plausible story. One highlight is that the writers have not been afraid to make fun of themselves and include some self-criticism. I totally agreed with them about Apophis and Anubis!
I can go and watch Moebius now :-)
The *other* Other Guy
owlaurence4 August 2010
Warning: Spoilers
I find it very hard to give a mark to this episode. It begins rather dramatically with a man holding O'Neill at gunpoint. Then the tone completely changes as we go back to the beginnings of the series -and of Joe's problems- to follow his family life, his job as a barber and his accidental discovery of a Goa'uld device which allows him to literally watch SG1's adventures. Soon this innocuous hobby turns into a life-altering obsession, and Joe loses his family and his job as he is unable to prove that his "stories" are real.
So basically, it's the story of a SG1 fan who gets to meet the real thing. A variation on "the Other Guys".
Incidentally, this means that once again, we spend a good part of the episode reminiscing (guess what, this is the freebee episode this year). Fortunately, we don't get to re-watch the same old sequences that had already appeared in Politics, Disclosure, Inauguration &co: for once, the reminiscing focuses on different events. And on the whole it is rather fun to watch Joe's reactions to some dramatic events, and to compare them with our own.
But still. When all is said and done, I've just spent 40mn watching a guy watch Stargate SG1. Now I'm all for mises en abyme, especially when they are spiced with a dose of self-derision; but I tend to like my plots and characters a bit more fleshed out. And don't even get me started on the *glaring* plot hole that comes with the "explanation" (HOW could O'Neill not notice?!). The scriptwriters didn"t even make a token attempt at hiding it, and settled for turning it into a non sequituur joke. Sorry guys: lampshading it doesn't make it less of a plot hole.
So even though Citizen Joe was oddly fun to watch, I'll go with a rather so-so mark because it really felt like fan-fiction rather than like a real, honest-to-God SG1 episode. Obviously, you are free to disagree and decide that you like the high-concept thing. (Edit: obviously someone decided to take me up on that one ^^)
So basically, it's the story of a SG1 fan who gets to meet the real thing. A variation on "the Other Guys".
Incidentally, this means that once again, we spend a good part of the episode reminiscing (guess what, this is the freebee episode this year). Fortunately, we don't get to re-watch the same old sequences that had already appeared in Politics, Disclosure, Inauguration &co: for once, the reminiscing focuses on different events. And on the whole it is rather fun to watch Joe's reactions to some dramatic events, and to compare them with our own.
But still. When all is said and done, I've just spent 40mn watching a guy watch Stargate SG1. Now I'm all for mises en abyme, especially when they are spiced with a dose of self-derision; but I tend to like my plots and characters a bit more fleshed out. And don't even get me started on the *glaring* plot hole that comes with the "explanation" (HOW could O'Neill not notice?!). The scriptwriters didn"t even make a token attempt at hiding it, and settled for turning it into a non sequituur joke. Sorry guys: lampshading it doesn't make it less of a plot hole.
So even though Citizen Joe was oddly fun to watch, I'll go with a rather so-so mark because it really felt like fan-fiction rather than like a real, honest-to-God SG1 episode. Obviously, you are free to disagree and decide that you like the high-concept thing. (Edit: obviously someone decided to take me up on that one ^^)
Another review...
enoswad25 September 2023
...to be sure, there are already enough reviews of this episode, but I wanted to point out, my perspective: that of admiring Dan Castellanata. We all know him as the voice of Homer--and countless others--on The Simpsons; but I enjoyed this opportunity to see him acting *on* screen, as opposed to *behind* the screen. I feel that Castellanata is a very good actor doing a wonderful job with the emotions in this episode, particularly his sadness at the death, and elation at the continued existence of Daniel, because he did indeed know Daniel, through Jack.
Aside from dealing with the range of emotions brought on by his visions, "Joe" had to deal with the decline of his business and deconstruction of his marriage all because no one believed that his visions were real, but manifestations of an apparent break with reality. (In fact, this is very much how things seem to a schizophrenic.)
Castellanata portrayed "Joe" as a character any of us could imagine in ourselves, if such circumstances could exist, and kept us wondering how this situation would be resolved. Sadly, this is one more instance of the resolution coming quickly, in the last few minutes, and without a lot of believability (was "Joe" to just return to his former life and tell everyone, "Gotcha!"?)
Some may consider this "just a clip episode" and write it off as unnecessary to the story arc; to them I say: Lighten up and enjoy the very credible story presented by Castellanata! It's interesting, fun ("you might want to consider locking your door"), and brings a necessary lightness to the series that we need once in a while to keep us from grinding our teeth at night!
Aside from dealing with the range of emotions brought on by his visions, "Joe" had to deal with the decline of his business and deconstruction of his marriage all because no one believed that his visions were real, but manifestations of an apparent break with reality. (In fact, this is very much how things seem to a schizophrenic.)
Castellanata portrayed "Joe" as a character any of us could imagine in ourselves, if such circumstances could exist, and kept us wondering how this situation would be resolved. Sadly, this is one more instance of the resolution coming quickly, in the last few minutes, and without a lot of believability (was "Joe" to just return to his former life and tell everyone, "Gotcha!"?)
Some may consider this "just a clip episode" and write it off as unnecessary to the story arc; to them I say: Lighten up and enjoy the very credible story presented by Castellanata! It's interesting, fun ("you might want to consider locking your door"), and brings a necessary lightness to the series that we need once in a while to keep us from grinding our teeth at night!
I would give 3 stars to such lazy episode...
marcuscoltro30 April 2022
Silly Filler Episode
claudio_carvalho21 October 2018
When Jack arrives home, a stranger breaks in his house and points a gun to him, claiming that he destroyed his life. He explains that he is a barber and family man. Seven years ago, he bought a black stone in a garage sale and from this moment on, he was connected to Jack, following the adventures of the SG-1. But a couple of years later, his life turned upside-down and his wife is asking the divorce.
"Citizen Joe" is one of the silliest filler episode along the series. The story is awful and uses footage from previous episodes. The conclusion is terrible. My vote is five.
Title (Brazil): "Citizen Joe"
"Citizen Joe" is one of the silliest filler episode along the series. The story is awful and uses footage from previous episodes. The conclusion is terrible. My vote is five.
Title (Brazil): "Citizen Joe"
Citizen...No.
fcabanski23 September 2015
Warning: Spoilers
It's a somewhat clever way to do a clips show. The old events are shown while revealing a new element, the stones, that will become prominent in the Ori story arc.
But it's still a clips show. Those are useful for producers, so they can save some money and writing effort. They're useful for viewers to catch up on what happened over the course of the show. But if you're watching these episodes one after another, there's no reason to catch up. You've seen everything recently enough not to need reminders.
The story is pretty good up until about half way through the episode. People start to get excited over Joe's stories, his son wants to hear them, Joe's becoming more attached to the characters. But the downward slide to the stories ruining Joe's life isn't done as well. It's too sudden.
The end is weak. Revealing top secret info to Joe's wife makes no sense, especially since her problem with Joe isn't the stories, but rather it's how he lets the stories consume him to the point of ruining his business and family life. That the SGC stories are true wouldn't change or solve the problem.
Unfortunately the episode contains important foreshadowing. Fortunately, the foreshadowing is: there are stones that let people see events in other people's lives, and the stones may even do more.
Now you know about the stones. So you don't have to watch the episode.
But it's still a clips show. Those are useful for producers, so they can save some money and writing effort. They're useful for viewers to catch up on what happened over the course of the show. But if you're watching these episodes one after another, there's no reason to catch up. You've seen everything recently enough not to need reminders.
The story is pretty good up until about half way through the episode. People start to get excited over Joe's stories, his son wants to hear them, Joe's becoming more attached to the characters. But the downward slide to the stories ruining Joe's life isn't done as well. It's too sudden.
The end is weak. Revealing top secret info to Joe's wife makes no sense, especially since her problem with Joe isn't the stories, but rather it's how he lets the stories consume him to the point of ruining his business and family life. That the SGC stories are true wouldn't change or solve the problem.
Unfortunately the episode contains important foreshadowing. Fortunately, the foreshadowing is: there are stones that let people see events in other people's lives, and the stones may even do more.
Now you know about the stones. So you don't have to watch the episode.
Clip Episode
ignisgeodacius24 January 2021
Showing a clip episode is just lazy to the extreme and is kind of an insult to the serious fans of any series that does this. Having Homer Simpson in the ep doesn't hide the fact that it is an episode that should be skipped.
I wish that instead of doing these 'filler' episodes the studio would have opted to make one less episode in the season instead.
As with any flashback episode in any series this one is a total waste of time.
Lazy
jaredtpeterson9 January 2021
Aimless
Calicodreamin6 April 2022
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