Some Stargate SG-1 episodes are about alien threats — and yes, “Fire & Water” is technically one of them. But at its core, this episode asks us to sit with something far more uncomfortable: not knowing what happened to someone you love — and what grief can turn into when answers are withheld.

When Daniel Jackson is presumed dead, the team is expected to absorb the loss and keep moving.

In this review, we dig into why “Fire & Water” hits harder than it first appears. Through Nem’s desperate search for his lost mate — and the extreme measures he’s willing to take using pain, threats, and advanced technology — the episode explores a difficult truth: meaning well doesn’t prevent harm. Good intentions don’t erase the damage done.

Along the way, we revisit consent (yes, that kinky kind too), using humor, pop culture references, and a nerdy-but-thoughtful lens to unpack how easily suffering gets justified when the goal feels “important enough.”

At the center of it all remains Daniel: empathic, stubborn, and willing to endure pain if it helps someone else understand their loss — reminding us that knowing matters, especially when someone you love is gone.

👉 How did Fire & Water land for you — especially in how Stargate Command, and military institutions more broadly, respond to grief and loss? I’d love to hear your thoughts. Let’s talk.

🎵 credit goes to "Emotional Mess" by Amy Lynn & the Honey Men