Pain first aired on 14 May, 2010 and was written by Carl Binder. Something is going on aboard Destiny. Hallucinations seem to be running rampant, and they either cater to desires or phobias, what is going on here?

Things start with what looks like a passionate encounter between James (Julia Benson) and Scott (Brian J. Smith) that turns murderous, and that’s only the beginning. There is paranoia running rampant, and no one seems to be able to trust one another.

There are odd visions, and problems begin to abound. Scott, who is not dead, is having visions of his son, Greer (Jamil Walker Smith) has suspicions about Rush (Robert Carlyle) and Camile (Ming-Na Wen), and fear seems to be taking hold.

Is it the stress of being trapped on the ship? Or was it something they picked up on their last planetary mission? TJ (Alaina Huffman) discovers a strange tick at the back of the neck of those affected, but it refuses to be removed. Until it jumps to its next victim.

How are they going to be able to stop this? TJ has some ideas, but will things spin out of control before lives can be saved? Greer’s hallucinations will threaten the entire ship. Though Rush’s aren’t much better.

The episode illustrates that tensions are still high between the civilians and military, and a little paranoia can cause a lot of damage. The episode also serves to reveal more about the characters’ fears, worries, and underlying issues that drive them.

This show is unlike any Stargate we’ve seen before, willing to be dark and thoughtful.

Subversion is the penultimate story before the season’s two-part finale. It was penned by Joseph Mallozzi and Paul Mullie and first debuted on 21 May, 2010.

The story explores more of the Young (Louis Ferreira) and Telford (Lou Diamond Phillips). Rush has had a bleed-through memory like Scott, and he believes that Telford may have been the traitor that led to the attack on Icarus base.

Young’s personal issues with Telford cause the concerns to be suspect, but Rush decides to use the communication stones to figure out what is going on. But who can they trust on Earth?

Rush is in Telford’s body and conducts his investigation, and Telford in Rush’s body begins to realize that suspicion is falling on him.

Is Rush ready to handle the baddies who have access to goa’uld technology? Young uses the stones to confer with O’Neill (Richard Dean Anderson) about Telford. Will they be able to stop him?

To do it, O’Neill pulls in Daniel (Michael Shanks) and Carter (Amanda Tapping – namedropped but not seen). But Rush is captured and while he gets the information he needs will he be able to escape with it?

The confrontation between Young and Telford is intense and brutal, and the things Rush discovers…

On a more relaxed note, TJ has a baby shower aboard the Destiny.

The episode ends with Telford locked in a room with Young preparing to vent the atmosphere, and Rush, being forced to work with the Lucian Alliance with his life hanging in the balance.