Following a tip from Jacob Carter, SG-1 investigates a Goa'uld who has been hiding on earth under the guise of a cult leader named Seth.
"Seth" provides examples of the following tropes:
- Bad Powers, Good People: Carter is able to kill Seth (whose personal shield renders him immune to bullets and energy weapons) using the hand device. Both she and the rest of the team are noticeably disturbed by this.
- Beard of Evil: Seth has a sleazy-looking goatee.
- Brainwashed and Crazy: Seth uses nishta, a chemical similar to that used by Hathor but even more dangerous as it works on both sexes and Hathor's drug only affected males, to brainwash his followers into doing his bidding. O'Neill, Carter and Daniel are briefly put under its influence after being caught inside the compound, before they can be safely deprogrammed.
- Cannot Tell a Joke: Teal'c attempts to tell a Jaffa joke regarding the unfortunate design of the Setesh guard armor, but it doesn't translate well into Earth humor.Teal'c: A Horus guard, a Serpent guard, and a Setesh guard meet on a neutral planet. It is a tense moment. The Horus guard's beak glistens. The Serpent guard's eyes glow. The Setesh guard's... nose drips.[He laughs uproariously while the others look blank for a long, awkward Beat.]
- Continuity Nod: Teal'c mentions that the nishta is likely the same method used by Apophis to brainwash Rya'c in "Family".
- Cult: Seth has managed to hide from the System Lords on earth for the last several thousand years by running a series of religious cults.
- Deprogramming: The effects of the nishta can be neutralized by administering an electrical charge. Carter devises earpieces to be worn by herself, O'Neill and Daniel so that Jacob and Teal'c can shock them remotely should they come into contact with the substance, while the brainwashed cult followers are taken care of with zats.
- Foreshadowing:
- Jacob mentions that the Tok'ra have received word of SG-1's defeat of Hathor in the Season Premiere. The next episode reveals that the Goa'uld have likewise received that news — and that defeat has made them decide Earth is a threat they can no longer ignore.
- Jacob's 'Goa'uld Census' briefing establishes that while there are thousands of Goa'uld, there are only usually around only a few dozen System Lords at any given time. This will be important to the Goa'uld's internal politics moving forward (especially Season Five's "Summit" and "Last Stand").
- Guns Akimbo: O'Neill, Carter and Daniel each dual wield zat guns to deprogram Seth's followers as quickly as possible.
- Idiot Ball: O'Neill excludes Teal'c and Jacob from the infiltration team, as Seth would be able to sense their symbiotes. But he conveniently forgets that Sam has the same problem and ends up blowing their cover anyway.
- The Infiltration: The three human members of the team are able to get close to Seth by allowing themselves to be temporarily brainwashed.
- Jurisdiction Friction: Between SG-1 and the leader of the ATF investigation, who were already had Seth under surveillance. To resolve this issue, O'Neill has Hammond call the President, who promptly gives him superiority.
- Mission Control: Teal'c and Jacob perform this role, as there's no way they would be able to get inside the compound without Seth detecting their symbiotes.
- No-Respect Guy: Among the Jaffa, the armor of the Setesh Guards is mocked for looking goofy.
- Oh, Crap!: When O'Neill and Daniel come to their senses after getting flung across the room by Seth's hand device and realize he's left a bomb about an inch from their faces.
- Red Right Hand: Daniel is able to realize that the cult leader is in fact the Goa'uld they're looking for due to numerous eyewitness accounts claiming that his eyes glowed.
- Sex Slave: Heavily implied; Daniel mentions that at least according to the mythology, Seth uses his female followers as a personal harem, while the males who aren't used to guard the compound are turned into eunuchs.
- Signature Style: A plot point when SG-1's trying to figure out how in the hell they're gonna find one Goa'uld among 6 billion people. Daniel and Teal'c both point out that even in hiding, Seth is still a Goa'uld — ergo, he won't be able to give up his thirst for false religion, its accompanying worship, or power. That gives Daniel a starting point for trying to track Seth's trail since Ancient Egypt. It works.
- Speak in Unison: Seth's followers combine this with Creepy Monotone to sing his praises."Seth is love. Seth is life. Seth is happiness."
- Stereo Fibbing: O'Neill and Daniel do this when they're brought out of the nishta's influence and realize that Seth has made them. It doesn't work.
- Talking to Themself: Jacob and Selmak argue over whether or not Jacob should attempt to reconcile with his estranged son Mark.
- Villains Blend in Better: Seth has apparently been hanging out on Earth for a couple of millennia without anybody catching on.
