Category: Battlestar Galactica (Page 11 of 14)

Finally, some real Cylon contact!

It turns out that the Cylons have been tracking the human fleet, but Number 6 supposedly gave Tigh the information he needed to throw the toasters off their scent.

But that info came at a price. Number 6 threw Tigh into a guilt-ridden tailspin, which climaxed at the trial when he said he’d do anything to put Dr. Baltar away except, of course, stay sober. Way to be a good witness, Tigh! Thanks a bunch!

What was the deal with the music? Didn’t Sam hear it in the bar as well? And what was the deal with the look that the President’s aide (Tori) and Sam shared at the bar? Are Sam and Seelix are becoming an item? My head is spinning.

I still don’t get why Lee would want to help Baltar. I understand that Starbuck’s death has made him want to step out from his father’s shadow, but why help Gaius? That scene in the Admiral’s quarters was classic:

Lee: Are you calling me a liar?
Will: I’m calling you a liar and a coward.
Lee: I will not serve for a man who questions my integrity.
Will: And I will not have an officer under my command who doesn’t have any.

Ouch.

It looks like Baltar’s trial and the season are going to wrap up next week. Is it just me or is this season lacking the normal buildup to the finale? All those self-contained domestic episodes in the middle of the season threw me for a loop.

When Will had his father’s law books delivered to Lee a few episodes ago, I thought it was foreshadowing Lee’s involvement in the prosecution of Dr. Baltar, not his defense. As its title indicates, this episode was about Lee stepping out of the shadow of his father, even if he taking a step in the wrong direction. What good can possibly be served by helping to defend Baltar? The answer to this question will almost certainly become clear as the storyline wears on. Regardless, it should be interesting to see father and son in the same courtroom as members of the tribunal and the defense, respectively. I just hope they don’t drag the trial out too long; there are enough legal dramas on TV.

This week, we met a new character – Romo Lampkin (played by Mark A. Sheppard, who was last seen cutting up young women on “Medium”). Romo likes to wear sunglasses, even when meeting with the President, so I am going to refer to him henceforth as Horatio, as in Horatio Caine of “CSI: Miami.” For those of you wise enough to be unfamiliar with the character, Horatio also wears shades, and just loves to take them off or put them on to punctuate a dramatic point. (For a good laugh, check out this YouTube montage.) Anyway, Horatio is Baltar’s new lawyer and he was trained by Lee’s grandfather. What a coincidence!

There was no real news on the fate of Starbuck, but it’s highly doubtful that she’s gone for good. She may hang low until the finale, but we’ll see her soon. I feel for both Sam and Lee, though Lee still has a pretty good woman at home. I don’t think Starbuck could have asked for a better sendoff than having her husband injure his leg by drunkenly falling off of a viper. (Seriously.)

A maelstrom is defined as “a large, powerful or violent whirlpool” and also as “a restless, disordered, or tumultuous state of affairs.” Both definitions are appropriate for this intense episode, which gave us a reprieve from the rather mundane day-to-day stories we’ve endured the last few weeks.

In many ways, this is Starbuck’s signature episode. Katee Sackhoff’s acting was terrific throughout, from the pressure-packed cockpit scenes to the emotional moments with her dead mother. Jamie Bamber (as Lee) provided great support, especially in the scene in the hanger where the duo talked about the state of their relationship(s). And, once again, Edward James Olmos’ considerable acting chops were on display as he mourned his surrogate daughter’s death.

But back to the story: Leoben said something interesting when he first brought her back to see her mother – “All of this has happened before and will happen again.” This destiny-filled, cyclical thinking has been mentioned before (by Roslin) and it will be interesting to see how it is used as the series progresses.

So is Starbuck really dead?

I doubt it. She had her hand on the eject handle, so she could have launched herself into the atmosphere.

Or maybe she’s a Cylon and she’s going to wake up, reborn, on a resurrection ship.

Whatever happens, she did commit suicide, which falls in line with her mother’s opinion of her…that she’s a quitter.

Destiny is a bitch, isn’t it?

Between last week’s plunge into space and this week’s labor episode, the Chief is getting a ton of face time. He feels compelled to fight for the little guy and he definitely had a “Norma Rae” moment when he shut down the line. At the time, I was a little confused as to why he decided to go on strike. He had already convinced the powers that be that there should be a lottery to rotate workers in, and one of those new workers was just seriously injured. That’s not exactly the most solid ground to stand on. “You implemented one of my ideas and it backfired. Want to hear some more?”

Speaking of the injury – that scene with Danny under the belt was cringe inducing. It was so obvious he was going to get hurt.

Meanwhile, Baltar is writing his memoir in his cell. The fact that he’s supposed to be from one of the “worker” colonies really came out of left field. Have we seen anything in his character that would reflect a tough, hard-nosed upbringing? Just the opposite – he’s been a sniveling, whiny brat. Even though I enjoyed James Callis’ acting as he went from one dialect to another, proving his heritage, I can’t help but think that the revelation is totally whack.

Lastly, we met a guy named Figurski this week. After three seasons of sci-fi sounding names (Adama, Tyrol, Thrace, Baltar, Agathon, Dualla, etc.), suddenly there’s a Polish guy on Galactica?

This was the third episode in a row where the main storyline wasn’t even touched on. So far, I’m not that impressed with the 2007 content. There are only four episodes left this season, so they better get a move on.