Category: Battlestar Galactica (Page 12 of 14)

BG has downshifted a bit, delving into the personal lives of some of the crew. Like last week’s episode, I’d classify “A Day in the Life” as filler, but it was much more entertaining thanks to the considerable acting chops of Edward James Olmos and Mary McDonnell. It’s clear that the two have feelings for one another, but it’s unclear exactly what they’re going to do about it. The Admiral’s line – “we have certain responsibilities” – would seem to shut down a possible relationship, but the President was more optimistic. This romance will probably develop very slowly, only to truly get off the ground once the series ends for good.

The situation that Callie and the Chief got themselves into was much more interesting than Helo’s crisis last week. That “we’ve-got-to-blow-the-airlock-to-save-your-lives” plan was a classic BG moment. It was definitely intense seeing two new parents flying haphazardly through space. But it looks like this near death experience will bring the two of them closer together, which is a good thing. I’ve always liked Callie, and she’s good for the Chief.

Lastly, I wish the show would do away with these bonus scenes at the end of the episode. Tonight’s scene was a perfect example. The show came to a dramatic conclusion with the Admiral saying goodbye to his ex-wife, then we’re treated to a disjointed, superfluous scene with Dee and Gaeta. There’s a reason the scene was cut. Save that stuff for the DVD, please.

This series doesn’t have a lot of them, but this was a classic filler episode. It revolved around Helo, a supporting character, and didn’t advance any of the main storylines at all. Athena was only there as a sounding board for her husband and Tigh, Adama and Dr. Cottle served basically the same purpose. I thought it was a little out of character for Adama to come down so hard on Helo, but his apology at the end of the episode was rather poignant, a credit to Edward James Olmos’ acting skills.

We did get a short scene between Athena and Number Six, and it’s interesting to see – in times of trouble – that Baltar appears to her just as she appears to him. The two are certainly intertwined, but we didn’t learn anything about why they are so connected. The fact that she also has visions indicates that Baltar may not be crazy, which is what we were led to believe for most of the first three seasons.

In the brief scene in the bar, Lee and Dee’s kiss garnered a jealous look from Starbuck, which probably means that storyline is far from over. We also met two new (?) characters, Marge and Connor, who provided absolutely nothing to the episode’s storyline.

Other than that, there was a virus spreading amongst the civilians (zzzzz) and it turned out that Doctor Robert (not from the Beatles song) was killing all the Saggitarions.

Of all the episodes this season, this was the most useless. Let’s hope the show gets back on track next week.

“Battlestar Galactica” is back with nine new episodes. I like the fact that they plan to show them consecutively, while only taking off one week for the Super Bowl.

This episode picked up right where they left off last year, with the tense standoff between Adama (with his nukes) and the Cylons (and their Raiders). This is what I would call a “versus” episode, with lots of one-on-one conflicts throughout the show.

Dee vs. Starbuck

Apparently, I wasn’t the only one who found it hugely ironic that Lee ordered his wife to risk her life in trying to save his mistress. Dee’s interaction with Starbuck was terrific, right down to that slap when Starbuck was starting to get punchy from the drugs. Once they got back to the ship, it was nice to see Lee embrace Dee (wow, it just occurred to me, “Lee and Dee”) in the hanger. Lee needs to cut all romantic ties with Starbuck. She’s a complete mess.

Sam vs. Lee

Most of this conflict happened in the previous episode, and for the most part, Sam and Lee worked as a team to fight the Cylons. I don’t know what it is, but my skin crawls when those toasters appear on screen. I think the creators have done a terrific job of painting them as killing machines, and have used them judiciously, so that they keep their impact.

Helo vs. Roslin

How great of a moment was it when Helo slowly walked towards Roslin, blaming her for their current situation? There were no guards around, and this is a guy that just shot his wife. All Adama has to do is put his hand out and Helo (pretty much) stops. That was a powerful scene.

Boomer vs. Athena

I wasn’t expecting Boomer to flip out like that, but I guess that’s what a few weeks with a crying baby will do to you. Caprica’s decision to help Athena and Hera escape threw me for a loop. Now she and Baltar are on Galactica…this should be interesting.

Biers vs. Baltar

So who is the Chosen One? Biers? Baltar? The Chief? Biers was the one who saw the five Cylon faces, but she only recognized one. What clues can we garner from what she said? “You. Forgive me. I had no idea.” Obviously, she was apologizing to someone she felt she had wronged…so who would that be? She’s had limited interaction with the humans. It’s doubtful that it was Baltar, because she seemed genuinely surprised, and Baltar had been blathering on and on about being a Cylon. Though, when she touched the Cylon’s hand, she ended up holding Baltar’s.

One thing’s for sure, the fact that she recognized a face means that we’re in for at least one more huge surprise before the series ends.

I’m really disappointed in Lee. This little affair he’s having with Cara is wreaking havoc on both of their marriages. I sort of expect such behavior from Starbuck because she’s generally pretty unstable and doesn’t always think things through, but Lee should know better. It’s not like he’s desperate; he already has a great wife in Dee, who is a much, much better catch. But it seems like he’s in love/lust with Cara and he truly wants to be with her. She, of course, applies her warped moral code to the situation saying that she can’t divorce her husband because “marriage is a sacrament.” Please. If she really believed that she wouldn’t be running around behind her hubby’s back.

Until I saw the “previously” scenes at the beginning of the episode, I had forgotten about the baby Hera. There hasn’t been any mention of her for some time, but now that Boomer and Athena have met, the cat’s out of the bag. I can understand why Athena would be pissed about Roslin’s secret, but she has to understand the logic behind it. Adama was none too pleased to discover the truth – but was he upset about the President’s actions or the fact that he was left out of the decision?

Down on the planet, it occurred to me that for being on tight rations for the last few weeks, the Chief certainly doesn’t look like he’s missed any meals. My first thought when he found the secret chamber was that maybe he stumbled on some form of alien life. Throughout the entire series, there hasn’t been a single mention of the possibility of non-human/non-Cylon life in the universe. I wonder if the series will ever explore that possibility.

The scene where the Cylons came with Baltar to Galactica to talk terms was pretty tense. I’m not sure why Caprica (Baltar’s #7) wasn’t with them – as it stood, Biers and Cavil did most of the talking.

That led into an intense sequence where Lee butted heads with Sam (Cara’s husband) over forming a rescue party for Cara (who will no doubt make it through unscathed) as the Cylons marched on their position. The Admiral is set to nuke the planet so that the Cylons don’t discover the chamber. I have a feeling the Chief will figure out the secret of the Eye before that happens.