Category: Battlestar Galactica (Page 8 of 14)

This week’s episode provided a little bit of movement in the two more compelling ongoing storylines: the fate of the Demetrius and the intra-Cylon war.

While I understand how Starbuck’s crew is getting eager to return to the fleet, what are the odds that they stumble upon Leoben at the site of an intra-Cylon battle? It’s obviously not a coincidence so either Starbuck (skinjob or not) is indeed on the path to Earth or she’s (intentionally or unintentionally) leading the ship into a trap. This is the first good clue the ship has discovered on its mission, and there simply isn’t time to go back and check in with the fleet before following the clue to see where it leads. However, that makes me wonder why Adama and Starbuck wouldn’t arrange for some backup meeting point and time if the circumstances prohibited the Demetrius from returning to the fleet at the 60-day mark.

Maybe the solution is for Starbuck another crewmember to take a raptor or two and follow the clue while the rest of the crew meets up with the fleet. One thing’s for certain – Starbuck needs to talk to the hybrid, and fast. Leoben wants to form an alliance between the humans and the remaining Sixes, Eights and Twos that would allow Cara to fulfill her destiny, which Leoben says is to lead the humans to Earth.

Back on Galactica, Baltar’s tiresome evangelizing intersected with the Tyrol’s semi-dreary mourning/coming-to-grips storyline. The former Chief decided to shave his head and jump rope in his cabin, which are (apparently) common reactions to discovering that you’re a Cylon and losing your wife to suicide. The whole Tyrol/Baltar holding hands thing seems extraneous right now, though I sure hope there is some purpose to it. Watching Baltar preach just makes me squirm, so I hope that he eventually gets what’s coming to him.

Wow.

As I was watching this episode, I couldn’t help but think that it felt a lot like filler. Much of it was dedicated to ho-hum storylines like Lee adjusting to his new job, Cally dealing with the difficulty of motherhood and, of course, the grumpy, unbelieving underlings on Cara’s new ship, the Demetrius.

But then it happened. The gritty Cally (whom I’ve always liked, even though she was tough to watch for much of this episode) followed Galen to the weapons locker and managed to learn the truth about the three newly aware skinjobs. Suddenly, the secret was out. It was quite the moment, though I question Tigh’s decision to leave a note for a super-secret meeting where an obviously suspicious Cally could (and did) find it. Several questions jumped to mind. Who would she tell? Would anyone believe her? What would she say to the Chief? And what would she do about Nicholas?

It turns out she didn’t want to say anything to Galen. Her world was turned upside down, so she reacted by hitting him over the head with a wrench – by the way, that’s some serious symbolism, considering their professions – and then whisking her baby away to the airlock. Apparently, her solution was to commit murder-suicide without bothering to tell anyone in the fleet that there were more cylons in their midst. It was a little on the unbelievable side, but the writers set it up with all of those sleepless nights earlier in the episode. We were to believe that she was tired and she wasn’t thinking straight. Still, as a new father myself, I was appalled at the prospect of her apparent decision to jettison her son out of an airlock.

But there was Tory to “save” the day. Of all the new cylons, she seems to be the most complex. Her speech in the airlock and subsequent betrayal was a shock to the system. I don’t think that it was until I saw a lifeless Cally floating through space that it finally hit me – this is really the last season of “Battlestar Galactica.” Heads will roll.

The Cally/Galen/Tory storyline was the crux of the episode, but there were some interesting developments at Cylon HQ as well. Genocide seems to be ruling the day, and it’s unclear which side is going to win out. I’m a little hazy on the whole there’s-no-resurrection-ship-nearby-so-we-can’t-survive line of thinking, as dead skinjobs have never had a problem traveling long distances before. But what the heck, I’ll play along.

I thought the best moment of that whole mess was when Six had to say “please” to the Centurion. That moment was just dripping with subtext.

Speaking of subtext, it seems like VP Tom’s suspicions about Roslin’s presidency is a commentary on the secretiveness of the administration currently inhabiting the White House. Lee didn’t like Roslin’s attitude when he tried to quell concerns about the Demetrius, so he got a little vindictive and brought up that classified executive order. By the way, wasn’t VP Tom pretty annoying with that little knocker of his?

Lastly, on the Demetrius, nothing really happened in Starbuck’s world in the last 22 days, and the natives are getting restless. However, we did learn that she just wants “to frack.”

“WE’RE GOING THE WRONG WAY!”

Starbuck’s screams are still echoing in my brain. Last week’s cliffhanger ended rather sheepishly after Cara handed the President her gun. Sure, there was a gunshot, but did anyone really believe that Roslin actually shot Starbuck? For a moment, it looked as if Cara’s actions would be for naught, but by the end of the episode, the Admiral (sort of) came around to her way of thinking. Apparently, she and Helo are going to take a sewage recycling ship and try to find a way to Earth. Since the fleet continues to jump further and further away, I’m not exactly sure how they’ll find a way to Earth and then find their way back to the fleet, but at least she’ll have some company on the trip to verify her discovery. The fuzziness of the plan makes me wonder if we’ll ever get a detailed explanation of why the details of her first trip to Earth are so sketchy.

Not much happened with the Four – Tigh, Sam, Tyrol and Tory – other than their secret meeting where they decided to try to use Baltar to find the final Cylon. Considering that Tigh, Sam and Tyrol are so devoted to the humans, it’s surprising that they don’t just turn themselves in. Aren’t they risking the fleet’s destruction? Is there some sort of programming that blocks the ability to tell the truth about themselves?

Anyway, Tory quickly infiltrated Baltar’s bed, but that’s not that difficult of a task, is it? Baltar saw a vision of himself for the first time (I believe) and the dynamic was pretty funny. His doppleganger said that he should handle Tory “with care,” to which he responded, “Oh, I’d love to.” I think the Four are barking up the wrong tree with Baltar; I don’t think he knows the identity of the final Cylon – can anyone confirm this?

Speaking of the Cylons, there is serious trouble in River City. With all the Number Threes boxed up due to their supposed Messiah defects, there are only six models running things, and they butt heads over whether or not to lobotomize the Raiders. The conflict seems to be the Raiders’ decision to turn tail at the last encounter with the humans, which made Number Six believe that the remaining five Cylons are indeed in the fleet. Number One says that they aren’t allowed to think about it and wants to take away the Radiers’ ability to withdraw from battle. The discussion ends badly for him when Six walks in with a couple of newly-freed Centurions, who are none too pleased with his actions. Does this mean that there are only three models left? And what was the deal with the weird little montage where Boomer (or some other Eight) was dancing around topless while the hybrid ranted gobbledygook?

Not that I’m complaining…

In (fairly) minor news, Lee has left Galactica to take an empty quorum position. I’m not sure what this means, but methinks he’ll still be involved in the day-to-day happenings of the show. He had a nice little moment with Dualla before he left. I hope her character gets more screen time than she’s been getting in the last few episodes.

Lastly, Roslin and Adama had some sharp words about Starbuck that precipitated his decision to let her go. After some back and forth (and a little Psych 101 analysis by the President), Adama quipped, “You’re afraid you may not be the dying leader you thought you were. Or that your death would be as meaningless as everyone else’s.”

Ouch.

Seriously, why is Roslin so convinced that she knows the way to Earth? Isn’t Cara’s relationship with the Eye of Jupiter enough of a clue that she does in fact know the way to Earth?

“WE’RE GOING THE WRONG WAY!”

This video popped up on my TiVo the other day. It’s an eight-minute recap of the entire “Battlestar Galactica” run, and it’s pretty funny.