Season 2, Arc 3: “The Stuff that Happens before Pegasus”
These episodes are far from bad (we’ll get to that soon), but they ultimately wind up as nice ideas that falter a bit due to a general lack of cohesiveness in the writing. The documentary-style approach of “Final Cut” allows us to get into the headspace of minor characters like Kat, so that’s a plus, but most of the interviews don’t necessarily yield any new information about the characters.
EPISODES COVERED: “The Farm”, “Home Part 1”, “Home Part 2”
ARC 2–Let’s go find Earth!
When Adama wakes up, to say that things are different would be an understatement. Like I said in the last review, everything’s been turned on its head, and the Commander is forced to face the fact that much of his fleet has left him, that his own son has abandoned him during this time of turmoil, that someone he knew and respected would take out a gun and shoot him twice in the chest. “Why?” he asks as he stands over Sharon’s lifeless body.
EPISODES COVERED: “Scattered”, “Valley of Darkness”, “Fragged”, “Resistance”
SEASON 2 ARC 1–Tigh’s in command!
As the chaos resulting from Adama’s shooting rages on, the characters of the Galactica are becoming scattered both physically and emotionally, their world turned upside down yet again. Adama’s laying in a hospital bed dying, Roslin, Lee, and Sharon are all in jail, and there’s a group of people stranded on Kobol. A leader is supposed to keep everything together, but when that leader is out of commission, who’ll step up and start to patch together the pieces? Will it be Colonel Tigh, someone who has to take on responsibility here that he never wanted to have, who constantly measures himself up against his friend?
Father and son exchange blows. Pan up along two pairs of entwined legs, legs that belong to Starbuck and Baltar in a passionate bout of lovemaking. The former calls out Lee’s name. Sexy. Baltar doesn’t think so. It’s Galactica Sharon now, torn, with a gun in her mouth. It’s Caprica Sharon, shot and captured by Helo. He can’t bring himself to finish her off, and Galactica Sharon can’t do it, either.
EPISODE 10–“The Hand of God”
So far, the Galactica has been on the defensive, fleeing from the Cylons, fending off attacks and dealing with problem after problem. So, it’s nice to finally see them get to go out and kick some Cylon ass. Continue reading
EPISODE 8–“FLESH AND BONE”
What exactly are the Cylons? “Flesh and Bone” goes in depth with this question, modeling the episode around the excellent Starbuck-Leoben interrogation scenes, all played brilliantly by Katee Sackhoff and Callum Keith Rennie. The interrogation begins due to Roslin’s request and desire to glean more information about the Cylons, but it escalates into a psychological battle that takes religious and philosophical turns; eventually, though, it all boils down to that one premise: who, or what, the Cylons are.
“LITMUS”–Season 1, Episode 6
This is probably the weakest episode thus far, as the show hammers home its point at the expense of a compelling story. I don’t find the atmosphere surrounding the investigation–or the idea behind starting an investigation, for that matter–to be unrealistic, considering the circumstances and the way the show loves to draw parallels to our post-9/11 fears. Continue reading
Kara Thrace, for all her cigar-smoking, wise-cracking, badass ways, is still human. These episodes remind us of that fact, and “Act of Contrition” in particular is a heart-wrenching study of the show’s most fascinating character.
WATER–Season 1, Episode 2
This is Grace Park’s episode right from the opening shot, one of water dripping from her hands that effectively sets the mood for the rest of the episode. There’s an ominous, unsettling feeling throughout, and what makes this episode so impressive is the fact the the tension is derived not from the idea of a ticking bomb, but rather the idea of a ticking person: Boomer.
Battlestar Galactica is, at its most basic level, a survival story. I begin with the same line I used to open my review of the miniseries because 1) I couldn’t think of anything else, and 2) That idea applies even more so to this episode, as “33” is a gripping and powerful exploration of a group of people desperate to survive.
Polar Bears Watch TV 