11.20.06
Posted in Reviews at 10:50 pm by Administrator
Written by David Eick
Directed by Michael Rymer
The first time I watched this episode, I was not pleased. I thought it violated some basic aspects of the established continuity, especially in terms of what the Colonies knew about the potential for a Cylon strike. I also found the whole situation with Bulldog to be overly contrived. After all, it makes little sense for the Cylons to send Bulldog back to the Colonials at this point. Why wouldn’t they try to destabilize things prior to this point?
I was also annoyed by the timeline issues. If Adama has been in the fleet for 45 years, then he’s running up on 65 years old at this point, and I never would have expected that. Also, based on the information contained within the episode, he would have been assigned to Galactica about 2.5 years before the Cylon strike. So how could he have been on the Valkyrie a year before the strike? It all felt a little sloppy and ill-conceived, an attempt to blur the lines of responsibility for the genocide.
However, I had an opportunity to watch the episode a second time, and I realized that the writers were focusing on something a lot more interesting. As Roslin points out rather clearly, Adama is shouldering the blame for something that had already been in motion. Recalling the mini-series, the Cylons had been infiltrating the Colonies for years before the strike. More to the point, the Valkyrie incident proves that the Cylons were preparing for the strike. They found the stealth Viper so quickly that they were either patrolling the armistice line to eliminate any “spy planes” or they had a mole within the Admiralty. For that matter, the Admiralty’s plan could have been contrived to supply the Cylons with a handy justification, if things went awry.
So it’s quite possible that the Cylons knew who Bulldog was and that his “rescue” would do an awful lot to shake everyone’s confidence in Adama if the truth came out. It still seems a bit odd that they would use such a plot, especially one that could be so easily debunked, but the Cylons have been seriously affected by recent events and they seem to be reaching for a greater purpose.
D’Anna, after all, seems to be touching on something unusual and unexpected within the Cylon subconscious. It would appear that her discussion with Baltar shook her to her core, and perhaps that opens up the door to revelation. It’s interesting that she encounters something metaphorical in between life and death, especially since she gets a glimpse of five unseen figures. Could these figures be related to the five remaining Cylon models?
The writers reach for a connection between Bulldog’s escape from the Cylons and Tigh’s escape from the cage of his own self-loathing, but it doesn’t quite come together. For all that, the episode does give Adam and Tigh a reason to sit down and work out some of their issues, and that’s a neat bit of progress for the character arcs. Much like Adama in the second season, Tigh is trying to figure out how to deal with the world again, and it’s a long and fascinating process.
Unlike some of the weaker episodes of the second season, this is the kind of episode that challenges assumptions and focuses on character without frustrating the audience or falling apart under inspection. It’s now clear why Adama was so concerned about the prospect of a Cylon return in the mini-series, and it once again echoes the underlying question: are the survivors worthy of that survival? The answer, thankfully, remains unresolved.
(As a sidenote: I also have a podcast associated with my various reviews called “Dispatches from Tuzenor”. Current episodes cover “Battlestar: Galactica”, so it might be something of interest. Go to http://entil2001.libsyn.com if you want to listen!)
Writing: 2/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 2/4
Final Rating: 8/10
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11.15.06
Posted in Reviews at 12:09 am by Administrator
Written by Michael Angeli
Directed by Bill Eagles
Coming on the heels of a relatively controversial episode, this installment focuses squarely on the viral infection of the Cylons and the moral consequences of using it against the enemy. There’s also more than a little torture and manipulation along the way. The result is a fairly strong episode that continues to turn the season arc in a more complicated direction.
The least effective element of the episode is the description and execution of the virus afflicting the Cylons. Making it a biological virus is an interesting touch, because it reveals that the Cylons are at least partially biological and that the biology is sufficiently close to human biology for a contagion designed to affect humans to affect the Cylons. (This also helps explain how Helo and Sharon were biologically capable.)
At the same time, the idea of a virus replicating itself through the resurrection process is hard to swallow. How does a human-based virus mutate into something that has a data-based component? It’s far more likely that the Cylons are assuming that the virus could kill them all, and the Colonials just run with the ball. After all, they assume that the infection of one resurrection ship will somehow equate with the infection of the entire Cylon race, when there’s no reason to assume that at all.
The sum total of all those assumptions, however, is a compelling moral dilemma. Should the Colonials employ a genocidal biological weapon against the Cylons, even given the fact that they are fighting for their own survival? As Sharon/Athena put it in “Resurrection Ship: Part II”, would the human race be worthy of survival if they were to make that choice? Roslin’s decision is perfectly in keeping with her previous characterization, and it’s interesting to see how Adama’s mindset has shifted, largely because of his relationship to Athena.
Baltar’s place among the Cylon will likely shift now, because he brings a new and frightening perspective to their faith. At least, that’s how it appears by the end of the torture session. Will Baltar become some kind of prophet among the Cylon? As machines, the Cylons could be searching for the true meaning of faith, and Baltar could end up becoming something of a teacher, despite his flaws. Considering how this would bring Baltar into a position not unlike his role in the original series, it would be an intriguing turn of events.
Overall, there are still a number of questions to be answered about the Cylons and their nature, and Baltar’s presence on the Basestar is the logical means of exploring that ground. However, these two most recent episodes have introduced some seemingly contradictory elements that need better resolution, especially in terms of this new search for Earth and the five unseen models.
(As a sidenote: I also have a podcast associated with my various reviews called “Dispatches from Tuzenor”. Current episodes cover “Battlestar: Galactica”, so it might be something of interest. Go to http://entil2001.libsyn.com if you want to listen!)
Writing: 2/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 1/4
Final Rating: 7/10
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11.06.06
Posted in Reviews at 11:34 pm by Administrator
Written by Anne Cofell Saunders
Directed by Jean de Segonzac
As if addressing the question of whether or not the series could still delve into creative territory while maintaining a strong and consistent story arc, this episode manages to switch between traditional storytelling elements and a more surreal, dreamlike quality. Unlike the previous episode, which introduced a number of plot elements that find deeper expression in this installment, there is a distinct difference between the Human and Cylon worlds.
The Human world is stark and unrelenting. In particular, Kara and Tigh have come to the conclusion that anyone and everyone is fair game for their general hostility. In particular, they have little patience for their rescuers, and they have no problem speaking their mind. It’s clear that they are transferring their anger and self-loathing on the rest of the crew, and while the crew sees it for what it is, it’s always hard to ignore that kind of constant negativity.
Ultimately, Kara and Tigh are forced to take a good look at their psychological damage, and they react in very different ways. Kara seems to recognize that she’s spiraling out of control, and she takes the first step towards recovery. It’s unlikely to be a simple healing process, but she’s in a better position than Tigh. Tigh, however, is still falling, and there’s no telling how long it will take for him to hit rock bottom.
At the same time, Roslin and Adama finally turn back to the search for Earth. This introduces an odd plot device in the Scroll of Pythia. If they’ve always had an ancient document detailing the journey of the lost 13th tribe, why haven’t they been referencing it previously? There’s some indication that the scroll was considered a myth, and that Baltar’s research pointed to a possible translation of metaphor, but why wouldn’t anyone have thought about this?
The Cylon world is depicted in a more non-linear fashion, focusing on the idea of “projections”. They tie this idea into Baltar’s imaginary trysts with Caprica-Six, and Baltar begins to wonder if he’s a Cylon. At the same time, he learns that the seven known humaniform models of Cylon don’t talk about the remaining five, and that the Basestars have a “hybrid” processing core.
Homages to “Babylon 5” and “Minority Report” aside, this brings up an interesting philosophical question. It’s almost certain that Baltar is human. It’s also been shown that the Cylons have been incorporating organic components into their ships since the beginning (the raider in the first season comes to mind). The “hybrid” could very well be a human mind conditioned and modified to run the Basestar “ecosystem”, blurring the edges between Human and Cylon even more.
As seen in “Downloaded” in the second season, the Cylons are particularly concerned about models that are “too human”. What if the unseen five models were “boxed” for becoming too human as a whole? Better yet, what if the Cylon culture is fractured? The current seven models would represent a slim majority, and perhaps they advocate elimination or control of the Colonists. What if the remaining five are a vocal minority opposed to the war with Humanity? They could still be back on the Cylon Homeworld. In fact, this could explain why the current seven models are looking to Earth as a new home; they may not be welcome on the Cylon Homeworld anymore.
The idea of a computer virus attacking the Cylons is a bit cliché, but the treatment of it works well enough. It does seem odd, however, that the Cylons would suspect treachery on Baltar’s part. If they recognize that the 13th tribe passed through that area of space thousands of years earlier, how could they expect that the beacon was designed to attack them specifically, when the Cylons have only been around for a few generations? This does touch on the whole “this has happened before and will happen again” concept, but it seems like an odd bit of logic.
Overall, enjoyment of this episode depends largely on acceptance of the surrealism of the Cylon portion of the story. I felt that it worked well, glossing over the fact that the Cylon culture could only be shown from a human perspective and through Baltar’s mental filters. There are a number of intense moments in this episode that help keep the shift to the search for Earth from feeling like too much of a tonal shift, but it remains to be seen if the new details about the Cylons will help or hurt the series as a whole.
(As a sidenote: I also have a podcast associated with my various reviews called “Dispatches from Tuzenor”. Current episodes cover “Battlestar: Galactica”, so it might be something of interest. Go to http://entil2001.libsyn.com if you want to listen!)
Writing: 2/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 1/4
Final Rating: 7/10
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