04.29.08
Posted in Reviews at 12:14 am by Administrator
Written by Jane Espenson
Directed by Edward James Olmos
Jane Espenson, the writer for this episode, was on the writing staff of the Joss Whedon cult favorite “Firefly”, a series that is held in high regard among the Galactica production crew. In one of the episodes (“War Stories”), a peculiar philosophy is mentioned. In short, the idea is: by torturing someone to his or her very limits, that person’s true self will emerge. That episode of “Firefly” immediately came to mind while watching the story unfold.
Because this is largely a transitional piece, the key to success was character exploration and, in turn, a philosophical theme. Almost everyone involved in this episode was tested by some kind of pain or strife. Tyrol, for example, was tested by the knowledge that his wife’s “suicide” was anything but (though he doesn’t seem sure), and the real man who emerges is not a pleasant sight. Tyrol’s growing numbness could leave him vulnerable to Tory’s manipulation.
Tory has done a fairly good job of turning herself into an agent of pain, using it to push Baltar’s buttons (rather effectively, I might add). Though it’s not explicitly stated, it wouldn’t be shocking to discover that she’s manipulating Tigh, Tyrol, and Roslin with equal deftness. As noted in the review for the previous episode, she is the one “new” Cylon who has embraced the benefits of her newly-revealed nature. There has always been an amoral aspect to Tory’s character, but the moment of revelation has seemingly stripped away some of her internal checks and balances.
Tigh, like Tyrol, is struggling with the knowledge of his true nature, and his conversation with Caprica Six is revealing. I’m not sure I was completely sold on her actions and reactions in this episode; the characterization felt “off”. Tigh’s guilt and self-loathing came through very clearly, but her dialogue choices were too “perfect” for the occasion. Even so, this provided an interesting parallel between her and Tory; they both act upon others to help them “know themselves”.
In addition to Tory’s possible influence, Roslin’s own recognition of her impending death has pushed her towards an even more fascist mindset. Roslin has always been an interesting character, because she has been willing to subvert the popular masses in the name of their survival. Her decision to stand up to Adama in the first season was all about saving Humanity, and as she says in this episode, as time runs out, she’s less and less concerned about the opinions of others.
So Roslin is more than happy to change the law to frustrate Gaius Baltar and paint Lee Adama as naïve for questioning it. Adama, having a rather flexible definition of morality himself (particularly when it comes to his “family”), doesn’t disagree. The episode itself suggests that Roslin might have been right to be concerned about Baltar, because the result of his trial is a renewed sense of confidence. Even Lee seemed concerned with the consequences of his decision.
Ironically, I’m still convinced that the survival of Humanity is through a blending with the Cylons. Baltar and his monotheistic cult could very likely be a part of that movement, along with Kara’s search for Earth, and that puts Roslin as more of an impediment to survival than a benefit. Yet in very many ways, they never would have gotten so far without her, and it’s quite possible that she’s the final Cylon, acting from unseen and unrealized influences.
The episode gave me enough to enjoy on a philosophical level that the minor character and style choices didn’t bother me as much as I initially thought. From a style perspective, I thought the arrangement of the episode, simply from the editing aspect, didn’t always work for me. Taken with some of the dialogue, it left me feeling a bit bothered in a very vague sense. The transitional nature of the story also didn’t help. But as a fan of shows like “Lost”, sometimes all I need is a good philosophical hook, and this episode had that in excess.
Writing: 2/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 1/4
Final Rating: 7/10
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04.21.08
Posted in Reviews at 10:18 pm by Administrator
Written by Michael Taylor
Directed by Michael Nankin
When a series is working towards a pre-determined end date, the production staff has a tendency to look towards less conventional storytelling. After all, the opportunities for creative expression are fewer and fewer with each passing week. Doing something unusual is pretty much a “now or never” proposition.
This is mostly applicable to the scenes related to Cally and her state of mind. The camera work is designed to communicate her psychological state, particularly the mixture of antidepressants and sleep depravation. Because this dominates the episode, given her eventual death, the effectiveness of the unusual technique is tied directly to the success of the episode. For my part, I thought it was a bit forced.
Similarly, I had some issue with Cally’s mindset that it might be all right for Tyrol to hit her, because then at least she’d know that he felt something towards her. Even if it has already been established as something she might believe (after the events of “Crossroads”, in particular), it’s not something that necessarily needed to be reinforced. Tyrol’s savage beating of Cally, followed by their relationship and marriage, was always a sore spot for me.
It’s troubling, then, to see similar logic now applied to the Sam/Kara relationship. Granted, Kara is in a deeply disturbing psychological state, but it’s the effect of her status as visionary and prophet. Pushing Anders to his limits, hoping he’ll lose control and take her along for the ride, just doesn’t feel right. Then again, everything about Kara since her return has been confusing and contradictory.
Speaking of Kara’s current role, now that Kara’s visions are emerging, other astronomical evidence is beginning to suggest that Earth is not far away at all. The gas giant in Kara’s memory looked suspiciously like Jupiter (tying into the “Eye of Jupiter” reference rather nicely), and in two instances, the constellation of Orion was plainly visible in its familiar configuration, which is only visible from Earth’s general location!
So the fleet should actually be very close to the end goal now. In fact, based on the map acquired in “Home”, they should be able to figure out the right coordinates. They know where the nebula in the Sagittarius Cluster is located on the “Home” map, and the star field probably included the constellation of Orion. All they should have to do now is find the Gemini part of the “Home” map and plot a course. It should be fairly easy.
Of course, at the same time, ever since finding the Ionian Nebula, Roslin has been resisting a number of actions that could complete the exodus to Earth. Not only that, but as seen in the surprisingly entertaining Quorum scenes in this episode, Roslin has been slowly but surely consolidating power and authority. Zarek is concerned, despite feeling that Roslin has her heart in the right place.
Lee might be advised to question both motives: Zarek could be supportive to Roslin in the hopes of taking her place when she dies. It certainly would make sense for Zarek to take Lee under his wing and secure a political ally. Roslin’s motives, however, are more elusive. If the fleet is really as close to Earth as it seems, could she be subconsciously trying to point them in the wrong direction? I’m waiting for the one solid moment that will point to Roslin acting out of character.
That moment came for Tory in this episode, and it has ruffled some feathers. The writers clearly had something in mind for each of the four new Cylons, in terms of how they would react. Tigh is still pushing for everyone to act normally, and Tyrol is trying to maintain a sense of balance (and clearly losing the battle). Anders is dealing more with his identity with his relationship to Kara to change in any other way.
That leaves Tory, the one with the least complicated background, to be the recently-emergent Cylon with a calculated edge. In this episode, she seems to revel in the opportunity to be more than the simple aide to Roslin that she’s been. She sees Cally as a problem, recognizes Nicky as something important, and she acts accordingly to resolve the issue. I wouldn’t call it evil, but she’s certainly no longer thinking and acting out of purely human concerns.
If all characters are created equal, then it’s not really a problem for Tory to take this direction. After all, she is the only one of the four newly-revealed Cylons without a massive history. But on top of Cally’s death, this is another female character (and one of color, for that matter) to take a negative turn. And that’s in addition to Kara’s mental breakdown and Roslin’s health issues. And of course, there’s also the Cylon situation. In the latest round of the now heated Cylon Civil War, the male Cylons effectively wiped out a huge chunk of the female Cylons. The writers might consider striking a balance before much longer.
The Cylon Civil War serves to keep the Cylon fleet away from the Colonial fleet for a time, but it also weakens the Cylons enough that their numbers might be too low to annihilate the Colonials. That, in conjunction with the intervention of the Final Five, could bring about the circumstances of the series’ conclusion. Boomer is clearly an important part of the equation, and I suspect that the severity of the current conflict may be her doing.
Ultimately, despite the high profile death at the end of the episode, this episode felt like it was missing something. Maybe it was my dissatisfaction with the style choice with Cally’s perspective, or my distaste for some of the psychology at play. Generally speaking, I like where the story is heading, but this was not how I would have preferred to get there.
Writing: 2/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 0/4
Final Rating: 6/10
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04.14.08
Posted in Reviews at 11:42 pm by Administrator
Written by Michael Angeli
Directed by Anthony Hemingway
At the end of the second season, I was personally disappointed in the episode “Downloaded”, because it represented a moment of transition for the Cylons without the necessary context. Caprica Six and Boomer decided to change the Cylon philosophy towards Humanity, and this was depicted as a deviation from The Plan. Unfortunately, The Plan was shrouded in mystery, so it was hard to recognize the extent and depth of what was coming.
This episode has a similar shift, but the writers took the time in previous episodes to set the stage for the schism. Everything since New Caprica has been prologue to the revelation of the “Final Five” and the effect on the Cylon as a whole. The boxing of the Threes permits stalemate. The current Six revolution (led by “Natalie”) is most interesting because it facilitates the transformation of Cylon culture.
It suggests, very strongly, that the Raiders and Centurions were operating under complete programming restraint to follow the will of the seven known humaniform models. After all, previously, those seven models were essentially in lockstep. Now, the emergence of the Final Five could have triggered the Raiders towards free will, and now the Centurions have been given the same. They want to understand their origins as well.
This again plays into the idea of a possible ancient origin to the Cylon within certain Human genetic bloodlines, supporting the “cyclic mergence” theory. It’s known that the humaniform Cylons can breed, so odds are good that the children can breed. The Cylons of the First Cylon War were all robotic. Why, then, would they designate twelve models above and apart from the robotic and cyborg types? Why would seven of them be aware of each other, but the other five not be? Is it possible that the Cylons only created seven models, but were programmed to know that five others existed somewhere else?
That said, Cavil’s decision to break the deadlock with Boomer shouldn’t have led so directly to the decision by Natalie to start a revolution. She never presented a firm challenge to Boomer’s right to a vote. After all, if Cavil began with the precedence of it, Natalie could have easily demanded that all versions of every model should be given an equal voice. Or she could have demanded that Boomer’s right to vote independently be justified or debated. Whatever the case, it seemed more like a plot convenience than a logical progression.
Back on Galactica, the story is less active. Lee officially departs to his new job as a member of the Quorum of Twelve. This positions him rather well to be Roslin’s potential successor, since her health continues to decline. Given his early association with her, this would be fitting. In contrast to the obvious conclusion that Kara Thrace is a Cylon, this change in Lee’s status makes him the perfect candidate. If nothing else, it would certainly make his comment about Zak in the premiere a case of clever foreshadowing. It would also put him in the perfect position to facilitate a Human/Cylon accord.
All that said, his departure felt interminable. No less than three scenes covered the necessary emotional requirements. Everything was taken care of in the final scene, rendering the scenes in the rec room and the ready room a bit moot. It felt like the writers needed something to fill the time, and they pushed for sentimentality. (The time might have been better spent on Racetrack and her game of Strip Triad; Leah Cairns in civvies would be more than worth it!)
Despite the rift that it threatens to create between Adama and Roslin, there was little question that Adama would ultimately throw his support behind Kara’s claims regarding Earth. Not full support, of course, because that would be incredibly foolish, but enough to get the job done. I suspect that this will eventually put her in contact with Cylons of similar vision, though that is obviously nothing but speculation.
The final item of significance is Baltar’s new relationship with Tory. It begins as subterfuge, but I suspect it will turn into a significant plot point. The writers again went with over-convenience by giving Baltar just the right metaphor to use with Tory, but the presence of Head!Baltar made up for some of the disappointment. Is that Head!Six messing with Baltar’s mind, or has his own subconscious manifested in a new and disturbing form?
The end result is an episode that is a bit slower than the premiere, and given that it was essentially the resolution of a cliffhanger, it felt like something was missing. The potential for a true Cylon civil war has potential, but the events on Galactica could have been equally explosive. Instead, they were more of an emotional counterpoint, and that may not have been enough.
Writing: 2/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 1/4
Final Rating: 7/10
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04.08.08
Posted in Reviews at 12:38 am by Administrator
Written by Bradley Thompson and David Weddle
Directed by Michael Rymer
It’s been nearly a year since the end of the third season, and after such a long wait, it shouldn’t be surprising that the audience would have high expectations. In fact, those expectations were nothing but heightened after the taste provided by “Razor” in November. It’s practically a given that this episode failed to meet those lofty desires, but that may prove to be a good thing.
For some, the third season finale was all about throwing everything and anything against the wall, seeing the patterns that formed when it congealed, and using that as the roadmap to the series’ conclusion. On the other hand, it also felt like a finale that was meant to shock the system, reinvigorating it towards the goal of a more frantic finish.
Three major items dominate this episode, all of them focusing on matters of faith. The Baltar situation is the most straightforward. Baltar finds himself among a small group of monotheists who consider him to be a prophet, even a savior. The fact that they are mostly young, attractive women does not escape his notice, and does take advantage of his new opportunities. Yet very quickly, his perspective turns more serious.
Baltar is brought a young child with a deadly illness, in the hopes that his prayers might save him. This leads him to a rare moment of honest self-reflection. He admits his own failing, his own weaknesses, and offers himself in place of the boy. It’s not something that Baltar would have done in the beginning of the series. Shortly thereafter, during an attempt on his life, he is ready and willing to die in payment for his sins. Part of that is self-pity and guilt, but it does make one wonder if Baltar might become someone worthy of the adoration his harem provides. (Though I could easily see his most violent protector becoming a problem before much longer.)
Second, we have the situation with the four newly revealed Cylons. All of them are in a position of trust within the fleet, and in the face of Kara’s return, none of them are suspected. Ironically, Anders effectively saves the fleet when a Raider seems to scan and recognize him. (This brings up an interesting point; are the more “primitive” Raiders more aware of the hidden Five than the humaniform models?). Tigh and Tyrol both reaffirm their own humanity on a constant basis, even as they all fear taking action against their apparent WILL.
What makes this interesting is the callback to the first season, when Boomer was caught between suspicions about her true nature, her programming, and her humanity. Not only does the audience know that she failed to overcome that programming, but we’ve seen Athena successfully chart her own course (at least, it appears to be so). Now we have the same situation but amplified by a factor of four, and with a more profound effect on the Cylons themselves.
The third and final aspect is directly related to Kara Thrace and her return from apparent death. Clearly she wants Adama to believe in her, but pragmatism is getting in the way. Also, the circumstances of her return are questionable at best, and given justified fleet paranoia, grounds for exactly the treatment she’s given. In her nearly-religious assurance, she’s completely dismissing everyone else’s perspective.
Which is not to say that she’s wrong, because it’s far more interesting if she’s absolutely right. Kara’s bloodhound psychic alarms are remarkably similar to Roslin’s reaction upon the fleet’s arrival in the Ionian Nebula. Roslin’s reaction was preceded by visions shared with Caprica Six. One could speculate that the “activation” of the four of the Final Five at the exact same time was a meaningful correlation.
In my comments for “Razor”, I noted that the prophesies regarding Kara Thrace and her role in the destruction of Humanity may have been easily misinterpreted. What if Kara is meant to bring about the end of both the Human and Cylon races as they are, by bringing them together based on a common legacy? After all, in “Eye of Jupiter” and “Rapture”, the Temple of Five was built by Humans over 4000 years earlier.
One theory I’ve had for some time is that every “cycle” of the story begins with Human and Cylon separate and at war, and ends with the two races merging into one species. They recover to the point of sending out colonists. The colonists struggle to find their own identity while the “originals” continue to evolve. The colonists are seeded with the genetic material necessary to survive the next cycle, while the “originals” help both of their “children” to find their way.
So by this theory, the Final Five are not constructed Cylons in the sense of the seven humaniform models, but rather, genetic Cylons: Humans embedded with ancient Cylon DNA. Tigh, Tyrol, Anders, and Tori would not have false memories of their lives because they truly lived them. They are Human, but a part of them is also Cylon.
Also by this theory, Kara would have been saved by the previous cycle’s “humans”, those now on Earth, so she could lead the fleet home. They would have been able to give her a new Viper and the sense of where to lead the fleet. It’s possible that Roslin is equally “attuned” because of her use of the kamalla drug. On the other side of the equation, the Cylons may also be following such instructions through the guidance of the “hybrids” and Cylons like D’Anna and Caprica Six.
Of course, all of that speculation may be wrong, and that is the allure of the final season. This is the season where the answers should finally be forthcoming (albeit in chunks, thanks to the writers’ strike and Sci-Fi Channel scheduling), and there will certainly be unexpected twists and turns. However, I do feel that the foundation has been laid in the previous seasons, and it all comes down to a matter of context. This episode is just the first step in that process.
Writing: 2/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 2/4
Final Rating: 8/10
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