(S04E09) I've been reading a lot lately from people who've become disappointed with this show the past few episodes or so. I've felt the same way. I'm happy to say, though, that while this episode didn't exactly make up for the lack of luster, it was certainly enjoyable.
Even without seeing the previews for this week (which, I admit, I can't even help but watch), we knew this episode would start with a flashback to what happened when Roslin and the occupants of the stolen Base Star jumped away. Right away we saw that a Cylon ship jumping has a strange effect on humans, though it's not clear if anyone other than Roslin had those brief visions.
When Roslin appeared in the desolate halls of the Galactica with Elosha, I noted right away that she had her real, non-wig hair. Again, I have to ask, how the heck do those makeup people hide that much hair behind another wig or a bald cap? Unreal. I smell another TV Squad award nomination!
It seems Elosha (Head Elosha?) is part of yet another force that's trying to push Roslin to do the "right thing." It makes me wonder sometimes what it is that's pushing Roslin so hard to be pigheaded about her decisions, to abuse the power granted to her. Remember when she was a meek thing who was shocked at being thrust into the position of President seasons ago?
Now, Helo. Y'know, I was beginning to really like Helo. Back when he was in command of the Demitrius, he held his own and did the job well. He was becoming one of my new favorite characters. Then he goes and throws that all away by somewhat blindly following Roslin's orders to bring D'Anna to her for a private meeting. Then he's ordered to be a door bouncer. I'm also surprised that Helo was fine with letting Roslin have that private meeting, when for all he knew Roslin was one of the final five. Look, I know she's the president and all, but Helo had more balls than that. What happened?
Speaking of D'Anna, I actually missed her. Jane Espenson wrote some great dialogue for her and especially Baltar. Baltar was back to the Baltar I like: somewhat comical, a bit scheming, and not getting all Jesusy on us. His interaction with the Hybrid and the Centurion were great, though I'm not quite sure what to make of the Centurion getting blown to bits yet. There's got to be something symbolic there.
There were two big revelations in this episode. The first was one not made to us but to Roslin, where Baltar confesses his involvement in the destruction of Caprica. I was first surprised at how Roslin stopped herself from simply pummeling Baltar to death, then surprised at how quickly she followed her visions and decided he should live after all. It will be interesting now to see what she does with this information.
The second revelation is that, if we're to believe what D'Anna says, Roslin is no way the final Cylon. It wasn't just what she said during their private meeting together, where she seemingly joked that Roslin was one of the final five. It was also when Helo told Sharon that he was taking D'Anna to Roslin, where D'Anna said, "Double-dealing. It's very human. You never got that, Eight." To me this was clear to say that Roslin is human, not Cylon. If we were thrown for a loop after this exchange and Roslin was really the final Cylon, there'd be some 'splaining to do.
Other things:
- The book Adama was reading to Roslin mentioned something about 'Scar' saving someone's life. Is that an actual passage out of that particular book or is it a strange part of her vision?
- Is Cavil really permanently dead?
- Is Hardball dead? Why the big deal about him jumping away as he was wounded? I guess if you wanted to talk about Cylon possibilities and all that, there's all sorts of things you could speculate. I'll just leave that for someone else. Didn't the fleet find Gonzo dead last week? (Nevermind -- thanks commenters for clarifying that Pike is Gonzo, and that was him in the Raptor. Makes much more sense) What about Sandman?
- Why did Laura think D'Anna would say anything to her alone in the first place? Roslin's hardly a physically threatening person on her own.
Current fleet population: 39,673
(Assuming Sandman's not dead, since the number didn't go down like I thought last week, and also assuming Hardball's not dead. Unknown if anyone else bit it this week, so the number stays unchanged for now.)
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
6-07-2008 @ 1:07AM
Robobagins said...
The big deal about Hardball jumping away has to do the Raptor they found in the last episode. It's just keeping things straight.
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6-07-2008 @ 1:08AM
Val said...
has nothing to do with this episode but... Where the hell is Dualla?
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6-07-2008 @ 1:37AM
Matt said...
She was filimg Reaper I'm guessing.
6-07-2008 @ 1:29AM
Natrino said...
The raptor pilot who jumped away was not Hardball. Diana Seelix is Hardball.
The guy who jumped away was Lt. "Gonzo" Pike.
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6-07-2008 @ 1:41AM
Matt said...
So far this season has had some ups and downs. The last episode is what the series would turn into if they kept it for more than 4 season: filler. The episode before where they jumped at the end was a pretty awesome episode. Tonights episode was definately a step in the right direction. I'm glad D'Anna is back, the Roslin/Baltar scenes were awesome, and judging by the preview for next week, they're going to give us one hell of an episode.
It's kind of a shame that they have filler episodes in the last season, as it leaves me with the idea that they could have tried harder.
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6-07-2008 @ 6:27PM
Ro said...
I don't think you understand what everyone means when they call an episode a "filler." This last season is one continuous story, so there aren't any random tangent stories or filler episodes, like all those StarPollo eps or the one where Adama boxes Tyrol...I guess you mean that "Hub" was a lame episode, but I'd disagree with that too. I thought the ep was awesome including all the battle scenes except the usual minor story hitches...like: how come Cylon FTL drives are so vulnerable, especially on such important things like resurrection ships and the Hub? And what's the big deal if they take out the Hub--can't the Cylons just make another? Or did they officially abondon their homeworld and go ahead destroy their shipyards for kicks? Just seems a little odd that a race of super advanced machines would actually have a single point of failure. :)
6-09-2008 @ 4:12PM
Tom said...
I agree with Ro. Why is it so easy to blow away an FTL drive on such an important ship? It seems like if FTL drives would have to be built that way, then they would be vulnerable on all ships, including colonial. Seems like these big space battles would be short shrift on almost all accounts.
And if you ask me, the hub ship kind of reeks of 'Return of the Jedi' and a bigger, better and even more vulnerable Death Star.
As for the filler, quite frankly, I think I can imagine a lot of storylines that could have been developed (and that have been contemplated, discussed and written about by other bloggers and insiders alike), that would keep this show interesting beyond 4 seasons. But I also understand that sometimes story development means that you're going to have some slower moments, and budget concerns on a production this big probably dictate it. I'm more concerned with what seem to be conscious decisions in the line of storytelling itself. I, for one, did not like the device of telling this weeks episode in flashback. Instead, I would have cut the two episodes together and told the stories simultaneously. I think the "episode in flashback" was a gimmick to build the dramatic tension for Bill Adama's little sojourn in space. Was that really Roslyn's base ship that was destroyed? Come on, what an anticlimax. How long did that cliffhanger last? All of five minutes--until the next weeks previews? As if there was any way that we wouldn't get the result we did. If they had cut the two episodes together, I think they would have had a pretty interesting and better flowing two-parter.
6-07-2008 @ 2:10AM
Malren said...
They are doing a HORRIBLE job hiding Mary McDonnell's hair. her bald head is 6726 times too large for a human skull. It's so obviously her huge hair stuffed under latex.
I really don't get the praise for such bad makeup.
The difference in episodes between this week and last I think comes down to one simple thing: Jane Espenson really gets this show. Michael Taylor can produce, but he's not the best lead episode writer the show has ever seen.
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6-07-2008 @ 3:14AM
Gordon Werner said...
I don't think that there is anything wrong with the series ... they are in a dark place ... and it is reflected in the stories and the characters.
All I can say is that this show continues to be the best on television and we are lucky to have it.
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6-07-2008 @ 3:48AM
KenMo said...
What, no mention of Adam holding back from telling Roslin that he loves her too, but instead just saying "It's about time". Very realistic. I loved it.
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6-09-2008 @ 4:14PM
Tom said...
Leia: I love You!
Han: I know.
6-07-2008 @ 3:52AM
Midnight13 said...
I was just thinking that tonight. How Dualla went from having a pretty large role in season three being the wife of Lee, to pretty much not being in any episodes at all this season. I wasn't aware that she was working on a different show. Miss her. I'm glad that they are going to be doing something with Tigh, Tyrol, Anders, and the other woman, because they have been falling back to the sides lately as well. Oh and another where in the world...Balter's Six. You'd think she'd show up with him wounded like that, but nope. Just seems like all the elements that have made this series what its been for the past three seasons have been dropped in season 4. WTF?! All the focus on the Cylon Civil war is getting confusing and we aren't really learning new material that has changed any of the characters. Am I wrong?
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6-07-2008 @ 6:03AM
Stigmata said...
wow i love this show
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6-07-2008 @ 7:29AM
mayorjimmy said...
Now comes the real speculation. What's the fallout from Baltar's confession? They have cylons there to verify, in fact they have Sixes there to verify. They were ready to fling him out an airlock just for surrendering to the cylons, what kind of wrath do you think they'll be cooking up once they finally learn the true depth of Baltar's betrayal?
But his betrayal doesn't stop there folks.....
I believe Baltar has set in motion for the cycle to repeat itself. His little conversation with the centurion was more than just a frustrated man chatting away at a machine. He was the voice in the ear, he was the hand pushing the house of cards. I said way back when they started mind-wiping the raiders that i think they're setting up the older models to go to war against the skinjobs, and now the pieces are all in place. The skinjobs are finite now. They are mortal. They have pretty much been severed from what made them still "cylon". The older models know this now.
- mortals built the old models
- mortals used them as slaves
- the skinjobs used the old ones as slaves
- the older models freed themselves from slavery of the mortals by going to war
- the skinjobs are now mortals
Baltar has now managed to betray absolutely EVERY mortal being he has ever come into contact with. Judas hasn't got s**t on him. He's a mushroom-cloud laying motherf*cker, motherf*cker!!!
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6-07-2008 @ 8:30AM
keithnl said...
Whoa, consider my mind blown. I only stop to consider Gaius' conversation with the centurion just to be part of his never ending quest to frak with everyone and everything he comes in contact with.
I never stopped to consider the larger ramifications, or where do centurions go when they die. Do they have there own facility, do they need one? Or is there ability to rebuild or quickly build new ones there own from of immortality.
I was glad battlestar was ending before it ran out of steam or out stayed its welcome, but the thought of a new machine vs mortal cylon war has my intrest piqued.
6-08-2008 @ 10:57PM
Stigmata said...
but how is this a betrayal? he is just stating the facts, making people / cylon / centurion realise their rights!?
also he didnt know he was giving the access codes to the enemy, so thats not really a betrayal, more of stupidity / gullibility.
if you look at his actions on a case by case basis, he has actually done nothing evil or wrong. the only incident was giving the nuke to gina. that was a crime and he is responsible for the aftermath.
6-07-2008 @ 8:34AM
keithnl said...
As for this season or this half of it, I have a feeling of them kinda of setting up the dominoes which has its own kind of tension and drama but we all know the fun starts when you knock them down, hopefully that's what starts with next weeks finale.
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6-07-2008 @ 9:26AM
Ryan said...
I really loved this episode. Mary McDonnell was in top form and the ending made me all teary. Plus I just love all of the Cylon stuff and with D'Anna (the only one left?!) back I can't wait to see her in the fleet.
Speaking of, the preview for next week's episode (finale?!) looks positively fantastic. I'm getting chills just thinking about it.
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6-07-2008 @ 11:09AM
bsgfan2003 said...
Baltar! What a wicked creature he is!
I too am looking forward to next week with a great deal of interest. It looks like so much will be going on, I hope they left some time to devote to the Caprica pregnancy.
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6-07-2008 @ 12:04PM
Jimmy said...
I have to disagree with everyone's perception of this final season. I will agree there have been some mediocre episodes, but taken as a whole I think this has been a grat season. Nothing compared to seasons 1, but far better than season 3.
I have to admit I just love seeing Lucy Lawless on the screen. She is such an underused actress and she eats up the screen whenever she's on it. Loved her reaction to the double-dealing and Roslin.
I may be turning into an old softy, but I thought the finest scene of the night was the final one between Adama and Roslin; it was actually quite romantic, and in a Cylon basestar no less.
Sadly, next week is the last episode before Sci Fi puts the series on hiatus. Hopefully, we won't have to wait an entire year for the final 10 episodes.
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