"Guess you didn't understand my orders." "Never could read your handwriting."
SO SAY WE ALL: Galactica rescues the people of New Caprica.
REVIEW: Fist off, let me say this is a gorgeous-looking episode. The special effects, sure, but also the lighting down on New Caprica, lots of simply beautiful shots. The insurgents finally strike, Galactica actually jumps into the atmosphere, it's amazing stuff, and after the confusion, the pieces may not be where we're used to having them. Gaeta almost kills Baltar for leading humanity to its near-destruction, but ever the idealist, gives him a second chance. Turns out Gaius doesn't need to disarm the Cylon nuke because D'Anna isn't going to go through with it. She finds the poorly-guarded Hera in dead Maya's arms, and knows true love. Who cares about a scorched earth policy? That puts Hera, Caprica-6 and Baltar in the Cylon fleet, all left for dead. Another Colonial who doesn't make it is Ellen Tigh, killed kindly and softly by her husband for having betrayed the Resistance. It's a sad moment no matter how irritating the character has been, because she did what she did out of love, and he also kills her himself out of love, forgiving her sins. Jammer ends up bringing Roslin to Colonial-One, and no one knows he was a collaborator.
Meanwhile, Anders finds Starbuck, but she insists on returning to get Kasey. Leoben's set a trap of course, and he's willing to give her the child if she admits she loves him, and means it, and kisses him. She plays along, disgusted, and he gets stabbed for his trouble, but I get the feeling he just needed to make his vision happen, even if he had to force it. What he saw has now happened. Is he off the hook? Is Starbuck? With the revelation at the end that Kasey was just some Colonial kid and not part Cylon, the real mother happily ripping her out of Kara's arms, it seems like this story strand is at its end. Except for the look on Kara's face. She's been well and truly mindfracked. And it's incredibly BSG to have that final triumph, with people chanting Adama's name and carrying him like a sports star, that we're actually with Starbuck and Tigh, the two losers of the day. Triumph, yes, and they both get accolades and are treated as heroes, but it's the sadness of what they've lost the show considers important.
After all, no matter how cool the ship action is, it's all a little predictable, isn't it? Is there anyone watching this who doesn't expect Lee NOT to fly to Galactica's rescue? And we've been expecting Pegasus to go down for a while now, which of course it does, much in the same way it did on the original series. It's kind of a show breaker, keeping characters apart and diminishing the starring ship's role (especially since it's a more advanced model). Not to say the battle isn't exciting and well crafted. It totally is. But it's the poignant reunions we long for. It's Adama shaving his mustache off because the play-offs are over. Now if only Lee can lose some of the weight.
CAPRICANADA: All the Canadian locations were previously discussed. We say goodbye to New Caprica.
ALL THIS HAS HAPPENED BEFORE AND IT WILL HAPPEN AGAIN: The Pegasus' final fate echoes the last time we saw the ship in the original series, making a desperate sacrifice, trapped between two (this time, three) base ships.
HUMAN DEATH TOLL: We see a lot of dead bodies in the streets, but the tease of a manifest doesn't actually reveal a number. Ellen Tigh and Maya do not make it back alive, and Baltar does not return to the fleet (will probably be on the official list of the dead).
VERSIONS: A deleted scenes shows Kat meeting Adama on the eve of the operation, which unnecessarily explains the strategy, but features a good, personal pep talk. Another, which would have fit at the end, extends Adama's walk through the ship, and gets him to C.I.C. to discuss their priorities, and Adama bumping Lee back down to CAG where he's actually needed.
REWATCHABILITY: High - A big climax that's worth the wait.
REVIEW: Fist off, let me say this is a gorgeous-looking episode. The special effects, sure, but also the lighting down on New Caprica, lots of simply beautiful shots. The insurgents finally strike, Galactica actually jumps into the atmosphere, it's amazing stuff, and after the confusion, the pieces may not be where we're used to having them. Gaeta almost kills Baltar for leading humanity to its near-destruction, but ever the idealist, gives him a second chance. Turns out Gaius doesn't need to disarm the Cylon nuke because D'Anna isn't going to go through with it. She finds the poorly-guarded Hera in dead Maya's arms, and knows true love. Who cares about a scorched earth policy? That puts Hera, Caprica-6 and Baltar in the Cylon fleet, all left for dead. Another Colonial who doesn't make it is Ellen Tigh, killed kindly and softly by her husband for having betrayed the Resistance. It's a sad moment no matter how irritating the character has been, because she did what she did out of love, and he also kills her himself out of love, forgiving her sins. Jammer ends up bringing Roslin to Colonial-One, and no one knows he was a collaborator.
Meanwhile, Anders finds Starbuck, but she insists on returning to get Kasey. Leoben's set a trap of course, and he's willing to give her the child if she admits she loves him, and means it, and kisses him. She plays along, disgusted, and he gets stabbed for his trouble, but I get the feeling he just needed to make his vision happen, even if he had to force it. What he saw has now happened. Is he off the hook? Is Starbuck? With the revelation at the end that Kasey was just some Colonial kid and not part Cylon, the real mother happily ripping her out of Kara's arms, it seems like this story strand is at its end. Except for the look on Kara's face. She's been well and truly mindfracked. And it's incredibly BSG to have that final triumph, with people chanting Adama's name and carrying him like a sports star, that we're actually with Starbuck and Tigh, the two losers of the day. Triumph, yes, and they both get accolades and are treated as heroes, but it's the sadness of what they've lost the show considers important.
After all, no matter how cool the ship action is, it's all a little predictable, isn't it? Is there anyone watching this who doesn't expect Lee NOT to fly to Galactica's rescue? And we've been expecting Pegasus to go down for a while now, which of course it does, much in the same way it did on the original series. It's kind of a show breaker, keeping characters apart and diminishing the starring ship's role (especially since it's a more advanced model). Not to say the battle isn't exciting and well crafted. It totally is. But it's the poignant reunions we long for. It's Adama shaving his mustache off because the play-offs are over. Now if only Lee can lose some of the weight.
CAPRICANADA: All the Canadian locations were previously discussed. We say goodbye to New Caprica.
ALL THIS HAS HAPPENED BEFORE AND IT WILL HAPPEN AGAIN: The Pegasus' final fate echoes the last time we saw the ship in the original series, making a desperate sacrifice, trapped between two (this time, three) base ships.
HUMAN DEATH TOLL: We see a lot of dead bodies in the streets, but the tease of a manifest doesn't actually reveal a number. Ellen Tigh and Maya do not make it back alive, and Baltar does not return to the fleet (will probably be on the official list of the dead).
VERSIONS: A deleted scenes shows Kat meeting Adama on the eve of the operation, which unnecessarily explains the strategy, but features a good, personal pep talk. Another, which would have fit at the end, extends Adama's walk through the ship, and gets him to C.I.C. to discuss their priorities, and Adama bumping Lee back down to CAG where he's actually needed.
REWATCHABILITY: High - A big climax that's worth the wait.
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