Dean's World

A pretty good way to end the season, I think. I wasn’t expecting Starbuck at the end and, I’ll admit, I was grinning like a girl when I finally saw her. I kept squinting my eyes to catch glimpses of what I thought was a Viper dancing around Lee. In fact, I loved the whole end sequence. Tigh and Roslin’s aid pledging their service to their respective leader; Tyrol and Anders jumping back into their duties (well, the latter not so much with the bum leg and all).

And how about that, huh? We got to see four of the Final Five. And interesting writing decision. We didn’t get to see the fifth but I can’t help but feel that it’s Starbuck.

Also, was it me or was there a sixth white tapestry in the opera house when we saw Baltar and Six holding Hera, with the Final Five looking down on them from the balcony?

I knew Baltar was going to get off. I knew it. I’m smart like that. And now his cult owns him. I liked Lee’s speech. It hit all the points I’ve said and written about the trial myself. It’s almost like I wrote the thing!

I thought the rock song at the end was an interesting choice. I thought it worked well and gave that sequence a different feel than we’re used to. Indeed the music for the entire episode was pretty interesting. I typically don’t care for Middle Eastern musical flavors but it added something otherworldly to the finished product. I suspect that was the point.

So, now it is we come to the end, for the time being. Season 4 begins in 2008. But, don’t forget we’ve got a direct-to-DVD movie coming out this summer and a two-hour Battlestar Pegasus special fourth quarter 2007.

Roslin’s cancer has returned. I had a feeling it might. I wonder what those people that claimed the show jumped the shark because of ‘Cylon baby blood’ have to say now. I remember what I said. Do any of you?

Wait and see.

That’s what I said. What will the naysayers have to say now? I hope most of them will realize they judged a novel while not even halfway through. Well, actually, that’s wrong. They didn’t judge a novel. They judged the writer. They judged his skills as a storyteller. They praised his skills over and over up until that point and when he threw them a curveball they pulled out the torches and pitchforks.

I know some of you reading this now fancy yourselves as writers too. You of all people should know better. Still, I’m just waiting for someone to completely lose their mind and say, “They did it because the fans were pissed.” Well, at that point, not even Yahweh Himself can give them clarity.

Now that I’m done wagging my finger on to the rest of the episode.

For one, it went by too fast. Tigh had his head up against the bulkhead, listening for the music, and then ‘To Be Continued’ popped up. Color me annoyed. I couldn’t believe the episode was done already. I have that’s because they told a tight and compelling story. Kudos to them.

By far my favorite moment was Lee’s cross of Roslin. It hit me in the chest to see Roslin pleading with her friend to stop what he was doing. I don’t know who this will affect their relationship in the future. Roslin is a smart woman and I have to believe she understands why Lee did what he did and that, if the situation were reversed, she’d probably do the same.

Bill Adama. I don’t know what to do with the guy. Calling his son a liar with no proof? Does he really think so little of him? Does he really think his son is a coward? I don’t think he does but he’s in a tough spot. Clearly, he’s the most hostile judge of the five. I’m wondering why the defense doesn’t ask him to recues himself. They probably can’t.

And what’s with Tigh and Anders hearing that music? If it was just Tigh we could write it off that he’s drunk and losing his mind. I suppose hearing music is better than hearing voices.

And was Anders in uniform? It looked like it was. If he enlisted I’m sure they’d have told us. It’s equally possible that he’s simply wearing Kara’s shirt. Dude is in mourning and he’s pretty tight with the officers and non-com’s anyway.

I don’t know why Roslin hasn’t fired her aide. She’s been off her game since they left New Caprica. And, Roslin is right, she’s getting obnoxious.

But, damn, Roslin and Lee? They got history. He stood with her when his old man tried to throw her in prison. He busted her out of the pokey. He held her hand when she needed someone to guide her in the infancy of her Administration. Breaks a guy’s heart, ya know?

Oh, and Caprica Six’s Baltar is simply awesome.

So… that’s what that guy has been up to! He’s third in command right? I mean, when Tigh took over in season two he seemed to be acting like the XO. Meh, the command structure is so screwed up who knows.

So, we got XXO looking to ice Baltar and since he can ice Baltar he’ll ice his lawyer instead. Makes sense, I guess.

I still hate Callie. Like, “Why hasn’t Sharon clocked her in the jaw yet?” hate her. The Chief must get migraines because of how often he must roll his eyes around her. Really, is she that good in the sack? What the hell is it? He still can’t feel bad about beating her to near death, right? I know I wouldn’t.

And the son chooses to leave the shadow of the father. Was Lee ever in his father’s shadow to begin with? I know some amongst the fleet may think so but I never saw it. Still, Lee taking an active role in Baltar’s defense should be interesting. I saw this coming a mile away. Didn’t see the British bloke coming though. I like him. He reminds me in a lot of ways about Baltar. He knows what he’s about and why he’s in it and has no qualms about either and the hell with anyone else that does. There’s freedom in that kind of honesty.

It was nice to see Caprica Six. Don’t have much else to say about that. Tricia Helfer is being sorely underused this second half of the season.

There isn’t really much to say about this episode. All it was really designed to do was setup the following two episodes – to give us the framework of what is to follow. It does that well so there’s nothing to complain about.

One minor gripe: Roslin looks better with the glasses.

Starbuck is dead. Pretty ballsy and a move it looks like is permanent. No amount of Cylon baby blood is going to fix this one.

Still, I can’t not believe we’re not going to see Kara Thrace again in some fashion. Listening to Ron Moore’s podcast for this episode it seems like Kara’s destiny was to die but what kind of destiny is that? Maybe I misunderstood. Leoben (or what Kara thought was Leoben) said she was to go to the place between life and death. If we recall that is where D’Anna was trying to get to and, for a moment, arrived at. Though at the cost of her life. Perhaps that’s why she couldn’t stay? She would eventually be downloaded and live again. Kara, on the other hand, may be able to stay there. That’s just speculation however.

In that place are the Final Five and, it looks like, maybe even the five prophets? Could they be one in the same? And if so what role does Kara play in it all? And if it wasn’t Leoben guiding Kara through this episode who, or what, was he?

Jamie Bamber gave a great performance as did Eddie Almos. If you didn’t get a chance to listen to Ron Moore’s podcast for this episode here’s a funny bit of trivia for you:

It wasn’t scripted for Adama to tear apart his model ship like he did. That was Eddie acting in the moment as he had done in the past with equally great results. The problem was that ship didn’t belong to the show. It was a museum-quality replica worth a few hundred thousand dollars the producers were renting. It was told a few of the crew went white after seeing what Almos did and quipped later that if he had told them he was planning to do that they would have built a ship for him!

Luckily, the ship was insured.

A very good episode after a number of average ones. Next week the trial of Baltar begins.

I work at an automotive plant. I do IT there. I’ve never been a fan of the UAW and my experiences at this particular plant have only reinforced this position. Once upon a time I believe that unions were needed. However, government has enacted laws and corporations have adopted policies that have, in my view, largely made the union a forum whence the workers may fleece the company.

But, as I said, once upon a time they were needed. And in the scenario presented in this past episode of Battlestar Galactica shows us what a union is supposed to be. They should protect the workers from policies and conditions too dangerous or inhumane (yes, working 18 hours a day for six months with no breaks is inhumane) for the average man. Should employers be unaware of these conditions or policies the workers should make that group aware of it.

Adama wasn’t unaware or unsympathetic to their plight and Roslin was willing to listen but, in this particular instance, what mattered most was how the subject was broached. However, as much as I like those two characters, they can get tunnel vision and I don’t think they would have moved as they did hadn’t the Chief gotten involved. They needed someone they knew and respected to do something drastic to make them see just how important the issue really was.

I enjoyed the episode. Even I was grinning when laundry girl got her ensign pins.

I’m glad to see them talking about getting back on the road to Earth. I’m also glad to see we learned about the… more rural roots of Baltar. And what a great job he did with his accent! I rather liked that. Still, it’s not as good as House’s accent but it drove home the point that Baltar did know what he was talking about. Growing up in the dirt and ascending to the heights of Colonial power would give him the perspective needed to write his manifesto. Was his book sincere? Maybe. You can never tell with Baltar. Like the Devil himself there may be just enough truth to it to make the rest take hold.

I do wish they’d get on with Baltar’s trial though. I savor the idea of him walking around the fleet a free man. There’s just something delicious about it. Might give one a god complex, don’t you think

It was another stand-alone. Hope we’re running thin on ‘em. I’d like to see Baltar’s trial already. Still, there were little bits I knew were coming just not in the way I knew they were coming. If that makes any sense. I knew that Lee had a role to play in Baltar’s trial and that he is sympathetic to his position. I just didn’t think he’d be overseeing it. I think Roslin and Adama’s logic for choosing him holds up. But I guess the old joke is wrong. After they apocalypse there won’t be only cockroaches and lawyers.

For a filler episode I thought it moved pretty fast. After the resolution of the “A” story I was surprised to see we only had about 15 minutes left.

So, how do I feel about Tyrol and Callie in this episode? Well, honestly, a hell of a lot less interested than if it were, say, Athena and Helo. The former just don’t do anything at all for me. Whereas I find Athena and Helo endlessly interesting.

There’s also Adama’s anniversary. It took me a second to figure out what they were doing. For a bit there I was wondering if they were gonna whip out some Colonial VR tech or something. Once I got it I thought it was an interesting way to handle the nagging worries Adama has not just about his failed marriage but about his abilities to lead itself. It was startling to realize that Ma Adama abused her kids and Pa Adama knew nothing about it.

And do we sense romance on the air for Roslin and Adama? I don’t know what I thinki about that. Both of them are my favorite characters and I think their intimate friendship works great. But they’re also human. And they’re probably the only two people in the fleet that can understand the burdens the other carries. This was something that was probably lacking in Adama’s previous marriage. In a way I think it’s only natural that they may come together in a romantic sort of way. It’s lonely at the top and their each at the top of their respective hills.

I guess I don’t have much else to say about yesterday’s meal. It was average as far as television goes and a below average episode for this particular series. I’m not saying that is a bad thing. But BSG has set the bar pretty high for itself. It’s going to miss that bar from time to time. Still, it was far from their worst episode, whatever you may think that episode is.

For a stand alone episode I thought it was pretty good. It addressed the dangers of an epidemic spreading amongst a cloistered group and the hard decisions that would have to be made with limited medical supplies. Who gets what and who decides.

It was interesting to see the treatment of the Sagittarons (or however you spell that). They seemed like a mix between gypsies and any number of religious groups that abstain from not just modern medicine but modernity itself. Chief Tyrol’s grudge against them seems valid on the surface but if you dig a little deeper I’m sure you can find a logical reason for their non-action against Cylon occupation. If we were to go back a few hundred years or so I’m sure we’d find the Sagittarons warning against the developing technology that would eventually create the Cylon race. I’m also sure those warnings were roundly ignored. So, their inaction against the Cylons on New Caprica would be consistent with their past behavior.

An “I told you so” that I’m sure will never get pointed out, most of all to Tyrol.

So, I can safely say I liked this episode. It wasn’t a jaw dropping one but not all of them have to be. It was also nice to see what Helo has been up to. He’s got a crappy job but hopefully his time in purgatory will come to a close soon seeing how, as Adama pointed out, he’s been the lone voice in the wilderness on Galactica.

What’s weird is that I was considering writing an episode like this.

As some of you may or may not know I’m an aspiring screenwriter. Writing for Battlestar Galactica would be a dream. Anyway, the episode I was thinking about penning was going to be titled “One Good Day” and it was going to be centered on Helo. I’m pretty sure I wasn’t going to go the particular route this episode did but, in essence, I wanted to give Galactica a good day. They’ve been through so much crap I thought it would have been a nice change. You know, give them a happy ending. And since we’ve not seen a lot from Helo I thought I would have been nice to have it be about him.

Well, thank you Ron Moore for fraking that plan.

So, what did I think of this latest episode?

Stinking wonderful, that's what!

I was honestly expecting this to shape up to be a rather weak bit of television given last week's promos. I really didn't care all that much about Starbuck and Apollo's love life. But the way it was broached, and how much of the episode had to do with Baltar, was a wonderful surprise.

I know a lot of people have complained how dark the show gets sometimes. Like they can never catch a break and it can almost get tiring. That's why I was pleasantly surprised to see Kara and Lee keep with their respective partners. I'm glad to see that they're each going to make their marriages work. Though, one could argue that Lee alone made the decision and Kara just kept what she had knowing Lee wasn't up for grabs.

So, I happy with how that turned out.

I adored Mary McDonnell's performance in this episode. Seeing her and Baltar screaming at one another was a joy. And seeing Adama pushing Baltar to the brink of death was interesting too. I'm glad too see that Baltar has seemingly given up his quest for a Cylon identity. He's resigned himself to the fact he's human and the baggage that comes with it. He's a villain I never have a problem feeling sorry for.

I'm interested in seeing how his trial turns out. I hear Lee defends him. I think he should get a strong defense. Baltar's argument with Gaeta was dead on. Baltar had a gun to his head. How could he, or anyone else for that matter, have done any differently?

I hope in his defense more is brought out on how Baltar allowed information to get out to the resistance. I think it's very possible we'll learn that Baltar did more to resist the Cylon occupation than we've yet seen.

I'm very pleased with the episode. I think it bodes well for the rest of the season.

So, D'anna has been boxed. I wonder if that is why the other five Cylon models were boxed as well. The collective agreed that each one had wandered too far from the group think. Became too independent. Notice that D'anna said that Brother Caval would follow down the same path. Perhaps this is just part of natural Cylon evolution?

It would also appear that one of the missing five is active amongst the humans as well given Dianna expression to one of the five she saw in the Temple of Jupiter. That's the only possibility that makes sense.

Looks like the seeds have been planted for Starbuck's "departure." She's had visions of the symbol in the Temple of Jupiter. Something she's couldn't have possibly seen previously. I wonder if, perhaps, she's one of the five. Though, I don't like the idea of Cylons only having destinies like Baltar and D'anna. However, Starbuck seems to be the most religious amongst the human cast. That certainly seems to be a Cylon trait. Heck, Roslin believed herself to be the prophesied one to bring humanity to Earth but she doesn't seem to be getting particularly religious. I know if I saw a prophecy about myself in my culture's religious text I'd be cozying up to the gods rather quickly.

And Baltar is back in possession of the fleet. I'm looking forward to his trial. I know that Lee defends him. Honestly, I think Baltar should get off. He may have rubber-stamped Cylon measures against the people of New Caprica but even Roslin and Adama, if they can look past their hatred of the man, must realize that had he refused he'd have been killed and someone else would have taken his place. Given that President Roslin already issued a blanket pardon for everyone that collaborated with the Cylons I cannot see how Baltar's sin was any worse. Hell, at least the people that joined up with the New Caprica Police had a choice! No one put a gun to their head to join. Baltar had a gun to his.

Caprica Six is now being held on Galactica too. Should be interesting to see what they do with her. She knows she cannot go back to the Cylons because she helped Athena escape with her kid. Her only hope lays with humanity. If Athena can flip sides why can't she? It was also interesting to see how Boomer has grown to hate humanity.

So, I think this second half of the season is off to a good start. I have high hopes for the rest.