I think Ron Moore’s directorial debut was another brilliant hour of television. The fleet has a major hangover — and some of them are starting to sober up. No wonder Adama’s popping pain pills.
SPOILERS AWAIT… Read the full review!
GAETA 3.0: BADASS
The George Harrison/”Silent One” act is gone; so too is the I-lost-my-leg-showtune-singing self pity. Our new Gaeta is a man of action — and he’s fed up with the poor leadership around him. I joke that he’s going Lando, but the reality is that in this situation Felix (and Zarek) are absolutely right. Adama and Roslin have brought this on themselves.
Roslin has shown herself to be self-absorbed, self righteous, and Bushian — always taking the hardline and practically spitting in the faces of the Quorum. Meanwhile, Adama neglects his ship and crew — usually because he’s drunk– and can’t even see that the officers around him are on the brink of turning.
The fleet and it’s government were willing to bend to the Adama/Roslin leadership in hopes of salvation on Earth — but why should they now? “Every government degenerates when trusted to the rulers of the people alone. The people themselves are its only safe depositories.” Thomas Jefferson may not be from Caprica, but his words still apply here.
And while Gaeta’s busy stirring shit up, why not have him go mano-e-harbinger of death with Starbuck? …Wow! What a great scene! There’s a lot of fine acting in BSG, but Alessandro Juliani steals the show this time around. For a second there I thought he was gonna wipe Kara’s eternal smirk off her face with some fisticuffs. By the looks of it, the smackdown is coming soon.
CYLONS, HYBRIDS, AND BASTARDS
No direct follow up on last episode’s reveal of the final cylon. However, when Lee Adama slips in a press conference and divulges the fifth’s gender, the crowd goes nuts. If Lee knew, Tigh must of told him. I wonder who else knows? Did Tigh tell the other cylons or just the Adama inner circle?
Speaking of Tigh, it looks like ole one eye (pun intended) isn’t shooting blanks. He’s knocked up Number Six and their gonna have the first cylon/cylon baby. This plot development could lend some credence to the theories in last week’s episode thread set forth by Jules, Tommy and others that Ellen is an older model of Six. Why was Tigh so obsessed with Six? Did he sense that it was somehow his galactic soulmate, Ellen? This could get really weird…
Hera’s place as the only hybrid baby is still intact, because it turns out Cally was making late night visits to the Hot Dog stand. (Sorry, that was really bad.) Turns out Tyrol ain’t the daddy and the fat ugly kid ain’t a hybrid. Seriously though, Hot Dog???!!
BALTAR: WTF?
Anyone who has read my blog knows I love Gaius Baltar and think he’s the greatest character ever. So I’ve been a little disappointed lately, as he’s kinda disappeared from the DRADIS. He was such an integral character in the first three seasons, and now he’s been relegated to a walk on role. Could it be that the writers just don’t know what to do with him now? I find that hard to believe, but his behavior in this episode was a direct contrast to the “God is perfect therefore so are we” guru of recent episodes. Or is Baltar once again just taking care of himself and turning his believers on God before they turn on him?
… Only eight hours of BSG left. After these last two episodes, I think I can predict two things:
1.) The remaining episodes will be just as awesome as these last two. We are witnessing writers, directors, and actors at the absolute top of their game.
2.) Things are not going to end well for the human race in the colonial fleet.
What do you think?
Related:
Battlestar Galactica Episode 4.13/4.14 Review
Battlestar Galactica Episode 4.15 Review
Battlestar Galactica Episode 4.16 Review
Battlestar Galactica Episode 4.17 Review
Battlestar Galactica Episode 4.18 Review
My conspiracy theory is that Adama isn’t popping pain pills, but is secretly sick (and has been), and it’s just now being alluded to. This makes Adama the dying the leader, and thus, the prophecy can still be fulfilled when HE leads them to true earth.
The Hot Dog & Baltar plotlines are kind of weird, but I’m glad Felix is taking off. His dissension was laid on a little thick when he was about to lose his leg, but I see it as necessary now.
On a separate topic, I have always had an ENORMOUS problem with the size of a press corps for 39,000 people. Seriously… seriously?? 30+ journalists all reporting for what? Rival newspapers?? For such a shattered species, we certainly did manage to cling to a definitive government & vibrant media structure.
Regarding the colonial press corp: yeah?! I’ve always wondered the exact same thing… Why so many journalists for 39,000 people? Maybe some of them are bloggers.
Adama as the dying leader — could be. But all their prophecies, galactic signposts, and visions led them to the coordinates of the nuked earth… How would Adama even begin to hunt down a “true earth”? Roslin burned all the prophecies… If he is the dying leader that will lead them to earth, he’s got 8 episodes left to pull off a miracle.
I guess they keep reporting as if they had millions of listeners in order to avoid having to do hard labor.
Another amazing episode with lots of dramatic scenes and great acting (Zarek & Gaeta!).
Regarding the Lando Calrissian action figure in the picture, I just read in the McCreary blog that Alessandro had an action figure of Richard Hatch (as Apollo I assume) as a kid. Nice touch.
Re: The size of the press corps. I’m not surprised there are so many reporters. Remember the pilot episode took place during Galactica’s de-commissioning ceremony and would have brought a good deal of media attention. SO that there were that many reporters on board isn’t that much of a stretch. As for why they are STILL reporters, I agree with Tommy that it beats hard work. But, yeah, where are they publishing? I’m guessing there’s a lot of blogs.
I find it amazing how the writing for this show keeps the viewer conflicted. On one hand, we love Adama/Roslin, but on the other, they’re out of line and doing all the things tyrants/dictators do. The same could be said for so many other characters. We will all miss BSG when she’s gone…
And one more thing….
you said hot dog stand…
he he. (I’m 11 years old).
Can the first child of the next Cylon generation be female? If so do you think it’s Ellen? Six and Ellen do look alike.
Plus in Saul Flashback in the water Ellen said she would be reborn.
Once a Cylon dies it’s reborn and who Say’s now since they don’t have the Resurrection Hub that they now can’t give birth. Maybe (huge maybe) the Resurrection Hub was stopping the Cylons from evolving as a ‘race’ / ‘species’.
Now Cylon Birth is the only way to keep the Cylons alive.
Even humans have learned to evolve, adapt and change when a way of existence is in jeopardy. But then I could be reading way to much into this. What do you think Nar?
Jules: I think you make an excellent point. Evolution.
The idea that the Resurrection Hub was holding back their species from evolving is very cool — how can a clone evolve?
In our history, catastrophic global events (climate changes, plagues, etc.) have forced species to evolve. The catastrophic event of the Resurrection Hub being destroyed could be such an event that led to the possibility of cylon/cylon breeding. Or perhaps the cylon/cylon breeding is possible in this case because Saul is one of the final five, whose biological makeup seem to differ from the skinjobs.
I think Ellen being reborn through Saul and Six is a possibility…
Garrett: I agree 100% — it takes fine writing to make us care about characters that are acting so out of line. In that way it is similar to George R.R. Martin’s book cycle, A Song of Ice and Fire (soon to be an HBO series). If you haven’t read them, definitely check ‘em out!
John B & Tommy: Good points about the press corps. The de-commissioning ceremony gives them reason to be there — I had forgotten about that. But seriously, some of them couldn’t find more important jobs to perform in four years at space?
[...] Related: Battlestar Galactica Episode 4.12 Review [...]
About 40,000 people and 12 tribes and 12 Cylons, and 1,200 reporters. Too many 12′s.
Adama’s and Rolsin’s biggest weakness…not getting enough people around them who they can trust. In a fleet of military size of Galactica, there should be no possible way any groups of dissenters could put together a coup. It has been clear where the threats would come from. In Adama’s situation, it is imperative to not let screaming liberals run the ship. Oh yeah, since BG often follows arc’s happening here, I guess the screaming liberals should take the Galactica world down as they will no doubt destroy what is left of America.
Am I the only one who thinks Richard Hatch can’t act? 1978, he was good as Apollo, good not great. Dirk blew him away and he has no business being on screen with the talent on BG.
I am an angry conservative today. Oh yes, started working on my taxes where I pay for all the services the unemployed and welfare people enjoy.
Gaeta is a big, whiney baby…and so are all the other dissenters.
Roslin & Adama have done nothing but give their lives so everyone else could remain safe. Even now their choices show that their primary concern is the safety of the fleet & mankind.
Personally I’m ready for someone, anyone (can we say Starbuck) to wipe Gaeta’s nose in it and shove him out the nearest airlock.
I think it’d be great to see the entire fleet be in a fight with eachother, when BAM! The “other” cylons show up…you remember. The bad cylons? Yeah them.
First, someone please kick Gaeta’s teeth in. He sides with Baltar in the election and on New Caprica (before the Cylon invasion). Then he switches. Helps the insurgents. Now he’s switching yet again. Frak! Make up your frankin mind! Does he honestly think he can run things better?
I love how BSG mirrors our own culture. The only ones who are bringing solutions to the table are hated, mistreated, and now will be rebelled against. I haven’t seen Zarek or Gaeta or the Quorum bring any other solution to their problems, other than removing who they don’t like from power.
Okay, say you get it. Now what? Can’t just complain and whine and take over with NO frakin plan or solutions!! Hello?!? The last time everyone rebelled against Roslin & Adama, they regretted their decisions by electing Baltar & Zarek and settling on New Caprica. Many died because of that fateful decision.
I wonder now how many more of humanity will die because of following Zarek & Gaeta. This is has happened before and it will all happen again. UGH!!
How quickly we all forget REAL evil leadership: Admiral Cain & The Pegasus
“He sides with Baltar in the election and on New Caprica (before the Cylon invasion). Then he switches. ”
Not really. He sided with democracy, then resisted the Cylon occupation.
What if they’ve reached the terraformed, or historical Mars. Once inhabited by cylons, then nuked by “the earthlings” for their robotic living. Because I don’t remember having seen Luna in the sky, an almost non- excludeable space object of sci- fi.
But I could be wrong.
Don’t you see what the ultimate twist is? The more we learn about this race, flying through space, the more we realize they’ve been fighting with and running from….themselves. The final cylon isn’t one person. It’s the entire fleet. And they will discover the horror of their true history in the end.
I just saw the webisodes, and they changed my views on Gaeta a bit.
The hybrid in Razor:
“And the fifth, still in shadow, will claw toward the light, hungering for redemption that will only come in the howl of terrible suffering.”
Baltar to Gaeta (in ep. 13):
“If you’re hungry for redemption, this is not the way”
I assume the writers want us to make that connection, though of course Baltar didn’t know what the hybrid said.
D’oh Ellen is back.
[...] was a two-parter that told the story of Felix Gaeta and Tom Zarek’s attempt at a coup. As I’ve stated here before, Adama and Roslin have brought this on themselves, so I was very pleased to see a mutiny happening [...]
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[...] Battlestar Galactica Episode 4.12 Review [...]
[...] Battlestar Galactica Episode 4.12 Review [...]
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