Michael in Nashville

Revelations
Watching the mid-season finale of Galactica, I found myself wondering if SciFi’s scheduling might not have helped bring the show to its early end. Each season, except the first, the writers and producers have been forced to build to two cliffhangers, two big events per season, two points of interest to keep the fans coming back. I’m not advocating that the series should have been kept going beyond its natural storytelling end, but I do wonder how the pressure of building to two massive cliffhangers per season took a toll on the show.

This year’s mid-season cliffhanger felt like a season ending cliffhanger more than the mid-season one. It was one of those series-changing types of cliffhangers like we got at the end of seasons one and two. This may be the most intriguing series-changer since they jumped forward in time a year to end the second season.

I’m sure there’s a lot of divided opinion on this, but I’m going to come out and say I’m intrigued they’ve already found Earth with ten episodes left to go. Of course, the fact that once they got down on the planet that it was not going to be all legend had cracked it up to be was fairly obvious. I know there’s been some complaint this year that special-effects intensive episodes have been spaced out a bit. But when you get visuals like the fleet coming up to Earth such as we saw here, I can see why they’d put their eggs into one basket like this. The moment was stunning. Combined with the stirring soundtrack and it looked like an Emmy clip for best effects and best music.

And that was before we had the highlight reel for Edward James Olmos. I’m sure I’ll only be annoyed when they announced the Emmy nods later this year that BSG was overlooked again. I’m not sure how you can see Olmos’ superb work here and deny him a nod and give one to, say, James Spader. But I’m sure it will happen.

Watching Adama break down upon finding out that Tigh is a Cylon was superb. To see Adama’s faith in himself shattered was incredible. Yes, this scene was shown in the previews, but even then it didn’t capture the pure, raw and terrifying power of it. In a lot of ways, it felt like the torch of leadership in the fleet was being passed from Bill to Lee in the scene where Lee has to comfort and reassure his father.

On another level, I almost expected a bit more of a power struggle when Laura Roslin returned. I guess there’s only so much you can put into an hour, but the fact that Lee provided the leadership and played hardball with the Cylons, including ordering the destruction of the basestar with half of the fleet’s defenses on the ship was nice. Also, it does bring up a question of if Lee will survive the series since it turns out that he was (in a way) the leader who took them to Earth. And since we know that part of that prophecy is a dying leader will take them to Earth, are Lee’s days numbered?

The entire standoff between the two fleets was some of the most suspenseful stuff we’ve seen all year. I was on the edge of my seat and that could easily have been the cliffhanger.

But that’s the good thing about this show–it doesn’t just go for the obvious choice. It will give you what you expect and then still pull the carpet out from under you, all in the same episode. And I’m glad they found Earth now. And I’m glad it wasn’t something out of Galactica 80. The fact that it’s not what we were promised and what do we do know should provide some fascinating material for the final ten episodes. And it also manages to keep the storyline for the final episode that much more of a mystery. Which is probably what Ron Moore wanted.

The only part of the story that I didn’t like was Tori’s new-found arrogance and acceptance of her Cylon heritage. Did the arrogant program switch on? Or is she playing politics and trying to side with the winners? Her arrogance toward Roslin seemed a bit much. This was someone who Laura held as part of the inner circle and while Roslin was hard on Tori at times, it seems a bit of a stretch that Tori would take the first chance she got to turn on her former boss.

So, we’re left with a lot to ponder until next year. At least the wait won’t be as long this time, though I’m sure that it’ll seem a lot longer.

A couple of random things:

• I found myself wondering if we’re seeing some kind of circle. With Earth apparently destroyed by some kind of conflict, did the Colonials destroy themselves there, flee to the Colonies and create their own destruction again? Now they’ve come back and it would fit the “this has happened before and will happen again.”
• Speaking of Emmys, Michael Hogan needs one. His performance as Tigh was, as always, amazing.
• I liked the reaction by the various members of the final four to being discovered. Tyrol almost seemed relieved, even though he was going to die. Just to stop living with the secret.
• Will anyone else find out that Tori killed Callie?
• Anyone else think the fifth Cylon is dead?
• Has the discovery of Earth and the revelation of the Cylons within the fleet made finding out who the fifth is a bit anti-climatic at this point?
• Loved the scene of Bill Adama picking up the dirt. And the long pan across the regular cast standing on the planet. Only person missing: Tom Zarek.

Six of One
While this week’s episode didn’t feel nearly as urgent as last week’s season premiere, there’s still a lot to like about it and the directions season four is taking.

Before I jump into all of the things I liked, let me express one small, nagging dissatisfaction. While I’m fascinating (though not surprised based on SPOILERS that came out in August) about the storyline of the Raiders and Centurians beginning to question their place in the scheme of things, I do wish we’d seen a bit more set-up of this. I found myself wanting to jump back to season three to see if there were hints of this to come, but based on what I can recall, last week was the only real week we saw any kind of open defiance by the Raiders. The thing is that Battlestar has been very good about creating retroactive continuity over the show’s run and making it feel like this was something Ron Moore and company had intended to be there the entire time (interviews they’ve given have pointed to this not being the case). And while I love that that newly awakened Cylon models are creating controversy among the Cylons and this latest plot development, I wish it felt a bit more authentic and organic within the entire context and run of the series.

That said, the scenes on the Cylon ships were absolutely riveting this week. And part of that has to be that you could have Dean Stockwell come in and read the yellow pages and he’d just find a way to make it compelling to watch. And it does raise some interesting questions for the rest of the season–the biggest being is there a Cylon civil war brewing? And what are the bigger implications of one model of the Sharons rebelling and voting to lobotomize the Raiders? And why exactly have the Cylons kept the Raiders and Centurions as some kind of slave to their will? And why is this just coming up now? Again, is it tied to the final five? And what is it about the final five that bothers or scrare the other models so much?

It’s interesting that the opening tease has replaced the text that the Cylons have a plan with the fact information on how many Cylons there are? Do the final five somehow represent a threat to the plan the Cylons have?

And isn’t it interesting that when we first met the Cylons they had a single purpose–to bring God’s love to humanity or wipe them out. And now their agendas are starting to fracture a bit. Could it be exposure to humanity that’s done this?

Meanwhile, back in the fleet we have a lot of compelling stories unfolding as well. It’s still not clear where Starbuck went, but I’m starting to have doubts about her story. Last week, she said she lost time, was at Earth and took some photos before heading back. Now, it appears she was on the planet. Her story of what happened isn’t making much sense. I suppose we could chalk it up to a muddled memory because of what happened, but I think there is something more going on here. From Razor, we know that Starbuck is leading them on a path to destruction. So, what will happen as she and Helo try to find their way back to wherever Starbuck was?

You know, as we have characters going in several different directions and in several different places, I’m reminded of the end of season one and the start of season two. And if they can pull off the kind of incredible storytelling that all comes together as well as that did, I will be one happy fan.

Of course, Starbuck isn’t winning any supporters among the fleet with how she acts. Except for Adama, who wants to believe her. I really liked the scene between Adama and Roslin in his quarters where they discussed the dilemma he faces–he doesn’t want to admit he is losing those close to him. And his response that she can stay in his quarters but stay out of his head as he continued to refill his glass was great.

And here’s a random thought–have we seen Tigh really binge-drink since the revelation he is a Cylon? Is part of that his not wanting to lose control and fulfill the vision he had last week? Or that we just haven’t had time to see Tigh drunk in these two episodes?

Meanwhile, the revealed four (at least to us) are trying to figure out who they are and who the final Cylon is. It seems like a lot of people are curious about this these days. Was this something that woke up in the Cylons when these four were revealed to each other? And is that what led to the revolution within the Cylon fleet?

And finally, we have Baltar. Baltar who is looking to unsettle the faith of the colonies. Baltar who is apparently enjoying his role as a cult leader. Baltar who is now talking to a copy of himself inside his own head. How fantastic were those scenes? Kind of gives you a new respect for James Callis for pulling that off, doesn’t it?

And with that, season four is off to a great start. We’re two for two in terms of quality episodes. And while this episode did have a few more problems than last week’s, it’s still great.

“He That Believeth in Me…”
Oh, Battlestar Galactica, how I’ve missed you. Thank heavens you’re back. The withdrawal pangs were starting to get a little painful.

Yes, “Razor” helped a bit. It was a nice little snack in the long wait between seasons, but it’s not the same as the promise of a long stretch of all new episodes.

And now, you’re back…at last.

And it’s like you never left. Picking up about five seconds after the end of season three, “He That Believeth in Me…” took about three seconds to suck me and remind me why I love this show so much. Before the opening credits, we had the newly revealed Cylons trying to a handle on who and what they are, an epic-space battle and a whole new layer and mystery in the overall series storyline.

And after that, we had 45 minutes to go.

This episode took the series’ theme of identity and ramped it up. We have a lot of people questioning who they are now. It’s interesting to see Starbuck returned in a brand-new Raptor and only have been gone six hours from her own timeline. She’s been to Earth and while several characters are happy to see her, there are a whole lot of others who are suspicious of her, questioning is she’s really Starbuck. By episode’s end, Starbuck is asking the question of if she’s who she thinks she is or is she a Cylon or some kind of clone. Watching her breakdown at the wall of the dead, going more and more desperate to convince herself that she’s not a Cylon and that she’s been to Earth was nicely done. And the whole scene is infused with subtext for the audience as she talks to Anders, who the audience knows is a Cylon. But Starbuck has no clue. And I loved Anders conversation on how he’d love her if she was a Cylon and Starbuck replies he’s a better person and if he was a Cylon, she’d gun him down. Makes me eager for that revelation to come to light.

I also enjoyed the conversation between Adama and Lee about if it was Lee’s brother coming back from the dead, they’d just accept him and it wouldn’t change their feelings or love for him.

It’s interesting that after the initial space-battle and action of the teaser, that the episode became a lot of superb conversations between these characters. Of course, watching all the conversations that involved the newly discovered Cylons and their looking at each other as things were said were a nice bit of subtext and a good added layer to the show. And that scene in C in C when Tigh saw himself shooting Adama…even though I knew it had to be a fantasy, it was still shocking in that it could happen based on the history of this show.

And I haven’t even got into the storyline with Gaius Baltar and his struggle to find his new identity. Last year, we had hints that a cult of personality was building around Baltar and his book, but it’s here that we see it. And to see how Six is manipulating the events to undermine the basic Colonial belief structure was interesting. Is this part of the Cylon’s ultimate plan? Is one hope to create chaos and discord among the Colonials by creating a religious rift? If so, it’s an intriguing idea and one I hope we’ll see explored.

And, of course, we did get a whole lot of questions brought up for the new season. Here’s a few that jumped out at me…

• So, what happened when the Cylon and Anders made contact? Does the ship know? Do the Cylons know that these four models are active? Why were they activated now? Are there other copies of each of them?
• Where was Starbuck in between Earth and the fleet? And what is her mysterious connection to the nebula that causes her pain with each jump away? Given what we learned in “Razor”, this becomes even more intriguing.
• Why doesn’t Six like to think about the final five?
• Does Starbuck really think pulling a gun on the president of the colonies is going to make a more compelling argument? And does she really think that killing Roslin will make Adama sit up and listen to her? (I’m going to say a bit no). And how did Starbuck figure out that Laura is in Adama’s cabin?

OK, I think I’ve raved enough. I’m having a hard time deciding how much I liked the episode because it’s been so long I wonder if part of my enthusiasm is “holy cow, we’ve got new episodes.” But the more I think about it, the more I realize it’s a solid return that promises great things for season four. And it left me eager for next Friday to see where the story goes next…

An official promo for the fourth and final season of BSG is on-line…

I….cannot….frakkin’…..wait!