Battlestar Galactica

Fragged was an awesome episode of Battlestar Galactica and I really enjoyed watching this episode as things escalated for Colonel Tigh now that he is in command, the President reveals her beliefs to many, and the survivors on Kobol endure some serious hardships. The Cylons are ruthless and quite terrifying, as Cally who only joined the military to pay for dental school soon found out. Colonel Tigh declares Marshall Law and this sets the stage for a whole host of new problems. I certainly look forward to watching the next episode!!!!!!!!!

My disc started skipping so I'll have to come back to this episode and review it properly at a later date. I will, however, comment on the Kobol plot: it was a startling finish to an arc that was wearing out its welcome. Crashdown was a terrible, terrible leader. I'm pretty sure Cally would agree...

***This review details –» this is a "I" perspective, based in what I like and recognize to be good or interesting, this is not a "god" where the guy thinks what he thinks is the true or the "you" perspective where I know what you will like and what you don´t.***



After the previous episode, I was expecting something better than the first two episodes of the season, maybe I am a little exigent, but even if those episodes were good, they lack in something to be very good or great. The main storyline are not being addressed and if we have 20 episodes for this season, we only can expect more and more delays, because I like interesting plots, just seeing my favorite's characters and being distracted by fillers isn't enough. Take the beginning of this episode, I you had missed the first two episodes, you wouldn´t missing almost anything.



Presentation Phase - » (7/10) could be better,

Complication Phase - » (7/10) sometimes was a little boring, Chief Storyline was better,

Climax Phase - » (9/10) great tension, action and drama, even the President part was funny,

Ending - » (8/10) very good,



The beginning didn´t put anything very interesting into play, and the complication development was better in Chief Storyline, until the lieutenant was dead, in president side things wasn´t interesting, until the climax phase where the best part happened, also in this phase Chief storyline get even better with good action, great drama and tension. The closure was good, consistent with the story development.



Details/Progress (To point A to B) -» (9/10) finally,

Time and Scene Management - » (9/10) less filler than I expected,

Plot Details/Holes- » (9/10) nothing that could put the episode in danger,

Storyline -» (8/10),



Chief and Gaius Storyline is very good, not the same thing was applied to the president storyline, but in the end managed to be good. Finally we have some progress, people being saved, secrets revealed to the public and some character taking decisions with will have consequences.



Drama - » (9/10) Chief Storyline provided great drama and hard choices,

Action -» (8/10) they did the best they could do,

Suspense/Tension - » (9/10) the climax provided the best tension,



Great emotions was played, we have great tension and drama and good action.



Overall, a great improvement compared with the two previous episodes.

This is one of my favourite episodes bar-nun. The best parts are the action that takes place on the planet kobol and brings a conclusion to the stranded BS crew members there. after a recon they find that 5 cylons are building a weapon that would prevent any ships saving them, so have to destroy it. the only problem is that crashdown is losing his cool, cheif is running the show, and Cally is worried that she isn't capable and Gaius has never even held a gun let alone fired one. after bitting the bullet the group go all out to destroy it but after Cally freezes on the spot and refuses to move into battle, crashdown threatens to kill her, cheif tries to mediate but cradhdown ignores him and says on the count of three he will kill her if she doesnt join in, on three Gaius saves her by killing crashdown! then he turns full on Rambo at cheif's side shooting aimlessly at Cylons whilst running. at the end all are trapped in the woods and Cheif decides to sacrifice himself and stands up and fires off rounds to the cylons only for them to blow up! he looks to the sky to see a raptor piloted by Apollo firing at the baddies. quality episode personal favourite with the president and col. Tigh at war with each other and him listening to his wife Ellen about her being crazy.

The scenes on Kobol definitely stole the show, as I think they were supposed to. They also provided some excellent dialogue. Mainly between Baltar and Six, starting with Six's comments at the funeral service for Tarn and Socinus.



Six: "Nothing awaits them. No eternal life, no damnation. Only oblivion."



They built up Crashdown's mental collapse well throughout the last three episodes and the culminating moment made for an intense scene. Baltar was incredible throughout the episode and having him be the one to kill Crashdown was a good way to further develop his character. He was also good in the scenes following as they fought to take down the radar dish, I loved those crazed, wide-rimmed eyes as he emptied clips at the Cylons. The final scene on Kobol was my favorite though, his conversation with Six might of been the best piece of dialogue thus far in the series.



Six: "I'm so proud of you, Gaius."

Baltar: "Why? Because I've taken a life?"

Six: "It makes you human."

Baltar: "Is it? Not conscious thought? Not poetry or art or music, literature? Murder. Murder is my heritage."



Baltar's face and Six's final line, "I'll be your conscious," were a hauntingly sad way to end the storyline on Kobol.



Why couldn't Roslin have just stayed crazy? I think I liked her better that way. Two minutes after she's better she's back to her haughty and conniving self. She and Adama both lie for the good of the fleet(Adama by saying he knew where Earth was, her by not revealing her cancer). She then decides to reveal both secrets to one of Adama's closest and most trusted officers for her own purposes. Then once she's gotten nothing else to lose she decides to expose her lie publicly to rally support. Politics aside that's just a scummy thing to do.



What's scary, is that in spite of all that she's still clearly a much better choice then Tigh to be in control of the fleet. Of whom you're literally scared to find out what he'll screw up next. I'm guessing there might still be some flashbacks to come that reveal Adama and Tigh's past, but at this point I'm still wondering why Adama would keep him as XO. I have to assume that Adama owes hims something pretty big to allow someone so unfit for duty to continue to hold such a powerful position.



Scenes on Galactica didn't do much for me, but the Kobol storyline more than made up for it.

So, Adama is still down and it is all up to Tigh's and he is in trouble - first: vipers not working properly. Secondly: press demanding to be released. Third: some diplomats coming aboard.. Lee planning a rescue mission. So, he has to deal with all - and ofcourse, with president in custody. And it all gets great turn - specially the ending and how Tigh makes himself fool when listens his wife and president has got his medicine and she is fine and Tigh will announce martial law.



Also, the other story focus on Kobol and the struggle there - it is not beautiful and ends even more badly one one of them. And Gaius, again, turns everything bad.

Finally the ongoing mini sage that spanned over five episodes ago is coming to a close. While it watching back to back, it almost seem like a great scifi movie that is better than most released with bigger budgets. The story still revolves around Kobal and Galactica. While Adama is still out of commission, his underlings are still making bad decisions. The fleet is running around like crazy and the rescue mission is on its way. Much that his is annoying Baltar character really shows that his main goal in life is self preservation. One of the best examples of this behavior is shown in this episode.

So many great thigns happened this episode! First we got the awesome fights on the planet surface love to see some cylons getting blown up so that all ruled. The presidential stuff kicked ass and so did all the stuff about the cylon baby. EVERYTHING moves forward this episode. We still do have a Adama in surgery but i'm sure that'll be put right soon. Great episode after the not so great "Valley of Darkness" (Season 2 episode 2). But it seems were back to form after only one episode. Galactica never seems to fail me! SFX still stand up to recent movie quality.

9.2

So, Dr. Baltar grew a pair and took action. Good on him, I guess, but will it last? So many times I see these shows where a character will make a critical discovery about themself, and then the next week will be back to normal. No personal growth, no apparent recollection of what transpired. Will Baltar be back to his sniveling self next we see him, or does this signal the beginning of a new Baltar? Little of column A, little of column B, as it turns out, but it's a start.



What probably struck me the most about Crashdown's leadership woes was that I could see myself behaving the same way. Resistant to criticism, a prisoner of my own mistakes, dogmatically bound to my decisions. Yeah, that could happen to me. I'm glad Crash died so that I could learn. Poor guy; he was just a pilot. He wasn't trained for leading ground assaults. But who is, I suppose?



Then there's our Colonel Tigh. Was martial law necessary? I wish that I could have had a little more insight into his thought process than I got - for a man who never wanted a command, he sure took charge of the entire human race in a hurry. For some reason, I really liked the part where he threw the pen into the glass of water. It's just such a futile gesture, like knocking over a poker table, maybe. Such a Tigh thing to do. God bless him, I hope he never sobers up.

This episode continues from last week, but this episode has a story of its own. we get to see regular characters having more screen time in this episode, the kobol away team are trapped at the planet, with cylons walking around them, hunting them down and building something. the kobol team figures out a way to deal with the cylons, but they also have to deal with each other. the commanding officer of the team is having a hard time doing his job, he makes decisions that can get everyone killed. so much stuff happens in this episode, it's a good one.

The scenes in this episode on Galactica actual were not incredibly memorable for me. However the scenes on Kobol haunt me still.



The standoff with Crashdown, Cally and Tyrol is by far the most intense scene I have ever witnessed on television. The body count on Kobol is already so high, certainly another member of the team isn\'t going to die, but you can smell impending blood. It\'s in the air. But how? We know all these characters. Certainly they won\'t die. Maybe it\'s going to end with that rescue we\'ve been waiting the whole episode for...



...But this is BSG. The answer isn\'t easy. The answer is unexpected. And the answer is fundamentally hard to watch. As the title say, this is exactly why I watch this series.



The writers take the time to build the stories, build the connections and the intensities. Something that would last three scenes in a regular television series can last three to four episodes in this show, and I am completely and undeniably excited about that.



Frak network television. Give me BSG or give me a book.

Episode 2.3 My Review of FRAGGED a.k.a.



"Gaius Becomes a Man"



1. Okay...so Tricia Hefler has on a pea coat. It must be cold in Vancouver um I mean Kobol. But what does Six need a coat for? She doesn't get cold. She's all in Baltar's head. Or is she?



2. Boy those Cylons are smart! Building a missle battery out of parts from their ship. They're like Macgyver.



3. I see Dr. Cottle doesn't adhere by that antiquated medical policy of not smoking in the surgery room.



4. Yeah Tigh's off the wagon...and on the side of the road...laying in the gutter...holding a tin cup.



5. "Why aren't you in the brig?"

"Um cause nobody put me there."



"Why aren't *you* in the brig?"



Gotta love that old drunk Tigh!



6. Madam President is losing it.



7. I see Lady MacBeth has reared her duplicitous face. She's still no Sherry Palmer. But she's giving it the old college try though.



8. Callie: "I just joined to pay for dentist school."



9. I think Crash had good reason to take out the missile but he should have recognized there's no way they could've taken it down with the personel they had.



10. Ha! Baltar the voice of reason! Chief knows Baltar is right but it's the military. They can't vote on things. Gotta go with the chain of command, no matter how foolhardy it is.



11. This brotha is all about the faith. He's from Gemenon. And so is the black woman representative on the Quorum of 12. So Gemenon is a black planet huh?



12. How does Tigh's wife have access to the President anyway? That's a tight ship he's running there.



13. I love "D"! "Let the record reflect that the witness made the drinky drinky sign" (c) High Nasal Voice Lawyer on the Simpsons



14. Callie is not going. That girl is not moving for nothin'! I can't believe Crashdown pulled a gun on her.



15. Baltar is that G!



16. Those Cylons are no joke. Although sometimes it seems they went to the same shooting school as C.O.B.R.A. soldiers.



17. Wow. That backfired on ya Saul. Didn't it?



18. See? That's they way this "assault" on the Cylons was supposed to end. In Star Trek, the ragtag group of enlisted mechanics would have taken them down. Here? Those same mechanics gain common sense and refuse a suicide mission like that.



19. Martial Law. I'm not surprised. It was coming sooner or later.



20. Oh yeah, the fact that you didn't know who was going to live in this episode was great. This show is like the Buffy/Angel universe well anyone is expendable outside of the core characters. Chief, Seelix, Callie, Crashdown. I wouldn't have been surprised to see anyone of them die. That's great. It keeps you tense. It keeps you guessing. And it makes for great television.



Grade

A-



This episode was better to me than last week's. However ( (c) Stephen A. Smith ), there was NO Helo, Starbuck, Caprica Boomer or Galactica Boomer! Awww man. I wanted to know what was up with her stealing the ship. I guess technically it would be repossession since it belonged to the Cylons in the first place. Hopefully next week's episode of "Three's Company" won't be preempted. But I digress. Why do people continue to sleep on this show. It's got action, suspense, drama, and for the snobs: theological and philosphical discussions.

Ok, so "Fraged" wasn't the finest example of the show but as far as fillers go it was a great episode.



Let's talk about Tigh for a moment, so he is genuinely concerned about his friend, the Commander. But there's that...witch, yes witch, and other things that rhyme with witch, of a wife of his, who'll stop at nothing to put Tigh in power. I say someone accuses her of being a Cylon and gives her to the crew, if they want to throw her out of the airlock it's their decision. But if Tigh knows the Commander would never want martial why is he suddenly taking control? And what is the Vice President going to say when he returns? And Tigh turning to the bottle, yes it'll be fabulous having a alcoholic leader!



Err...scratch that, seems the good doctor has enough going on. Gaius shot someone. Gaius shot Crashdown! We should've seen it coming, I supposed. What was Crashdown pointing a gun at Cally's head for anyway? Baltar continues his imaginary relationship with Number Six. But is it imaginary? For God's sake(tee hee, that was unintentional) somebody tell me! Is that baby real? And if it is how is Gaius going to go about getting to it? How is everyone else going to react to Gaius having a unexplained baby? Will the Commander really try to kill the child? And why? So many unanswered questions...For those of you who don't know me I love Gaius' relationship with Number Six, it seems appropriate that a man so self involved would be in love with a creature, seemingly a product of his subconcious. But the relationship is the same as it was in '33'. Where is the development? Where? One bit that amused me was Number Six telling Gaius, "I'll be your conscience." She is a Cylon, a robot, a machine. In general when machines come to mind they don't have feelings of guilt or remorse. This shows us that the Cylons are more than toasters with great legs. You'll notice me talking a lot about Gaius in my reviews, his self-involvement and arrogance endear him to me, I can't explain it. One of my favorite lines was Number Six telling Gaius he would die if the attack fails and Gaius whines, "Not me. I am God's instrument."



Other odds and ends:



-What was up with the lack of Starbuck in this episode?



-Is Madame President "the chosen one"?



-Apollo had his daily dosage of arguing with Tigh, I wonder what his reaction will be when he finds marshall law has been declared.

Yes, this is a filler episode. However it was needed as the average fan-boy doesn’t seem to be able more than two main stories at a time. This episode ties up one of the main story lines by having the Kobol crew get saved. Or at least we assume they are saved anyways.



I anticipate that the next episode will deal more with Helo and Starbuck as they were not touched on at all this episode. This is a pretty standard method to focus the action in one place in TV. First you focus on half the characters one week, and then switch to the other half the week after. So, I am looking forward to the next episode. [Sorry if this is not the case, as I’m not looking for spoilers here]



Where does this leave us? It leaves us with several minor reoccurring characters having been killed on Kobol, including one done in by Dr. Baltar. It leaves us with a President who now seems stronger (even Tom Zarek appears to have become a believer). It leaves us with a drunken leader who surely should have been relived of duty by his second in command by now.



Overall, it ties up some stories, while starting others. I am betting that BSG will have lost some viewers due to this episode. Some have felt that this didn’t do enough.



Personally, I am happy enough with this episode, but it is definitely time to move on. Let’s get Adama back to the living. Let’s get the President back into power. Let’s go after the arrow and get back to going towards Earth.



Let’s get back to Battlestar Galactica circa Season 1.

A necessary episode to move the storylines forward and together again. Again, the problems faced by the characters bring out their character traits glaringly, while still managing to install a little breathing space after two very fast episodes.



Some characters stand out again:



- poor Crashdown, deciding badly and failing once more (needing Tyrol to bully down a nervous Baltar, while insulting him with \'me: LT, you: not\'), almost inevitably leading to his fate - being shot right before his desparately heroic attack attempt - which he senses to fail right from the start. Fitting, sadly.



- Baltar, who until now seemed to be able to dodge his responsibility of being the one man who betrayed mankind (and since then lives under some kind of self-deception of being a victim, too): had he not bungled his recon through sheer fright, the dish could have been taken out without much fuss, and he needn\'t have killed Crashdown - unnecessarily. Now he\'s guilty - and he knows that all his alleged \'manliness\' is based upon the most shameful of character traits - cowardice.



- Tigh is failing on the grand scale, however. Not only lets he slip Apollo past his brig confine, ridiculing his earlier decision, but he tries to show off Roslin to the Quorum as basket case after the whisperings of his wife - and inevitably is driven to an even more unwise decision to invoke martial law. Well, what can be expected by a drunkard cracking under the stain of knowing to be unfit for command?



And finally we know that Adama\'ll make it (phew), the Kobol crashers have been rescued and word is out that Roslin really seems to be the sacred leader.



Well set up for next week - and I look forward to see how they get *that* political mess cleared up.

Col. Tigh is really being pushed to his limits having to deal with this so called government, but you work with what you have, lol !



I suppose he thinks they are all fools and declares martial law for those reasons alone.



Meanwhile the situation on Kobol is rotten. Dr Baltar is diluted as ever, and continues to pull the wool.



I really like the Chief (Tyrol), he has the skills ya know but not the rank. Thats playing out excellent. During this episode I was thinking if he makes it out of all this alive, he needs a promotion. What a guy !



Again, the human struggle is much like a boxer that just cannot be knocked out. The Cylons keep throwing bombs, with no KO !



The show really manages to capture life, while we follow each story. Keep the couch warm, im ready for the next episode.

fanatastic episode, So much happened and for the first time this season the overall stroyline was furthered. With the crew on Kobal being rescued and some more information about the political situation being included.



The main things that happened this episode were:

The people stranded on Kobal were saved but not before a slight altercation with some cylons and Crashdown weht physco on Kali.



The President was suffering from withdrawal symptoms after not being able to have the camala extract. However she was able to reinstate confidence in her leadership when the quaram of the 12 came abour galactica to see her.



Colonel Tigh Fracked everything up when he instated marshal law after a failed attempt to portray the president as a nutter.



Adama was saved, just



I was a bit dissapointed that the Caprica storyline with starbuck and Helo was not continued. Though in leaving this till next week it made it possible for the Kobal stroy to be concluded.



Overall a brilliant episode definatly the best so far this season.

This series just keeps on getting better. We continue to see that while Tigh makes a dependable second-in-command, he is not leader material. Unfortunately, he is all the fleet has. He seems unable to realize that heavy-handed tactics from the military are just one of the things that the citizens of the fleet have been dreading. It will be interesting to see how Adama cleans up the mess that Tigh is making. The story of the crew on Kobol was the most enjoyable part of this episode. Aaron Douglas has not had much of a chance to shine since the mini, and he does a fine job here as the experienced NCO trying to keep a young officer from doing something that might get them all killed. Douglas is at his best when he portrays the grief that the Chief feels at losing his people. The series continues to impress me with it's realism. Crashdown's formulaic use of the tactics he was taught in OCS and Callie's freezing from fear and inability to enter into a combat situation she is simply not trained for are, I think, both far more true to what would occur in such a situation. The untrained heroes who pull together and suddenly perform like Navy Seals is a tired cliche, and I was quite happy to see it go for this episode. Galactica continues to be about people doing the best they can with what they have. One of it's finest points is that every character gets some development. Callie, the Chief, D, Billy, Helo, etc. In contrast to shows such as Enterprise where 2 or 3 actors get all the screen time while the rest of the cast are basically also-rans.

Not many shows would have the guts to have its central character sit out the first few episodes of the season. This show has tried it with mixed results. It would not have played well for a person shot at point blank range to have stood up and declared, "it was only a flesh wound." However, his character brings a vision and singleness of purpose to his crew. This mess that Tigh is creating may be realistic, but it is not as entertaining. Given the opportunity to watch a great leader lead, or a drunk second in command screw things up, which should the audience choose? Helo spent the first season off on Caprica. It was a nice B storyline. But Starbuck does not belong in the B storyline. Boomer was the big surprise of season one. You mean to tell me that she is not important to season two? Where is version one? Where is version two? This show helps to develop the Baltar storyline and furthers the President's fame. Other than that, it leaves me wanting more. Maybe, that was the plan all along.

I for one can't wait for Commander Adama to get healthy again. While it made for a great season ending cliffhanger - I miss his leadership.



The reason people are "Fragged" in this episode is because all of their leaders are "Fragged" in the head.



President Roslin: mumbling gibberish, unaware of her surrounding and the names of those she's talking to. Yet, instead of people moving on - she get's a new convert in her guard and loyalty from her staff. And it's not like a Battleship (or any ship) would have pharmaceutical plants... how is the guard (or anyone) secretly gathering more and more quantities of this rare drug for her. And keeping it a secret. And what non-narcotic works so fast?



Colonel Tigh: everyone blindly follows the drunk? He's not even a functional drunk that can hide it!



LT: well, "Thank The Gods" for Dr. Gaius Baltar. Most of the team were just willing to follow him into a suicide battle against a Cylons.



Zarek: okay - this is more of an ongoing storyline, but why are so many people willing to follow a terrorist?



I can't wait for this series to start focusing on the Cylon vs Human conflict again. The internal political machinations are a little tedious. Seems to be written just to give Mary McDonnell additional lines (she'd probably walk otherwise).

OK its bad enough we have a couple different scenes occuring at once, but for a whole episode to miss updating us on whats happening back on Caprica with Starbuck.... Looks like they over complicated things and cant stay on track.



Speaking of which, did the Silons finally stop attacking?



Some of the plots are definately reaching and it seems they are basically trying to write a trail leading one way and then trying to surprise us. I think they are losing site of the whole Battlestar Galactica story over the last two episodes.



On a positive side its good the Kobol scenario finally lead somewhere and the story there was plausable.

Every time I think that things can’t get worse for the Colonials, the writers up the ante. This time, it’s all about the interplay of the plot threads on Galactica and Kobol. As situations go completely downhill, it’s all about how fortunes change, present and future. Tigh’s decisions lead to Roslin’s unexpected return to power as a spiritual leader and another step towards a conflict between religious and warrior factions, which is always a lot of fun. Meanwhile, Crashdown’s inevitable loss of perspective leads to a disturbing consequence involving Baltar.



I suppose it was inevitable that Tigh would return to his drinking, and it sure as hell doesn’t help him make better decisions! It’s not very helpful that the entire crew seems to know that he’s losing stability, thanks to his past history, and that they don’t feel like they can do anything about it. After all, what would they do? They’re already reeling from the loss of Adama’s strong and consistent leadership. There’s really no one else that they could rally support behind, is there?



Except Roslin, of course, and that’s the problem. Tigh has never respected Roslin, and apparently, he respects the whole idea of the Scrolls of Phylia even less. But when people are seeking a sense of direction, religious leaders are particularly compelling. Roslin also knows the value of when to claim some kind of foretold authority. She truly believes herself to be the instrument of the Lords of Kobol, and what’s more, the Quorum of Twelve believes her.



So Adama basically threw down the gauntlet, because the “religious leader” compelled one of his warriors to defy orders. The response was the assumption of total control by Adama, who was then the victim of a brutal attempt on his life by the enemy. Now the reversal of fortune is in play: Roslin is regaining a purpose and political strength, while the military leadership struggles to retain control. Tigh is simply not Roslin’s equal, and so rather than convince others of the strength of his political stance, he seeks to impose his will.



While Roslin believes that she is following the Lords of Kobol, Baltar continues to operate under the impression that he is the instrument of God. Of course, he has no idea what God wants of him, other than the fact that he is meant to embrace the more violent aspects of his humanity. This is perhaps indicative of how the Cylons think, but that’s not necessarily a given. It’s what Six wants Baltar to hear, and that’s about all I get out of it.



Whatever the case, the question I have in my mind is how Baltar’s ongoing conversion is going to be used to support Roslin or transform her message into something that will benefit the Cylons. If Six is not speaking for the rest of the Cylons, then it’s even more of a blurred picture. It feels like Baltar is being honed into an instrument, a willing strike at the heart of the Colonials. Beyond that, there’s still a lot of story to be told before motivations are likely to be clarified.



If Ellen Tigh is a Cylon, as strongly hinted in the first season, then it makes sense that she would want her husband to take control. He’s so far out of his depth that his “leadership” would be catastrophic. Undermining Roslin was her apparent goal (and that once again suggests that Baltar is being groomed to pervert or subvert her message). How much worse would it be if she turned out to be simply human, indulging some love of chaos?



The end of the struggle on Kobol came together quite nicely. I never expected things to get quite so intense, but then, I suppose I should have known better. I really believed that Crashdown would shoot Kally right then and there! I love how things get out of hand, even within the structure of a rather predictable resolution. I expected the Colonials to save the SAR team at the last possible moment, and for the Raptors to arrive when all seemed lost. It’s how the writers managed to sneak in a little doubt that made the episode for me.



With the Kobol situation more or less over, I expect that the next episode will actually bring an update of the situation on Caprica. The prophecies related to the Arrow and the Temple were mentioned again, so clearly that’s something that will continue to unfold. And then there’s the timetable suggested by Roslin’s admission of impending death. If she is the foretold leader, then she’s got very little time to point the Colonials towards Earth. My bet is that the entire season will be the process of getting to that part of the tale.

Battlestar Galactica, under the helm of RDM has seen a journey that has been as gritting as it has been exciting. A mystery surrounds every characters and the writers seem to keep everyone guessing. This episode is no different.



Adama shot, Lee and the President in prison, Starbuck on Caprica, Tigh in command, what would happen next?



Once Sharon came back from the destroyed Baseship she shot Adama twice. What a cliffhanger! Baltar now a father? Or was it all a dream. The wait was over once this episode got started. What a start it was! It has everything from the mystery surrounding Baltar and his vision to action packed suspence.



The Galactica is forced to make an emergency jump and ends up in the middle of nowhere. The rest of the fleet seems missing and their only hope is to re-plot a jump. With the cylons already at their previous location and the team on Kobol left behind, Tigh who is fighting his personal battle trying to live up to the expectations Adama has, makes it clear he is not a willing commanding officer. Making sure the crew of the Galactica know he is not willing to take command but to continue Adamas command he is forced to make decisions he knows Adama would not be fond off. A networked computer to accelerate the jump calculations seems to be their only hope and greatest risk.



The President, while in prison, tries to find out what happened from a shattered Lee, in a cell next to her. He is unsure of his fathers fate, being carried to the cell before a true diagnostic could have been made. Once Tigh realises that Lee is a valuable asset but still not trustworthy, they venture back to their previous coordinates and attempt to recalculate a jump in the hopes of finding the fleet. The gamble works, but at a cost. Cylons are aboard the Galactica!



This episode marks the return of the critically acclaimed BSG. A premiere not only for its 2nd season but also for the franchise itself. There has never been a 2nd season. RDM steers well clear of the original series now and heads out in his own direction following mutiple plot lines left open in the last cliffhanger while continuing on the long running plot lines while also adding new twists. What is Six really trying to do? It is clear she is trying to manipulate Baltar but to what end? His role is pivitol and only accepted through the grandure that is acting. Everyone is on-par here and the fast pace episode comes to a dead stop with a to be continued that leaves watchers at the edge of their seat.



Even though there are positive strides made with almost every episode, it is clear that the pace needed to be picked up. Viewers are beginning to beg for straight answers and it seems these are still a long way off. With the excuse of some obvious mistakes (Firewalls and Cylons hacking them straight away even though in the past those types of attacks were pointless) the episode marks a shining beginning to what can be expected to be a fantasic second season.



Although Adama is still out, it is clear that the affect he has on his ship is great and it is fantasic to see the writers remember his role as Commander of the ship and as someone responsible for keeping them alive. Everyone is worried and all look up to "the old man" and it is a testament to those aboard his ship that this point is addressed again and again.



With special effects now going in their strides it is clear that the second season will hold more action, more battles and more suspence than the first season. For what it is worth, no cheating out of plot lines was attempted here and no closure was attempted either. BSG is great watching and this episode is certainly no different. Continues story plot, followed through carefully and with continuety, it is clear that the producers of this show want one thing and one thing only, great entertainment!