A look back on Battlestar Galactica’s incredible episodes and arcsBy Matthew Martin| July 2, 2020 TV Blogs Previous Page I’m going to condense a lot of these reviews because the show is so strongly serialized in chunks it’s easier to review them as “arcs” rather than episodes. As before, SPOILER WARNING for those who haven’t yet watched the show… SCATTERED ARC – 10/10 Scattered – 10/10 Valley of Darkness – 10/10 Fragged – 9/10 Resistance – 10/10 Farm – 8/10 Home part one – 10/10 Home part two – 10/10 Let’s call this the “scattered” arc, as it depicts the aftermath of Kobol’s Last Gleaming. The fleet is separated, Roslin and Adama are as divorced as they’ll ever be, there are so many pieces lying in ruins it doesn’t seem possible to mend them all. For the first half, Adama hangs near death, leaving Tigh to, as he says “frak everything up.” I love the scene where he admits his own failures to an unconscious Adama, then leaves from there to declare martial law. The Caprica storyline—which I didn’t even mention in my season one bite-sized review —drags a bit, but still has its fair share of fun moments. Still, it’s the drama on Galactica and Kobol that take the cake here, and make this such an incredible season-opening (it’s a third of the season in fact) arc. The reunion on Kobol between Bill and Laura is, in my opinion, the moment they fall in love, whether either of them realizes it yet. From here on, they may disagree a time or two, but for the rest of the show they are inseparable; two halves of the same coin. It’s a merging of once-rivals that is earned after blood and toil, unlike the quick-integration seen on Star Trek Voyager. The tease of Earth opens potential plot holes later, but I’ll get to that later. Final Cut – 7/10 = It’s hard to come back to normal after such an incredible string of episodes and this one had the hardest task on the show, arguably. It had to be “normal” after nine straight killer episodes. There’s plenty to like but really, its only crime is that it’s not part of the “scattered” arc. Flight of the Phoenix – 8/10 = Another stand-alone episode, but still one that ties into the greater mythos of the show. It also makes itself worthwhile by adding to the character of Sharon, particularly her still-tenuous relationship with Bill. The plot involving the Blackbird is fine but that’s about it. PEGASUS ARC – 10/10 Pegasus – 10/10 Resurrection Ship part one – 10/10 Resurrection Ship part two – 10/10 The Pegasus arc is “tension personified.” As incredible as Kobol’s Last Gleaming’s final moments were, it wasn’t a cliffhanger, so it can’t be judged on its merits as a cliffhanger. Pegasus, however, has, in my opinion, the greatest cliffhanger in TV history. It builds and builds and builds its story at a perfect pace. It begins with elation, but even then we the viewers know, instinctively, this will not end well. Very quickly the layers start peeling and by the end of it…well, I can’t even do it justice… Please accept YouTube cookies to play this video. By accepting you will be accessing content from YouTube, a service provided by an external third party. YouTube privacy policy If you accept this notice, your choice will be saved and the page will refresh. Accept YouTube Content The music, the acting, the cinematography, the camera movements: It’s all beyond words. Show me anything in Star Trek that has that level of intensity and artistry, and I say that as a thirty-year fan of the franchise. The two-parter follow-up obviously couldn’t match the intensity but it succeeds by not trying to. It resets the table slightly and tells its own story. The ending is satisfying, earned, and has lasting consequences. This is BSG’s version of Voyager’s Equinox, only this has after-effects that matter. Special commendation to TNG alum Michelle Forbes (Ensign Ro), who plays the character of Admiral Cain perfectly. This is a great example of what the reboot did better than the original. In the 1978 show, the Pegasus commanding officer was not an admiral. Here, Cain outranks Adama, heightening the drama and limiting what he can do (or what he’s trained to do). The fact that she’s so much younger than him (described as someone who worked the system, played politics, and took a fast-track to the top) makes her the perfect foil for the aged, wise, lower-ranked Adama. By the way, as with all of these, whenever there is an extended version of an episode, as there is with Pegasus, you have to watch the longer version. There’s always precious details that were cut for TV release that makes the episode so much richer and more rewarding. Epiphanies – 8/10 = It’s a comedown from the Pegasus arc, obviously, but still has great stakes. Roslin’s cancer is handled here, in the middle of the second season. Once again, BSG shows it’s not afraid to address major moments throughout the show instead of saving it all for the final episodes of each season. Black Market – 6/10 = Skippable. The only episode that is entirely skippable, not just because the plot is expendable but because it’s boring. Other episodes have plots that add nothing to the overall mythos (there are four by my count, which is an amazingly small number), but this one doesn’t even bring anything to the characters. If you never watched this episode, you’d miss nothing. And yet, it’s still a 6/10 because it’s still BSG, so it’s still really well-made nothing. Scar – 8/10 = Skippable, but at least compelling and with a more exciting plot propping it up. Also, it digs into the character of Starbuck and illustrates how she’s no longer interested in just being the hotshot pilot. That’s a young (wo)man’s game, as Kat demonstrates. Starbuck gets the upper hand, though, demonstrating maturity in the episode-ending toast, showing how different the two pilots are, and how much she’s grown. It may have a skippable plot, but it’s a worthy forty-five minutes. Sacrifice – 7/10 = It’s a “hostage situation” episode, so it loses points for tiredness right off the bat. That said, it features a notable death, some relationship seed-plantings, and plenty of good acting moments to carry it to a passable rating. The Captain’s Hand – 9/10 = A really solid stand-alone, with a great one-off guest actor, a plot that doesn’t feel contrived, and an ending that adds to the ongoing plot of the series. It might not be as mythos-expansive as what was soon to come, but it’s a great forty-five minutes, that’s for sure. Downloaded – 10/10 = Awesome premise, awesome visuals, awesome world-building. The sad story of Boomer adds a new chapter here, but there are plenty more twists and turns in her tale still to come. Without realizing it on a first watch, this episode is a great prelude to the season two finale…
