the frakking ‘Battlestar Galactica’ premiere: what the frak?
Just an FYI: I’m gonna be blogging about every last damn episode of Battlestar Galactica as it counts down to the end and -- as had better happen -- Earth is found, and starting with the second episode, it’ll be like my usual TV blogging, full of spoilers and assuming you’ve already seen the episode, too. But I can’t do that with the season premiere, because of course you haven’t yet seen the episode -- it debuts on Sci Fi at 10pm Eastern Friday, April 4, though you’ll be able to watch it earlier in the day streaming at SciFi.com. And because I basically had to sign a contract in blood with Sci Fi, in exchange for the chance to see the season premiere before it airs, saying that I wouldn’t spoil anything or else Cylons will hunt me down and kill me.
That could be cool, though, if it was the last unknown Cylon who hunted me down, cuz then I’d know who it was before anyone else. My dying words could be: “Hey, so it’s you...!”
“He That Believeth in Me,” the episode you’ll see on Friday, opens with these words: “Twelve Cylon models... Seven are known... Four live in secret... One will be revealed.” It’s kinda just like waiting to find out who the Oceanic Six were, only with toasters.
So, Starbuck is back, and tells everyone she has been to Earth, and everyone is freaking out, as you might imagine. They’re thinking maybe she’s a Cylon -- there’s definitely some frakking weird crap up with her that I won’t tell you about, but it’s weirder than the weird crap we’ve already seen from Starbuck, like how she’s been drawing that mandala/nebula thing since she was a kid. And how is so mean to nice sweet cute Sam. We see some of that meanness here, too.
Oh, poor Sam! Sam is worried about the Cylon switch in his head flipping on -- he’s even more adorable when he’s worried -- and not too much later he gets a little bit of confirmation about his worries, and it’s a genuinely terrifying moment. There’s a couple of genuinely terrifying moments here, where it feels like some sort of switch might be going off on the show, making it turn into a whole new direction. They’re frakking with our brains, the BSG folks. Frak.
Also, Gaius is apparently Jesus now. Seriously. He has a little cult of followers, and he starts spouting Six’s religious stuff about “there is only one god.” He even looks like Jesus with his long hair and scraggly beard, and what’s this? Is there more to Gaius...? Oh, but I can’t tell you. Anyway, so Six is the Holy Ghost or something, I guess. Scary frakkin’ stuff, eh?
You want funny? Wait for Tigh to snark about the uselessness of Baltar’s Cylon-detector test. Oh, the loneliness of the secret sleeper Cylon.
The last few seconds of the episode are pretty frakkin’ dramatic. I won’t say it’s a cliffhanger. But yeah, okay, it’s a cliffhanger.
(next: “Six of One”)
[buy at Amazon (Region 2)]
comments
posted by Katie (Mon Mar 31 08, 9:04AM)
Ok, 1. I am beyond thrilled that you're going to be blogging the episodes after they air because your reviews are always awesome. (ie. TW and DW)
2. My life now revolves around the fact that I have to somehow get through the rest of the week without going crazy with excitement. My co-workers are already kinda freaked by my geekdom as it is.
4 days and counting....
posted by Rosalind (Mon Mar 31 08, 1:05PM)
I love your reviews and read them regularly. But please, please MaryAnn don't put spoilers in the header of your posts on BSG. (Such as your did when Bonnie was killed in Jericho). I can avoid reading the post until I get a chance to view the episode, but can't avoid reading the title of the post.
Thanks for all you do.
posted by MaryAnn (Mon Mar 31 08, 4:05PM)
I'm sorry anything was spoiled for you. I do my best not to do that, or to warn when I do spoil. But when I'm writing about TV shows, I'm usually writing in immediate reaction, and writing for those who've seen the episode in question already, too. I'm not sure there's any way to avoid talking about things that will be spoilers for those who have not seen the episodes.
My Jericho headers have nothing but the episode titles in them, so I'm not sure what you're referring to, Rosalind.
posted by Rosalind (Tue Apr 01 08, 12:48PM)
Oh, I'm sorry. I thought it was in the title, but perhaps it was the first sentence of the review. I should have looked away immediately!
posted by MaryAnn (Wed Apr 02 08, 6:10PM)
Ah, okay. I'll try not to put spoilers in the first sentence! It wasn't a *total* spoiler, though...
posted by boz (Sat Apr 05 08, 3:25PM)
wow, they had a solid start this year. let's hope they keep up the pace. I won't give spoilers for now.
posted by Ryan (Sat Apr 05 08, 5:32PM)
Very nice first episode. I think they tipped their hand on whether the Earth they arrive at is futuristic (from our viewpoint) or past/present day. But we shall see.
It was nice to see a really solid Lee Adama/Bill Adama moment that dealt with both Lee's decision on his future and Kara's return in a realistic way.
The Baltar Altar Cult was sort of boring and the 'hidden room' stretched plausibility...but I like where they are going with his character, so I'm willing to wait.
I was very pleased to see Roslin go back to her roots, possibly as a result of once again having cancer. (More likely as a result of the drug treatment?) Frankly I've never liked her character, and I would very much like to see the more idealistic Lee Adama replace her, and then get ground down by the job.
Looking forward to next week!
(Also, Grace Park needs more screen-time posthaste.)