An old friend and a new threesome

Source: The Houston Chronicle

"Sooner or later, the day comes when you cannot hide from the things you have done anymore." -- Admiral Adama.

Well, if you were thinking "Hero" might be the long-awaited comedy episode of Battlestar Galactica...

Just kidding, just kidding. NO COMEDY ON BATTLESTAR GALACTICA!

Adama's speech from this week's opening (is this taken from the speech he is about to make at his award ceremony at the end of the show?) pretty much spells out the theme and indicates another episode of severe guilt and gloom. Maybe, as they often say, the colonists who didn't survive were the lucky ones.

There was a light moment though. Wasn't it a relief when Bulldog cracked the joke with Adama, the one about leaving the Cylon baseship because the accommodations were lousy? I mean, great, we didn't need another dour character. But of course, it doesn't take long on Galactica to turn a smiling escaped POW into a tormented revenge seeker.

Adama made a tough call before the Cylon war that he thought not only killed his friend Daniel "Bulldog" Novacek (Carl Lumbly) but in his mind may have precipitated the Cylon attack.

He was able to suppress that suspicion -- until Bulldog returned.

(I'd say Adama's decision to shoot down Bulldog was a lot better call than his decision to let an unknown Cylon raider land aboard Galactica just because it had the voice of an old friend. That could have been the end of Galactica right there.)

By the way, Olmos is always excellent, but he was so good in the scene where Roslin asks him what happened, and he tells her trust him, he'll fix it. The pain and shame on his face: Whew.

Though basically a free-standing story based around Bulldog's return, "Hero" also advanced several parts of the overall B.G. story arc.

We get so used to seeing these big story arcs on Battlestar Galactica that an episode that is basically a stand-alone can seem less profound. This was a big problem last year when there were some really lame mid-season episodes. This year the writers have done a great job of mixing in elements from the larger storyline and themes. And in throwing in some regular curves.

One of those big curves in "Hero" had, apparently, nothing to do with Bulldog. You know the one I mean. D'anna Biers waking up from a dream of death at the hands of the colonists to find herself back on a Cylon ship, in bed with the galaxy's once and future sweethearts, Baltar and Caprica Six.

It has to be a pretty big bed considering the size of Baltar's ego.

Man, that Gaius Baltar, is he ever proof that women go for bad men? Or maybe this is just a new form of interrogation.

I can never watch a peek-a-boo scene like the one of Biers/Lucy Lawless getting out of bed without wondering: How long did they have to work and how many takes did they have to do to get just that barest hint of her breast and butt, without showing too much to offend the watchful eyes of the TV overlords?

When they moved the camera for that shot from behind, where she's walking away from the bed, were James Callis and Tricia Heifer still there, watching? (No, probably not.) And is it fun for the crew to do those shots, or does all the technical stuff make it boring?

And then D'anna decides God is trying to tell her something "bigger" than Gaius. She goes and has her self executed so she can download into a new body. Can someone please tell me what it is she said after she pops out of the goo? Something about "This is something beautiful. ----- --- ------ --- between life and death."

Back among the humans, Tigh is still tearfully fondling Ellen's things and getting used to having one eye, and caring on his bitterness toward Adama.

"He still does his share of ass-covering," he says to Bulldog of Adama. "Problem is, it's his main function now."

Logically, when Starbuck figures out the Cylon raiders were not actually trying to shoot down Bulldog, she goes to her new partner in rebellion, Tigh, instead of Adama or Apollo. But this turns out to be just what is needed to start mending fences for Tigh and the Admiral. He gets to Bulldog's quarters in time to save Adama from Bulldog's attack.

And did you expect Tigh to be such a street fighter? He may look like a withered old drunk but, hey, he can still kick ass, taking out Bulldog in a couple of quick moves.

Loved that painting of President Baltar. Classic. Over a toilet seems the right spot.

OK, Adama was getting his medal or whatever for 45 years of service. Edward James Olmos is 59. So assuming Adama is the same age, he has been in the Colonial Fleet since he was 14. Yikes.

That would be unusual in the current American Navy or Air Force, but certainly not unusual in the 18th century navies. So maybe the Colonial Fleet takes very young ensigns.

Ratings slump: You've probably noticed that SciFi certainly wants us to watch the show live. Almost every week there is a promise of secrets reveled if we go online during the show. The reason is obvious: Advertisers want people to watch their shows live because if they record it, especially on DVRs, they are more likely to fast forward past the commercials. Or walk away and not pay attention because they know if they miss the start of the next segment, they can just back up. And since the ratings have been way down on Galactica this year, they want to do all they can to keep the sponsors happy.