Saturday, November 18

TV Guide Review: Hero

Source: TV Guide

I remember back when I interviewed Carl Lumbly that he'd mentioned something quickly in passing about making an appearance on Battlestar Galactica, or maybe it was just something I read somewhere later. He'd actually also said that he wanted to take a rest for a while, once Alias was through, though I'd hardly call his appearance on Battlestar taking a rest.

This episode was ... strange. There are definitely some interesting things we come to learn about Adama's command before the Cylons wiped out Caprica, though I feel like much of what was told could have (or should have) been told over several episodes. It's still possible they're going to do this, though.

The notion that Adama may thing (or did think) that he possibly caused the Cylons to go on the offensive seemed rather sudden. It's one of those important factors of his character that I'd have thought we'd see more glimpses of in the past, as though there were this "something" haunting him, making him always question his next move when it came to the Cylons. We did get a moment of that last week, when he passed the buck to the President for signing off on the infect-the-Cylon-resurrection-ship plan, though to me it wasn't enough.

I guess you could say Adama just put professionalism and duty before his emotions all this time, and it took the appearance of Bulldog to make him come to grips with what happened that day Bulldog was captured.

About Bulldog's release and the Cylon's "plan" for him. Did anyone else not think that seemed a weak plan? Three years on a Base Star and that's all they came up with? No mental breakdown to create a spy for their own? Why is it that the Cylons are so hellbent to kill Adama anyway? Would his death really drop morale so much that the humans would simply falter and fade away? I'd actually think that, had a Cylon killed Adama, it would only fuel the rage humans already have for Cylons, and the next time they happened upon some of that virus that makes the Cylons sick, they wouldn't hesitate to use it.

Random observation: Amazing shots of BSG still battered to hell. A commenter mentioned this as well several weeks ago, and it's still nice to see this bit of detail still being used. I know, it's a small thing, but I appreciate it.

Getting back to Adama and him feeling at fault for the Cylon aggression. This episode does seem to tie in well with last week, with the question of what makes us human and what rights we have to destroy a sentient race. It seems the patter of the show continues to slowly lean toward the humans and Cylons possibly understanding one another more, and these past two episodes sort of gave that theme a little jolt.

Random observation #2: Love Tigh's eye patch. I've always thought of Tigh as an old salt sea captain, and all that's missing now is a missing limb.

Speaking of Saul, it seems he's back to being close with the Admiral, which is a good thing, as I'd like to see more of his presence on the show.

And what do you make of the Cylon killing herself and going on about what's "beyond" when she dies?

Not a great action-packed episode, though I think I've pointed out that it seems to be purposeful in showing how that line between the humans and Cylons may be starting to blur more.

Oh, and two weeks until the next episode. Boo!

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