Ways to Make it Through the Wall

When the first few episodes of Fringe aired, I found the premise interesting and the hours fairly entertaining. As the season has progressed, I've grown to really like most of the characters and the shows mythology became more established and deeply compelling. Fringe gets justifiably compared to The X-Files, but Fringe is starting cut out its own identity while benefiting from the lessons learned from the nine seasons of the older show. (Note: There will be possible spoilers for the first seventeen episodes of Fringe.)

Where The X-Files mythology was made up and strung together on the fly, the creators of Fringe appear to have a solid grasp on their own long term story arc. At their core, both myths are fairly similar. The X-Files dealt with an impending alien invasion, whereas Fringe focuses on an impending war with forces from a parallel universe. Both shows had/have Monster of the Week episodes, but Fringe has managed to throw in splashes of mythology in these seemingly standalone hours ("Inner Child" is perfect example of this). "Bad Dream" seemed like a MotW, until the halfway mark and threw us some of the most compelling and frightening additions to the myth arc.

While having only two principal characters allowed for deep exploration and great acting on The X-Files, it didn't leave much room to wiggle outside the lives of Mulder and Scully, and some occasional Skinner. Fringe has its own Skinner in Broyles, but we've been given three leads and a few nice subordinates in Astrid and Charlie. This opens up the possibility of widening the character focus as what happened to Charlie Frances in "Unleashed". He's been around since the first episode as Olivia's guy Friday, but got to know the character a lot more once his life was put in jeopardy.

I'm like the three leads on Fringe, for the most part. While Anna Torv's Oliva is the show's primary hero, she's been the hardest character to enjoy. For most of the season, it didn't feel like I actually knew who this person was, outside of her job and affair with Agent Scott. Giving her a live-in sister and niece has helped humanize her while mythology hours like "Ability" and the awesome "Bad Dream" has given Torv a lot of fantastic material to work with. I'm slowly coming around on my opinion of Agent Dunham.

Walter Bishop is probably the most compelling character on the show. John Noble is in danger of being typecast as the go to lunatic (see Denethor the crazy steward of Gondor in Lord of the Rings). Still, Walter has been a wonderful balance of outlandish comedic asides and a man slowly uncovering the horrors his research has unleashed on the world. As he begins to unearth events that he has apparently blocked (or had blocked) from his memories, the more the greater myth expands.

The one character I've been surprised to find really interesting is Peter Bishop, played by Joshua Jackson (who is my vote to play Will Riker, if there's ever a call to reboot Star Trek: The Next Generation). As Walter's son, I'm sure we'll slowly learn about the experimentation that Peter was subjected to as a child. He may not have been in Jacksonville with Olivia and Nick, but something about him has drawn the attention of the Observer. Also, Jackson's character supplies some great humor and is a stand-in for the audience when it comes to questioning the absurdity of the cases faced by Dunham's team. He's the Scully to Olivia's Mulder.

I'm pretty sure that Fringe is set to be renewed for a second season. If the quality continues to improve and the mythology maintains it cohesion and depth, I'm definitely looking forward for another twenty or so episodes. I think that fans of The X-Files should check out Fringe especially if they would like to see how a similar concept can be improved upon.

Kill Your Television Update

The ending of Battlestar Galactica has left me without a weekly excuse to blog about something. I don't plan on reviewing shows episode to episode as I did with the final season of BSG, but I'm going to try to post my thoughts about some of the shows I'm currently watching. Be forewarned about spoilers ahead.

Lost - Season five continues to build on the momentum established by the last season and the new shorter seasons, plus the established end date, seem to suit the show well. This makes the writers fill each hour with little filler, which bogged down some of the first three seasons.

This week's show was a Kate episode that was actually really good. The character was given quite a bit of badly needed development. Hopefully this will continue to happen and we'll get a Kate that is creating her own destiny and not dependent on someone else the entire time.

Sawyer has really developed into a great multi-faceted character. I used to hate the guy and his nicknaming and smart remarks, but the writers have gone a solid job of transforming him into a leader over four and a half years of the show. I certainly hope he sticks with Juliet and doesn't go padding off after Kate, again. This week's show gave me hope.

Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles - Despite how slow the show tends to be, particularly during the first three episodes after the winter hiatus, I'm still really digging it. The resolution of the whole Jesse/Riley arc was handled really well and we finally got to see John behave as if is going to grow up to be the savior of mankind that we've led to believe he's going to be.

I was sad to see the death of favored recurring character last week. I was hoping that his reintroducton would lead to a more frequent appearances, maybe even joining up with the Connor's team, but it doesn't look like that will happen now.

The Weaver/Ellison/John Henry plot took some interesting turns this past week. While Weaver's true agenda continues to be unknown, we now have another rival agency to contend with. I wonder if this will force Weaver and the Connors to have to work together in the near future.

Daybreak (Part II)

Battlestar Galactica - Episode 4.20

The series finale is clearly cut into two distinct halves, both spotlighting the dichotomy that is Battlestar Galactica. The first hour was an edge of the seat, action and special effects extravaganza, while the second was serene and character focused. In the end, this was sort of ending I would expect from Ronald D. Moore and by the completion of the two hour and eleven minute finale, I was emotionally and physically spent.

Before the mission, there are a few moments that set up how the rest of the fleet will operate if Galactica and her crew don't make it back. The notion that Lt. Hoshi and Romo Lampkin were installed as the Admiral of the Fleet and President of the Colonies was hilarious yet made perfect sense. Adama, a battlestar commander aboard a ship that was about to be decommissioned, and Roslin, a low level cabinet member, were thrust into those roles at the beginning of the series, so it makes sense that their replacements would to.

Given that this was the final episode and that the danger and stakes were so high during the Galactica's attack on the Cylon colony, the feeling that anyone could die was potent. Once the old girl jumped only yards away from the front door and Gary Hutzel and his effects team got to work, it was hard to get excited. The work on the space battle scenes have always been topnotch, but this took it to a whole new level. Setting the conflict in a debris field on the edge of a collapsing star gave a different look than the usual star-speckled blackness, and evoked a feeling of our heroes storming the gates of hell. Every time the ship took a hit, I could almost feel it and the explosions and crew being thrown around on the inside helped sell the concussive nature of the battle. Throw in the Raptor strike teams jumping out a pylon, tearing a hole out of it, Vipers dogfighting thousands of Raiders, and red-stripped rebel Centurions punching it up with old school '70s models, and you've got battle that almost rivals the liberation of New Caprica in season two.

Boomer's demise went down as expected. It was fairly obvious over the last couple of episodes that she have a change of heart, betray Cavil, and bring Hera to the Colonials. When she delivered Hera into the arms of her parents, there was nothing left than to have Athena shoot her. Given that in a single episode a few weeks ago Boomer beat her up, tricked her husband into sex, and kidnapped her daughter, she was probably justified in her revenge.

I couldn't help but think that the resolution to the opera house vision was a little anti-climatic. This was a lot of build up to just have the outcome be Caprica Six and Baltar picking up Hera and taking her to CIC to be safe. The moment that the vision of the Final Five came into play was nicely handled, but overall it the outcome fell a bit flat.

What did work was the revelation of Head Six and Head Baltar as guiding forces for Caprica and Gaius. This helped the two wayward lovers reconnect and defined what was going on in their heads, especially Baltar's, all this time. However,the stilted delivery at the end of the episodes by these angels seemed to undercut the impact of the revelation. Still, Gaius Baltar stepped up to the plate and helped end the war by approaching Cavil in an attempt in end the cycle of violence.

The offer of resurrection by Tigh that finally sold Cavil on peace seemed too simple at first. Luckily, Moore found a way to use it to inject one more eruption of chaos. Tyrol finds out Tory's execution of Cally at the most inopportune time and keeping with his quick reactionary self, Galen kills her before the Final Five can complete the transfer of resurrection knowledge to the Cylon colony. I loved that once all hell broke loose (again), Cavil just decides to shoot himself right there. He was finally at his wits end with having to deal with all of this and decided to go out on his own terms.

A resolution that really worked was the payoff for Starbuck's destiny and the revelation of her true nature. I was disappointed when Ron Moore said on the podcast that the missing seventh model, Daniel, was not Kara's father as I and apparently half the watchers of the show felt they were led to believe. Still, her Christ like return and departure was very compelling. Kara Thrace did die when she plunged into that worm hole in season three. However, some greater force decided that she be returned in some fashion to complete her destiny. Her good-bye to Lee was sad and sweet, too.

The last hour dealt with our heroes finally finding a home. Ironically enough that home is Earth. Not the Earth from earlier in the season, but our Earth. Looking back, I don't recall ever seeing any continents from orbit of the first Earth, so this trick really worked for me. The twos, sixes, and eights decide to stay to help humanity settle in, who in turn decide to destroy their ships and technology and start from scratch. Also, we find out that Hera is to become our, the humans on Earth today, evolutionary mother (though the logistics of her spreading her genes is a bit staggering).

This was also the hour that the creators and actors went that extra mile to emotionally wreck their longtime viewers. The first was Kara's good-bye to Sam before he flew the fleet into the sun. Despite her treating him badly over the years, she did really love the man. His love was equally strong and enough to break through his Hybrid nature for him to shed a tear and say that he would see her on the other side.

Another great moment was the flashback of Saul and Ellen at a bar on Caprica. He's about to retire and she thinks she's about to get what she has always wanted: Saul. She has had to share him with his career and Bill Adama for far too long. This goes along way in explaining her behavior. She slept around on him so much because he was never there and part of her wanted to hurt him for that. At the end, Ellen finally gets her Saul all to herself as they march off through Africa to live out the rest of their years together.

The expected death of Laura Roslin was sweet, sad, and sincere. The romance between her and Bill was allowed to slowly develop over the four seasons and was well-earned. While I grew tired of seeing Adama break down so much in the past fifteen episodes, this one was really justified and I couldn't help but feel heartbroken when he put his wedding band on her hand (as telegraphed Laura's vision earlier in the season).

These moments were great and emotional, but the one that strangely got to me the most was Baltar's admission and acceptance of his farm roots and the fact that he had come full circle. James Callis played this moment extremely well and despite all the mistakes and self decisions the character had made over the years, I couldn't help but feel for him here. The character of Baltar seemed to have been directionless for most of the fourth season, but he got plenty of payoff in this finale. Oh, and he survived even though he helped start this mess in the first place.

As I mentioned above, the final scene between Head Caprica and Head Baltar falls sort of flat. Not that the idea was bad, but the execution wasn't up to James Callis or Tricia Helfer's best work. Still, I loved the use of the Jimi Hendrix version of "All Along the Watchtower" over a montage of robotic creations manufactured by the humans of Earth today. This does more to pose the question of whether or not we are doomed to repeat the mistakes of past than the conversation between the two angels.

Looking back at the series as a whole, I think that I got more personal satisfaction watching Battlestar Galactica than any other series on television. Ron Moore did an amazing job using a fantastic setting to make us reflect on real world ideas and situations. He gave us characters that were never without flaws, and rarely were any of them truly evil. It was the gray of human nature that made the show so exciting and engaging. The acting was, more often than not, excellent, particularly Mary McDonald, Edward James Olmos, and Michael Hogan. Tricia Helfer should be commended for being so versatile and so good. This was her first true acting gig. The production and special effects were motion picture worthy and I am still astonished that they were able to do so much with a television budget.

When it comes down to it, Battlestar Galactica was just a really, really good show, sci-fi or otherwise. It very, very rarely felt like a waste of an hour (I'm looking at you "Black Market"). It made me think and it thrilled me. It went out on its own terms and I'm very satisfied as a viewer who took a chance on the mini-series.

9 out of 10

Daybreak (Part I)

Battlestar Galactica - Episode 4.19

Here we are, the beginning of the end. As I suspected, and I'm sure others did as well, the last three hours will be delivered to us by the writer and director of the mini-series and the first episode of the series: creator Ronald D. Moore and Michael Rymer. These two have had the biggest impact on the show as a whole (my number three pick would be Gary Hutzel for those amazing big screen visual effects on a television budget). Moore ran the writers room for the entire project and was an executive producer. Rymer's docu-style direction has been the standard for everyone else that pointed a camera on the series. This is a perfect set up to bookend the series.

Another interesting move is another series of flashbacks. These take place at least a few years before the Cylon attack and are great reminder of how ordinary these characters were before fate trust them into the roles that they now inhabit. We get to see Adama on the verge of being put out to pasture by the military brass. We see Roslin dealing the tragic death of her sisters and father. We witness the first meeting of Starbuck and Apollo. Anders gives an interesting locker room interview that is an neat clue to his true nature. Finally, we get to see Baltar's frustration and shame when dealing with his elderly father, as well as the development of his relationship with Caprica Six.

Back in the present, Adama finally comes to the conclusion that Hera needs to be rescued. Whether this is because he believes, as the Final Five do, that she is the last best hope for the future of Cylon and potentially human civilization or that he just wants Galactica to go out in a blaze of glory is a little unclear. Maybe it's both. He asks for volunteers and it looks like the bulk of the cast is shipping out with him.

It's hard to really dig into this episode any further. This is the big set up for the final two hours. Still it's really, really well done, which is what I would expect from the team up of Moore and Rymer.

9 out of 10

Islanded in a Stream of Stars

Battlestar Galactica - Episode 4.18

It's really a shame that BSG doesn't have another half a season to explore the merging of the Colonials and the rebel Cylons into one society. I think some of the best beats for this episode were about new unholy union of these two peoples. At the beginning a Six and one of the a human crewman get into a argument about the repair work going on in their section of Galactica. An eight breaks it up and they go back to their duties. Later, when a hole tears open that same section and starts sucking people out into the vacuum, that same Six sacrifices herself and saves the life of the man she was fighting with earlier. Sure, we've seen this kind of material films about sea-faring, but it here it has the implications of a civilization on the build.

We also learn that part of the agreement that allowed the Cylons a seat on the new "Council of Captains" is that Adama would be able to transfer his flag over to the baseship and continue to have complete control of the military from there. This is a huge concession on the part of the rebels and, more than anything thus far, displays their desire to be vital and co-operative part of the fleet.

Of course this doesn't go over too well with the other ship captains. They've already started claiming pieces of the Galactica since it's obvious that the ol' girl is on her last leg. When Lee tells them that nothing is coming off the Galactic while she's still operational, one of the captains asked what does Gaius Baltar think of this. Jamie Bamber's reaction and delivery of "Gaius Baltar?!" is simple perfect. It's a mixture of shock and confusion and a little bit of pissed off.

Speaking of the Baltar, the character seems a bit rudderless as of late. What is his purpose? I think it would have been more interesting if he used his cult to make him more of a player in the political spectrum given all the changes that have been occurring politically in the fleet. Instead, we get him "outing" dead Kara as an angel and more philosophical ramblings.

Starbuck's reaction to Baltar's betrayal of her confidence was another nice moment. Instead of hauling off and decking the man in front of everyone, she simply slaps him. This is shows us that his wounding of her runs really deep. She went to him for help and he makes his findings public. She is simultaneously scared, angry, and saddened. At the same time, this offers Kara a sort of closure. The old Kara is dead and she must live as the new Kara.

Part of Kara's closure has to come from her having to accept what Sam has become, both his reveal as a Cylon and his current Hybrid-like state. Looking back, the writers were giving us clues to Sam's current condition since he was shot. His head was shaved for his brain surgery, so now he's bald like the Hybrids. He was babbling with too much information like the Hybrids, when he was trying to explain the origin of the Final Five before his operation, too. With the ship dying, it'll interesting to see what becomes of Sam. I have a feeling he'll be very important in the endgame against Cavil's forces.

The biggest blunder of the hour was yet another Adama breakdown in the bathroom. This is either the second or third this season. We shouldn't forget about prior meltdowns. Remember the model ship? What makes this even more silly is that Olmos directed this episode, so it comes off as overly indulgent.

So now we only have two episodes (three hours) left of the best science fiction show to ever grace the television screen. It looks like the ol' girl will go out with a bang, given the clues laid by the end of this episode and the previews for the next. I just hope that after the big fight with Cavil and rescue of Hera that we get at least twenty minutes of epilogue. Like Kara Thrace, I will be in need of some closure.

7 out of 10

With or Without You

I noticed something about my viewing habit during last night's episode of Heroes. During the commercials I would run into the other room and check on CDs that I was ripping down to put on my iPod (I'm still in the process of throwing all my music on my lovely new 80 GB model). The funny thing is that the show would come back from commercial and I wouldn't be in a hurry to get back to the living room to watch it. If this was Battlestar Galactica or Lost, I would probably still be in my seat, most likely due to the mind-frak that occurred before the break and my inability to move as a result.

Heroes used to be a really entertaining and unique show. Now it's become just silly. Granted the concept is outlandish, but so are BSG and Lost. It comes down to the writing and to some extent the acting. Bad acting can kill a show, no matter how well it is written (I'm looking at you Babylon 5). Still, the words on the page have to deliver, both in plot and dialogue.

Take Farscape for example; this was visually one of the most outrageously goofy looking shows on television. Half the cast was in heavy alien makeup or were puppets, but if the show didn't have me on the floor laughing, in a good way, it had me sobbing due to the emotional turmoil the characters had to endure week to week. Of course the beauty of the show was that the main character was a guy from Earth thrown in the middle of it all who acted as our lens to this incredible universe.

In other words, what makes shows like BSG, Lost, and Farscape work is that there's a heavy emphasis on realistic reactions to outlandish situations. The characters on Heroes react, but usually the reactions are knee-jerk and for plot movement only. At least the show has narrowed the focus for the last half of the season. One of the biggest faults of the first half of season three was that the show was spread to thinly over way too many plots, many of which were just there to give some cast members something to do.

On the other end of the spectrum, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles may be suffering from too much character focus as of late. Granted, Sarah is the title character and she was in danger of becoming overshadowed by the rest of the cast. Unfortunately, the writers have spent four consecutive episodes diving deep into her fragile state of mind. While most of it is compelling, this show also has the word Terminator in the title, and people, including myself, want to see big robot shoot 'em ups, motorcycle chases in dried up canals, and explosions in factories that are empty of personnel yet still operating. Still, it's a ton more interesting and entertaining than Heroes has been as for the past two seasons.

I'm going to stick with Heroes for the rest of the season though. I rarely dump a show in mid-stream (the last season of the Dead Zone was such crap, I couldn't stand it anymore and jumped ship). Also, Bryan Fuller (DS9, Voyager, Wonderfalls, Dead Like Me, Pushing Daisies) has been tapped to come on board for the last quarter of the season and hopefully fix it. He wrote the show's best episode, the excellent "Company Man" from the first season, so there's some hope.

Now if they can get some better actors. I'd keep the guys that play Noah, Nathan, and Ando, but I say they should kick the rest to the curb.

Someone to Watch Over Me

Battlestar Galactica - Episode 4.17

This week's episode could be seen as the anti-thesis of last week's show. While "Deadlock" dealt with the fallout of Ellen Tigh's return and the what was revealed about the origin of the Cylons, "Someone to Watch Over Me" was an hour that acted as a major set up for the final push of episodes towards the series finale.

Since Tyrol and Boomer's relationship was introduced during the original mini-series, having them reunited is an interesting way to bookend the series. Both characters have undergone various transformations over four seasons. Sadly, the chief gets played with horrifying consequences.

Boomer may still have feelings for Galen, but she hates Athena and the life she has been able to live on Galactica. After Boomer's assassination attempt on Adama and murder by Cally, Athena was able to come in and take over her roll as a valued Raptor pilot and an officer. Also, Athena was able to find love and have a child. This episode we see Boomer maliciously try to take it all from her.

First Boomer beats Athena and ties her up, yet she doesn't kill her. It's as if she wants Athena to live with what being taken from.her. Even more sinister is Boomer's duping of Helo and having sex with him will a gagged and bloody Athena is powerless to do anything but watch. The hits keep on coming when Boomer's true objective, the kidnapping of Hera for Cavil, is finally revealed.

Hera's importance has always been that she is the first offspring of Cylon/Human procreation. This may not be the case, if what is hinted about Starbuck is true.

Kara spends most of the episode talking about her musician father, who abandoned her and her mother when she was a little girl, with a piano player in Joe's Bar. It becomes fairly obvious that Slick is some sort of ghost or memory loop or something otherworldly that only Kara can see. The big payoff is Kara's playing of notes given to her by Hera that end up being a song she would play with her father: "All Along the Watchtower". Conveniently, a few of the Final Five are in the bar when she starts banging it out and they react immediately.

This all but confirms that Starbuck is half Cylon and her father is the missing Seven whose model line was destoyed by Cavil. Could Kara Thrace being the harbinger of death really mean the death of the humans and Cylons living separately? Could this mean by being the first child of a Cylon and human, she is an indicator of what is to come and that the only hope for everybody is the melding of the two races into one society?

While this episode went a long way at cluing us in on Kara's true nature, the question of how Starbuck got to Earth and the nature of her apparent death and resurrection remain unanswered. To tell you the truth, I wonder if those questions will ever be answered. The speculation is fascinating, though.

9 out of 10

Deadlock

Battlestar Galactica - Episode 4.16

This week's episode deals with the repercussions of what was learned about the origin of the Cylons and the return of Ellen Tigh to the fleet. More than anything, this hour was a perfect example of how Ellen is still the selfish wife of the colonel we know and love, despite having her past memories restored. The comforting thing about this is that if and when the other four have their memories unlocked, that they won't be completely different people.

My favorite character moment of "Deadlock" occured when the Cylons take a vote whether or not to leave the fleet and strike out on their own. Ellen storms out after Saul, who voted stay, before casting her own. Tory wants to leave, but the really interesting part happens when Tyrol makes his choice. He votes to leave, too, but he says that Sam, still in a coma, would vote to stay. This says a lot about Galen Tyrol, who, despite his various flaws, is an honest and sincere person.

The tragedy involving the loss of Caprica Six and Saul's baby almost works but overall it doesn't have the emotional impact it should. The problem with this is that we never got to see these two grow close as a couple. As a result, Saul's declarations of love to Caprica while the baby's future is up in the air doesn't really ring completely true. On the flipside, Saul's grief in Adama's quarters is played perfectly by Michael Hogan and Edward James Olmos allows Bill to share it with his best friend. It seems as if these two have grown even closer after Saul was revealed to be one of the Final Five.

I'm not too sure what to make of Baltar's flock at the moment. Adama giving them guns so that they can protect themselves against the Sons of Ares may indicate the development of self-government on a local level. With the Quorum dissolved and a new system coming into place where the captains govern their own ships and represent their people under the president, the you could almost see Galactica as its own providence. It's a big ship with a lot of people, so it would make sense that different communities would develop with in her. Baltar's "town" represents a devil Adama and Roslin know and have dealt with and whom have demonstrated a level of charity and a call for unity.

The last thing worth mentioning is growing evidence that the fleet, at least on the Galactica level, is becoming a mixture of human and Cylon. This episode is full of these indicators. Saul sums it up the best when he justifies sticking with the fleet by saying that humans alone and Cylons alone has only ended badly and maybe it's time to change that. While shots of Adama constantly overseeing the repairs to Galactica by the mixed workforce got tedious, they were there to reinforce the changing state of the ship. The final scene where Roslin and Adama witness a Six at the memorial wall and the various pictures of fallen Cylons drives the point home that the humans aren't the only ones adapting. The former enemy has also begun to assimilate to the new culture of the fleet.

7 out of 10

No Exit

Battlestar Galactica - Episode 4.15

"No Exit" provides more background information about the origins of the Cylons and the Final Five than any episode to date. The exceptional thing is that this done without weighing down the hour in boring exposition. The creators should be applauded for not only making this episode extremely entertaining and one of the best of the season (if not the series).

This all unfolds in two different manners. First we witness Ellen Tigh's resurrection on a Cylon Baseship controlled by Cavil. This is the true Ellen, a mixture of the hard drinking, promiscuous wife of the Galactica's XO and an apparently highly intelligent woman that was partially responsible for the resurrection technology used to save the Final Five during the destruction of Earth. Kate Vernon walks the line perfectly. This is same woman we saw during the first three seasons of the series, but there's a new since of wisdom added to her texture.

We learn a lot about how the Final Five created the skin job Cylons, starting with Cavil, whom Ellen calls by his given name, John. Dean Stockwell plays Cavil as a bitter, thankless son, that wants more than the life he was given. He feels limited by the way Ellen and the others created him. Adding a creepy subtext is the fact that he knew who she really was when she was sleeping with him on New Caprica in order to get Saul released.

Also revealed is the fact that there was another model that we've never seen: the seven named Daniel. This was a smart way of explaining why we've only seen seven human models other than the Final Five, but the Sharons were the eights. The tragic story of Daniel further illustrates John's anger and jealousy when we find out that he boxed the original and spoiled the genetic code for the rest of the line.

The second manner in which the Cylon history is unveiled is through the ramblings of Sam Anders, who was shot in the head last episode. The brain injury has given him partial access to his blocked memories. Complicating things is that he has a limited time to get out all he can remember to Saul, Galen, and Tory before having to submit to life saving surgery, as well as a great deal of aphasia muddying up his delivery. The brilliance of this is that it allows the writers to only unload a limited amount of story and adds a sense of urgency that Sam may not be able to get everything out that he wants.

While this going on, Starbuck is continually by Sam's bed. Her reasoning is twofold: she still loves Sam and wants him to live, but she is also hoping to find out more information about herself and her own resurrection. Unfortunately, those two things don't necessarily go hand in hand.

Also, perculating in the background is Adama and Tyrol butting heads as to how to save Galactica. She's falling apart. Her damage is almost like a cancer and in a way reflects what's happening to the admiral's other love, Laura Roslin. Tyrol has a Cylon solution, but Adama is resistant. He doesn't seem to have a problem staffing the ship with a few Cylons in key positions, but he's only willing to go so far. It isn't until he witnesses the extent of the damage in his own quarters does it all literally hit home with Bill and he decides to let Galen do what he has to to save the ship.

"No Exit" was a extremely fine hour of BSG. With the amount of information delivered, it could have been pretty boring, but the writers were able to present it in an extremely entertaining fashion. There is a real feeling that the show is wrapping up soon and the mysteries are all coming into the light.

9 out of 10

Blood on the Scales

Battlestar Galactica - Episode 4.14

While "Blood on the Scales" has its share of action, it's the character moments that really sell this episode. Also, with the deaths of a few important recurring characters, the feeling that this show is nearing an endpoint and that no one is safe continue to prevail.

The last time we saw Captain Kelly, he was thrown in the brig for assassinating members of Baltar's legal defense team. This time around, he has to battle conflicting emotions of liberating Galactica from the possibility of Cylon control and his emotional ties to the people he is fighting. It comes to a head when he has Tyrol dead to rights, but lets him go. Yes, Galen is a Cylon, but he's also a guy Kelly worked closely with for years. When he is confronted by Apollo, Athena, and Tigh, Kelly completely commits to switching back over to Adama's side.

Tom Zarak comes across a little too heavy-handed, however. When he realizes that the Quorum might not back him up, he has them all executed. This may have been necessary if Gaeta decided to end the coup after he saw the bodies, but he doesn't. If anything, Zarak's actions help solidify who the good guys and bad guys are for the audience. I prefer my BSG to be a little less black and white.

The best moment in the show comes when Gaeta is sitting in a room with Baltar, having a drink and a smoke while reflecting on things past after Adama has taken back the ship. Gaeta talks about his youthful ambitions and his intellectual background while Baltar sits there on the verge of tears the entire time. It isn't until the next scene that we become fully aware of the true gravity of the situation: this is Felix's last meal.

Considering the death toll and the damage caused by the coup, it's not unreasonable that Adama and Roslin would have Zarak and Gaeta executed. At the same time, this adds symmetry to Zarak's execution of the Quorum and Gaeta's ordering Adama's death by firing squad. Felix's character journey has been interesting to watch over four seasons and it demonstrates how inherently good people can be changed by extreme circumstances.

Other things I liked:
- After watching Tyrol crawl around the guts of the ship for an hour, we get a great payoff. He was making his way to the FTL drive the entire time to take it off-line, and just in time. Nice visuals for the machinery involved, too.

- Romo Lampkin's conflicted expression when he finally decides to help Starbuck with a severely wounded Sam, after stabbing the guard with a pen. This is the second time this has happened. Someone needs to stash all writing tools in the armory.

- Roslin's anger and conviction when she is told that Adama is dead (which was a lie). I think the Cylons were a bit scared of her, too.

8 out of 10

The Oath

Battlestar Galactica - Episode 4.13

If the last two episodes were about the emotional impact of finding an Earth in ruin and the planting of seeds for things to come, "The Oath" is the action packed fallout. It may be easy to feel a little out of sorts due to the dramatic tone switch, since the previous hours were so character heavy. Still, I think this episode had a lot to offer and gave us a sense that things will never be the same. Then again, doesn't almost every other episode of BSG do that?

Here's some lessons learned from watching "The Oath":

1. Always keep an eye on the guy who's in charge of ship-wide operations like co-ordinating damage control and communications. Gaeta was in the perfect position to keep the deception up while at CIC. Given the fact that he's been at that job for years and has always been loyal, no one suspected anything suspicious was going on until it was too late.

2. Always keep an eye on the guy who's in charge of keeping the ship running. Tyrol's knowledge of the ship was a game changer for the Adama/Roslin camp. It was was good to see that he is still loyal to the old man even after the revelation that the chief is a Cylon.

3. Hell hath no furry like a Vice President scorned. Unlike Gaeta, Zarak knows that once you commit to an act of rebellion or terrorism, you go all the way. Unfortunately, the lesson was also learned by a deck chief on the business end of a wrench.

4. Do not frak with Starbuck. The woman will kill you dead. It was sooooooo good to get the Kara Thrace we all know and love back. She was shooting people in the head and throwing her tongue down Lee's throat... just like old times.

5. Do not underestimate two old guys that have been working together for decades. Watching Adama and Tigh, take out their captors was classic. They got to go out in a blaze of glory at the end of the hour, Wildbunch style, too. Hopefully, the guys make it through cliffhanger shoot 'em up.

6. Once everyone finds out that you're related to the folks that committed genocide, moving out of the neighborhood for a while might be a viable option. It was sad to see Sam get duped by Seelix, given that they had a brief relationship. Also, things aren't looking too hot for Caprica Six, Hera, Athena, and Helo. To make matters worse, one of the Pegasus "Yee-Haw" Boys wants to get back at Helo for Thorne's death, by taking it out on Sharon. This will probably end with Helo throwing another person's head against and exposed bolt.

7. People can come together when they realized that they're just as screwed up as the next person. It was great to see Roslin and Baltar come to an understanding and look for ways to end the mutiny. Baltar's cult has been nicely set up as a fourth faction (if you count Adama/Roslin's group, Zarak/Gaeta group, and the Cylons as the others). Baltar's plea to Gaeta was handled really well, too. It was a solid mixture of fear and a genuine concern for the ending of violence.

The previews lead me to believe that things are going to go from bad to really bad. Roslin is back in a take charge role and she's going to be on the one ship that can give the Galactica a challenge, the rebel Cylon baseship. We've already seen images of Adama standing in an airlock from the previews before the second half of season four began, but I don't think they'll do in the old guy just yet. If anyone is taking an unprotected joyride into the final frontier, it'll be Felix or Zarak. Bodies are going to hit the floor (or the vacuum); it's just a question of whose.

7 out of 10

A Disquiet Follows My Soul

Battlestar Galactica - Episode 4.12

After an emotionally wrenching episode last Friday, this week's offering is more subtle in tone while moving pieces in to place for some volatile payoff down the road. It is also worth noting that this is show creator and head writer Ronald D. Moore's first turn at directing. He does a decent job and doesn't fall into the trap of trying to be too avant garde like many first time directors.

It's good to have Edward James Olmos playing a cooler Adama this time around. He chewed up so much scenery over the last two or three episodes, that I feared that there wouldn't be any set left to act on. While it was heavy handed, the man still was amazing to watch in those performances. Still, Olmos is one of those actors that can convey so much more without saying a word than when he speaks and "A Disquiet Follows My Soul" plays to those strengths.

The repetition of the admiral's daily routine helps to reinforce that the man is trying to pull himself together after all the bombshells that were dropped on the fleet as of late, as well as a demonstration of a man trying to lead by example. Earth sucked, but life must go on, even if it means keeping the deck clear of discarded pieces of paper. He's not prepared to give up just yet.

Laura Roslin is different matter, though. She's caring the burden of guilt over leading humanity to what appears to be a dead end. Also, she's coming to grips that all the medication she's taking won't cure her cancer, so she would rather spend what little time she has left doing things that make her happy, like exercising or being with Bill. Her scene with Bill in the corridors of the Galactica, after he catches her running, was very real. He doesn't want her to overexert herself, yet he let's her win this argument, because he loves her so much and wants her to have some semblance of happiness before the end.

The funny thing is, Laura thinks that Bill needs a break from everything, too. This is probably a combination of her concern that now he is piling full responsibility for the fleet on his own shoulders now that she has checked out and her desire to spend time with the man she loves. This relationship continues to feel mature and real and is one of the best romances I've ever seen depicted on television.

The revelation about Tyrol's son made sense. The writers needed resolve a potential conflict in the series' mythology due to the reveal that the chief is a Cylon. Hera has been hailed as some sort of figure of divinity due to being half human and half Cylon, but little Nicky has hardly been mentioned. Moore and company went with an Occam's Razor solution and Tyrol isn't really the kid's father. It will be interesting if Galen continues to act as Nicky's dad now that Hot Dog has been revealed as his real father. Maybe they'll pull double duty, which their scene in sickbay seems to indicate.

Tyrol has some great moments during the briefing with Adama, Lee, Tigh, Gaeta, and Helo. He keeps having identity issues when referring to the Cylons. He stumbles over "them" and "we". The biggest impact of this scene is that the rebel Cylons want to join the fleet with full membership plus a seat at Quorum. In return, they will refit FTL drives of all the colonial ships with Cylon technology. This will triple their jump range, allowing the fleet to find a new home much faster.

The scene between Starbuck and Gaeta was extremely intense. He's got a lot reasons to hold a grudge against her. Keeping with her character and the fact that she's still reeling from having to dispose of her own corpse, she doesn't take any of his crap. Between the "Face of the Enemy" webisodes and these last two hours, Felix is without a doubt being set up to facilitate a civil war within the fleet. His partnering up with Tom Zarak seals his fate. This is not going to end well for the one-legged officer.

Once again, Battlestar Galactic gives us another hour of sophisticated television that we can mull over for a week until the next episode. With only eight more shows to go, there continues to be a feeling that anything can happen and anyone is expendable. With Earth now out of the equation, there's no telling how this series will wrap up.

8 out of 10

Sometimes a Great Notion

Battlestar Galactica - Episode 4.11

If I have one complaint about the first episode of the second half of the fourth season of Battlestar Galactica (that's a mouthful), is that the "Previously..." section let us know up front that something was going down with Dee. Not that I saw her suicide coming, but up to that point I was wondering if she was going to be revealed as the Fifth or if she was going to die. Still, the event was both sad and shocking.

Dee's death and despair gives us a tangible example of how the entire fleet is affected by the fact that Earth, the so called Promise Land, is a wasteland. The tracking shot of Bill Adama walking through Galactica's corridors further displays the hopelessness. People have their heads hung silence or they're crying. At one point, the admiral walks past a fist fight on his way to get Saul Tigh to shoot him. Bill can't do it himself, but his drunken plan falls apart when his XO sees right through it.

Kara's life gets flipped on its head after finding the wreckage of her Viper as well as what appears to be her own burnt up body. This causes her to further question her identity and her purpose. The situation is such a mindbender that even Leoben, who is always confident about fate and destiny, is afraid about the uncertainty of the situation. Both actors play this scene perfectly and the fear and doubt is etched all over their faces.

Another shocker is the reveal that the people on Earth, the thirteenth colony, are all genetically Cylon. What does this all mean? Did the Earth Cylons create the humans that went to the stars and became the Twelve Colonies? Is there an endless cycle of creators being destroyed by the created over and over again? This has all happened before...

Coinciding with this, the four revealed members of the Final Five begin to have flashbacks of their lives on Earth, before the nuclear annihilation. This all comes to a head when Saul has his own flashback and sees his wife Ellen who tells him not to worry and that everything is in place.

Is Ellen Tigh the final cylon? I think that there is a possibility that she is a version of the Six model. There are some behavioral similarities and Saul has developed a connection with Caprica Six. Also, he had flashbacks of Ellen during one of his interrogations of Six.

This is a really bleak kick off to the final run of episodes, but still Battlestar Galactica maintains its usual level of excellence.

8 out of 10

Plans of a Future War Was All I Saw on Channel Four

Last week, I mentioned some of the genre show I was watching during this new fall season. This week's Sarah Conner was pretty good and went down some interesting roads, particularly in the development of Cameron. Last night's Heroes left me a little wanting for more. The thrill and spark of the first season has all but extinguished. As lackluster as the shortened second season was, it was able to ride on a little of the first season's momentum. I really think that the creators need to narrow the focus a little and concentrate on some major character development and emotion rather some of these convoluted plot threads. Complex is good if written well and is acted well (see Battlestar Galactica). Let's hope that tonight's Fringe keeps me engaged, but last night I was beginning to feel that the current/new "Golden Age of Television" was on the wane.

One new show I'm really enjoying it HBO's True Blood. It's Alan Ball's (Six Feet Under) show about vampires that are "out" and their impact on the world, specifically a small town in Louisiana. Anna Paquin plays a young human woman named Sookie that happens to be telepathic. She becomes intrigued by a vampire that moves into town named Bill, mainly because she can't read his thoughts. There's a great oddball cast of characters. Sookie's best friend Tara is unable to self-censor, but she cares about Sookie. Sookie's brother is a bit of a screw-up horndog who keeps ending up at the wrong place at the wrong time. Speaking of dog like behavior, Sookie's boss Sam has been displaying some strange canine-esque mannerisms. The show is funny, odd, full of mystery, and worth checking out.

Thursday saw the return of The Office. I actually think this show works just as well in a one hour format as it does in a half hour. I really didn't start watching this show that closely until the end of the third season. I've quickly fallen in love with it. It and 30 Rock (when it returns) are the best comedies on television at the moment.

Survivor also came back last Thursday. Sure, it's the poster child for all that went wrong with the reality television boom at the beginning of the decade, but it's a guilty pleasure. I like the strategies and the dealing and the backstabbing. It can be pretty unpredictable during the last half of the season when it becomes every person for themselves. Makes me wonder what I would do if tossed onto that show.

Signal To Noise

It appears that the Fall 2008 television season is in full swing as of this week. Some shows have premiered or kicked off their seasons over the last two weeks, but this week sees the return of some of the bigger series like The Office, My Name is Earl, Survivor, and Heroes. Though I am still mourning the loss of Journeyman, this season hasn't been short on sci-fi or high-concept offerings.

Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles is big dumb fun. I really shouldn't use the word 'dumb', since it is engaging and has some good character moments. It's probably the most consistently action-packed series I've watched in a long time. The season opener was a non-stop chase scene which was probably a smart move to lure in new or casual viewers. This could run the risk of becoming repetitive, but the creators continue to find interesting ways to endanger the Connors and their cohorts. Also, there are a few neat little plot threads that poke out between explosions.

The acting is fairly decent overall. It pains me to admit it, but Brian Austin Green is pretty good as Derek Reece. Hopefully, he won't use the success of this show to make another go at a rap career. Summer Glau, who perfected the vacant stare on Firefly, does a decent job convincing me that she's a killing machine inside of the body of a thin, young woman. While Shirley Manson isn't the greatest actress in the world, she gets to play a pretty cool character that is poised to have long term consequences for our heroes. Last night's episode saw the very expected exit of a semi-recurring character which will hopefully convince John Connor that he cannot have a normal teenage life and that there are consequences if he even attempts it.

Heroes kicked off its third season with two back-to-back episodes last night. It appears that the show is off to a better start than the last season. From comments about season two by the creators, I'm hoping that they've learned from the mistakes made last year and the show will return to its first season glory. There is a dizzying amount of plot threads and mysteries established in these two hours. The real trick will be in keeping the series from collapsing from under the weight of them. For the most part, I'm genuinely interested in most of them, which isn't something I could say about the second season.

So far, I really like the more active role of Mama Petrelli. She's a pretty compelling character in how she has to balance the bigger picture which conflicts with her maternal feelings. Though, those feelings could all be a sham given the reveal at the end of the second episode. Still, she's less hand-wringing than Linderman or EVIL like Sylar. I thought the new speedster was fun and cute. I'm glad there wasn't any sign of Micah and that Molly, though sloppily handled, was written out of the show. I'm looking forward what the future may hold for Hiro's buddy, Ando, too. I also want to know what the deal is with Nikki/Jessica/...Tracy?

Fringe is the new X-Files. So far the show has been fun to watch and has had some crazy, gross-out moments. The three principle characters seem to be a hodge-podge of Mulder and Scully's personalities. Olivia is out to find the truth like Mulder, but more by-the-book like Scully. Peter is cynical like Scully (times 11), but is sarcastic and gifted, similar to Mulder. Walter fills Scully's medical/scientist shoes, though a bit madder. While Mulder could be a bit unstable, Walter is full-blown crazy. Hopefully, he won't pull a Denethor and try to set himself and Peter on fire.

At the moment, Fringe seems more concerned with high-concept more than character development. Not that there isn't any, but I'd like to see more once the show settles into a groove in about two or so episodes. Also, it could benefit by widening the focus of the character base. With only three main characters and only a few peripherals, plus a slowly revealing background mythology, Fringe could run into some the problems that The X-Files had. However, I remain cautiously optimistic.