Sunday, May 4, 2008

Battlestar Galactica - Review of "The Road Less Traveled"


From the opening scene with Captain Kara "Starbuck" Thrace and Captain Karl "Helo" Agathon, it is clear that life on the Demetrius is tense. Kara has a hunch to try an already scanned part of space, Helo is skeptical. She decides to fly with the CAP to search it, and finds a crippled cylon bayship with the cylon Leoben on board.

The once cylon hating Kara is now focused on finding Earth, and if taking up with the cylons can make that happen, so be it. Leoben offers a truce between humans and cylons; Kara bring him aboard to her quarters. When Sam returns from his mission, he is quickly informed that Kara and Leoben are together in her quarters. Sam busts in to find Kara and Leoben painting, but he is holder her a bit more intimately than Sam can tolerate, so he bashes leoben. Helo rushes in and order the Marine guards to contain the cylon, and take him to the brig. It's hard to keep track of who's in charge on that ship, the two captains seem to be locked in a power struggle. Kara is determined to find Earth; Helo believes she is dead wrong and just wants to get back to the fleet. You factor in the other junior officers like Lt. Gaeta, there's definitely trouble brewing.

Meanwhile back on Galactica, Galen and Tory converse on how Cally died. Galen's not buying the suicide story, and vows to get to the truth. (And we know that Tory killed Cally).

Galen also confronts Colonel Tigh about his frequent visits to the Six. They revisit their conversation they had when they discovered they were cylons, that they are still the people they were born as, and will be that person until the day they die.

Galen and Baltar have a rather public fight. Galen is conducting maintenance outside one of Baltar's meetings. He peaks his head in, as he goes to leave he is called out by Baltar. Baltar offers an olive branch by asking Galen to take his hand, to reflect and somehow make Cally's death easier to deal with. Galen attacks Baltar,
but is quickly subdued by his guards.

There is an increase in the number of references to the "gods" and the God. Galen's fight with Baltar is preceded with the accusation that God doesn't exist. Galen is an outspoken non-believer, although he comes from a religious family (from the episode "The Eye Of Jupiter").

After the conversation with Tigh, and the fight with Baltar, Galen realizes he's changing. His life, the person he was and had been his entire life is changing, and fading away. Baltar makes a bold move by going to Galen's quarters and confronting him. He is honest and straight forward. Galen, who did not say a word the whole time, reaches out his hand as Baltar turns to leave his quarters. Is it possible that Baltar suspects he is a cylon?

Back on the Demetrius, a crew member is killed while investigating the bayship. Probably a self destruct mechanism set off before Leoben left the ship. Kara goes to the brig and beats on Leoben, swearing he set them up. Leoben manages to convince Kara that it was not and that she needs to concentrate on finding Earth.

Kara returns to the CIC to give a condolence speech about the fallen crew member. She admits it's her fault. She says there is nothing that will make it easier to deal with, nothing to grab onto to make the pain go away. She renounces any faith she has or had, and proclaims that in this war deaths have no meaning, they're all accidents. Then she proceeds to tell the crew they are not rejoining the fleet, but continuing to look for Earth. The crew is divided to say the least. She goes back to her quarters.

When she returns from her quarters, Helo informs her the FTL drive is "spooled" and ready to jump. But Helo prods Kara to reconsider her actions one more time, but she actively ignores him. When Helo is ordered to commence jump, he refuses. Kara tries to relive him of his post, but the crew has drawn sides and preparing to stage a mutiny. Kara is relieved instead.

From next week's previews it looks like a fight breaks out in the CIC. My guess is Leoben is loose on the ship and waiting to come to her aid. The other scenario I see is Helo taking over the ship, but something else happens, maybe another cylon ship appears. Something will keep them from jumping back to the fleet. Maybe the fleet will jump to them. The preview also indicates President Roslin having to decide on whether to form an alliance with the cylons.We won't know until next week...


Regards
John Crawford

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2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Another good episode. I would never trust Leoben though, not after what he's done in the past!

Anonymous said...

Hi, i´m puzzled as to what is this urge to go meet the cylons base ship, not shure, did Leoben implies that if kara helps him and the cylons they will help her find her "path" (way to earth)?????? not shure if I got that idea clearly, could you confirm this please

thanks.. pardon my french, not my first lenguage ;)