Battlestar Galactica 3.3: "Exodus: Part I"
Written by Bradley Thompson and David Weddle
Directed by Felix Enriquez Alcala
After a powerful two-episode premiere, the writers jump right into another two-part tale, ramping up the tension for the inevitable rescue attempt on New Caprica. Because of the pacing requirements, the episode is largely transitional in nature. Such episodes are necessary, but they are rarely the most exciting installments of a serialized story. As a result, this is probably the least impressive episode of the season thus far.
That’s not to say that the episode misses the mark. It does exactly what it needs to do. The pieces are in place for the rescue attempt, with Adama and the insurgency working together towards a common goal. The Cylons are on the verge of a violent reprisal, but their own concerns and agendas continue to get in their way. D’Anna, in particular, is distracted by a revelation that will, most likely, complicate the rescue attempt in the next episode.
That aspect of the episode fascinated me, because it has a great deal of potential. Cylons have looked down on the pantheon and mysticism of the Colonials since the very beginning of the series, but now D’Anna is having visions, telling her to meet with a Colonial priestess. If D’Anna’s dream was in fact prophetic, then it would imply some kind of connection between Human and Cylon, an overlapping of their unconscious awareness. The implication is fairly obvious: the divisions between Human and Cylon may be more artificial than natural.
The series introduced the idea of this overlapping when they introduced the humaniform Cylons. While there are aspects to Cylon mechanisms, like relatively simple resurrection, that seem completely alien and inhuman, the distinctiveness of personality and the apparent similarity of biology (close enough to mate, in at least one case) are hints of commonality. Even if the 12 biological Cylon models are copies, their personalities appear to evolve from that common origin. Taking Caprica-Six and Sharon as examples, there is a clear nature vs. nurture exploration at work.
This is also reflected in Roslin’s comments about Hera. Once on the fence about the existence of the hybrid at all, Roslin is now fiercely protecting the child, possibly above all else. She has proclaimed Hera as the “shape of things to come”, whether for good or evil. From my perspective, this suggests that how the child is raised will speak strongly to any hope of peace with the Cylons. It also suggests that a reconciliation of some kind is the possible resolution to the conflict, since Hera is the melding of the two species.
The situation on New Caprica, of course, makes such a future almost impossible. If the surviving Colonials were ready to forget about the genocide of the 12 colonies, then the New Caprica oppression has certainly opened and festered old wounds. Sharon’s defection to the Colonials becomes that much more important, and that’s why D’Anna’s revelation about Hera is so damning. Sharon trusts Adama, but now she has some suspicion that she was betrayed. If that doesn’t play into the conclusion of this two-part story, that will be disappointing.
In counterbalance to the philosophical questions, which were a clear highlight, there were some odd mistakes. Callie’s escape in this episode doesn’t match what happened at the end of “Precipice” at all. Neither does the Cylon attack on the meeting between Sharon and Anders. It feels like the kind of mistake that comes when one writer hands off to the next, long before the scripts are shot and the directors shift details. Still, despite understanding the possible cause of each continuity error, it takes away from the illusion of a seamless production.
(As a sidenote: I also have a podcast associated with my various reviews called “Dispatches from Tuzenor”. Current episodes cover “Battlestar: Galactica”, so it might be something of interest. Go to http://entil2001.libsyn.com if you want to listen!)
Writing: 2/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 1/4
Final Rating: 7/10
Directed by Felix Enriquez Alcala
After a powerful two-episode premiere, the writers jump right into another two-part tale, ramping up the tension for the inevitable rescue attempt on New Caprica. Because of the pacing requirements, the episode is largely transitional in nature. Such episodes are necessary, but they are rarely the most exciting installments of a serialized story. As a result, this is probably the least impressive episode of the season thus far.
That’s not to say that the episode misses the mark. It does exactly what it needs to do. The pieces are in place for the rescue attempt, with Adama and the insurgency working together towards a common goal. The Cylons are on the verge of a violent reprisal, but their own concerns and agendas continue to get in their way. D’Anna, in particular, is distracted by a revelation that will, most likely, complicate the rescue attempt in the next episode.
That aspect of the episode fascinated me, because it has a great deal of potential. Cylons have looked down on the pantheon and mysticism of the Colonials since the very beginning of the series, but now D’Anna is having visions, telling her to meet with a Colonial priestess. If D’Anna’s dream was in fact prophetic, then it would imply some kind of connection between Human and Cylon, an overlapping of their unconscious awareness. The implication is fairly obvious: the divisions between Human and Cylon may be more artificial than natural.
The series introduced the idea of this overlapping when they introduced the humaniform Cylons. While there are aspects to Cylon mechanisms, like relatively simple resurrection, that seem completely alien and inhuman, the distinctiveness of personality and the apparent similarity of biology (close enough to mate, in at least one case) are hints of commonality. Even if the 12 biological Cylon models are copies, their personalities appear to evolve from that common origin. Taking Caprica-Six and Sharon as examples, there is a clear nature vs. nurture exploration at work.
This is also reflected in Roslin’s comments about Hera. Once on the fence about the existence of the hybrid at all, Roslin is now fiercely protecting the child, possibly above all else. She has proclaimed Hera as the “shape of things to come”, whether for good or evil. From my perspective, this suggests that how the child is raised will speak strongly to any hope of peace with the Cylons. It also suggests that a reconciliation of some kind is the possible resolution to the conflict, since Hera is the melding of the two species.
The situation on New Caprica, of course, makes such a future almost impossible. If the surviving Colonials were ready to forget about the genocide of the 12 colonies, then the New Caprica oppression has certainly opened and festered old wounds. Sharon’s defection to the Colonials becomes that much more important, and that’s why D’Anna’s revelation about Hera is so damning. Sharon trusts Adama, but now she has some suspicion that she was betrayed. If that doesn’t play into the conclusion of this two-part story, that will be disappointing.
In counterbalance to the philosophical questions, which were a clear highlight, there were some odd mistakes. Callie’s escape in this episode doesn’t match what happened at the end of “Precipice” at all. Neither does the Cylon attack on the meeting between Sharon and Anders. It feels like the kind of mistake that comes when one writer hands off to the next, long before the scripts are shot and the directors shift details. Still, despite understanding the possible cause of each continuity error, it takes away from the illusion of a seamless production.
(As a sidenote: I also have a podcast associated with my various reviews called “Dispatches from Tuzenor”. Current episodes cover “Battlestar: Galactica”, so it might be something of interest. Go to http://entil2001.libsyn.com if you want to listen!)
Writing: 2/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 1/4
Final Rating: 7/10
posted by John Keegan | 15:06
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