Battlestar Galactica 3.4: "Exodus: Part II"
Written by Bradley Thompson and David Weddle
Directed by Felix Enriquez Alcala
And so ends the experiment of New Caprica, spawning a thousand new crimes against humanity and demonstrating without a doubt the massive difference between Human and Cylon. This episode is the culmination of everything that took place in the second season finale, driving home a number of inevitable consequences and outlining the emotional scars. By the time Adama shaves off that damn moustache, the audience is begging for a sense of normalcy. Thankfully, the writers make it very clear that the wounds of New Caprica may never heal.
They have the rest of the season to deal with the consequences; this episode was all about ending the nightmare and establishing a new status quo, familiar but disturbing. The price of freedom for the people of New Caprica was staggering, and that’s just looking at the immediate cost. How many people died on the ground, and how many resources were lost with the destruction of Battlestar: Pegasus? And how many resources will be needed to repair Galactica from its massive damage? This was the largest battle since “Resurrection Ship: Part II” in the second season, and as is befitting of this series, it was as impressive and horrifying at the same time.
Nothing happens without a price on this series, and everyone paid. I’m surprised that so many of the civilian ships made it off New Caprica. I was expecting the Cylons to start firing on the ships as they took off from the ground. After all, Galactica and Pegasus were outnumbered, and one of those Basestars could have strafed the ground. Of course, there’s the possibility that the Cylons were still willing to let humanity live in the hopes of future reconciliation, but that’s not the most compelling argument.
Ron Moore always said that the situation on New Caprica would be resolved within a few episodes, and that promise was fulfilled. I’m not sure that I’m happy about that, but I can see the thought process. The second half of the second season was fraught with uninspired storytelling; the status quo had become largely entrenched, and something massive needed to happen. New Caprica was, in essence, a plot device, a means of changing characters and stirring up new conflicts. That was largely successful, even if the New Caprica situation was begging for more exploration.
Many of the main characters have issues that will need to be explored. Adama wasn’t himself after Baltar’s victory; he may have called Lee soft, but how much of that was transference? Kara will need to examine her sudden maternal instincts. Tigh needs to deal with the morality of his command decisions. And Lee needs to find his role outside of his brief and unsettling command. (Granted, most of this comes down to the writers explaining why the characters would take such a direction, but if things are explained retroactively, it could all work out in the end.)
Now Baltar and Hera are among the Cylons, and there’s every reason to think that this will continue to challenge the Cylon culture. Hera seems to be the fulfillment of the Cylon agenda from the first season, but just what will that ever-referenced plan turn out to be? Will they be too distracted to keep after the Colonial Fleet, or will they return to the old philosophies with a vengeance?
There were a number of interesting levels to the episode, and all of them made this a thrill ride. That doesn’t mean that the episode was perfect. The opening scene with Lee and Dualla was one of the worst scenes in recent memory, from the dialogue on the page to the stilted and unconvincing delivery. The timely arrival of Pegasus was telegraphed to the point of absurdity, and it’s hard to justify the sacrifice of a more powerful ship in such a dire situation.
Overall, it was a thrilling and entertaining episode with a few rough spots along the way. The effects were excellent, and some of the moments in the final act were gut-wrenching. It all comes down to the scenes that didn’t work and the potential for character decisions to be explained. Only time will tell, but it’s hard not to overlook the negatives by the time the end credits are rolling.
(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: 3/4
Final Rating: 9/10
Directed by Felix Enriquez Alcala
And so ends the experiment of New Caprica, spawning a thousand new crimes against humanity and demonstrating without a doubt the massive difference between Human and Cylon. This episode is the culmination of everything that took place in the second season finale, driving home a number of inevitable consequences and outlining the emotional scars. By the time Adama shaves off that damn moustache, the audience is begging for a sense of normalcy. Thankfully, the writers make it very clear that the wounds of New Caprica may never heal.
They have the rest of the season to deal with the consequences; this episode was all about ending the nightmare and establishing a new status quo, familiar but disturbing. The price of freedom for the people of New Caprica was staggering, and that’s just looking at the immediate cost. How many people died on the ground, and how many resources were lost with the destruction of Battlestar: Pegasus? And how many resources will be needed to repair Galactica from its massive damage? This was the largest battle since “Resurrection Ship: Part II” in the second season, and as is befitting of this series, it was as impressive and horrifying at the same time.
Nothing happens without a price on this series, and everyone paid. I’m surprised that so many of the civilian ships made it off New Caprica. I was expecting the Cylons to start firing on the ships as they took off from the ground. After all, Galactica and Pegasus were outnumbered, and one of those Basestars could have strafed the ground. Of course, there’s the possibility that the Cylons were still willing to let humanity live in the hopes of future reconciliation, but that’s not the most compelling argument.
Ron Moore always said that the situation on New Caprica would be resolved within a few episodes, and that promise was fulfilled. I’m not sure that I’m happy about that, but I can see the thought process. The second half of the second season was fraught with uninspired storytelling; the status quo had become largely entrenched, and something massive needed to happen. New Caprica was, in essence, a plot device, a means of changing characters and stirring up new conflicts. That was largely successful, even if the New Caprica situation was begging for more exploration.
Many of the main characters have issues that will need to be explored. Adama wasn’t himself after Baltar’s victory; he may have called Lee soft, but how much of that was transference? Kara will need to examine her sudden maternal instincts. Tigh needs to deal with the morality of his command decisions. And Lee needs to find his role outside of his brief and unsettling command. (Granted, most of this comes down to the writers explaining why the characters would take such a direction, but if things are explained retroactively, it could all work out in the end.)
Now Baltar and Hera are among the Cylons, and there’s every reason to think that this will continue to challenge the Cylon culture. Hera seems to be the fulfillment of the Cylon agenda from the first season, but just what will that ever-referenced plan turn out to be? Will they be too distracted to keep after the Colonial Fleet, or will they return to the old philosophies with a vengeance?
There were a number of interesting levels to the episode, and all of them made this a thrill ride. That doesn’t mean that the episode was perfect. The opening scene with Lee and Dualla was one of the worst scenes in recent memory, from the dialogue on the page to the stilted and unconvincing delivery. The timely arrival of Pegasus was telegraphed to the point of absurdity, and it’s hard to justify the sacrifice of a more powerful ship in such a dire situation.
Overall, it was a thrilling and entertaining episode with a few rough spots along the way. The effects were excellent, and some of the moments in the final act were gut-wrenching. It all comes down to the scenes that didn’t work and the potential for character decisions to be explained. Only time will tell, but it’s hard not to overlook the negatives by the time the end credits are rolling.
(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: 3/4
Final Rating: 9/10
posted by John Keegan | 15:14
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