Battlestar: Galactica 3.12: "Rapture"

Written by Bradley Thompson and David Weddle
Directed by Michael Rymer

The wait between seasons 3.0 and 3.5 was much shorter than in the past, much to the pleasure of BSG fans awaiting closure on the mid-season cliffhanger. Despite the short break, a number of changes have struck the Galactica universe. The most important change is the shift to Sunday nights, an attempt to capitalize on demographic gains and reverse an overall slump in ratings. It remains to be seen if this questionable strategy will yield positive results; the fact that the AFC Championship game spilled over into the same timeslot will certainly not help the ratings for the triumphant return.

The episode deals with the items open from the end of “The Eye of Jupiter” well enough, but some of the situations evolve in ways that seem watered down or lackluster. The most obvious example is the tension between Lee and Anders. For all the sniping and staring-down in the previous episode, they set it all aside quickly enough once Lee sends his wife to find Kara. If that writing choice deferred some of the Lee/Anders hostility for another day, it did lead into one of the more interesting subplots: Dee’s reaction to being sent to rescue her husband’s possible lover. It might feel like soap opera, but the show is all about broken character relationships, and love polygons come with the territory.

As predicted, the Eye of Jupiter was the super-nova, once again playing on the idea that “all of this has happened before”. Kara’s childhood premonitions and possible visions tie into her role at the end of the first season rather nicely, and it also presents some interesting possibilities. At the very least, one could wonder if Kara and Roslin are both fulfilling roles in ancient prophecy, but it could be something more ominous. What if Kara is, in fact, one of the final five Cylons?

Setting aside the oddity of the Cylons themselves referring to the “final five” in that particular way, D’Anna clearly recognized at least one of them during her religious experience. Looking back at the scene, her expression suggests that she recognized all of them to one degree or another, but that one fact in particular struck a chord. Her expression and plea for forgiveness suggests that one of the final five had been sorely mistreated by the Cylons during the genocide.

The implication fits with the possibility that Kara is a Cylon, because that might explain why the experiments with her ova have yet to yield much in terms of results (or so it would seem). But others fit the criteria. Baltar is another obvious possibility, as strongly suggested by the staging of the “vision” scene. But wouldn’t it also apply to someone like Saul Tigh? That would be incredibly ironic and a huge revelation. Right now, it’s all speculation, but the writers are doing an effective job of stringing out the mystery.

The other major subplot was Sharon’s rescue of Hera. I love how Sharon manages to get back among the Cylons, and that Caprica-Six is forced to choose between her previous co-conspirator (Boomer) and the more human Sharon. It would appear that Caprica-Six retains her stance that Cylons and Humans are meant to co-exist, while the rest of the Cylons are still unsure. Each model seems to be the embodiment of a certain philosophy. The Cavills want to destroy Humanity, the Boomers are pushing for going separate ways, the Sixes want to bring the species together. It’s still not entirely clear where the other models stand, but I expect them all to demonstrate similarities that serve to amplify the differences among them. (And, for that matter, how the Cylons among Humans have evolved as individuals.)

It should be exciting to see how Roslin reacts to the fact that Sharon was, in the end, apparently loyal. Will she continue to question Sharon’s motives, and if so, will those suspicions be rewarded? After all, Sharon’s loyalty might have been a function of Hera’s condition, and the fact that the Cylons couldn’t treat Hera correctly. What if the condition could have been treated on the Basestar? Whatever the case, Roslin’s suspicions, if they exist, will likely be undermined by her own deceptions regarding Hera. I expect this to be a thorny issue for the rest of the season.

There were a lot of other aspects that worked well. The final fate of the D’Anna model follows through on a concept introduced in “Downloaded”, and represents the most substantial shift in the Cylon mindset. What used to be a united front is now revealed as anything but unified, as models turn on one another. Perhaps it is the introduction of Human traits into the culture? Meanwhile, there’s the capture of Baltar, which ought to have unusual ramifications. Where exactly will Baltar’s desire for personal survival take him next?

Unfortunately, this installment also had many of the problems evident in “The Eye of Jupiter”. In particular, the pacing felt choppy, especially in the final act, as though the episode had to be cut for time. One has to wonder if a longer version will emerge on DVD. Also, the dialogue lacked a certain sophistication, as though the writers were simply trying to get through the plot points as efficiently as possible. Both of these items have been repeated offenses, however, so there’s no reason to focus on this episode alone.

Writing: 2/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 2/4

Final Rating: 8/10