Battlestar Galactica 3.15: "A Day in the Life"

Written by Mark Verheiden
Directed by Rod Hardy

As of the writing of this review, “Battlestar: Galactica” has been renewed for a fourth season. The number of episodes for the fourth season seems to be unclear; David Eick has indicated that it will be 13 to 22, with the final number under negotiation with Sci-Fi Channel. The slump in ratings, largely due to the inexplicable move to late Sunday night, probably will factor into that decision. Whatever the case, fans need not be concerned yet; unlike “Farscape”, this series has too high a profile for it to be cancelled in the middle of the night on a sleepy weekend.

This is of interest because episodes like “A Day in the Life” wouldn’t happen in a 13-episode arc. Or rather, they tend to be rare. The writers are usually forced to focus on stronger season arc elements and tighter character threads. An episode devoted to character exploration is usually left out of the cut, or the content is watered down as a minor subplot. There’s less time to get caught in blind alleys (like the previous episode, “The Woman King”), but there’s also less time for intriguing character study.

Interestingly enough, all of the promotion for the episode seemed to focus on the airlock situation with Tyrol and Callie. Yet it quickly occurred to me, watching the episode the first time through, that their story was there to support the real action: the struggle within Adama’s mind. And that led me to the realization that we haven’t learned much about Adama from his point of view. We’ve gotten a lot of exposition, and a lot of opinions about “the old man”, but this is direct information.

If some of this is old information, particularly in terms of the Adama family dynamic and the effect of Bill’s absenteeism, it’s given new life through unique presentation. More to the point, father and son find a new level of respect for each other as a result. While Adama’s planet might hit this spot in its orbit year after year, circumstances bring Lee into the right place at the right time for a bit of rapprochement. It’s good to see the character move out of the Polygon of Tortured Love and into something that should challenge his moral assumptions.

The other nice touch to the episode is the treatment of Adama and Roslin’s unusual but incredibly sweet relationship. Their personal theme is one of my favorites pieces by Bear McCreary, and it is used well in this episode. Had the two of them agreed to a relationship at the end of the episode (or acknowledged openly the one they have), it would have been far less satisfying. Instead, they take an incremental step forward, with Adama still unable (or unwilling) to let go of past regrets. Unlike the Polygon of Tortured Love, this is a relationship that can be savored for its maturity.

While it was hardly as elegant, the struggles between Galen and Callie were at least realistic and give a bit more credence to Tyrol’s sudden aggravation in “Taking a Break From All Your Worries”. It’s interesting to see characters suffer through the typical issues that come with parenthood under the strained conditions of the Rag-Tag Fleet, and since they were tangential to the episode, they didn’t become a major distraction.

Episodes like this manage to communicate one of the more difficult aspects of the series’ premise: how does one live when civilization has been stripped away and every day might be the last? The overwhelming nature of humanity’s ordeal is easy to forget, but it is front and center in this episode. Consider for a moment the discussion, however brief, on the effect of the genocide and exodus on the legal system. Roslin openly admits that it has been a mess, and that the trial of Gaius Baltar now brings every shortcoming of the current status quo to light.

Shortening the fourth season may help the series survive through tighter plotting and active pacing, but it would be a shame to lose episodes like this in the process. More than that, this episode is an example of using existing situations and continuity elements as foundation for a something new. If the writers managed to do this more often with the non-arc episodes, longer seasons would hardly be a problem.

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

Final Rating: 8/10