Before we begin today’s regularly scheduled blogcast, I’d like to pause for a moment for the following announcement: I called it.  I called it I called it I totally called it! Two episodes ago, when they started spreading goop all over the ship I was all like  “I’m so waiting for the Galactica to come alive, mack on the basestar and be all like We Must Obtain The Allspark!”  Now, while we have yet to see coital relations between Battlestar
Anderstica and his Basestarian counterpart, I feel confident in predicting the next episode will be a solid hour of hard-core pornography featuring exactly that.  Well, perhaps the jubilation of discovering my latent psychic power has gone to my head.

Oh a slightly more realistic note, I do feel rather confident in predicting we’ll next see the fireworks begin because this episode felt like it was firming up the foundations before launching somewhere entirely else.  It was reminding us of where all of the characters are, what their motivation(s) might be and what some of the outstanding questions are.  They even went so far as having Baltar say [Kara Thrace]’s not a cylon, they’ve already been revealed to us (and my wife brings up a good point: does slapping Baltar seem Starbuck-ish to you?  Isn’t slugging people more her signature?).  Not much really happened, we instead floated through the lives of various characters and got to spend a little time with each one of them.  And that was actually pretty cool.

So much has happened over the last few episodes, and this season, that I welcomed being reminded where everyone was.  I’ll guess the next two episodes (a total of three hours remain; the last episode is two hours) will be rather full of adventure and action and crazy ass twists and turns.  So it was nice to spend some unencumbered time with the crew.  When Adama and Tigh toasting the ship it felt like the show itself saying goodbye to us

It gave many of the very fine actors a chance to shine.  My favourite was easily Roslin and Adama smoking a doobie in the hospital.  Mary Macdonald has done an excellent job portraying her cancer, it could so easily be over-sold but she never does.  When she tells Adama that he runs the risk of losing both her and the ship at the same time she does it with a grace and strength that, well, it’s Laura Roslin.  She has crafted a memorable lady.  Gracy Park was also amazing; as Boomer (dealing with Hera); as Athena (dealing with Helo); as a random dying deck hand (saying her goodbyes and quoting ♫Watchtower♫ lyrics).  Park makes each character different and yet keeps some intangible Sharon-ness in each of them. 

Michael Hogan (and his amazing acting eye) showed us again the drunken broken man that Saul Tigh is yet he’s got a dignity and pride in who he is that you have to love him.  Hogan is just completely fearless.  Katee Sachoff and James Callis played wonderfully off each other too.  Tahmoh Penikett, the new actor on the block at the beginning of the series is going toe to toe with Edward James Olmos and that kid can act.  I’ve been watching him on Dollhouse and I’m looking forward to seeing him try a different role.

I suppose I should just issue a blanket “everyone is awesome” award but I blew all my time making this week’s cartoons.  So many of these commentaries I just ignore the actor greatness because there’s always so many other things to talk about.  But Galactica has assembled and maintained a rich ensemble cast (quite a few of whom they’ve killed off now) and they’ve really grown the show by letting these creative talented people run wild with what they can do.  Aside from the actors: the directors and producers have really developed and matured the show’s visual language too.  It’s grown beyond beyond the cinema vérité that they started with.  And the writers, oh you wonderful talented folk and the complexities you pull off.  Everyone gets a free lollypop!

See BSG 4x14
for origin ~ Ed.

From a story logic point of view, I appreciate the respect that’s being shown to Gaius Baltar.  It makes total sense that his radio addresses are listened to; that he speaks at funerals; that his opinions are listened to in the Quorum.  He’s long spoken out against the Adama and Roslin. Now, during his trial this was perhaps a fringe opinion.  The recent coup proved Baltar’s views are no longer a small minority.  Even if someone didn’t care for his religious beliefs, his followers are both keeping order and distributing rations.  He’s a force of good in the fleet.  And the look on Lee’s face was funny as hell.  Jamie Bamber has some excellent comic timing.

Oh, so when I say “nothing happened” of course I mean we learn Hera can project, just like proper Cylons, we get to see a glimpse of the Cylon colony (so. cool.), Adama decides to abandon the Galactica (after his painting lesson), it’s confirmed that Charbuck was Starbuck and Anders gets in touch with his inner hybrid.  Just before the show ends, Kara plugs him back into the ship and he’s all New Command and whatever he’s getting up to next he’s in control of Galactica and since the coup failed, we may presume that every ship has Cylon jump drives.  Anders can move the entire fleet elsewhere.  The next three hours of Galactica could take us anywhere.

What will Boomer’s moment of maternal instinct amount to?  Am I a bad person for not thanking the Teamsters?  And if Autobots are always cars, does that mean that Battlestar
Anderstica is a Decepticon?

	The ship never let us down, so we’re going to send her off in style. So we’re going to do this huh? She was a grand old lady The Grandest. To Galactica, the best ship in the fleet To Galactica…