The finale of the first half of season two, a bit delayed.

Cast

James
Callis as Dr. Gaius Baltar

Edward James
Olmos as Commander Adama

Mary
McDonnell as President Laura Roslin

Katee
Sackhoff as Kara “Starbuck” Thrace

Jamie
Bamber as Lee “Apollo” Adama

Michael
Hogan as Col. Tigh

Tricia
Helfer as Number 6

Grace Park as Sharon “Boomer” Valerii

Tahmoh
Penikett as Helo

Aaron
Douglas as CPO Galen Tyrol

Michelle
Forbes as Admiral Helena Cain

Synopsis

The fleet is found by the Battlestar Pegasus,
commanded
by Admiral Cain. As Commander Adama’s superior officer,
Cain begins
making changes, and her command style does not prove
compatible
with Adama’s.

High Points

• Starbuck: ‘Your mission plan sucks’
• Baltar’s confession to the Cylon
• The final Adama/Cain conflict

Low Point

It’s difficult to find a specific low point. I think
it’s probably that
the attitude and behaviour of the Pegasus crew is
almost stock
material. It works brilliantly, but it’s not hugely
surprising (although
what the writers do with the tension their attitude causes
is).

The Scores

This is unexpected in parts, and predictable in others.
I don’t think
it’s particularly original to encounter a lone ship
commanded
by an Admiral who’s at least partially insane. In Baltar in
this episode,
though, we see something a bit fresher. Four out of
six.

Sometimes I wonder why I bother scoring Galactica’s
effects anymore. This episode held few compared to
some, but was flawless
as usual. Six out of six.

The story is a masterwork made from layers of
tension,
each one gradually being lifted and building to the
episode’s
cliffhanger climax. Although the premise may not be
entirely original,
the writers have turned it into a story which is, quite
frankly, excellent.
Five out of six.

Those of you who remember Michelle Forbes from Star
Trek:
The Next Generation may be slightly dubious about her
appearance in a show of this quality. Set aside your
doubts, for she
turns in a wonderful performance, showing us the perfect
icy, tough
Admiral who’s capable of every story told about her and
more; with just
a flicker of insanity visible beneath the surface. The rest
of the guest
cast are generally good, although I feel the series
regulars are
generally outshining them. This may just be because they
are more
comfortable with their characters. Five out of six.

The emotional response delivers several different
emotions quite effectively, but all are overshadowed by the
tension at
the end. Because you know that the fated event is not going
to happen
(as you’ve seen next season’s cast list), some potential
impact is
removed; but this is Battlestar Galactica, and there’s
still the nagging
thought that something incredibly awful is going to
happen.
Indeed, by the end credits something incredibly awful seems
absolutely
inevitable. It’s edge of your seat stuff. Five out of
six.

I only felt there was one mistake in the
production. The
slow-motion sequence was short, yes, and highlighted an
important
event, yes, but it felt a little contrived. Everything else
—
particularly the interior design of the Pegasus was
great. Five
out of six.

Overall, I believe this episode deserves six out
of six. It
comes across very well, and the deficiencies in some areas
are shown
by the more precise scores above.

And that leaves Pegasus with a score of
thirty-six out of
forty-two. Which isn’t bad at all.