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Battlestar Galactica: Islanded in a Stream of Stars

Tigh: "She was a grand old lady."
Adama: "The grandest."

It's time to say goodbye to this series, and it has started with the Galactica herself. It had to happen, but it just feels awful. It feels like the end. Maybe because it is.

But the point was that home isn't a place: it's other people. During the cigar scene in sick bay, Roslin told Adama about the places she lived, the cabin she wanted to build on New Caprica; but her point was that Adama himself, their relationship, was her home. Instead of drugging her into silence, Boomer took Hera to the home in her mind, and for a brief time, Hera was Boomer's daughter. (Genetically, Hera is Boomer's daughter.) And Starbuck reconnected with Sam. She really does love him, even though they've both literally become other people.

And there were the parallel funerals for the human and Cylon workers killed in the accident. A Six sacrificed her life for her human co-workers. Moving from the Galactica to the Cylon base ship feels momentous, but it's really just geography. Adama's "So say we all" took me back to the beginning of the series. The "all" is now both races; they're permanently connected. Wherever they live will be home.

I was talking with a friend of mine this week about how we want the series to end, and I told him I wanted the answers to the religious questions. Maybe the answers are finally coming. Every time Roslin closed her eyes, she was at the Opera House. We had Anders as the hybrid telling Starbuck she was the harbinger of death; that creeped me out. Gaius's public theorizing that Starbuck was an angel was creepy, too. Gaius has also started believing that Harvey Six is an angel. She was even in white this time. But didn't they have a whole lot of sex at the beginning of the series? I guess there's no rule that angels can't have a whole lot of sex.

The opening shot of Hera playing with her toy Galactica and toy base ship looked rather god-like. Hera has always been the Jesus figure in the story. Maybe she really is. I really did think that Boomer would change her mind and not give Hera to Cavil, but I didn't think she'd do what she did in last week's episode, either. She's clearly torn, but not torn enough. At least she didn't follow through with that great big needle. Bitch. What new playmates was Cavil talking about? Centurians?

My favorite scene was Gaius and Starbuck in the unisex bathroom. Just loved it. How very like Starbuck not to care about a broken latch. And I think it was intended as a contrast to her still unexplained resurrection, a deliberate reminder that whatever happened on Earth, Starbuck is definitely human.

I wonder what sort of bathrooms they have on the base ship? Have we ever seen them? I don't remember. But I bet they look like abstract art.

Bits and pieces:

— What a fascinating, mystical, and emotionally evocative episode title.

— This week's survivor number: 39,521, right after the explosion. That's 35 humans dead. And it confirms that they're not counting Cylons: Cottle gave the total number of dead as 61, with 26 of them Cylons. Maybe in the final episode, the Cylons will also be counted.

— Helo and Athena were basket cases. For heaven's sake, Adama, give the Agathons a freaking raptor! Zak is dead, Adama. Hera isn't. They're probably going to do it without permission, anyway. And who could blame them?

— This week's Most Obvious Symbolism was Adama going nuts with white paint, and collapsing. The paint was like Galactica's blood. Adama was drinking right out in the open, too. He's falling apart, like his ship.

— I've been very impressed with Michael Trucco during this past season. He's done some really interesting and complex acting.

— When Starbuck put her own photo on the memorial wall, I was afraid she was going to kill herself. Instead, she thinks Anders has the answer. Hera's the answer, Starbuck's the answer, Anders is the answer. Who frakking knows.

— Starbuck to Gaius, "Regularity. That must be important when you're full of crap."

Two episodes to go. I hope they're episodes full to the brim with answers,

Billie
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Billie Doux loves good television and spends way too much time writing about it.

8 comments:

  1. I personally took Cavil's comment about playmates to Hera to mean that he was going to find out 'how she was made' and clone her?

    I feel that if Athena doesn't come and rescue little Hera soon she's going to be a lab rat.

    I thought Kara's decision to tell Gaius was a little odd, I mean why tell him. But I guess it was so that the angel scene could happen at the funeral.

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  2. It hit me. I’ve known the end was coming for over a year now but it final, truly hit me during this episode, unexpected and without warning. That final scene of Tigh and Adama, raising a glass to the old girl nearly brought a tear to my eye.

    Love Bill and Laura sharing one last joint for old time’s sake. Cottle wouldn’t mind, the man’s a bleeding chimney after all.

    All in all, a nice little episode. Good to have a bit of clam before the hurricane that's coming.

    One minor nitpick, where the frak was Tyrol?!!!

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  3. Adama may be a great leader but he's dreadful with a paintbrush. Good grief...he was like a four year old...paint all over the place.....sheesh!!!

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  4. When I saw Hera playing with the toy Galactica, she crashed it into the base stars. Could be a forshadowing, as Hera seems to have precognitive abilities (i.e. last episode the music notes). Looks like the Galactica will the same ending as the Pegasus.

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  5. Just a thought:
    the whole "dying leader" thing - could that be a reference to the actual Galactica? Seeing as how Galactica has led the remains of the entire human race but now is "dying"? What do you guys think?

    And, wow, can't believe it'll be over soon...

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  6. Henrik said...Just a thought:the whole "dying leader" thing - could that be a reference to the actual Galactica?

    I was even thinking Adama. They haven't explained why he's knocking back those pills yet.

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  7. Boomer, Boomer, Boomer.... I really hope you have some redemption in your immediate future, otherwise you're going down as a real bitch at the end of this series.

    I think whoever mentioned the foreshadowing of Hera crashing Galactica into the Cylons has a good chance of being correct :). Adama even said glactica was going to go out with a bang!

    Two episodes to go, and I have 'the plan' to watch as well. Can't wait to see how this all ends!

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