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Battlestar Galactica: Someone to Watch Over Me

Piano Guy: "Just because you don't know your direction doesn't mean you don't have one."

Seems like forever since we had an episode about Starbuck. This was a really good one. And it may very well have given us one of the Big Answers.

It wasn't stated outright, but Starbuck's father was Daniel, the lost seventh Cylon, wasn't he? It explains a lot. She was projecting without realizing it. Imagining her father there, just as Boomer and Tyrol were imagining their house and their "daughter." It explains how and why she found her way to Earth. It even explains why Starbuck thought she was a Cylon. Because she is. She's a human/Cylon hybrid, like Hera.

Does this also explain Starbuck finding her own dead body? If she died on "Earth," and the resurrection equipment was still in orbit... yes, that has to be it. Although, wouldn't there need to be bodies ready to download? If bodies were created in case of emergency, wouldn't there have been more than five original survivors? Okay, still not explained satisfactorily, but I bet the truth is in there somewhere.

I thought the picture Hera drew was a star map, not musical notes. Hera even said they were stars. And then I thought, maybe it's both. Maybe that's why the song activated the Four, and why Starbuck's father Daniel taught her the song when she was a little girl. Maybe the map will lead them to their final ending place, their ultimate home.

I was oddly disappointed with Boomer. Yes, we knew she had betrayed her own model and taken Cavil's side, and we knew she had shot and nearly killed Adama as well. The recent ten-part webisode told us that Eights can be a lot nastier than we might expect. But I was still sad that she betrayed the Galactica and the Cylons, and most of all, Tyrol. I thought that her projection fantasy proved she really did love him. And I didn't know what to think of that bizarre sex scene with Helo. Did she just do it because she had no choice if she wanted to keep her cover as Athena? Why didn't Helo realize he wasn't with Athena, by the way?

I was also disappointed with Tyrol. Running to do Boomer's bidding and covering for her again, with disastrous results. Did he kill an innocent Eight, too, in order to cover Boomer's escape from the brig? I couldn't tell if she was dead. I hope she's not, for Tyrol's sake.

This episode certainly started slowly. I kept wondering where it was going, and why we were revisiting Starbuck's miserable childhood again. And then it built to a climax with that creepy song and really shocked me. I didn't see the end coming, either the revelation about Starbuck or the kidnapping of Hera. So bravo. Very good.

What will Cavil do to little Hera? He doesn't believe in saving the race through reproduction with humans, so I'm guessing he won't take her to Disneyland.

Bits and pieces:

— This week's survivor number: 39,556. Same as last week.

— The Galactica has only a few more jumps in her, plus a big hole in her side. And three more episodes.

— Good casting of Starbuck's father. Roark Critchlow looked a lot like Katee Sackhoff, but I didn't notice until they were sitting together on the piano bench and in the same shot.

— Stars, notes, whatever, there were thirteen of them. Like the Cylons and the colonies.

— During the opening bar scene, Starbuck and (mostly) her wedding tatt were reflected in a mirror. As if Anders were there.

— Nothing from Anders yet. His brain appears to be rebooting.

— As the Galactica was shuddering and moaning, so was Boomer. She was having more fun than the Galactica, though. Or she was faking it really well.

— Roslin looked terrible. And even worse when she heard Hera was gone, as if a connection had been broken.

— Hot Dog was reading Mind & Matter. Appropriate for an episode that was mostly Cylon projection.

— Starbuck: "Remember, the first one who sights a habitable rock will get this fine oral hygiene product. It is the last tube of Tauron toothpaste in the universe. Gods know most of you need it."

Weird, mystical, surprising. Another excellent episode,

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

9 comments:

  1. So jumps cause more damage than nukes? Poor Cylons have been doin' it wrong all this time.

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  2. Great insight about Daniel being Starbuck's father. I hadn't thought of that one. Also, it's Roark Critchlow, not Robin. I only know because he used to be on Days of our Lives. :)

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  3. You're right about Roark -- thanks. I have no idea where Robin came from. I think I'm just writing too much right now and my brain can't retain it all. :)

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  4. Was Starbuck Cylon projecting? Or was Slick/Daddy Thrace connected to the not-Leoben she met when she died? We might never know, these BSG writers are a sneaky unpredictable posse.

    So far they’ve managed to explain Earth, the Final Five and the history of the Cylons in a way that was both satisfying and logical (not to mention dizzying). But I’m worried they might have written themselves into a corner with Kara and her resurrection. Yet, I have faith they will come through for us in the end. Which is now, sadly, only three weeks away, sob.

    I thought this episode was an improvement over last week, especially that awesome final act. Poor Galen, the guy just can’t catch a break. I certainly wouldn’t want to be Boomer right now. Few mess with the fighting Agathons and live.

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  5. I keep going over and over stuff from Kara's backstory to find holes, but all I keep finding is little gems of throwaway lines that bring so much more to her character (even if this was all unplanned by the writers). For example, remember how Simon way back in 'The Farm' asked Kara about the clear signs that her fingers had been broken so many times in the past. At the time it was just a horrible sign that she was abused by her mother, but now its that and so much more. Perhaps her mother blamed her for her father leaving, and because young Karas piano playing reminded her so much of him...well you can fill in the rest yourself.

    As horrible as that is, it was so great to see Starbuck actually happy for once in this episode. Really truly happy.

    Absolutely wonderful music by Bear McCreary too, I suggest everyone interested in the processes in making an episode of BSG take a look at his massive 3 part diary of the making of this one on his blog.

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  6. Well did anyone listen to my rant a couple of weeks ago about not trusting the eights? Apparently the Chief did not. Even Boomer cannot escape her eightness. Cavil boxed the wrong nodel.
    I do believe that Boomer did/does love the Chief in her own weird way. It's just that she has this mission and some weird attachment to Cavil (well besides the nude dancing) and she consistently lets her emotions overwhelm her intellect. After all, she is just trying to be the very best machine that she can be.
    I don't think you can really judge these episodes as single episodes. They are really one continuous episode building to the finale. I am looking forward to purchasing the DVD's for 4.5 after which I plan to have a BSG marathon - from the mini-series to the finale in a week or so. I think that form of viewing is significantly different from the week at a time with year long breaks. I think it will be an even more amazing story. As is, it is incredible.

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  7. I'm years behind everyone. I'm watching the whole series on boxset with no breaks.
    This is one of the best sci fi series. It makes stargate laughable. I must say that since the revolt and execution of gaeta and zarek the show has a rather depressing feel to it. I don't know what I'll do when it's over. This last month I've been so immersed in bsg that it had a certain reality in my mundane life.

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  8. Very satisfying - linking Starbuck into the Cylon race without her being just another Cylon was a clever move on the writers part.

    Boomers story just gets me more and more mad every time I think about it. The chief was played in a big way. Poor guy I believed her too. I actually thought he was in on it, until I saw his face when he realised what had happened...

    I get the feeling Sam will be up in time for th editable, though I'd like to see more of Starbucks dad if he is indeed the final FINAL Cylon :)

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  9. I was also puzzled by the fact that Helo couldn't tell Boomer and Athena apart. Tyrol knew Boomer immediately...unless it's because Tyrol is a Cylon too?

    And god, Tyrol getting played again. He's one of my two favorite characters on the show (Roslyn is the other) but my god, other than Baltar, there's no other character on the show who makes so many terrible decisions.

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