BROS WATCH FOREVER: BSG Season 1 Concludes

Episodes 9 - Finale

Episode 9
This episode, one of my favorites so far, treads the line between psychological thriller and comedy of manners. It's tight, funny and suspenseful. It also lets us know that Jamie Bamber (Lee Adama) makes for an excellent straight man--his reaction shots are some of the best things here. Starbuck walks in on Baltar's mind sex! Tigh's estranged wife arrives on Galactica, tempts him with booze, and puts lies in his brain. She may be a Cylon, but she definitely SUCKS. Adama also comes under Roslin's suspicion, but so much evidence is stacked against him in the first 20 minutes that you know he's actually innocent. In an earlier post, Tom mentioned that Grace Park's acting sometimes isn't at the level of her co-stars, and in episode 9 Park gives us the series' best bit of bad acting so far:

- Helo: You never get tired!
- Caprica-Boomer: It's...ADRENALINE!

Episode 10
How is news disseminated across the fleet? Can you transmit radio broadcasts in outer space? I wonder this with every press conference BSG features. Episode 10 is about as different from 9 as BSG episodes get, structured almost like a military procedural. Edward James Olmos (Adama) grows like a total badass as the fleet prepares to attack a Cylon stronghold for fuel, and then Apollo blows their shit up after shutting off his targeting system Skywalker-style. This episode also examines how Starbuck, Galactica's star pilot, handles being grounded as she recovers from injuries suffered earlier.

Episode 11
Baltar's ability to b.s. ended up saving the fleet in episode 10, and here the breaks keep coming: after observing his popularity, Roslin selects Baltar to run for vice-president against ex-terrorist d-bag Tom Zarek. On Caprica, Helo discovers that Caprica-Boomer is a Cylon, and she insists she's still in love. At episode's end, viewers are tempted with thoughts of Olmos busting out some Zoot Suit moves.

Episode 12 + 13
Good god dude, they crammed everything into these ones. The two-part season finale contains a whole season's worth of big moments, including: Baltar and Starbuck do it! Massive Cylon attack! Crash landing! Roslin's drug-induced prophesysin'! The president's aide grows a pair! Starbuck-Apollo fight! Adama's military takeover! Apollo's mutiny! Starbuck vs. 6! Galactica-Boomer meets other Boomers! Galactica-Boomer nukes 'em! Caprica-Boomer pregnant? Baltar a father? And IS ADAMA DEAD? (Regarding the last item: there are rare moments when something will literally make my jaw drop, and I'll remember that one's jaw dropping is a figure of speech in the first place because ocassionally it actually happens when a person sees or hears something that totally freakin' shocks them.)