"Exodus, Pt. 1"
Air Date: Friday, October 13th, 2006

Have we ever seen a finer one-eyed performance than that of Michael Hogan as Colonel Tigh, reacting to Lady Tigh's betrayal? So much conflict and shock contained in that one twitchy eye! And while we're on the subject, I don't think I needed to see the gaping hole where Tigh's other ocular organ used to reside. A more permanent sort of eyepatch would make a fine accessory, Colonel, and would only serve to enhance your badassness.

Anyway, lots of building in this eppy, lots of winding me up for what is hopefully going to be an amazing pay-off.

First off, you should know that Roslin, Cally and Zarek are all OK, thanks to a rescue mission led by Chief (who's watching the Chief/Cally offspring while all this is going on, by the way? I can't see Tigh being a very nurturing babysitter). Two relationshippy notes, as observed during this sequence: I feel a very sweet sense of tenderness in the bond between Chief and Cally, which is nice since we didn't see much in the way of the development of their lurve affair. I believe them being together much more than I've ever bought into, say, Lee and Dualla. And secondly, I think maybe Zarek has a little crush on Laura Roslin, but this is probably because I have a little crush on Laura Roslin and think everyone else should, too.

Meanwhile, things are happening with lil' Hera, which is way exciting. Lucy Lawless Cylon is having weird dreams about the baby and pays a visit to a whacked-out Amanda Plummer (is there any other kind, really?), who tells her that she will just love the tiny Humalon (Cyman?) baby. Lucy Lawless Cylon is perplexed, yet touched.

The storyline intersects with that of Sharon, who goes undercover to get some launch keys that will hopefully aid the humans in getting the frak off of New Caprica. And to be honest, it was hard for me to concentrate much on this sequence, because I was so busy coveting Sharon's glorious, cream-colored jacket with little distressed edges. I'm guessing she spent a lot of her confinement on Galactica shopping on Bluefly, or some amazing, futuristic Bluefly equivalent. Um, I did, however, pick up on the fact that she runs into Lucy Lawless Cylon, who tells her that Hera's still alive. And I'm so glad we got to this, to Sharon knowing, right away, rather than having it drag on and on and into "we don't really care any more who The Carver is" territory. Also pleased that Lucy Lawless Cylon, with that crazy, zealot-esque gleam in her glinty, swirly eyes, is the one to deliver the news. It's a fabulously potent moment knocked outta the park by these two consistently impressive actresses.

Up on Galactica, Adama and Lee head their separate ways and I thought we saw this last week? I guess the feeling is that we needed to witness the moment wherein they actually part ways, but I couldn't help but feel that it was a bit of a waste of precious time. My heart did melt for crying Fat Apollo, though. Oh, Fat Apollo -- you make me appreciate the character way more than Hunky Apollo ever did. You keep chewing on your chewy snacks! Chew 'til you can chew no more!

Finally, both Starbuck and Baltar spend the entire episode in their own little worlds. Baltar feels sorry for himself a bunch and hangs out with Six, which is kind of a snore. And Starbuck seems to be embracing her creepy mommy role a bit more, much to the sinister delight of Leoben.

This continues to be an intriguing, genuinely scary plotline, but I must confess: part of me wishes Starbuck was front and center in the ranks of the New Caprican Resistance, a central part of what is sure to be a thrilling escape. I'd love to see how she'd interact with Chief, Tigh and the rest under these heightened circumstances - plus, can you even imagine her reaction to Lady Tigh?

So like I said - lots of build-up here, lots of things being set in motion. It makes for some slight disjointedness and a few bits that feel shoehorned in, but I'm trusting that wherever we're headed is going to be thrilling, jaw-dropping, and packed to the gills with one-eyed Michael Hogan Emmy clips.

iTunes Links

Battlestar Galactica - Series
Battlestar Galactica - Season 3
"Exodus - Pt. 1"