Monday, May 19, 2008

"Battlestar Galactica" Recap & Review - "Guess What's Coming to Dinner"

Battlestar Galactica
"Guess What’s Coming to Dinner"

Original Air Date: May 16, 2008

Brittany – TwoCents Reviewer
Brittany@thetwocentscorp.com

Can I just take a moment to be capslock, please? Just for a second, I promise.

WHAT JUST HAPPENED?

Okay, thank you. That was my reaction for a total of twelve hours after seeing the episode. I’m not usually one of those ‘let’s e-mail and instant message everyone on the internet’ kind of people after an episode of this show, but Friday night I was calling people I’m sure don’t even watch. It was that good.

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[photo: Carole Segal]

8 comments:

  1. Battlestar Galactica
    "Guess What’s Coming to Dinner"

    Original Air Date: May 16, 2008

    Brittany – TwoCents Reviewer
    Brittany@thetwocentscorp.com

    Can I just take a moment to be capslock, please? Just for a second, I promise.

    WHAT JUST HAPPENED?

    Okay, thank you. That was my reaction for a total of twelve hours after seeing the episode. I’m not usually one of those ‘let’s e-mail and instant message everyone on the internet’ kind of people after an episode of this show, but Friday night I was calling people I’m sure don’t even watch. It was that good.

    We start with Lee and Laura arguing back and forth. Eventually it comes down to Laura admitting that Gaius is correct in saying that she is having prophetic dreams and sharing them with Caprica Six and Athena. The only way Gaius could know is via a mole, because that’s not information Laura goes around giving out.

    I usually don’t skip around, but this time it can’t be helped. Starbuck is about to jump into Galactica’s orbit in her base star along with Cylons (of the toaster variety), Natalie, Leoben, and a copy of Eight. The plan is for the Demetrius to jump into orbit as well. You know what they say about best laid plans? The base star ends up jumping alone. And, just so we can have a thicker plot, the communication system doesn’t work. So of course Adama does shit the proverbial brick, launching Vipers and preparing to go weapons free. Tigh senses that something isn’t right though and calls a weapons hold, just as the Demetrius jumps in as well and confirms that the base star is with them. Uh oh, Tigh. Your Cylon is showing!

    A tense meeting is held between the Admiral, Natalie, the President, Tory, and Tigh. Natalie explains the civil war, and D’Anna’s boxing due to seeing the faces of the final five cylons. Natalie wants Adama and Laura’s help getting to the hub where D’Anna is stored so that they can unbox her, find out who the final five Cylons are, and make it to Earth. Cue the looks between Tigh and Tory as they start crapping their pants. Laura wants to know why she should help the Cylons, and Natalie says that if this is done for them, then they’ll destroy the hub which will mean no more resurrecting – ever. All cylons, when dead, will actually stay that way. “We’re rebels. We can’t go back.” Everyone looks ready to have a heart attack when Natalie assures Adama that the final Cylons are definitely within the fleet. (Sidenote: All of these actors do such incredible acting with just their eyes.) Conveniently, back on the base star, Natalie comes up with a plan to take human hostages once the final five have been revealed as an assurance that Adama won’t just blow the Cylons out of existence.

    Tigh, because he’s really not wanting anyone to unbox D’Anna so that she can tell everyone he’s a Cylon, suggests lying to the Cylons and just jumping to the hub and destroying it. Laura doesn’t agree, saying that if the hub gets blown away too prematurely, the final five won’t be so willing to share the map to Earth.

    Later, Laura and Tory are starting their agenda for the day, and Laura calmly states that she’d like for Tory to find out who the mole is (the one telling Gaius about the shared dreams with the Cylons.) “Who’s talking to him?” “With Baltar?” Tory asks. “You’re sleeping with him, right?” Silence. Stuttering. The look that Laura is giving would be enough to make me airlock myself right there on the spot, and she’s even scarier when she doesn’t have her wig on. She tells Tory that she’s been spotted down at the harem enough times to be the charter member of the nymph squad (heh). Tory tries to apologize for believing in Baltar, but Laura isn’t hearing any of it. “My friendship and my trust mean frak. And I don’t care if you have to spend the night on yours knees praying or just on your knees. I want a name.” Man. It’s about time someone called Tory out, really. Thank you, Laura.

    Laura then holds a small meeting with the Quorum, making sure that they know she hasn’t lost sight of their mission. Adama is there backing her up, and she states that she believes in their plan, in allying with the Cylons to find Earth. To prove her point, she brings in Natalie who explains the civil war again, and that to live a meaningful life, the Cylons must die. Kara flashes to the words of the Hybrid: “The dying leader will know the truth of the Opera House.” After the meeting, and in sick bay, Kara tells Laura what the Hybrid said about the Opera House which immediately means that Laura wants to speak with the Hybrid on the base star. She asks for Kara’s help, and unwaveringly, Starbuck agrees.

    Athena comes home from whatever it is that she does all day, and greets Hera who was apparently home alone coloring. When Athena looks at the drawings, they’re pictures of the number six, Natalie and Hera together. Athena promptly freaks out as Hera runs out of the room and straight to Natalie who is on Galactica preparing to talk to Adama. Once Hera is safe with the Chief, Athena shoots Natalie in the stomach. Around the same time, as Laura arrives on the base star (with Gaius), the Hybrid is plugged back in and she yells for the base star to jump. And it does. To coordinates unknown, away from Adama. Laura is now stuck on a base star.

    And now we wait two weeks for a new episode.

    Oh, also, Gaeta’s leg got cut off, and to deal with the pain of a phantom limb, he sings. Anders visits once and feels really, really, guilty.

    What did you think of this episode, readers? It was right on par with last weeks, I believe. Does anyone else think that the base star jumped to the hub, and the hub is the Opera House? Leave your two cents in the comments!

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  2. What an episode! This season has totally sucked me back in.

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  3. Seriously an A+ Ep right up there with last weeks. The Laura-Tory scene had me jumping for joy, and no kidding I thought Tory's skin was going to peel off under lauras gaze! I'm guessing to that they have jumped to the Hub, though I didn't think about it being The Opera House....I'm liking that idea!...The only thing that made me go...WTF, was why didn't anything happen to Anders for you know being the one that made Gaeta loose his leg ;-) TWO WEEKS, FRAK!!

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  4. Finally, BSG is back to its original awesomeness! This ep was killer!!!

    "Cue the looks between Tigh and Tory as they start crapping their pants." Right!? Those reactions were priceless. Loved Laura's quiet-but-firm dressing down of Tory. Laura has seemed off lately, but in this ep, she was back in full force.

    Gaeta's voice was beautiful, and added such a haunting quality to the ep, too.

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  5. As I've said before, BSG writers totally veer on extremes. Either really bad eps which seems like it's been running for hours when it's in rl just 45 minutes, OR the ones which make you hyperventilate and capslock all the way through about it's awesomeness. This was something I capslocked too.

    I've never actually thought about the Hub being the opera house, but I think the basestar did jump to the Hub.

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  6. Great review, Brittany.

    Like you, I was so glad that someone gave Tory the comeuppance she deserved. Ever since she sent "whats her face" out of that airlock I have just despised the character of Tory.

    But back to the plot, I find the shared dreams about the Operahouse mesmerizing!

    The way I reason it is this:

    Laura Roslin shares in the dream because she is the dying leader as named in the prophecy.

    Athena and CapricaSix share the dream as skin-job Cylons.

    Somehow these 3 are tied into the denouement of the plot to either a)find earth or b)create a lasting peace between Cylons and humans. I'm not quite sure which.

    I noticed that Baltar was in the last dream, but from what we've seen, he was a character that was dreamed rather than a person who shared in the dream...for this reason I don't think he's a Cylon.

    I loved the part about Mr. Gaeta singing that lonely space folksong. CORRELATION: The Final Four ALL came to know they were Cylons because they heard music.

    A few episodes back Baltar told Tory that he heard music and now Gaeta is singing music. This was probably thrown in to make us question whether either of these two might possible be the fifth Cylon...a "red herring" to throw us off course, perhaps. I dunno. Will the 5th be a major character, or could it be minor character? Tigh lost an eye--could our sympathy for Mr. Gaeta endear him even deeper to our hearts so that we will feel for him even more when we find out he is a Cylon? Who can say.

    I'll be on pins and needles until the next episode when I can see where the Cylon Base Ship actually jumped to.

    I, however, love the character of THE HYBRID and that flow of banality and poetic prophecy that she babbles as she lounges in her Cylon jacuzzi.

    I can hardly wait for the next episode!

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  7. OMG.OMG.OMG.

    WHY, HALLO, SHOW! HOW I HAVE MISSED YOU!

    WHY IS IT THAT WE GET THIS FRAKKING AWESOME EPISODE and then have to wait TWO WEEKS BEFORE THE NEXT EPISODE?!

    *makes gimme motions*

    COME ON SCIFI! MORE! MORE!

    Really, though, I agree. I felt like we were looking at a new version of the Opera House. Creepy, wasn't it?

    And, YESSSSSSSSSSSSSS! Tory DEFINITELY got hers. I adore Rekha Sharma, I really do. But now I just can't seem to like her. I have to admit that I laughed so hard when I heard that. High five, Laura! High five!

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  8. Hahaha Tory getting pwned had to be one of my favourite scenes of the eppy! I say one of, because you are right, THANK YOU! Awesome episode.

    Another great review Britt, LOL on the Adama shitting a proverbial brick :p

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