Saturday, June 7, 2008

"Battlestar Galactica" Recap & Review - "The Hub"

Battlestar Galactica
The Hub

Original Air Date: June 6, 2008

Brittany – TwoCents Reviewer
Brittany@thetwocentscorp.com

Could someone please hand Mary McDonnell an Emmy? Just hand it right to her because there’s no need to go through a selection process or a nominee category. I can’t begin to express accurately how amazing she was in this episode (take her performance in Taking a Break From All Your Worries and multiply it by about ten thousand.), and while we’re at it, let’s just hand Edward James Olmos an Emmy too. He was in this episode for all of a few minutes, but it was the powerful last scene that should sway Emmy voters.

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6 comments:

  1. Battlestar Galactica
    The Hub

    Original Air Date: June 6, 2008

    Brittany – TwoCents Reviewer
    Brittany@thetwocentscorp.com

    Could someone please hand Mary McDonnell an Emmy? Just hand it right to her because there’s no need to go through a selection process or a nominee category. I can’t begin to express accurately how amazing she was in this episode (take her performance in Taking a Break From All Your Worries and multiply it by about ten thousand.), and while we’re at it, let’s just hand Edward James Olmos an Emmy too. He was in this episode for all of a few minutes, but it was the powerful last scene that should sway Emmy voters.

    The basestar has jumped with Laura, Helo, and Gaius. Sounds like the beginning of a joke. Half of the Viper pilots are there too, jumping further and further away from the fleet because the Hybrid knows that Natalie is dead, and now the Hybrid is apparently afraid. Every time the Hybrid jumps, Laura gets caught in some weird in-between visionary world where she sees Elosha – remember, the priestess who died back in season two. Each time, Laura is shown her death bed on Galactica. Kara, Lee, and Bill all mourn for her and Elosha presses Laura to understand that somewhere on the path of becoming the leader and the dying prophet, she forgot to love and let herself be loved. These people who mourn for her; Laura didn’t hate them, but she didn’t allow herself to love them either.

    Gaius and Laura try to talk to the Hybrid, to get her (it? What do we call that thing?) to stop jumping. Gaius actually bends down and asks why she’s jumping and the look on Gaius’ face when he realizes the Hybrid is responding is priceless. And then, he asks it to stop jumping and it does. Well, for a moment anyway, long enough for Gaius to think he really did something. It was convincing enough for Laura and Gaius to tag team, dare I say, bicker over who can whisper those sweet nothings into the Hybrid’s ear and make her jump back to the fleet. It’s an amusing scene that ends with “DON’T YELL AT HER, GAIUS!” “I’M NOT YELLING AT HER, LAURA.” Then, finally, the Hybrid jumps when it realizes that D’Anna is back on line.

    Laura goes to Helo, telling him that as soon as they have D’Anna on board, no matter what they’ve promised the Cylons, she is to be taken straight to Laura. No briefing with the Cylons, no reunion with the Sixes and Eights. Even though that was the deal, Laura wants some one on one time with her. Helo is understandably uncomfortable with doing this, but seeing as how Laura is the President, he does what she asks of him. As D’Anna lounges in, fresh from killing Cavil and escaping the now blown to bits Hub, Laura asks her questions about the Final Five. D’Anna turns, looks at Laura and tells her she’s one of them. There’s a moment where Laura looks like she’s ready to airlock herself before D’Anna laughs. “GOTCHA!” And even Laura has to laugh, because that was a good one. Finally, D’Anna explains that the identity of the Final Five is all she has left, and she’s not letting go of it so easily. At least, not until she’s among the Fleet.

    In between D’Anna coming back and the Eights and Sixes working with the Viper pilots to destroy the Hub, a copy of Eight tells Helo that she’s accessed all of Athena’s memories, so really, she’s an exact copy of his wife. He looks just slightly creeped out by that, and then she gives a speech about how now that the Hub is blown, it’s an even playing field between the Cylons and the humans and that they’re going to have to trust one another. Cue Helo breaking the promise to let D’Anna confer with the Cylons first and taking her straight to Laura. The Eight looks betrayed and it’s just another lesson on what it is to be human.

    Gaius takes to a Centurion, actually talking with it once he realizes he can understand its head movements and beaming track of red light as communication. The Centurions know nothing about God, but before Gaius can give his big speech about God and not being a slave to the Cylons, a nuke sent by another basestar causes an explosion. This both kills Gaius’ new friend and gives Gaius a nasty wound. Laura decides she’s going to play Cottle for this scene. She starts trying to stop the bleeding, and after giving him a shot of morpha, realizes she can get some information from him. She asks him what he’s so guilty about, and finally, after threat of airlock, torture and a trial, a little morpha was all Gaius needed to tell Laura that he was the one who helped the Cylons in the beginning. Cue Laura’s melt down and Mary McDonnell’s Emmy nomination. She decides right then and there to let Gaius die; to let him bleed out right on the floor. She has one more vision though, as the basestar starts jumping back to the fleet. It’s her final moment; Bill is there. Laura flat lines; she’s gone, and Bill cries, whispering that she can finally go rest. He gives her a tender kiss to the lips, then slips off his wedding band and places it on her finger. Back in the present, Laura realizes that no death is truly meaningless and rushes to save Gaius, even going so far as to beg him not to die.

    The final scene; perhaps the most touching of the series, has Bill at the rendezvous point, staring at the basestar after if jumps in. He docks on the basestar and after standing in front of Laura, states quietly that he missed her. She whispers, “Me too”, and they embrace. Laura remembers her visions, remembers what Elosha said and whispers against Bill’s neck. “I love you.” They’re both crying (I’m crying) and Bill smiles. “It’s about time.” They hug again, he kisses her temple, and it’s the best damn love story I have ever seen.

    What did you think, readers? We have one episode left before a hiatus of doom (no new eps after the 13th until 2009), so what do you want to see happen in that final hour? I personally would like to find out that Kara is the dying leader. (She has both died and been to Earth. Doesn’t that fit the criteria of the prophecy?) I’d love for the fleet to find Earth so that in 2009 we can start off with the fleet trying to adjust. Leave your Two Cents in the comments or shoot me an email!

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  2. She has both died and been to Earth. Doesn’t that fit the criteria of the prophecy?

    Still missing the wasting disease.

    Also, either I'm having major deja vu or did you post some of this in the ep review thread over at Battlestar Blog cos it seems really familiar.

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  3. I don't post at Battlestar Blog, so I wouldn't know anything about that.

    Wasting disease. Check. That part seems to be forgotten by a lot of people (including me).

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  4. HOLY FRAK!!! You are sooooo right, why oh why they didn't chose this ep as Marys emmy sub I'll never know....she was amazing..now I am a Maryfangirl..but she OWNED this ep. I was crying LOL'ing at the scenes with her and Gaius and the final scene...what we have been waiting for for years did not disppoint, I just pray that RSM doesn't give with one hand and take with the other....also BIG Kudos to Bear McCreary..this weeks music was amazing. From the Hub battle scene... to the ever glorious Roslin and Adama's (love) theme!

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  5. Could someone please hand Mary McDonnell an Emmy?

    That's exactly what I'm thinking!!!She is absolutely amazing-especially in this episode.

    They hug again, he kisses her temple, and it’s the best damn love story I have ever seen.

    If you had told me right after the miniseries that they would fall in love, I wouldn't have believed you. I love how their relationship has developed over the past four years-you are right, best damn love story I've ever seen!

    (found a link to your post on LiveJournal- decided to drop by) :)

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  6. I'm late to the party, but I really like your idea of Kara being the dying leader! I've been thinking about that prophecy a lot, given the finale . . . they need to come back and explain it.

    And this was such a faboulous episode! Baltar was hilarious and the Bill/Laura was wonderful.

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