| BSG: He That Believeth In Me |
| Sunday, 06 April 2008 | |
 During a seemingly hopeless battle, Kara Thrace appears in a pristine Viper, claiming that she has been to Earth and can lead the Fleet there -- but the terminal Laura Roslin believes otherwise. Meanwhile, four of the so-called Final Five are forced to tackle the repercussions of their newfound nature, while Gaius Baltar discovers he has a commune of nubile female cultists who believe him to be an agent of the "one true God". Battlestar Galactica is back on the air for it's final season, and judging from this weeks episode it doesn't plan on pulling any punches. There will be no "Sopranos"-like blunders on this show's final arc. Get out the octogonal papers and tell the rest of the world to frak off, because this year of Battlestar Galactica looks to be the best year yet.The season premiere begins where Season 3 left off - with a massive fleet of Cylons bearing down on the Galactica- and is chock full of surprises, twists & turns, and mysteries that will no doubt be solved in upcoming episodes.  I'd be her wingman anytime. As we saw in last season's finale, Kara Thrace is back (and thank god because the show lost a large chunk of it's "hawtness" factor when she left). But how is she back? Is it really even her? Last we saw her, she was exploding in a fiery ball in the gravity-heavy atmosphere of a strange planet. Now, she's seemingly back from the dead and has not only been to Earth, but can lead the fleet there. Did she really find Earth? The mystery swirling around that little question just keeps getting bigger and bigger as the episode goes on. Not only is she "back from the grave", but Kara believes that she's only been gone a matter of hours, instead of the nearly 2 months that has passed since her 'splodey incident last year. To top that off, she returns to the Galactica in a brand new Viper. "Not a ding or dent on her", Chief Tyrol notes. The developed footage from her gun cameras do show an Earth-like planet, but the nav coordinates on her ship have been wiped clean, meaning the only key to the location is Kara herself, who can't point out the system on a map, but can navigate there by her "intuition". They match her DNA against an existing record, and it matches - unfortunately, that doesn't mean that she hasn't been a Cylon all along. Kara begs Adama to trust her, as the path that President Roslin is taking is actually heading further and further away from Earth, but he can't. Meanwhile, the President herself goes to see Six in the brig, looking for answers, only to find out that "the final five" are nearby, and that the Cylons have been programmed not to think about them.  Seriously Anders, keep off the ganja. During the attack, Commander Tigh is given an order and hesitates. Adama asks him what's wrong and Tigh responds by taking out a pistol and shooting Adama right in the head. Thankfully, it's only a vivid daydream, and Tigh snaps out of it, but the point is made: these people can't trust themselves anymore. Meanwhile, the "Baltar-as-Jesus-Christ" theme comes full bore this episode, as he is secreted away by a bevy of beautiful women who believe in the One True God of the Cylons, and believe that Baltar is the emissary for that God. The religious symbolism here is rampant, even having one point where Gaius - with full "Jesus Beard" and covered in a red shawl - walks amongst "his people". A sick child is brought to him with viral encephalitis (much like the fatal disease the Cylons discovered in the beacon) and at first it looks like Baltar is back to his old self, looking over the crowd and insisting that he prayed for the child in his typical unconvincing fashion. But then something happens. After seeing the child's pain, Baltar does pray for him - and not just some stock-standard "hey don't let this kid die" prayer, but a full on "take me and spare his life" speech! He asks the Cylon God to save the child and take his life instead, admitting his faults to everyone in earshot. It is a brilliant turn for his character. No sooner does Baltar offer his life than it appears that the Cylon God is willing to take it: Baltar is attacked in the restroom by the grieving father of a boy that was killed by the Cylons during Baltar's presidency. With a razor to his throat and looking at his imminent demise, Six appears to Baltar and asks if he was serious when he offered his life for the child's. He says he was, and begs the father to kill him. Miraculously, he's saved at the last minute by one of his followers, and upon returning back to the hideout he learns that the boy has been completely cured of his sickness. Hence the episode's title, which is a reference to John 11:25-26, which says:
Is Baltar really the emissary for a higher power? Or is this just another cunning ploy by the Cylons to put Baltar in a position of influence and power? The similarities between the two diseases is a little too convenient, but could be a red herring to keep the fans guessing. Not to be outdone by the spectacular opening, the show ends on an equally "WTF?" moment. Kara, after a crisis of identity and an unfortunate discussion with Anders (he tells her he'd still love her if she was a Cylon, she tells him that she'd put a bullet in his head if she thought he was one - ouch) decides that the President's course of action has to be stopped or they'll lose the path to Earth permanently. She attacks her guards, takes their weapons, knocks Sam unconscious (which is pretty good considering he's a toaster) and storms into Adama's quarters where she holds President Roslin at gunpoint. Things are going to get crazy. Now people are going to jump on the bandwagon for one side or the other: either she's human and is only doing what she has to do or she's a Cylon and is just doing what she's programmed to do. Personally, I think she could explain her whole length of absence by telling them that she landed on Earth, got into an accident, was revived with bionic body parts, fought a hot brunette bionic woman, and then eventually got cancelled due to low ratings, hopped back into her newly built Viper (care of NBC's severance package) and zipped back home to a network and fanbase that actually appreciate her. Then again... that might be hard to believe. Peter Sorensen is a part time reviewer, and may or may not be a Cylon sleeper agent. Comments (2)
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