BATTLESTAR GALACTICA Recap: “Faith”

Title: “Faith”
Original Airdate: 5/9/08
GMMR Recapper: Jo

39,675. Because that dayplayer on Demetrius got blown up last week. Two major story lines but once again several MIA actors. Adama only pops up at the very end.

Roslin, wearing a convincing bald cap comments on Tory’s new found strength the face of political whirlwinds. Huh, I wonder who will airlock who first…Fast forward to Roslin’s chemo treatment. She tries to comfort a dying woman, but Roslin tries to turn Baltar off the radio which incites the woman. Later she apologizes and tells Roslin about how she’s almost crossed the river. Metaphorically. Or Metaphysically. That’s left to interpretation I suppose. Across her river is her dead family, happy and waiting. This gives Roslin a little more hope, since she also lost her mom to cancer. As the woman dies, Roslin gets a glimpse of her own riverbank which includes her mother who I promise from a distance could pass for Barbara Bush. I shouldn’t giggle during these serious type moments but I’ve seen the former first lady from ten feet away and that’s all I could think about.

But all the drama is with Demetrius. When we last cut to black, Helo had just taken control of the ship in a mutiny over Starbuck. Athena headlocks Starbuck. Helo orders Gaeta to jump back to Galactica, but Anders pulls a gun and shoots Gaeta in the leg and it. is. nasty. Seriously awesome acting all episode by Alessandro Juliani. So Starbuck decides that Demetrius should go back to Galactica, but either way she’s taking Leoben to the baseship. Course she needs a friendly Cylon- a hesistant Athena, and Anders her loyal puppy dog and the obligatory dayplayer who’s bound to get killed. They have 15 hours to get to the baseship, talk to the hybrid and get back or Helo’s leaving them behind. Does Helo remind anyone else of a Captain America type? He’s such an awesome boy scout. Now, fifteen plus hours of mangled leg means he might not get to keep it, so Gaeta makes Helo promise to tell Cottle not to take his leg.

Starbuck’s crew jumps to the wreckage of the Cylon civil war. They land on a baseship. Athena gets real jumpy around other eight models. I’ll take this moment to point out that besides Katee Sackhoff, Grace Park deserves an award because any given episode she pulls off three or four versions of the same character- all unique and interesting. That’s not easy stuff. There’s another model of Six on this baseship…I think this one is called Natalie but I’m not sure why….so we’ll go with Natalie. She makes an uneasy pact to let Starbuck talk to the Hybrid and in return, Athena will fix their FTL drive. (For any newbies, “FTL” is “faster than light” which, besides the whole Cylon concept, is the only made up technology that appears frequently.) Athena sticks her hand the goo water to digitally determine what all work needs to be done. Anders toys with the idea and almost gets away with sticking his hand in too, but gets called away at the last second. Oh, Ronald D. Moore, you tease.

The dayplayer and one of the Sixes are assigned to start working on the ship, but their paths crossed on New Caprica, and we all remember how friendly those days were. The Six lashes out and kills her. Anders nearly loses it. Guns get pulled, people scream, smacked around. Starbuck talks him down from killing the Six, but he doesn’t really want to do it. Remember Samuel T. Anders, Resistance leader? He would not have hesitated. But Samuel T. Anders, founding member of Cylon Anonymous clearly has some internal issues. So the Natalie Six kills her. But there’s no Resurrection ship, so she’s really dead.

Starbuck goes to see the Hybrid. And this is the message:

“Thus will it come to pass. A dying leader who will know the truth of the opera house. The missing Three will give you the five who have come from the home of the 13th. You are the harbinger of death Kara Thrace. You will lead them all to their end. End of line.”

WOW. Dying leader (Roslin) will know the truth of the opera house (?? it’s only been a dream that crazy opera house). The missing Three (XENA! Oh I mean D’anna who got boxed) will give you the five (Cylon Anonymous)…13th (Earth is the 13th colony). But Harbinger of death Kara Thrace?! Oy!

So the Cylons put together this message and decide to open the D’anna box and Anders gets this slightly terrified look on his face. So Helo’s counting down the jump, but Starbuck and the baseship jump back at the last second.

We close with Roslin and Adama discussing Earth in the middle of the night. Sitting ridiculous close on the couch with zero kiss. Oh, Ronald D. Moore! You tease.

Every week the promos promised “One will be revealed”…but when? And who do you think it is? Personally, I’m voting for Dualla or Gaeta. Mostly just to give their characters something to do this year.

Jo has a boring job in a small town in Texas and spends her hours daydreaming about Dillon Panther football, Samuel T. Anders and becoming a real life version of Veronica Mars. Her random TV rants can be found at http://tvonthebrain.wordpress.com.