Battlestar Galactica 3.11 - "The Eye of Jupiter" (spoilers)

Cafe Society
1

All of this has had spoilers before, and all of this will have spoilers again.

Spoiler policy:

If it’s aired, or if it’s purely speculation, no need for a spoiler box. If it’s from a future episode as revealed by interviews, web content, or kamala-induced clairvoyance, then hide it in a spoiler box, and provide a generally descriptive label so we can decide for ourselves whether or not it’s something we want to know.

Okay. Here we go. The midpoint finale, which, if last season is any indication, should feature some major developments. And based on the preview, that should certainly be the case:

  • the quest for Earth is front and center

  • Adama is nose to nose with D’Anna

  • Cavil is using Baltar as a bargaining chip

  • a thermonuclear exchange is threatened

That sounds pretty significant to me.

I know the last couple of episodes have been a little shaky for a lot of people, for a variety of reasons, but wasn’t that true in season two, also? On first viewing, “Final Cut” and “Flight of the Phoenix” were considered rather minor installments (though it must be said the latter has improved a lot in retrospect), and then “Pegasus” arrived and blew us all away. Not that we should raise our expectations unreasonably for tonight’s episode, but, come on: “Nuke the planet.” Woot!

After tonight, there’ll be a short break, and we resume in January.

9pm on Sci Fi. (And if you missed the previous announcement, the show is moving to a more prominent home, on Sunday nights. Maybe Sci Fi is pissed at the lack of Golden Globe nominations and wants to increase the show’s profile. I mean, “Grey’s Anatomy” better than BSG? Gimme a break.)

(And yes, I know the schedule change was announced before the Globe nominations. It’s a frakking joke, pilgrim.)

(Oh, and incidentally, just to continue the parenthetical commentary, in case anybody’s curious, I’m flying out for a long-overdue vacation tonight, which means I won’t actually get to see this episode until I return next week. So don’t freak out when I don’t comment immediately. I mean, because I know you’re all waiting to find out what I think of the show, so your own opinions can be validated by my expert analysis. ;))

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I was kinda dissappointed last week, but I really liked the boxing episode. It could be that the first couple of episodes of the season were “too big” and made some of the regular filler type episodes seem weaker by comparison.

Hoping for good stuff tonight. I expect we’ll learn more about the 5 remaining cyclon models, and get some more about the quest for Earth. From the previews, it looks to me like we’ll be dealing with the same planet mentioned in last week’s episode. We have reason to believe the Cylons will be there too…wonder if it was as tough on them to get there?

I think the hybrid was talking to Baltar about this planet, and possibly a temple or some such that will be found…almost similar to that whole set up they found with the “Arrow of Apollo”. I assume there will be a major change in Baltar’s merry little threesome after this episode. There will likely be a cliffhanger, so we may not get much in the way of resolution, but we should have plenty to talk about while waiting for the second half of the season…

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Yeah, I thought the boxing episode was excellent. Did little to advance the plot, but great character interaction. And the musical score was spot on!

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So. This is the fourth habitable planet we’ll have seen (Caprica, Kobol, New Caprica, Algae Planet). Anybody think it’s possible it won’t look amazing like the Vancouver-area of Canada?

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Right, when he gets back and mentions that he hasn’t seen it yet, everyone remember to ask, “Where you gone, then?”

Sorry, watching Dr. Who with the Missus.

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41, 402 survivors. Looks like Moore decided to play with the white balance on the cameras to get an alien look for the outdoor shots. Not a bad choice, but it is a little “glarish” for lack of a better word. He also included at least one outdoor shot with a normal camera, though…stuck out like a sore thumb when we saw lush green foliage after a cutaway.

Looks like D is pissed. Can’t say I blame her.

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Chief finds a temple on the first night of Channukah.
I wonder if there will be enough oil…

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Hmmm…so Xenabot snuck a heavy raider down to the planet, but she also planted a seed with Adamo…since she already knew they’d found the Temple, perhaps one of his people on the planet is a toaster…nice one.

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Gotta figure out some way to have the base stars hanging about when the sun goes nova…

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January 21?
Dammit.

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Was Starbuck playing a little David and Bathsheba thing, getting Apollo to send Anders out to defend a position with his civilian milita? Looks like Dualla outplayed them on it, eh?

I have to call bullshit on Starbuck’s whole “marriage is a sacrment I can’t defile” line. She obviously didn’t take it very seriously when she married Anders, knowing she doesn’t really love him and had no intention of being faithful. She just doesn’t want to be happy, and so no one else will be either.

Drop nukes!

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Ron Moore needs to step away from the frakkin’ lens filters right the Hell now. It was eyestrain-enducing when Helo and Sharon were on Caprica, and now we’ve got to go through it again on the Algae Planet?

I’m glad that they’ve finally turned Sam into an actual character, rather than the cardboard cutout he started out as.

Baltar needs to shave, 'cause that Jesus-beard is making James Callis look old. But Caprica’s platinum-blond hair turning into a halo of light under the Baseship lighting was kinda cool.

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Let me give a plug for the season two soundtrack. Some really good music there, including the Pegasus finale. Linky

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Multiple cliffhanger. Interesting.

  1. Why won’t Adama nuke the planet?
  2. How does Sam avoid being shot?
  3. How does Starbuck get rescued?
  4. What will Athena do to see her baby?
  5. Will Chief realize the artifact is in that symbol on the wall?
  6. Will the Temple get blown up?
  7. How long will Lee be sleeping on the couch?

Good episode. I like some of the things Moore is doing with the lighting and cameras. Obviously intentional sound merging with the grunts of lifting workers while Starbuck & Lee are sucking face. Liked the closing sequence edits.

Sweaty Callie is hot. Cute little smudge on her face, dark eyes with the bangs and the ponytail. Tighe gets the line of the night–can’t quote it, but it was right after Athena outed EvilBoomer. Something about revoking her invitation. This cast rocks hardcore. Really like what I’m seeing from the actors. Even better when I also like the material they’re working from.

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Well, if the star is a pre-supernova, it must be pumping out UV to beat the band. So I’ll forgive the lens filters.

On the other hand, why isn’t the Away Team (sorry) wearing visors and spf 20,000 sunscreen?

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I don’t think so.

I think both are Ron Moore suggesting, “Wouldn’t it be cool if…?”

Cool.

In tonight’s news…

I’d have shot Baltar the moment he walked onto Galactica.
“Oops! Sorry, I was cleaning my compression phaser rifle, or the Galactican equivalent thereof. Golly, how awfull!”

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Not sure where Moore is going with Baltar. He looks like Jesus, acts like Judas, and gets laid like Ron Jeremy. He really wants to be a Cylon…if he’s not, I suspect he’ll go insane in a highly entertaining manner.

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Nonsense.

Starbuck has been depicted as being very religious from early on in the series. That’s partly how Roslyn convinced her to go against Adama and steal her hopped-up Raider to get the Arrow of Apollo. There are all kinds of people in the real world who are capable of cheating on their spouses, but won’t get divorced because that would be a sin. Yes, such people are frakked up; so is Starbuck.

Apollo has been depicted as always striving to Do The Right Thing, and very often failing achieve that goal. I’d point to “Black Market” for examples, but I know that people like to pretend that’s not a real episode of BSG. He wants Kara; we’ve know this since the mini-series. He’s also uncomfortable about lying to people, hence his dilemma with Dee.

I feel kind of sorry for Dee and Sam – but there’s a smidgen of ‘maybe it’s payback’ feelings with Dee (after she cheated on Billy to get Apollo), and I really just can’t understand people like Sam who’re willing doormats to spouses they know are cheating.

Really, everyone in this love quadrangle are kind of unsympathetic at various times because of it.

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I don’t think it’s so much her wanting to be unhappy as much as it is Starbuck doesn’t know how to have a meaningful relationship. I think when she looks at Lee, she sees Zak. When that happens, any and all excuses to sabotage the prospect of a real relationship are on the table. She doesn’t take the ‘sacrament’ of marriage as seriously as she takes the idea of not making a commitment to Lee.

Shouldn’t there be a bit less than 41, 402 since the Rag-tag fleet lost 3 ships and their (skeleton) crews?

Loved the Chief being the one who found the temple. His childhood desecrations of the family prayer room was pretty funny. So now he’s a believer? Does it matter because he’s about to get nuked?

I guess Athena is gonna give Roz a piece of her mind. I like that Adama went straight to the fighting Agathons the moment he learned that Hera was alive. I wonder if the Adama/Roslyn rift is now unfixable?

I also enjoyed hard-working, sweaty Cali. :smiley:

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OK, she doesn’t give a damn if her actions make other people unhappy. All Anders ever did “wrong” was love her. He deserves better. Of the 4 of them, he’s the only one who generates sympathy in me, even though he is being a pathetic doormat. I think he actually DOES take the sacrament seriously, despite her cheating. Poor bastard.

I think she take seriously sabotaging her own happiness. It goes beyond and predates Zak. That was just insult to injury for a damaged person. I’m not saying I don’t like the character-- it’s a testament to Katee Sackhoff’s acting and the writing of the show that I can still like her as much as I do, despite the fact that she’s a miserable bitch a lot of the time.

I doubt it.

I wonder if the Caprica/Baltar rift is now unfixable?