The Passage - BSG
First thoughts, without reading any of the stuff from other viewers:
This felt like BSG to me. More so than a lot of season two and parts of this new season. It dealt with Pilots, sacrifice, action, speculation, and a lot of angst. I feel like the show is finally getting back to its roots.
Kat: She was never my favorite character but I did like her. I'll miss her. She had such nice antagonism with Starbuck. I like that they addressed this "new name, new life" aspect of the apocalypse. It was an interesting twist on an established character. Her sacrifice made sense too. How horrific would it be to have an entire ship of people utterly dependent on you and to fail them, to leave them behind which is something not new to these people. It was really heart breaking to watch Hot Dog exclaiming that they couldn't leave his ship behind.
Baltar: These scenes have always had issues with pacing for me. I really like the haunting piano music, it adds an interesting layer to these scenes, but something about the pacing always makes these scenes drag. Maybe it's because I'm not emotionally invested in what happens to Baltar or even that curious about the Cylons. The main grab for this show has always been the human element, the characters interacting with each other, reacting to situations, etc, and I liked the Cylons as they were presented, mysterious, twisted, and oh-so-dangerous. Now, they're losing a lot of those elements (though not the twisted part) and I'm just finding it a little dull.
However, this episode, those scenes were a little more interesting. I still don't care about D'Anna's epiphany or what not, but Baltar's speech about wanting to be a Cylon was an interesting character point for him. It really reinforces a lot about Baltar. He's always been at his height in confidence and happiness when he is wanted, admired, sought after, looked out for, in the limelight, etc. The past year or so has been hard for him. He went from being the crazy Vice President who was at least respected for his brilliance, to the most hated human in the universe. And even now, on the Cylon ship, he's either naked or being tortured or talking casually about his impending death because there's not a use for him. His situation is so tenuous. And here comes along this thought that maybe he's the Cylon. And instead of horror (although there was that) he's actually hoping he's a Cylon, because it will justify his past actions and make him worthy of all things he loved about himself before (the admiration, the limelight, etc.) It's kinda perfect in a way.
I'm not, however, liking that Baltar's leading them straight to the fleet again. Oh sure, convergence of storylines, but still, it fills me with dread. Oh how I fear for my TV characters.
Kara: I thought she was very much in character here. I wonder how much of her speech to Kat was directed inwards. How much does Kara see herself as a good person? Does she feel like an imposter in good company? And her apology to Kat was perfect and painful. The sleeping pills - ouch. I thought it was interesting that they threw that bit in. Like a quick and painless death was not in her future medically, so Kara had to give it to her in secret? I find that a little strange in this world, but not completely out there.
Kara and Lee: I thought it was interesting that they didn't address last week's episode AT ALL. Actually, I'm not surprised. I guess fleet crises outrank personal ones still. And what better way to rekindle their friendship than a crisis?
Dee and Gaeta: I loved the small moments of them on the bridge. Loved Gaeta's glare at Tigh. Loved Dee just being there. This, again, made the show feel more like BSG to me. Less focus on a single or two character's storyline and more focus on the plot and the characters who enact it. This show's strength, for me, has always been in its ensemble cast. I love seeing characters from the beginning still playing a role in this show. It makes it more real.
Helo and Sharon: I liked seeing Helo back in a raptor. There was just something cool about that. Helo should pilot more. And I loved him talking to Hot Dog about the difference between raptors and vipers. So perfect. Sharon, lately, has just been awesome. What a character arc. She's always been unashamed of what she is and uncaring of who accepts her (hey, as long as she's got the Old Man, she's good to go) and she's remained that way throughout her arc. Unrepentant Cylon to Unrepentant Cylon Lieutenant of the Colonial Fleet. Her calm and her ability to rise above everyone else's shit really does seem to make her superior to the average human. But then again, Helo's pretty steadying too. If I had a husband like Helo, I wouldn't have much need for petty drama either.
You could totally tell this was a Jane Espenson episode. I LOVE HER. She's so awesome. The paper joke and five minutes of delirious laughter totally gave it away. That scene was funny and oh-so-tragic. Perfectly Jane and perfectly BSG. She should write more. In earlier interviews, she expressed that the hardest part was dealing with all the exposition. I'll just say that she did an amazing job delivering that information. It was structured well to get rid of the clunky exposition in the beginning without losing any momentum or time for the real story. And I understood what the pilots were doing pretty well. So yeah for Jane.
And here ends my babbling about BSG.