Mania Grade: B
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- TV Series: Battlestar Galactica
- Episode: Deadlock
- Starring: Edward James Olmos, Mary McDonnell, Tricia Helfer, Katee Sackhoff, Michael Hogan, Jamie Bamber, Aaron Douglas, and James Callis
- Written By: Jane Espenson
- Directed By: Ronald D. Moore
- Network: Sci-Fi Channel
- Series:
Battlestar Galactica: Deadlock
The Return of the Cougar By
Rob Vaux
February 21, 2009
Mania reviews the episode Battlestar Galactica: Deadlock(2009).
© Mania.com/Robert Trate
Ellen Tighe (Kate Vernon) and Boomer (Grace Park) arrive back at the Galactica with a warning: the "bad" Cylons want to recreate Resurrection. Ellen also does an ungodly amount of spooning with Saul (Michael Hogan)… despite the fact that he iced her and shacked up with Caprica (Tricia Helfer) in the interim. The remaining rogue Cylons want to leave the fleet, though Saul vehemently opposes the idea. Ellen remains undecided, and hers is the deciding vote.
Meanwhile Dr. Baltar's (James Callis) harem is hoarding food and guns--always a good sign among fringe religious organizations. Baltar aims to use their extra supplies to feed a starving group of people in Dogsville (and presumably gain some new recruits in the process) until a gang of thugs arrives and takes the food by force. The incident leaves doubts in his followers, which he overcomes with an inspiring speech (aided by his link to Number Six).
Ellen confronts Caprica about the whole "sleeping with my husband" thing (and the "pure Cylon pregnancy" thing which followed). Convinced that Saul now loves Caprica, Ellen decides that the Cylons should leave the fleet. Saul refuses to accompany them, despite Ellen's insistence otherwise. Ellen responds to his defiance with her usual cocktail of vicious, catty insults that apparently triggers a complication in Caprica's pregnancy. Ellen recants and allows Saul to remain with the ship, but it's too late: Caprica and the new baby both apparently die.
Baltar and Apollo (Jamie Bamber) bring the starving civilians in Dogsville to Adama's (Edward James Olmos) attention. Adama responds by providing military-grade weapons to Baltar's flock.
The Good
Another slow-paced episode that builds anticipation far more than delivering any excitement of its own. On the other hand, there aren't many episodes left to resolve things, so the payoff can't be far away. And the build-up on display here holds explosive potential. Take Baltar's flock and their newfound interest in big guns. Dirty Harry-style justice or a Waco-style revolt? Either way, they're going to make quite a lot of noise before all is said and done. Then there's the question of Adama's unease with the Cylon goop being used to repair his ship. When Adama gets edgy, bad things happen… which is usually when the show hits one of its numerous high points.
The Bad
For a devastating turnaround, the Cylon baby's death feels like a throwaway. Saul can cry on Adama's shoulder all he likes, it still doesn't hold the resonance it needs to. The Cylons' decision to leave also carries a curious sense of detachment, as if it doesn't really matter one way or the other what they'll do. There's a depressing lack of Starbuck (Katee Sackhoff) this episode as well, but we'll overlook it since she's apparently front and center next episode.
The Prognosis
Still a lot of questions to be answered and not much time left to do it. Presumably they show's creators aim to pack a lot into the last month. What was up with Sam's (Michael Trucco) comatose REM thing at the end of the episode? Is he back in the hands of the evil Cylons? Has there been some weird transference between him and the baby? We still don't know where (or whether) the fleet is going from here. Can they still make a go of it on Earth? Are they going to reform a civilian government anytime soon? And when/if the Cylons take off, what will happen to the humans they leave behind? Enquiring minds want to know.
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This was a good episode but just as the review indicates it has a few problems. It was also good to see Ellen Tigh acting like the oversexed and vindictive b*tch we all know and love after seeing her so sage like in the last episode.