Tag Archives: science-fiction

Battlestar Galactica S4 E7, E8, E9

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“Guess What’s Coming to Dinner?”

“Sine Qua Non”

“The Hub”

Big things happening in the world of Battlestar Galactica. Everything is amping up for this series’ push to its finale.

  • Lee Adama gets himself appointed interim president after Roslin disappears on the Cylon baseship.
  • Admiral Adama resigns as head of Galactica in order to search for Roslin. Appointed Sol Tigh, one of the Final Five Cylons, in his place.
  • The Hybrid jumped the ship multiple times, on its way to the Hub. The Galactica crew planned on capturing Number 3 (D’anna) and destroying the Hub.
  • They do succeed and destroy the Hub, meaning that there would be no more Cylon resurrections.
  • Baltar is severely wounded and Roslin thinks about letting him die for his punishment. Baltar’s drugged out mind confessed his sins from the start. Roslin saves him.
  • D’anna refuses to give out the names of the Final Five to Roslin. It is her only bargaining chip and she wants to be safe.
  • Roslin is reunited with Adama at the end of The Hub episode and tells him that she loves him. He says “About time.”

Three very impactful episodes. Still not sure how things are going to go. It sure seems as if both sides are ready and willing to stab each other in the back, but the uneasy alliance could lead to a positive result.

Still wondering whom that fifth Cylon is. When D’anna told Roslin that she was one of the five, she did it as a joke, but I am not unsure that it was. Who knows at this point. The number of potential choices are not large and I would think that it is not Starbuck, at this point.

Silo S2 E10

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“Into the Fire”

The ending of Silo season two made me think of the ending of LOST season 3, where Jack said “We have to go back!” That moment was such a mind-f that no one was expecting it. That is how I felt when suddenly, the end of Silo seemed to be in a different time before the silos were built.

It led to us seeing where the Pez dispenser came from. It was such an unexpected twist that it was wild.

Both sides of the storyline this year came together in some great scenes.

  • I was right about Walker and the others setting up Bernard, although, I have to admit, mid way through the episode, I was not sure if I was right. Loved the scene between Walker and Bernard that confirmed the plan.
  • Juliette coming over the hill as the whole of silo 18 was preparing for force their way outside was as dramatic as it could be. It was one of the best moments of the show.
  • Again, it may just be me, but Juliette writing “Not Safe. Don’t come out” and showing it on screen as she did reminded me of “Not Penny’s Boat” by Charlie on LOST. Yeah, I know I have LOST on the brain.
  • The Algorithm is strange. It said that Camille could stay but Sims and his son had to leave. Why? Solo kept saying that his mom did not come back when they went to deal with the Safeguard. Is this tied together?
  • The scene where Juliette let Audrey have it for her treatment of Eater, whom we learn has a named- Hope. This was awesome because I have thought Audrey has had something shoved up her butt since the minute we met her.

Last week I believe I stated that ep. 9 was my favorite of the season. That is no longer accurate as episode 10 was just completely awesome from the beginning to the weird flashback at the end. The fire that seemingly consumed Juliette and Bernard, the rebellion’s ‘end’, and everything else.

Silo has done a tremendous job of providing specific details and answers to mysteries while keeping plenty of them active to keep the audience guessing. Rebecca Ferguson and Tim Robbins were outstanding all season long with a special shout out to Steve Zahn’s Solo who may have been the best character we have met so far. Zahn’s performance was special and his bond with Juliette was incredible.

Season three looks to have a ton of surprises in store, and I cannot wait to see where this sci-fi series takes me. Apple TV + has yet another epic series on its hands.

Silo S2 E9

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“The Safeguard”

Wow. This was an intense episode of Silo. It was easily my favorite episode of season two so far. Everything is coming together into major events setting up for the season finale next week.

If I am being honest, some of this season has not caught my attention. I have always been in on everything Juliette is doing, but a lot of the political stuff from the original silo has gone over my head. However, as things ratchet up, every scenes has grown in intensity.

Silo had a LOST moment too as Juliette comes across the Others. Okay, that is not their names, but she found this handful of young adults as she was searching for Solo. The inclusion of these characters brought a anxiety level that ramped things up. Rick and Audrey are angry and spiteful… at least Audrey is. She is very much like kill first and figure it out later. We see how she was behind a lot of the missteps that happened to Juliette earlier in the series (another LOST like trope that saw the same scene from different POV).

Juliette tried to figure out the combination to the vault for Rick and Audrey. Audrey had told her that she would kill Solo when her baby cried again because the baby was hungry. This all led to the reveal of Solo’s backstory and the tragic events that led up to him being stuck in that vault on his own. The whole scene of Juliette trying to convince Solo to give her the combination was effective and suspenseful.

Lukas winding up in front of the giant AI was amazing too. What is the Safeguard? I don’t know, but I think it is safe to assume that it is a way to protect the secrets by destroying the silo. We know there are 51 other silos out there and, according to the AI, only three other people had ever gotten the instructions it was going to give to Lukas.

What side is Sims and his wife going to end up on? I don’t know but all I know is that Bernard needs to face some justice. He is such a horrible character at this point, just concerned with his own power. Unless, that is, there is something that the show has not shown us yet, which is absolutely possible. I think Bernard is going to get his because of Knox. I think Know knows that Walker is the “traitor” and that he was setting up Bernard with a fake story. Maybe I am wrong about that, but the way he spoke to Walker about the possible traitor, it really seemed as if he had figured out the truth.

The finale looks to be a huge episode. This one was easily my favorite of the year so far as every story grasped my attention and made me anxious.

Battlestar Galactica S3 E19, E20, S4 E1, E2

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“Crossover Part 1”

“Crossover Part 2”

“He That Believeth in Me”

“Six of One”

The finale two episodes of Battlestar Galactica season three and the first two episodes of season four were wild.

They revealed four of the Final Five Cylons and I found it difficult to believe. Sam, Chief Tyrol, Tory Foster and, of all people, Colonel Tigh were revealed to be Cylons in disguise. They were understandably confused, but seemed to have more free will than I thought they would.

Of course, that leaves one more Cylon of the five and the show is trying to make us think that it is Kara. Kara, who showed back up, not dead, came back with a story of finding earth. I do not think she turns out to be the Cylon. I think she is a red herring. I think there are some other possible suspects at this time:

Baltar: Another one what feels too obvious. With all of the interaction with Cylons, Baltar feels wrong. Plus, he is really buying into the one person/one god thing and the worshiping that the One-God crew was giving him.

Laura Roslin: With the cancer returning, I think this would be the shock that the show may be going for. She also has a connection to Number six through these visions. She shot at Starbuck at close range and missed. Maybe she can’t harm one of her own (or at least in his mind).

Admiral Adama: I think he has been really inconsistent as a character recently. He is up and down all over the place and this could explain that. It could also be that shock moment.

I am not sure what Lee Adama’s exit from Galactica meant this episode. Did he just leave the series or is he on a new arc into the political world?

Entering into the final season of the show, I expect things to be on a high level as the season progresses. I have questioned how uncertain I am of any of these characters, yet it feels very compelling.

Silo S2 E6

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“Barricades”

Silo streamed its sixth episode the other day and things continue to be happening. This episode spent most of the time in our original silo, with only a few minutes at the end of the episode with Juliette and Solo.

Sheriff Billings takes a stand after finally getting to be able to talk to Shirley, Knox and Walker. He showed himself that he was willing to follow the law and not worry about whose side he is on. He also seemed to discover that his shakes from the Syndrome were gone despite not taking his herbs for days. What does this mean for the people of the silo? Is it just one more lie that has been used to maintain the status quo?

Bernard is feeling like he is losing control of things as the revolt below him in the silo has been picking up steam and his attempt to starve them out has failed. He realized that he has lost the sheriff, who is going to follow the law and not just blindly follow what he says.

Things are going to go crazy when Juliette is able to return to her original silo. It’s coming…

Silo S2 E4, E5

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“The Harmonium”

“Descent”

Boy, some big things went down on Silo over the last two weeks.

I did not realize that I was a week behind when I pulled up the series on Apple TV +, but there they were. Then all the crap happened.

  • The Mayor killed Judge Meadows. Poisoned mushrooms. I knew fungus should not be eaten.
  • Solo is going crazy…okay, maybe he is already crazy.
  • Knox and Shirley framed for the murder of Judge Meadows.
  • An angry mob chased after Knox and Shirley.
  • The whole Juliette going underwater to go find a suit was tense and crazy.
  • Juliette collapses from her infected injury on her arm.
  • Is Solo the real Solo? Who is the Solo that Juliette knows?
  • Sims is made a Judge. Not Bernard’s shadow though.

Things are building for a really exciting second part of the season. I can’t imagine what is happening with this rebellion when Juliette makes it back to her home silo.

Battlestar Galactica S3 E9, E10, E11, E12

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“The Passage”

“The Eye of Jupiter”

“Rapture”

“Taking a Break from All your Worries”

Thanksgiving evening, I did a run of Battlestar Galactica season three.

Episodes 9-12 were really great. It dealt with a bunch of things, including the temple discovered on the planet that Galactica was getting food from. The temple where the Eye of Jupiter would be found.

Huge steps in the relationship of Kara and Lee. Both of their marriages are falling apart and it is unclear how they feel about it. Kara and Lee are not very good people, even if they are heroic in their military roles.

Sharon found out about her daughter, Hera being alive and took some desperate attempts to get her back.

James Callis was brilliant in episode 12 as Gaius found himself back on board Galactica and had Adama, Roslin and others went out of their way to find what they could. It was a disturbing set of scenes as they tortured Gaius to find out what he knew. This show has been very much shades of grey through the entire series. I was actually feeling sorry for Baltar during this episode. It wasn’t that long ago that I decided to accept him as a villain.

Sounds as if the trial of Gaius Baltar is our next step in this story, and I am here for it.

I want to know more about Hera. She came over to Galactica because she was sick and Caprica helped Sharon get her out of the Cylon base ship. We have not heard anything else about that since though and I am curious.

This is one of the best sci-fi shows I have ever seen. It is compelling and totally unpredictable.

Silo S2 E3

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“Solo”

The best parts of this episode came from the interactions between Juliette and Solo. Solo is the person locked in the vault that we met last week. He told her that if Juliette tried to open the vault again, he would kill her.

However, we discover that Solo is not quite confident in his mental acuity. He was not sure if Juliette was real, so he put some soup out for her. When she gulped it down, Solo realized that she really was real.

Steve Zahn played the off-balanced survivor and he did a great job of spending most of the episode acting with his voice (and perhaps every once in awhile with his eyes).

Discovering the secrets of this other silo, Juliette wanted to get back to her own silo (Silo 18), to warn others of the dangers that brought this silo (Silo 17) down. She was stifled on how to make that happen since her own suit was torn to shreds.

This led to Solo exiting his vault when he feared that Juliette was going to not return. I am not sure where this goes, but Solo feels a little cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs to me.

The stuff happening back in the original silo was not as compelling for me. We get a bunch of trouble from a group planning a potential rebellion. We get questions about Juliette’s actual choice about wanting to leave. The Mayor continues with his machinations. Judge Meadow who is starting to figure out how she can leave the silo and The Mayor seemingly helping her (though I don’t trust him one bit).

Silo S2 E2

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“Order”

I figured that this episode would be this way. After last week’s episode featuring Juliette exclusively and her exploring of the other silo she found, I assumed that this week’s episode would be focused on what was happening back in the silo we all had been introduced to in season one.

This technique was used a lot in other shows like LOST or The Walking Dead where we switch POV and tell the story of what was happening in a different location, but same time.

Back in the original silo, Mayor Bernard Holland was coming up with a lie to use to squelch the potential uprising among the people who saw Juliette climb over the hill in the finale last year. They made the assumption that the world outside was safe after all. The Mayor made an effective lie about tape used on Juliette’s suit to keep the people in control, but he knew that this was not going to last forever.

We also saw the beginnings of a revolution brewing among some of the people, especially those connected to Juliette. The seeds were planted and slowly began to see signs of growth.

Judge Meadows agreed to help the Mayor, but she wants to go out of the silo. He tried to keep her from saying such things, but she was feeling too oppressed by the silo lifestyle. Meadows is going to help him but she expects the Mayor to let her go. Not sure that is going to hasppen. I do not trust the Mayor at all.

Battlestar Galactica S3 E6, E7

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“Torn”

“A Measure of Salvation”

A virus that can kill the Cylons is discovered aboard a ship. The Cylons discovered it first. Baltar went to investigate. He was told that if the infected Cylons were to die, and return to the resurrection ship, the virus would follow.

This set up this two episode story arc that dealt with the idea of some dark ideas, Specifically, genocide.

The show has never been about black and white. There are shades of gray everywhere on here. President Roslin has been showing those shades quite a bit recently as she approved the plan to try and destroy the entire Cylon race with the infected prisoners that they had brought back. Helo objected to the plan and wound up sabotaging it.

The concept behind the virus felt a little weird, and easily dismissed afterwards.

Highlights of these two episodes included:

  • Baltar’s scenes of torture at the hands of Deanna.
  • The continuing downfall of Kara and Saul from their experiences upon New Caprica.
  • The announcement of the “Final Five” Cylons that have not yet been seen. That feels like a big time plot coming.
  • The fact that they think they are on the right path for earth, but that the Cylons want earth too, as a place to start over.
  • Lee got his abs back. Easier than it was for Fat Thor.

Silo S2 E1

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“The Engineer”

Apple TV + series Silo returned for its second season. The first season was an unexpected treat when it first came out on Apple TV + so I was excited to see what a second season had in store for us.

Juliette (Rebecca Ferguson) who was sent out of the silo in the first season finale, set up by those in power to get rid of her, went walking across the outside world. She discovered that there were more silos than the one that she came from. As she went to the nearest one, she had to walk through a field littered with skeletons and rotting corpses, belonging to a group of people we saw at the episode’s beginning, who were forcing their way out of their silo in a revolution. A revolution that did not go well. Looks like the air is toxic after all.

As Juliette entered the next silo, she discovered that it was abandoned and run down. She went into the silo, exploring the structure as we got flashbacks of Juliette as a child, learning to work the recycle center.

The episode had a ton of tension and nervous energy as Juliette made her way through the darkness and decay of this silo, picking up on signs as she went. Part of the reason these scenes were as unnerving as they were was that most of the episode was silent. Except for the flashbacks, of course, most of Juliette’s time in the silo contained little to no dialogue.

That is, of course, until she heard that music playing and went to find a big vault door, which she tried to open. Failing, she was ready to leave when she heard a man speak to her, telling her that he understood why she tried to open the door, but if she tried it again, he would kill her.

For me, I would say, sure thing… no problem… enjoy your life in there. I get a feeling that Juliette is not going to just let this guy live his life behind steel doors. Or at least her curiosity will get the better of her. Who is this guy and why did he respond to her in such a way?

We did not see any of the characters from the original silo we had been introduced to in season one, but there was plenty of story taking place here to satisfy. A solid season premiere from a solid sci-fi show that more people should know about.

Battlestar Galactica S2 E18

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“Downloaded”

This episode showed us what it was like for the Cylon resurrection. We saw the rebirth of Six after the initial attack on Caprica and the rebirth of Sharon after she was shot aboard Galactica. Both were very traumatic for the Cylons.

Sharon had her baby on Galactica and President Roslin decided that the baby girl could not be raised by a Cylon and so she had the doctor pretend that the baby died, and she had the baby given to another person, secretly. This felt like a cruel decision from Roslin because the show has done such a good job of redeeming Sharon from the early days of her betrayal.

However, Sharon had serious reaction to the baby’s supposed death as she believed that they had killed the baby. She had no idea about the truth of the situation.

We also got some connection between Six and Sharon on Caprica. Funnily, the Six that was reborn after the initial explosion was also seeing Gaius Baltar in her head just like he was seeing Six in his aboard Galactica. That was not what I was expecting and it changed my POV of that character as well. Six and Sharon both admitted to their love for human men and have decided to try and make it better. Not sure how that is going to come about or how the news of the baby’s ‘death’ will change that perspective.

It had been a long time since I saw the last episode of Battlestar Galactica, so it was awesome coming back to the series.

Battlestar Galactica S1 E12, E13 S2 E1, E2

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“Kobol’s Last Gleaming, Part 1 and Part 2”

“Scattered”

“Valley of Darkness”

I had planned on watching the two part season one finale for Battlestar Galactica, but it was so compelling and engaging that I found myself bleeding over into the first two episodes of season two. Battlestar Galactica has become a must see series. For the longest time, I had no desire to see this show, despite the positive word of mouth I had heard. Now, I see exactly why this is considered such a classic.

There are too many major things happen over these four episodes to do any real recap, so I am just going to hit upon some of my thoughts as we move through.

The shooting of Adama was shocking. I literally cried out ‘oh no’ when Boomer shot him. The blood and the desperation of those around him really made the tense moment feel tragic. In the back of my head, I kept saying to myself, ‘they won’t kill off Adama,’ yet I had serious doubt about it. It appears as if Adama is going to wake up at some point, but this was extremely suspenseful.

The crew that crashed on Kobol had so many thing going down, but with the two deaths, we really proved the danger that they were in. Chief had a tough couple of episodes for sure.

I had made my decision about Dr. Baltar. He was an antagonist and I was going to consider him a villain in this piece. And then this happened. I can’t decide if he is someone I am supposed to hate or someone who is just being manipulated by the Cylons… or perhaps even the real hero of the piece. The whole thing with his daughter felt like it was more than just another trick. The dream where Adama drown the child was horrifying and definitely made Baltar look more like the positive force. If this were any other type of sci-fi show, I would know what it was trying to do, but Battlestar Galactica seems to be a deeper story with something more developed.

The conflict between Roslin and Adama is still very much brewing, having Tigh as Adama’s surrogate. The split between the survivors looks to only cause more troubles. Starbuck’s betrayal to Adama was rough, as is her fight with Number Six. Starbuck and Helo in Starbuck’s apartment, listening to a recording of her father playing the piano was very emotional and gave us even more depth to Kara.

The Cylon Centurions in “Valley of Darkness” (as well as at the very end of “Scattered”) was amazing and looked fantastic for a TV show. It would have been excellent for a big screen film too. Understandably, they have limited the use of these robots because of costs, but these were certainly worth whatever they had spent on them.

This was an epic little run of four episodes that provided an amazing sci-fi adventure with excellent characterization. Things really began to happen quickly through these episodes and the storyline is solidly in place for the foreseeable future of the show.

Battlestar Galactica S1 E11

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“Colonial Day”

How can an episode from 2005 feel so relevant to the political world of today?

A terrorist making a run at a political office with eyes on the presidency? Hmm.

Richard Hatch returned to the show as Tom Zarek, who had become a representative for one of the colonies by his words and his outsider position. The episode featured a meeting of the Quorum of Twelve, the representative body of the colonies. Zarek proposed that the position of vice president be the first item on the agenda.

Zarek manipulated others into nominating him with the idea of being elected VP and then taking out President Roslin.

I could not help but see echoes of the current day political discourse in this show, which is amazing considering this was nearly 20 years ago.

I am also amazed at how many of these characters on Battlestar Galactica are characters that I truly dislike. I have been going on about Dr. Baltar the last few posts, and his being eventually elected vice president does not put him in a better stead for me. Ellen Tigh is simply a horrendous character that I despise every second she is on screen. Zarek is a terrible character, but at least he interests me more and his compelling performance by Richard Hatch is fun.

Major events on Caprica too as Helo and Sharon were going to steal a ship to escape when Helo saw doubles of Number Six speaking to each other. He then saw another copy of Sharon (Number Eight) and he ran off, putting together what had been happening this whole time.

Battlestar Galactica has been very consistently entertaining this entire first season although I worry what havoc a VP Baltar will bring. I look forward to the eventual return of Richard Hatch once more as he brings an energy to this show unlike any others, as well as an awesome antagonist outside of the world of Cylons.

Battlestar Galactica S1 E9

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“Tigh Me Up, Tigh Me Down”

Oh, the paranoia… it is so lovely.

This episode did a great job of planting seeds all over the place, making everyone feel as if they could be a Cylon. The concept of making the Cylons look human is paying off big time with this as you are never quite sure who could be a machine.

Before going on, I have had thoughts about Gaius Baltar. His charm and humor has made me want to root for this guy, even though I saw him making bad choices everywhere. That is over for me now. This guy is officially a villain in my eyes from this point forward. Intentionally not revealing the truth of the Cylon identification testing and just making everyone pass the test because it is easier that way is the worst thing I think I have heard. I was willing to give this guy a pass before but that not the case moving forward. He may not be a Cylon sympathizer, but he is not too far away from it.

The character of Ellen Tigh is over the top. She is very unlikable as well. I found her annoying immediately and I had enough of her antics well before Baltar gave her the questionable test. I do not see any real chemistry between her and Saul Tigh. This is not the picture of the character of Saul that I had drawn up to this point. I’m not sure Ellen is someone that will build better story.

I do love the tension between Adama and President Roslin. The questions about if Adama could be a Cylon has affected the relationship and the anxiety building is awesome.

It is fascinating seeing the Cylons starting to wonder about the feelings, particularly love, that humans have, Number six’s response to “Sharon’s” behaviors on Caprica is telling and will probably become a major theme of the show. When will the first Cylon switch sides officially? I think it is destined to happen.

I am very pleased that I have started this series. I can absolutely understand why so many fans loved this show when it aired. It is top notch sci-fi and has already developed a crew of intriguing characters.