TV REVIEW Battlestar Galactica 4.04 "Escape Velocity

Original US air date: 25/04/2008

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Written by: Jane Espenson

Directed by: Edward Olmos

Rating:

The One Where: After Baltar and his followers start disrupting religious ceremonies to denounce the gods, Roslin brings in emergency measures limiting assemblies to a maximum of 12 people. When Baltar doesn’t back down after guards prevent him entering his home, he gets a savage beating... until Lee arrives, announcing that the decree has been overturned by the Quorum.

Survivor Count: 39,675

Verdict: Bet Edward Olmos loved directing this one: he’s a thoughtful man with liberal views, so he’s a perfect fit for this episode about oppression and religious freedom.

It’s all a bit heavy-handed, though, and I’m not really convinced by this Baltar plotline. I don’t really understand why anyone elevated him to this position in the first place, and Baltar the prophet is a lot less fun to watch than self-serving, sleazy Baltar. Presumably the point is to sucker us into thinking he’s the last Cylon, but that’s surely too obvious to be the case?

Highlight: Tyrol’s reaction to Cally’s death is unexpected: insulting her, saying he settled for “second-best”, and that Boomer was the one he really loved. This is the sort of material you wouldn’t get in any other SF show, and Aaron Douglas’s performance is sublime.

LMAO: Why do the Sons of Ares goons who trash Baltar’s HQ have such silly shoulder pads? They look like Blake’s 7 refugees!

Nitpick: By now, wouldn’t Roslin be aware that Tory was spending so much of her time hanging out with Baltar? Surely people would notice?

Best Line:
Tyrol: "I will not make an angel out of someone who wasn’t an angel!"

Ian Berriman

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