Battlestar Galactica 4.19 "Daybreak: Part One" review

Setting things up for an explosive finale

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Written by: Ronald D Moore

Directed by: Michael Rymer

Rating:

THE ONE WHERE
With the abandonment of Galactica in full swing, Admiral Adama plots a daring mission to rescue Hera from the Cylons.

VERDICT
Again, Galactica’s final episodes refuse to pan out as expected. With only three hours left to wrap up all those loose ends, this outing wrong foots you by kicking off with a lengthy flashback sequence to a pre-Cylon assault Caprica. We see Roslin sitting in a fountain after a bereavement, Baltar’s issues with his dad, Apollo having an altercation with a pigeon and having a first meeting with one Kara Thrace – all well and good but what’s it got to do with wrapping up SF TV’s finest story arc?

Luckily, the episode plays out something like Doctor Who’s “Utopia” – a fairly non-descript story that explodes into life in its final act to set up the mother of all denouements. Adama’s stirring call to arms on Galactica’s flight deck is genuine lump in the throat stuff, while the idea of launching an assault on the Cylon Colony nestling in a tactically brilliant gravity well next to a black hole leaves you bristling with anticipation. Also, could Gaius Baltar have finally discovered selflessness?

SURVIVOR COUNT
39, 516

DID YOU SPOT?
The lack of the traditional drum-backed teaser for the upcoming episode at the end of the credits?

NITPICK
Shouldn‘t Baltar’s irascible dad Julius have the Yorkshire accent Gaius ditched when he left Aerelon?

LMAO
Even in a rag-tag fugitive fleet they have proper packing boxes for moving house. They thought of everything!

BEST LINE
Helo: My wife, Athena, is a person.
Tyrol: She’s a blow-up doll, Karl. They all are. Athena, Sharon, Boomer, they’re all the same.

Richard Edwards

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