nuBSG: 33

Generally, the pilot of a serialized sci-fi series is pretty dull. This is mostly due to the fact that all the characters need to be introduced, the plot needs to be established (and possibly the framework for some story arcs), and we need to get a taste for what the show is to become. Oh, and the audience has to be entertained throughout all of this.

The re-imagined Battlestar Galactica has a significant advantage in this area. It already had an entire miniseries to do all this, so the actual pilot has no problem on the entertainment side. The show loses absolutely no momentum in this transition, and if anything it slows down to focus more on the characters and their actions in the face of the impending Cylon threat.

Steve worked diligently to plan bathroom times to account for the 33 minute cycles

Except, in this episode, it's more like the continual Cylon threat. For some unknown reason, the Cylons are jumping to hyperspace every 33 minutes to meet up with the Galactica and its fleet. Not a moment too soon, not a moment too late. By that time, every ship in the fleet must jump to hyperspace or risk further damage by the Cylons. It appears to be an effective strategy, as the crew on board the Galactica is tiring more and more with each jump, and systems begin to fail, causing them to lag farther behind on the 33 minute cycle.

Meanwhile, Baltar is having issues of his own. The consciousness of Number Six is still inhabiting his body and pushing him to accept that God exists and has a plan for him, and he is constantly haunted by the fact that it was him who let the Cylons infiltrate Caprica's defenses. There were actually some enjoyable scenes with him in this episode, such as when he is trying to carry a conversation with Roslin and others, but Six is posing questions of her own. He is forced to phrase his responses in a way that will work for both parties, while trying not to sound crazy.


Eventually, it is discovered that one of their own carriers is leading the Cylons to attack them at the end of each cycle, so Apollo and Starbuck reluctantly destroy it. You would expect an episode like this to occur somewhere in the middle of a season, and not at the beginning of one, but this episode is still solid. The plot continues to be entertaining and engaging, although there are still some things to be worked out. I can't entirely feel sympathy for the characters at this point, and there were quite a lot of trips into Baltar's head. (They were okay scenes, but the constant bantering got old pretty quickly)

Score: 8

Best Quote: "Well, I'm sure someday if you're a good Cylon, he'll reward you with a lovely little walking toaster of your very own."

Best Moment: The crew being forced to destroy the carrier.

TZ: The Sixteen-Millimeter Shrine

If you follow my blog, you know that I have reviewed some of the older sci-fi series like Star Trek: The Original Series and the Twilight Zone almost as much I have reviewed shows that have aired within the past ten years. I don't claim to be a huge fan of this type of nostalgia, but isn't it kind of ironic that I have only reviewed three episodes so far for this series, and there's already an episode on the dangers of investing one's self in the past? I would find that to be creepy, if only the episode itself was halfway decent.

Oh, if you don't know the plot behind this one, then don't worry. It's pretty straight forward. We are introduced to a woman by the name of Barbara Jean Trenton. She's an aging film star, and her life would be pretty fantastic except for the fact that she can't let go of her past fame. She spends most of her time in seclusion watching her movies from 20+ years ago, which as you might have guessed isn't exactly conducive to her social life.

Imitation is the sincerest form of arrogance

Throughout the episode, Barbara longs for this seclusion, but she is continuously interrupted by people close to her that know better and just want her to move on with her life. Eventually she actually gets to meet the man she once acted with, before realizing that he does not even resemble the person that she remembers and sees on her screen every day. In the end, though, she actually gets her wish, and her agent finds her "trapped" inside the film. Yeah, that one has to be seen to be believed...

A typical reaction to seeing the Lost series finale

Although this episode, like the others, had a good message to send, I think it pretty much failed in doing so. The whole point, in my opinion, was supposed to be that Barbara was too caught up in her nostalgia to care about things happening in her real life, but as soon as she got her wish she found that it wasn't what she actually wanted her life to be. The problem with this episode is that there is no indication that this was actually the case. In fact, it's quite the opposite. Barbara actually rejects her friends when they call out to her from beyond the screen, and simply happily goes on with her life. So what we get is just a somewhat creepy, but mostly laughable ending to close off an "I could care less about the plot" episode. This doesn't really feel like a Twilight Zone episode, and the only really redeeming value to it is how the Barbara character is portrayed. The depiction of a self-absorbed movie star is fun to watch, but the story is a let-down.

Score: 3

Best Quote: "Picture of a woman looking at a picture."

Best Moment: The maid uttering an ear-piercing scream upon seeing Barbara on the screen.

Cheesy 60s Moment: Barbara sees her previous co-star in his aged state, and her eyes widen on an overly dramatic note.

-Patrick D

ST:TOS Charlie X

Another day, another god-like entity. No, I'm not being facetious. It's been a total of two episodes since Where No Man Has Gone Before, and we already have a plot that revolves around much of the same idea and a similar story. But this time it's about a teenager, so I guess that's different. *shrugs*.

Contrary to what you might expect, however, TOS actually does a great job at keeping the audience, or at least me, interested throughout the episode while forcing you the think about the situation and draw your own conclusions. And here's the situation. A boy is discovered on an abandoned planet and comes aboard the Enterprise. His name is Charlie Evans, and the exact circumstances surrounding his life are somewhat of a mystery, hence the title of the episode. Because he has been away from civilization for most of his life, he knows little about society's social "rules" and therefore has problems fitting in correctly with the rest of the Enterprise crew.

"Three more strokes and you beat Kirk."

The twist is that Charlie appears to have god-like powers, those very similar to Gary Mitchell, something he doesn't reveal fully until he becomes infuriated with being unable to do anything right in the real world. Eventually his powers pose a threat to the crew, and Kirk is forced to stop him as long as he can. Apparently Charlie can only be concentrating on several targets of his powers at one time, so the bridge crew help create problems around the ship, so many that Charlie cannot possibly stop them all.

3D Chess: The chess of the FUTURE!

But Charlie's race returns, in their evolved state, and Charlie finally gets what he deserves. He unwillingly leaves with his race, crying out in anguish that he will never be able to love, or touch anybody for that manner. So, on the surface, this episode seems dull and cheesy, but Charlie's character really progressed throughout this episode. At first, he seemed like the innocent child who didn't understand the rules of life, or how to be in a relationship with someone. He failed each time he tried to do something right and could only hang his head in shame. Eventually, though, his anger caught up with him and he found that he could only effectively get things done through using his power. In the end, though, you still feel sympathy for his situation. He only ever wanted to belong, but he found that he couldn't even do that with his power.

All in all, a decent episode. Charlie's character got annoying at times, but there were many interesting scenes. Uhh, except for the Uhura singing scene, which I admit was ten times better than watching her nude shadow dance in Star Trek V, but still...uncomfortable.

Score: 5

Best Quote: "I wanna...stay...stay...sta..." (Charlie fading away)

Best Moment: Kirk trying to explain to Charlie why it's wrong to hit a girl.

Red Shirt Death Count: 1 (+1) Our first red shirt death, which I'm counting as a death because it was never shown that the crewman was brought back from oblivion.

LOST: Walkabout

As hinted at by the creepy camera turn around Locke at the end of the previous episode, this one attempts to uncover the shroud of mystery that surrounds the character this early in the show. And it does so brilliantly. In fact, this is the best character introduction so far in the series. Albeit this is only the fourth episode, but his character is portrayed so well, which is a combination of the great writing and acting.

Locke could have sworn that he was wearing a white sock before the crash

The Losties have entirely run out of food by now, and Locke takes the opportunity to emerge from the nameless group of extras in the background and lead a hunting party into the jungle. In some flashbacks, we learn that Locke has a job that he doesn't really enjoy. He is constantly aggravated by his coworkers, and all he wants to do is go on a walkabout into the Australian outback. This is where the main theme of this episode sets in. In his past, Locke has this feeling that he is meant to do something greater, but his condition, being in a wheelchair, prevents him from doing so. On the island, he has the ability to fulfill this dream, and he seizes it. But he does so almost too smugly, leaving the other Losties to doubt his abilities, and he comes face-to-face with the smoke monster, setting a limit on his abilities after all, and forcing him to question his faith in his destiny himself.

"You know the difference between me and Professor X?
I make this look cool."

This, like many of the season one episodes, is a character building one, so there wasn't much that was too crazy, except that Locke was somehow healed by the island. I assume that this has something to do with him being a candidate for Jacob's spot. After all, we will later see that Jacob came to Locke after he fell from the building and gave him his touch. It also makes sense that Locke was merely scanned by the smoke monster, because it is revealed later that the man in black apparently cannot harm any of the candidates.

Another weird thing was the man in black appearing to Jack at almost the same time that the smoke monster was chasing Kate and Locke. So, after he scanned Locke, he immediately ran back to the beach and appeared to Jack? How does that make sense?

Oh, and it was funny how the typewriter-type machine that Locke was using at his job sounded exactly like the smoke monster. It actually makes metaphorical sense, too. Locke ultimately meets his match on the island with the smoke monster, and is also troubled by his job in the flashback. Ahh, you clever Lost writers. Always have to throw in an easter egg here and there, don't you?

Score: 8

Best Quote: "Don't tell me what I can't do!" (Not particularly clever, it was just well delivered)

Best Moment: The revelation the Locke was previously in a wheelchair.

WTF Moment: The same moment.

Schedule...Change?

So, when I started this thing I thought I would have ample time to do this, but that's just not turning out to be the case. Over the past few weeks I have failed to post posts on the day that the schedule indicates. When I miss one of them, my schedule gets thrown off entirely because my summer work ethic isn't strong enough to catch up.

Basically, I'm throwing out the schedule for now and I'll post stuff sporadically at least until the summer is over. I'll continue to review shows in the same order, but most likely not on the same days.

Yep, that's all for now. The next post will probably be after the independence day weekend.