Deadlock (416)

[Descent]

Also, did anyone else find it strange that Tyrol was so quick on his decision to abandon Galactica for the Baseship?

After helping to stop the mutiny and helping out with the repairs, he was just like "OK! I'm outta here!". It just didn't seem right to me...

[Briangate78]

I agree. But I was expecting this could have happened and honestly, after the last three amazing episodes, this one was a major letdown

I am sure the show will uptick again. You get these eps now and then. That is what happens with a serial show. The finale is 3 parts so that should be exciting. Wish the Stargates had at least a 2 part series finale.

[talyn2k1]

So everyone's saying this was a slow episode, and they're right. But there are only 4 episodes left, and the action packed fare that has been the last few episodes isn't going to answer all the questions that need answering.
An exposition episode was absolutely necessary, even it was just to prepare for revealing the answers.

I always liked Saul since the beginning, as he was the most flawed character (along with Starbuck), and he has really just got even better since New Caprica and since finding out he is a Cylon.
Tigh was stuck between a rock and a hard place in this episode, and it was fantastic. He also still managed to retain his sense of humour with the 'my grandpa was a powert sander' comment, even he was drunk.

The only thing that felt wrong about this episode was Galen voting so quickly to abandon the fleet. He slowly isolated himself from the fleet after Cally's death and finding out he was a Cylon, and since the mutiny he has come straight back in to the fleet, back in his job as the Chief and keeping Galactica going.
I know the only reason for it was to initiate the deadlock and make Ellen the swing vote, but it just sounded wrong.

Despite all of the fleet's resistance to the merging of Cylons and Humans, it is already happening, as stated at the end of the episode. Tigh summed it up best, neither race can survive long term without the other. Cylons can't reproduce without total love, which is something you can't force, and humans just aren't strong enough to survive on their own.

I believe the end of this series is going to be fantastic, anything less is just not on.

[hoof]

Maybe in some weird way, the baby downloaded into Sam's body? That's what I initally thought when I first saw it, then brushed it away. But...you just don't know with this whole Cylon resurrection thing.

One thing that struck me when I rewatched it was Ellen having the nerve to get mad at Saul because he entered into a relationship with Caprica after she was dead. Ellen had frakked her way through the fleet when she was alive and Saul had stayed true to her. And I'm not so sure that aspect of Ellen was programmed in by Cavil. After watching her with Saul, I begin to think it was all naturally her.

I don't think Tigh sleeping with Six bothered her. I think what bothers her is 1) the idea that Tigh might actually love Six, and much more importantly, 2) that six got pregnant. It isn't a rational thing, it's (as others have stated above) tied to the fact that she couldn't get pregnant, yet Tigh/six did.

What Ellen wanted for so long was a child of her own. The Significant 8 are a direct result of her attempts to have a kid w/o being able to do so biologically. Heck, her sleeping around might have been a subconscious attempt to get pregnant if her subconscious felt that it was Tigh's infertility that led to their lack of kids. Now that Six is pregnant, it's obvious that it's her that was the problem. Combine that with the fact that Six's existence represents her attempt to make children if she couldn't naturally have them, and it just fracks with her mind. And that is why she felt hurt, that in some way, the universe has condemned her to not have kids and it's totally unfair. And to top it off, it's the man she loves that "pointed it out" to her by getting six pregnant.

Now take all that, and add to it the fact that Ellen's personality is to lash out when she can't deal with something, and you get what we saw in the episode. Totally irrational, and totally "human".

[HAL2100]

A lot of the discussion goes back to my argument that a series is always better off when they have a good idea as to where they're going in the story line. Maybe not as specific as B5, but a pretty darn idea as to what they'd like to happen to whom.

Think about what would have happened if RDM had known the Ellen/Cavil backstory. Think about what it would have been like to see as the very final scene of Exodus, Ellen's resurrection complete with the 'Everything's in place honey, we'll be resurrected' and 'I'd do it all again' sequence as she's downloading only to 'pop' there she is in the tank screaming and the credits rolls. Talk about a mind-frak. Gatworld.net would crash with all of the postings about the what-if. And then from Exodus to today, our slowly learning all of the gorey details of the Final Five and the human skin jobs and Cavil's deceit.

The could have even done a shot where Ellen is obviously interfacing with the Basestar, but for what purpose we don't know. Maybe to plant the seeds of revolt against Cavil, maybe something else.

[Briangate78]

So everyone's saying this was a slow episode, and they're right. But there are only 4 episodes left, and the action packed fare that has been the last few episodes isn't going to answer all the questions that need answering.
An exposition episode was absolutely necessary, even it was just to prepare for revealing the answers.

Not all the eps have to be action packed. The episode No Exit where Ellen first comes back and Anders remembers was very interesting and contributing to the story. That episode kept me on the edge of my seat as I was listening to Anders talk about their past. There was revelation in that episode. We also found out that Ellen and the other 4 final cylons created the other models.

As per this episode, it just dragged and there was very minor things to contribute to the story. The episode basically did not go anywhere. It was one of those eps that could of been done away with and would not have effected the story or be put into another episode that was actually action packed.

[hoof]

I am sure the show will uptick again. You get these eps now and then. That is what happens with a serial show. The finale is 3 parts so that should be exciting. Wish the Stargates had at least a 2 part series finale.

It's called "Pacing". Stuff only appears dramatic and epic if it's contrasted against stuff that's not. If we'd gone episode after episode, more and more dramatic and epic than the last, suddenly that would become the "norm" and become mundane, leading to a finale that doesn't seem that much better than the previous few episodes. But by bringing us down to earth with episodes like these, the contrast gets restored for the final episodes. Going from slow (like this episode) to Oh-My-Gosh is a lot better than back-to-back Oh-My-Gosh, where we'd get to the point by the end where we're yawning yelling "next!" and complaining that the finale was no better than the earlier episodes.

I love the fast-paced dramatic episodes, but without episodes like this to ground us and set the stage, the really kick-butt episodes lose a lot of their punch IMO.

[Briangate78]

I love the fast-paced dramatic episodes, but without episodes like this to ground us and set the stage, the really kick-butt episodes lose a lot of their punch IMO.

Yeah but this episode was pretty boring, lol. Like I said above, "No Exit" was a good example of a slow paced episode being very interesting and enjoyable.

[HAL2100]

You know at least BSG hasn't done any alien-possession, time-travel, or body-switching episodes. Although the thought of Cavil being 'accidently' downloaded into a Number Six body would be entertaining, not to mention just reward.

[brthur]

That makes sense actually

Er, no, to me it doesn't. I don't think resurrection works this way.

[salmidach]

John has always known where they were, but due to the FF being on the Galactica he couldn't risk another direct attack due to the possibility of one of the FF being killed.. for although he is very angry he still revears his creators..

[Bruman]

Anyone else notice that there was no opening sequence this time around. By that I mean the part that usually starts "The cylons were created by man...".

I was wondering if they would be using last week's sequence more, but now it seems they cut directly to "Previously, on Battlestar Galactica...". BTW, I like paying attention to whose voice they use each week for the "Previously" quote.

[Detox]

This episode was not that great. Too many holes in this episode. Why would Adama and Rosyln give Baltar's crew firearms? That is the least group they would consider giving firearms to. The whole Triangle with Ellen, Tigh, and Caprica 6 became way too overkill and it was way too predictable the outcome. I can understand what RDM was trying to do, but it was just something that we could of done without. The show seems to go off on these tangents and takes several eps to find it's way back. Sadly with only 4 eps left, it needs to get to the bottom of the back story of the cylons and Earth.

I think the major problem is, in this episode, it seems like they're creating more arcs and plotlines, when they should be closing up plots and tying up loose ends.

No Exist answered a lot of questions, but Deadlock just throws a whole bunch of them back into the fray.

[Adrius]

What were the assault rifles seen on the show last night? The ones with the red tinted scopes? They were pretty damned cool.

Thanks for any replies

[Berg417448]

Looked like these to me:

http://www.impactguns.com/store/beretta_carbines.html