PART 2 of 2
Written by Michael Angeli
Directed by Wayne Rose
“NO! Not now. Not ever! Do you hear me? I will use every cannon, every bomb, every bullet, every weapon I have down to my own eye teeth to end you. I swear it! I’m coming for ALL OF YOU!”
What will you get from Blood on the Scales? A story that unfolds pretty much as expected…but it dresses up the inevitable with such astonishing style, you’ll forgive it anything.
But you’ll also get the following:
(1) Roslin ready to kick-ass, take no prisoners, and never EVER take NO for an answer! (A harrowing, howling, fed up “NO”!) The flip side is Adama: brilliantly angry and absolutely certain in his conviction of taking back his ship and giving Roslin the chance she needs to make her move. Their emotional reunion had me in tears…and their life-and-death power play ends with a HUGE wave of relief, perhaps the biggest one since the escape from New Caprica.
(2) The continuing adventures of Starbuck and Apollo WITH GUNS…there’s definitely a cop show in this, and for once, it’s LEE who makes KARA hesistate. She may not think it was funny…but it was brilliant.
(3) Hail to the (ex)chief. Tyrol’s race through the conduits is like watching an episode of MacGyver on speed, and his last ditch sabotage of Galactica’s FTL engine is a pocket James Cameron movie all its own…which brings us to…
(4) The astounding performance of the supporting characters. Little throwaway scenes, given to so many characters over the years, are repaid with (sometimes final) character moments of surprising depth, whether it be Narcho’s admission to Adama that he can surrender, but he can’t follow Adama, or Hotdog’s refusal to fire on Roslin’s raptor, or Lieutenant Kelly’s dark night of the soul as he switches sides.
(5) Romo Lampkin (the always amazing Mark Sheppard) demonstrates that he has a conscience…and it pisses him off! Wonderful!
(6) The final come-uppance: a work of art. Zarek’s murder of the Quorom, Gaeta realizing that his mutiny…and his life…are both over, as Adama & Company march on CIC like a tsunami. A gorgeous scene with Baltar, sharing pre-execution cigars (there’s little doubt that Gaius’ “I’ll remember you, Felix” is genuine and achingly sad), and the actual execution — sharing a smile with Zarek.
Blood on the Scales provides visceral, beautiful closer to another chapter of Battlestar Galactica. This may also be the first episode that didn’t threaten to EAT my soul…so much as soothe it. :-)
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