Written by Michael Taylor
Directed by Edward James Olmos
“I’ve had it up to here with destiny, prophecy, with God or the Gods. Look where it’s left us…the ass end of nowhere…nearly half of our people are gone. Earth…a worthless cinder…and I can’t even walk down the halls of my ship without wondering if I’m gonna catch a bullet for getting us into this mess.”
My departure to Japan early Friday morning has pushed this review up…which makes things difficult, because I’m running out of superlatives to use for Battlestar Galactica, as it winds up its run (and I’m irritated that I will have to catch up on the final two episodes of the series upon my return…grr…argh).
That said, if I had to sum up Islanded In a Stream Of Stars (pretentious title notwithstanding), I would say that it is one of the finest professional & personal conflicts I’ve ever seen dramatized on TV drama, especially in regards to concepts such as bowing to the inevitable, making ultimate choices, dawning realization, and facing an uncertain future. If there was one episode of Galactica that summed up the very essence of the lemons life throws at you…and the lemonade that may be possible as a result…it is THIS one.
It’s also one of the finest performances ever given by Edward James Olmos…no small feat, considering that he also directed the episode. So let’s treat it as Mr. Olmos’ final tribute to a show in which his considerable talents (both on screen and off) have been showcased again and again. The agony of certain loss, the despair of resignation, and the calm of a decision made…all that, and everything in between, we see from Olmos’ amazing performance as Adama. The confusion, chaos, worry, and terrible foreshadowing oozing throughout the blended Human/Cylon fleet…all that we get from Olmos’ amazing direction. This episode is dusted with magnificence, no matter what moment you happen to be watching.
At this point, I’m simply hoping that the finale lives up to all this build up. Can anything live up to all this build up? I wouldn’t put it past this series being able to do so…but I’ll be biting what’s left of my nails up to start of those final two hours. I’ll have to comfort myself by watching this episode’s final, glorious scene…and its final, glorious shot. It goes a long, long way to easing my worries… :-)
…but I still find the title pretentious.
10
