Road Less Traveled Review

From TV Squad:

Battlestar Galactica: The Road Less Traveled - VIDEO

Posted May 2nd 2008 11:54PM by Keith McDuffee
Filed under: Battlestar Galactica, Video, Episode Reviews, Reality-Free
(S04E05) It looks like Sci Fi took to heart some of the complaints over last week's online preview. This week they weren't so vague, making it crystal clear how much of a preview we were going to get. If nothing else, I could skip over the first ten minutes of the episode when it aired on TV.

As we heard tonight, the mission of the Demitrius is nearing the end of its 60-day mission, and there's noticeable tension on-board. Two months doesn't really seem all that long, but then I got to thinking -- what is a "day" to the humans as related to Earth time? Are we to assume Caprica has the same cycles as Earth? I know, I'm digressing here, but I do wonder how they differentiate a day amongst all of the different colonies, then simply say "a day" on Galactica. Most likely they have a military-set definition for it.

I meant to mention something for the past couple of episodes, but I didn't think it was worth mentioning until now. Baby Nicolas cries an awful lot. I get that he's a baby and that, perhaps, the director is just trying to make us more aware of his presence. However, it was tonight when Tyrol turned off the radio as Baltar's speech was playing that I saw there was significance in what soothes him. Do machines -- baby machines -- learn at a different pace than humans? Is it possible that he understands at a higher level than a human baby at his age? Or maybe he just likes Baltar's accent.

Did you notice that Starbuck mentioned that she was waiting to "hear that sound again." I take it that many viewers automatically assume she means the 'All Along the Watchtower' song, but my guess is it's something else. If -- and, for me, this is a big if -- there's a "ship of lights" in this series, I again say I hope it's done well and right. Olmos already said in interviews, several times, that he has a clause in his contract that says there won't be aliens in this show. Well, other than Capricans vs. Earthlings that is. Would the beings on a ship of lights go against that?

I'm not sure what's with Tyrol's shaved head, but it makes him look like someone between a bad-ass and Curly of the Three Stooges, especially when he was rubbing his head, flipping out with a gun in his hand. Out of anyone else on the fleet that we know, Tyrol has more of a reason than anyone to act out that way. It's a wonder how he was able to control himself from pulling the trigger. He feels at fault for Cally's death (and, quite honestly, he is indirectly responsible) and obviously questions his own worth and safety to the rest of the citizens of the fleet.

Baltar's talk in Tyrol's quarters was finally something that someone grounded him, especially after hearing his crazy-sounding speeches this season. The fact that he was able to admit his faults to Tyrol's face was what finally allowed him to reach out a hand and accept him. At the same time, I still loved it when Tyrol grabbed Baltar by the throat earlier in the episode; I could hear the collective cries from Baltar-haters over the planet cry "Yes!"

As for the goings-on on the Demitrius, we could see mutiny coming from a mile away. Regardless of intention, bringing Leoben onto the ship was pure insanity over anything Roslin's ever done. This thing/person kept Kara captive for months as a slave, even going so far as to lie about her having a daughter. How in the world could she trust him for a second?

Starbuck is right, though, in that if they return to Galactica with nothing, they won't be sent back out. And even if they were, the crew would likely not agree to accompany her again. Now, with mutiny at stake, there's no way in hell they'd go out again. So now it's do or die time for Starbuck.

Lastly, a hat goes off to the sudden death of Sgt. Erin Mathias. She may have seemed a Red Shirt to many, but she actually had quite a few scenes on the show. Sadly, she won't really be missed all that much.

Current fleet population: 39,675 (-1 for Sgt. Mathias)
http://www.tvsquad.com/2008/05/02/battlestar-galactica-the-road-less-traveled/