PART 2 of 2
Written by Seamus Kevin Fahey
Directed by Michael Nankin
“I don’t need metaphors. I need answers.”
Faith, how do I love thy exquisite, beautiful self? Let me count the ways…
(1) Once again, the Cylon base star is made into an ethereal environmnet, very reminiscent of last season’s Torn. It’s a place of crystalline silence, almost bordering on a holy (or should that be unholy) sanctuary…with stabs of blood red and metallic blue accents. It’s a place of terrifying beauty and fascinating repulsiveness, all rolled into one.
(2) It’s an episode all about confronting personal destiny…and the stark choice of either turning away, or accepting it and moving on. Emily and Laura accept their fate, and make what they can of the time left to them. Kara finally hears the prophecy of the hybrids…and staggers back in abject terror, at a loss. Sharon stares at the Cylon models she left behind…and distances herself from them even further, in spite of their pleas for her forgiveness…
…and most fightening of all, Anders slowly begins walking down the path of exploring what it may mean to be a Cylon…offering the Eights the forgiveness Sharon denies them, and coming oh-so-close to touching the watery control console. What might the results have been? Stay tuned…
(3) Nana Visitor, after 7 years on Star Trek-Deep Space Nine, doesn’t show any sign of acting skills dulled by age. Her portrayal of a dying cancer patient is, by turns, pathetic, horrifying, achingly sad, and fascinating. Having seen what cancer victims suffer, I can certainly affirm that what we witnessed here might have been the finest performance of Visitor’s career…and it sits side-by-side with Mary MacDonnell’s almost-as-good performance as Roslin, who is holding back her emotional baggage with nothing more that force of will.
(4) More Cylon psycho-drama. It’s surprising just how affected the Cylons are by their post-New Caprica trauma in general, and their recent mutinous actions in particular. They may be more emotionally damaged than the entire human fleet! All those identical models…except they aren’t identical, as we discover with violent revelation. On top of that, with no resurrection ship in sight, they’re learning the true lessons of humanity: what it means to be mortal, and how ugly is the sight of human eye-for-an-eye justice. The Baroly/Six incident is brutal, shocking, and ultimately heart-aching…and is one of those moments that only Galactica could pull off successfully.
This phase of Battlestar Galactica has been the most frustrating in some considerable time. It’s virtually plotless, and more concerned with mood, emotion, and manuvering the characters into new roles and new identities. Sometimes, it’s brilliantly handled (Six of One), and sometimes its mind-shredding & annoying (The Road Less Traveled). But Faith is easily the pinnacle of this strand of Galactica storytelling: full of depth, power, and stunning moments delivered with quiet, surgical precision. Definitely one to cherish.
10
