Battlestar Galactica: Daybreak Part One

The first hour of a three hour finale is a hard one to critique, particularly when you are as yet unaware of what will happen in the two hour grand finale that will not only end the season, but the series. A great deal of expectation is crammed into these final hours from No Exit to Deadlock to Someone To Watch Over Me. Many questions have been answered and many fates have been resolved.

*D'Anna remains on Earth, the last woman on the devastated planet of the 13^th Colony. A strange, yet whimpering end for the powerful model that defied programming and logic to seek the Final Five and ended up boxed for so long. Unique now, amongst her own kind, she is the only version of her model to survive, but chose to get off the cosmic merry go round.

*Dualla ended her life after a perfect evening with Lee. She too chose to get off the cosmic merry go round, but rather than exile herself to a planet or consign herself to some corner of defeat, she chose the way to end her existence on a moment of perfect bliss for herself, making her death all that more painful and hard to comprehend.

*Felix Gaeta chose to pursue what he believed in, human purity over blending with the Cylons and led the military wing of the mutiny against Adama and Tigh. It's sad to remember that Gaeta only entered the military to pay for college and that he actually planned for something much different once upon a time. He died in an airlock in front of a firing squad.

*Tom Zarek, the terrorist, who survived death at the hands of Cylons by pure dumb luck. He won his freedom, followers and eventually a place on the Quorum of Twelve, but Tom wasn't happy without someone to rebel against. He stood against Roslin, Baltar and even Lee. With Gaeta by his side, he led the political wing of the mutiny in the Fleet and ordered the executions of the Quorum of Twelve. He died in an airlock in front of a firing squad.

*Samuel Anders endured a bullet to the head during the mutiny. It unlocked all of his memories, but seizures and swelling and selfishness sent him into surgery from which he didn't seem like he would recover. Now he lives in a half state, more hybrid than man and communicating in riddles and rambling statements.

*Kara Thrace died more than a year ago, during the Maelstrom when her ship was destroyed or transported through a wormhole. It really doesn't matter how her body ended up on Earth. But that Kara died and in her place is a new Kara, a whole Kara and one who serves a purpose whether it's finding Earth or deciphering the mystery of Hera's music.

So many fires extinguished, it is good to remember them, at least for a time. Particularly in an episode that interspersed the present aboard Galactica with vignettes to the distant past on the Colonies before the Cylon attack.

What We Learned

Adama resented an hour of his life being usurped after his distinguished service. Laura Roslin celebrated a sister's baby shower and the bonds of sibling love only to be notified the next day that her father and both sisters were killed in a car accident. The other driver was apparently intoxicated. Laura grieves them, locking herself away from the rest of her life and is nagged by a friend to join Adar's election campaign and she really is not interested.

In another vignette, Kara and Lee meet for the first time when he comes to visit his baby brother Zak at Kara's apartment in Delphi. He brings flowers and enjoys meeting Kara. His brother teases him that Kara is the one and Lee's not allowed to steal her. Later, Lee is drunk in an apartment and trying to shoo a pigeon out.

Baltar and Caprica Six are enjoying company for the first time when Baltar suddenly changes plans to go see his ailing and infirmed father. He seems to be suffering from a form of dementia. Baltar is horribly embarrassed by Julius and more than a little annoyed that Caprica followed him inside. He still doesn't remember her name. Julius points out that Baltar is indeed the son of a farmer, but that he changed his accent and pretends he doesn't come from common folk. Later Caprica waits in Baltar's house to inform him she found the perfect retirement community for Julius, he'll have round the clock care and supervision and he'll also be able to tend his own garden. She leaves Baltar gaping after her in amazement.

In the present, the Galactica continues to be torn down. Galen sits in a cell (which is apparently where he was during the last episode but from all reports that ended up on the cutting room floor. He's feeling sorry for himself and tells Karl (Helo) that Boomer, Athena and all the Sharons are blow up dolls and all the same and that there is no way to tell them apart and that he is an idiot. Way to go Chief. Want to be more of an overgrown baby?

The Admiral is packing his things to be transported to the Base Ship and discovers after encountering Hot Dog that many of the photos in their memorial are still on the wall, because no one knows who they are and no one seems to be left to claim them. It's an intensely poignant moment when Adama walks down the hallway and looks at the photos of those who are forgotten because those who remembered them are no longer with them.

His eyes pause and linger on one photo, alone against the gray metal wall. It's a photo of Athena kissing Hera. The photo bothers Adama and even as he turns to walk away, he can't stop thinking about it. He goes back to the photo again. Then he takes it off the wall.

What follows are some rather disjointed moments, but Adama goes to see Sam and Starbuck. He reminds Starbuck that she is his daughter. The rest doesn't seem to matter. Then he has her ask Sam a question. Sam rambles about finding a final place for Kara Thrace. Adama and Kara then head down to the flight deck where they drop a strip of red tape and throw down the gauntlet and word quickly spreads throughout the fleet.

Karl tells Athena that it's happening, they are going to get Hera but Athena's grief is eating her alive and it's obvious she holds out little hope. But then she knows Cavil and she's still dealing with a lot of other emotions, but when it's time to be on the flight deck, she's there.

Ellen tells Tory that of course they will go and Tory wants to know why Ellen is making decisions for all o them. Ellen reminds Tory that while she may not remember, she never did do very well alone. Honestly, Tory is so superfluous in all of this, it doesn't really seem to matter that she is one of the Final Five. Unless something really spectacular happens elsewhere, she's a dud.

Adama orders all officers serving from the mutiny to be released including Racetrack and Skulls who find the Colony where Sam apparently said it would be. At the end, everyone seems to have chosen a side, including a doddering Roslin who can barely walk, but put on her wig to come down and make a stand with the rest. Doc Cottle was going to go, but Adama ordered him back to the fleet knowing that the others would need him.

The last to choose is Baltar who seems torn. He wants to go, but he's afraid and earlier, Lee challenged him to name one time he acted selflessly instead of doing exactly what was needed for Gaius Baltar in the guise of something else. Baltar couldn't. Chances are he will choose next week, but at the end he had not chosen.

Brief Look at the Cylons

For one brief scene, Hera is seen with Cavil, Simon, Aaron and Boomer. Hera is drawing pictures and Cavil is hardly amused at all the dots. Simon observes that Hera hasn't eaten in days and they need to force a feeding tube in her to get her strong enough for tests. Boomer reminds them all that Hera is missing her mommy and Cavil mocks her. Then reminds her that Hera is a genetic oddity that needs to be studied, child or no child and his response obviously bothers Boomer. Cavil orders Simon to get on with it and he and Aaron leave. Hera sits, totally self-possessed and gazes right at Simon as he pulls out a wickedly nasty looking needle thing.

Is it wrong to hope Boomer shoves that in the Simon's eye?

To Be Continued

One episode remains.