TNMC

It was virtually impossible that this episode would be able to match up to the spectacular first episode.  The bar was set too high.  A show can only be that good occasionally unfortunately.  What I'm trying to say is that the second episode is not the near perfection of the first one.  It's still damn good though.

Quickly, let me state that I am reviewing the show as broadcast on Sky One from Britain and not SCI FI in the US.  So for the sake of the American audience, I'll really only go into details from the first part of the show.  Generally we go into a lot more detail in our TV reviews but since my review proceeds the broadcast most of you will watch by a few months, I'll keep the details to a minimum.  This is a great show and I want you to enjoy it.  The only reason I'm reviewing it this early is to help build interest in an excellent show.  I'll give you my opinion and the setup of the episode but that's it.  These are still spoilers but I'm leaving out a lot of details and surprises.  If you want it to be totally fresh, stop reading now with the knowledge that it's a good episode.  I now return you to your regularly scheduled review.

The refugee fleet has finally gotten a breather from the Cylons.  That doesn't mean they aren't still in big trouble though.  The episode opens with Boomer waking up in a strange room by herself with water dripping off of her.  She is very disoriented and doesn't seem to know where she is.  For a moment, it seems she isn't even sure of who she is.  She opens her duffle bag and starts to pull out her dress uniform, at least until she discovers a detonator and a big hunk of plastic explosive in her bag.  She disarms it but is badly shaken.  She quickly heads to a small arms locker to return the detonator but is horrified to discover that six other detonators are missing.

President Roslin is making a visit to the Galactica.  Adama pulls out all the stops to make for a formal entrance for the ranking civilian politician.  It turns out neither he nor the President really like the pomp and circumstance.  He explains that the Galactica's water system recovers nearly 100% of water used, meaning the ship can go for years without a refill.  Not all the ships in the fleet are so equipped for long-term travel though and they need periodic topping off from the Galactica.  While in the process of such an operation, explosions rock the Galactica as her water tanks are punctured, venting the majority of her water into space.  Examination determines the explosions were caused by five of the six missing detonators.  Boomer is in a near panic that she will be fingered as a Cylon agent.  Her boyfriend, Chief Tyrol, helps her calm down and not get immediately in trouble.

A big meeting is held to make plans.  Raptors will be dispatched to nearby star systems to search for water.  Dr. Baltar is given an assistant, Lt. Gaeta, to start building a system to scan for human looking Cylons.  Unfortunately, Baltar has no such system.  He's faking and stalling on this.  His imaginary Cylon buddy continues to harass him, which makes him look more than a little whacko in the meeting.  He does deliver a report on the fleet's food and water needs, figures that sound more than a little daunting.  This is going to be a big issue in the near future.

There is a lot less action this time around, which allows for a lot more character development.  President Roslin spends a lot of time trying to be a leader and also figure out something about the military.  Apollo is struggling with the decision to destroy the Olympic Carrier.  He also has to learn how to deal with an expanded leadership role.  Baltar and Starbuck do some flirting over poker.  Colonel Tigh continues to struggle with his drinking problem.  The biggest development though is Boomer.  She is clearly a Cylon but doesn't seem aware of it.  Obviously she was planted a very long time ago and seems to have developed more as a human than a Cylon.  She has moments where there is a very obvious battle going on inside of her for control between these two parts of her.  It would seem Cylons may be more evolved as living beings than they themselves know.  Or it could be an elaborate plan.  At this point we just can't tell.  It's a very intriguing story element though.

Depending on how long this show runs, it will be necessary for some time to compare it to the original series.  Again, I must say that this new version is superior in every way to the original.  There is so much more depth to the story, the characters and the Cylons than the original.  In developing this series, they clearly took the time to work out virtually every possible angle and element.  There was very little development of politics in the original.  Most of the characters were fairly one-dimensional.  And the science of the original was shaky at best.  It seemed like every single planet in the universe was habitable and/or settled.  In this series, like what we know about the universe, most of it is barren rock.  Finding supplies won't be like stopping at a gas station.  It's going to be hard work and for a long time will be a tenuous existence.  I love that because it gives full weight to the situation, which means a lot of tension.  They won't have to struggle to generate tension.  It might be more of a case of trying to go easy on it.  That said, the relentless percussions of the score can be nerve rattling.  Good stuff.

Who would have ever expected a remake of an often-maligned series from the 70s to be so smart and well thought out?  Certainly not I.

Episode Rating: 8 out of 10

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