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Season 3, Episode 18
Battlestar Galactica: The Son Also Rises
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This is another episode where I liked many developments, while others felt lacking. I think the bar is raised so high, it’s hard for me to feel satisfied any time an episode is less than awesome. My last must-see episode was the half-season finale of last year, Eye Of Jupiter. I’m now patiently waiting for some mind-bending revelation, sure to come in the season 3 finale, but taking unbearably long to arrive.
In this episode, the Galactica crew - still reeling from Starbuck’s death - are preparing for Baltar’s trial. While nearly everyone believes he’s guilty of conspiring with the Cylons and ordering his fellow humans to death, he still deserves a fair trail. Unfortunately, a mad bomber with their own sense of justice, tries to murder the lawyer Romo Lampkin (Mark Sheppard) assigned to Baltar’s case. Lee also gets wrapped up in the legal excitement, defying his father in hopes to help Lampkin defend Baltar at the trial.
What did I like? Well, the smarmy lawyer Lampkin, peering over his Matrixy shades at key moments, is the perfect sleaze-ball type to represent the cowardly Baltar. I loved the sneaky way Lampkin lies to everybody - Number Six and Lee included - manipulating them into various emotional states, like pieces on a chess board, in preparation for the trial. Lee desperately wants to make his own decisions and defy the wishes his father, which Lampkin obviously hopes to use to Baltar’s advantage. Plus, Lampkin has a cat (maybe it’s a Cylon).
As another plot thread, the episode questioned the meaning of justice. Every individual has a right to legal representation and are innocent until proven otherwise. So the vigilante bomber, exercising his own form of justice, is eventually caught.
Meanwhile, Baltar faces his toughest situation yet. It will be interesting to see how he squirms his way out of this one (as I expect). Still, I have a feeling what’s in store for him will make Lucy Lawless poking him with a sonic USB cable on a Cylon base star look like paradise - at least she was easy on the eyes.
Still, other things about this episode bugged me. I don’t think the various characters’ (Lee, Adama, Anders) scenes dealing with Starbuck’s death were handled well. Lee showed the most strain, but he seems to get over his bewilderment much too quickly once he’s enthralled by Lampkin and the prospect of playing lawyer like his grandfather. I also think his new-found interest in the law is, well, too sudden and a bit too convenient to take seriously.
To sum up, I enjoyed this episode but I’m still waiting for some crazy mind-bending revelations that are starting feel long in coming. Give me some steamy Lampkin-Baltar-Six three-way. Show Adama captured by Cylons and told he’s Sharon’s father - anything. Battlestar Galactica owes us at this point.
Next Episode: Crossroads Part 1
Previous Episode: Maelstrom
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FWIW, I’ve started to just read your BSG reviews in lieu of watching the actual Galactica episode (as of ep 17 and now this one), I hope this doesn’t mean I think that BSG has jumped the shark (ack).
hey dave - despite my gripes, each episode has still been enjoyable. I think they’re building up to something cool.
The last episode’s best part was Adama going nuts at the end, destroying his model ship…
I look forward to your funny comments on BSG - stick with it!
I totally agree with you about Eye Of Jupiter Pt 1 being the last ‘holy shit!’ style episode. Wicked ending on that one. The 2nd half of season 3 has been kind of blah.
Oh - and Lampkin/Balter as 2/3rds of a Threesome? Gross. No to that. I’d rather go look at the Feb PB pictorial of Caprica 6. It’s nice.
Hey Jeff. Yeah totally - that Eye of Jupiter episode was one where I felt like I had to watch it twice, or even three times (I think I did) because there was so much stuff going on. Then, before that, the whole escape from New Caprica was also awesome. I don’t mean to sound too harsh on BSG but so far in 2007 the episodes haven’t been of that “you gotta watch this!” nature.
I was slightly kidding about the Lampkin/Baltar/6 thing. It’s either that, or Adama and Roslyn…! (yuck!)
Alright, I caved and watched this ep (but still skipped the Starbux gets Nuked ep — frankly I never cared for her character or her lame subplots, especially her ovary removal and new caprica captivity) and I have to say, it wasn’t bad (but not great enuff to have me salivating for next week).
I do enjoy all the Bill vs. Lee Adama tension. And I really enjoyed that freak Lampkin. I was kinda hoping that it would be Chief doing a turn as the unabomber, but no such luck.
I kinda hope that the Adama men are both cylons. They already have enough collective baggage and father-son angst, why not amp it up another notch?
Finally, I continue to enjoy those exterior shots of the Galactica. The hull of that thing looks as weathered and cratered as Bill Adama’s cheeks
Yeah I think Lampkin was the biggest reason to watch this episode.
The more I think about it though - I dunno if this move to make Law and Order in space is going to work for me. I don’t care for those cop / lawyer shows in general. Even when they did the trial thing on Star Trek I got kinda bored.
What the heck happened to the quest for earth already…?
There was a DS9 episode where Worf was on trial - thought it was one of the best ever. Guess you just had to be a fan.
Yeah - I’m mostly just saying I don’t care for cop / lawyer shows like Law and Order or CSI etc. I suppose I’m just a kid at heart in the sense, I love the space ship battles and Cylon stuff.
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