Anyway, on to the action: the main plot of this episode is Kara Thrace’s return. She was last seen on a suicidal dive into a big swirly thing with an expression on her face not unlike a recently converted Moonie. Now she’s back, and claims to have found Earth: ‘big blue oceans, fluffy white clouds… you’re going to love it!’ Luckily, no one’s told her about egg ‘n’ ham slabs, Dream Team or Cliff Richard’s 1981 hit ‘Wired for Sound’. Yes, being rude about civilisation’s multifarious failings is never going to get old.
Due to all this, Roslin and Adama are understandably suspicious… is she the final Cylon? Is it all a trick? The captured Six has told Roslin that she can ‘feel’ the final five are nearby, and as such neither the Admiral or the President are paying any attention to Kara’s directions, and are instead following the route pointed out by the supernova, which Kara has been drawing all her life. Why does Kara suddenly feel this is the wrong way? Where has her special connection with the pattern gone? Every jump she claims she’s losing her ability to know the way to Earth, and at the end of the episode, she has a tantrum (i.e. knocks out two armed guards and her husband) bursts into Adama’s quarters (where Roslin just happens to be staying, nudge nudge) and confronts the President.
But enough about Kara, what about the rest of the crew, especially our freshly milled Cylons: Tigh, Tory, Anders and the Chief? While there’s a cheap scare at the beginning of the episode as Tigh imagines himself neatly shooting the Admiral through the right lens, it’s Samuel T. Anders who really steals the best reveals. Looking properly fit in a viper pilot jumpsuit, Anders heads out to fight the Cylons, but in his first head to head battle with a raider, he’s scanned, and there’s a welcome return of the red flashing last seen on naked Sharon’s spine as she’s frakking Helo back on nuked Caprica. Anders’ eyes flash red in response to the raider, who then seemingly calls off the whole attack. Why is unclear: is it because the raider saw that Anders had been activated? If so, does that mean the as yet undiscovered four will act soon? Does this mean Helo’s the last Cylon (dear gods please no)?
Despite this, however, all in all it was a great first episode. The CGI at the beginning should be especially commended as absolutely stunning and the stories of Starbuck and the newly revealed Cylons were as surprising as they were intriguing. They just need to stop Rev. Gaius and his band of loyal housewives from ruining all the action. Fairy lights indeed.
