Due to my lateness of watching this series, I’ve always had my suspicions that Commander Adama would survive the attempt made on his life during the season one finale. But come the season two opener, ‘Scattered’, I didn’t have time to ponder the commander’s condition; I was simply too swept up in the events surrounding his shooting.
It is clear from this episode that this season is taking a wider, more epic approach. Events flowed seamlessly between Caprica, the fleet and Kobol, and in turn this multi-location focus kept the episode flowing in a punchy manner. I particularly like the dynamic sparking up between Helo and Starbuck, and it is fascinating to see Colonel Tigh facing up to the job of being acting commander of Galactica. I was a little dubious about the flashbacks that were blended into the episode’s narrative, but once the touching conclusion to the episode played out between Tigh and Commander Adama, all seemed to make more sense. Chuck in a scary cliffhanger and this episode really has it all. In fact, shoot me in the head with an explosive round for saying this, but I think ‘Shattered’ is the strongest start to a BSG season yet.
Rounding off my slower week of BSG watching was ‘Valley Of Darkness’. Following on from that final shot in ‘Shattered’, this second episode focuses on Colonel Tigh as he and the crew fend off the advances of some Cylon Centurions. With so much at stake – the entire fleet, and subsequently the existence of mankind, to be precise – this is 42 minutes of pure tension. Once again, events culminate in sickbay, at Commander Adama’s bedside, and Lee Adama certainly gives as good as he gets in a frank exchange with Colonel Tigh.
Not surprisingly, I think season two has started strongly. With plenty more episodes to go I have great confidence that this will be a superior season in comparison to its already excellent predecessor.
To read my previous entry in this blog series, hit the link. Let us know your definitive thoughts on this show’s first season below.
