“Crossroads Part I”

“Crossroads Part I” is the beginning of a slam bang finale that definitely goes overboard and stretches believability to the limit, but if taken with a grain of salt, it is very rewarding.

We begin in a dream/vision of Roslin’s as she walks through the opera house after Hera. Athena also is chasing her and is not happy to see Roslin pursue. They both find Caprica 6 and a shadowy figure take Hera. It is very reminscent of Roslin’s Chamalla-extract induced visions.

At Joe’s bar Tigh is fiddling with a radio, trying to capture a melody that is haunting him and Sam almost hears it as well before he is distracted again.

While meeting with the prosecuting attorney in the Baltar trial, Tory pushes for trying Baltar for conspiring with the Cylons, but Cassidy rightfully tells her it’s idiotic to put Roslin’s visions on trial as evidence.

In a weird twist, Baltar is visited by a member of the press who claims her child is sick, and begs Baltar to bless him. He notes afterwards that this is the fifth or sixth similar attempt, not to mention the twenty to thirty letters he has received. He doesn’t understand and neither do the viewers. I guess it’s realistic that even the most hated member of a society will garner support from someone, but the blessing? Strange.

We finally get a taste of the Cylon fleet again. The Cylon threat needs to be in place for a successful BSG. Racetrack’s Raptor is left behind to see if the Cylons are still following them. They are, forcing a emergency jump back to the Fleet.

At this point, Roslin makes a demand that they ask Caprica Six about how they could be being followed. When Tigh and Adama question whether it’s even worth it, Roslin snaps to just do it. The moment rang kind of weird, but that’s par for the course nowadays. It causes Adama and Roslin to step aside leaving Roslin’s thermos and cup behind. Apollo, seems intrigued by something and smells the liquid confirming something.

Tigh questions Caprica Six who is forthcoming about a unique radiation leak coming from the ship. Her Personal Baltar then appears and pressures her to mention Ellen Tigh. Predictably Tigh explodes punching her. She punches Tigh back and Tigh has her shackled. That over the top is completely believable from Tigh, who is loyal but generally a screw up.

The trial begins. We have been building for this for quite a few episodes now and it doesn’t disapppoint. It is strange seeing Law and Order on a battlestar, but interesting nonetheless.

Cassidy opens by lancing into Baltar’s issues as leader. It’s typical fare but Cassidy is far outshone by Lampkin. Again Lampkin proves a great addition to the cast, even if it’s short term. He runs a perfect opening, by agreeing that Baltar should be killed. He gets everyone riled up against Baltar and then pulls the plug by noting that the trial is a sham, and that everyone has already found Baltar guilty. He then also launches into the notion of what would happen if Roslin had been in charge when the Cylons arrived on New Caprica. He thanks his lucky stars that she wasn’t or else far more would have been killed than what was killed under Baltar. It’s a predictable, but effective tactic.

Tigh is first up on the witness stand, and predictably is a disaster to the prosecution under cross examination. What isn’t so predictable is how MUCH of a disaster he is. Here is one of those slight stretches. While Tigh is not a dynamic or even competent leader, he is not completely unintelligent. So for him to ruin his own shot at nailing Baltar by admitting that he would say or do anything to kill Baltar. He then adds a bonus shot by complaining about the music that no one else present is seemingly hearing. His emotions ran wild and it’s a valid excuse, but it does seem a little contrived.

Roslin herself gets on the stand and confirms that Baltar signed the death warrant for 200 people including herself.

During a recess, Lampkin discovers through his intuition that Apollo knows something. He then carefully manipulates him into revealing it playing on his sense of justice and wanting to prove something to himself.

Adama helps Tigh back to his quarters where Tigh vents about not being able to smell his wife anymore and apologizes for embarrassing Adama in the court room. Adama tells him he could never embarrass him and puts him to bed.

Apollo then tells Adama about a possible plan to allow the Cylons to track them and lead them far off course. Adama shrugs it off as a possible good idea before he lashes out at Apollo for what he did to Tigh. Indignant Apollo says that he didn’t make Tigh drink and that he didn’t even know about Ellen. In a bit of overdramatics the somewhat drunken Adama accuses Apollo of being a liar and a coward for not being able to face someone himself and hiding behind Lampkin.

Apollo literally trembles with rage and resigns from the military saying he will not serve under someone who questions his integrity. Adama happily accepts it retorting that he won’t command an officer who doesn’t have any.

When Roslin herself takes the witness stand, Apollo is spurred on to question her himself, despite his inexperience. Roslin confirms for Lee Adama that Baltar helped save her life during her bout with cancer a year beforehand. Apollo goes for the throat and despite Adama’s objections, gets her to admit that Roslin is once again taking the chamalla-extract. This seriously damages her credibility as a witness. She forces him to finish the train of thought and admits that her cancer has returned.

Back in his quarters, Dee leaves Apollo in disgust for his behavior with Roslin. Apollo tries to get her to understand, but she refuses. Hopefully the relationship is truly over, as I can’t watch anymore…so the episode gets bonus kudos for that!

Roslin answers questions from reporters and Tory blows up at them due to her suffering from hearing the music like Tigh. Roslin lays into her telling her to get herself together.

While primarily set up to set up the finale, and looking back I am a bit harsh on it, I found watching it, to be engaged and looking forward to the completion.

B+

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