Please be aware that this post contains detailed spoilers for episode 17 (4.19) (“Someone to Watch Over Me”) of the fourth season of Battlestar Galactica so do not read on if you have not seen the episode and do not want to be spoiled

One Sentence Review

Initially feels like more filler until an exciting climax

Plot Summary

The episode opens with a tune from “Slick” the piano player from Joe’s Bar overlaying a look at Starbucks daily routine. In her role as CAG we find that Cylon heavy raiders and pilots have been fully incorporated into the squadron and that they are currently looking for a habitable planet. We also find out that Galactica is suffering from occasional power outages, the mutiny has seriously thinned ranks leaving some Raiders undermanned and the reward for finding a habitable planet is the last tube of toothpaste.

We then cut to Tyrol reporting to Adama, Lee and Roslin and we find out that the repairs will only buy a few more jumps. We then see a new 6 Sonia who has been elected to the new Quorum of ships captains, and she asks that Boomer be handed over to the cylons to be tried for treason.

After the opening credits we see massive vibrations going through Galactica, and cut to Anders in sickbay who despite the brain activity is still in a coma. Starbuck then goes to Joe’s Bar and vents her frustration at Slick the piano player.

We then cut to Tyrol who is reminiscing about his time with Boomer and he eventually decides to go visit her in the Brig. In the brig after some hesitation he talks to her. After a brief conversation at her urging he touches her hand and is brought into a projection of the house they had planned to build on Picon. This freaks him out and he runs away.

Starbuck then goes to visit Helo and we find that he has bought back all her stuff which had been auctioned off. She only takes a cassette of her fathers concerts back and is given a picture of “stars” by Hera.

Back at Joe’s Starbuck is slightly more receptive to Slick and seems to get what he was trying to compose. Elsewhere in the bar Tyrol tries and fails to convince the rest of the five (sans Anders) to intervene in the Boomer situation.

Back at the brig, after another conversation Tyrol allows Boomer to show her, the projection of the house. It turns out that Boomer has incorporated a child into the projection which pleases Tyrol.

Starbuck after some bonding with Slick has nightmare where she sees herself as a child playing the piano in Galactica’s hanger who turns into her corpse (from Earth) when she touches her. She later confides what happened to her to Slick who is remarkably unphased by the news.

In Roslins office, Tyrol tries and fails to convince Roslin to not extradite Boomer to the cylons. Roslins warns Tyrol that Boomer is manipulative and that he needs to clear his head. Tyrol then stages a power outage and incapacitates an 8.

In Joe’s we find that Slicks story parallels Starbucks fathers in that he left his wife and child when she insisted he quit playing and get a real job despite him making enough to live on. Later Slick convinces an upset Starbuck to start playing the piano.

We then go to the brig and find that Tyrol has switched Boomer out with the 8 he incapacitated. Boomer then finds Athena and beats her up, and changes into her clothes. Helo then walks into the changing rooms and thinking Boomer is Athena sleeps with her while a gagged and tied up Athena watches from inside a locker.

Back at Joe’s after seeing Slick write a tune in shorthand, realises that Hera’s star picture is actually her fathers tune in shorthand which slick converts into the proper notation. The tune gradually turns into “All along the Watchtower” to Tory’s, Tighs and Ellens amazement. When Tigh confronts her Slick vanishes

Boomer then goes to the nursery and collects Hera claiming she had a physical. She then boards a raptor with a heavy case, she asks Tyrol to go with her but he refuses. She tells Tyrol to remember she meant everything she said no matter what happens.

In the pilots briefing room, Athena staggers in and tells him that Boomer is loose and they quickly get in touch with the CIC. When they try to delay Boomer by saying their is traffic she works out they are stalling her and starts to launch and when they tell her they will shoot her down she tells them she has Hera.

In order to stop her they retract the flight pods but she manages to get away she then jumps while still close to Galactica causing damage. Meanwhile Roslin realises that Hera has been taken and faints in her quarters.

In the nursery Tigh and Ellen speculate that Hera is tied into whatever force is manipulating them and that perhaps Anders may have answers if he ever wakes up. In sickbay Starbuck rests on Anders while her fathers music plays.

In the hanger Tyrol is shocked when he hears that Boomer took Hera and searches the hallways of Galactica while in the projection for her but cant find her.

My Thoughts and Speculation

My main problem with this episode is that for the first 3/4 of it, it felt like more filler and even with the kidnapping of Hera it did not feel like much plot meaningful plot progression was going on. The worst part of it for me was that the filler was things that could have done with spreading out over a few episodes as B and C stories and then come to the resolution at the end of an unrelated.  The Boomer and Tyrol plot felt rushed and could have used some setting up the week before and the Slick and Starbuck story again feels like it could have done with a bit more development.

It seems clear that Boomer taking Ellen back to the fleet was a set up by Cavil who thought she would be able to manipulate Tyrol into helping her escape and then she would be able to kidnap Hera. I also think it likely that despite everything she was telling the truth about her feelings for him. The “death flags” have definitely been raised over her though with Athena and Tyrol the prime candidates to do the deed. I suspect that Tyrols plan was initially to switch Boomer with a random 8 (speaking of which did he kill her or just knock her out, given his character I would go with knock her out). Boomer would then incapacitate Athena and take her place on her next Raptor mission as Tyrol was not surprised to see her on the Raptor. What Tyrol did not expect was for Hera to be kidnapped or for Boomer to sleep with Helo which while not her initial intent she did take too much pleasure in and there should be repercussions for Helo in the next few episodes, though there was no way for him to tell.

The main question is what does Cavil want with Hera, as Cavil seems to want nothing to do with humans kidnapping the Hybrid seems out of character, especially as he had Ellen one of the designers of the technology. As Hera did not seem distressed to go with Boomer in the nursery and when a baby could tell Boomer and Athena apart it seems likely that she was willing to go with her due to it fulfilling part of the greater powers master plan. Related to this is what will the repercussions for Tyrol be as it will be fairly obvious that he was her unwitting accomplice in this.

Moving onto the Starbuck story the first question has to be who or what was Slick as he seems to have head character qualities with his vanishing from the piano as soon as Tigh confronted her about the tune. Was it a projection of her father, despite his appearance being different from that on the recordings box, or possibly the manifestation of the missing cylon Daniel or some combination of both. As for Hera’s tune and the one from her childhood being “All along the Watchtower” it again reinforces Leobans belief that she has a destiny. One bit of random speculation is could the picture of stars as well as being the tune, be a map as well given that Hera coloured the Stars differently it is possible that finding a path linking stars in the same way as the tune could lead the fleet to a new home.

On the ongoing Galactica front unless a miracle happens it looks like the ship will die by the end of the series, the only question is whether it is in a last stand or arriving at a new home unless they go for the depressing everyone gets killed ending.

One thing I was disappointed with is that there was no Caprica 6 this episode as a small part of the episode dealt with Tighs grief the status of his relationship with her should have been addressed at some point even in passing to say it has ended (which is my assumption). Baltar was also conspicuous by his absence. Overall despite the ending this episode was a dissapointment as most of it felt like filler (despite it not being filler), and things that should have been incorporated into a few episodes crammed into one. I hope the pace picks up soon or the final episodes will be a damp squib.

Episode Rating

6/10 – While the last few minutes were explosive the rest of the episode felt too much like filler and we did got more questions and no real answers.