(scattered spoilers, including a big one for "The Passage")
1. "Exodus Pt2" (A++++++) As hyperbolic as it sounds, this episode honestly changed the way I look at television. I can't remember the last time I felt an adrenaline rush like that from any movie/TV show... maybe LOTR3 in the theatre for the first time, but that's it. 43 minutes of pure, nonstop badassery the likes of which they'll never top (though I thought the same thing about "Pegasus", and they topped that just 2 eps later) The only weak moment was that awful opening scene between Lee & Dee, but it's easily forgivable. That devastating semi-last shot of Tigh slumping away, broken, while Adama is lifted up on everyone's shoulders will be burned in my memory forever.
2. "Occupation/Precipice" (A+) Another of BSG's finest (2)hours yet, for largely the same reasons (except "disturbing" instead of "badass".) Probably the darkest episode they'll ever do to. Sidenote: this one just got nominated for the "Best Dramatic Episode" WGA (writer's guild) award, yay!!
3. "Unfinished Business" (A) I was one of the people who adored this one. The way it protrayed New Caprica as a tease of the normal life they'll never get back struck a chord with me, and though I'm not the biggest romance fan, Lee/Starbuck worked really well here. They're boxing hug was one of my favorite character moments of the season, along with Adama's "Chief, get your fat ass up here."
4. "Torn" (A) Lots of great moments here too. The Cylon basestar storyline had not yet outstayed its welcome, and was still very cool & fascinating, and the end sequence of Starbuck redeeming herself while Tigh falls deeper into an abyss again really struck a chord here. One person sucks it up and rises above their demons, the other simply can't take it and lets himself go... the different ways people can deal with tragedy. Powerful stuff.
5. "The Passage" (A-) The "mysterious friend from the past miraculously showing up" schtick bugs the hell out of me, but it was handled better here than in "Hero." Never liked Kat, so I was happy she died, but the end was as moving as it possibly could have been. Adama's "Oh, I'm staying..." was a gem. The main food shortage plot was nicely reminiscent of "33" & "Water."
6. "Collaborators" (B+) Well done, lots of nice moments (particularly w/Zarek), and rightfully respected around here, I just found it a bit on the predictable side. (didn't once buy that Gaeta would die)
7. "The Eye of Jupiter" (B) For a BSG caliber mid-season finale, I have to say I was a bit disappointed. The Lee/Starbuck stuff didn't work as well here as it did in "Unifnished Business", and just felt like a distraction from the really interesting stuff happening on Galactica. Likewise for the Baltar/basestar storyline, which I think has finally started to get on my nerves (in a "I don't know what's going on here and I'm sick of trying to find out" sort of way.) That said, the rest of the episode, between Sharon finding out about Hera, Adama's reaction to it, Tyrol & the temple, and everything that comes out of Cavil's mouth was quite good. It just got muddled a bit with the episode's lesser parts.
8. "Exodus Pt1" (B) Average, well done, but unremarkable setup with no payoff. Truth be told this is probably a very good episode, but it's sandwiched between two of my favorite television episodes of all time, so it seems worse to me than it probably actually is.
9. "Hero" (C+) Filler filler filler. On another show I would've let it pass, but BSG should know better. Bulldog's escape, even if deliberately allowed by the Cylons, was way too hard to swallow and pretty much killed the rest for me. Some good Tigh/Adama stuff though.
10. "A Measure of Salvation" (C-) More a massive anticlimactic disappointment on every level than an actually crappily-made episode (for true crap, see "Epiphanies" & "Black Market"), taking every one of "Torn"'s cool epic ideas, like the virus & dead basestar, and systematically fizzling them all. The virus turns out to be the fault of a $#@&ing sneeze, Sharon is conveniently immune, the basestar & probe are conveniently destroyed, etc etc. The worst offense for me was the way Adama dismissed Helo's treachery at the end. If that comes back to haunt him, I will gladly eat crow, but for now it reeks of a very sloppy reset button.
The season as a whole: I'd give it an "A", maybe an A-. It reminded me alot of DS9 S6, with an incredible opening stretch that ends on a sloppy reset (in DS9's case, "You Are Cordially Invited") that gives way to some really weak stuff. Thankfully the weak period was short lived (and no where near as disasterous as early S2.5), with a beautiful return to form in "Unfinished Business", but I'm not sure they've completely recovered yet. ...or if they ever will, since the New Caprica arc will be very hard act to top. On that same note, though I'm not at all in the camp who thinks there's been a substantial nosedive in quality, I can't help but feel that the best has come and gone. Hopefully I'm wrong, and there's a good chance I will be. A great season overall, with some rough patches.
