Clever planning and pent-up anger fuel the suddenly again riveting "Battlestar Galactica" in its 13th season four episode, "The Oath."
President Laura Roslin (Mary McDonnel) and the military regime controlling the government might not be fair to their people, but at least the series writers are fair to supporting actors such as Alessandro Juliani, who portrays Felix Gaeta.
Writers transform the usually quiet lieutenant junior grade who helms the Galactica bridge's com into the gimp Captain Ahab of the stars out for revenge in "The Oath" after his leaders propose to form an alliance with their hitherto sworn enemies, Cylons. Albeit these "toasters" have since rebelled against their metallic comrades.
With the help of the ever ambitious Vice President Tom Zarek (Richard Hatch), Gaeta stages what he is convinced is a necessary coup.
One wonders whether this episode was planned out way in advance of its production because the writers have Zarek and Gaeta, arguably nothing more than a few powerless kogs in the overall fleet works, appropriately exploit everyone's ugly sides toward this end.
The government's disregard of the fleet in most of its command decisions, the penchant of Jamie Bamber's Lee Adama for going up against his father by fighting against civil liberties violations, Gaeta's disillusionment with everything that has happened since he lost his leg, the rest of the crew's prejudice against Cylons are all utilized.
What also complements this episode is that the premise serves to knock the apathy out of Admiral William Adama (Edward James Olmos), Roslin and the other Galactica movers and shakers who have lately been operating in their official capacities as though they do not give a frak anymore.
Forced to respond by whatever means necessary to this attempted coup, Adama and Roslin eventually show that there is at least one saving grace to everything that has been lost since The Cylons nuked Caprica.
An alliance with the rebel Cylons simply sets off what oddly comes off as a justified violent grab for power that could end the series in tragedy if there were not seven episodes left. Not to mention that an accord with The Cylons would conclude the primary premise of "Battlestar Galactica" to fight intelligent cyborgs.
"The Oath" adds a sense of peril that indicates a feature character is bound to die in the second part of this story arc.
Popcorn rating:
(5 out of 5 pieces)
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