From Friday’s The Oklahoman:
In “Battlestar Galactica” season three, most of the surviving humans have settled on a planet called New Caprica, halting their search for Earth. But the Cylons, the mechanical life forms that wiped out most of humanity, have found them.
As the human colonists on New Caprica fall under Cylon occupation, Battlestar Galactica, the military flagship commanded by Adama (Edward James Olmos) retreats from the planet.
The first four episodes are incredibly dark, as the “heroes” of the series must deal with questions of morality as they are held captive by the invading Cylon force. This is brutal stuff, though it works on several levels, and attempts to raise questions by the viewers beyond the fictional narrative.
After the four opening episodes, however, the series treads water as it heads for the finale. There are occasional good episodes, but it’s much more typical television than the previous two seasons. Season Three of “Battlestar Galactica” veers from the overarching story formula of the first two seasons. Bowing to studio pressure, Ron Moore and David Eick slotted more single-episode storylines into season three. The net effect is to slow down the momentum of the series when watching it on DVD.
Things pick up again in the final three episodes, and the final episode will surprise even longtime “Galactica” watchers.
— Matthew Price
