Battlestar Galactica: Season 2-12: Resurrection ship p2

The Best Scenes in BSG 212:

Resurrection Ship- Part Two  

Delivers on So Many Levels

By Koenigrules 

Do we find out what happens to Gina, the Resurrection Ship, Admiral Cain and Commander Adama?  The answer is in the affirmative on all counts.  The conclusion to Resurrection Ship and the Cain trilogy delivers on so many levels, and only those looking to find fault with the show will try their hardest to tear it down and say it was a major disappointment.  But for those who have an open mind and are enjoying the ride so far, this episode will please them considerably. 

The dialogue as well as the special effects contribute to Resurrection Ship- Part Two's effectiveness.  It starts with one of the opening scenes between Lee and Kara where Lee tells his companion that although he disagrees with his father's decision, he will still stand by Kara and support her.  To paraphrase Lee, "If we don't have trust in each other, then we are no different from the Cylons."  As Lee and Kara hug in an affectionate embrace, we are made aware of just how important we are in the cosmos.  While an almost infinite expanse of space surrounds these pilots, these two will be able to change the course of human history—hopefully for the better. 

Another scene is much more riveting.  Admira Helena Cain confides in Starbuck that sometimes terrible things have to be done and when that time comes, one has to follow through on the decision that is made, without hesitation.  Whether Cain is referring to herself and the assassination attempt she is planning against Adama (as well as her past crimes) or to possibly Starbuck's deception is anybody's guess.  Personally, I always thought Cain knew Starbuck was planning to kill her.  In a later scene when Kara is going to commit the act, the Viper pilot reaches for her gun and then holds her hand for a very long time on the gun's holder.  Plus, she is perspiring so heavily that her whole face is drenched with sweat.  Cain should be able to detect those cues easily enough, but does not prevent Kara from attempting to carry out her order.  Maybe this reviewer was reading too much into the body language.  Then again, maybe not.  

Of all the scenes on Resurrection Ship-Part Two, my favorite is the Adama-Boomer interaction.  After the Commander looks at himself in the mirror and traces the scar on his chest with his finger, he calls in the one responsible for his injury: Lieutenant Sharon Valerii.  Adama asks her why the Cylons hate the humans so much.  Sharon repeats what the Commander had said during the decommissioning ceremony: namely, that they are a "flawed creation" not worthy of survival.  Another way of interpreting Boomer here is that the Cylons' mission is to remove imperfection from the universe (i.e., the humans) so that they can advance and grow towards union with their God.  In any case, it is interesting that Adama has the conversation with Sharon as he is trying to understand the Cylons better as well as his own species. 

Of course, the space battle between the Cylon Resurrection Ship and the two battlestars is an awesome sight to behold.  Having Lee blown out of the Blackbird and floating in space while watching the ships fire their salvos is a nice touch.  But as the Resurrection Ship is totally destroyed (in one of the best FX moments of any television series), Lee's suit begins to leak air and he envisions himself in a pool of water, seeking the comfort of nature or a return to the womb in his death throes.  When Lee is resuscitated, a part of him wishes he were dead.  This is a pretty heavy moment for the young Captain as it looks like he did not want to come back (but more on that in future reviews). 

By the time Starbuck and Fisk are in place to kill off their respective targets, the greatest shocker of all is that the Commanders call them off.  The big question is WHY???  For Adama, perhaps Boomer's words rang true and he wanted to rise above his imperfection by preventing more killing, especially of his own kind.  Cain's motives remain more of a mystery, although Kara's eulogy does provide some insight.  She actually praises the Admiral, relating that Cain "faced things…[and] didn't give up.  She did what she thought needed to be done" in order to survive.  Maybe Cain saw there was more value in keeping Adama alive.  Or she might have finally seen that her own survival was tied to the survival of all those aboard the Galactica.  In a way, Kara was Cain's soul-mate and had detected salvageable things in her no one else could.  

Cain does meet her death, but it is at the hands of the one creature she abused so many times aboard the Pegasus: Gina.  All Cain can say when Gina points the gun at her head is "Frak you."  The Cylon matter-of-factly replies, "You're not my type" and fires.  For Gina, this is the most satisfying moment of her life: to kill the one human that made her life a living hell.  That she is able to get off the Pegasus undetected is not surprising as Baltar probably was able to help her leave so she would not be executed for her crime.   

The final moments bring the Cain trilogy to an effective closure.  Laura promotes Adama to Admiral status and gives him the appropriate medal.  She also provides him with the hope he needs to carry on.  He responds by kissing her very tenderly on the lips- not passionately, but tenderly.  The two have formed a bond, and while it might not be a romantic one, it is a close tie that will unify the military and civilian parts of the government for the greater good of all.         

Overall, I would rate Part Two as high as Part One: 12 out of 10.  These were the two best episodes in the series to date, or for that matter any sci-fi series.  And if TOS writer and producer Glen Larson ever intends to do a movie version of the Battlestar Pegasus with Commander Cain, he will have an uphill battle as any other type of portrayal than Michelle Forbes' will come across flat and uninspiring.