Warning: No attempt to remain spoiler free ahead. If you haven’t watched “Revelations,” the putative Battlestar midseason four finale, but really the 08 season finale, since the show won’t be back until sometime in early 09, don’t read any further.

It was an excellent episode, wrapping up a number of story threads and leaving no one character in specific jeopardy, which is nice given how long we have to wait for the final episodes, while leaving everyone in the fleet — Cylon and human alike — in absolute limbo. Where to now that Earth is no longer an option?

There was much to like about this episode. Katee Sackhoff was excellent, as always. I loved her reaction when she learned Sam was a Cylon, and I always enjoy every scene she has with Jamie Bamber — and there have been not nearly enough this season. I know some Lee and Kara shippers are disappointed that there wasn’t more interaction between the two, feeling that there was more of a friend vibe than a romantic relationship. My opinion: at least 11 hours, maybe 12 of show to go, depending on whether the finale next year gets the reported extra hour. That’s plenty of time to resolve that storyline. And if you don’t like what Ron Moore and team dish out, there’s always fanfic.

Michael Hogan as Saul Tigh was superb. There is no doubt that this man, Cylon notwithstanding, is totally committed to the fleet and the humans in it. He knows exactly what he is doing when he confesses to Adama; without his revelation, there is no resolution.

Lucy Lawless. Flawless as Deanna. And Mary McDonnell delivered her usual stellar performance, as did the supporting cast.

The core of the episode, though, was the Adamas, two characters we’d not seen nearly enough in the season. If this was why we had to wait so long for significant Edward James Olmos and Jamie Bamber screen time, I’ll consider the wait worthwhile. Adama’s reaction to Tigh’s revelation was heart-wrenching, but the scene where Lee was taking care of his devastated parent was a turning point. As Roslin says later, he saw what had to be done and did it. Even though Adama Sr. retakes his place as Admiral and Roslin returns as president at the end of the ep, it’s clear that a torch has been passed from the older generation to the younger. Adama Sr. and Roslin, even Tigh, are observers. The actors — the ones who move the story forward — are Lee, Kara and Deanna, and to a lesser extent Tory, Sam and Tyrol.

The ending. I can’t say I was surprised. There have been enough hints that when the fleet found Earth it wouldn’t be what they expected.

I’m looking forward to seeing where they take us next. Wish it were sooner than next year, but so it goes. In the meantime, I’ll enjoy the return of Stargate Atlantis next month (still without the Elizabeth Weir character, oh well) and Bones next fall, look forward to the Stargate SG1 film this summer and anticipate the new Whedon series Dollhouse. That’s about as much TV as I can handle at one time anyway 🙂

[tags] Battlestar Galactica [/tags]

We saw Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull last week. Was it as good as Raiders of the Lost Ark? No, but I don’t think the previous two sequels were either. The first film was an immediate classic; as a result, its sequels have a lot to measure up to. That they don’t — that they aren’t as good — shouldn’t surprise anyone. It’s pretty much SOP with most classic films.

Crystal Skull is still a good, fun summer film. Sure you have to suspend your disbelief pretty far at some of the situations the characters survive, but it’s great to see Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones again, even if he’s moving a bit slower. Aren’t we all? Shia LaBeouf was fine as new sidekick Mutt Williams. The best though, was the return of Karen Allen as Marian Ravenwood. It’s quite easy to believe that her character is the only woman who could capture Indiana Jones’ attention for more than a moment.

The storyline is farfetched, which is fine and expected, and a bit rushed at the end, which is unfortunate. Without revealing any spoilers, I think many kids will have trouble understanding what happens at the end, especially if they are not familiar with other Spielberg films.

My summer film recommendation remains if you are only going to see one film in the theater, see Iron Man. Wait for this one on DVD. If you are a big Indiana Jones fan or can attend the film with one, preferably a child, by all means go. You’ll have some nice summer movie fun.

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Sarah Jane Adventures wrapped up its first season on SciFi on Friday. We like this show very much. It is a sci fi show for kids with some intelligence, and I mean that in both possible interpretations — the show is smart, and so are the kids. It doesn’t dumb down but at the same time it is very accessible and quite entertaining. I’ve always like star Elisabeth Sladen, and they’ve surrounded her with a nice cast, juvenile and adult. Looking forward to more of these in the future.

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Battlestar Galactica Sine Qua Non. Finally the return of the Adamas. We’d seen so little of either character this season that I would have been happy with a scene or two. Instead, the two main story arcs focused on them. Plus, we got the HUGE bonus of Mark Sheppard as Romo Lampkin. Sheppard had scenes with both Eward James Olmos and Jamie Bamber plus a solo scene that was excellent. There also was a tasty side order of Tigh and Six, and the awesome fist fight.

I enjoy the chemistry of the four main actors, Olmos, McDonnell, Sackoff and Bamber; part of what makes the show so good is that no matter how you mix up those four, you generally get something interesting on screen. Some of the best Bamber scenes though are the ones with Mark Sheppard. This week’s episode was no different. I especially liked the parallel between their meeting last season, when Lee was looking for a new direction, and their first scene in Sine Qua Non, when it was Romo who was clearly adrift.

But the best thing? The return of Jake:

(image from Battlestar Wiki)

A nice love letter to longtime fans who’ve wondered for more than a year what happened to this resistance hero.

[tags] Indiana Jones, Battlestar Galactica, Mark Sheppard, Sarah Jane Adventures, Elisabeth Sladen [/tags]