Cast

James Callis as Dr. Gaius Baltar
Edward James Olmos as Admiral Adama
Mary McDonnell as Laura Roslin
Katee Sackhoff as Kara "Starbuck" Thrace
Jamie Bamber as Lee "Apollo" Adama
Michael Hogan as Col. Tigh
Tricia Helfer as Number 6
Grace Park as Sharon "Athena" Agathon/Boomer
Tahmoh Penikett as Helo
Aaron Douglas as Galen Tyrol
Dean Stockwell as Brother Cavell
Richard Hatch as Tom Zarek
Kate Vernon as Ellen Tigh
Luciana Carro as Louanne "Kat" Katraine
Kandyse McClure as Anastasia "Dee" Dualla
Callum Keith Rennie as Leoben Conoy
Nicki Clyne as Cally Henderson
Christian Tessier as Tucker "Duck" Clellan
Michael Trucco as Samuel T. Anders
Alessandro Juliani as Felix Gaeta
Rekha Sharma as Tory Foster

Synopsis

Galactica investigates the infected Cylon Basestar. The Cylons, convinced that Baltar betrayed them, turn to unpleasant methods to extract more information from him about the infection.

High Points

• The interplay between reality and Baltar's mental world while he's being tortured.
• Helo standing up for what he believes in.

Low Points

• The disease was resolved rather too quickly, particularly in Athena's case. It felt too easy.
• Everything wrapped up rather too neatly during the episode.

The Scores

Originality: conceptually this episode and last week's share an idea with the ending of The War Of The Worlds, that human diseases would be fatal to the enemy. In this case, of course, it's a lot more plausible as the Cylons are clearly based on human biology. Four out of six.

Effects: another visual feast this week. The sight of a Cylon fleet jumping in is never going to get old for me. Six out of six.

Story: as I mentioned in the low points, I thought everything wrapped up rather too neatly this week, and it felt far too self-contained, almost like... dare I say it... a filler episode. It wasn't of course, we know this is important stuff in the arc, but it did wrap up too easily. Hopefully there will be repercussions later, but at the moment I cannot give the story more than four out of six.

Acting: our expectations are now so high that nothing short of an exceptional performance will move us. This week we just got the normal. Five out of six.

Production: I have no complaints. Five out of six.

Emotional response: although there are some very high-tension moments, the overly-convenient wrapup defuses rather too much of it and the overall carthartic experience is somewhat spoiled as a result. Four out of six.

Overall: I'm going to give this episode a four out of six overall. It's good for most of the way through, but wraps up leaving a slightly sour taste in the mouth. I feel almost cheated by how not even one major disease-related plot element has been left for next week.

And so the grand total is thirty-two out of forty-two, which my addled brain believes to be the lowest score so far this season. It's still better than most everything else out there, though.