Ryan's Review

Maureen Ryan in The Watcher blog of the Chicago Tribune has these thoughts on The Road Less Traveled:

I think my favorite moment was the scene between Leoben and Kara “Starbuck” Thrace in her quarters.

Hats off to Katee Sackhoff for ratcheting up Kara’s level of paranoia appreciably in this episode – she did that without chewing scenery or going over the top. Still, there was a definite wigged-out, Capt. Queeg level of intensity to her staredowns with the crew. You could understand why they thought she’d lost it.

What struck me during her chat with Leoben was the realization that hit her – that giving up her past life and accepting her destiny as a visionary or even angel was difficult because it is hard for her to think of herself as good.

...Callum Keith Rennie and Katee Sackhoff bring all the twisted chemistry you could hope for to their scenes together; I hope there are more.

...Another terrific scene was the final showdown between Chief Tyrol and Baltar. It reminded me a bit of “Mad Men,” because that show is so good at setting up scenarios with outcomes that you can’t predict (“5G,” anyone?).

But what was great about the Baltar scene in the Chief’s quarters was not only that you didn’t know how it would go – you didn’t know whether the Chief would finish what he’d started and choke the sanctimony right out of the former president of the colonies. Or take his hand.

What so notable was what Douglas did with so few words. He barely said anything, but his eyes bored intently into Baltar...

And as is so often the case with Baltar – you had to wonder how much calculation went into a seemingly heartfelt action, in this case an apology to the Chief. As Tory pointed out, no one of consequence in the fleet had joined Baltar’s one-god movement. Baltar, ever the careerist, couldn’t stand the idea that his was just a lunatic fringe group, hence his calculated recruitment of the influential Chief.

...So, back on the Demetrius -- does Loeben know that Sam is a Cylon?

...In any case, I love how Callum Keith Rennie is able to impart a sense of passionate, apocalyptic belief into Leoben, yet still make you believe that this Cylon is probably up to something.

...Sam Anders probably did always think he was meant for something more than being a meathead jock, guerilla leader or Kara’s hard-done-by spouse. He hates Leoben, but part of him really wants to believe that Leoben is right – that he is destined to have an exceptional destiny. And he wants what Kara has had – that “singular moment of clarity” that Leoben talked about.

As Ryan notes:

Damn you, “Battlestar Galactica.”

I seriously have to wait a week until the next episode? Aaargh.

Read Ryan's full in-depth analysis here.