WRITER: Mark Verheiden DIRECTOR: Michael Rymer
CAST: Edward James Olmos (Adama), Jamie Bamber (Lee), Katee Sackhoff (Starbuck), Lucy Lawless (D'Anna/Number 3), James Callis (Baltar), Tricia Helfer (Number 6/Caprica), Mary McDonnell (Roslin), Tahmoh Penikett (Helo), Michael Hogan (Tigh), Alessandro Juliani (Gaeta), Kandyse McClure (Dee), Kandyse McClure (Dee), Grace Park (Athena/Boomer), Nicki Clyne (Cally), Aaron Douglas (Chief Tyrol), Alisen Down (Jean Barolay), Michael Trucco (Anders), Dean Stockwell (Brother Cavil), Callum Keith Rennie (Leoben Conoy) & Diego Diablo Del (Hillard)
While collecting life-saving algae, Chief Tyrol discovers an ancient temple hidden inside a mountain that could point the way to Earth...Battlestar Galactica works best when dealing with epic themes. It's only then that the dramatic weight of the show's premise hits home and the characters come alive. I'm not belittling the standalone episodes, but they're undoubtedly more flaccid in comparison.
The Eye Of Jupiter revolves around a discovery on "Algae Planet" of a mysterious temple inside a mountain that could direct the fleet toward Earth. As usual, those meddlesome Cylons arrive on the scene and invoke a tense standoff (Adam threatening to nuke the temple if the Cylons send anyone down to the surface, while the Cylons threaten to destroy Galactica if they don't withdraw from the planet).
The episode also returns to the ongoing Hera storyline (the Cylon/human hybrid baby whose death was faked, smuggled to a surrogate family and later captured by the Cylons after the New Caprica evacuation). This has been one of the show's best ideas and it's great to see parents Athena and Helo finally informed of Adama and Roslin's deception.
D'Anna and Baltar also continue their investigation into the hidden existence between "life" and "death" when Cylons download themselves. This episode also begins to suggest the mystery surrounding the five other models of Cylon (all unseen on the show) can somehow be explained during this transition. It's intriguing to know the unseen five are so mysterious even to the Cylons (Baltars suspecting he could be one himself), so this is another fascinating addition to the Cylon mythology. I also found it interesting that Baltar is beginning to resemble Jesus Christ just as The Hybrid starts talking about "The Chosen One".
As always, there is a strong sense that the show's numerous plots and abundance of metaphysical ideas are slowly merging together. I sincerely hope a coherent answer is forthcoming soon, otherwise the show could begin to devolve into mumbo-jumbo. It's already a very difficult show to grapple with given its multiple sub-plots, clone-like Cylons and deepening mythology, so some degree of focus is necessary. However, after 3 years, it's clear that BSG isn't really open to new audiences -- it's all become far too complex for casual viewers curious about the show's high regard amongst "serious" critics.
Overall, while the basic premise behind this episode isn't anything we haven't seen before (remember the whole Arrow Of Apollo plot in season 1?) it's still exciting and epic. The characters just seem more real and engaging in tense situations (Starbuck, Lee and Anders haven't been as good in weeks), while the Gaius/D'Anna/Six dynamic is becoming increasingly enjoyable.
The Eye Of Jupiter is an effective cliffhanger for the mid-season, although the vague similarities to previous episodes can't be ignored. Therefore, while I can't say this episode is particularly original, it's certainly the most enjoyable and intriguing episode for quite some time and Part II is eagerly awaited...
