Battlestar Galactica (TV Series) Taking a Break from All Your Worries (2007) User Reviews

Is it torture or a justified method of questioning?

[Tweekums · 8/10 · 6 December 2011]

As the second half of the third season begins Adama and President Roslin must decide what to do with Baltar; it is likely that he has vital information about the Cylons and their knowledge of Earth but will he want to talk when anything he says could condemn him as a traitor in the eyes of those he sees as his persecutors, equally if he tells them what they want to know they will have no reason to keep him alive. In order to get him to talk Adama and Roslin use a number of methods; the most successful of which is an injection that makes him believe he is drowning. While under the influence he says how Caprica Six saved him on Caprica but states that he didn't know she was a Cylon, he also tells them about the 'Final Five'. Else where on the Galactica things don't seem to be going well for several crew members; Lee is drinking in the new bar as his marriage appears to be on the rocks and Chief Tyrol joins him for a drink and says that things aren't so well between him and Cally.

After the action of the previous episode this might seen very restrained although that didn't stop it being tense; more than once it looked as is Baltar might die and the viewer must decide what he or she feels about his treatment… it may be chemical rather than physical but its effects are very similar to the controversial water-boarding which many people would consider torture. These scenes gave James Callis a chance to shine as the frightened Baltar who genuinely believes he was as much a victim of the Cylons as everybody else. The secondary story wasn't bad although to be honest I'm far less interested in the state of Lee Adama's marriage than I am about what is going on with Baltar.

Who is a hero

[Jackbv123 · 8/10 · 30 August 2018]

The series Battlestar Galactica frequently shows us that our would be heroes are deeply flawed. Sometimes that flaws are so serious that they briefly reach the level of being a villain. In this episode, more than one of our key players shows these flaws starting at the top.

Since the beginning, one of the people I have thought of as one of the purest in terms of goodness has been Dualla. It has been difficult to watch her marital trails which appear to have been little fault of her own.

It is interesting that by this point in the series, at least one Cylon has exhibited admiral traits and consistent loyalty in the face of questionable reward or even quid pro quo.

The Best Battlestar episode this season!

[bengad · 10/10 · 30 January 2007]

Ronald D Moore, take the hint. Edward James Olmos is a fantastic director. Comedy fans, however, don't expect another 'Tigh Me Up, Tigh Me Down'. Instead, prepare for a episode nearly as dark as Blade Runner.

Many episodes this season have been going at a snail pace. The past two episodes (The season 3.5 premiere and now this) are the best two episodes this season since Exodus, pt 2. Like the excellent episodes of the first season, many surprises and plot lines are packed into these episodes. Hopefully this will be a continuing trend, as Galactica has been going down in a spiral of poorly made self contained episodes since season 2.5. A prime example in season three is the Passage, where fans are suddenly sprung with the idea that 'yeah, we're out of rations!'. No warnings in previous episodes, no discussion that maybe this was coming. Nada. Just sprung like that. I know serials are tough, and expensive, but seriously, that's what we watch Galactica for: the writing. And sadly its been more and more inconsistent since season 2.5.

Anyway, to the episode at hand. Excellent. Nice plot twists, questions of morality, awesome directing by Olmos, and actors finally given a chance to really play their roles. This is easily the most important episode in a long time for Baltar, in that it again puts him in a position of true insecurity as we saw in season one.

The cinematography is beautiful and absolutely stunning, with depth which we have not truly seen since early episodes and the mini series. The beautiful blue CIC of the mini series has become a cramped, incandescent dump this season, and finally (albeit briefly) we have a nice shot of it from above.

The episode also makes you question Baltar's sanity. Is it all a dream? Are Roslin and Adama really subjecting him to this torture? This is what we have expected from Galactica for some time and not been given. Oh, it's wonderful! Lastly, we get to see the long corridor with pictures of the dead. That room bore so much importance in the first season and mini series, and we have scarcely seen it in the past two years.

Galactica fans, if this has not convinced you to 'stay the course' and bear the bad episodes and proclaim Galactica's producers and writers completely over the deep end, then I don't know what will.

So say we all!

one of my two-three favorite Battlestar episodes!

[Quinoa1984 · 10/10 · 14 September 2010]

Who knew Edward James Olmos had it in him? He's proved time and again on BSG that he's more than a capable and competent directors: he really knows how to get the best out of his fellow actors, sometimes to astonishing degrees such as here, and he also can pull off a distinct style at the helm. With this episode it does two things that I like very much on their own, but Olmos and writer Michael Taylor's combination makes it something very special. One half of the episode concerns getting information from Gaius Baltar - this time by any means necessary, which in this case, by Adama's suggestion, means prying into the very deepest recesses of his mind by a kind of hallucinogenic LSD-inspired torture. This half of the episode is intense and admirably trippy (the scenes inside of the pool of water Baltar is in, and how Adama gets this info under this sort of "truthiness" state, is nothing less than fantastic. The other half of the episode, however, is quite different in tone, as Lee, Thrace and their significant others have to grapple with what's going on: the disintegration of their marriages what love really "means" at this point.

By themselves, each of these parts could make for a compelling BSG episode. But the level of ambition with the wild style Olmos chooses and how frakkin revelatory Baltar's scenes are, PLUS the emotional truth and superb balancing act of the actors in the 'relationship' scenes, is kind of miraculous. If one could make cinematic comparisons it's 50% Altered States or Pink Floyd's the Wall, and 50% Scenes from a Marriage. It's got that wonderful sense of mystery and depth and the attention to how the characters have culminated to such a point as this. Especially noteworthy is when Baltar reveals his point of view on what happened on Caprica, and how, ultimately, the verdict is in: Baltar just doesn't see himself as fully guilty, even under duress and pain of death. And as for Thrace/Adama/everyone else, it hits all the right notes, never making anyone too sympathetic or too easy to hate. It's just really great work all around, and particularly good to see before it dips into some filler episodes in season 3.

Morality in question. The Kara/Apollo soap opera is ruining this show.

[reb-warrior · 6/10 · 9 February 2021]

I thought the torture scene of Baltar was an interesting take as we see the continuing trend on the show of human beings losing their humanity. Pretty much the Capricans are becoming less and less justified in having the moral high ground. Makes one wonder why exactly did the Cylons rebel way back in the day? What was it so specifically, or what were the series of events that caused that to happen. My guess would be that humans suck. And they treated the Cylons, whom became self-aware and essentially sentient beings, pretty atrociously. The irony now tho is that the Cylons keep trying to become more human-like. There's the rub, eh.

I probably would have rated this higher except we were stuck with the Kara/Apollo soap opera. The cross cut scenes between them and Baltar's torture just didn't jive. Kara and Apollo are detestable at this point. What's worse is that Dualla and Anders, both of whom are somewhat likable, are dragged into this mess. I can see why people walked away from this show. I mean I like the Cylons, but I at least want to be able to like the main "star" characters of the show, Apollo and Kara, who get the most screen-time, and I just don't. I thought they were so-so in season one, but they have gotten worse over time. The forced pairing and their domestic abusive relationship being portrayed as romantic is a turn off. 6/10

For Frak Sake

[maamyd · 6/10 · 10 January 2023]

This fraking annoying love story between Starbuck and Apollo has come to the point you just dont want to hear it anymore became too annoying and meaningless without any logical or dramatic explanation.

Every fraking time it cutscenes to show this non sense drama you you just feel like to stop watching the show and ruins the whole fun of the series.

Is that the most important subject right now? I mean we have cylons trying to find the fraking Earth and we are forced to bare the fraking nonsense drama should've just let the two get around with each other from the beginning and saved us an annoying headache.