Review: Frak Me! BSG Season 4 Premiere

I just finished watching the Season Four premiere of Battlestar Galactica. While I’ve been sworn to plot point secrecy by the powers that be at SciFi Channel and NBC Universal, I can say this: The episode felt uneven. Opening at a blitzkrieg pace, then settling into an exposition piece, “He That Believeth in Me” does its best to touch on the heightened story lines we’ve been waiting to see resolved. Unfortunately, like Season Two of Lost, I get the distinct impression we’re going to see more flash than substance from this first block of episodes. Michael Rymer’s direction is, as always, top-notch. Defining the look and feel of the series from the get-go, he continues to raise the bar on modern scifi. The visual effects team puts forth another mind-numbing space battle sequence. And the acting ensemble, lead by Eddie Olmos, Mary McDonnell, and Michael Hogan (whose Col. Tigh has become a personal favorite) is one of the finest on television. However, while there is character development and a fair amount of humor to balance the otherwise despondent nature of their quest for Earth, the script by supervising producers David Weddle and Bradley Thompson left me surprisingly unfulfilled. As the old saying goes, “the journey is more important than the destination.” And yet, one can only hope we don’t get lost along the way.

The new season kicks off tonight at 10 / 9c on SciFi Channel.