Resuming the story quite literally right where we last left off, the “best show on television” comes roaring back onto our screens with an intensity that…doesn’t quite sustain the dramatic and emotional heft of the outlandish and outrageous third season finale, which saw both the delirious return of Katee Sackhoff’s Starbuck and the revelation that four long-running characters, including at least two fan favorites, are Cylons.

It was nice to see Katee Sackhoff’s name returned to its rightful place in the credits following Edward James Olmos and Mary McGovern. This was no surprise, but seeing it was so had the effect of restoring some of the equilibrium that had been thrown out of whack after Starbuck’s “death” late last season.

Speaking of which, does anyone else think that her return, as welcome as it is, constitutes a bit of a cheat? We saw her raptor blow up, right? I tried finding the scene in question on Youtube, but all I could find are fan-made emo videos, the type I’d be creating myself if I were a fifteen-year-old girl (or could successfully pretend I was a fifteen-year-old girl). They show the moment but still manage to somehow obscure the point just a bit. Nonetheless, they’re out there. It’s unmistakeable: her raptor blows up, and people can’t survive that. On top of that, didn’t the producers come right out last Spring and declare that she really did die?

On the other hand, even though it initially smacks of one of those 1930s serials where an extra scene is added the following week after the cliff-hanger recap showing the hero jumping out of the wagon before it careens over the cliff, I’m willing to trust that the Galactica writers have got a clever explanation for us somewhere down the line. Hell, we’ve already got them acknowledging that Starbuck’s raptor is brand new and can’t possibly be the same one she flew off in. That’s some red meat for us to chew on, isn’t it?

On a relevant side note, I should admit that I’m not much of a re-run watcher, at least not when it comes to dramas. Sitcoms, sure. I never tire of a good Friends, Seinfeld, Raymond, King of Queens, etc., but when it comes to dramas, especially serialized ones like Battlestar Galactica, I’m a one-time viewer kind of guy generally.

Now, Galactica’s been gone a long time. Razor notwithstanding, it’s been over a year since the story has been moving forward, and in that time, I kind of forgot how emotional I could get watching it. So tonight I programmed my DVR to start recording ten minutes early so I could get the end of the season three finale, and as soon as it started playing, I had an unexpectedly emotional reaction. The visceral punch of Tigh, Anders, Tyrol and Tory discovering their true nature and choosing to maintain their artificial identities and loyalties, combined with the last moment return of Starbuck, caused me to stifle back tears lest my roommate require some kind of explanation for why I was turning into a little girl on the sofa. I’d truly forgotten what an emotional investment I’d made in this story and these characters.

I remembered then how amazing that finale was, and as the camera pulled back with a God’s eye perspective on all of our players and their relatively tiny place in the universe as All Along The Watchtower played on the soundtrack, I was filled with all kinds of unreasonable hope that the new season would manage to sustain that level of intensity right off the bat. As far as that goes, I have to say that I don’t think it quite succeeded, even though I enjoyed the episode.

The thing is, after all that intensity and paradigm breaking calamity, it’s a bit of a letdown to find the story sort of step back a little bit, at least in its treatment of Starbuck. Yes, yes, yes, I understand: they have to be somewhat suspicious and question whether she’s a cylon. That makes sense, but it’s kind of boring. We’ve been there before, albeit with Boomer. What I was sort of hoping for was a real leap forward in audacity, the way that they managed with the One Year Later fast forward that ended season two. That was bold!

Now, granted that the New Caprica occupation storyline was a bit of a letdown, too, with its clumsy and not particularly apt Iraq allegory, but I’ll still always love them for taking that chance. We’re at the end of the story now, and I really want them to take more chances again. I don’t want to watch Laura “the Airlock” Roslyn show us how badass and obstinate she can be, again. I already know that about her.

However, please don’t misunderstand: I’m here for the duration, committed til the end, I promise, and loving so very much of it. There was much to admire and appreciate here, from Gaius’s new colony of hot women all eager to have sex with him (has anyone else in history ever gotten so much booty off the systematic annihilation of his people?), to the revelation that our newly revealed cylons might have a harder time resisting their natures than they might initially have hoped.

And then, of course, there’s Tory. Has there ever been a more ridiculous beautiful woman on television than the lovely Rekha Sharma? Well, of course there has, I’m sure, but every now and then someone pops on the screen who just resonates for me, and for today at least, it’s Rekha:

What can I say? I like who I like. Just wait. Soon I’ll be blogging about Bones just so I can coo over the beautiful Michaela Conlin.

But back to Battlestar Galactica, and a few final thoughts:

• I really hope they stop playing around with the back and forth hostility between Bill and Lee Adama. How many more times can we watch one of them dicker around with whether or not Apollo remains a colonial officer? This is another instance of something being revisited too often. Get these two into couples counseling stat, and let’s move on!
• I wonder whether Tyrol is just going to flat out tell Cally that he’s a Cylon. There was something about that moment when she asked him where the Hell he’s been, and he replies that he’ll tell her later. I really think this could be a believable part of his character, and I’m fascinated to see how she’d take it. I imagine she’d agree to keep it a secret.
• As a counterpoint, consider the touching scene where Anders tries to comfort Starbuck by reassuring her that it would be okay even if she were a Cylon. That she doesn’t share his tolerance and shortly thereafter cold-cocked him simply doesn’t speak well for the future of their relationship, does it?

So that’s it. I’m reminded, of course, that one can’t be too critical too early, especially when it comes to long-form dramas at the start of their seasons, given that we inherently lack the perspective of being able to see where it’s all going or how cleverly it’s going to take us there.

Also, for the record, I want to acknowledge the debt this blog owes to Alan Seppinwall, particularly for his handy and workmanlike method of wrapping up with bullet points. Always steal from the best, I say, so make sure you go and give Alan a read, too. His thoughts, I’m sure, far surpass mine anyway. Hell, it takes all the discipline I’ve got to resist reading his take on the episode before composing my own.

Now if only I could get access to the same database of pictures he has. In the meantime, I have to make do with Google’s finest pickings.

So that’s my take on things. Now you!