'Caprica': Midseason finale and 'End of Line'

Those of us who watch Syfy a lot are kind of used to the network's midseason shenanigans, but hopefully it's not 2011 when we next hear from the cast of "Caprica" -- because it has hooked many of us. We were worried about the "soap opera" pronouncements. Will it be "As the World(s) Turn"? Will it stay true to what we all know (which is to say not much) to be the historical accounts of "Battlestar Galactica"?  And, put simply, will it be as good? Not as many slow, dramatic zoom-ins, but it has soap opera qualities. With "BSG's" creators driving it, history should be no problem. And as for the whole comparison thing ... it's a very different show, but a good one nonetheless.

In this "End of Line" episode, these are the midseason cliffhangers and tie-ups: Robo Zoe finally escapes the lab after killing Philomon accidentally (probably?) when they decide to erase her chip. Joseph Adama, abusing the Amp drug, finds Tamara, and she says for him to stop looking for her -- then kicks him out of V World permanently. Lacy pretty much joins the STO by pressing a button to kill Sister Clarice. Sister Clarice escapes death because she got out of the car to look at an over-the-edge Amanda Graystone, who's about to commit suicide on a bridge. She's been pushed to suicide because she confronted Daniel Graystone earlier about his theft of the MCP chip and the resultant deaths of two men. He doesn't say yes or no, and earlier in the day decided to sell his beloved C Bucs pyramid franchise to get money for his company. Intercut throughout all of this action, Robo Zoe is on the run in a truck, being pursued by airborne law enforcement. In the end, she crashes the car and it blows up.

Got that out of the way. Now, this was my stream of consciousness as I watched: Those vehicles they're chasing Robo Zoe with look very cool, kind of "Clone Wars"-like. Daniel sold the team! Barnabus said "cheeky." What's up with the roach on the sink in Amanda's dream? "In the name of the one, we cast out the many." "Are you ready to serve our cause?" "Welcome to my soul." Or was it my "cell?" Joseph is drooling with a holoband on. Tamara must help him, and Emmanuelle finds her. Eros Day sounds better than Valentine's Day. "A little wild" does not always equal "a little crazy." Oooh, she popped the question -- still a blurter. Stop chopping vegetables and answer your crazy wife, Daniel! Adama is amped, and still hasn't stopped yelling out people's names in dark places and unfamiliar situations. Tamara gave her dad some tough love: a killshot. Guide Emmanuelle was his "I'm gonna make him my man now that his wife's dead" assistant! "I told you it didn't matter what you looked like."  Aww, robot love. Wait, what's he doing? Wow! Robo Zoe killed Philomon! Wow!  That smooth, vindictive Vergis got to the general -- "You get the company, you get the contract." Amanda's still crazy. Oh heck, there's a bridge! Daniel is playing the theme to "Caprica" -- very Starbuck of him. Bear McCreary is awesome. Spike says to Lacy, "Welcome to the deep end, little one. It's always deeper than you think." What's Zoe going to do in this truck vs. military situation? Maybe she can take over the planes remotely or something. Nope, prepare for ramming speed. Oh, no, don't have crazy Amanda commit suicide then make her a Cylon! That could lead to .. ohhhh. Dang, Lacy pressed the send button. Yes, Clarice, you are blessed to be alive. Who called Daniel first: military for Robo Zoe or Clarice for Amanda? Or Vergis?

So, there you go. Two recaps for the price of one, and hopefully others out there had some of the same thoughts. The show overall started slowly. Not this episode, but the series itself. The action may not have always been there, but the caliber of actor/acting and the establishment of various characters have kept my attention the entire time. Has it been "must-see TV" every Friday night? Maybe not, but it is a strong series with great writing and a definite command of the storyline. Nothing seems just thrown in, which may for some, cause that slowness, but it makes for a rich storytelling experience and not a lot of "huh?" moments. I know, many of the actors and personnel associated want to distance it from "Battlestar Galactica," but it just can't be done for those of us that watched "BSG." They're telling the same story at a different point in history, and telling it well, so hopefully they can embrace that. I wouldn't mind seeing a Sagittaron guy named Dudley Dualla (Dee's dad! I just made him up), or little links to "Battlestar" while still establishing itself as a standalone series.

Each of the storylines left us wanting more, whether or not you were invested in it. What's going to happen to Amanda? Zoe probably survived, but what will she do and is she damaged? How deep will Lacy get in the STO? Will Clarice start an outright war with Barnabus? Will Joseph move on or somehow try to continue his V World quest? What will the Tamara avatar do in V World anyway? How will Daniel reach his cylon quota, or will Vergis take over?

Syfy, you are such a tease with these "midseason" finales and hiatuses. But you know we'll be back to watch.

-- Jevon Phillips

Photos: Daniel Graystone gives Amanda Graystone a drink (which he shouldn't); and Zoe Graystone with her apple. Credit: Syfy

RECENT AND RELATED

- David Eick and Ron Moore on the mid-season finale
- 'There is Another Sky' and Tamara the Terminator
- 'My daughter is a terrorist!'  What?
- Paula Malcomson's moving away from 'Deadwood's' Trixie
- The music of the master, Bear McCreary

Comments

[Natalie]

I love your stream of consciousness replay! Mine was similar!! Oh to have Eros Day instead of corny Valentine's Day...it does sound way more fun.

I loved last night's episode, but my beef with it was that they've over-edited up to this point, and so we weren't as invested in some of the plots as we could have been. Amanda has hovered too much on the fringes - they haven't managed to integrate her plot at all. And I'm pretty sure we've never seen that flashback in the "previously on" to Clarice discovering Barnabus' bicycle flyers. I was a little caught out by how intense the rivalry between these two cells is.

But yes, Daniel - please stop chopping those damn peppers! Why is he always chopping peppers? I don't quite get the symbolism on that one.

Check out my blog post on this episode at http://themothchase.wordpress.com

[Invesp]

Interesting news, thanks

[cinnamon barks]

@Natalie: Lucy's bicycle was stolen, remember -- so the flyer may have been related to that.

[bettye198]

Well we are glued to this show. Not that anyone has mentioned but emotions surface with the beautiful music background and the drums. The click click click that is rapid fire and whoever is the composer big kudo's! I think Eric Stoltz is amazing as Greystone and a big fan of his work elsewhere. The intensity of each character pulls you in like a magnet. The only one I have no resonance with is Greystone's wife. I think her backstory and front story is boring and what? all that drinking and smoking and dreariness episode after episode. She has lost me as a fan. Writers you need to beef this character up.

[brittany Adams]

Great Recaps. You basically summed up all my thoughts. Loved that you called Barnabus by his Buffy character name, Spike, once.

BTW its a bloodied razor on the sink not a roach. Its her memory from when she tried to kill herself when her brother died. (they had a scene right after one of her flashbacks where she's looking at and touching her wrists and there is a scar on one)

Can't wait for the next episode. Hmm... felt the same way about Stargate-Universe which is now back on Friday's with new episodes. Why can't the world be perfect and Syfy show both, one at 8 and one at 9?

[Thom]

I thought that this episode was fantastic and demonstrates the series' potential as a source of the kind of literary, character-driven storytelling we became accustomed to on BSG, further enhancing the already rich Battlestar universe. The retro-future and shades of noir - both in the V World's New Cap City and Caprica City's Tauron criminal underbelly is as captivating as it is original. In contrast, I did find one of the underlying concepts too far-fetched: that an avatar could be created to act independently of it's user, even after the user has died. However, it turns out that truth is often stranger than fiction: I read an interview with the sociologist William Sims Bainbridge in New Scientist (27 March 2010) where he claims that the virtual world of World of Warcraft has the potential to become the first real afterlife. "Every movement a player makes in WoW is recorded, even their interactions with others. The avatar captures their social self. To what extent the avatar is the controller is a philosophical question, but the avatar can outlive its creator and continue function in WoW as non-player character (NPC). Research is under way that will make NPCs behave more like specific people". Sound familiar? I'm hooked and I really look forward to see what the writers have got planned in the series' next installment. (My only tiny criticism is: please, p-l-e-a-s-e change the cheesy title sequence, BSG's said "mature, edge-of-your-seat awesomeness", Caprica's says "22nd century Gilmore Girls meets Knight Rider and Twilight").

[Cochrane housing developments]

I have listen this news here, Fantastic, please