Battlestar Galactica: Season 2-02: Valley Of Darkness

The Best Scenes in BSG 202:
'Valley of Darkness' Can Be Walked Through
By Koenigrules

The conclusion to 'Scattered' impressed this reviewer immensely. Not only did it deliver in terms of action, but again it was a powerful, character-driven episode like its predecessor.

To recap the plot, the mechanical Cylons have boarded the Galactica and are dead set on reaching aft damage control where they can vent the crew into space. Then they will use the battlestar's own guns on the rest of the fleet, thereby eliminating their dreaded enemy once and for all. In shots highly reminiscent of Aliens (1986), Apollo and his small group of warriors are seen waiting for the Cylons to arrive within dark corridors where they cannot discern friend from foe; occasionally they hear shots and are greeted by an assortment of dead bodies of their comrades (all torn up and barely recognizable)- making the Cylon presence an ever present, palpable threat, even though the robots do not occupy center stage until close to the end of the episode. Similar to Aliens, "Valley of Darkness" works as it manages to build the tension throughout the story, and when the Cylons do appear, it is well worth the wait.

I particularly loved the sort of zany tribute to Gerorge Romero's Living Dead movies. The only way one of the mechanical Cylons can be 'killed' is by an explosive round fired directly to the head. Sure enough, there are plenty of nice CG scenes where the Cylon heads are blasted off, thereby shutting off their programming. In one very neat sequence, one of the Cylons lunges for Apollo, but Lee manages to get off a round just before the thing can deliver the killing blow from mid-air. Another cool moment is when Laura Roslin discovers she has been fired at, but strangely enough she manages to survive without a scratch- bringing the focus back to her as "The Destined One" who will lead her people to Earth.

In between these moments aboard the Galactica, we jump alternately to Kobol and then Caprica to see what has become of the stranded humans on both planets. Baltar experiences another vision: this time it is a fairly healthy Commander Adama who takes his child and drowns it in a nearby stream. Upon awakening from this nightmare, Baltar discusses it with Six who warns him to be careful of the Commander. Obviously, Adama will play a pivotal role in the Cylon plan that is unfolding.

Aaron Douglas continues to give a strong performance as Chief Tyrol. In this outing he has to decide whether to let Socinus die a slow, agonizing death or give him a drug overdose that will speed the process up (as well as reduce the pain of one of his beloved comrades). This is probably one of the hardest acts for the Chief to make, but with his assistance Socinus is able to "head home and rejoin the Galacticans." I was reminded of our contemporary issue of mercy killing while watching this scene and realized that by judging it as right or wrong did not help the victim who was in severe pain and the throes of death. I love a show like Battlestar Galactica that can critique moral dilemmas confronting our society.

And then there is the interlude between Starbuck and Helo on Caprica. Both manage to get to Starbuck's apartment, stretch out and listen to music. Similar to Tyrol hearing the bird song on Kobol, the worn-out warriors take a break and appreciate the finer moments that life has to offer. Helo even goes through some canvasses of Starbuck's artwork, appreciating her womanly talents. Clearly there exists a professional, and perhaps personal, bond between these two. And while they drink their worries away, I saw the sharp contrast between the military life of these people and their civilian life that they had to repress so that they could effectively function in the former.

The end of the episode was an ass- kicker. Yes, it was even better than the last of the Cylons being exterminated. Tigh reminds Apollo that he mutinied against his father and that he is not fit to wear a uniform anymore. Apollo replies that Tigh should not be wearing one either and that when The Old Man awakens, he will decide the fate of both of them. I loved the tense interplay between these two characters, but even more it was nice to see that they were talking about Adama recovering- one of the first hopeful signs that the Commander would be back very soon. But the question remains: What will he do with Tigh and his son Lee?

If I could rate this an 11 on a 10-point scale, I would. Instead, I give it a 10+. "Valley of Darkness" was an excellent wrap-up to "Scattered" on all counts.