User Reviews

Having escaped from the Cylons on New Caprica a group of six survivors, including Col. Tigh, Chief Tyrol and Anders, have formed a group known as The Circle; they are in effect a kangaroo court dishing out summary justice to those they believe collaborated with the Cylons. The first person we see them deal with is Jammer, whose pleas that he saved Cally fall on deaf ears. Soon after they set their sights of Lt. Gaeta who served as Baltar's right hand man during the occupation. Anders decides that he has had enough and quits the group but soon Starbuck is recruited... will she vote to kill Gaeta or will she believe the claim he made to her about passing on information to the insurgents. Meanwhile on the Cylon fleet Baltar is awaiting a similar fate as the Cylons decide whether or not to keep him; surprisingly the close decision will rely on the vote of Six.

After the action of the escape from New Caprica it is of little surprise that we get an episode with no spectacular action. It does however provide character development as we see how the occupation affected those who suffered under it; some are determined to get revenge and others believe that if their society is to survive they must but the past behind them. Despite the lack of action there were some nicely tense moments... right up until the end I was unsure what would happen to Gaeta.

I really enjoy this show, and I rate most episodes an 8 out of 10. Sometimes 7, sometimes 9. This one only gets a 7 because several of the major characters acted out of character. When humanity numbers less than 50,000 people, and you've just been through an ordeal reducing that number by a further 8,000 people, no rational person could possibly be in favor of capital punishment. No way. But here we have characters like Tyrol, Anders and even Starbuck joining in a secret circle to execute "collaborators" - that's total madness! Does not compute in any way, shape or form.

Still, surprisingly they manage to get an entertaining and thought-provoking episode out of it anyway. So Starbuck has been so broken by the Cylons that she can't continue her relationship with Anders - I have no objection to that. It's fairly believable.

But it is disconcerting that the heroism - or, at least, decency - of several major characters is being ejected through the airlock by their association with the Circle. I just don't believe that these characters would do that. A plot like this should have been aimed at showing how flat-out wrong such an initiative in such a situation would be. Of course a general amnesty is the only right thing to do. But now three major characters are tainted with having been pro capital punishment in the hour of humanity's greatest need for compassion. That's sad.