Episode Commentary: Know Thy Enemy

At times it feels as though “Caprica” is every bit as well-planned and riveting as its predecessor, “Battlestar Galactica.” At others – this week, for instance – it almost seems that its creators did not have a single solid story idea in mind and simply wanted to release a slew of plot threads.

Needless to say, a lot happened this week – or a lot started to happen, without any significant development.

The enigmatic Tomas Vergis (John Pyper-Ferguson), Daniel Graystone’s (Eric Stoltz) professional rival, finally makes an appearance and he’s every bit as dastardly and devious as he should be. This is a man who is perfectly aware of Daniel’s role in the theft of his chip and in the deaths of the two Taurons he loved as brothers; and his discovery of the involvement of the Ha’la’tha may very well be looming on the horizon.

Meanwhile, Sister Clarice (Polly Walker) aims to search the Graystone residence for any opportunity to download Zoe’s (Alessandra Torresani) avatar and Amanda (Paula Malcomson) is only too eager to comply. A stock heartwarming gesture here and a dash of ambrosia there, and Amanda is moldable putty in the Sister’s hands.

There were several savory and delightful moments in this week’s installment, however – the best of which was Philomon’s (Alex Arsenault) impromptu flirting with the cylon and holoband date with Zoe (though in all fairness, he knew her as “Rachel.”)

There is hope, however, as Joseph Adama (Esai Morales) finally manages to track down the boy who met Tamara (Genevieve Buechner) in New Cap City, so there may yet be a worthy sequel to last week’s phenomenal “There is Another Sky.”

In the meantime, unfortunately, “Caprica” continues to grow in “Galactica’s” shadow and ride its fame. In spite of its superiority of quality to much else on television, it has not yet introduced the kind of riveting and highly thought-provoking material that its parent would sprout on a semi-regular basis.

But this is only the beginning of the first season, so “Caprica” will still have ample opportunity. Hopefully, with “The Imperfections of Memory,” this powder keg of potential will ultimately be realized.

Related posts:

1. Parks and Recreation Coverage: Back to School ‘Parks and Recreation’ Episode Commentary: The Smallest Park In this continuity-focused era of television storytelling, nothing is more important than breaking new ground. With “The Smallest Park,” “Parks and Recreation”...
2. Husbands, the Series: ‘Why Not?’ If you ask Brad “Cheeks” Bell why he thinks now is the time for a web series about a newlywed gay couple, he’ll tell you, “Why not?” And, to be...
3. Jane Espenson Announces Gay-Themed Web Series ‘Husbands’ As marriage equality takes center stage this weekend in the news, it’s probably very fitting that the issue is also about to get even more Hollywood attention, as well—on the...
4. 2010 – 2011 BROADWAY THEATRE SEASON END-OF-SEASON STATISTICS THE HIGHEST GROSSING SEASON ON RECORD UP 5.9% FROM LAST SEASON ATTENDANCE UP 5.4% (New York, NY)– The Broadway League has released end-of-season statistics for the 2010 – 2011 season,...