User Reviews

The previous episode ended with Galactica being boarded by a Cylon boarding party, in this episode we see the crew battle to stop them getting to two key locations; failure would lead to the loss of the ship and all those aboard! Things aren't made any easier by the fact that there is only a very limited supply of the necessary ammunition and many of those forced to fight aren't combat soldiers. Things aren't much better for those stranded on Kobol; Chief Tyrol and Cally may have evaded the Cylons but by the time they get back with the medical kit it is too late to save Socinus. Things are slightly better back on Caprica; Helo is growing to believe he was tricked into trusting Sharon and Starbuck decides to pop home.

This was another fine episode with lots of really tense action aboard Galactica. Jamie Bamber was great as Apollo as he took charge of a group fighting the Cylons. Aaron Douglas also put in a fine performance as the chief, showing real emotion when he realised he was too late to save Socinus. As the previous review stated this series in general and this episode in particular had a fine musical score by Bear McCreary.

The second episode of the second season, "Valley of Darkness", continues a major roll the show was on, this time focusing on the intense onboard problems facing Colonel Tigh and company as a Cylon raiding team, having punched through Apollo's stream of fighters, in a superior ship, crashlanded on the BG. The Cylons are heading for the Aft Damage area of the BG, and Tigh needs Apollo and a small assortment of officers to protect it or else the ship will be done for. On Caprica, in a scene I just loved, Starbuck locates her apartment, with Helo getting a chance to see where she lived before it all went to hell. Starbuck gets to play some of her dad's music, slide on his leather jacket, and smoke a cigar. Soon after they chill a bit, Starbuck finds the keys to a jeep, with the two of them hitting the road. I guess it was just that bit of calm out of a lot of drama where you can see Starbuck outside the soldier/pilot/tough-gal, including graffiti on her wall and paintings revealing to Helo a side of her he had never known. Kobol's subplots consists of Baltar envisioning Commander Adama drowning his and Telfar's baby with her telling Gaius that he must stop Adama from doing it at a future date & Tyrol and Cally returning to Crashdown with the med kit after losing Tarn to a Cylon wilderness attack. While Baltar is shaken by the vision, Tyrol remains under turmoil at the loss of Tarn with Cally having to keep him in check. Despite the loss of Tarn and return with the med kit, his efforts are in vain as the dying officer needing medical assistance is too far gone. The Cylons withstand bullets and must be hit in the head with arsenal more explosive, Apollo learning this up close and personal. I thought it was cool to finally get some use of the Cylon "toasters", quite intimidating and not interested in anything but laying waste to as many humans as get in their way. On the BG, we follow two sets of folks trying to either get away from the Cylons or awaiting them in order to stop them. Roslin (stripped of her title and let out of prison just because there was a major threat onboard), Billy, and officer Socinus (Alonso Oyarzun) leave the brig for the sick bay, but routes get cutoff thanks to the Cylons...they encounter Dualla (Kandyse McClure) on the way, found in the restroom with a concussion as bodies lay strewn about, suffering a bleeding head wound. The episode continues to monitor the ongoing, blossoming romance of Billy and Dualla, their interest in each other concluding the episode with kisses and probably a "little bit more". Along with the Cylons onboard, Tigh depends on Lt. Gaeta to help restore the BG's systems after a virus acquired when they jumped back to find the Colonial ships is causing havoc (including cutting off the power). Commander Adama continues to recover in the sick bay as Tigh takes Apollo to task for turning a gun on him and siding with Roslin...Apollo does agree with him that he doesn't deserve to wear the uniform but tells Tigh he doesn't either. Apollo's bravery and command of the limited officers facing the Cylons proves he's got what it takes, as the ship suffers its casualties but remains operational.

Not as politically loaded or as dialogue heavy as other episodes, this one is a tense, relentless homage (intentional or not, probably the first) to James Cameron's "Aliens". *** out of 4.

I was sad that (spoiler) Socinus died - he was probably the most major "minor" character to be eliminated so far.