Battlestar Galactica Review: "The Face of the Enemy" (Webisode Part 10)

Taken as a whole, the most surprising thing about "The Face of the Enemy" is how a 10-part webisode starring one of the show's minor characters feels crucial to the set up of the final episodes, beginning this Friday. But through Lt. Felix Gaeta (Alessandro Juliani), we get a little clarity from Season 3 and little foreshadowing of things to come.

With their shuttle off course and too little air for everyone, the Number Eight Cylon with whom Gaeta had a relationship on New Caprica begins killing off the other passengers and crew, leaving only Gaeta. But what started out as a "lost in space" murder mystery not worthy of the Battlestar Galactica brand unfolded into something much more nuanced. When the Eight is found out, she reveals to Gaeta his own complicity in the death of the resistance members she'd pretended to help him save. It becomes clear that even when Gaeta is saved (by killing the Eight and getting rescued by his boyfriend Lt. Louis Hoshi), any real redemption for him is a long ways off. His hatred for Cylons has turned him cold.

Col. Tigh, continuing to serve as XO after revealing his true nature as a Cylon, has visibly mellowed in the webisode, showing sympathy when Hoshi lets on about his and Gaeta's relationship and almost fatherly understanding when Gaeta tells him he's going over his head to speak to Adm. Adama. But Felix is determined to end the shaky human/Cylon alliance that finally discovered Earth. "Keep your head low," he tells Hoshi, as the webisode closes. Gaeta's got a new mission.

Related Links:
Battlestar Galactica - "The Face of the Enemy" Part 1 (Dec. 12) Review
Battlestar Galactica - "The Face of the Enemy" Part 2 (Dec. 15) Review
Battlestar Galactica - "The Face of the Enemy" Part 3 (Dec. 17) Review
Battlestar Galactica - "The Face of the Enemy" Part 4 (Dec. 22) Review
Battlestar Galactica - "The Face of the Enemy" Part 5 (Dec. 24) Review
Battlestar Galactica - "The Face of the Enemy" Part 6 (Dec. 29) Review
Battlestar Galactica - "The Face of the Enemy" Part 7 (Dec. 31) Review
Battlestar Galactica - "The Face of the Enemy" Part 8 (Jan. 5) Review
Battlestar Galactica - "The Face of the Enemy" Part 9 (Jan. 7) Review
Battlestar Galactica - "The Face of the Enemy" Part 10 (Jan. 12) Review