When I finished reviewing the first half of the Caprica season, I expressed skepticism whether I would keep going with the series. Caprica is like a car wreck beside the road. I do not want to see it, but it is such a macabre mess, I cannot look away. There were no wham episodes I the first nine like “33” and ’Water” for Battlestar Galactica which hooked me right away. While I had cautious optimism for “Unvanquished,” they were ultimately quashed. Caprica was not supposed to return until January, but I get the feeling because of low ratings thus far and little promise on the horizon that SyFy--mercy, I hate the new channel name--wants to burn off the remaining episodes in hopes of recouping production costs. If there is a second season, I will e shocked.
The episode takes place three weeks after Daniel’s wife’s suicide. He is now a sloppy drunk who has decided to build a virtual heaven in order to escape human grief. E enlists the aid of a mobster to do so. Yeah, that will not cause any problems. Cylons have begun production. They are rolling down the assembly line a a thousand per month.
The other characters like Joe Adama, Lacey, Clarice, and Zoe are bumbling along with the dangling plot threads from the end of the first half of the season. There are only two interesting points of note. One, Zoe is gaining more control over the virtual world. She is killing people like a Terminator. Two, her mother implausibly survived her suicide attempt and is hanging out with Clarice. Clarice, like Daniel, is attempting to create her own idea of heaven.
I cannot say any of this thrilled me. Will I watch next week? Probably not.--and not just because I am more interested in the baseball playoffs. Caprica is turning out to be an unworthy successor to Battlestar Galactica.
Rating: ** (out of 5)
