Battlestar Galactica: The Resistance webisodes
In between seasons two and three, viewers get a glimpse of life in the New Caprican resistance, with Chief Tyrol, Col. Tigh and Jean Barolay in charge. Expect lots of tough calls and collateral damage.
A note to first time BSG watchers; these aren't the reviews for you. I plan to write about the show with the ending in mind. If you haven't seen the show, you will be spoiled on stuff that happens at the end. You've been warned.
It's a shame that "The Resistance Webisodes" are just tucked in to the extra features on Disc Two of the season three set, because while they're not the best episodes ever, they really are worth a look.
Here, we get to meet Duck's charming wife, Nora, see a little bit of the life they were trying to build even under the occupation, and understand a bit more why he volunteered to be a suicide bomber after her death. It's a tiny, sad little story that enhances his actions in the season three premiere.
But, "The Resistance" is really Jammer's story
So far, Jammer hasn't been much of a character on the show. We've seen him around, he has a name and some lines, and back in season one, some unpleasant opinions, but all in all, he's a guy who does his job, is horrified by the occupation, and wants to stop the Cylons from killing people.
A decent enough guy, but he's also one who is not cut out for war. Tigh has been there before, he knows how to shut down those emotions to get the job done. Barolay spent nine months on Caprica becoming a guerrilla fighter without mercy. Jammer, however, is too emotional for resistance fighting.
He's still human; he can't shut himself off from the horror of "collateral damage." He can't bring himself to forget the dead or use their deaths for a greater good.
He doesn't want anyone to die, and as a result, he joins the New Caprica police, looking to help his people help themselves, to get the Cylons off the streets and out of their homes (out of sight, out of mind, right?).
In a few short months, he'll be standing in front of a firing squad, trying to make them understand what he tried (and mostly failed) to do. He saved Cally's life, but he helped kill others (a lot like the people who put him on trial). His judges will ignore his pleas, and they will throw him out an airlock.
Watching "The Resistance," I say he didn't deserve it. As season three will show us, everyone got a bit dirty in that fight, and they all deserve forgiveness, even Baltar (yes, I did just write that).
It's funny (but not funny ha-ha), but Jammer would probably have been better off never signing up for the resistance. Good intentions clearly did him no good.
Next up: "Occupation"
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