Airdate: 3/16/80
The Cylon menace continues, and this time it’s the Galactica
children who are imperiled. Troy and Dillon get inadvertently assigned the task
after the Cylons destroy the children’s’ barge, and so once again they must
navigate earth’s unfamiliar culture to assimilate the lil’ tykes for the sake
of their safety. Outfitted as scouts, the kids feel great – until one by one they
start to come down with a serious illness. Using his cell biopsy device, Troy
ascertains the cause of the problem: drinking water from a chemically
contaminated pond. Once again, they’re wanted by the authorities once no one
can ID their scout troop, and with the help of Jamie they need to avoid
discovery - and expose the chemical plant for their toxic treachery.
Ah, the 70s and early 80s, when you could show
environmentalism and ecological awareness running into a political firestorm,
like you would today. There was, of course, residual attitudes from the
back-to-nature movement of the 60s, but don’t forget the resent industrial
disaster at Three Mile Island just a year earlier. It sorta does feel a tad out
of place showing up here, where the poisonous waste would affect all children, not just ones from outer
space, but with so earnest a cause I wouldn’t dare complain.
I will complain about the front half of this episode,
however. When Adama announces that the children will go to earth immediately,
why the extra plot thread of the Cylon attack forcing them to go to earth –
which is where they’re going anyway? I’ll tell you why – more recycled footage
from the original Galactica of vipers
launching, going to turbo speed, firing, explosions, the three Cylons inside
their ships turning their heads, et cetera, et cetera. Just as boring here as
it was there, and it underscores the problem this series continues to have – it
can’t step outside its predecessor’s shadow.
And there’s also no continuity from the last episode to this
one. Aren’t Troy and Dillon, assisted by Jamie, going back in time to the 1700s
to stop Xavier. And why is Jamie back on earth as a reporter? Sounds like some
behind-the-scenes troubles with this show are already afoot.
BTW: There’s a clever in-joke in which two California
Highway Patrol officers, frustrated at not being able catch Troy and Dillon,
wonder if this ever happens “to those two guys on TV.”
Along with Wonder Woman and the Bionic Woman, these super
scouts officially make the 1970s the decade of the ultra-high jump!
Rating: ***
Rating: ***
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