A quick warning: while the first thing on this site states that I don’t warn that spoilers are coming, I’m going to make an exception in this case. So, warning: major Battlestar Galactica spoilers ahead.
If you watched last Friday’s Battlestar Galactica, then you should have recognized the post’s title, the title of the episode. Not only was this the best episode of these final ones, but it ranks in among my favorite in the series. I sat on the edge of my seat pretty much the entire time. The entire concept of the episode was brilliantly executed, but the moment that really sold me (and I’m sure quite a lot of you) was this:
Awesomeness starts at around 1:10, but watch it all anyway. The surprised expression on Tigh’s face when the note hits, the relieved expression on Starbuck’s as the plays the melody and the ferocity with which her father plays the rhythm compared to just before sent shivers down my spine like no other.
If you’re understanding what I am talking about, then you realize the surprisingly important role that All Along The Watchtower plays. Bear McCreary’s brilliant cover closed off the third season with—at least in my opinion—one of the greatest television reveals ever. The instrumentation is awesome, and much like this clip, the third season had fragments of the rhythm and melody, until it all culminated in the finale with the whole song as you frantically try to piece the earlier fragments together to remember whether they gave you any clues about the Final Five.
The song itself has many fitting parallels to the show, but what I loved most was Starbuck’s description of the song as both, “Happy and sad.” It’s exactly what I think of the song! While I’m more partial to Hendrix’s version, here’s McCreary’s version from the soundtrack:
It’s criminal that this show is ending in three more episodes.