Review - Caprica Season 1 Episode 3 The Reins of a Waterfall

As with Fringe, the official episode numbers are different than how they aired. Syfy considers the pilot 2 episodes, but everyone else called last week's episode "Episode 2," so once again I'll bow to the unofficial account and call "The Reins of a Waterfall" "Episode 3."

Amanda is a moron and I don't know how much more I can stand of her. After her meltdown last week, I expected her to realize it wasn't the best idea. This week, she reinforces her belief that her daughter is a terrorist, crying out that people must know the truth. How does she know the truth? Because it's the truth. If you look at the evidence she knows, there is no absolutely nothing definitive, and yet she wants to destroy her daughter's memory and reputation. Zoe wasn't the sweet girl in the holoband that we know, but she couldn't have been so bad that her mother wants her to be a terrorist. Meanwhile, she wants to frak with Daniel, who half-heartedly agrees with her, but wonders why she had to tell the public. She would do it again, so everyone would know the truth. On the plus side, Joseph asks Sam to get rid of Daniel's wife at the end of the episode.

That's part of the greater plot between the Adamas and the Graystones. Joseph has Sam beat Daniel at the beginning of the episode and calmly asks to find Tamara. When they can't find her in the holoband, Joseph goes into revenge mode. It's a little too much on the soap opera side for my tastes, but everyone will have differing opinions on the degree of sci-fi vs. soap opera.

There is an increasingly number of subplots going on that makes the world seem more realistic and complex. There's ridiculing media figures, incompetent police, PR people, and VCRs! These factors swirl around the two families and will get involved very soon by the looks of things. Caprica is creating a completely separate world like mirrors our own, but is different in a way that is both marvelous and disturbing.

Sister Clarice is becoming increasingly creepy and Lacy notices that. Her suspicions at confirmed as we see Clarice talking to a robotic voice reminiscent to that of the Cylons in the original BSG and reveals her plan to find avatar Zoe and make her a god (or something to that effect). Avatar Zoe also thinks there is a bigger plan for her since Zoe wanted to get her to Geminon. I have no clue what the STO are planning, but I feel a lame explanation coming.

The plot is plodding along in a fairly muddled direction and doesn't have as many explosive twists that BSG had. Notwithstanding the number of fans that refused to associate with the franchise after the BSG finale, I had expected more fans to watch the series. Not everyone is pleased with the series, and even if it gets canceled, at least it's better than Galactica 1980.

Score: 8.8/10