This concerns Battlestar Galactica, series 2. Look away now if you want to avoid spoilers.

I've been looking forward to the return of BSG to our torrents screens. Hands-down, it's been the best Sci-Fi out of America since Babylon 5. However, the latest two episodes have been a tad disappointing.

The first new episode, Resurrection Ship, part 2 concluded the cliff-hanger from before Xmas wherein a second human battleship - the Battlestar Pegausus - turned up, with its commander who inconveniently out-ranked Adama. What's more, Admiral Cain turned out to have a ruthless streak a mile wide, having abandoned a bunch of civilian ships and crew after stripping them of their parts. To complicate matters, two of Galactica's crew killed a member of Pegasus's and Cain has them on death row whilst Adama sends over ships to take them back by force.

The plot of part 2 then has Adama and Cain putting aside their difference (temporarily) whilst they take out the titular Cylon ship. However, both plan to assassinate the other: Adama sends Starbuck over to pop a cap in Cain's ass, whilst Cain orders her XO to station marines around the Galactica's bridge who will terminate eveyone with extreme prejudice. At the crunch though, neither goes through with their plans though we endure a tense ship-to-shop call when either one could have triggered it.

So far, so good. A complex situation where everyone will be called upon to make some tricky decisions.

Then, Baltar releases a Cylon who executes Cain, Adama is made Admiral and pardons his men on death row and everything's back to normal. Bleh. Cop-out. Almost a deus ex machina.

Almost. But then... Epiphanies. President Roslin's had cancer almost from the get-go; and there's no cure. In Epiphanies she's reached the very end: in very great pain, she even starts hallucinating. Things are bad. Things might be worse for Boomer, the Cylon who's knocked up with Helo's kid. Adama decides, on advice from the other doctor, to have the kid aborted. People get angry. Adama looks stoic. As they're about to start cutting on Boomer, up pops Baltar again with news that the kid's blood cures cancer. So they cure the President.

Dues. Ex. Machina.

I guess they've signed Mary McDonnell for the series, so can't bump her off. Which is a pity, not because I hold any ill-will to her or her character, but if you keep putting your main characters in danger, and then saving them it gets annoying. Think of Star Trek's famous Red Shirts...

The only bright light is that Baltar gave a nuclear bomb to some lunatics. Hopefully, we'll get some interesting stories out of that decision - I'm crossing my fingers it's not non-functional.