Battlestar Galactica (TV Series) Unfinished Business (2006) User Reviews

Emotional Mayhem

[mstomaso · 8/10 · 30 December 2007]

There is a lot of unfinished business aboard Galactica. And a lot of it, though not all, is between Starbuck and Apollo. Most of the story focuses on the resolution of a number of problematic relationships in, of all places, a boxing ring. This culminates in a brutal after-hours fight between Apollo and Starbuck, in which their emotional problems rise to the surface and possess them both.

While I found this episode uncomfortable and disturbing, and both cathartic and painful to watch, I can also say that I have absolutely nothing but respect for it ad I understand why it was necessary.

Bamber, Olmos, Douglas, McClure and Sackhoff are great in this episode.

Unresolved tensions

[Tweekums · 7/10 · 24 November 2011]

This episode was always going to divide opinions; half of it is flashbacks to the time on New Caprica before the Cylons arrived and the other half is members of the crew slugging it out in the boxing ring. As Adama explains to Roslin; boxing is a military tradition where crew members can resolve their tensions and rank is irrelevant. It soon becomes clear that there was more tension to be resolved then met the eye... Adama realises mistakes have been made and steps into the ring and challenges Chief Tyrol to prove his point; there is also a lot of unresolved (sexual) tension between Apollo and Starbuck dating back to the eve of Starbuck's wedding to Anders.

This wasn't my favourite episode; I'm not a boxing fan; but it wasn't without its merits... the fights were well choreographed and looked real to my non-expert eye and Adama's speech after his bout was impressive; Edward James Olmos is great in the role. It was surprising to Starbuck stepping into the ring with male opponents but once she was there it was no surprise to see that she was at least as good as her opponents. Some viewers may be disappointed that there is no sign of the Cylons this week but that seemed right to me; it was an episode dedicated to the relationships between the crew members and an cuts to what was happening with the Cylons would have been a distraction.

A good episode, but loses sight of the true sci-fi fan.

[cardphreak · 6/10 · 5 December 2006]

Its not that the episode is bad at all really...the writers were just trying to appeal to a wider audience, but in doing so lost sight of the true sci-fi fan base. You just have to accept that the "dance" and the unfolding drama of the past year, largely unexplored by previous episodes, is something the hardcore sci-fi fan is not as interested in spending an entire episode dwelling on. This episode certainly has its moments in my mind, and it was enjoyable to watch. The sci-fi fan just needs to remember that lots of people want to watch this type of hate-love storyline, and that not every episode will be jam packed with space battling cylon action, lest the plot line and characters go nowhere. Just see it for what it is...character development. Every good story needs it. Yes, the whole episode could be chopped up and compartmentalized into a tighter package, and for this, many viewers may feel cheated. These viewers need to remember that anything can be dissected into a neat little summary, but in doing so, detracting from the emotion and intensity of otherwise eventful and dramatic programming. This is what BSG really is, even if at times it is hidden, disguised as pure sci-fi, action driven television.

TV Producer's: Take Note

[s_rycroft · 9/10 · 2 December 2006]

This episode is an example of why BSG is not only a great Sci-Fi, but also a great drama period.

A character driven episode like no other, Unfinished Business reveals events that took place on New Caprica before the Cylon occupation. The focus on various love triangles (and rectangles) that have been undercurrents throughout the show makes this the best episode since Resurrection Ship. Here's hoping Michael Taylor continues writing for BSG. His first episode here was amazing.

The episode is made complete by the slightly lilting and haunting soundtrack. It would fall apart without it.

Some sci-fi fans complain that BSG lacks actual sci-fi, and episodes like this will only louden their voices. There's no Cylons, it takes place mainly in a boxing ring, and nothing 'plot-wise' actually happens.

But that's not what BSG has ever been about. It's focus has always been character, and complaining about a focus on character is just a symptom of not liking the direction of the entire show. So stop watching if you don't like character development.

If best-of-TV drama doesn't suit your style, look elsewhere.

One of the Top Ten

[csolutionrevenge_ · 10/10 · 12 January 2007]

I don't understand why so many people hated this episode. Actually I do, but I don't understand why they watch Battlestar. When I saw the preview after 'Hero', I said 'WTF, Boxing Episode?' Then I watched it. To me, this episode epitomized why I watch BSG. Pure, character driven drama, and is now on my top ten favorites across the whole show. I guess you can listen to those who say 'OMFG GHEY SOAP OPREA WERES The SPLOSIONS?????///slash?', but why? This episode provided a deep look at the rifts that had settled between characters in the 'One Year Later' jump at the end of season 2, and how they all dealt with their own unfinished business. Anybody who likes Battlestar for the adult drama it is should enjoy this episode. Otherwise, I hear Lucas is working on another rehash of the Star Wars Saga.

One of the best episodes of BSG

[a13x_home · 10/10 · 28 April 2010]

I consider this episode to be one of the best of the series due to its clever construction and the absolutely fantastic soundtrack. I'm a little disappointed to see that some people haven't understood that it's not about a boxing match. That is just a pretext that introduces us to all the drama, emotions and struggles which make the true purpose of the episode. I believe this is what makes BSG so unique and remarkable compared with other SciFi shows. The human elements such as drama and personal relationships aren't of secondary importance here. They get treated with the same respect as the main SciFi theme and that's why BSG is so special.

I see that some hardcore SciFi fans are annoyed with the lack of Cylons in this episode. These complaints are totally irrelevant since the show is not called "Cylons". It's name is Battlestar Galactica. That means it's about the ship and its crew and this episode definitely respects that.

Refreshing character development

[untitledwoman · 9/10 · 8 December 2006]

I left this episode shocked. More so than a lot of others that focus on action and 'how do we take the story here in an hour.' It is difficult to address all the personal issues of all of the characters because it is such an ensemble cast. In a plot that is twisting and turning so frequently and intricately, sometimes an episode is needed to sit back, relax, and observe how all of these changes are affecting the characters. In this particular episode, I found the internal drama of the characters and their relationships to be exhilarating. The flashbacks were the best part. We got to see some of what we missed and that really put together a lot of pieces to the puzzle. You don't have to like boxing to understand why it was so important to the episodes point. I was a little relieved they gave the cylons a break for an episode because that wasn't the dominating question mark in the plot line. As for the action...well...lets just say I've always found the action (although very well done) to act more as filler. This show really does 'blow traditional Sci-Fi out of the water.' Battlestar Galactica, although residing with Sci-Fi, is really just a gut wrenching, deeply character driven and dark drama. And right now, it's the best drama on television. Although credit is due to everyone involved with the show, I believe Mary McDonnell and Edward James Olmos are the most valuable components to this show's success. They are amazing actors, with powerfully strong characters, and have wonderful chemistry together. They really let their colors shine in every episode.

God, this episode Stank. An effing soap opera in the life of idiot Kara and boring Apollo, an abusive relationship.

[reb-warrior · 3/10 · 8 February 2021]

Man, this episode stunk. We were stuck seeing people beat each other up in a in ring for the entire episode. And it's supposed be good for them. Yeah, eff off.

They tried to fill in some parts, which some of it I didn't mind the flashbacks to see how things occurred. But unfortunately had to put up with the most unromantic pairing of Kara, whom I don't like most of the time, and the most boring character on the show, Apollo.

Apollo and Kara suck. She's an idiot most of the time and especially as we saw in the flashback. Apollo is so vanilla and boring, why anyone would pine for him is beyond me. Remember this is fiction on TV. Not real life. Yeah he's a good guy, but yawn on the screen. They are an abusive pairing and always have been. So they get in the ring and abuse each other even more. Then it ends, 'I missed you." Oh please. You both suck. As did this episode. Domestic abusers. 3/10

Masterful half-bottle episode

[lapiquante · 10/10 · 26 May 2014]

This episode is as close to perfection as it gets. At the end of the previous season, there was the time jump. Starbuck was married to Anders, Lee was fat, the Battlestar crew were divided in the two ships and on the ground. Starbuck & Apollo were best friends at the beginning of the season finale; by the end, she was hesitant to ask him for life-saving medicine for her husband. We spent the season hiatus & 8 episodes asking, "What happened?!?" and with this episode, we get all the answers. The metaphoric boxing match is interwoven with flashbacks to the one happy day on New Caprica. People are celebrating and relaxing and feeling hopeful. We get to see Adama & Roslin relax a bit. We see life as it might have been. We see, gradually, what caused the rift between the best friends. In seeing the first few episodes of season 3, I knew they had to flash back to tell us what happened in all that time, and this was far better than I could have imagined. The pacing was fantastic, and the editing superb. It was an over-written and over-shot episode, so when it's edited together, there is so much more going on in each actor's performance. It's a spectacular episode of dramatic television, focused on the people, as this show has always been. It's a drama that happens to occur in space, and this was never more clear than in "Unfinished Business."

Groundhog Day with the endless boxing matches it was so fracking bad I would have rather watched the entire Rocky franchise for a fifth time

[Ed-Shullivan · 2/10 · 27 January 2021]

Oh God I was wondering if these endless and fruitless boxing matches would ever end in this most boring episode of the series so far, I understand that the underlining story line in this episode was to bring out the beast in all the main characters and exchange lust and love triangles with a punch (or two, or three, or four...etc...etc.) in the face but what was expressed with endless rounds of boring boxing matches could have been replaced and much more interesting with some creative conversations amongst all these fornicators.

This episode was so FRACKING bad that I can only give it a 2 out of 10 IMDB rating and if this series deteriorates any further, I love Mrs. Shullivan, but she will have to watch the remaining episodes herself and I will watch something that is more adventurous with a deeper story line like the 1966 animated series Rocket Robin Hood.

A Welcome Breather

[christopher-taafe · 9/10 · 26 March 2020]

This episode won't be for everyone. Die hard cylon buffs who are only here for the 'terminator in space' aspect of the show wont have much to shout about during this episode. Those of us capable of understanding the need for relationships between integral members of the crew (most importantly Apollo and Starbuck) are sucked into a twisted, passionate, will they won't they scenario once again. Light hearted moments with Adama and Roslin are also pleasing to watch. The fight scenes are brutal and excellently choreographed as usual, but intertwined with explanation as to why our main characters have offered such recent hostility. One of the finest episodes of the entire series for those who can appreciate more than just violence and sci fi.

Excellent

[koalablue_1993 · 9/10 · 27 August 2008]

I must admit this has always been one of my favorite episodes. It has great character development and drama. Its a different kind of BSG episode since its not really about explosions, cylons or resurrection ships but instead its about boxing. Edward James Olmos delivers a fantastic performance here as usual. Mary Macdonnell is gorgeous to look at and she is a great actress. She is actually one of the main reasons i watch this show. And all the rest of the cast were great in their roles. Some episodes are terrible, others are just ridiculous but this episode was excellent.A very well made episode but terribly underrated. A must see!

Why We Fight

[spasek · 10/10 · 13 April 2022]

Those that look at "Die Hard" as a good Christmas movie are people who are missing the point. And it seems that the same can be said of those who see this episode as a simple "boxing" episode. "Boxing" has little to do with the heart of the episode.

Think back. In Occupation, Athena asks Adama a poignant question: if he feels guilty about leaving people behind on New Caprica. He replies that he doesn't do guilt. Clearly, he does. Thus, one of the big, momentous speeches by Adama after fighting Tyrol in the ring. In short, he's finally able to get the guilt off his chest. Guilt for letting his guard down; for letting those under his command get too close and allow them to muster out. And, yes, the price was a costly one.

You may also notice that Starbuck and Apollo have had little contact in the episodes leading up to this one. We finally find out what triggered the resentment that each had for the other. It's ironic that most people will think of reasons NOT to do something, rather than reasons to do it. Starbuck once accused Lee of thinking too much. But when it comes to the matters of the heart, it's actually Kara who thinks too much. And as the season progresses, we finally find out what's behind the self-destructive tendencies that she's always harbored, and why she's never felt worthy of being loved. In short, Anders was the safe play because she already knew that she never really loved him.

I really recommend watching the extended version of the episode because it provides even more valuable insight, and why people need and outlet when the guilt, pain, and resentments get to be too much. The "boxing matches" make sense when you think about how much everyone has already gone through in such a short period of time. And the hard times are still on the horizon as we will find out. The boxing is simply a release. I could have been most anything, but the boxing does make sense.

Once again, the human element is what is paramount in this series. Not the action. Not even the romance angles. But how humans tend to act and react in these types of situations. While the boxing is fun, it's what's said after that carries the most weight; what Adama tells those he commands, and what Kara and Lee finally get off their chests. But as we also know, all actions carry consequences. Yes, the human element is what makes the series so poignant and profound. And there is no shortage of that is this powerful episode.

Top 5

[dougmacdonaldburr · 9/10 · 6 February 2021]

The current rating is too low. This is one of the best episodes of the entire show. I love Starbuck and Apollo's relationship. I wish things had ended differently, but, this episode shows us the best moments of their tragic love story. I understand why people think the third season is their least favourite, but, it does have some of the best episodes.

Lowest rated episode for me

[ErReads · 5/10 · 23 January 2020]

I liked the flashbacks in this episode, but the boxing? Ugh. First of all, I don't know why on earth a military commander would risk his top pilots and officers in this manner. Any of them could have ended up incapacitated for days and unable to defend against the cylons. Second of all, the site of Lee brutally punching Starbuck (the woman he loves) in the face, and her punching him back... utterly disgusting. I probably should rate this lower, but the non-boxing parts were pretty great.

Worst Episode of the Series?

[ozzy24 · 2/10 · 5 November 2009]

This episode might be the worst episode of the series. As others pointed out it was like a bad soap opera. I won't lie I never was a fan of the Starbuck character and hated that they wasted an entire episode on a plot that was going nowhere. I rather watch an episode about a ship full of cylons, at least they are interesting unlike the forced Apollo/Starbuck romantic tension*yawn*.

Not to be picky either I hate how the show has Starbuck boxing with males at an equal level. Chances are guys who work out a lot(such as military men) will over power a very strong female, but Starbuck seems to be a Mary Sue in that regard that she is easily defeats Hotdog. How come the other girls on the Battlestar had to fight other girls, but Starbuck gets lifted to this unbelievable level.

Days of our Lives revisited

[incrediball · 1/10 · 18 September 2008]

The show Battlestar Galactica is like a roller coaster ride and I don't mean that in a positive sense. There are some brilliant episodes such as episode 4 of this series (Exodus: Part 2) and there are ones like this one with all the pointless and constructed drama of a soap opera.

There were more of those long slow scenes with Admiral Adama and President Roslin staring at each other. Unfortunately some might call this great acting but to me it seems like they're just filling in time.

I cannot surely be the only person dreading having to watch through more of the tedious Apollo vs. Starbuck melodrama. Starbuck is a train wreck and seems to be eternally heading for her comeuppance but never seems to get it. She is just a poor replacement for the beautiful and pleasant Anastasia Dualla and Apollo is obviously an idiot, but then a lot of the characters on this show are idiots.

The episode was also inconsistent. At the end of the second series just before the arrival of the Cylons on New Caprica there was a feeling as if everyone more or less hated living there. It was cold, there were strikes and it seemed that people were dissatisfied. In this episode one got the feeling that life on New Caprica was good and they were all loving it. Oh, and one other thing, Chief Tyrol's baby was not born on the Galactica, as indicated in this episode. Since his wife was pregnant at that union meeting just before the Cylons arrived (which was led by the then-civilian Tyrol), his baby was obviously born during the Cylon occupation.

Perhaps the idea with the boxing match was original and a change but all in all, a poor episode.

Unfinished Business - Really Bad Episode!

[Herron-2 · 1/10 · 2 December 2006]

This was the first episode that I not only didn't like, but actually hated. I thought about deleting it halfway through, and it was an effort to watch. I can't say too much without "spoiling" this useless episode, but let's say that the same information we learned could've been presented in five minutes, instead of an entire program. And I watch this show for drama, politics, sci-fi, and, usually, good scripts and plots - NOT to watch boxing matches. What a complete waste of time! And why is there a ten-line minimum for writing comments here? OK, here's another thing - NONE of the Cylons were on this episode. And by inserting this episode in the middle of the escape from New Caprica, and the dying Cylons, the momentum of the series was completely lost. NOW do I have enough lines for this comment? What do YOU think of the episode?

Not the best episode

[bsimpson189 · 5/10 · 19 February 2022]

This is a good episode to skip. This does not advance the story line in any meaningful manner. This episode exists simply as a season filler..................

character development is good, but boxing, not so much

[jsmith47-797-232772 · 1/10 · 8 August 2010]

I have no problem with the episode being about character development, but dislike boxing. If they had cut out the boxing almost entirely, focusing on the flashbacks it would have been a far better episode. The problem is that since I have no interest in boxing, I spent more or less those entire scenes bored out of my mind waiting to get back to the flashbacks. I also question the placement of this episode. Having already had a filler episode, (a quite good one, but still filler), it seems like it would be better to get back to the virus plot line for at least an episode or two before this. I have not seen the extended episode, but it sounds like it had more of the flashback scenes, so it definitely would have been possible to create a cut that had minimal actual boxing.

men and women cannot box each other fairly

[lancerock · 5/10 · 16 May 2020]

I generally love bsg. up until the last 10 minutes of the last episode, i'd call it a great show. it has some writing messiness that bugs me - gaeta just had to tell someone about how he helped the resistance, for heaven's sake, and no one would throw him out the airlock, for eg.

and in principle, i love what this episode does. lots of cool little character moments, takes its time, doesn't worry about having lots of effects or anything.

but it features one of my least favourite elements that gender warriors seem to insist on pushing on the tv & film world.

women and men cannot fight fairly. starbuck would not be able to beat up any of those men. she is not a superpowered hero. she's a woman, & if she got in the ring with hot-dog or apollo, they would murder her with one punch.

that taints this episode, and makes something that ought to have been great into something annoying & deeply flawed.

Filler

[grantss · 4/10 · 20 November 2023]

The Galactica is holding a boxing contest in which anyone can enter and contestants get to choose their opponent. Rivalries and animosities are revealed as people square up in the ring. In particular, we get to see what caused the sour relationship between Apollo and Starbuck.

Season 3 promised so much. After the incredibly original and left-field ending to Season 2, Season 3 initially built on that and gave us a sense that the captivity and resistance on New Caprica would be the centre of Season 3.

After that plotline ended (rather too quickly, I reckon) the writers have struggled to come up with a season-wide arc. Since then almost every episode has been a standalone one and the ones that have linked in to the larger picture haven't progressed the story.

This hasn't been all bad but the one-off nature of the episodes hasn't helped engagement. Then there's episodes which are really just filler, in there to get the season to its contracted quota of 20 episodes. This is one of them.

This episode resembles more that of a soap opera than of Battlestar Galactica. The relationship between Apollo and Starbuck is examined and it's Days of our Lives sort of stuff. Then there's some random beef between the Admiral and the Chief that makes no sense.

Quite the waste of time and of an episode.

Bad episode but Kara still "Rocks"

[MichaelNight-65221 · 4/10 · 25 January 2024]

Like some here already said here this episode looks like a typical "seasonfiller".

It maybe is a cliché to have those boxing matches where they can ventilate their frustrations about and upon each other. Just like the cliché of having to settle things between two persons by going for some sport. However I read here some like this kind of script so these kind of scripts are unavoidable.

That having said. Sure I watched the whole episode, if only because I love Starbuck. In fact Katee Sackhoff became for me the reason to keep watching the entire show. Reviewers of this episode here have criticized her and her ability to beat up a guy in a boxing match.

For sure a strong, athletic and well-trained woman can beat a man. Indeed, the likes of Kara could beat an average male with ease. Her muscles show that for itself.

In general seeing Katee Sackhoff beating the crap out of some guy is cool, like she did in "Another life". Her fighting action is believable and very good.

My rating 4 is because I did not like this episode in general compared to the others. Indeed a seasonfillera nd only Kara kept me watching.