Battlestar Galactica (TV Series) The Son Also Rises (2007) User Reviews

Guest star makes this a good one.

[s_rycroft · 8/10 · 13 March 2007]

If Mark Sheppard weren't in this episode, it would fall flat. Any fan of Firefly will recognize 'Badger' and his raspy but somehow friendly voice. He's one of those actors who can take ordinary lines and make them great.

And he does this here, because the writing is average, and some plot points are a bit weak. The 'mystery' solved seemed tacked on at the end. There is some good character stuff with the Adamas. And they mention Zack, who the writer's seem to have forgotten through all of the Lee/Starbuck troubles.

Not great, but above average for the season.

Mark Sheppard steals the show

[Tweekums · 9/10 · 26 January 2012]

As the conclusion of season three approaches so does the trial of Gaius Baltar; a trail that some people would prefer didn't take place... to such a degree that his first lawyer is murdered. When a new lawyer, Romo Lampkin, is appointed Apollo is given the job of providing his security. At first Lee isn't too pleased as he sees it as a nothing job intended to ground him as he has been hit very hard by Starbuck's death but he soon begins to realise it is an important job. The job isn't without its dangers however as the person who killed Baltar's first lawyer is now targeting Lampkin and anybody near him will be in danger.

This episode could have been a disappointment as there isn't a huge amount of action and most scenes are just people talking; thankfully Mark Sheppard is a real presence and made what could have been fairly plain scenes quite gripping. Lampkin's character helped of course; his little foibles made him interesting as well as leading to two key discoveries. The secondary story about the attempts on Lampkin's life was a bit of a distraction; presumably included to add some excitement but I found it less gripping than the conversational scenes. Mark Sheppard isn't the only person putting in a good performance; the regular cast are on top form too; particularly the final scene between James Edward Olmos and Jamie Bamber... this episode shows that you don't need non-stop action to be entertaining.

as we near the conclusion of one...

[A_Different_Drummer · 9/10 · 15 August 2022]

... of the greatest series of all time, we note that Team Ronald never duplicated the awesome sauce of BSG. Even 'For All Mankind', one of the messiest narratives ever to be green-lighted, never even came close. Mark Sheppard, with one of the most recognizable vocal deliveries in Hollywood, is never less than superb. And Helfer does a great job reminding us of the massively original premise that launched the show ... namely that some women may actually be worth betraying your species for.