John Paulsen of Premium Hollywood:
Not unlike the finale to the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy, this one had about five or six endings. It’s understandable — the viewers want to know how each major character moves on, and it’s impossible to do that quickly. I think that this is why they decided to do a two-hour combined finale instead of breaking it up into two episodes. It just wouldn’t have worked as well separately.I thought the multiple endings at the end of Return of the King dragged, but I wasn't as invested in those characters. I found the slow farewell to the characters in "Daybreak" to be intensely emotional -- the scenes between Roslin and Adama just about destroyed me.
Jacob Clifton of Television Without Pity:
What a silly, bloated, preachy, half-assed mess. It's embarrassing to see such great actors saddled with such unvoiceable, pointless activity, for so very, very long. After all the talk about holding something back and pacing yourself for the marathon, one would think the creators would follow their own advice, but then, this episode could have easily been written in 1992 when TV still had an excuse for sucking, so maybe they did.For the record, Clifton liked the series quite a bit but has had problems with where it's gone recently. I felt the same way -- the last season in particular was a tough slog -- but the ending redeemed a lot. As for the charge about being preachy, "Daybreak" does have those moments -- especially its epilogue -- but I contend that a sci-fi series that plays to hardcore geeks and preaches an ecological, back-to-the-basics approach to life is at least novel.
Lord Kitchener's Own:
I don't buy the theory at all, but it's a fun read.The main point of particular import in my theory is this: Baltar and Caprica Six both died on Caprica in the initial Cylon attack that began the series.
OK, got that? Baltar died in the first episode along with Cap Six.
From then on, they're both "angels".
I know, but stick with me here.
Josh Tyler of Cinema Blend:
Tonight’s Battlestar Galactica finale was a cop out, but it was also the perfect goodbye. Ron Moore dropped the ball on plot but as always, the show delivered where it really mattered: Characters.The one truly iffy plot point for me was the relative ease with which the fleet was able to bring Hera back to Galactica. (Good thing Boomer had a Darth Vader-like change of heart when it really, really mattered, huh?) But beyond the characters, here's another point I don't think is being made enough: the quality of the performances. It's very tempting to go big and grandiose in a big finale like this, but you didn't see that from the actors in "Daybreak." If anything, it was actually a more restrained episode than many from this season, which only intensified the emotions at play.
And, lastly, Ronald D. Moore:
I think [the whole series] hangs together better than it has any right to. I do feel good that the process I always believed in and really defended -- about feeling the story instinctively as you go through it, and not being tied to, "Oh, we know exactly how it's going to end up" -- that that was true. We were able to get there and could say, "We've been making this mosaic, and now we just need to put the final touches on it and we'll have a complete picture." There's loose threads and things that don't quite work, but I think that's in the nature of almost any show. By and large, I think we did a pretty good job of it.I concur.
