After the horrors of Baltars melodramatic in last weeks ep, Galactica seriously needed to get it's feet back on the ground. It achieved it with the relatively thought provoking 'Flesh & Bone', in which Starbuck is charged with questioning a cylon agent (Loeben) found on bard a civilian ship.
The episodes central theme is nothing new. Good guy (or girl) tortures the bad guy to give up information, but in doing so loses perspective. It's a common theme in science fiction television; the episode in which a character gains a deeper understanding of their own humanity.
Despite the lack of originality, this is a solid episode, with some witty banter between prisoner and interrogator. The insidious thoughts of the Loeben cylon leave us with the impression that it is Starbuck who is the captive; trapped in a futile existence. The messages that Loeben plants in the minds of those he encounters are quite devastating and am sure will resurface in the future.
Of course, the reasons why a pilot would be trusted with the job of interrogating a prisoner are glossed over, but that can be forgiven this time ;-)
Overall, I am impressed with the direction of the show so far. The central storyline seems to have shifted from the idea of a last band of humans being pursued and into a deeper exploration of humanity and what makes the new cylons and humans different.
Summary - A good episode, lacking in explanation about some of the more bizarre scenes but with accomplished performances from the central characters.
7/10
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