The aired version of Unfinished Business was first broadcast on 1 December, 2006, and it was written by Michael Taylor.

It’s Fight Night on Galactica. Anyone can step into the ring and call out anyone else, regardless of rank, as a way of venting frustrations. Intercut with these matches are flashbacks to the missing year on New Caprica, and we see a number of character moments that are delved into a little more deeply, particularly the problems that have arisen between Starbuck (Katee Sackhoff) and Apollo (Jamie Bamber), and how it is affecting everyone around them.

And what happened between them… wow. And how it plays out… double wow.

The extended cut has almost twenty-five minutes of scenes restored, which expands on character interactions and exploration of their depths.

Anders (Michael Trucco) wants their marriage back, but also feels Starbuck may not want that anymore.

This episode is intent on filling out a lot of the character moments that we only think happened in that missing year, and it adds further depth to the characters and what they’ve gone through.

All of it is set against the backdrop of the physical violence of the boxing match; there are heightened emotions on both sides of the story arc, and it’s really well-executed. Then there’s the added bonus of watching Adama (Edward James Olmos) kicking Tyrol’s (Aaron Douglas) ass in the ring, and the way the rest of that fight plays out… and why it plays out that way for a reason.

There are so many beautiful character moments throughout this episode, all of them giving poignant touches to all of the characters… I love the stuff with Adama and Roslin (Mary McDonnell), but the heart of it is very much Starbuck and Apollo.

I have to say, except for Black Market, this series hasn’t had a bad episode yet; it is nothing short of fantastic television, and this is a superior episode.

Tigh (Michael Hogan) resumes his duties in the CIC!

The Passage was written by Jane Espenson (!) and first aired on 8 December, 2006.

Food is running out. The food the fleet does have is tainted. Sharon (Grace Park) is piloting a Raptor through a radioactive passage of star clusters to try to find a path to a planet that may have resources enough to replenish the food stores, even if it does taste bad.

We also see more of the Kat (Luciana Caro)/Starbuck friction. We also learn that Kat has a secret that she’s carried with her since leaving Caprica. She was a smuggler, drugs, and Starbuck is furious when she finds out, because there were rumours that smugglers helped, unknowingly or not, get Cylons onto Caprica before the attack.

The pilots take the Raptors, each paired with a ship in the fleet to lead them through, but it’s going to be a costly journey.

When one of the ships gets lost in the passage, as a form of redemption for her past, Kat stays in the passage to try to find them and lead them out.

After not seeing much of Baltar (James Callis) in the previous episode, we also check in on his existence aboard the basestar. At this point, those aboard Galactica are also aware that he’s in the Cylon fleet helping them find a way to Earth.

It seems D’anna (Lucy Lawless) has been having herself executed on an almost daily basis; she thinks she’s close to learning who the final five are. It seems these Cylons don’t know. Baltar is still worried he may be a Cylon, but in a confrontation, he gets a bit of a prophecy that may be a larger clue to the way to Earth… the Eye of Jupiter.

It’s another fantastic episode, and gives Kat her due, it’s really well done. Of course, we would expect nothing less from Espenson.