Five episodes into its first season, Caprica has become one of those shows that attempts to juggle so many plots that they can't all be featured in one episode. This doesn't mean that the series won't be able to handle all these disparate storylines, but it does mean that some will be deeper and more interesting than others. So far I think the multiplying segments of Caprica have favored the stronger and if this week's episode is any indication of things to come, the series is about to become a lot more action-centered than it has been thus far.

The biggest new development this week was in the virtual (after)life of Tamara Adama. The last time we saw her she was scared and alone in the Holoband, unable to wake up because her real self has been dead for weeks. She stumbles across one of several deadly games the denizens of the hacked virtual worlds play for fun and profit, quickly falling in with a gang of pretend criminals who promise her escape. Really they just want to use Tammy in a heist game for her ability to sustain injury in the Holoband and not de-rez.

While there's certainly the possibility that the new, unkillable, ass-kicking Tamara will stray too close to Matrix-style wish fulfillment, her portrayal in this episode was mostly measured and very well-acted by Genevieve Buechner. It was equally believable watching her freak out every time she got shot as well as go into her occasional kill mode. It reflected the same subconscious and mechanical way the BSG Cylons switched between directives.

Outside of the anarchic, art deco world of New Cap City, the surviving Adama and Graystone families finally start moving forward after so much lethargy and struggle. Joseph tries to reconnect with Willie after her discovers the boy's been skipping school, but a naive fishing trip ends with Willie beating the hell out of a racist teenager at the river.

Meanwhile, Daniel faces his board of directors who are predictably livid over his decision to relinquish all Holoband profits. It looks like they're going to give him the ax, but then Zoe-bot shows up with her dad for the kind of shocking sales pitch that only happens in fiction. Daniel suggests that the company shifts all of its focus onto Cylon production, promising a future in which humans enjoy robot slave labor. After all, what's the worst that could happen in that scenario?

The episode ends with a rather moving memorial service in the Tauron tradition at the Adama home. Joseph gets a special tattoo during the ritual, but he also gets the disturbing news that his daughter's avatar is kicking around the Holoband. So much for closure.

Best Moment: All the nifty New Cap City stuff was visually stunning, but it also felt intentionally immature, which makes sense for a natural extension of the Internet.

Notes: Any episode that gives Zoe no lines and also requires her to rip her own arm off is a good episode.

Episode Rating: 4.8/5- The Holoband stuff was occasionally too self-indulgent, but otherwise this was an excellent episode that really upped the ante for the rest of the series.