Tigh me up, Tigh me down

This episode is very funny, and I enjoy it a lot. There are many hilarious scenes and the actors' comic timing is superb. My only quibble is whether this makes sense given that it takes place just a few weeks after the Colonies are destroyed and billions of people are murdered, but I don't find it hard to get past that (it is, after all, fiction and not fact) and relax and enjoy the ride.

This episode is obviously meant to provide some comic relief, and it is the only episode I can think of that is primarily humorous. A lot of episodes have a serious premise with funny moments that are usually provided by Gaius Baltar (even "33" manages this). But I can't think of any other episode that has this many laughs. (According to Ron Moore's podcast, "Taking a Break From All Your Worries" in Season 3 was meant to provide comic relief, but by the time they were done it was pretty grim.)

This episode is based on misunderstandings, which is the foundation of a lot of farces ("Twelfth Night" and "The Importance of Being Ernest" are just two examples). In fact, this episode achieves the impossible - it manages to make Baltar look reasonable in comparison to everyone else. ("Ladies and gentlemen, please. We're in a laboratory. There are hazardous chemical compounds everywhere. That's a thermo-nuclear bomb, for frack's sakes.")

One of the first scenes, when Six commiserates with Baltar and offers him a sexual interlude sets the very silly tone for the rest of the episode. Italian opera starts playing, Baltar spins around in his chair, tosses the clipboard, and the camera gradually lowers until we are looking underneath the table and watching the characters' legs. It tells us everything we need to know about what is going on without actually showing it. The episode ends at this same location, with Baltar at the head of a table crowded with blood samples, spinning dreamily in his chair and being caressed by Six.

In this episode Tigh is reunited with his wife, Ellen. I like Kate Vernon a lot, like Mary O'Donnell she is another really attractive over-40 woman. She is very beautiful and radiates sex from the moment she steps onto Galactica. Kate Vernon has a very expressive mouth, and as Ellen steps of the raptor, she uses her mouth to convey vulnerability. This is the only time in the episode where she evokes our sympathy. It's quickly apparent that Ellen's drinking is not characterized by moderation, nor are her relationships with men. In Freudian terms she is all id and no superego. In Adama's terms "... she's nothing but trouble."

We've already seen Tigh's alcoholic behaviors. In "Water" he draws lines on the bottle to mark how much he will drink. In the briefing scene at the beginning of "Bastille Day" the deck crew smirks when they realize he's drunk. In this episode, before he sees Ellen, he tosses a bottle of liquor in the garbage. His relationship with his awful wife is also a form of addiction. In spite of promises to "start over," they quickly fall into the patterns that always characterized their marriage (and Tigh's resolution to stop drinking is quickly tossed aside). One thing that Ellen gets absolutely right, though, is that Adama is "... one of those faces on a totem pole."  I did get a good chuckle out of that. (I wonder if Edward James Olmos made his face grimmer than usual to make this line more accurate.)

In spite of all the laughs, the underlying mood in the fleet is suspicion. During her conversation with Billy, Roslin is wide-eyed with terror and acts paranoid. IMHO she also, for the first time in the series, looks sick, as if her emotional state of mind is affecting her health.

Athena/Boomer

This episode ends with the critical conversation between Doral and Six, which I have already discussed in my post Why Battlestar Galactica. I have watched this episode several times since that post, and I am struck by the fact that it is Doral who says "I can't help wondering what it would be like to feel that intensely. Even in his (i.e. Helo's) anguish he seemed so alive." There is a lot of curiosity and yearning on his face that is very un-Doral-like. This scene is the first to give a glimpse of Cylon interior life. With the exception of Baltar's Six, the Cylons, for the most part, have been cold, psychologically remote, and self-sufficient.

"Flesh and Bone" is the turning point in Athena's relationship to Helo. In that episode she discusses Helo with Six and Doral dispassionately, but she doesn't actually answer Six when Six asks her if she can kill Helo. Athena's loyalties are now unconditionally transferred to Helo and (later) the fleet.

Before she changes sides, Athena had behaved like Boomer, who is insecure and needy. I assume this was a deliberate decision on the part of the Cylons, and done to deceive Helo. At the end of "Flesh and Bone" Athena asks Helo, "Do you trust me?" Until now Helo has been the leader and made the decisions, now Athena is asking Helo to let her share that role. This line signals the point where Athena's true personality asserts itself. She is forceful, decisive, and confident. These changes in personality don't seem to affect Helo's love. Although Athena and Boomer are psychologically completely different, at some level they must share qualities that make them both attractive to Helo. I am also sure that Helo loves the new Boomer (i.e., Athena) even more because of her determination to save him.

IMHO, Boomer's hesitancy and fearfulness are a manifestation of her subconscious knowledge that she is not who she believes she is. Which leads to an interesting question - is Boomer culpable for her actions in later episodes, or is she destined to behave as she does. As I have already pointed out, Galactica repeatedly returns to the question of free will. This is another example of Galactica's relevance to difficult issues in our own society. In the American legal system there is an ongoing debate about whether individuals with serious mental illness can be held accountable when they commit violent crimes. (For a discussion, see  this fascinating article on the subject.)

Some things I noticed

Call me crazy, but if I hadn't seen my husband in weeks and thought he was dead, my first action wouldn't be to uncork a bottle and toss down shots. I would throw him on the floor and ravish him (which is pretty much what Ellen does in "Deadlock" in Season 4.5). Starbuck and Anders also seem to prefer the bottle to bed ("Lay Down Your Burdens, Part 2"). After pining for each other for months they suck up huge amounts of alcohol before climbing into the sack. IMHO this is a really bad idea since performance is usually not improved by alcohol consumption, and the happy couple probably won't remember the sex anyway.

Starbuck & Baltar - I've already discussed the scene with Baltar & Six, but there is a also a tiny little moment when Starbuck interrupts them that adds to the fun. Starbuck ever so slightly closes her eyes and shakes her head. It is so subtle and funny, and characteristic of the "early" Starbuck. Katee Sackhoff is great at producing these minute facial expressions that convey Starbuck's thoughts in seconds. In "Flight of the Phoenix," Racetrack calls Athena a Cylon whore while Starbuck is walking away from the card table. Starbuck stops, and there's a short pause and you can see Starbuck silently asking herself, "Should I or shouldn't I?" The she gives a little smile, turns around, and decks Racetrack.

I know I've said it before, but ...

One of Galactica's attractions is its epic scope. A few episodes may be self-contained stories (IMHO they are not the best episodes either). Star Trek Voyager theoretically had a similar premise (return home), but the episodes were typically self-contained, with only occasional references to the ultimate goal.

And finally, an extremely fun piece of trivia

Kate Vernon's dad is John Vernon. In case that name doesn't mean anything to you, then maybe the name Dean Vernon Wormer rings a bell. And if that doesn't trigger any synapses in your brain, then maybe Farber College does. And if you still don't know what I am talking about, it is time for you to netflix "Animal House" (one of the five funniest movies ever made). If you don't like "Animal House," then you are beyond redemption and there is really nothing more I can do to help you.

What is the most basic article of faith? This is not all that we are

This is such an interesting statement (and it reappears toward the end of the series in "The Road Less Travelled") that I contacted a friend of mine who is a theologian (Catholic, no less). Since I couldn't summarize my friend's remarks in 10 words or less, I decided to replicate the discussion here. I offered to cite my friend by name, but the offer was turned down.

Me:

There is a line in Battlestar Galactica: "What is the most basic tenet of faith? This is not all that we are." (I know, it should be "article" not "tenet" but I don't think the mistake has any significant effect on her answer.)

Can you provide any insight into that statement and how it may reflect

Choose one:

a. Some

b. All

c. No

religious belief systems?

Theologian Pal's answer:

Interesting.  I think I'll choose to answer "a. some" and also "b. all."  I guess one could claim that some (most) if not all belief systems/religions/faith traditions would assert that "this is not all that we are," meaning that human beings are more than the accidental if complicated end of specific evolutionary processes.

So, I'm guessing that "this is not all that we are" is meant to refer to a faith based claim that human beings are more than meets the eye, perhaps possessing some non-material aspect (i.e.  a soul or something similar.)  If that's what is meant by the claim, then it would be congruent with: the major monotheistic traditions (Judaism, Christianity, Islam) as well as the harder to classify Hinduism and also Buddhism, and you could also make the case that it applies to non-theistic traditions, like some native American belief systems, or African tribal ancestor worship (and pantheism.)

It's possible that this sentence is really a tautology since "faith" could be defined as belief in something not evident to the senses, i.e. "not all that we are."

What's slightly odd about how the claim is phrased is that it's referent is anthropological and not cosmological.  IT would be a little more standard to claim faith in something beyond human life (a claim about the cosmos) than to state in the negative that human life is not all that we are, and anthropocentric way of making a faith claim - I think.

Flesh and Bone

For a long time I didn't like this episode, maybe because I was uncomfortable watching the torture scenes. I also don't think that Katee Sackhoff's acting is so great (unlike most of her work on Galactica). Or it may simply be that Starbuck is such a failure as an interrogator. I watched this show again several times while working on this post and found my opinion changing 180 degrees, mainly because Starbuck and Leoben's conversations are so interesting.

This is an important episode for two reasons: Roslin has her first "vision" and Leoben and Starbuck begin their extremely unhealthy relationship.

Roslin's first vision is the only one that takes the form of a dream. Moreover, unlike the other visions it's prescient of events in the near future. The dream sequence has a disproportionate effect on the episode's events, considering how short it is. Like all dreams, Roslin's is disconnected and contains a lot of disconcerting jumps in action.

Roslin's wandering in a dark forest is a recurring symbol in many fairytales:

"The darker elements in some tales often reveal shadow energies in action, an image, or even a setting. The deep dark forest is a common representation of the feared elements within. The monsters live in the forest. The forest can reflect parts of ourselves that are never entirely tamed, that are always somewhat dangerous and chaotic. These elements sometimes come up in nightmares. They are important parts of ourselves. In some ways, they are the most creative aspects of our inner world. We need to go into the dark forest. It is difficult and mysterious. Still, fresh energies and new ideas come from that place. Once Upon a Time -How Fairy Tales Shape our Lives", by Jonathan Young

Leoben calls to Roslin but she can't hear him. (I am always having this experience, I think it may be a common theme in dreams. Even more often I have the sensation of talking and no one hearing me, which is probably just replicating my experience with my husband and kids during my waking state.)

Leoben grabs Roslin and pulls her aside while the marines run through the woods. This is fairly ambiguous - is Leoben preventing her from calling for help, or is he protecting her from the marines chasing both of them?

Roslin is wearing a white nightgown and the marines are in black. Is this supposed to represent good vs. evil, or did they just happen to put on those clothes that morning?

Finally, Leoben looks very creepy when he bows his head and is then sucked away. As he pulled further away, he looks more and more non-human (to me he looks like a rubber doll).

Roslin is unsettled by the "coincidental" appearance of Leoben in the fleet. I think this is why she insists that he be interrogated before killing him. Roslin's decision to go to the Gemenon Traveler well after the interrogation has started is obviously triggered by Leoben's reappearance in her subconscious as well as apprehension as the deadline for the bomb approaches. 

I am sure that Roslin's decision to throw Leoben out the airlock is premeditated, but I am suspicious of the timing (after Leoben whispers to her that Adama is a Cylon). BTW, contrary to some opinions I have seen posted, I don't think that Roslin's decision to break her promise is that much of a moral failing, after all the guy participated in the murder of billions of people. I don't think, either, that Roslin objects to Starbuck's interrogation methods per se, her objection is that they don't work. Hours after Starbuck's unsuccessful attempt to extract the information, Roslin gets it in about 5 minutes. 

This episode was first shown during W's 2nd term, and Starbuck's torture methods hit a pretty sensitive nerve for many of us in the good old U.S. of A. At this writing, in the first months of the Obama administration, questions about torture are very much in the headlines now that we know more about what actually happened under Obama's predecessor. There is a great deal of skepticism about the reliability of information obtained through torture, since victims tend to say anything to get the torture to stop. (Leoben does this when he says there is a nuke hidden in the fleet.) Starbuck's assertion that she can use any methods because Leoben is a machine echoes demonization of terrorists (who are apparently all non-Western Muslims) in our time. 

Leoben manages to both spiritual and menacing in an extremely weird way. Callum Keith Rennie gives Leoben unexpected intonations which intensify the sense of danger. One of the most memorable Leoben moments is in the miniseries, when he is first encountered on Ragnar station. He starts barking out his demands, and his last demand is shouted, "I WANT A SHIP WITH AN UNTRACEABLE" and then his voice returns to normal levels, although still threatening, "jump drive." The sudden switch in sound level and intonation is very unsettling. He does something similar in this episode when he says, "This is not the time," and then breaks his manacles and has Starbuck by the throat in about two seconds.

Leoben's personality is also antithetical to common perceptions of robots (actually all Cylons are like that, but Leoben carries it a setp further). He lies a lot, which is not something I would expect from a machine. Lying is a very complicated cognitive function that requires a sophisticated understanding of other peoples' perceptions (see Theory of Mind). In other words, Leoben knows what he is thinking, he knows what I am thinking and he knows how to manipulate my thinking by stating an untruth that he has identified as something he can successfully pass off as the truth. Leoben is the polar opposite of Data from Star Trek TNG, who is incapable of lying.

Most of Starbuck and Leoben's dialogue is a debate between her assertion that he is a machine and his insistence that he has qualities (such as a soul), that contradict her perception. Leobon talks a lot about his god and how god manifests itself in his world view. Leoben says, for the first time in the series, "All this has happened before and all this will happen again." As I discussed in "33," Galactica frequently poses the question of whether the characters are making independent decisions, or whether their decisions are predetermined by their fate. 

Leoben also knows a lot about Starbuck that he theoretically should not know, and is able to predict future events.  How or why he can do this is left unanswered and makes him more elusive than other Cylon models. It doesn't however, make him more likeable (on New Caprica he does a lot of shitty stuff without exhibiting any inner conflict between his spirituality and his deeds).

Finally, since I watched this episode again after the series conclusion, I am struck by the reoccurrence of this phase (Season 4, "The Road Less Travelled"). "What is the most basic article of faith? This is not all that we are." My next post analyzes this assertion.

Boomer/Athena 

I'm not going to spend a lot of time discussing this plot line, although I think the events taking place in this episode are important. It's just that I don't think these scenes are that interesting except for what happens, and they are not the dominating story in this episode.

Final Random Thoughts

• The biggest trivial question in my mind is why on earth anyone would think that Starbuck is capable of interrogating a prisoner successfully.

• I (like everyone else) have a lot of questions about Baltar's decision to lie to Boomer about the test results. So, OK, he lies to her because Six convinces him that Boomer will kill him if he tells her the real results, but he never tells anyone else, either. This seems to indicate that Baltar's loyalties are with the Cylons, which is pretty odd considering the number of times the Cylons try to destroy Galactica (and by extension, Gaius Baltar). James Callis really funny depicting Baltar's craven side.

• The dream sequence bears a certain similarity to "Sub Rosa," from Star Trek TNG (at least I think it does, I haven't seen it in about 10 years). I wonder if the image of women in white wandering through dark forests is used a lot in literature or cinema. (The only one I can think of is Wilkie Collins' "The Woman in White," rather obvious, I know.) If anyone has any other examples, please add them to the comments. 
  

Six Degrees of Separation

This is a very silly episode. It is a lot of fun, mainly because Baltar is more schizophrenic than usual in this episode, and his behavior varies in a pretty short time between craven, analytical, smug, lustful, and even dignified. James Callis does a great job handling this emotional rollercoaster.

Although there are a few side plots, there are really only two major plot lines: Baltar's trial by fire, and the Boomer/Athena trajectory.

The heart of Baltar's story revolves around his relationship with the Cylon god. (Honestly, some of Six's lines make her sound like a Jehovah Witness.) I will try not to repeat too much of what I said in "33," but I do find it fascinating that the Cylons are monotheists, unlike the humans, and in some ways their god sounds like the Christian god.

Before I delve into my analysis, I just want to make a couple more quick points:

First, Cylon behavior is completely at odds with their god's commands, which is an accurate summation of the dichotomy between religious tenets and human behavior exhibited by all major religions through human history (except maybe Buddhists, and I don't know enough to make a judgment about that).

Second, Six looks a lot better in red than in blue.

This episode brings to a head the threat introduced in "33," namely that Baltar has a big secret.  The ghost of Dr. Amarak raises the same threat in tangible proof provided by Shelly Godfrey. Even more interesting is that despite Baltar's involvement in the Cylon attack, Godfrey accuses Baltar of something he didn't do. I think it is mainly so that Baltar feels persecuted since this accusation is completely unjust.

This episode also has the same problems that I discussed in "33" (although it is fun to ignore them and just go with the flow). The non-corporeal Six seems to have a lot of control over events (as I have said in previous posts, they never do come up with a satisfactory explanation of what Six is), including managing the appearance of her flesh and blood counterpart. In fact, I think that Shelly Godfrey is just the Six-in-Baltar's-mind made flesh. In addition, Baltar's redemption is based on embracing the Cylon god while he has a gun pointed to his head (figuratively this time, literally comes later) - sort of the Spanish Inquisition strategy for winning converts.

Of course, none of the fleet's leaders trust Baltar (why would they? He does have something to hide). In fact, Adama is more taciturn and grim than usual in this episode. Even so, Baltar manages to show some dignity:

During the scene in Adama's office he says, "(And) I don't like to be accused of participating in the genocide of the human race based solely on the word of a woman whom I have already indicated to you may well be a Cylon agent."

During his conversation with Roslin he says, "You'll forge me Madame Presiden, if I don't wish to be executed solely on your gut feeling."

In the end they reinstate him despite their misgivings - misgivings that are reaffirmed, no doubt, by Baltar's attempt to destroy evidence, and then screaming for a lawyer (a sure sign of guilt).

As for Boomer and Athena...

Athena and Helo finally get it on, conceiving Hera. It is also the deciding moment when Athena switches loyalties. I always liked Helo and Athena, I think they have a lot of chemistry (unlike Boomer and Tyrol). Their relationship is stable and enduring, in contrast to all the drama and infidelity in some of the other relationships which-I-will-not-name. I also like the way their lovemaking coincides with Boomer's discovery of "Cylon" written on her mirror. I assume Boomer wrote that herself.

But the really creepy moment is Boomer's conversation with Tyrol about the raider. She strokes it and talks about it as if in a trance, and then snaps out of it. Tyrol's reaction is puzzled and a little suspicious. Boomer's subconscious is reflecting the change in the human /Cylon ratio.

My favorite scenes:

• Baltar's initial encounter with Shelly Godfrey. It is really really funny because, up until now, Baltar has been behaving as if he doesn't see or converse with the Six-only-he-sees. Therefore, when he sees Shelly Godfrey, he behaves as if he doesn't see her because he assumes no one else can see her. It's a nice little twist, since no one else present can figure out why he is behaving as if he doesn't see her.
• Baltar opens the door and finds Dee standing there, on the receiving end of his latest proposition to Six. She doesn't actually get to say anything much to Baltar, but her changing expressions convey her reaction beautifully. It's easy to forget that Dee was a very funny and cheerful young woman at the start of the series. She s very charming and appealing when she first meets Billy in the miniseries, and the followup flirtation during "Water," when he throws out the "I really like your hair" line at her is amusing. I attribute her decline into a humorless, morose person to Lee's depressing influence.

The scenes I really hate:

• When Cottle says to Roslin, "It's not that kind of shot."
• Baltar's attempt to influence Gaeta when they are both sitting on the toilet.

I assume that both these scenes were David Eick's idea, and reflect his juvenile sense of humor.

Thank the gods they deleted the scene where we get to see the Cylon Raider shit. Or maybe I've just changed too many diapers in my time. (It is not fun to have 3 kids simultaneously in diapers) and have lost all interest in scatological humor. But then, my taste has never run to the vulgar.

Litmus

"Litmus" starts with the reappearance of Aaron Doral, who is a very creepy guy and bears an uncanny likeness to Kevin Spacey. Of course, the fact that he was in Public Relations (as we learn during the miniseries) should make it obvious that he is one of the enemy. The destruction that follows his appearance forces the fleet leadership to take more drastic steps to find the enemy within. One decision is to inform the fleet that the Cylons take human form, the other is Adama's decision to authorize an independent tribunal to find how Doral gained access to a secured area.

Sergeant Hadrian, who conducts the investigation, has a pretty interesting name, depending on whether you are Roman or Jewish. Romans consider him one of the "five good emperors" (NOT a rock group) for reasons too complex to go through here. He did, btw, build Hadrian's wall in England. Jews hate him because of his bloody suppression of the Bar Kochba revolt, and the slaughter of hundreds of thousands of Jews. I have no idea, of course, whether any of this influenced Ron Moore's choice of name or if he chose it because it sounded cool.

But I digress.

I don't want to spend a lot of time discussing the tribunal except to make a few points. At the beginning Roslin warns Adama that this could turn into a witch hunt, a line that Adama echoes when he shuts down the proceedings. The faces of the judges as well as the face of the stenographer are fun to watch. When Adama says "I'm a soft touch" they all start to snicker while Hadrian looks peeved. When Hadrian asks Adama if he thinks there are Cylons aboard Galactica, he says "I do," and the stenographer looks up with a startled expression on her face.

But most important, Adama was right when he said to Hadrian, "you've lost your way." Assuming that Hadrian interviewed many people, she identified a direct line through the deck drew to Tyrol and Boomer, even though everyone denied that they were together. If she hadn't gotten so absorbed in trying to bully Adama, she might actually have caught Boomer. She certainly got very close.

The heart of this episode, though, is the story of the two Sharons, who start to switch places.

Boomer the Cylon continues to be a threat to the fleet. I also think that her responses to the unexplained coincidences that seem to place her in the middle of each attack become more calculated over time, even though she is not yet aware she's a Cylon. Her response to Tyrol's question "Did you leave the hatch door open" dodges the question totally, probably because she doesn't know herself. She doesn't confide in Tyrol the way she did when she discovered explosives were missing. She is indifferent to Socinus' fate, and, by extension, Tyrol's angst over one of his "kids." Finally, despite repeated warnings from her commanding officers, the near miss of being discovered during the tribunal, and Tyrol's feelings of guilt, she wants to continue the relationship and is stunned and furious when Tyrol breaks up with her.

Meanwhile, back on Caprica.....

Athena, a Doral, and a Six stand on the roof of a building watching Helo the way scientists might watch a rat in a maze (in fact we see a rat running around before the camera turns to Helo.) They identify the directions that he can take, and what each direction says about his affection for Athena. When he starts walking away, Six says, "He just doesn't love you." When he turns around and heads towards Athena, Athena says, "He's a good man, he always does the right thing." I think this marks the beginning of Athena's realization that she loves Helo, and is the first step in her journey away from the Cylons and towards humanity.

My favorite scenes:

Adama says "YES": No, not like Molly Bloom (See Molly Bloom's Soliloquy.) It's right after the bombing, when Tigh asks "Did you get a good look at the bomber?" and Adama says "YES." Then Tigh asks "It was him?" and Adama says again "YES." I keep trying to decide why I like the way Adama says "Yes." I guess it's because he's absolutely furious and you can see it by his expression. He says "Yes" in a way that is almost yelling but at the same time feels very restrained because it is such a terse answer. It is one of my completely favorite Adama moments.

Six beats the shit out of Sharon: Season 1 Sixes are scary. They are skinny, blond, sexy, and very tough. Six was supposed to beat up Sharon enough to convince Helo that she was a Cylon captive, but IMHO she sees to err on the side of making things a little too convincing. In fact, the camera looks directly at Six while she pulls back her arm and throws a few punches, letting us know what it's like to be on the receiving end of her fist. It's pretty frightening. (I suspect, btw, that the motivation for this violence is jealousy over Helo's return to look for Sharon.) By season 4 these types of Sixes are gone, and replaced by more emotionally vulnerable Sixes. Frankly, I kind of miss the bitches from Season 1.

Tyrol gets yelled at by Adama: What can I say? Yet another great Adama moment. Adama is working on his model ship while Tyrol is talking and he doesn't even look up from what he is doing. In about 20 seconds he gets Tyrol to admit he was with Boomer at the time of the bombing. When he finally does stand up and look Tyrol in the eye, he is MAD, but, again, he doesn't raise his voice. His anger is expressed in intonation and he doesn't mince words. In fact he is perfect at phrasing everything in a way that is guaranteed to maximize Tyrol's guilt feelings while also establishing his expectations from his crew, regardless of circumstance.

You Can't Go Home Again

It's taken me a long time to figure out this episode, not so much the what but the why. For a long time I thought that it was a one-two punch, in other words, pull Starbuck down and then pull her back up. I think the timing on this is primarily responsible - Starbuck is lost immediately after Adama finds out that she is indirectly responsible for his son's death. In that respect it feels rather contrived.

After giving it some thought I concluded that prior to this episode (IMHO) Adama's relationship with Starbuck was mediated by their connection to Zak. In this episode I think Adama realizes how much he cares about Starbuck for herself. In other words his affection (and even love) for her is independent of the fact that she came into his life because of Zak. In this respect, I think that Roslin is somewhat (but not completely) wrong when she tells Adama and Lee that they can't let go of Starbuck because they haven't gotten over Zak's death.

In fact, Adama's sense of urgency leads him to contravene his own rules. For example, in "Water" Adama tells Roslin (who is asking Gaeta to speculate on the cause of the water tank explosions) that he doesn't like his officers to guess. In this episode Adama tells Gaeta, who has no data on where Starbuck could be, that it's time to start guessing. In fact, in the next scene Gaeta says "I would guess" with just the slightest emphasis on the word "guess."

In the meantime.... on the moon where she is landed, Starbuck is busy having a conversation with the Lords of Kobol. Its flippant tone struck me as completely at odds with the dire nature of her situation and somewhat contrived, but, after thinking about, it is in character with Starbuck's generally insolent behavior towards her superiors. Maybe the awkwardness of the monologue stems from the fact that this is the kind of conversation I would have in my head. Of course in that case we would have no idea what Starbuck is thinking. (Duh)

Starbuck's discovery of the Cylon ship provides the first "inside"glimpse of Cylon technology. Despite the sleek design and impression the ship gives of being an automaton, the inside is completely organic, once again blurring the distinction between "machine" and "man" that is typical of encounters with the Cylons. (In a later episode Boomer says to treat it like a pet.)

Finally, this episode is another instance of how alliances change based on circumstances. Tigh and Roslin, who have been polite adversaries until this point, become allies in their concern over the risks presented by continuing the search for Starbuck. Roslin's behavior towards Lee and Adama is very very tough, while still hitting the right button to bring them back in line. Even though the death of a child is an enormous tragedy, she doesn't provide a drop of sympathy. Instead, she provides a concise summation of the psychological forces driving their behavior, appeals to their "sense of honor," (a trait they both pride themselves on), and tells them to "clear [their] heads." In two minutes she accomplishes exactly what she set out to do. In this respect Roslin is a complete politician since she so quickly grasps the two men's personalities and uses this understanding to her advantage.

My favorite scenes:

When Adama climbs the ladder to the cockpit and gives Lee his helmet. I think this scene made an impression on me because Adama is almost never on the hangar deck, let alone climbing ladders. Although Adama maintains his usual tight-lipped mien, the fact that he does these things which are not typical of Adama, sends up a signal about his agitated state of mind. (Of course, it is always possible to read too much into these types of things. If the director read this he might say "What? I never thought of that! We just did it that way because we couldn't think of anything better.")

Baltar's conversations with Roslin. If you look very very closely, while Baltar is talking to Roslin, he is looking at Six. Roslin briefly glances in the same direction, but Six, of course, is completely invisible to Roslin. It's just an interesting little moment, that's all. Again, I have no idea if Mary McDonnell does this intentionally, but she is such a good actress it wouldn't surprise me at all. It certainly amps up Baltar's oddness factor.

I will be devoting a lot more time next post to Athena/Helo's developing relationship back on Caprica, but I just want to briefly mention the scene in the kitchen when Helo is making breakfast. First off, it reminds me a LOT of the scene in Jurassic Park when the kids were in the kitchen hiding from the velociraptors (mind you, I haven't seen Jurassic Park since it came out, so I may be completely wrong on this one). Second, it is a very nice visual pun with the toaster popping up, and alerting the "Toasters" that someone is there.  Very cute.

BSG 101 - Quiz number one

True or False - Starbuck loves Lee more than she ever loved Zak.

Why is BSG filmed in British Columbia?

a. Because the weather in Vancouver is so great

b. Because James Callis hasn't been able to get a visa to enter the US since the lewd behavior conviction back in '98

c. Because Canadians work cheap

Roslin was appointed Secretary of Education because:

a. She was a terrific teacher

b. She was great at getting out the vote

c. She was President Adar's girlfriend

Admiral Adama most resembles which of the following captains:

a. Jack Aubrey of HMS Surprise

b. Joseph Hazelwood of Exxon Valdez

c. Captain Feathersword of the Wiggles

Felix Gaeta prefers:

a. Men

b. Women

c. All of the above

Doc Cottle is a chain smoker because:

a. He's smoking cannabis and not tobacco

b. There is no tar or nicotine in Colonial cigarettes

c. He hasn't read the surgeon general's report

Which couple does NOT need to get drunk before having sex

a. Starbuck and Sam

b. Starbuck and Baltar

c. Starbuck and Zak

d. Starbuck and Lee

e. None of the above

Who is smarter - Sam Anders or Lee Adama? (hint - this is a trick question)

Essay question: Explain the political, social, economic, and technological conditions that contributed to the first cylon war. Discuss in detail the consequences of the Armistice in the development of the post-war political and military organization structures. Use both sides of the paper if necessary.

Essay question: Explain why Callie would allow herself to get beaten up by Tyrol in order to get him to marry her, and then proceed to one-night stand Hotdog immediately before the wedding?

Followup question: Do you think that this might have something to do with randomly choosing Tyrol to be a cylon without considering the consequence of having another half-cylon child running around?