Wow, I guess Battlestar Galactica got over it's little malaise last week, and decided to come back strong with it's latest episode. A lot of people told me that I should listen to the podcasts, which would give me a better idea of what was going on in the mind of the producers. I understand that the podcasts add to the episode, but the reason why producers make money is that they fit all of that explanation in an hour of television. But like I said, we are back on track. After Cain's murder, Adama became an admiral, but the killer is still on the loose. And if the transition of military power wasn't enough, civilian authority looked like it was going to change hands because of the President's illness. We are all sure Adama can handle the fleet, but are we ready to have Gaius Baltar in the presidency? I guess we are going to find out.
Overall, BSG kind of sits apart from a bunch of TVgasm and it's normal Fantastic Super Terrific Funtime Happy Hour attitude we take with a lot of the programming here. Therefore, I am going to try and lighten things up a bit. And since there's nothing funnier than cancer, I am in luck. The President has cancer, and it looks it is really starting to take its toll. She is so delirious with pain that she begins to hallucinate a little bit. Roslin begins to remember the time on Caprica just before the Cylon attack. She just heard that her cancer was malignant, the teachers union was striking, and there was Gaius Baltar sucking face with a hot blonde.
Now, we all know that hot blonde as model Six (I believe the Caprica model was called Natasi), and although the President continues to see the two lovebirds in her dreams, nothing really comes up. Besides, what are these hallucinations supposed to tell her? She doesn't have much time on earth, and she is going to use it to make one last, very difficult decision. She gathers Adama, Billy, Dr. Baltar and Dr. Cottle, next to her hospital bed on the Galactica, and gives them a little bit of a heads up. They have been doing blood tests on Sharon's fetus, and the results had some anomalies. There was enough concern that she has decided that the Cylon pregnancy was going to have to be terminated.
I am not sure if it is the medication, but the President has changed a lot during the final days of her administration. Maybe she realizes that she wouldn't have to worry about the aftermath, but ordering the death of a Colonial officer and unborn baby, as dangerous as it might be, seems very out of character. If there was anything that Roslin learned from her time on Caprica as Education Secretary, it was that "the best thing about being president is that you don't have to explain yourself to anyone", so despite Baltar's protests that the Cylon baby was of strategic value, the order was going to be executed. OK, bad choice of words, but you get the idea.
Again, this sounds kind of crazy, but since the colonies apparently don't have a 25th Amendment, it looks like Roslin is going to get her way without the Quorum of Twelve deciding whether she is fit to make decisions or not. Gaius is second in command, and he obviously doesn't want this baby to die. He pleads with Adama, which is odd, because Baltar had a dream that Adama was drowning his baby (or at least a baby important to him) in the beginning of Season 2. Adama's reaction to the President's decision is not quite an endorsement, but he will follow his orders from the Commander in Chief, and tells Baltar to pull himself together After all, he will soon be President Dr. Gaius Baltar, and he is going to have to make tough decisions himself.
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Comments (8)
Good review! I think earlier in the episode, the chick making the faulty ammunition also referred to "the Cylon". I believe that's just a mention of the overall Cylon race, not one particular Cylon.
Also, here's what makes the series so great. It twists who you think is good or evil, or who is right and who is wrong. We saw in this episode that the Colonials were first willing to kill the Cylon child that may have been a "threat", which is understandable. But then Baltar discovers the uniqueness of the Cylon baby's blood and they are willing to exploit the baby for their own purposes. It seems to mirror what the Cylons were doing to Starbuck and other captured human females on Caprica (in an earlier episode): harvesting ovaries and impregnating them in order to conceive hybrid children. That's where the dichotomy lies. The viewer hates the Cylons for even attempting such an exploitation, but then we see our heroes, the Colonials, doing the same thing.
This series is also great in how it mirrors "real life" situations. Now the fleet has a group of "extremists" with a nuclear warhead. Imagine how we would feel if an terrorist cell got hold of one here. Bad news, man.
Sorry for the long comment- and yes, you should listen to the podcasts. They do delve into a little more thought process among the writers and producers.
1 of 8 | Posted by Jeff V
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Posted on January 23, 2006 10:03 PM
Thanks for the recap! This episode has been sitting on my Tivo because I was too scared to watch it. Sharon's plight really gets to me and I was sure she would lose the baby. Now I can watch the episode without getting too upset. I know its just TV, but its really gripping for me. No one is pure good or pure evil, and it ties me in knots every episode. Thanks for Recapping!!!!!
2 of 8 | Posted by Jennifer T
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Posted on January 24, 2006 8:55 AM
Another strong episode. The switching of six's to the new nerdy glasses one was good. THe new one is a much more nuanced character because of the abuse she suffered. I was annoyed with the whole last minute saving of the president. Wasn't the priest talking all about the prophecy of the leader who will die ont he journey adn thats why the prophecy is true. What happened to that?
3 of 8 | Posted by EdHill
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Posted on January 24, 2006 8:57 AM
"Death" in fiction is symbolic. Roslin was at the brink of death which fits a mythic mold of venturing into the land of death to retrieve a boon to share with the community. Said boon is obviously the proof that the hybrid's blood is a panacea. There must be other cancer sufferers in the fleet. A shot of that blood would make for much better travel for everyone. Recycled air is notoriously germ-laden.
I knew Gina and the resurrection ship and all of it was part of the plan. So they offed one ship of replicants. Plenty more where those came from. Remember the ship full of Sharons? Everything is still going according to Cylon plan. They probably anticipated a successful fetus would be antigen free and present the humans with too much temptation. That's why they left (sent!) this all-important starchild into the enemy's hands in the first place.
4 of 8 | Posted by Lady J
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Posted on January 24, 2006 10:08 AM
Easily the worst episode of the season, with the little Deux Ex Machina (literally! religious machines!) due for sweeps, I'm sure. The most deplorable cop-out was Roslin's saved-by-the-Cylons, proving that the cast is safe. Baltar's ambiguity is the only element that makes this series different from JAG. (Well, except the terrorists are Cylons.) I'm a Republican, so I don't mind so much, but it's a bit boring.
And with photos of "known Cylon agents" circulated throughout the 49K, no one has recognized Gina? Riiiight.
5 of 8 | Posted by Mija
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Posted on January 24, 2006 12:55 PM
I have hated this entire show and particularly the Roslin plotline from the BEGINNING. (And not just because I am an old-school BSG fan.) My partner *IS* a three-year cervical cancer survivor, and I myself work in the cancer data field. Breast cancer survival rates HERE, NOW, at stage 1, is more than ***97%*** curable, and we don't even have lightspeed drive... Stage 4 (allegedly what she has)? Try 78%. I blame Mr. Moore for "oh, we have to have someone have cancer, let's have a woman have a GIRLIE cancer, so it'll be serious (and maybe get more female fans...um, no)..." Please notice how Adama isn't written to have prostate cancer, huh? And to "poof" it away like this is an insult to any intelligent viewer.
6 of 8 | Posted by killbondnow
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Posted on January 24, 2006 1:06 PM
Word, killbondnow. To be fair, it was obvious Moore et. al. were never really going to let Adama die either, even after being shot point-blank in the heart. (Because that's where unambiguous military heroes are shot -- nevermind a good toaster would've redecorated the Galactica's bridge with Adama's brains.)
It's part of this false suspense: it's clear Apollo will not die, but he was ejected into space; it's clear Starbuck will not die, but she sure eyes that cracked window; Roslin's cancer, Adama's bullet wound, Cally's bullet wound . . Almost all dramas are this obvious. There are no consequences, and for all the (promotional) talk about "flaws" and "nuance," there's actually very little of either.
7 of 8 | Posted by Mija
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Posted on January 24, 2006 1:56 PM
Can Cylon fetus blood cure the fact that my eyes have rolled to the back of my head far enough to stick at this "development"? This would have been daring nuance in maybe 1955...
Feh.
8 of 8 | Posted by lurkertype
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Posted on January 24, 2006 2:26 PM