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Aug. 8th, 2005 11:19 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
selenakThe lords of Kobol, or possibly the Cylon god, heard me, and I got my episode 2.04, Resistance. Before squeeing about same, let me also mention BSG just got an Hugo for last year’s episode 33. Which makes me a very happy fangirl indeed.
The symmetry of the opening and closing shot, blood dropping from Tyrol and Boomer respectively, worked beautifully. I always found Galactica!Boomer more interesting than Caprica!Boomer (see post about this and Caprica!Boomer as the traditional Bond girl who switches sides after sex with our hero, whereas Galactica!Boomer was tragic and messed up and doomed), and she and the Chief broke my heart here. Best of all: the show kept it layered. Because Tyrol was aware there was something seriously wrong with Sharon, and he covered up for her anyway. He might not have allowed himself to “know” she was a Cylon any more than she did, but they both deliberately blinded themselves, and they knew their silence put the fleet at risk. So no, they never conspired to kill Adama, but they aren’t innocents, either, and that is the stuff tragedy is made of. And yet. I had seen the season preview with Tyrol telling Sharon never to speak to him again, and I’m glad these weren’t the last words between them; that he held her when she died, that she told him she loved him one last time.
Love is a terrible, powerful force, says Baltar, who is tied into their storyline along with Cally this week, and he ought to know. Not because he felt it himself, mind you, but because of Six who I don’t think he doubts does love him. (Baltar is probably the only human who doesn’t doubt or angst about the Cylons having feelings or not; he knows they do.) Whom he’s less dependent post-Kobol, it seems. Last season he completely panicked when discovering Boomer was a Cylon and was afraid to be in the same room with her. This season, when Cally tries to blackmail him, he’s angry, but not panicked, and the ruthless way he handles it isn’t Six-inspired but his own. Note that all the way back in the miniseries, it was Baltar, not Six, who had the idea of framing Dobal as a Cylon. (Who happened to be a Cylon, but Baltar didn’t know what. For all he knew, the man was a completely innocent human.) The potential was there, and Kobol, even more than a year of Six in his brain, brought it out.
Now whether Boomer in her panic to save the Chief actually came up with a correct information or just made something up is open to debate, and we don’t know yet what Baltar will do with said information. But he’s active now, no longer reactive, and I’m very interested.
Tigh’s anger in the opening scene and his threats point out another layer of the situation, and not regarding Tigh. He brings up Roslin’s order to kill Leoben. Now I don’t think he has anything more on his mind in that moment than to scare and hurt Tyrol, but from a meta point, it reminds the viewer that Roslin, not the military, set a precedent here. (My love for Laura does not mean I’m okay with everything she does; as RM put it in his blog, Kara’s and Laura’s actions in Flesh and Bone were both understandable from their pov and wrong.) Cylons don’t have rights, Cylons can be tortured, and Cylons can be randomly executed. Now supplant “the enemy” for “Cylons” and remember Adama’s fears of who the enemy might become from the miniseries, and the current situation of the fleet.
Tigh is a tragic character in his own right. He’s in freefall in this episode, and he knows it. I’ve seen a lot of Ellen hate, but you know, Tigh has lived with the woman for decades. He knows what she’s like. He’s an adult. If she manipulates him, it’s because some part of him wants to be manipulated, to slightly paraphrase Katya Derevko (talking to Jack Bristow in season 4 of Alias). (And wants to have someone to blame after other than himself, which he immediately does, too.) He’s never without his free will, and can actually draw the line when he wants to (see: the question of shooting, or not, on Lee later), so I don’t have a lot of patience for the “that evil woman makes him do bad things” excuse.
Meanwhile, I was, of course, thrilled with the goings-on involving Laura and Lee. From small touches like giving Venner a smile while chewing licorice even though she doesn’t like it (that’s Laura Roslin, political pro) to the big stuff. After Tigh’s orders led to the death of civilians, no matter how unintended, she really couldn’t afford to remain in the brig any longer and wait for Adama to wake up, or not. Her analysis of the situation and the dangers the fleet faced was clear, precise and dead-on. And of course I adored the way she handled the marine guard.
I also strongly suspect that after the last two episodes showcasing the failures of military leaders – i.e. Crashdown and Tigh – the next one will make it the civilians and specifically Laura’s turn, i.e. we’ll see her make mistakes involving her new religious status. And in the end, everyone will have to concede they have something to apologize for. But for now, let me revel in the feeling of how cool she was in Resistance.
The last scene with her and Lee and Zarek was an obvious pay-off to his “you’re not going to like it” line, and still made me grin in delight. Because hey, I see both Lee/Zarek and even Roslin/Zarek subtext (ever since he said “ah, but I shaved extra close this morning in anticipation of getting smacked by you” in Colonial Day). “Call me Tom,” indeed. I’d say this just begs for fanfic, were it not for the fact that we’ll get scenes on screen. Sort of. Ahem.
Speaking of Lee: though I love his relationship with Laura, I strongly venture he freed her to save democracy and because at the rate Tigh was screwing up, something had to be done post haste, and Laura Roslin was the best person the fleet was going to rally behind. (With Adama out of commission.) He wouldn’t have freed her for personal sympathy, which is something Tigh wouldn’t get. That this isn’t about personal loyalties. Will Adama get it, as he didn’t in Kobol’s Last Gleaming? We’ll see.
Insert a fear here: if as I suspect Laura will make her mistake next week, Lee might serve both as a reality reminder and as someone who tells her that if she does such and such, he will not support her any longer, either. I just hope Adama wouldn’t take that as Lee repenting and returning to him because That Woman lost her hold on his misled boy.
Oh yeah, and there were some Caprica scenes this week. Did not find them very interesting, unfortunately, but then again, they were obviously set up and establishing of characters. Far more interesting were Cally's three or four scenes. Her loyalty to Tyrol and affection for him had been established all through the first season, and on Kobol this only got reaffirmed, so her going Jack Ruby on Sharon, while a shock, makes psychological sense. But she'll have to live with having committed a murder now. Never mind the "toaster" taunts, I don't doubt Cally thought of Galactica!Boomer as an individual, a sentient being, whom she killed, and not in battle, nor in any kind of confrontation.
Speculation: Caprica!Boomer will show up on Galactica, with or without having collected Helo and Kara first. She'll now have Galactica!Boomer's memories as well, since Sharon downloaded at the moment of her death, which combined with the news of the pregnancy will make for much angst and unpredictable reactions from both Tyrol and Cally.
Off to seek out Zarek/Laura/Lee fanfic now…
The symmetry of the opening and closing shot, blood dropping from Tyrol and Boomer respectively, worked beautifully. I always found Galactica!Boomer more interesting than Caprica!Boomer (see post about this and Caprica!Boomer as the traditional Bond girl who switches sides after sex with our hero, whereas Galactica!Boomer was tragic and messed up and doomed), and she and the Chief broke my heart here. Best of all: the show kept it layered. Because Tyrol was aware there was something seriously wrong with Sharon, and he covered up for her anyway. He might not have allowed himself to “know” she was a Cylon any more than she did, but they both deliberately blinded themselves, and they knew their silence put the fleet at risk. So no, they never conspired to kill Adama, but they aren’t innocents, either, and that is the stuff tragedy is made of. And yet. I had seen the season preview with Tyrol telling Sharon never to speak to him again, and I’m glad these weren’t the last words between them; that he held her when she died, that she told him she loved him one last time.
Love is a terrible, powerful force, says Baltar, who is tied into their storyline along with Cally this week, and he ought to know. Not because he felt it himself, mind you, but because of Six who I don’t think he doubts does love him. (Baltar is probably the only human who doesn’t doubt or angst about the Cylons having feelings or not; he knows they do.) Whom he’s less dependent post-Kobol, it seems. Last season he completely panicked when discovering Boomer was a Cylon and was afraid to be in the same room with her. This season, when Cally tries to blackmail him, he’s angry, but not panicked, and the ruthless way he handles it isn’t Six-inspired but his own. Note that all the way back in the miniseries, it was Baltar, not Six, who had the idea of framing Dobal as a Cylon. (Who happened to be a Cylon, but Baltar didn’t know what. For all he knew, the man was a completely innocent human.) The potential was there, and Kobol, even more than a year of Six in his brain, brought it out.
Now whether Boomer in her panic to save the Chief actually came up with a correct information or just made something up is open to debate, and we don’t know yet what Baltar will do with said information. But he’s active now, no longer reactive, and I’m very interested.
Tigh’s anger in the opening scene and his threats point out another layer of the situation, and not regarding Tigh. He brings up Roslin’s order to kill Leoben. Now I don’t think he has anything more on his mind in that moment than to scare and hurt Tyrol, but from a meta point, it reminds the viewer that Roslin, not the military, set a precedent here. (My love for Laura does not mean I’m okay with everything she does; as RM put it in his blog, Kara’s and Laura’s actions in Flesh and Bone were both understandable from their pov and wrong.) Cylons don’t have rights, Cylons can be tortured, and Cylons can be randomly executed. Now supplant “the enemy” for “Cylons” and remember Adama’s fears of who the enemy might become from the miniseries, and the current situation of the fleet.
Tigh is a tragic character in his own right. He’s in freefall in this episode, and he knows it. I’ve seen a lot of Ellen hate, but you know, Tigh has lived with the woman for decades. He knows what she’s like. He’s an adult. If she manipulates him, it’s because some part of him wants to be manipulated, to slightly paraphrase Katya Derevko (talking to Jack Bristow in season 4 of Alias). (And wants to have someone to blame after other than himself, which he immediately does, too.) He’s never without his free will, and can actually draw the line when he wants to (see: the question of shooting, or not, on Lee later), so I don’t have a lot of patience for the “that evil woman makes him do bad things” excuse.
Meanwhile, I was, of course, thrilled with the goings-on involving Laura and Lee. From small touches like giving Venner a smile while chewing licorice even though she doesn’t like it (that’s Laura Roslin, political pro) to the big stuff. After Tigh’s orders led to the death of civilians, no matter how unintended, she really couldn’t afford to remain in the brig any longer and wait for Adama to wake up, or not. Her analysis of the situation and the dangers the fleet faced was clear, precise and dead-on. And of course I adored the way she handled the marine guard.
I also strongly suspect that after the last two episodes showcasing the failures of military leaders – i.e. Crashdown and Tigh – the next one will make it the civilians and specifically Laura’s turn, i.e. we’ll see her make mistakes involving her new religious status. And in the end, everyone will have to concede they have something to apologize for. But for now, let me revel in the feeling of how cool she was in Resistance.
The last scene with her and Lee and Zarek was an obvious pay-off to his “you’re not going to like it” line, and still made me grin in delight. Because hey, I see both Lee/Zarek and even Roslin/Zarek subtext (ever since he said “ah, but I shaved extra close this morning in anticipation of getting smacked by you” in Colonial Day). “Call me Tom,” indeed. I’d say this just begs for fanfic, were it not for the fact that we’ll get scenes on screen. Sort of. Ahem.
Speaking of Lee: though I love his relationship with Laura, I strongly venture he freed her to save democracy and because at the rate Tigh was screwing up, something had to be done post haste, and Laura Roslin was the best person the fleet was going to rally behind. (With Adama out of commission.) He wouldn’t have freed her for personal sympathy, which is something Tigh wouldn’t get. That this isn’t about personal loyalties. Will Adama get it, as he didn’t in Kobol’s Last Gleaming? We’ll see.
Insert a fear here: if as I suspect Laura will make her mistake next week, Lee might serve both as a reality reminder and as someone who tells her that if she does such and such, he will not support her any longer, either. I just hope Adama wouldn’t take that as Lee repenting and returning to him because That Woman lost her hold on his misled boy.
Oh yeah, and there were some Caprica scenes this week. Did not find them very interesting, unfortunately, but then again, they were obviously set up and establishing of characters. Far more interesting were Cally's three or four scenes. Her loyalty to Tyrol and affection for him had been established all through the first season, and on Kobol this only got reaffirmed, so her going Jack Ruby on Sharon, while a shock, makes psychological sense. But she'll have to live with having committed a murder now. Never mind the "toaster" taunts, I don't doubt Cally thought of Galactica!Boomer as an individual, a sentient being, whom she killed, and not in battle, nor in any kind of confrontation.
Speculation: Caprica!Boomer will show up on Galactica, with or without having collected Helo and Kara first. She'll now have Galactica!Boomer's memories as well, since Sharon downloaded at the moment of her death, which combined with the news of the pregnancy will make for much angst and unpredictable reactions from both Tyrol and Cally.
Off to seek out Zarek/Laura/Lee fanfic now…
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no subject
Date: 2005-08-08 12:20 pm (UTC)That is the line, as
Fic-wise, I know
Though the Caprica scenes were mostly setup, I did like the way they reflected the human-on-human conflict, as opposed to human-v-Cylon.
The most chilling moment in the ep to me was Baltar's manipulation of Boomer, by poisoning Tyrol, particularly the fact that Six was nowhere in sight during this seen. A competent, ruthless Baltar is something new and surprisingly chilling. And Six's reference to toaster as a racial slur . . ..hee.
no subject
Date: 2005-08-08 02:17 pm (UTC)Laura/Zarek is far from a bad idea either.
Theirtensionissoruthlesslypolitical. And you can tell he was impressed by the way she handled things in Colonial Day. Plus I guess he speculates that he's in a win-win position: if she ends up as a heroine for democracy and dies in a few months, he looks like a large-souled man who got over personal grudges to help the cause, and if she ends up looking like a powerhungry religious nut, it won't be his fault and he's in a position to take over, too.
That, and he must have been starving for verbal sparring on that prison ship. Now he gets to do it with Lee and Laura both... conversation, that is.*veg*
Competent and ruthless Baltar: quite. All the more so because it's followed by that little "love is a wonderful thing" chat with Tyrol.
no subject
Date: 2005-08-08 07:06 pm (UTC)I agree with you about Tigh having no excuse with Ellen; its interesting to compare and contrast him with Baltar who seems, dare I say it, more sensible with regards to Six.
For me this was the episode of the supporting characters; Dualla, Gaeta, Cally, Billy, and Dr. Cottle all stood out. I always considered Zarek/Roslin the most interesting possible pairing because of their diametrically opposite pasts. Unfortunately I haven't seen any fanfic on them.
no subject
Date: 2005-08-08 07:19 pm (UTC)You're right, the supporting characters all had a field day.
Zarek/Roslin:
no subject
Date: 2005-08-09 08:29 am (UTC)It's hard to believe that I'm on the edge of my seat for most of an episode of something, where it isn't a sweeps episode or a finale. I think this is testimony to the writer's that they do have enough plot and enough interesting characters that the rollercoaster from the end of the last season isn't showing any signs of stopping.
no subject
Date: 2005-08-09 08:02 pm (UTC)I hadn't really thought of Baltar integrating with Six until your review. I've been thinking along the lines that Gaius needs Six less but it is also true that he is starting to need her less by thinking like her. He is almost becoming a cylon by nuture.
I'm looking forward to Roslin's first error with consequence of the season because, while I love how cool she's been, perfection just isn't that interesting.
Zarek/Laura/Lee: there really needs to be some.
no subject
Date: 2005-08-09 08:31 pm (UTC)Zarek/Laura/Lee: Yes, there does. Meanwhile, have you read
no subject
Date: 2005-08-10 07:23 pm (UTC)Tigh is a tragic character in his own right. He's in freefall in this episode, and he knows it.
He is such a tragic character, and I can't help but bleed for him, even as I want to yell at him to wake up. He reminds me of Londo, in that "I want to hug him and whack him upside the head at the same time" kind of way.
If she manipulates him, it’s because some part of him wants to be manipulated, to slightly paraphrase Katya Derevko (talking to Jack Bristow in season 4 of Alias). (And wants to have someone to blame after other than himself, which he immediately does, too.)
I don't think he blames her for any of his own mistakes. He admits he is responsible for the situation in the last scene with Adama, and makes no excuses for his own conduct to the one person whose opinion actually matters to him.
The person he's unable to act against isn't Ellen, it's Adama. He can't restore the civilian government to power without going against Adama's direct orders, and admitting that Adama made a mistake to order the coup in the first place - and that, I think, is the one thing he cannot do.
I don't think Adama thought very far ahead when he ordered the coup - I don't see that he would have had any other options open to him, even if he hadn't been shot, besides declaring martial law or backing down and admitting he'd made a mistake. And while he probably would have been a lot more diplomatic and polite about taking over than Tigh was, the military would still be in complete control of the fleet.
I also strongly suspect that after the last two episodes showcasing the failures of military leaders – i.e. Crashdown and Tigh – the next one will make it the civilians and specifically Laura’s turn
I think you're right, and this is what I love about this show - no one is ever completely in the right (or in the wrong, for that matter). So far, no one (with the exception of Ellen and Baltar) is acting out of selfish motivations - everyone thinks they're acting for the benefit of the entire fleet, but they still manage to screw things up spectacularly, and knowing how evil these writers can be, I'm sure this pattern will continue. *g*
The last scene with her and Lee and Zarek was an obvious pay-off to his “you’re not going to like it” line, and still made me grin in delight.
Hee! I am so looking forward to watching Roslin and Zarek trying to work together. This is going to be fun. *g* I'm really hoping we get to see more of the civilians in the fleet now - possibly some who aren't religious and don't support Zarek, but who aren't happy about the military running everything, either.
I think she did what she needed to do, both in declaring herself the prophet openly and in allying with Zarek, and I don't think she really had any other options at the time, but I can see how both decisions could have unintended negative consequences for her.
Speaking of Lee: though I love his relationship with Laura, I strongly venture he freed her to save democracy and because at the rate Tigh was screwing up, something had to be done post haste, and Laura Roslin was the best person the fleet was going to rally behind. (With Adama out of commission.)
You know, I'm not sure Adama waking up so soon is actually a good thing, from the point of view of saving democracy. Given a few more days, the crew would have mutinied against Tigh, but I don't think they'll ever turn against the Old Man, no matter how illegal his orders. And I don't know if he's going to look at the situation as it is now and decide martial law was a bad idea. The coup was Adama's idea in the first place, and none of Roslin's actions since he's been shot are likely to make him any less angry at her.
I don't think he's going to get that Lee's actions aren't about personal loyalty, either - now, in his mind, Roslin has turned both of his kids against him, and he's not going to forgive that quickly. I love Adama dearly, but he does have huge blind spots where the people he loves are concerned.
Is it next Friday yet? *g*
no subject
Date: 2005-08-11 10:58 am (UTC)*looks suspiciously at plot bunny about Londo and Tigh getting drunk together; too late for this Multiverse, anyway*
He can't restore the civilian government to power without going against Adama's direct orders, and admitting that Adama made a mistake to order the coup in the first place - and that, I think, is the one thing he cannot do.
As
(I'm very curious whether or not the Baltar option occurs to Adama next week.)
I think she did what she needed to do, both in declaring herself the prophet openly and in allying with Zarek, and I don't think she really had any other options at the time, but I can see how both decisions could have unintended negative consequences for her.
Yes. And for the record, I don't think she'd have done either if she hadn't been convinced the fleet was about to explode. But as every character on this show finds out sooner or later, good intentions can pave the way to hell.
You know, I'm not sure Adama waking up so soon is actually a good thing, from the point of view of saving democracy. Given a few more days, the crew would have mutinied against Tigh, but I don't think they'll ever turn against the Old Man, no matter how illegal his orders.
Viable point. If Dualla, who was an Adama loyalist and not a Roslin fan, and who had served with Tigh for quite a while, told Lee re: Tigh that Tigh was drinking far too often and too much and that she wishes Lee were in charge, this was a Bounty in the making. Ditto for Doc Cottle, part of the military. He knows more about Roslin's condition - both the illness and the chamalla - than anyone, including herself, and still seemed to think she was a better and more sensible option than Tigh. (Surely if he thought her judgment was impaired by either, he would have said something to Tigh that would have provided excellent justification to keep her out of office.)
With Adama, everyone's personal devotion will come into play again...
no subject
Date: 2005-08-12 09:30 pm (UTC)Dude. You *must* write this. *feeds plotbunnny lots of carrots* ;)
When Tigh declared martial law, Baltar was at a "lost or missing" status, but now that's no longer true. Tigh had a genuine option here. (And you can bet Baltar would not have insisted on Roslin's release.) He chose not to exercise it, thereby cementing everyone's suspicions that martial law was not an emergency solution but a military coup.
I'll have to go back and rewatch KLG again, but I didn't get the impression, when Adama ordered Roslin removed, that this was a temporary emergency measure until Baltar got back. And I don't think Lee thought so, either - or he wouldn't have felt it necessary to mutiny in order to stop it. I would have said it was a military coup from the minute the strike team boarded Colonial One.
I don't think Adama had thought far enough ahead to decide whether he was going to declare permanent martial law, but I doubt he would have handed things over to Baltar - or called for new elections, if there was a chance Zarek would win. And even if he did, it still makes it clear to everyone that the military can and will remove any leader it doesn't like whenever it feels like it. (If Adama had actually thought about the situation, it would have made more sense to appeal to the Quorum to have her removed instead - surely the Articles of Colonization have some method for impeaching a president that doesn't involve martial law? But he was reacting emotionally to Starbuck leaving, and not thinking very far ahead, I think.)
But I don't think Tigh's refusal to hand control over to Baltar indicates he intends martial law to be permanent. In Tigh's mind, martial law is an emergency solution until Adama wakes up. He knows, by the time he declares it, that Adama is going to live. And given that the political situation is rather confusing right now, he's trying to maintain the status quo until Adama (who he knows has always been much better than him at dealing with politicians and civilians) wakes up and decides when and how to restore the civilian government.
Now, if Adama woke up and resumed command and still there was no indication of the military considering restoring power to the civilians, then it would make sense for the civilians to start getting very suspicious. But I don't see Tigh's refusal to immediately hand power over to Baltar as anything but him recognizing he's not competent to resolve the political situation and deciding to let Adama handle it instead. I don't think he anticipated how much the fleet would start to protest the situation before Adama could get back on his feet.
And for the record, I don't think she'd have done either if she hadn't been convinced the fleet was about to explode. But as every character on this show finds out sooner or later, good intentions can pave the way to hell.
Oh, yes. And this is why I love this show. *eg*
I'm kind of surprised how quickly the fleet started to explode, though - given that Galactica barely fought off a Cylon attack and a boarding party only a few days ago, it seems strange that the other ships would cut off needed supplies to their only means of defense after such a short time. After a week or so of martial law, I would expect to see protests, but cutting off supplies seems like a rather drastic step to take so soon.
With Adama, everyone's personal devotion will come into play again...
Yes. And that's a good point about Dee ... she's known Tigh a lot longer than Lee has, and knows what's normal for him and what isn't. I am very worried about Dee, now, though ... pretty soon, Adama and Tigh are going to figure out she was in on the plot to free Roslin, and she didn't escape with the others.
BTW, I love your icon. *g*