BSG 2.11, Ressurection Ship, Part I

[selenak]

Anyone remember the cheesy Dino de Laurentis produced Flash Gordon film with the title song by Queen that went "FLASH! Ahaaahaaa..."? Because I feel liking singing "ASH! Ahahhaaa..." in gratitude to my benefactress who gets me new BSG episodes. On the other hand, I rival Angel when it comes to singing, so better not.

Now, on to my awesome show:



In my review of The Pegasus, I made the not exactly original observation that the Pegasus and her crew aren't just Galactica's dark mirror but one possible Galactica future, with the tentencies we've already seen there carried to the extreme. I had not, however, expected direct personal parallels. Which I think are there. Two things struck me in the Cain-Starbuck (or should that be Cain/Starbuck, because that was the other thing, and I'll get to that?) scene, and one was that Cain is a version of Kara twenty years older, stripped of all other emotions save her warrior instinct, having gotten what she wanted far too often and with no personal relationships keeping her, in lack of a better term, human. The interesting thing is that Kara responds to Cain better than she does to Roslin. Yes, she ultimately did what Roslin wanted in Kobol's Last Gleaming, and there was the hug in Hand of God, but she always comes across as a bit uncomfortable with her in the same scene. Which might not be so much because of Mummy issues (btw, the deleted scenes from early season 2 make it clear that Starbuck's mother was in the military, so it's interesting that despite the mother being the source of criticism and possible abuse, she, not her pianist father, was the one whose path Kara followed) but because Roslinl's kind of power and mentality is alien to her. Roslin is a civilian and a politician, and I strongly suspect Kara, like Tigh, cannot function in that world. Cain, on the other hand, is a part of her world. And says just the right thing to get Kara (for the moment, at least) hooked.

Their scene is also, with the exception of the Gaeta/Baltar scenes in Six Degrees of Separation, the first time on this show I got a slashy vibe. Cain's "and do you usually get what you want?" to Kara was borderline flirtation. And while we're on the subject, Cain's reaction to the photo of another Six model, "there you are", and the way she displayed her anger at the Six in the Pegasus brig, whom I shall join Moore etc. in calling Gina for convenience' sake clearly indicate to me that there is something very personal here. She's not "just" angry because Gina was a spy and damaged the fleet; I'm strongly tempted to go with the fanfic explanation that Gina's mission had been Cain as "our" Six' mission had been Baltar.

(On the other hand, having recently rewatched some BSG episodes in preparation, Tigh's anger with GalacticaBoomer in the season 2 opener had been intensely personal, too, and he acted rather similarly when "interrogating" her - on that particular occasion, I hasten to add, in the immediate aftermath of Adama's near-death. So maybe I'm reading the causes for Cain's fury with Gina wrong.)

Lastly, Cain and Roslin: that would be Cain totally misreading the situation. She's not just uncomfortable with civilians, she sees them, as we later find out, more or less as spare parts, and she thinks Roslin is weak because she was a school teacher, and because she and Adama actually debate their decisions. Thereby missing completely where her true danger lies - not with Adama, but with Roslin, who decides even before the fate of the other civilians is revealed that Cain needs to die. Back when Pegasus aired, there was the fear the writers would solve the dilemma by letting Cain conveniently die in a Cylon attack, but no. Last week hobsonphile joked that you could write BSG as a mafia movie, and I think the only thing she got wrong was who the Don was, because it's not Adama - it's my darling Laura Roslin with her soft voice and clear-headed ruthlessness who is the capo di capi. "You need to kill her."

(Sidenote: of course I also love that Adama doesn't simply agree and and goes assassination, yay! That's why he and Roslin need each other; they exemplify checks and balances. When he does come to the same conclusion Roslin did, it's after deliberation and trying to learn all the facts first.)

Speaking of mafia movies, the last scene, with Cain and Adama simultanously giving their respective assassination orders, really is a tip of the head to The Godfather. Incidentally, I do understand why Cain doesn't just order Adama's death but the deaths of his immediate command staff as well - they've shown us her studying his logs before and looking torn, and speaking in pure pragmatic terms, she's right - there is no way Tigh etc. would serve under her if she just ordered Adama killed. Meanwhile, Adama's plan is essentially a replay of what Sharon 1.0 did to him, putting Kara in Sharon's position and Cain in his, which is fascinating.

Now, as to whether or not Kara will go through with it: common consensus seems to be she'll freeze at the last moment - as she's the one member of the BSG crew who actually likes Cain - but I'm not sure. Possibly because of the Star Trek precedences. Yes, you heard me right. Star Trek. Moore had Worf kill Duras on TNG and later kill Gowron on DS9, you know, and the later definitely for political reasons. (Yes, in duels, but in both cases Worf knew he was the superior fighter, he had the clear intention of killing Duras and Gowron, and went through with it.) And I do dislike the convenience where a heroic character is set up for a situation where she or he must kill another human being and then is saved from this by a villain stepping in to do it for him. (See also: Cordelia and Lilah in Billy.) Still, I don't think Kara will kill Cain, there will be yet another twist, but I think she'll try. She'll fire the shot, like Sharon did. (Possibly Lee will be the one to finish it.) And this might cause a split between her and Adama later.

Meanwhile, in the storylines about Cylons and the men who love them (or at the very least care for them): excellent brig scene with Helo and Tyrol. What's amazing is that Helo doesn't come across as petty and jealous when advising the Chief to let Sharon go, if he can, but as meaning it well. They've come to understand each other as only two men in love with the same woman can. Though not exactly the same, and yet. Tyrol does have a chance to let it go - "his" Sharon died - but the surviving Sharon is more than just a copy of the dead woman, that's the problem, isn't it? And if GalacticaSharon downloaded, the exact same Sharon he loved might still be around somewhere.

And Baltar. I continue to be more than happy with the way they're developing him. As I've written in my Baltar essay, you've got to love the way this twists the usual redemption process - the selfish, narcisstic Baltar who didn't risk anything for anyone but himself from the pilot was probably far better for humanity than the current and future Gaius Baltar who cares about someone else, doesn't want to hide in luxurious fantasies any more and actively tries to help others. While keeping his head. When he watches Cain abusing Gina and steps in, he improvises - just as he did, say, when Six prompted him to ask Adama for a nuclear warhead in Bastille Day - but he's not panicking anymore, and the improvisation continues to hit just the right note with Cain, as he's not even trying to appeal to her sense of compassion, just to her pragmatism.

Tricia Helfer does a great job as Gina and as "usual" Six in her one scene (when she tells Baltar about watching Pyramids on Caprica, teasing with a hint of vulnerability, and reminding us that Six loved Baltar all this time while clearly aware he did not return her feelings). Gina's wish to die, to truly die without getting resurrected in another body, is probably the most damming indictement on the way the Pegasus crew treated her yet. At the same time, her telling Baltar about the resurrection ship, thus ensuring that not only she but all other models out there would truly die without downloading, is one of the most human and selfish things we've seen a Cylon do. And psychologically realistic - after being tortured and gang-raped for months, you do not think of the good of the community.

Now, I'm assuming Gina will make it beyond the next episode (because clearly she's too good a character to waste), so obviously whatever happens with the resurrection ship, her own death wish won't come true. It could happen in yet another twist on a tv cliché - Baltar's compassion plus of course the feelings he has for Six helping her to regain her will to live, but instead of this being a good thing, it's going to be a very bad thing indeed for the human race, because this version of Six doesn't just philosophize abstractedly and somewhat selfl-righteously about the human instinct to kill, she actually has a personal reason to hate humans. And Baltar promised to help and protect her. She's not something safely stored in his head. Her physical existence means he'll have to do things on the physical plane in order to achieve this. Possibly this is where his so far empty position as Vice President will come in, especially with Roslin's increasing physical decline.

Scattered thoughts:

- I hope we'll keep the poor civilian engineer from the Pegasus as well; rarely have I felt so sorry for a bit character
- Fiske won't go through with the assassination order, I think that's not even debate worthy, given his earlier confession to Tigh
- love the irony that Tigh, who has been the first to badmouth civilians in the past ("civvie cry babies"), sees how utterly abhorrent Cain's behaviour
is so clearly and is shocked in a way we haven't seen Tigh shocked by anything but Adama's near-death
- Doc Cottle and Adama's apology to Sharon: clear acknowledgement that no, you do not treat your enemies that way, and acceptance of Sharon
as a sentient being - now if the Cylons go through a similar process with the humans, I could see the two coming to a truce after all
- so, Ron Moore loves to tease his audience; what was that "I want a Cylon body" from Roslin about, hmmmmm?

Comments

[raincitygirl.livejournal.com]

Excellent review.

[selenak.livejournal.com]

Thank you!

[ide-cyan.livejournal.com]

the first time on this show I got a slashy vibe

They actually talked to each other! About something other than a man!

[selenak.livejournal.com]

So did Roslin and Starbuck in KLG (or Roslin and Sharon in Home), or Roslin and Elosha from Hand of God onwards till Elosha's death in Home, but that was anything but slashy. (In my perception; such things are of course subjective.)

I do agree we regrettably get more m/f conversations than f/f ones, but Starbuck and Cain were hardly the first or even one of hte first example on this show.

[ide-cyan.livejournal.com]

No, but it's a bit of a prerequisite.

[no-absolutes.livejournal.com]

the parentheses are everything-- it looks to me like Elosha was the person Roslin was closest to throughout, closer even than Adama, Lee, or Billy. agreed though, Cain/Starbuck is not the first time (see icon).

[londonkds.livejournal.com]

Now, as to whether or not Kara will go through with it: common consensus seems to be she'll freeze at the last moment - as she's the one member of the BSG crew who actually likes Cain - but I'm not sure. Possibly because of the Star Trek precedences. Yes, you heard me right. Star Trek. Moore had Worf kill Duras on TNG and later kill Gowron on DS9, you know, and the later definitely for political reasons. (Yes, in duels, but in both cases Worf knew he was the superior fighter, he had the clear intention of killing Duras and Gowron, and went through with it.) And I do dislike the convenience where a heroic character is set up for a situation where she or he must kill another human being and then is saved from this by a villain stepping in to do it for him. (See also: Cordelia and Lilah in Billy.) Still, I don't think Kara will kill Cain, there will be yet another twist, but I think she'll try. She'll fire the shot, like Sharon did. (Possibly Lee will be the one to finish it.) And this might cause a split between her and Adama later.

Is there a Vir-analogue character in this show? ;-)

[selenak.livejournal.com]

Mmmm. Young and naive innocent becoming conscience of increasingly darker character and ending up ruler, you mean? The closest thing could be either presidential aide Billy, who is the Vir to Roslin's Londo in the sense that he was with her when she was still an unimportant official, doesn't hesitate to tell her when he thinks she's wrong (including "please don't do this!" appeals) and is sort of a son to her. Adama thinks she's prepping him for her job, eventually.

However, as opposed to Vir, Billy isn't a regular, and whereas on B5 we the audience know Vir is right every time he tells Londo something is wrong, there is no such certainty when Billy does this. (Well, it's very early in the show, of course, but I'd say by mid-season 2 on B5 it was already clear Vir is always right when arguing with Londo.)

Also, the other candidate would be Lee Adama, who has been known to tell both Roslin and Adama Senior when he thinks they're wrong (first time this happens was in ep. 3 of season one, Bastille Day), and usually (though not in one particular case) is supported by the narrative in this; plus with Lee supporting Roslin during Adama's attempted coup and his increasing distance to the military, I'd say it's far more likely he is the one prepped by her as her successor and who'll end up getting the job. However, as opposed to Billy and Vir, he's the young male heroic lead (in as much as there is one), so it's tough to call him a Vir.

[selenak.livejournal.com]

Oh! And only now do I realize what you meant (I think) - an unlikely assassin. The problem here is that Billy isn't in a position to carry out the assassination, but Lee will be together with Kara when it happens (or not).

[londonkds.livejournal.com]

Yep, that's what I meant.

[skywaterblue.livejournal.com]

Baltar's character arc is so fucking brilliant I wish I were smart enough to have thought of that and mostly I just tune in because I cannot wait to see the next way they twist the concepts of 'redemptionist antihero' and 'sympathetic villian' into one whole. I'm hard pressed to come up with a character -- ever -- in literature, where we saw their descent into villiany quite so lovingly detailed.

Roslin (I still have trouble spelling her name correctly, because in WW fandom we have Rosslyn, and it's pronounced the same way more or less in American Mid-Western accent.) Roslin is totally the mommy bear, man. She'd gut you with a knife and a smile on your face if you try and fuck with her sworn duty to protect what remains of the human race.

[selenak.livejournal.com]

I'm hard pressed to come up with a character -- ever -- in literature, where we saw their descent into villiany quite so lovingly detailed.

Did you watch Babylon 5?

Roslin is totally the mommy bear, man. She'd gut you with a knife and a smile on your face if you try and fuck with her sworn duty to protect what remains of the human race.

Yep. As a friend of mine said about two other females, I'd rather face Cain with a rifle than Roslin without one if both had it in for me, in terms of my survival chances.

[midnightsjane.livejournal.com]

I just saw this episode. My head is still spinning. Thanks for putting it into perspective here. I completely agree that Laura Roslin is probably the one person I would be most afraid of if I were a threat to the human race.
Awesome, awesome show.

[ffutures.livejournal.com]

If you want the Flash song with accompanying video of Queen it's around on line somewhere - about 25mb.

[selenak.livejournal.com]

So noted, and I'll download it for nostalgia's sake in a few days, but am on my way to another few days of skiing right now...

If you find a link, though, could you post it here?

[kalypso-v.livejournal.com]

Yes, I remember the song. Though I don't know when I'm ever going to see BSG; as I was explaining to someone else, they showed the first season at my worst time of the year, so I couldn't watch it. Never mind, I thought, if it's as good as everyone says, there'll be a repeat. I've now seen the pilot repeated twice, but if they repeated the rest of it I never noticed. And now the second season turns up at the worst time of the year again, so I probably couldn't watch even if I had seen the first lot. But I did like the pilot, and everyone else says the series is seriously good, so when I've more time on my hands I will try to track it down by some means or other (assuming terrestrial TV doesn't catch on some time).

[selenak.livejournal.com]

Um. You know, I got send you the episodes, if you like, but I'd need an address, which you could mail to me (email address the one of the livejournal).

[kalypso-v.livejournal.com]

That's very kind! I'll bear it in mind, I think I can probably get it via someone here, but I'm not going to think about it until March, when the annual work crisis ends. Apart from anything else, if I do get hold of it I'll probably need a DVD player, which I've been putting off buying for years. At the moment, I can play DVDs only on the computer, and a lot of them buzz in the drive.

[hobsonphile.livejournal.com]

Last week hobsonphile joked that you could write BSG as a mafia movie, and I think the only thing she got wrong was who the Don was, because it's not Adama - it's my darling Laura Roslin with her soft voice and clear-headed ruthlessness who is the capo di capi.

I have since realized my mistake. ;)

[selenak.livejournal.com]

*g* She is Don Corleone, completely.

[no-absolutes.livejournal.com]

i have my thoughts about Gina-- especially, how much is she like the Six we know? until we saw her aboard the Pegasus, Six looked like the most dangerous and most ruthless Cylon yet, probably the reason she's so highly placed inside Baltar's head. but if Cylons really respond to torture, is it because they have souls? and no self-destruct? good review-- you're probably spot-on about Starbuck, and let's hope Moore gets her to work out her issues instead of being a plot device in the assassination, whatever happens.
kudos for the heads-up to the deleted scenes and the DS9 references.

[selenak.livejournal.com]

Gina calls herself a soldier, which isn't something we've heard Six say (either to Baltar or on Caprica when talking to her fellow Cylons), which makes me wonder whether Gina wasn't "adjusted" so she'd fit in on a Battlestar. Certainly Cain would have had her decommissioned if she had walked around looking like "our" Six does post haste.

Responding to torture: Leoben did, too, but of course if the Resurrection ship was trailing them all this time, Leoben did know he would get out of this as soon as they killed him (or as soon as Starbuck realized he had been lying about a ticking bomb existing in the first place). Apparantly, none of the Cylon models has ever considered they would be kept alive AND continually abused after capture/discovery. When the Cylons watch D'Anna's recording, they're relieved and glad Sharon is still alive, but I don't think they feared anything other than summary execution for her. So I suspect the models simply aren't designed with a protective self destruct...

[ponygirl2000.livejournal.com]

Now I've been singing that song all day.

Flash! Ahaaa! He'll save everyone of us!

[selenak.livejournal.com]

*g*

[greenpear.livejournal.com]

I'm new here. Looking for interesting viewpoints on BSG. I'll stay tuned for future episodes.

[selenak.livejournal.com]

Welcome!

[likeadeuce.livejournal.com]

wait a minute, my sidekick has a theme song -- don't I get a theme song? *I really ought to know better; too late now*

I liked this ep, though I'm waiting for the conclusion before I try to evaluate too much. Just on this one point:

- love the irony that Tigh, who has been the first to badmouth civilians in the past ("civvie cry babies"), sees how utterly abhorrent Cain's behaviour

That makes a lot of sense, because the flip side of Tigh's contempt for civilian interference in military matters is the belief that the military does a better job of keeping people safe; it's a bit like the old patriarchal idea of woman as the weaker and yet purer vessel. Someone for whom the military was just another job might not see the distinction so clearly.

[selenak.livejournal.com]

Err, Brush up your Shakespeare by Cole Porter?

That makes a lot of sense, because the flip side of Tigh's contempt for civilian interference in military matters is the belief that the military does a better job of keeping people safe; it's a bit like the old patriarchal idea of woman as the weaker and yet purer vessel.

True.

[likeadeuce.livejournal.com]

Err, Brush up your Shakespeare by Cole Porter?


Why, thank you *g* *stares at syllabus I still don't have done for tomorrow*

[smashsc.livejournal.com]

Mwaahaahaa! I win. (-;

[smashsc.livejournal.com]

Cain&/Starbuck is fascinating for exactly the reason you mention. And I wonder about Gina & Cain. I think it is more than the fact that Gina might have been assigned Cain. That moment last season where our Six put on the role of Starbuck for Baltar, that might have been how Gina always appeared to Cain. How else could Gina have gained Cain's trust & information?

excellent points all around and you're welcome.

[selenak.livejournal.com]

Yes, absolutely. Cain would never have permitted a Six in her normal appearance on board, I think, certainly not among her command staff, but she would have taken to Six-as-Starbuck, and that might have been Gina's personality - I was struck by her calling herself a soldier (not God's messenger, or any of the other appellations "our" Six would use), specifically designed to infiltrate a Battlestar.

[smashsc.livejournal.com]

And how do we really know what Six's normal appearance is? Six-as-Starbuck might be normal and everything else might be the cylons playing Baltar, including the very damaged Gina. I tend to think of Six actual as similiar to Baltar's Six as well, but we don't really know anything. Caprica!Six is closer to Batlar's Six than anything but she isn't exactly. And even Caprica!Six was constructed to interact with humans. Are there even any human looking cylons not created to interact with humans? Do they create human looking cylons for their own betterment/enjoyment/whatever?

[violaswamp.livejournal.com]

I kind of want to be Laura Roslin when I grow up. She's an amazing character, and you're dead-on about how she and Adama need each other to lead effectively. I think she's 100% right about killing Cain, but it's nonetheless good that Adama looks for independent confirmation.

I'm friending you, if you don't mind, since we seem to share a lot of fandoms.

[selenak.livejournal.com]

Not at all, and welcome!

[timian.livejournal.com]

Terrific review, and I agree completely re Baltar. As he discovers his own humanity, he's also simultaneously moving away from his own people. I'm just amazed by how well Moore and company are handling this. I'm betting the worse things he does, the more sympathetic he'll become. Guh. I love it.