Battlestar Galactica this week

[rose_griffes]

Weird, this week's episode is still not available through Amazon Unbox. Thank goodness this season's episodes are being posted to the Sci-Fi website, otherwise I would be very cranky indeed. (Remember last year when 'Maelstrom' wasn't available through iTunes for almost two days? Well, I remember.)

Um, don't be surprised at a Kara Kara Kara Leoben Leoben Sam focus in what I write. And I actually stopped and transcribed parts because I'm clearly insane.
Day 58 now aboard the Demetrius. Okay. That's thirty-six days since last week's episode.

Helo tries to talk to Kara about meeting up with Galactica; she's too immersed in her search to listen. Kara is really twitchy in this scene: she's scratching her skin, which is covered in paint. Her facial expressions change in a flash. It's making me nervous just watching her.

When Helo points out that they've searched that grid twice now, she says, "Third time's a charm." He doesn't try and add any other complaints, instead asking if she's gotten any sleep. I'd say from the looks of her that the answer is no.

"It was so clear when I got back. If I could just focus. I know that I could find that sound again." I really don't think that Kara's the final cylon, but they're having lots of fun scattering false trails around. Even Cally Tyrol got to have her share of them.

Kara, in another mercurial twist, decides to fly CAP. Helo questions this (diplomatically, because that's how he works)--she hasn't flown since they left the fleet. Wow, it's no wonder her head's all screwed up. (Kara/Viper otp)

Shift to Baltar's First Church of Perfect-Town (thanks for the name, nicole_anell) and a woman is expressing her anger over the destruction of the colonies, the loss of her husband and children. Though I'm iffy about this whole storyline, I'm 1) curious to see where it will go and 2) glad to see it gives somebody a voice to say what the common people feel. Gaius uses this as an opportunity to say that the Gods don't exist. Oh, and red-headed Charlie's Angel is right there, worshipping at his feet. Yikes. It looks like she's reaching for an amulet or something when Baltar and the angry woman discuss the non-existence of the Gods. Nice touch. Oh, and smiteThem!girl is there too.

"We have been pandering to our own ignorance for far too long."

Galen Tyrol's head is shaved. He's jumping rope, listening to Baltar's broadcast. He's feeling something negative here--frustration, anger... but we don't get much information about the specifics. Tyrol turns off the radio; Nicolas starts to fuss and Tyrol turns the radio on again and starts jumping. What's motivating him to listen to the FCoPT illicit radio show is never made clear to me--it's some kind of compulsion, but is it part of Tyrol's grief? Is he drawn to the 'one true God' aspect, like Tory? Is listening to Gaius Baltar's voice the only thing that calms baby Nicky?! Heh.

Back aboard the Demetrius, Sharon is busy fomenting insurrection. You'd think cylon programming would make her more likely to follow orders, not less. *g* Helo defends Kara and points out that they're almost due to rendez-vous with Galactica. Two more days; they can all hold on a bit longer.

I'm impressed with how generally awful everyone looks. Apparently being under Kara's command means that sleep, grooming and hygiene are too hard to maintain?

Hotdog and Kara on CAP; they find the Heavy Raider, which is obviously damaged. Kara acts like this is exactly what she's been looking for. Leoben starts talking through the comm. Kara's reaction is... hard to describe. I'm still not sure what it is the second time through this episode. Leoben is talking about truce, a chance for Kara to 'complete her journey.'

Credits, then back to the Demetrius. The Heavy Raider is docked outside.

Oh, Gaeta gives us interesting information about the Heavy Raider. "The animal part that controls it looks dead." I've been wondering about that for a while. "Only one Leoben on board." So apparently Gaeta never learned a numeric designation while working with/against the cylons on New Caprica. This fits the theory that very few Leobens were actually on NC.

Guards bring in Leoben, the crew all point guns at him; Kara and Hotdog come in the other entrance.

Leoben thanks Kara, tells her they were praying for a miracle.

"It wasn't a miracle. It's like I knew you were out there."

Gunny Mathias informs Helo what they have and haven't found so far aboard the Raider. Conventional weapons only, no nukes. He tells her to check for tracking devices.

Leoben stares at Kara. She says, "Don't look at me like that."

He apologizes, tells her that there are differences between who she was on NC and now.

"I'm the same person."

"I have eyes, I can see. God has taken you by the hand and purged you of the questions, the doubts. Your journey can finally begin. But there isn't much time, the others, the ones I left behind--they need your help. About as much as you need theirs."

"Why?"

Leoben leans in and whispers that her crew doesn't trust her; this is a step too close and the guards start to pull him away. He gets them to stop--rather, Kara tells them to stop when he describes the 'blue planet.' Tells her that the hybrid told him about it, that Kara needs to go talk to her.

I'm not sure why, but the idea of Kara Thrace talking to the hybrid just fills me with giddy anticipation.

Kara orders the Leoben to be taken to her quarters. Helo's not too impressed with that choice; neither is anyone else.

Tyrol talking to Foster. He's trying to make sense of Cally's death. Tory's not particularly helpful, which... well, duh. Eeek, Tory has embraced the dark side fully invested herself in the whole one-true-God and perfect cylon creations mentality. Galen tells Tory that she spends way too much time with Baltar. Ha!

Sam is back from his scouting mission. I love it that everyone assumes he can go in the Captain's quarters when they can't because of orders. It must mean he's there a lot! Yay!

Oh, frak me. I can't quite believe that Kara's painting with Leoben and he's all over her. Touchy much, Leoben? I'd really like to know how they got to this point. At any rate, Sam is not very impressed with all of this, a scuffle ensues and Leoben is dragged away.

Helo confronts Kara about her choice to believe him "after everything he'd done to you." Again, Kara is super-twitchy.

Leoben in 'cold storage' with Sam. Dude, this episode now gets an A+ just because I finally get to see Leoben interact with someone else. And it's with Sam! Bonus! I really don't care what else happens after this. EEEEEE!

Leoben tells Sam that he needs to work things out with Kara, "You weren't meant to be enemies." Does this mean Leoben is a Kara/Sam shipper?

Sam demands to know what Leoben wants from Kara. "The same thing I've always wanted. For her to understand her destiny."

"That's not good enough."

"It's good enough for her." Leoben then gives Sam his 'basic article of faith' speech about how this is not all that we are. Sam is really freaked. Then Leoben laughs and says, "C-Bucs rule."

I, uh, actually shrieked out loud at this point. Hee!

Sam asks, "What did you just say?"

"Forward guard, right? I saw a couple of games, you were good. Yet after all the celebrity and acclaim, what were you? Just another face selling magazines, another piece of scoreboard trivia; you always knew you were destined for more. You were just waiting for your singular moment of clarity."

"Maybe I just found it." He moves menacingly toward Leoben.

"You kill me, Kara's dream dies with me."

"I don't think so. I think you download into another Leoben body and you spew more lies."

Leoben tells him no, that they were attacked out of resurrection ship range, left alive and set adrift. Sam asks a question.

"War has broken out between the cylon. Battle lines have been drawn between those who embrace their nature and those who fear it."

"Good. You can blow yourselves to hell, for all I care." Sam starts to walk out.

"That's one way. That's one way. There's another. An alliance." Sam stops walking and turns around at the word. "Allow our paths to converge. You save us from our savage brothers and our old (??) one, the hybrid, will show Kara the righteous path. And together, they'll lead us to the promised land. Together we will find Earth."

Sam leaves.

[insert keyboard mash here] I can't even begin to say how thrilled I am to see someone besides Kara and the seven known cylons interact with Leoben. It was awesome! I particularly love it that the whole thing is so enigmatic. What does Leoben know or not know? What does Sam think that Leoben knows? Eeeeeeexcellent.

eta: personally I don't think Leoben knows that Sam is a Dylan four cylon. But Sam may not be sure of that. /eta

Next scene, Sam is filling in Gaeta, Helo and the others with this information. No one else is impressed; Helo tries to get them to calm down--again. He asks Sharon if she's talking mutiny; yay for him calling her out on this. Kara comes in during the middle of this, says that they're going to get jump coordinates from the Heavy Raider.

Tory/Gaius, post-coital. Tory basically tells Gaius that he's not important enough for Roslin to bother with. She's quite good at these putdowns; Baltar tries to imply that his movement has gotten too big to be smacked down but Tory puts an end to that idea. Heh.

Baltar's crowd gathers, including Galen Tyrol. Tigh comes along. Apparently Tyrol has been dissatisfactory in some way to Tigh--is it job-related or because he's skipping the mandatory "Let's stop meeting" meetings? Also, Tigh is still meeting with Caprica Six. Tyrol makes a disdainful comment about Tory believing Baltar's one true God spiel, then adds this: "If there is a God, He's laughing his ass off." Tyrol walks away.

Mathias is doing an EVA on the Raider. Boom. NOT MATHIAS, YOU EVIL SHOW WRITERS! *sniff*

Gaius starts a new speech with the self-deprecating, "What are you all doing here?" Oh, Gaius. You're so full of it. When he sees Galen walking away, he calls him out specifically, asks him to shake hands and set aside differences, "If not for yourself, then for your wife." Galen instead says that Baltar's imaginary God can't forgive some things, then he puts Baltar in a choke hold. I'm a wee bit gleeful about it. The disciples force them apart. Galen leaves, yelling, "You didn't know her!"

Back in his quarters, he's clearly wigged out. (Heh. Ironic, since he has no hair now.) He looks suicidal--holding on to a gun, yelling. The yelling stops when he sees a picture of Cally and Nicky that's been strewn on the floor.

Kara goes into Leoben's lock-up room and starts wailing on him, accusing him of doing something to cause the explosion. His comment as she starts? "That's the Kara I used to know." *snerk* She's obviously feeling terrible about Mathias' death, and admits that she wasn't even on deck when it happened because she was 'too busy believing' him. Then she kicks him and yells at him to admit that it was a setup.

Leoben tells her to hit him, she makes some low-voiced retort, he tells her that she shouldn't stop killing him now (referencing the many times she killed him on NC).

"Come on, do it. I won't come back this time, I promise." Awwww... heh. "Resurrection ship's well out of range, come on, do it." She hesitates, fist poised to strike. "Do it!" he yells. Instead she lets go of him, stares at him. "Doesn't help, does it." She slides to the floor and grips her head. "Nothing feels quite like it did before."

He says something else... ??? Go ahead?

She asks, "What are you doing to me?"

"All of your life you forced back the truth by lashing out at everyone around you... (anaesthetizing?) yourself with ambrosia and affairs. But you've lost the taste for those petty things."

She's defensive. "I'm the same person."

"No. There's a void and emptiness that can only be filled by taking the next step on your journey."

"What happened to me the two months I was missing?"

"I don't know."

Kara continues: "The mandala, the paintings, my mother. It had to mean something."

"You have to make peace with your past."

She asks why.

He answers, "Because that part of you is gone. I told you when I first came aboard this ship that you had changed. I look at you now, I don't see Kara Thrace I see an angel, blazing with the light of God, an angel. You are to lead our people home."

Okay... this whole conversation is still very ambiguous. Maybe she remembers about flying into the mandala, maybe she's referencing her whole life. Maybe he knows something about her visions as she spiraled into the storm, maybe he doesn't. It's certainly interesting, anyway.

eta2: From what I'm seeing online, most people are assuming that 1) Kara remembers flying into the mandala and 2) Leoben knows about what she saw then, too. Looking over the dialogue, I'd agree that it's possible, but not definite. /eta

The Demetrius crew is grumbling. Kara comes in and makes an unwise choice by talking about herself when she should be honoring Mathias. She then orders a jump prep--destination, the cylon basestar. More grumbling and Helo whacks a pilot who says something like, "You'd be the one to protect that cylon thing, right?" Um, bad choice of words, idiot.

Tyrol is lying in bed, gun on his stomach, staring at a picture of him with Cally. Baltar comes in for a cozy chat. What I find interesting about this whole episode is how capable he is of believing his own crap. He doesn't need a head!Six to say inspiring speeches anymore, not even one-on-one with Tyrol.

Baltar wraps up his speech with, "She was a very beautiful woman, your wife.... I would very much have liked to know her better." And immediately my mind goes there. Oh, Gaius, you're far too easy, and this just makes my mind go to bad places. I'm simultaneously creeped out and amused. Anyway, Galen does actually extend his hand to Gaius at the end of it. Again, I don't know what all of this means but I'm wildly curious to see where Tyrol is going with all of this.

Yup, it's mutiny time. Apparently even Helo can be persuaded to abandon his BFF. NOOOOOOO! Gaeta was already on that side. Sam is dismayed. Now Helo relieves Kara from duty. To be continued.

Man, I'm totally disappointed that the Heavy Raider is gone. I was already imagining Kara, Sam and Leoben having wacky adventures aboard it on their way.

This episode was much better upon reflection than it was when I was actually watching it. The focus was still split into three--Kara's special destiny, final four dealing with their nature and the First Church of Perfect Town. The latter two story lines are coming closer together. No Lee this week, or Roslin or Adama.

re: next week's trailer. AAAAAAAAACK! So much for my giddy anticipation.