In the second episode of the second season of Battlestar Galactica, FUCKING CYLONS ON THIS MOTHERFUCKING SHIP. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to watchBattlestar Galactica.
HOW DOES THIS SHOW KEEP DOING THIS? I mean, I don’t want it to slow down, because it is so terribly entertaining, but every episode finds at least one thing to send my brain into overdrive, my heart pounding in my chest. The very nature of the way the Cylons are used in “Valley of Darkness” lends itself easily to tension, and it certainly helps that the writers were very generous with the body count we see here. Even with most of the excitement focused on board the Galactica, the plots on Kobol and Caprica do not suffer in the slightest because of this. This is one of the best executed stories we’ve gotten from the show, and I’m sure it’ll be one I return to watch again.
We’re almost tricked in the beginning to believe that this is not going to deal with any larger issues for two reasons: the cold open with Dualla and Billy is so adorable, and because the imminent Cylon threat implies that this will purely be a physical story. It both sets a distracting tone, and it rests on our preconceived notions of what is going to happen over the course of the next 45 minutes. Cylons are on board! They will attack the humans! Fight!
Oh, how I wish it had been that simple. Even though I knew it was coming, especially since Kelly reveals that the Galactica has been boarded, I still cried out in shock when the Cylon Centurion appeared before the group of pilots and SLASHED AWAY FLYBOY’S STOMACH. The sheer violence of the act is what scared me; it’s not the show hasn’t been bloody and violent, but it was so sudden and horrific that I lost myself in the moment. And I really do love how the scene was filmed. So much of it was shot in near-darkness, with a shaky camera angle to give us a sense of the chaos and energy of the moment. All of the characters are soaked in the blood of Flyboy, a reminder that these people are mortal. And while I don’t think any main characters will be killed off soon, it’s still very real threat to a lot of secondary and tertiary people. The Cylons will stop at nothing to destroy these remaining humans.
Which is still a bit strange to me, I suppose. Why kill all the humans if you needed one to mate with Boomer to get closer to God? How exactly does that work? What’s the point of it all? Hmmmm. I AM CURIOUS TO FIND OUT MORE.
It’s right around this point that things just slip straight into JESUS GOD HOW WILL WE GET OUT OF THIS. It’s bad enough the Centurions are on board, but Gaeta realizes that he did not turn off the network in “Scattered” early enough, because a computer virus has gotten into the system. So the ship is cloaked in darkness. Oh, and the Cylons only die by use of explosive rounds. The list of limitations and conditions present are, again, a great way to build tension. Let’s shroud the ship in darkness. You can only use one type of round, and it is in rare supply. Oh, right, and you just watched a friend and crew member get gutted. Oh, also, the Cylons are in the computer network through a virus that has shut down the power. Oh, and Tigh has figured out that they’re going to vent the ship’s atmosphere, killing the crew, and then they’ll use the weapons on board the Galactica to eradicate the rest of the fleet.
Oh, and Adama is still unconscious. ISN’T THIS ONE GIGANTIC PARTY, EVERYONE?
This very same hectic party has transported itself to those stranded on Kobol, and the grim nature of being trapped on this mysterious world is now more obvious than ever. It’s only a matter of time, I think, before the surviving crew is faced with the presence of Cylons, and I worry that things are only going to get worse for them. But this isn’t even the first thing we’re dealt by the writers. Can I just say this? WHAT THE FUCK IS BALTAR’S VISION ABOUT? First of all, Commander Adama drowned a baby. WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON? Clearly, Six is telling Baltar that whatever bizarre Cylon-human baby is coming to them in the future, Adama will pose a threat to it. But I don’t even understand the importance of the baby yet, and I’m being disoriented by Six’s predictions. Hell, are they even predictions? Has she been wrong about the future before?
I’m confused. That’s okay, but I’m just confused. Yet “Valley of Darkness” is not done with me yet. When Baltar awakes, he discovers he is in a part of the forest where there is a pile of human bones hidden from view. Oh, where did those come from? I wonder. Six answers that: the scriptures belonging to the Lords of Kobol are a lie. There was no unity between humans and gods, and human nature took over. Ok, WHAT???? Of course I question the truth of this statement, but, again, Six’s track record is historically spot-on for the most part. What she tells Baltar is, at least for Baltar, what actually happens. Give yourself to God? He’ll save you. Get off of Galactica because of what’s going to happen? Adama is shot, Centurions go on a murder spree, and Baltar discovers his true destiny.
Seriously, what the fuck is going on?
To be fair, though, there is a brief moment of joy on Kobol, despite that 99% of everything else is DOOM AND GLOOM AND OH GOD. I wasn’t surprised that Tyrol took Tarn’s death so personally, but…dude, KEEP MOVING. I was surprised by Cally’s ultimate reaction to it, and I wish to immediately ingrain “Talk, you motherfrakker!” into my daily vocabulary. Bless her. It wasn’t that I was not interested in Cally before, as I am quite enamored with her, but in that one moment, I suddenly wanted a Cally-centric episode. Sooooooo….hey writers, could you give me one? Nevermind that the show has already been completed and this is a futile quest. I AM LIVING IN THE MOMENT.
This moment is brief, as I said, and then it’s run into the ground by the reality of the crash on Kobol. Tyrol and Cally do exactly what they’re supposed to, and it’s a noble thing that they get the med kit for Socinus, but sometimes you can do all of the right things and it doesn’t make the difference you want it to make. It’s not even that their efforts were futile. Maybe if Tarn hadn’t been shot (WHO WAS HE SHOT BY??? THAT WAS NOT ANSWERED AND I DIDN’T EVEN THINK OF THAT) they would have made it to him in time. Maybe if Tarn hadn’t forgotten to bring the second medical kit, Socinus would be fine. Maybe, maybe, maybe, maybe, maybe. That is a futile exercise. There’s no sense in speaking in hypotheticals. Instead, these people must face the hand they have been dealt. Again, it’s Tyrol who has difficultly accepting what’s in front of him, and that’s remarkably in character for the guy. All throughout season one, he’s a man in denial of the obvious truth behind Boomer, and he’s now a man in denial of the deaths of Tarn and Socinus. So it’s a big moment for his character when he is the one who decides to give him the morpha. (I thought it was morphine, but I misheard it, since that’s the word I’m actually familiar with.) And it just so depressingly touching to me that in Socinus’s last moments, Tyrol tells him that the rescue party has arrived. He will die with hope and excitement in his heart.
God damn.
While this is happening, the events on board the Galactica continue to get worse, and I love that the writers don’t ignore that Roslin is stuck in the brig while the Cylons begin to rain panic and chaos down on the humans. Thankfully, it’s Lee who reaches them first, and I don’t doubt that Tigh would have left her there if he had been presented with the same situation. In hindsight, now I see how amazing it is that these are the two groups that are faced with the Cylon threat. We have Corporal Veneer, Billy, and Roslin on one side, and Lee and the team of Marines on the other. I never thought for once that they’d end up in the same area by the end of this all, but the plot is intricately maneuvered to create a electrifying ending to this all. But part of the appeal really lands squarely on Billy, and while this isn’t an in-depth backstory or anything, I actually think we learn a great deal about him in the process. Obviously, his relationship with Dualla is explored more throughout it all, but we also see the way his dynamic is set up with Roslin as well. He really does care about her more than one would as an assistant, but he’s not necessarily overprotective either. That side comes out more when they make a horrifying discovery on their journey to safety: a mass of bodies, massacred and torn apart by the Cylons. There is a lone survivor, and I was shocked to see Dualla in this state. She’s normally so collected, and now she is lost in the bloodbath before her. It was at this moment that I suddenly felt that something awful was going to happen. It’s made even worse when Veneer discovers the passage he wanted to take has been depressurized, forcing him to head to Aft damage control, where both Lee’s crew and the Centurions are headed as well.
I was distracted, though, by the way that Billy and Dualla were finally allowed to spend time together. Their meeting at the beginning of the episode was awkward, and it’s certainly no less so here, but it was adorable to watch them interact. Well, and to watch Dualla how to tell Billy to properly holster a gun in his jeans. But I was filled with this horrible sense of dread, as if the writers had stuck them together just to tear them apart. Upon learning that they were unknowingly headed to the exact same place as the Centurions and Marines, I knew that this collision was not going to be without loss. It doesn’t seem like the show’s style, and I now suddenly felt that this was why Dualla and Billy were now together as they were.
It’s what makes the emotional climax of “Valley of Darkness” so hard to watch. As they all converge on that part of the ship, and Billy accidentally fires the gun he was holding, I thought he was dead. Like, this would be the last thing he would ever do. Then I thought Dualla would die. Then I watched two Marines die instead, and it’s just down to Jammer and Lee, and then I thought he would die, just for a fraction of a second, but quickly realized how absurd that would be. So even though none of the main casts dies, I was still left exhausted and frightened by the whole ordeal. It’s really a brilliant combination of situational horror and suspense, as well as a heavy investment on the emotional states of the various characters it affects.
Here’s the thing, though, and what ultimately makes me adore “Valley of Darkness”: as good as all of this is, it is nowhere near as satisfying as the story on Caprica. Seriously, turn this series into Battlestar Starbuck and I will go procreate and donate that child as a blood sacrifice or something. Her story with Helo is miles above what is already one hell of an episode, and it goes to show me just how talented the writers of this show are.
The way she interacts with Helo is both out of disgust and empathy, and I’m fascinated by both of them. She’s obviously upset that he trusted Boomer, especially enough so that she got pregnant, but I think it’s important that she acknowledges that they all got fooled. Cylons have tricked those in the fleet as well. Is she starting to accept that the Boomer on board the Galactica is also a Cylon? She’s hasn’t commented on this at all, so I’m still unsure if she thinks there is a “real” Sharon Valerii somewhere in the world.
Yet even her furious condemnations of Helo’s behavior are not grudges or anything of the sort. She gets it out of her system (and gets Helo to stop wading in his own guilt, too) and forces him to take a pit stop with her. In just a few minutes’ time, the entire world of Starbuck is opened more vastly than ever before, and I think that’s ultimately why I love her story so much. We find out that Starbuck PAINTS. Oh, and apparently her father is Phillip Glass? LOL JUST KIDDING. But she comes from a family of artists. STARBUCK. The best part is that once you think about it, this is not at all inconceivable. Even better, the opportunity provides us a chance to look at this character completely differently than we did before. Obviously, there’s a comfort in seeing her old place, and she even remarks how she once hated the place, but with the human race near destruction, even the simpler things are not so bad.
I just love the image of these two relaxing in Starbuck’s old place, or the image of them driving through an abandoned Caprica. I think that they both mutually respect one another to a high degree, and even though they’re in a rough situation, they at least now have someone they can trust wholly and completely.
At the end of “Valley of Darkness,” though, we’re treated to the reality of the fleet, and Tigh reminds Lee and Roslin (and us, in the process) that things are not all bunnies and puppies even though the Centurion threat has been eliminated. Tigh is still furious at Lee’s change in heart regarding Roslin, and now I’m curious as to what Adama will say when he does wake up. The man’s duty suggests he’ll side with Tigh, but what if he has a change of heart when he wakes up? All I know is that it could go either way, and either way is believable to me.
Two Things:
1) Is Bear McCreary taken? If not, I'd like to thrown my hat in the ring because OMG. The music in the closing minutes of this episode. FLAWLESS USE OF MUSIC AND IT WAS GORGEOUS AND OAS;LKDFJ;LKDSFLK;DSKL;DFSJKL;. Seriously, Mr. McCreary. I am a pretty decent cook, and I often make brownies and cookies for fun. I am a good catch. ILU.
2) When Lee kissed Adama's forehead, I flailed. THEY ARE FAMILY AND THEY LOVE EACH OTHER, OK? Wake up Papa Adama! You need to reconcile with your son!
Apparently Bear is married to Raya Yarbrough who provides most if not all of the singing for the soundtrack, including the singing in the opening credits.
BRB. Crying into my lunch. Only In-n-Out can console me now.
The piano piece used at the end of this one is actually by Philip Glass, a fantastic minimalist composer (it's one of the "Metamorphosis" tracks from his Solo Piano album.) Bear is the best film scorer out there IMO, but I gotta give credit where it's due to Mr. Glass, who you all should check out if you like Bear's stuff. Some really cool similarities there, and I wouldn't be surprised if Glass is one of his influences.
My only exposure to Phillip Glass is when I did the short play "Phillip Glass Buys A Loaf of Bread" which mimics his composing technique by having characters speak a normal dialogue briefly, then they begin to repeat the words in different orders and rhythms (in normal speech) to make philosophical and nonsensical meanings. If his music's really like that then <3
/theatre student tangent awaaaay
That sounds super awesome. I used to write poems based on electronic artists' styles like that. The one for Fatboy Slim was interesting.
Raya and Bear's brother Brendan (Brendan is known professionally as Bt4) did the vocalizing in the Season 1 version of the opening credits, but the singing in the Season 2 version is by Michael Now and Caitanya Riggan.
The song is the Gayatri Mantra, written by the rishi ViÅ›vÄmitra somewhere between 1100 and 1700 BC.
Not for this season's opening credits, but we'll hear her singing later in the show. She's pretty freaking fantastic and they posted pictures of their wedding and it basically looked like a giant ridiculous concert party. Epic.
Lrnu V'ir ernyvfrq V jnf pbashfvat gur npghny perqvgf irefvba sbe gur "Ncbpnylcfr" irefvba sebz Gur Cyna juvpu vf fhat ol Enln.
Yep, he's married to his vocalist.
He was also 25 years old when he composed the S1 soundtrack. Excuse me while I go feel lame somewhere.
Oh god scariest episode so far, easily. The almost complete lack of lighting coupled with Cylons in full on Terminator mode (the early scene where Lee shoots at one that just.keeps.coming. for him is so Terminator-y) makes it so so scary. That said, Lee's "Let's got toaster shopping!" shortly after that moment makes me lol so hard. Same goes for his conversation with Jammer near the end about the "hard six" line. The fact that even he doesn't know what it means is another lol-worthy moment.
Laura demanding to be let out of her cell and not be "shot like a rat in a cage" is awesome and I love her forever for actually getting Venner to do it.
Love the little moment between Cally and Tyrol. He needed someone to snap him out of his reaction to Tarn's death and get him to focus and Cally does it in a really adorable way. The hug is so cute.
On the other hand, Tyrol yelling at Seelix…I know he's upset but it's not her fault! She doesn't let his anger get to her which is pretty damn amazing of her, I'd probably have started crying in her shoes. there's not really much else to say besides, poor Socinus 🙁
We find out that Starbuck PAINTS.
Fun fact, Katee Sackhoff (and I believe Tahmoh Pennikett as well, a quick check on BSGwiki only credited Katee though) did the paintings on the walls in Starbuck's apartment herself. Love how she swaps her uniform jacket for the paint-covered one she finds there, gives her a different look and brings the new artistic side of the character along in a visual way. Oh and her accidentally sitting on the arrow is yet another lol moment for me.
Cally and Tyrol are really cute, but I think I'm starting to look for reasons to ship them because of Mark's predictions, lol.
I loved every moment Starbuck was on screen, but sitting on the arrow was a brilliant little thing. I giggled, too.
I remember this being the episode where I started to randomly ship them. Which is weird, because before I saw them as more of a sibling-type relationship.
I love Laura's 'rat in a cage' line. Because that image is more terrifying to me than the rest of the episode…the idea of being locked in a cell and just hearing the gunfire get closer and closer…
I just love all of these characters so much. I want to wrap them all up in a big group hug and tell them it will all be ok.
Cally keeping it together for Tyrol is just amazing. I really appreciate that the writers flipped the expected gender roles here. Wonderful character details like this are what keep me coming back to this show.
Billy and Dee's dynamic is really interesting in this episode, too. I like how he rushes to care for her because of her concussion, and that Roslin knows that he'll be able to get through to her using her rank. She's learning something about the military after all! And I like that, even concussed, she helps him by turning the safety on his gun on.
Lee is such a BAMF in this episode. His exchange with Roslin is wonderful. "Head away from the gunfire." "Where are you going?" "Towards the gunfire" Perfect
And then there's Starbuck. The glimpses into her life before are amazing. The family of artists. The fact the she seems to live in abject poverty (broken toilet/crappy apartment/never paying the power bill) is an interesting detail. I wonder if this is true of all members of the military, or if she just gambles, smokes, and drinks all of her money away. That would certainly fit with what we've seen of her character so far, and with the fact that her fiance died two years ago and she still feels responsible. She's so interesting, and I'm glad the show is taking the time to peel away her layers and see what makes her tick.
And then Adama is still in sick bay. I hope he wakes up soon.
Ranking opiate names: morphine > morpha >>>>> morphling.
I loved the climax of the battle; I was biting my knuckle, terrified that Billy was going to shoot someone with Lee, and my heart leapt when the Cylon did. The entire A-story was thrilling and dark, which this show does a lot of, but I still haven't gotten sick of. I like that. I also loved the contrast back on Caprica, with Starbuck and Helo finally getting a chance to relax. It's just been constant murder and mayhem, and the two of them were always in the thick of it in their respective locations, so I was happy for them. The Starbuck backstory was icing on the cake. I love finding out little things about her, and Katee's face communicates so much. I love her.
As for the skulls, they really bothered me. More than the drowning baby. Humans are supposed to have left Kobol a thousand years ago or something, right? I should pay better attention to these things. So why are the so-called human sacrifice remains lying out in the open? They're not even covered by leaves! Either the writers didn't think it through, the skulls are magic, they were disinterred and moved, or they died a helluva lot more recently than I thought possible. What the hell is going on here?
I sort of assumed the skulls were another of Baltar's hallucinations. Like, something that actually happened, but that Six was making him see. Maybe I read that wrong, though.
Haha, I should have considered that. So, she could also be making things up to influence him, can't she? I really want Baltar to snap, so works for me!
Wasn't the name morphia?
Mark spelled it morpha and I trusted him to look up the spelling, so I don't know!
I heard morphia during the chapter. I remember because I was expecting the 'morphi' to end in 'ine' and it ended in 'ia'. The "i" was the clear vowel to me.
BSG Wiki says it's Morpha: http://en.battlestarwiki.org/wiki/Morpha Warning, there's some minor spoilers on the page.
Thanks! It's good to know the real name used. I'm bookmarking this wiki. 😀
The Wiki lists "why are the skulls there" as an acknowledged question about this episode. The remains Baltar and Six find cannot be thousands of years old; they should not have been able to survive in the open. Did the Thirteenth Tribe leave Kobol recently? Do humans, at least until recently, still inhabit Kobol? Or were all the remains merely fabricated hallucinations by Six?
I won't say whether or not it's answered or unanswered, but it is at least acknowledged as unrealistic.
Thanks for letting me know!
Yes, I thought about that too. Even if the bones were picked clean, they weren't eroded by time yet. They didn't look old. In fact, they looked too much like props to me. xD
I thought that when Billy accidentally fired gun he was cornered and was unwittingly using himself as bait to distract the Cylonsso I was SO UNBELIEVABLY HAPPY when I found out he hadn’t been shredded by Cylon weaponry!!! WHY DOES MY BRAIN MAKE THINGS WORSE?!
I can’t even begin to explain how much I love Starbuck <3 I just want to hug her and be her friend
We should carpool to Carpica, because I would also like to hug Starbuck and be her friend. Helo, too.
<img src="http://i51.tinypic.com/10rqtzr.gif">
YAY Tangled gifs make everything better!
Especially when I misspell Caprica! lol I really need to start proofreading…
My Thoughts on This Episode, the First Episode I Was Able to View in Real-Time on Friday Night
And damn. The Centurions were fucking scary motherfuckers. They moved fast. They had claws. They had lots of firepower. They were practically invulnerable to bullets. And they could leap like whoa. We didn't even get to see a lot of them, but the special effects on this show kick ass.
Apparently they adjusted the population count in the credits, and shit, it's going way down next week. There were dead bodies everywhere. Christ. I mean, people die on shows all the time, and there's all this meaningless slaughter, and yeah. But every death on this show seems so much stronger and more of a loss considering how small the human population is. Both our heroes and the killer robots were blood-spattered. All the running down spaceship hallways gave the episode a very Alien feel.
The fact that Tigh had seen this plan of attack before was nifty.
Dualla's conditioned response to her rank was cool. And creepy.
I loved the "roll a hard six" callback and the fact that Apollo didn't know what it actually meant.
The shot with that final leaping Cylon and Apollo lunging out to blow its head off? Awesome. Unrelatedly, is it just me, or does Kat the nugget look like Maeby?
Apollo's gotten a lot more interesting now that he's mutinied and shit. I always liked his being torn between the President and his father, and it's kind of cool that he's kind of…lost at the moment. He doesn't really have an allegiance to anyone but himself. Yet, he still respects his father and his command. And wants Tigh to suck it. Hee.
Meanwhile, back at
the ranchCaprica, Starbuck's chillin' at her old apartment and wondering what she has to fight for, to live for. Nice little scene. Anyone recognize the music? Is it some classical piano tune? I liked it. Also, the girl's an artist? Didn't see that coming. Kind of sad that she didn't seem to care about her paintings at all.I was a little surprised to discover that in the future, they still drive ratty old four-wheeled vehicles. I wonder what Starbuck's original purpose in going back to her apartment was. She was looking for something. Was it just the cigars? I mean, I wouldn't put it past her, but I was just curious.
And finally, on Kobol, Adama's drowning babies that don't exist. And there are human skulls everywhere. Unless they're not actually there. Not a lot of Baltar/Six action in this episode, unfortunately. But there was lots of killin' to make up for it.
Cally said "motherfrakker"! Heee. I don't know why she's so adorable. She just is. But not walk-all-over-me adorable. And Tarn died for nothing, and Tyrol morphined his buddy into oblivion, and it's all very sad.
Last season, the Caprica storyline bugged me, and this season, the storylines are fractured into three. And sometimes, it's like, "Ah, some relief." And other times, it's like, "PEOPLE ARE DYING GET ME BACK TO GALACTICA GODDAMMIT." But at least I like at least one of the characters involved in the terran narratives. Terranatives! Okay no.
In conclusion, the killer robots would be cooler if they were killer ninja robots.
I have always though that Kat looks like Maeby. I looked it up, even knowing that this actress was too old to possibly have been the same one. But that and the fact that we have similar names certainly had me paying closer attention to her than the other pilots.
I totally believe that Starbuck just went back for her cigars/truck keys. Hadn't she finally run through her supply back on Galactica? I remember Adama giving her his last one at some point.
The music is Metamorphosis V by Philip Glass. I finally cracked and ordered the CD from Amazon, it should arrive tomorrow.
And that moment with Cally is one of the only ones in which I like her. Often she just annoys me. Maybe it's because the actress may be good, but she stands against a cast of frakking awesome and simply is unable to compete. But she kinda overacts a lot of the time.
Ugh, could I possibly love Starbuck any more than I already do?? I am totally with Mark, for me this is The Starbuck Show all the way!! As much as I enjoy the other characters (and I do), I am just fascinated with her. Sort of how I always ADORED Sokka while we were watching ATLA <3
I think my favorite moment is when Lee tells Roslin to go away from the gunfire, and she says, "Where are you going?" "Towards the gunfire."
Alright, then.
Well, that and Dee's concern for the continued state of Billy's, um, "Equipment."
I'm a big ol' scaredy cat so the scenes with the roaming Cylons in a dark ship was JUST TOO MUCH D:
I love Starbuck's and Helo's friendship =)
Word on both points. I don't watch much horror etc because stuff jumping out at you in the dark is freaking scary!
And I love a good non-romantic male/female friendship.
V fhqqrayl jnagrq n Pnyyl-pragevp rcvfbqr.
Znex arrqf gb or ERNYYL ERNYYL pnershy jung ur jvfurf sbe! Zl urneg vf npuvat va nagvpvcngvba bs jung'f pbzvat hc arkg!
OH MY GOD I forgot this was the episode with the Phillip Glass song! I was OBSESSED with that scene. Like opening weeping in my living room by how beautiful it was. I love the use of piano in this show.
And Billy is by far the most adorable person ever.
The Phillip Glass song is my go-to song for relaxation. I just love how minimalist it is.
Also, as a major Potter-head, I had to laugh at Dualla's Mad-Eye Moody moment of telling Billy where NOT to store his weapon.
"Who do you know who's lost a buttock?"
This is one of my favourite episodes! SO INTENSE.
The past, the present and the future walk into a bar. It was tense.
…anyway.
Actually one thing I really love is Tigh in this episode. It's been said before, but it needs to be said again – he is not by any means an incompetent officer. And here we get to see him use the benefit of his previous experience with the Cylons to work out what's going on. Just like in the last episode, where he allowed Gaeta to network the computers, he made the right decision.
Tigh suffers so much from lack of confidence and stubborness (plus Lady McTigh giving him the worst advice ever all the time) that we rarely get to see him work well like this. I hated him the first time I watched this show, but know I just think he's a really fascinating character because, in a way, he's his own worst enemy.
😀 I approve of your joke
I agree about Tigh. He's one of the most interesting characters on the show and this re-watch is really making me think about his character. Have you ever read the Horatio Hornblower novels? He's a naval captain in the vein of Admiral Nelson who is amazingly awesome, but never believes it. He's just down on himself all the time, even though we, the readers, can see how great he is. Tigh reminds me a bit of that. He's not perfect, but he's better than he gives himself credit for.
And he's played by this guy in the TV adaptations:
<img src="http://www.napoleonguide.com/images/hornblower_pistol.jpg">
/shallow
Oh man, I need to watch those. If only Netflix had them…
You really do (and not just for Mr. Griffudd). I splurged for the entire series on DVD last year, and it was worth it. Y no have, Netflix? 🙁
I haven't seen them myself but isn't Jamie Bamber in those as well? I vaguely remember RDM mentioning it in the commentary for Scattered.
Yes, he is! With fluffy hair. He's kinda adorable.
I think this episode ranks among my favorites. There are others I love more for plot’s sake and ones I love desperately for their character interactions, but this one I deeply love for the structure and storytelling. I love that even though it is never really stated and the different parts of the story have such different pacing, this one part of the story in something very close to real time, something I didn’t really realization until is seen it two or three times. I love them for that.
I met the head editor forth show briefly once, and really, I give him much credit for the beautifully finished product we got.
When both Lee’s and Roslin’s groups were heading to Aft Damage Control, I was sure something would happen to cause one group of humans to shoot at and kill someone in the other, and alert the cylons to their presence in the process. I couldn’t enjoy the Billy and Dualla interactions because I was too worried about that, and I can already tell that Ronald D. Moore is the kind of creator who gives people brief moments of happiness right before causing them UTTER TRAGEDY.
How messed up was that dream? I wanted Edward James Olmos to get some screen time, but NOT TO DROWN A BABY (even a nonexistent one). Now I’m thinking the “baby” might not be an actual glimpse of the future, but a way for Six to emotionally manipulate Baltar further. Although all of her “predictions” HAVE come true so far, but maybe that was necessary to get him to trust her?
I have nothing really insightful to say about the Caprica storyline, except: Starbuck’s apartment! Those paintings! That piano piece! And now they have a truck! They can have wacky road trip shenanigans in between trying not to get killed by Cylons!
Random thoughts:
I’ve been waiting for someone to use to term “motherfrakker.” Cally is pretty much the last person I would have guessed to do it, though.
Everything’s scarier in a power outage.
I like Roslin’s guard.
And her demanding to be let out of her jail cell so she won’t be “shot like a rat in a cage.” HELL YES.
Jammer annoys me, and I’m not sure why.
Random thoughts:
-I’ve been waiting for someone to use to term “motherfrakker.” Cally is pretty much the last person I would have guessed to do it, though.
-Everything’s scarier in a power outage.
-I like Roslin’s guard.
-And her demanding to be let out of her jail cell so she won’t be “shot like a rat in a cage.” HELL YES.
-Jammer annoys me, and I’m not sure why.
I was also irrationally annoyed by Jammer. I don't know if it was because he was sort of whiny, or if I hate the yellow jumpsuit, or what.
Yeah, why doesn't he have an orange jumpsuit like the rest of the specialists? What are you up to? *side-eyes Jammer*
Boring answer from the Auction Catalogue: Yellow jumpsuits are worn by Signalers, they're the ones that guide ships around the hanger deck. There's usually someone holding lights guiding a Viper/Raptor into place in shots of them being moved around the hangar deck.
I don't think this is ever stated on screen though, if it was I missed it and didn't find out until reading the catalogue so I just assumed Jammer was wearing a yellow jumpsuit for the hell of it.
Definitely because he's whiny when he needs to be reliable and boisterous when there's no longer any danger to himself. Reminds me of Mr Smith from Lost in Space. I even thought he was a cylon agent for how unhelpful he was throughout, as if he wanted to hinder them intentionally.
actually, the part i liked best about Cally saying Motherfrakker was Tyrol's reaction, like she was the first person ever to put those two terms together and it sounded as ridiculous as yelling "monkey bladder!" at least that's how it came off to me. =)
I assumed it was because it's basically equal to someone calling you a 'motherfucker'. It something that is technically a legitimate insult, but no one actually uses it except for Samuel L Jackson. I'd crack up if someone said it to me!
Especially impressive is how the Cylons stay budget-savingly offscreen for most of the episode, yet the tension still remains high through the whole thing. "Nothing is scarier" and all.
I MUST learn how to write frakkin' correctly. I need it daily.
That's all I have to say. xD
for serious, mark, that scene in starbucks apt, backed up by the phillip glass piece? it makes me heart skip a beat it was so powerful for me. remains one of my favorite moments in the entire series.
This is easily one of my favorite episodes. I love the action on the Galactica, "Motherfracker!", and Dee instructing Billy in proper weapon handling techniques.
But most of all I love the Helo and Starbuck scenes. Her line about others fighting to get back what they had when she's fighting because she doesn't know what else to do is really interesting. In a way, she's lost less than a lot of other people. Before the attacks, her home and family was very much on the Galactica and they're still there.
This episode breaks my heart for Aaron Douglas (Tyrol). I remember on the podcast, Ron Moore mentioned that he had written the scene and wasn't sure why Aaron was so emotional while he comforted Tarn in death, etc. And at some point, he was informed that Aaron Douglas' wife had died of cancer during the first series. I think they offered to take the scene away, realizing how hard it would be on Aaron.
Anyhoo, just adds an extremely sad dimension to an already heartbreaking scene.
God, that makes it even harder, knowing that Douglas had also campaigned for Tarn along with Seelix to be upgraded from the extras they were in the season one finale.
Lords of Kobol take the wheel. That's so sad!
Poor guy. That's really sad. 🙁
Has she been wrong about the future before?
Well, she did say of Doral that she hadn't seen him at any of the Cylon parties, when she clearly has. Unless Cylons don't party.
Who shot Tarn–Crashdown asks that, and Chief just says "the Cylons."
My thoughts, let me show you them:
Dee, Billy was just doing HIS JOB. Just like you were doing YOUR JOB when you ordered people to attack the President. It's not fair to bring him down for that.
An actual coordinated Cylon attack taking place inside Galactica, instead of outside it, is something new. Once again, kids: DO NOT WALK AROUND JOKING HAPPILY. Always ends badly!
Despite all of Laura's rage she is still just a rat in a… oh, no, they let her out. Good times. I like that Lee's first priority is to get Laura safe, and that he's taking charge REALLY WELL in this crisis.
The Cylons were taking bodies to incinerators? That's… nice of them?
I like Starbuck's apartment. The art on the walls is something I'd like to do if I had artistic talent (and owned walls).
I wanted the "baby" in Baltar's vision to be a toaster. Like, an actual toaster wrapped in a cloth. Little baby toaster.
Oh great, a nice garden of skulls.
"Your brutality, your depravity, your barbarism…" Damn Cylon colonialism and their painting of anyone who's not them as barbaric! Wait, THE CYLONS ARE A METAPHOR FOR WHITE PEOPLE.
Hahaha, they found RAMEN NOODLES. Yep, Starbuck's apartment is a lot like mine.
"Motherfrakker?" This moment is a bit weird to me because it's like they're breaking the fourth wall, since "motherfrakker" would sound weird to US, not them. (Apparently they had to change the curse entirely when they broadcast it in German, and the entire joke was lost.)
Dee in shock 🙁 🙁 🙁
"Sometimes you gotta roll the hard six." "What does that mean sir?" Hee hee.
Starbuck's dad is apparently Philip Glass, btw. (LOL I WROTE THIS LAST NIGHT AND MARK WROTE THE SAME THING we are totally soulmates on the astral plane)
Wiki says: The sign and countersign used by Tyrol and Crashdown on the surface of Kobol ("Flash!"/"Thunder!") was used by the Allied forces on D-Day, the first day of the invasion of Normandy, during World War II.
Billy and Dee at the end = SO ADORABLE. omg.
"I am not fit to wear the uniform." It's kind of sad to me that he says that right after being SUPER AWESOME in this episode. But I like the idea that both Lee and Tigh wouldn't have been in their current positions in the military without Adama, and that he inspires them to be better men and better soldiers. They feel unfit, next to his example, but because of him, they keep trying.
Adama we need you to wake up, and not so you can kill imaginary babies!
Tigh's line at the end made me snerk SO HARD. Can you imagine having Tigh and Ellen for parents?
—
Spoiler, DO NOT DECIPHER if you haven't seen the whole series: gur ahzorerq uhzna-nccrnevat plybaf cerggl zhpu qb unir gvtu naq ryyra sbe cneragf! jung
I wanted the "baby" in Baltar's vision to be a toaster. Like, an actual toaster wrapped in a cloth. Little baby toaster.
Still not entirely sure if it counts as spoiler free so I'll link rather than post this: http://media.battlestarwiki.org/images/1/17/Numbe…
Tigh's line at the end made me snerk SO HARD. Can you imagine having Tigh and Ellen for parents?
That poor hypothetical child. At least they seem aware of it judging by Tigh's line, which makes me snerk as well. Gung vqrn bs Gvtu naq Ryyra nf gur "cneragf" oevatf fb znal yriryf bs fdhvpx gung V gel gb oybpx vg bhg nf zhpu nf cbffvoyr. Nyzbfg nyy bs gur fdhvpx vf gunaxf gb Pnivyy.
Re your spoilered thoughts:
V unq gur fnzr gubhtug jura V whfg erjngpurq guvf – lrn, lbh znl guvax Yrr'f onq ohg ng yrnfg ur qvqa'g tebj hc gb qrfgebl na ragver enpr!
Seriously, turn this series into Battlestar Starbuck
I loooooove her. I love her so much. Starbuck is the hero of the show, as far as I'm concerned. Well, Starbuck and Roslin, anyway.
It's interesting, because although from episode to episode they do a great job of binding the different plots together, in some ways it's really kind of a bunch of different shows: the Sexy Space Pilots show, The Roslin Wing, The Evolution of the Cylons, The Adamas, The Life and Times of Gaius Baltar, etc.
And that's where some of the opinion splits in fandom start coming in, because people watch it for different reasons. If you're watching for the space battles, then maybe the politics bore you. If you're watching for the gritty post-apocalyptic stuff, maybe you don't like all the mysticism. It's almost like shipping, where some really devoted shippers only watch a show for certain characters and when those characters aren't on and, if possible, kissing, they're like, "WTF I'M BORED THE SHOW SUCKS NOW." Except with plotlines instead of relationships. And your opinion of various characters tends to depend on that frame of reference, too.
For me, I'm watching "The Cylons" and "The Legend of Kara Thrace," so, yeah. Really digging the scenes on Caprica. And the Helo-Starbuck friendship stuff makes me all gooey with happiness.
The Roslin Wing
rofl I love that! Count me as someone watching for The Roslin Wing (even if I don't always follow the actual politics I'm here because the characters are really interesting…so just like The West Wing then).
I think you have a point, it does feel like a lot of seperate stories but they're generally pretty good about giving all of them screentime and letting most of them cross over.
"The Legend of Kara Thrace"
This needs to be on my TV 24/7.
I thought I didn’t like Philip Glass. Apparently, I do. I never knew that piano piece was his. Thank you, internet!