In the twelfth episode of the second season of Battlestar Galactica, the varied cast of humans faces destruction, betrayal, loss, and hope as they set out to destroy the Cylon Resurrection Ship. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to watch Battlestar Galactica.
I’m beginning to wonder if the Cylons even need to get involved with the destruction of humanity anymore.
“Resurrection Ship” is so full of bad decisions, impulsive judgments, and the sign of what is to come that I found it increasingly difficult to stomach this. That’s about the best compliment I can heap on this show that sounds negative as hell, and it’s a testament to the way these characters and this story can get lodged under my skin, making me think about the things it brings up days after I’ve seen it.
The two main issues at hand deal with the dual assassination plans, and the morality around the Cylon threat. But we open “Resurrection Ship, Part II” with images of Lee Adama, floating in an unknown body of water in silence. (I’m beginning to adore how much this show gives us scenes without any dialogue whatsoever.) It’s a jarring image when you think how the previous episode ended. Is he dreaming? Is he hallucinating? Is this a flashback? What’s the brightness floating towards him?
When it’s revealed to be a Cylon Raider, a Viper right behind it, we discover that Lee is really in space, having ejected from his ship, stuck to his ejection seat. WHY DO I LOVE IN MEDIA RES SO MUCH. Oh god, it’s generally the easiest way to capture my interest, even if it’s the same technique every single time. DON’T CARE. How did he end up floating in space?
Things are not doing well for others either, though, and the episode flashes back to two days prior to this event. The “humanity” of the Cylons is further addressed in disturbing ways, and the divide between the Pegasus crew and the Galactica crew continues to widen. Unfortunately for Tyrol and Helo, they’re in the possession of the men of the Pegasus, who don’t even hide their contempt for the Cylons or the two men who saved a Cylon from being raped. As soon as the two of them were strung up to be beat, I couldn’t help but think of Abu Ghraib, of prisoners beat and tortured without ever facing any sort of court date, stripped of due process. But the message is clear: you cannot violate the consent of Cylons according to these men. Even further, prisoners are already guilty. There’s no need for a trial. They’ll act out their own punishment right here.
I had hope that when Fisk saved the two from further harm, he might express how uncomfortable he was with the whole thing. Instead, he makes sure to state that he also doesn’t think a machine can be raped.
Thanks, Fisk. May your death in space be a prolonged one. Or maybe the show will wait till they find earth and as soon as he steps on it, there’s an earthquake only around him and it the earth opens up and eats him and burps out unicorns in celebration. I don’t know, fuck this dude.
Simultaneous to this, Starbuck must deal with the fear and reluctance she has in carrying out the mission that Adama has given her. She had already confided in Lee, who told her that he would support her if she needed it, but I found myself transfixed (AND CREEPED OUT) by her conversation with Admiral Cain. Holy subtext. Why do I get the sensation that both Cain and Adama are more than aware that the other person is trying to have them killed? Either way, Cain’s advice to Starbuck about committing a terrible sin” has another meaning beyond this. Cain has shown the capacity to do what she needs to do to accomplish a mission or keep her people safe, and even that might require a terrible sin. And I think that Starbuck recognizes that fact, too, but knows that maybe what she’s doing doesn’t fall under that. She seems more uncomfortable than ever while carrying out this mission.
Lee himself is also visibly shaken by the idea, and when he confronts his father about it, you can tell that maybe this has gone too far for him. He wants to support his friend, but the assassination of their Admiral? Then Adama reveals this is actually Roslin’s idea, and I think that’s what does it for him, and what will later affect his behavior near the end of the episode. Is assassination the answer?
I think that this same question plagues Adama, and I was surprised to see him solicit advise from Sharon, of all people. I loved the parallel to him questioning her dead body early in the season by asking her a simple question: Why? In this case, why do the Cylons seem to despise humans so much? Why do they want to eradicate them? In a brilliant and chilling callback to THE MINISERIES, Sharon reminds him of his words during the decommissioning ceremony of the Galactica. With all the terrible things the humans do to one another, do they deserve to live? Perhaps the Cylons have deemed themselves the arbiters of humanity’s fate, and I worry that the events we see in “Resurrection Ship, Part II” are damning evidence that the Cylons might be right.
The battle to destroy the Resurrection Ship contrasts beauty and destruction, and Bear McCreary’s music swells to give us this moment of selection. I am still shocked at how gorgeous and crisp all these scenes in space are; the special effects are like nothing I’ve ever seen before. But even though we’re meant to view this successful attack as a victory, the writers choose to do something very specific that stops any joy immediately. As Lee, piloting the Blackbird, helps destroy the Resurrection Ship, there’s a shot of one of the large Cylon holding bays being blown open and half-clothed humanoids tumbling into space. It is brutal, surreal, and skin-crawling, and it is a stark visual reminder that the military are killing living creatures, machine or not. And I love that this show refuses to let us forget this.
But then the events of the cold open are brought before our eyes, and Lee’s crash that forces him to eject into space is given the full context. However, we see what happens just after his vision to that calm oasis: there is a hole in his flight suit. He is leaking air. In a heartbreaking scene, Dualla tries to get in contact with him, and I initially believed he was having difficulty responding due to a loss of air. Unfortunately, this is not the case, and it became clear he was choosing to remain unfound. He lets the air escape from his suit, apologizing to Starbuck, and he choose to die. Lee chooses to die.
my heart. my heart.
I don’t even know if it’s an intentional parallel to the story of Six and Baltar, but I can’t ignore that there’s another character in this episode who wishes to die as well. There’s much more of an emphasis on how much the effects of torture have hurt her here in this half of the story, and why these things still harm a Cylon, regardless of what the humans may think about them. For Baltar, this copy of Six also represents a more human iteration of what is in his head, and there’s just…christ, there is too much heartbreak in their interactions for me to handle. Pegasus Six begging to die? ALL THE TEARS. Baltar Six begging Baltar not to appropriate her story in order to win over the physical version of herself? EVEN MORE OF ALL THE TEARS. Tricia Helfer not being handed every award on the planet? GIVE ME YOUR TEARS SO I CAN CRY THOSE, TOO.
Battlestar almost inherently seems like an intense show, too, and scenes like the one between Six and Baltar are evidence of that. It’s happened more times than I can count, but BSG never strays from sticking us right at the end of our seats as we wonder what could possibly happen next, and it helps that the show routinely upends tropes or archetypes in order to surprise us, keeping us on our toes.
And yet I honestly don’t think I have ever experience a physical tension from BSG like I did as both Fisk and Starbuck got into their positions to execute the leader of the opposite Battlestar. It is unbearable precisely because there are so many possible outcomes, and they all seem credible. And bless Katee Sackhoff forever for being able to pull of such a difficult scene and portraying her frightened, sweaty reluctance so well. I believed it, every second of it, and I, too, breathed a horrific sigh of relief when the entire thing was called off. (Had Sharon’s words gotten to Adama?)
EXCEPT LOL JUST KIDDING, SIX SHOOTS CAIN IN THE HEAD IN HER QUARTERS. And I despise that Cain enabled and perpetrated abuse on Six, and I refuse to ignore that. I also must admit that even in the end, facing her imminent death, she still supports what she believes. DAMN. That look on Michelle Forbes’s face, tears in her eyes, resolve plastered over it all? I WILL SORT OF MISS YOU, ADMIRAL CAIN. And it looks like Starbuck will as well, in a way, and I know she intended her line about feeling safer with Cain around to hit Adama pretty hard. It’s an interesting statement, and you can tell that Starbuck at least respected Cain in a way others didn’t. Did she see a bit of herself in her?
Later that day, though, Lee confides in his best friend, Starbuck, that he did not want to survive the mission. We are given no other information or context beyond what we’ve seen, so it’s just speculation that remains. Did he believe humanity or himself alone did not deserve life? Was he willing to give it all up because of his participation in a military culture that would assassinate people who were difficult? I’m hoping we’re given more insight into this in the future, as well as a larger store about DUALLA CREEPIN’ OUTSIDE HIS QUARTERS. There have been small hints towards this that were incredibly brief, but I guess it’s all out in the open for us. She has feelings for Lee, and now she’s heard his most vulnerable admission.
Of course, though, I saved the best for last.
the best
for
last
THIS SHOW IS VALIDATING MY EVER-GROWING SHIP. YOU ALL SAW THIS SET-UP AND NO ONE SPOILED IT. Seriously, bless you all for this. THIS IS YET ANOTHER BIT OF PROOF THAT MY SPOILER POLICY HAS A REASON FOR EXISTENCE. I couldn’t breathe. I shrieked with joy. How many times have I watched this scene? Like ten? Because it’s perfect. Look at the way they look at one another, how they affectionately touch one another, how Roslin longs for more, how they are both overcome with joy, how THERE IS NOTHING MORE PERFECT IN THE ENTIRE WORLD FOREVER IN ALL ETERNITY.Â
I love this show. I love it, and I refuse to apologize for it.
<img src="http://i51.tinypic.com/2ppahbo.gif" border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic">
Oh Chief, I may love you just a little for that scene. While antagonising your captors isn’t the best idea in general, you do it with such style and conviction.
I've been thinking about what we talked about before. It's not enough to survive. One has to be worthy of surviving.
It’s all very handy to have Six kill Cain. The main antagonist is removed but none of our characters have to get blood on their hands to do it. Starbuck though does raise points in Cain’s favour but it’s hard to sympathise given all the Pegasus has done. It would’ve been interesting to have Cain continue on for even a little while though. She presented a challenge to Adama and the fleet and it would’ve been a great source of tension since we know what she’s capable of and wondering how the Pegasus would fit in with our fleet. It would’ve been interesting to see who’d turn on who first and how but I suppose we’re only just over the Kobol storyline so a split fleet wouldn’t be good.
<img src="http://i51.tinypic.com/33mrhvs.gif" border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic">
This show needs to stop with my ships at the end of this episode, my heart can’t take this. SO MANY FEELINGS I want Sharon out of her cell and Roslin not to be dying but this is BSG so we can’t have nice things. I love Sharon and Helo’s reunion and the way they just listen to each other over the phone and Sharon’s smile or relief, joy and love. I just want everyone to be happy.
Adama and Roslin just break me. Roslin is trying to do something nice for Adama and his complete focus on her throughout the scene and the look on his face as she’s leaving and asdfghjkl; I really, really love this ship okay?
<img src="http://i54.tinypic.com/29kz0c8.gif" border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic">
(I also love how Billy is a quiet, steady, dependable presence for Roslin here, and throughout her cancer, helping and supporting her in any way he can.)
Excellent gifs. And I agree, why do they always leave me squirming about my ships at the end! No fair!
<3<3<3 for the Sharon gif, and the Bill/Laura one…oh hell the whole post is <3
That may be the best "come at me bro" I've ever seen.
There is a very good one that is very spoilerrific for Lord of the Rings. It's my favorite, but this one is also great!
Link me to it somewhere? I want to see!
I'll send it to you on Twitter!
I found it interesting that Starbuck, at least at this time, seems to have made that speech without full knowledge of some of the things the Pegasus perpetrated under Cain – the stripping of the civilian ships, the treatment of the imprisoned Six (did she even know there was a Cylon prisoner on board/what was done to her until Cain was shot?).
I've said it before, and I will repeat the observation: for a cancer patient, Laura Roslin aka President Airlock aka Space Mommy, does seem to have an awful lot of good hair fairies on her side.
All of your GIFs are made of win. So much win.
A Message from Your Friendly Neighborhood Moderator
I am copying and pasting this post from nanceoir because I think it is a capital idea. Capital!
It's hard to keep track of who's seen or read what (other than you), especially when a person has already experienced the thing being reviewed on one site but is a first-timer on the thing being reviewed on the other site.
I realized that IntenseDebate has something that could be used to help with that. There's an area to put a personal description, which most people have left blank, and this is included in the little pop-up thingy that appears when you hover over their user picture in the comments. If people were so inclined, they could list their current MarkDoesStuff status (and hopefully keep it updated). This is what mine says at the moment:
Now, I know this wouldn't be ideal for people who use IntenseDebate elsewhere, and, of course, no one would be forced to do it, but I think it has the potential to be a useful tool.
I've done it! echinodermata and arctic_hare have done it! You can do it too! If you don't, you're a Cylon.*
*Or not.
Done and done.
Neat idea!
Also done!
Done as well, this is a good plan!
"Dr. Who–Watching from beginning thru 5th Doctor"
I applaud you.
Aw, thanks, I realized the other day that I only have 19 serials left until I get to the movie! So close!
I did that on Netflix instant last month. It was incredibly easy for me to make it through all of them because they are awesome!
Hokay.
But I could still be a Cylon.
<img src="http://i55.tinypic.com/28swuu1.gif" border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic">
Have you been having any black outs? Waking up in strange situations with no memory how you got there? Creepily stroking and singing to a Cylon Raider?
No, but I did have fond feeling when I saw the top to a Kool-Aid Burst on the ground a few weeks ago. And I was disoriented when I woke up in a hotel, recently. Hmm.
Do they still make Kool-Aid Bursts?? :'D
Apparently!
You just basically described an average Friday night for me.
Great idea, DONE 🙂
good idea!
I like it!
This is super cool. I'm abbreviating everything, though, or else I can't fit everything in. Hopefully everyone here will know what the acronyms mean.
Done! Fantastic idea, thanks!
As to whether I'm a Cylon… even if I knew, I wouldn't tell, now would I? *evil laugh*
Er, I prefer to keep mine blank – I originally used ID to comment on Kickette, and sometimes people from there pop in so I'll spare them the shock.
(I'm a Cylon! But the good kind, I swear!)
Great idea!
This is gonna be posted a lot, so I thought I'd include my reactions in my own post…
<img src="http://i53.tinypic.com/qx6qhe.jpg" border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic">
my reaction exactly. I even saw these little images in my mind while I was shouting at the TV
This episode has some of the most amazing music of the whole series.
[youtube HG-Js_rMEV4 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HG-Js_rMEV4 youtube]
Stunning. It encapsulates the two of so well. I can't explain why or how- just something about the melody and the rise and fall just seems to WORK. And with that kiss…SO MUCH SHIPPER LOOOOOOOVE.
[youtube lEhlAA85_tY http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lEhlAA85_tY youtube]
Such a badass song. Seriously, this is incredible. I almost think it works better as a solo piano piece than with the whole orchestra (he's playing it WITH NO SHEET MUSIC). The contrast between the relatively simple beginning and then transitioning into the more intense parts…guh.
Apparently, Lee floating and watching the battle was based on the experience of a torpedo fighter pilot who watched the Battle of Midway while floating in the ocean after being shot down.
Sorry, that second video should be
[youtube lEhlAA85_tY http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lEhlAA85_tY youtube]
I love 'Roslin and Adama' so much that every time it starts playing I just get excited. "Yes! We're gonna get a scene with Space Mom and Dad!"
So throughout the scene with Starbuck Lee and Dee I was just like whatever guys I haven't seen Laura for this whole episode and the music tells me I might get a scene with her now so hurry up already.
That video is just eight and a half minutes of pure, face-melting epicosity.
Bear McCreary wins the award for most epic video of epicness.
Did anyone else saw that Appa plushie? McCreary must be an Avatar fan! If that's the case then he must work one day with The Track Team to compose something awesome for Legend of Korra!
I loved "Roslin and Adama." I got goosebumps while that music was playing, and while I'd like to blame it on the thermostat being set too low, it's probably because the scenes were so perfect.
I didn't know about that inspiration, but I was actually reminded of the part in Cryptonomicon where one of the characters is floating after his ship is blown up, and the planes strafing the survivors are flying so close that he can read their bellies. He's also intermittently flashing back to diving as a child. I can definitely see the influence of a survivor's tale in both his and Lee's scenes.
Six recounting her murder of Cain:
And then she was like "Frak You" and then I was like "You're not my type" and then she was like *DEAD*.
That look on Michelle Forbes’s face, tears in her eyes, resolve plastered over it all?
It's her little indrawn breath, her head coming up just that defiant little bit, that breaks me down. God(s)damn, she's so good.
I just love the fact that she's on the verge of tears. I love that little detail – even though she's badass and defiant facing death, she's still completely terrified. It just feels so realistic and so in character and that scene is AMAZING.
It really is! She's been a survivor for so long, fought so hard to keep her people alive (and since she didn't know about "our" fleet, that means all of humanity as far as she's concerned), and now she's going to be killed, and it's just awful for her, but it's justice, too, especially at Pegasus!Six's hands, and I am a ball of mixed feelings about it, and I have to cry.
It's why I'll watch anything with Forbes in it. I know that if nothing else, I'll enjoy her part.
i've been a fan of michelle forbes ever since she was on 24 and my devotion has never wavered.
What the hell, have another copy of the kiss.
<img src="http://i52.tinypic.com/25jfwco.gif" alt="Adama kisses Roslin, then they smile at each other">
*Upvote all comments with any variant of this gif/image*
They kissed! <3 <3 <3 From the comments on here, I figured the ship was just something that was teased and based on fan speculation. So happy!
Setting aside the good, happy times, I had a visceral reaction to Starbuck's eulogy, mostly because it touched off the disgust I have felt in the past while listening to or reading pundits. I hate, hate, hate when people are lauded for being decisive, as if that in itself is virtuous and right. It's not. Your gut reaction can be wrong, and intransigence just makes it worse. Granted, I'm glad that Cain and Adama backed down, but when I think of the real people that Cain reflects, I just get enraged. Being The Decider does not absolve you of all sin or criticism, but that's frequently argued as the case, and I hear that in what Starbuck said. And acting immediately does not necessarily make people safer or better off. ARGLEBARGLE.
Aside from his screwed up views on the treatment of living, thinking beings, I think Fisk will be a terrible commander. Like Tigh, he's well-suited to being an XO, but a commander? I don't know. He might have support from his crew because they know him better than Adama, but I can see this getting ugly. Should be fun!
I cannot tell you how much I flailed the first time I saw that kiss and I had no one to be happy or excited with because the only other person I know who'd seen BSG doesn't like Roslin. (I know blasphemy) I'm so happy to have other people to be all excited with here.
doesn't like Roslin. (I know blasphemy)
O.O
What is this I don't even
Seriously, I refuse to believe that such people exist.
I'm afraid they do and I'm related to one of them. At least she accepts my love of Roslin. (And the Adama/Roslin ship)
Sometimes you just can't help family.
doesn't like Roslin
What.
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I don't like Roslin. Sorry!! I still think Adama and Roslin are incredibly cute together :).
Vf vg orpnhfr bs fbzr – re – dhrfgvbanoyr pubvprf fur znxrf yngre va gur fubj? Be whfg n trareny qvfyvxr bs ure crefbanyvgl? V pbzcyrgryl ybir Ebfyva ng gur zbzrag ohg V erpnyy abg orvat ure ovttrfg sna yngre ba fb V'z phevbhf vs gung'f jurer lbhe qvfyvxr pbzrf sebz. V pna'g erzrzore ubj V sryg gbjneq ure ng gur raq bs gur frevrf. V srry yvxr V cebonoyl sbetnir n ybg bs ure npgvbaf orpnhfr V fgvyy unir shmml srryvatf gbjneq ure ba guvf erjngpu.
Gur ernfbaf jul ner cerfrag guvf rneyl, V oryvrir, ohg n ybg bs vg vf onfrq ba yngre qrpvfvbaf (yvxr bhgynjvat nobegvba, fhccbegvat krabpvqr, fgrnyvat Funeba'f onol, rgp.). V frr ure nf gur evtug-jvat cbyvgvpvna fhccbegrq ol gur zvyvgnel naq shaqnzragnyvfg eryvtvbhf crbcyr, jub oryvrirf fur unf zber evtugf bire gur crbcyr fur ehyrf guna fur fubhyq unir. Ng guvf cbvag, gubhtu, V zbfgyl qvfyvxrq ure gerngzrag bs gur Plybaf. Fb, onpx gb aba-fcbvyref!
While the other characters are struggling with whether to treat Cylons as living, sentient beings, she never seems to have any qualms about treating them as objects to be destroyed (Cylon she lies to and airlocks/killing Sharon's unborn baby). It's not even really what she does to them, it's more her attitude towards them and her complete certainty that she's right in treating them this way. That being said, I think she's probably the best person to be leading the colonists, and she does make a lot of good decisions regarding the governance of the fleet. Also, she's really cute with Adama.
Npghnyyl, V pna frr abg yvxvat Ebfyva. Sebz gur zbzrag fur tvirf gur beqre gb guebj Funeba bhg bs gur nveybpx, gb arkg rcvfbqr va juvpu fur gevrf gb NOBEG FUNEBA'F ONOL, gb n srj rcvfbqrf qbja gur yvar jura fur qbrf fuvg yvxr BHGYNJ NOBEGVBA naq FGRNY NA RYRPGVBA naq gura FGRNY N ONOL NAQ CERGRAQ VG'F QRNQ. V yvxr ure nf n punenpgre, ohg V pna frr abg yvxvat ure nf n crefba, vs gung znxrf frafr.
I totally agree. I think it was a nice character thing to have Starbuck identify somewhat with Cain, but I still think she was completely wrong in that sense. The fleet was most definitely NOT safer with Cain. Maybe the military would be more effective, but the regular people? Cylon chow.
Cain told her what she wanted to hear, and then conveniently died before she did anything that Starbuck really hated. I think in the long run they would have seriously fallen out. Though it does kind of bother me that Starbuck (who is usually so outspoken too) never confronts Cain about what she tried to do to Helo and the chief, especially since we've seen Helo is her particular friend. It seems weird that she's cosying up to this woman who just sentenced her long-time friend to death for stopping the rape of another old friend.
Haha, and I agree with everything you said. From an officer's perspective, I'm sure Cain is very appealing, but that doesn't work for me. I suppose that contributes to why Starbuck is so enamored with her, along with the support and recognition Cain gives her. But I also thought it was odd that Starbuck never questioned Cain. It's what she does!
I will just chime in and also agree with you both. I find Starbuck saying they'd be safer with her to be just jarring.
Keep in mind that Starbuck herself remains deeply ambivalent about Sharon, and while she wouldn't go as far as to condone torture or rape, is definitely still struggling with the idea that a Cylon can be trustworthy or worthy of love. She doesn't consider Sharon "an old friend." Keep in mind that, again, I'm not saying that Kara condones Cain's decision in any way… but she might not be willing to openly oppose Cain's leadership over that particular issue, when (in her mind) there are bigger, Resurrection Ship-shaped fish to fry.
All that is sort of besides the point, though. The primary theme of the Pegesus arc is the opposing philosophies of leadership of Adama and Cain, and in that respect, it's always made sense to me that Starbuck would instinctively side more with Cain. As much of a troublemaker and iconoclast as Starbuck is, she is also military to the core – someone who respects a commanding presence and dedication to the uniform. She despises Tigh because she views him as weak and incapable of living up to his station, but loves and admires Adama for his determination and stern demand of loyalty from his subordinates. And now here comes Cain, who exemplifies those qualities, but even moreso. That Cain's methods are destructive and terrifying are sort of besides the point for Starbuck. What matters is Cain's motivation, and her will, and both shine as bright as a supernova (and as likely to cause the destruction of human civilization, but again – not the point, for our Kara). Here is a leader that Starbuck can respect, even admire, even as she prepares to have to kill her.
(Interesting hypothetical that I've always considered relevant to this three-parter: Were Starbuck to be transported to the United States circa 2004, I have no doubt in my mind that she would be an outspoken Republican militarist and a supporter of the Iraq war. And I'm speaking as an extreme liberal who opposed that war from the start and considers it one of the worst black marks of recent American history.)
In response to your last point: I totally agree. I often wonder if I would like Starbuck if she was a real person and I met her. As a character, I love her and her militarism doesn't seem out of place or extreme in the context of the show. I think it's pretty amazing that the writers have managed to make her so likable and so relatable especially for those of us who are so different from Starbuck.
Yeah, exactly. Starbuck's one of my favorite characters on BSG and Katee does a tremendous job playing her. But she's someone who, were I to meet her in reality, I'd probably find extremely off-putting. Doesn't make her any less of a compelling character – in fact, in a lot of ways, that makes her even more interesting to me.
Good thoughts, and I especially agree with your last point.
Not so far off the mark, considering Katee and Ron themselves state, in Kara's SciFi character bio and elsewhere, that politically she'd probably be a conservative.
Kara's a big supporter of action and fighting – the politics of it would probably not be something she concerns herself with, but she's said it herself – all she knows is flying and fighting. It's what gives her life meaning, and it's what she's best at. And this is the exact thing that Cain supports and stands for, too. It's not hard to see why she'd respect a leader like that.
I think she understood she wasn't in a position to stand up to Cain for Helo and Tyrol considering what Cain'd already done to her friends for far less (demoting Lee, reassigning them) – and it's hard not to feel even sadder at the end considering Kara has no apparent idea about the massacre of the Pegasus's civilian fleet. Though she does mention her displeasure about Helo and Tyrol being about to be executed when Cain calls her in for that drink.
Come to think of it, I don't even think she knows about the prisoner Six.
I completely agree with your ARGLEBARGLE paragraph. I think it works for Starbuck's character, that she would look up to a person like Cain, so it doesn't make me angry that she lauds her for being decisive–but the idea that decisive is always good, in the real world, makes me very angry.
Mark's conversion to shipping is complete! EJO wins all the things for improvising that kiss because it's just so perfect. It makes an already touching scene (aww with the promotion and the wings and awww) so much more lovely.
Very narrow second for "Most touchming scene" is Helo and Sharon's little scene in the brig. Her happiness at seeing him is so beautfiul, Grace Park's laughter is inredibly pretty and charming.
DUALLA CREEPIN’ OUTSIDE HIS QUARTERS
Yeah that…that makes me dislike her, like a lot. Just, NO, STOP LISTENING IN DEE!
I love the scene with Helo and Sharon. They're just perfect together and I love seeing them being happy together.
Especially considering what a private moment it is – I really wouldn't want anyone else (besides the person I was saying it to) to hear it if I ever said it.
And YESSSSSSSSS for SPACE MOMMY/SPACE DADDY!!!!!!!
By the way, does anyone have gif of Roslin when Adama is opening the box with his Admiral's wings in it? Because she just has SUCH a cute expression of glee!
Seriously, I could watch that scene all day.
<img src="http://i56.tinypic.com/16c73a8.gif" border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic">
YAY! There it is!
I'm now gonna use this gif always
Edward James Olmos improvised the kiss, and Mary McDonnell went along with it. Told you the actors were shippers too!
Is it bad that I forgot all about this kiss? In any case damn these VISUAL EFFECTS are awesome.
Just because everyone always gets the two confused.
Special effects are captured on camera. (think smoke effects, wind machines, small explosions, windows shattering, basically effects created for real on set)
Visual effects are added afterwards. (meaning CGI, blue screen work, colour correction and any other tinkering with what's been captured on film.)
I took Lee's suicide attempt to be a reaction to your second question.
"Was he willing to give it all up because of his participation in a military culture that would assassinate people who were difficult?"
I thought he was just devastated by needing to back up his friend, murdering someone on his father's orders. I think it can really mess up your state of mind when you are suddenly faced with the fact that people you know and trust are apparently operating on completely different moral guidelines than you thought. With that conflict between loyalty and morality, it's so much easier just to give up. I'm really glad Lee survived.
Do you guys think Baltar should have helped Pegasus Six die? I'm not sure. He must have known what kinds of things might happen once she was convinced to go for vengeance over death. I think Baltar really does love Six, though, as much as he is capable of loving anyone. Imagining myself in the same position, I don't know if I would be able to do anything differently.
I thought he was just devastated by needing to back up his friend, murdering someone on his father's orders. I think it can really mess up your state of mind when you are suddenly faced with the fact that people you know and trust are apparently operating on completely different moral guidelines than you thought. With that conflict between loyalty and morality, it's so much easier just to give up. I'm really glad Lee survived.
I think you're right about this and its a really good point. I think everyone has had to face this dilemma at some point, though hopefully not the dilemma Lee is facing. Often it means cutting ties with a close friend or relative or else feeling as if one has compromised their integrity. Lee's reaction to this particularly awful situation is heartbreakingly believable.
(My Internet was being wonky so I'm sorry if this posts twice.)
Hmm….I'm not sure how I square this with Lee pulling a gun on Tigh a few episodes ago.
Fair enough. Although it's possible to interpret Lee pulling the gun on Tigh as a similar reaction to a similar feeling of being pulled in two directions by his loyalty to his father/military and Roslin/his personal ethics.
Or maybe not. But it's fun to think about.
Well, they are different situations, too. Both situations deal with conflict between personal ethics and family/military loyalty, but in different ways, I think. There (if I am remembering what you refer to correctly), he was threatening Tigh to defend his personal ethics, thus defying his father and orders. I don't know if he would have actually killed Tigh– I kind of doubt it.
In the assassination case, he was constrained by loyalty to help someone commit murder. If he'd followed his personal ethics, all he could have done was abandoned Kara (which he sort of did, when he gave up) and leave her to do it alone. Or he could have completely followed his own sense of morality, as he did the other time, and revealed the assassination plot. That would have destroyed not only his father's credibility as a leader, but probably also the stability of the fleet government.
I think threatening someone in defense of democracy and being an accomplice to murdering someone because they're troublesome (and the assigned murderer is one of your best friends) are two very different situations. Though, i guess it is a similar conflict in both situations, and it is fun to think about :).
For my own part, I thought it was just the end of all hope for him. The Pegasus brought nothing but bad news, but what they had to do to eliminate that threat was even worse in his eyes because it reduced killing to a matter of nothing more than necessity and expediency (as opposed to survival/ ethics)- with the Fleet turning on each other.
And Kara being assigned to what was basically a suicide mission (on which he would've backed her up if it hadn't been for the rip in his suit) was just the last straw – even then, he hung on to the hole in his suit before letting it go.
Hmm, I could see that possibility as well. It did seem like his life was completely falling apart at that point.
If things had gone the way he expected them to go, he’d have been leaving his best friend to die alone (Kara fully expected to die if she carried out the assassination), his father and the President were already on some shaky moral ground, and at the end of it, even the question – what were they fighting for? – I’m not sure if he thought that was was left was worth it.
Sharon and Helo's phone conversation at the end.I ship them so hard.
This is a very mature and insightful comment.
WHATEVER. IDEC. Everyone else has said the thinky things. I am just going to happily squee about my ship.
The best part about the kiss is that it was improvised on the spot by Edward James Olmos. The surprise in Laura's face is Mary McDonnell's as well.
In the thread for RS, Part 1, I posted the following in rot13 (and now safely revealed):
[The kiss] fucking DESTROYS me every time, because it's not a kiss between lovers. It's a farewell kiss, and you can see it in both of their faces. Adama/Eddie Olmos believes this woman for whom he's grown to respect and care for so deeply is going to die, soon, and he can't stop himself from expressing his grief and love in the most intimate way.
Just absolutely brilliant acting, from both of them. And absolutely heartbreaking.
So I lied on Thursday. Well, forgot. This was the first episode I ever saw. That image of Lee in the lake is pretty powerful and not one I'm likely to forget. And now, seeing it again, I definitely remember that it was my introduction to BSG. Which is a weird place to start. I then went back and watch Pegasus and the first half of Resurrection Ship. Every time I was home from college, my mom put BSG on and forced me to watch it with her. And every single time, for two years, it was one of these three episodes (because that's how the universe works). Needless to say, I thought Cain played a much larger role than she apparently does, and I still remember her as having a huge impact on this show. It wasn't until I had nearly finished college that my mom started getting the DVDs and made me watch the show from the beginning, at which point she already knew everything.
At any rate, I really love this whole arc. And this episode is just heartbreaking. I still always have a second where I think the Pegasus Marines are going to rape Tyrol and Helo. When the guy's pulling off his belt, there's just this look in his eyes. But he settles for a good old-fashioned beating instead. Which is also very hard to watch.
The scenes with Baltar and the Sixes are also heartwrenching. And I love that Six was the one to kill Cain. Mostly so Starbuck doesn't have to deal with it, but also because I feel like that's some pretty well-earned vengeance.
"You can't rape a machine."
Hmm. You know, out of context, I agree with that statement. A machine isn't sentient. A machine cannot be raped.
Except Cylons clearly CAN be raped. Pegasus Six displays psychological trauma after her abuse. Sharon clearly makes choices and behaves in a sentient manner. Hell, even Boomer tried as hard as she could to fight off her Cylon programming. They're living, sentient beings. They can give or refuse to give consent. They can be raped.
And those frakkers aboard the Pegasus know this full and well. They're just doing what everybody does: dehumanizing the enemy. Make them nothing. They don't feel, they aren't like you, they can't be violated or brutalized. They're things. I think the Abu Grahib comparison is valid, Mark (and intentional on the part of Ron Moore and co.). This is what BSG is saying, though: there isn't any other. There is no them, no enemy. There is only US, in a different suit. Coming from a different perspective, with a different set of values. We may never agree with everyone, but I think coming to an understanding that we're all connected by basic humanity is a start.
….also, Adama and Roslin kissed. YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY. What a wonderful ad-lib on Eddie's part. He is a genius.
Yep, the visual references to Abu Ghraib were definitely intentional. It's important to remember that when these episodes were airing, the full extent of American abuse of prisoners was just becoming widespread knowledge, and public sentiment was still broadly in favor of the war. For Moore and Eick to so directly address that our acceptance of such behavior is horrifying and barbaric was revolutionary for the time.
This is from the BSG wiki page for "Pegasus":
In an interview with BattlestarGalactica.com on December 28th, 2005 RDM was asked about controversy surrounding this episode:
"Q: Walt Kelly's Pogo used the phrase "the enemy is us" as part of a 1970's anti-litter campaign, and recently David Eick has cited it as a theme in the longer Pegasus arc of the second season. Some of the show's vocal critics charge that this notion promotes a "Blame America" attitude or is a sort of stealth anti-Americanism. What is this concept supposed to convey as we head into the bottom half of the second season?
RDM: The reference is to the fact that human beings are often their own worst enemy. In the context of the show, it means that the real challenges to who and what these people are often comes not from bullets, but from within. I continue to be amazed at how easily one gets tagged with the moniker of "anti-American" these days by those on the right. It's almost… well, anti-American."
How much more can I love RDM? None so more. /Spinal Tap
But the question is, when did Cylons stop being machines and start being sentient beings? When they rebelled? When they took human form? (Pncevpn nggrzcgf gb nafjre fbzr bs gurfr dhrfgvbaf, ohg va zl bcvavba qbrfa'g qb n terng wbo.) I absolutely agree that you can rape a Cylon, but to the Colonials, "Cylons" were always terrifying metal robots, not people. If they're still thinking of them as metal robots, only now with a human-suit on, I can understand why they would see them as machines that can't be raped.
It just seems rather dense of the humans, to me, that they can't seem to grasp the fact that the Cylons have moved way beyond machines. Once they began making their own decisions, rebelling against their masters.. that's a clear "we aren't computers anymore, mmkay?" I know it was probably difficult to grasp during the first Cylon war, but seriously! They signed an armistice with the Cylons. They fought against them for years. And all that time, they just saw them as things? Your toaster isn't going to start a rebellion. Your television set isn't going to rise up and say, "I refuse to obey!"
I don't know. I suppose it's just in human nature to resist the "other," or to back away from something so completely different. And of course, the humans in BSG have legitimate complaints against the Cylon (hello, genocide!). I just wish that they would.. evolve faster, or something. I'm hard on people, I know. Especially fictional characters.
<img src="http://i53.tinypic.com/2n8s949.gif">
I guess this episode resolved the whole Tyrol/Helo/Sharon triangle, which I'm glad of because triangles make my stomach go funny. It was interesting here and in the previous episode seeing Tyrol and Helo discussing Sharon though, Helo admitting to having doubts and telling Tyrol that if he can let her go then he should – while himself admitting that he can't because loves her too much.
The whole Sharon/Adama talk makes me uncomfortable because I just want them all to get along ok?! And I feel like here is Sharon's chance to butter up the old man but instead she goes for being harsh with him. Which I suppose is the kind of thing Adama would respect and after what has happened to her it's unlikely she'd be willing to pander…but I still just want them to get along and have hugs and rainbows!
Ah Cain, it is a bit convenient to have her killed by Six so that none of our characters have to make that choice, but I still found it rather poignant. Baltar telling HeadSix's story to PegasusSix was heartbreaking in a very confusing way, HeadSix was having her feelings hurt… but does she really have feelings? Is she even real?!? Confusing.
Yrr'f znynvfr vf arire cebcreyl rkcynvarq be qrnyg jvgu VZB, vg unf tbbq frg hc urer gura n cbbe cnlbss. Qvfnccbvagvat.
And have another gif of Sharon laughing because it is so gorgeous.
<img src="http://i55.tinypic.com/118m3ac.gif">
From what we've seen of Sharon, I don't think she's the type to pander to anyone.
And I agree with your rot-13'd part.
I'm sure this is probably intentional, but this show has me so confused about how to FEEL when it comes to the Cylons. Also I am a little bit confused about how they work, but that is something I expect to figure out lol. As for the feelings part, I *like* Sharon, I *like* Six, and I'm conflicted by that as soon as I remember, OH YEAH THEY KILLED ALMOST EVERYBODY.
However, there was nothing conflicting about Roslin and Adama's kiss, that was pure magic and I flailed and squeed and otherwise made an ass of myself in front of my daughter. Yay me 😛
As for the feelings part, I *like* Sharon, I *like* Six, and I'm conflicted by that as soon as I remember, OH YEAH THEY KILLED ALMOST EVERYBODY.
No, they didn't. Not those individual versions of them. (Well, depending on which Six, okay. But I love all the Sixes anyway.)
But, yep, I was right there with you. I love those Cylons! Although they did destroy the human race, so…
lol, yeah, I meant the Cylons, not Six and Sharon specifically 😛 SO CONFLICTED
Not liking Six or Sharon because their Cylon brethren committed genocide is like not liking a German because his German brethren committed genocide.
BOOM! GODWINNED!
To be fair, both of these particular Cylons were complicit in said genocide. Caprica-Sharon worked loyally for the Cylon cause until her interactions with Helo began to change her mind. PegaSix obviously still has no love for the humans, other than Baltar (and hell, could anyone blame her?).
I have to agree w/ tanbarkie here — all available evidence suggests that Caprica-Sharon was an enthusiastic participant in the genocide and its aftermath (possibly including the Farms), as were most of the Sixes we have met.
I would agree with you except that in this case that seems a little simplistic, considering the way the Cylons share information between each other… I don't know if I'm phrasing that right? But I think that's part of what makes it so interesting, because it's not as simple as "some Cylons are good, some are bad." That may be true in some aspects, but the situation makes it more complicated (at least, to me, and that's what I love about it.) Since I am watching this for the first time, who knows how I feel as it all plays out, because there is still a lot that I don't know/understand. I am, however, enjoying my conflicting feelings about Caprica!Sharon and the two Sixes!
Aw, the Adama/Roslin kiss is so precious! And I do know how you feel, Mark. The first time I watched Doctor Who, I spent the last three episodes of the first season yelling at Nine and Rose to JUST KISS ALREADY!
Bill/Laura: BEST SHIP IN THE FLEET. 😉 So to speak.
The scene of Tyrol taunting the guards fills me with apprehension every time. The Pegasus arc especially knows really well how to showcase how fast things can turn to shit within moments.
Ohmygod, yes, I can finally comment! I started BSG last week, Mark, because of your persistent claims that this is ONE OF THE BEST SHOWS YOU'VE EVER WATCHED EVER! I will never doubt you again, just saying.
About this episode: so stressful it nearly fucking killed me, I swear. A hyperbole? Maybe, I DON'T CARE. I was scared someone was going to die approximately every five seconds. Lee in space? Starbuck after killing Cain? Adama assasinated? Tigh saving Adama? Gaeta saving Adama? Helo? Tyrol? Six? My head was spinning.
But I may have punched the air in silent victory when Six shot Cain. I wouldn't been averse to the whole of Pegasus going up in flames either. No, I'm not bloodthirsty in the least but this Battlestar made me fucking angry and sad and horrible.
But I'm thankful for the little reprieve from all the awfulness at the end. The kiss made me tear up. I WILL GO DOWN WITH THIS SHIP!
"But we open “Resurrection Ship, Part II” with images of Lee Adama, floating in an unknown body of water in silence. (I’m beginning to adore how much this show gives us scenes without any dialogue whatsoever.)"
Oh, for me and my brother this scene was more than without any dialogue. Way back in 2006 we were watching 'Resurrection Ship' on his laptop with the sound diverted to his hi-fi so we could have the best audio possible. At the exact moment were the Cylon Raider passes by Lee, just before we discover him stranded in space, the audio switched off. Me and my brother were left watching this scene for a couple of seconds before realizing that the scene wasn't supposed to be completely silent. Actually, a power outage at just happened, leaving the laptop running on its battery with the sound going nowhere. And it wasn't limited, for it was the November 4th 2006 power outage that left 15 millions of us Europeans without power. So by pure coincidence, we watched an eerie scene thas suddendly was even more eerie thanks to a totally unexpected event.
Even today, I still think that this part of the scene is better with the sound turned off.
On another subject: I have two series who holds a very special place in my heart, I love them so much that I cannot say which one I prefer. The first one is Avatar, which Mark reviewed and fell in love with already. The second one, obviously, is Battlestar Galactica. And now, Mark is reviewing and has fallen in love with it as well.
I feel that something very important has been accomplished now.
One thing I've always been conflicted about with regards to BSG is whether or not they should've gone all the way with the "no sound in space." Firefly (which used the same visual effects company as BSG) did that, and it made the outer space scenes all the more eerie and alien for it. You really felt like Serenity was out "in the black," as they say – lost in nowhere, isolated from anything we as humans could perceive as safe. It reinforced the idea that Serenity herself was an oasis, home for the souls within.
BSG went for a "middle ground" approach with the sound effects, in which ship sounds and gunfire are muted in space (compare the whine of a Cylon raider in space vs when we see one in atmosphere – the difference in amplitude is immense). I get that Moore and Eick felt this was necessary due to the more dynamic and action-filled space sequences we get in BSG compared to Firefly, and I don't think it was a bad decision. But occasionally there *are* battle scenes where the sound effects are buried in the mix (or gone entirely) and McCreary's gorgeously bittersweet score takes over. The attack on the Resurrection Ship is one of these, and it's glorious to behold – sad, triumphant, horrifying, distant, beautiful all at once. It makes me wonder what the show might have been like had they dropped the sounds in space entirely.
I love that you've turned into a shipper. Now you know how awesome it can be haha 🙂
I'm trying really hard not to gag after finding maggots in my cat's canned food, so I'm just gonna focus on Bill and Laura.
EVERYTHING IS BILL AND LAURA AND NOTHING HURTS OR IS MAGGOTY
What brand is this so I can avoid it forever?
Fancy Feast. Which I know isn't the best nutritionally anyway, but it's what I can afford if I want to get her any wet food at all (she eats a mix of wet and dry, and wet really is better for them…though not the maggoty kind)
I sent a complaint to the manufacturer. We'll see how that goes.
It really does suck that the good stuff is so expensive.
I know wet food is better for cats, but my cat can't eat ANY wet food without throwing up. I don't know why. So we just give her dry food, because I don't know what else to do.
It took me forever to find a dry food that didn't give Vala diarrhea.
Wow, I'm pretty sure I'm on topic only maybe 20% of the time I post here.
Oh, good, I'm not the only one who feels that way. 🙂
My cats love the tuna wet food from Trader Joe's if there's one of those in your neck of the woods. It's 50 cents a can, and there's nothing in it except tuna and water, pretty much. No maggots, that's for sure. *shudder*
Um, just some solidarity for the maggoty thing because I've totally been there. There's this awful rush to get rid of them oh my god before I really start thinking about what I'm doing and just freak out.
Though in my case it was just a hot day and a fly had clearly landed on the cat's food and done it's thing, so it wasn't really the fault of the manufacturer.
Well, isn't this a lovely topic of conversation? 😉
These were my thoughts while rewatching the episode, which now seem kind of inane, but whatever, POSTING THEM ANYWAY:
Time for Resurrection Ship, part 2!
This should be a little easier even if the subtitles don't work, because it's cold out (I hates you weather) so I don't have the fan on anymore.
What the shit is even going on. Yay for torture? Everyone on the Pegasus is comically evil?
The Pegasus dudes are just proving Tyrol's point about being cowards, by restraining them before hitting them with soap.
"You can't rape a machine, Lieutenant." Really? Because I think if it's a machine you can have consensual sex with and even impregnate, then yes, it is possible to rape her.
Lee is all ~righteous~ about assassinating Admiral Cain, but he's not getting the point that CAIN IS AWFUL.
Sharon was just RAPED by some humans and you call her in there to ask why Cylons hate humans so much? Jesus Christ.
The music during this battle is pretty grate.
Oh no, Apollo's suit is leaking! Stop it, suit!
"Tens of thousands of Cylons are about to die." Well, billions of humans died because of you, and you don't care.
I like Gaius's Six arguing with Pegasus Six. "God forgives all." "Don't listen to her." So there are the same sorts of disagreements between Cylons about religion as there are between humans? Or between imaginary Cylons and real Cylons, anyway.
And then Gaius quotes Six to Pegasus Six. Heh. He repeats it almost mechanically, but with tears in his eyes. Man, I love these scenes.
Lee! Stay alive Lee!
Yay, Lee is rescued!
I like the looks on Fisk's face, wrestling with whether or not to kill Adama.
"Send my soul to God. Please." Interesting, given that conversation we saw earlier with Leoben about whether or not his soul was too far out to reach God.
"I am so very proud of you." This mah face: 🙁
Uh-oh. Admiral Cain's on the line… BUT SHARON INADVERTENTLY SAVED CAIN'S LIFE BY TALKING TO ADAMA. Interesting.
Aw, Cain is feeling sentimental too.
Fisk is like "LOL NO ASSASSINATIONS" and everyone is like wut.
"Suicide is a sin." Having someone else hold the gun to your head doesn't make it less suicide-y.
Gaiussss. This is my favorite character development of his so far.
Ugh, the absolute SILENCE of the musical track while Cain is putting her belt down is so TENSE.
"Can you roll over? Beg?" ILU Pegasus-Six.
"Lbh'er abg zl glcr." Guvf yvar vf cnegvphyneyl phggvat tvira jung jr xabj.
"I pledge to uphold those values that make her such an effective and heroic leader." I hope you leave out the "encouraging rape" bit.
Starbuck. I adore you.
Why is Lee having suicidal thoughts? Actually, I guess I should be wondering why more people DON'T have suicidal thoughts on this show, because their circumstances are awful. Still, I feel like it kind of comes out of nowhere.
Vagrerfgvat gung Qrr, jub yngre xvyyf urefrys, vf yvfgravat gb guvf pbairefngvba nobhg abg jnagvat gb yvir.
YAAAAAAAY ADMIRAL ADAMA!
(Calling him that is one of the spoilery things everyone's been trying to avoid since you started the show, Mark.)
NOW KISS! 😀
Oh I'm so glad he's Admiral Adama now! I kept typing it by mistake and just catching myself before now!
Hey, have you seen the out-takes where Aaron Douglas addresses him as 'Commander…Admiral…whoever the fuck you are.'
^^
Haha, I don't think so, but that sounds hilarious 🙂
YES! Aaron Douglas is too funny 🙂
As soon as I saw the kiss, I was like, YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS
And then a close second was MARK IS GOING TO BE SO HAPPY YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS
AT LAST AT LAST AT LAST.
I ship Roslin and Adama like I have never shipped anyone before, and I was SO SO SO EXCITED FOR Y'ALL TO GET TO THIS EPISODE WORDS CAN'T EVEN EXPRESS. MY HEART. MY HEART. MY HEART. THE LOOKS ON THEIR *FACES*.
Ok, so I have a question. Cain's orders to Fisk are to "terminate his command, starting with Adama" and she sends a squad of marines with Fisk. Are they meant to kill everyone in CIC? Or just Adama? Or Adama and Tigh?
(Yes, I've seen the series, so you can be spoilery in explaining if you want.)
Smart money is on yes, they're meant to take over all of CIC with lethal force.
I assume that the words "Adama's command" meant everyone in the chain of command in the CIC, so yes, Tigh would have been next on the hitlist after Adama himself – at the very least he'd have been arrested, if not outright executed.
While I really like this episode, I am not a fan of the in media res (cbffvoyl orpnhfr gurl hfr vg ntnva naq ntnva va gur arkg ongpu bs rcvfbqrf) and floating in water thing. I don't think it's necessary or really adds to the episode in any way apart from some cool visuals.
Also? Even if the cylons are right and humans don't deserve to live why in the world do they get to decide that and kill billions?
Juvyr V gbgnyyl nterr jvgu gur raq cbvag bs gur frevrf gung gur uhznaf naq gur plybaf unq gb erpbapvyr V arire sryg gung gurl ernyyl nppbhagrq sbe gur jubyr trabpvqr guvat.
Yay, someone else who doesn't like in media res. It can be used well sometimes to mess with the viewers heads but most of the time I find it irritating, like a spoiler for the end of the episode. Alias used it far, far too much.
Gurl hfr vg ernyyl jryy va gur hcpbzvat rcvfbqr Fpne.
When it's used like it is here, where they start in the middle, go back to beginning and just go forward from there, it feels like they couldn't come up with a good opening scene and just grab one from the middle.
Adama's puppy-dog smile after that is just amazing. My heart grew three times that day,
And HOLY SHIT CAIN GETTING SHOT IN THE FACE. I totally cheered. She did a great job selling that scene, though.
And Tricia Helfer! I have to say that Six bugged the hell out of me through Season One, she seemed too much like a one-trick character (Appears in Gaius's head, acts sexy, spouts crap about God, repeat). But damn, Tricia shows some serious acting range in these past few episodes.
There have been small hints towards this that were incredibly brief, but I guess it’s all out in the open for us. She has feelings for Lee, and now she’s heard his most vulnerable admission.
Actually, I smell a little complication ahead – remember who he was making that admission to?
It's awful and heartbreaking that they got put through so much and had to go through it alone, but my Apollo/Starbuck shipper is making some serious reappearance (go away, dammit! nothing good ever seems to happen to those two!) after seeing that Lee's very last words were an apology to Kara, and seeing her wish out loud as she prepared to walk to her own death that he was there with her.
AND YAY I CAN FINALLY CALL HIM ADMIRAL NOW!!!!!!!!! (bless everything in the world for your newfound shipper-ness and the fact that Admiral/President looks like it might sail)
– Oh, I just now realized this site was up and running again. *facepalm* Clearly I have to get a Twitter and a Tumblr and everything else while I’m at it.
– The opening scene was fantastic in both visual and story terms (In Media Res is the best plot device ever. It doesn’t matter how many times I’ve seen/read it.) But I didn’t understand WHY Lee just decided to give up. Because he thought it was hopeless? Because he was so disillusioned with what his Adama was doing? I hope that gets explored more.
– While I was really glad Starbuck didn’t have to kill Cain, Katee Sackhoff’s acting just about killed me. She’s been fantastic through the whole show, but leading up to the would-be assassination, I could feel a palpable sense of dread. Her awards. Where are they.
– I have to say, I do like that Cain was such a good villain. I like that she wasn’t one-dimensional, she had depth and reasons behind the awful things she did. And I still cheered internally when Six pulled the trigger. I couldn’t think of a more poetic way for her to go.”Can you roll over? Beg?” All Tricia Helfer’s awards must be in the same place as Katee’s.
– How in the heck did Baltar manage to get Six off the Pegasus, much less find a place to hide her? Isn’t the entire fleet, more or less, going to be on the look-out for her?
– The Roslin/Adama kiss… until that moment I hadn’t been seriously shipping them, only in a “Isn’t that cute?” kind of way. But now I realize THAT’S EXACTLY IT.THEY ARE CUTE. THEY ARE CUTE TOGETHER. THEY WAY THEY CALL EACH OTHER BILL AND LAURA IS CUTE. THE KISS WAS CUTE AND AMAZING AND… how could it take me so long to see this and embrace the beauty of it?
There have been small hints towards this that were incredibly brief
And there have been anvil-sized hints – borrowing a turn of phrase from JK Rowling there – for some other things too…..am I the only one who thinks it's significant that Lee's last words were an apology to Kara for not being there to back her up (which he'd promised to do, expecting both their deaths as a result)?
Roslin and Adama are like, my favorite ship from anything ever and that's coming from someone who shipped Mulder and Scully like it was her JOB back in middle school. I found it so fun to go back and read through these posts, and I thought it was funny that as a self-described non-shipper you started shipping Roslin and Adama so early. Funnily enough, their kiss was a total surprise to me. Don't get me wrong, I loved them and their interactions before, and I that kiss took it to a WHOLE other level, but I had always thought of their relationship as beautiful and based on mutual, professional and personal respect for one another. I never added the romantic aspect of it into it until that kiss. Then, it was like my brain EXPLODED and all I could think about forever was Roslin and Adama. Even now, just reading through these entries, I'm finding myself tearing up, remembering these moments and the deep, deep love I have for these people, ESPECIALLY Bill and Laura. I need to go sit in a corner and have a good cry now, I think.
I'm watching this series now, and reading your posts after each episode, and pretending I was there when you watched this. I've actually watched the first two seasons before, but it was ages ago so I've forgotten a LOT of details. Like the kiss. I TOTALLY FORGOT about the kiss. And then when I saw it, I tried really hard to squeal, but my voice is shot because my allergies are trying to kill me and I sound like I have the worst cold ever, so all that came out was silence. So I flailed my hands instead. And then I was really glad that was the end of the episode so I could come see your reaction. YAY SPACE MOMMY AND SPACE DADDY <3
/cool story bro