Mark Watches ‘Battlestar Galactica’: S03E19 – Crossroads, Part I

In the nineteenth episode of the third season of Battlestar Galactica, Baltar’s trial gets under way, everything is awkward, and the fleet rapidly approaches their next destination on the journey to earth. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to watch Battlestar Galactica.

The first half of “Crossroads” is all about deconstruction.

What I’ve just witnessed is the start of some sort of decomposition of these people, their beliefs, the system of justice, and the possible union of the fleet. As I have said before, I am generally uncomfortable predicting things as I am in the moment, but I think we are going to see a finale even more fractured than season two. Baltar’s trial cannot end well. It just can’t. I think the weird radio signal thing is tied to the Ionian nebula, but I haven’t quite figured that out. I think Roslin’s visions of that Opera House are going to be explained in a much more coherent way, and that can’t possibly be good either.

There’s a lot going on in the first half of the season three finale, and I know that it’s a set up for what will be delivered in the last forty-five minutes of this season. Roslin’s visions of the Opera House fascinate me because we’ve been seeing incarnations of this place since season one. I’m curious as to why these visions seen by different characters always end up in this place. What is so significant of the place on Kobol? We know that’s where it originally was, but it’s now in ruins. Is this all meant to be metaphorical for what is to come, or will it hold a real-world significance in the finale or in season four? How does all of this tie-in to what the future plan is for the Cylons?

And that’s an interesting thing to think about and I can’t say I’ve figured it out yet. “The plan” that the Cylons used to have seemed rather clear: exterminate the human race. But having since adapted that in season two in favor of forced occupation in order to shove them all through some bizarre theocratic conversion, I don’t know what the Cylons are doing aside from trying to find Earth first. And why are they even doing that? OH GOD, I KNOW NOTHING.

Still, the main focus of the first half of the finale has very little to do with this! Gaius Baltar’s trial is shown to take over nearly aspect of the story and the attention of the fleet. (So far, Zarek was right about all of that.) Once again, by taking the story in this direction, the writers are able to move the show to experiment with other genres; in a way, “Crossroads, Part I” is very much a court procedural, though the dynamic for a lot of it is so different from what you would expect. This trial comes with a whole lot of emotional baggage, both because the Adamas are on opposite sides of the courtroom and because it relies so heavily on the past three seasons. It is about what happened on New Caprica and the fact that these people think this trial will allow them to “let go” of what happened to them. It’s clear that someone must deal with the loss that the human race experienced there, and the prosecutor’s opening statement confirms this. To be fair, I’d forgotten how many lives were lost because of the Cylon occupation on New Caprica. It’s hard to even wrap my mind around the concept. It’s hard to think about people who where left behind. That means there are probably people STILL LIVING THERE. Right now. Why is that so disturbing to me? So even though I felt that this trial was more of a spectacle for the sake of guilt than something that needed to happen, I understood in the opening why this trial was occurring. That is a lot of loss that’s been largely unaccounted for, so why not hold the man who sold them all over to the Cylons as responsible?

That is what Lampkin picks up on, and that is what he uses to give one scathing opening statement. Look, Mark Sheppard is perfect for this role, and it was a real treat to see him become Romo Lampkin. The man is quiet when he needs to be, when he’s taking in information, but his opening statement shows what a brilliant public speaker he is. He is a performer, one able to manipulate those around him, but to also (quite accurately) gleam the motivations of the entire trial in a matter of minutes. What most of his defense hinges on is personal vendetta and a lack of any sort of empathy. The latter is what’s important here: everyone seems to think they would have done something different when faced with Cylon occupation, but no one can empathize with what Gaius Baltar had to do. Which is not to ignore the massive problems of his presidency; even Lampkin acknowledges the massive mistakes made by Baltar. But should these mistakes amount to high treason, and do they deserve the death penalty?

Tigh believes he does, unequivocally so, and I think it’s the reason he lashes out so brutally to Caprica Six. Obviously, he’s creeped out that she knows about Ellen Tigh, but I think that his internal conflict over the death of his wife only gets worse when he has to face it both privately and publicly. (Also, christ, could Head Baltar just narrate the show? I would be 100% in support of this happening.) Perhaps whatever is happening inside Tigh’s head concerning the radio wave is affecting that, too, but the moment he takes the stand for the prosecution, I got a strong sense that this could only end in disaster.

Disaster is an understatement. It’s at this point in “Crossroads, Part I” that I began to formulate the idea that all of this was going to fall apart: the prosecution’s case; Tigh’s grip on his wife’s death; Roslin’s future as the President; the relationship between Lee Adama and his father. As the story cycles rapidly through each of these stories, I simply felt empty. It’s easy for me to say that I enjoy these characters so much that I want them all to just get along. That would make boring television, though, because without all this conflict, Battlestar Galactica could never address the ambiguous and absurd elements that make up popular and personal morality. After being split up, tortured, murdered, and oppressed by the Cylons on New Caprica, though, I just wanted these people to have a break. Watching Tigh breakdown on the stand, admitting that he killed his own wife because she was a traitor is gutting and heartbreaking. I was glad that this was at least contrasted with the image of Admiral Adama laying the man into his bunk and telling him that his oldest friend could never embarrass him. Adama I love and hate you in this episode.

Actually, that goes for both of the Adama men in this episode. While I think Admiral Adama is being far more irrational throughout it all, ESPECIALLY when he basically inspires his son to QUIT, Lee isn’t far from my center of hatred either. Right after the two of them verbally fight one another and Lee quits, I found it easy for me to be Team Lee. I mean, right??? He’s being all noble, fighting for the right of Baltar to have a free trial, showing how hypocritical everyone is being, and generally just acting like a goddamn badass.

And then he decides to interrogate Laura Roslin.

What. A. Fucking. Disaster. Lee, YOU WERE INVOLVED WITH HALF OF THE SHIT YOU ARE TRYING TO DISCREDIT HER WITH. What the fuck are you doing??? As soon as Roslin leaned forward and begged him, “Don’t do this,” I wanted to reach through the screen to slap the shit out of Lee. You are hurting one of your only friends since this all started. This woman has cared about you and helped you out almost since the very first day she met you. And suddenly, this means nothing. Even worse, you are trying to discredit her by implying that drug use invalidates her entire experience with the execution squad on New Caprica. Yeah, Lee, it’s not lost on me that this is last thing she truly spoke about in her testimony, and someone using chamalla makes those facts non-credible?

And that’s when Roslin, admitting that she is using chamalla again, demands that Lee finish what he started. He needs to ask her why. I didn’t want to hear the bad new. I almost would have preferred if she had been taking chamalla to inspire more visions. Instead, the other shoe drops: she has cancer again.

Oh, fuck you, Lee Adama. I mean, you are wonderful and actually quite a talented lawyer-person, and you’ve been on my good side up until now, but still. FUCK YOU. Just for this moment, though. I’ll probably go back to loving your flawless hair in the next episode.

Oh god, the next episode….how??? HOW AM I GOING TO DEAL WITH WHAT’S SET UP HERE?? Dualla leaves Lee in a fury, angry at him for what he did to Roslin. Roslin herself, while cheerful and open about her cancer to reporters, is impatient and frustrated by Tory, who can also hear the strange radio frequency that Tyrol, Anders, and Tigh can also hear. I am not ignoring the signs that the fleet is rapidly approaching the Ionian nebula, and I’m convinced the two are connected. Perhaps the nebula is near to earth, and they’re catching a wavelength because they have…fillings? Metal plates? I know this is a bogus theory, but these four have to have something in common to be able to sense this music, and it also seems to get stronger as the fleet gets closer to the nebula. LOOK I AM TRYING TO AT LEAST BE 1% PREPARED THIS TIME.

But I know that deep down, I’m not. Is it foreshadowing that Gaeta and Helo have control of the deck in the CIC? What storm is coming? Is it the nebula? HOW IS THE MUSIC COMING FROM THE WALLS OF THE SHIP ITSELF? Why did I suddenly find it really hot that Gaeta and Helo were in control? Could Gaeta just be super queer because that would be awesome and then I could ship myself with him

sweet summer child, my body is not ready.

About Mark Oshiro

Perpetually unprepared since '09.
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110 Responses to Mark Watches ‘Battlestar Galactica’: S03E19 – Crossroads, Part I

  1. toneDef77 says:

    Ugg…another Season Finale split over a weekend. I think you do this to us on purpose just to torment us Mark!

    • janype says:

      It would hardly be an authentic BSG experience without torturous breaks between seasons. Or episodes. Or random moments that got picked because hey fuck you viewers.

  2. Megg says:

    I will never understand why they decided to use Tigh and Roslin in the trial in the first place– they're like the worst people to use, as shown. They should have used Cally, Tyrol, Zarek, and lots of other random people who were on New Caprica.

    • monkeybutter says:

      I was thinking about that, too, but the defense probably would have called them anyway, so it saves time. Cally, Tyrol, and Anders would be MUCH better witnesses, though.

    • LostAurora says:

      This really bugged me about the trial. There's a lot more people they can call to testify but they don't. And there's no reason given why. You can't help but wonder if the case would have gone better if they let the Caprica High Mock Trial Team handle the case.

      • notemily says:

        Well, you have to assume most of the best lawyers in the Colonies aren't alive anymore. That's one of the things that fascinates me about this trial–how many things go differently than they would have, simply because of the lack of impartial judges, experienced lawyers, etc.? I love stories that explore the idea of "pushing the reset button" on certain aspects of humanity, and this is one of them. They've got to work with what they have.

    • Mauve_Avenger says:

      One would think that Gaeta would play a really big role in the trial (maybe even be the only big role in the trial, since it looks like he's the only other person left from Baltar's administration), but so far there's been no indication that he's involved in any way.

      I could get that the writers are saving up his testimony for later in the trial for dramatic purposes, but it seems like we should at least have seen some indication that Cassidy and/or Lampkin have talked to him, or perhaps just show him being nervous or excited or whatever at the prospect of testifying later on.

  3. psycicflower says:

    Please don’t do this. Please.
    <img src="http://i53.tinypic.com/2njy2xv.gif&quot; border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic">
    Lee, oh Lee. Two years since I originally watched this and I’m still not pleased with him over this reveal. I admire your idealism sometimes but could you use your brain for one little moment. Roslin of all people is not going to put the fleet in danger, especially not over getting high for the craic. She will do the dodgiest shit going to protect humanity but never for selfish reasons. Did you not just think for one moment? Roslin has used Chamalla in the past, and hmmm, let’s think what was it she used it for? Oh yeah that’s right, when she had cancer, like you just said. Seriously Lee, you are brighter than accidentally exposing the Presidents illness to the entire fleet during a huge spectacle of a trial. I mean when Roslin whispers ‘Don’t do this’, Jesus Christ man.

    <img src="http://i56.tinypic.com/15ro0si.gif&quot; border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic">
    Love you Caprica Six.

    • hamnoo says:

      To be fair, as much as I love Roslin, she was pretty simple-minded about Gaius. (How could she not be?) And she had huge influence. So Lee had to discredit her.
      It probably hurt him as much as us but in that case, I totally forgive him for it.

    • LostAurora says:

      I sometimes think that Lee makes a lot more sense if you surrender the notion that he's all that bright:-)

      Really, though, I do think he is somewhat lacking in empathy. Or possibly imagination. I'm not sure which. He just doesn't seem very good at figuring out other people's thoughts or motivations. I honestly don't think he had a clue why the President was using chamalla until she said it.

      • kristinc says:

        Oh, I think he did. I think the stricken look on his face and his resistance to asking her (and hearing the answer out loud, making it real) speak to that.

  4. Maya says:

    I'm afraid to say anything for fear of spoilers/head explosions. So here's "Prelude to War" again because it cannot be played enough.

    [youtube lEhlAA85_tY&feature=channel_video_title http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lEhlAA85_tY&feature=channel_video_title youtube]

    • @LizatLAX says:

      I don't know why I find it so impressive that he doesn't need the sheet music, I mean, I KNOW he wrote it and he's performed it many times before (if not always the solo piano version) , but I totally do.

      BEAR WHY SUCH A GENIUS? *sigh*

      • Maya says:

        No, it's really freaking impressive. He uses the music for some of the other songs, but this one he's like BAM, CHECK OUT MY BADASSERY.

  5. enigmaticagentscully says:

    I have rarely hated a fictional character more than I hated Lee Adama when he questioned Roslin. All those years of friendship, of working together, of respect just thrown out the window, just to stick it to the old man.

    GODDAMN IT LEE WHAT ARE YOU DOING??

    • BSGfan1 says:

      I don't think he was sticking it to the old man. It was relevant to Roslin's state of mind. Lee did right by his client, which is his job at that point. And it broke Lee's heart to do it.

      • kristinc says:

        I think that Bill Adama felt somewhat like Lee was doing it to stick it to him, which is definitely kind of an irrational and self-centered way to think about an issue that's clearly larger than the two of them, but there you go.

      • notemily says:

        I don't think it was relevant to Roslin's state of mind. But I do think Lee was willing to be an asshole in order to keep Baltar from being executed.

  6. nitrospira says:

    I beg you Mark, please PLEASE post the next BSG review tomorrow?! We are all waiting anxiously to see your head explode.

  7. knut_knut says:

    EVERYTHING HAS GONE TO SHIT. This will not end well.
    – Why is Dream Sequence Roslin’s hair different? Your hair is so glorious irl why would it be any different in your dreams???? And why did Athena give you that look? Is it because of your cancer and needing Hera to help cure you? Or because you lied to Athena and Helo and told them Hera was dead? WHAT DOES IT MEAN?
    – So Baltar is slowly becoming Jesus…
    – ROMO LAMPKIN <3 WHY ARE YOU SO FABULOUS AND SO NOT A REAL PERSON?
    – UGH LEE WHY DID YOU OUT ROSLIN? WHY WHY WHY WHY? HER CANCER IT RETURNED AND SHE BEGGED YOU NOT TO BUT YOU DID ANYWAY AND YOU ARE AWFUL ALTHOUGH I KNOW WHY YOU DID IT BUT IT WAS STILL REALLY TERRIBLE.
    – lol Roslin, the hair police. Not all of us have your fabulous hair! tellmeyourhairsecretsiwanttoknooooow
    – OMG THE MUSIC WHAT IS IT. My first reaction was: GALACTICA IS A CYLON AND IS SINGING TO ITSELF but that makes no sense AT ALL. I have theories but I’ll wait until Monday (MONDAY?! SO FAR AWAY) to see if I was right or horribly, horribly wrong.

    • klmnumbers says:

      I love the idea that Galactica is singing to itself. Maybe Galactica is a Leviathan!! Farscape/BSG cross-over is currently happening in my head.

      • knut_knut says:

        I HAVE NEVER SEEN FARSCAPE! But I hear that it’s really, really good! Should I get my act together and watch it? Is it really long?

        • klmnumbers says:

          Yessssssss. It's a tiny bit long, but not excessively so. I believe it's 4 seasons with a movie to tie up the loose ends. It's streaming on netflix, though! Such a great space opera.

        • chikzdigmohawkz says:

          Yes. Yes, you should. What are you waiting for?

          There are four seasons, plus a miniseries at the end because the execs were all, 'hey, let's unexpectedly cancel this show because why not?' But then they let the writers have a miniseries to try and tie up the loose ends.

          • knut_knut says:

            I…I don't know! I'm really bad about starting new shows 🙁

            That doesn't sound TOO bad! It can fill my Saturday Doctor Who void!

    • chikzdigmohawkz says:

      Oh my God – Galactica is Moya's long-lost sister!

    • stellaaaaakris says:

      lol Roslin, the hair police. Not all of us have your fabulous hair! tellmeyourhairsecretsiwanttoknooooow

      YESSSSSSSSS, thank you. When I finished this episode, all my brain could really handle was this thought: Hey! It's not fair to compare everybody's hair with how awesome yours is; my hair looks a lot like Tory's every day and I (kinda, sorta, maybe) try to tame it. I CAN'T HELP IT. I WOULD MAKE MY HAIR LOOK LIKE YOURS IF I COULD.

  8. Sadie says:

    UNPREPARED.

    That is all.

  9. echinodermata says:

    Deleting since it does come up later.

  10. elusivebreath says:

    Ughhhhh I don't want to wait til Sunday to watch the rest!

    Am I the only person that sympathizes a bit with Baltar? Yes he made some shitty decisions, but I kind of have to agree with Lampkin – if he hadn't, wouldn't they ALL have died? Idk, I feel like he obviously no longer deserves to be president, but on the other hand, I don't think he's a traitor … well, disregarding giving info to Caprica Six back when this all began. Idk, maybe it's just that I love Baltar and don't want anything bad to happen to him. After Starbuck, I'm not sure I could take it :/

  11. NB2000 says:

    Nooooo Space Mommy's dying again! It makes it even harder to watch Lee basically force the information out of her when you remember he was one of the first people she told way back in series one.

    As much as I hate him for doing that I do enjoy Lee's role in this episode, specifically Jamie Bamber's performance when he's questioning Laura. You can hear the nerves in his voice throughout that scene.

    It basically makes things worse but Bill's attempts to stop the questioning of Tigh and Laura is kind of a callback to his attitude in "Litmus".

    As much as I enjoy seeing Helo and Gaeta sharing some screentime (have they ever had a scene together? Without being part of a big group I mean) Helo's little "There's a storm coming" speech just makes me think back to Athena's little "there's a dark….time coming" moment back in "Lay Down Your Burdens I". I get why they're saying these things from a writing standpoint, have to build up expectations for the second half, but it just seems odd that they're suddenly talking like this. I do like the little cut to Helo after Laura mentions Hera's role in saving her life though.

    And now I shall return to laughing evilly at how unprepared Mark is.

  12. Ryan Lohner says:

    I wish Mark would record himself watched the season finale so we could see his head literally explode. And I eagerly await his predictions for season four; it'll probably be something like "Yeah, I've got nothing."

    • acityofdoors says:

      I will literally pay money to see this! I watched part 2 on Wednesday and my brain is still reeling.

  13. @lula34 says:

    Mark, are you going to watch the webisodes? Particularly the ones between the season 4 break (which is not a break for you but was for us, OMG). Because…yeah. You'll enjoy them. I

    Also…
    cannot wait to read your review of part 2. Head 'splode.

    • xpanasonicyouthx says:

      Yep, the webisodes review is going to go up on Tuesday!

      • bearshorty says:

        Do not watch the webisodes before Season 4. The webisodes go in the middle of Season 4, between 4.0 and 4.5 seasons. If you watch them before Season 4 starts you will get massively spoiled. They go after the episode [redacted].

        • echinodermata says:

          There are three sets of webisodes. He already did the first set, and the second set aired after S3 and before S4 so that's what he's referring to regarding Tuesday. You're thinking of the third set.

          Also, episode titles are considered spoilers so I edited out that part of your comment.

  14. klmnumbers says:

    I can’t believe I have to wait until next week to see your response to the season finale. IT’S JUST UNFAIR.

    As the resident Lee Adama hater (I guess, lulz), I’m enjoying your temporary vitriol at him. To me, his interrogation of Laura is such a great specific example of the problem that I have with his character – he does spiteful, terrible, ignoble things under the guise of honor and nobility. I love Jamie Bamber, but Lee just makes me so irritated!

    Nyfb, Tnrgn dhrfgvba sbe gubfr bs hf/lbh va gur xabj –

    Unf Znex jngpurq nal bs gur jrovfbqrf, rgp gung znxr vg pyrne gung Tnrgn vf ov naq va n eryngvbafuvc jvgu Ubfuv? Orpnhfr uvf yvar nobhg jnagvat Tnrgn gb or dhrre vf XVYYVAT ZL FBHY EVTUG ABJ.

    • echinodermata says:

      Rot13'ed the line before the part you put in rot13 since it was pretty obvious what you were implying.

    • monkeybutter says:

      As the resident Lee Adama hater

      Can we start a club or something?

      • klmnumbers says:

        Haha. Considering how fandom <3s him so much, we definitely should.

      • leighzzz31 says:

        I wouldn't have believed this club existed while watching Season One. Now I want to be its president. WTF happened to you, Lee?

      • enigmaticagentscully says:

        I er…I don't HATE Lee as such, but I'd happily join a 'give Lee less screen-time to make way for the more interesting and less whiny characters' club.

        He's certainly my least favourite. To be perfectly honest, I think a lot of the fandom love comes from how ridiculously good looking he is (which I will concede).

  15. monkeybutter says:

    Why did I suddenly find it really hot that Gaeta and Helo were in control? Could Gaeta just be super queer because that would be awesome and then I could ship myself with him

    I'd be okay with all of this. While I love that they're using Helo more, I think it's funny that he's the substitute officer.

    The Adamas are so frustrating, and I want them to get along, but they're both too difficult. Argh. Lee, you suck for discrediting Roslin that way. Honestly, it makes him look like an ass, and can't the prosecution bring Cally, Zarek, Tyrol, Seelix, and the physical execution order forward to corroborate her story? I'm also really upset that her cancer is back. So, the dream about the opera house is a chamalla dream, which are prophetic. Does that mean that Caprica Six is going to save Hera? Or take her?

    HOW IS THE MUSIC COMING FROM THE WALLS OF THE SHIP ITSELF?

    That reminded me of the horror trope "THE CALL IS COMING FROM INSIDE THE HOUSE," so maybe there's a slasher aboard. Or Lampkin has his cat wandering through the duct work with a transmitter (he should hang out with the monkey on Community.) Or maybe the ship is amplifying a radio signal from the nebula for them. I missed Tyrol hearing the music, but I'm ridiculously inattentive. So, four members of the fleet are hallucinating together. Hmm.

    • knut_knut says:

      OMG MAYBE IT IS THE CAT! It seems to ~know things~. Or maybe the monkey from Community was somehow flung through space and time and is now lost on Galactica, causing problems.

      • monkeybutter says:

        It's a kneazle! And Romo Lampkin is a space wizard! Explains the weird wardrobe and unique name.

        I'VE GOT YOU FIGURED OUT, BSG.

        • knut_knut says:

          Before Lampkin took off his glasses I was reminded of the ifrit from American Gods who was hiding his eyes. WHAT IF HE IS A GOD? With a pet kneazle. It’s all coming together now.

          • @sab39 says:

            Oh come on! That's ridiculous.

            It's OBVIOUSLY River Tam.

          • ChronicReader91 says:

            No, no. The CAT is a god. It's Bast!

            And she, along with Jake the dog, are actually the masterminds behind the whole conflict. They manipulated the humans and the cylons to go to war for their own nefarious purposes. They've been playing the main characters like chess pieces the whole time.

  16. Noybusiness says:

    Um, Mark what gave you the impression that people were left behind on New Caprica? Didn't we see everyone (that was still alive) leave in the ships?

    Thanks for reminding me that Head Baltar was in this episode! I forgot.

    • NB2000 says:

      The prosecutor says it when she's giving the exact number of people that they lost during New Caprica: "5,197 of us killed, left behind or simply disapperead". She could just be speaking hypothetically or it could be that she, and other members of the fleet, believe people may have been left behind.

  17. chikzdigmohawkz says:

    I identify so much with Lee when he resigns his commission. My heart breaks when he hands over his pilot's wings, and I want to reach into the screen and punch Adama square in the face when he accepts them. (This is not to say that I'm a huge fan of Lee's now. No, I still think he's an ass, what with the whole Quadrangle of Doom taking away from my 'Fighting Agathons and also Helo is BFFs With Everyone' show.)

    I get it, though. I get him. I've been in that situation, where it seems like you're never first in someone's heart. This person that you love, that you would do, and have done, so much for…that person will always choose someone else over you.

    It's just so heartbreaking to watch Lee and Adama going at each other. They're arguing and picking at each other – saying just the right thing to up the ante and push the other one over the edge. And when Lee takes off his wings, when he basically gives Adama an ultimatum: believe in me, trust me, and back down just for gods-damned once…Adama doesn't. He takes those wings, and throws them into his desk drawer, like they mean nothing – like all of the work Lee has done his entire life, striving for his father's approval and love, for him to look at Lee and see him – see him as someone worth being proud of, someone worth claiming as family – all of that has been in vain. And something in that relationship is broken, or maybe it's finally revealed to have always been broken. Because he realizes, in that moment, that Adama will never, never, choose Lee. And my heart…it hurts so much for them.

    And…then Lee goes right back to being an ass when he questions Roslin. So much for that.

    • bookyworm says:

      oh, my gods. What if Lee's jealous of Roslin and thinks that Adama will always pick her side? (Because he will, and the one time he didn't, it was Lee who called him on it anyway.)

      But this still doesn't excuse his stupid interrogation lets-promote-our-side-and-not-think-about-what-that-implies-and-the-repercussions-of-that routine.

      Lovely comment, BTW.

    • notemily says:

      And when Lee takes off his wings, when he basically gives Adama an ultimatum: believe in me, trust me, and back down just for gods-damned once…Adama doesn't. He takes those wings, and throws them into his desk drawer, like they mean nothing – like all of the work Lee has done his entire life, striving for his father's approval and love, for him to look at Lee and see him – see him as someone worth being proud of, someone worth claiming as family – all of that has been in vain. And something in that relationship is broken, or maybe it's finally revealed to have always been broken. Because he realizes, in that moment, that Adama will never, never, choose Lee. And my heart…it hurts so much for them.

      Yeah. Seriously, that should be lesson one of parenthood. BE PROUD OF YOUR KIDS. Love them for who they are. And tell them so.

  18. LostAurora says:

    but these four have to have something in common to be able to sense this music

    Sure they do. Their names all contain the letter "T". Tory, Tigh, Tyrol and Samuel T. Anders.

  19. stellaaaaakris says:

    I think I have Cylon paranoia. I'm convinced everybody we see is a Cylon. Now I'm thinking Tigh, Tory, and Anders are Cylons and have super-tuned hearing and that's why they can hear the music no one else can (when did Tyrol hear the music? I forget) which is coming from the international space station or something. And one of the other Cylons is Billy. Because I miss him and would like to see him again. And Starbuck is hanging out in the nebula.

    While I'm not glad Laura has cancer again, I'm glad plot-wise that the leader guiding people to earth is supposed to be dying is brought back up. I like my random details to tie up nicely. I would like her to find away to get around that pesky prophesied ending, that she won't reach earth. Okay, BSG? You owe me some happiness. It's been 3 seasons of misery.

    And Caprica Six punched Tigh! I love her. Tigh needs a good punching every now and then.

    Adamas, you both infuriate me so. But I liked seeing Lee not in military clothing for a change, although maybe we won't see his arms as much, which would be a shame, a real shame.

  20. Suzannezibar says:

    This episode is like watching a train wreck–you see all the disaster but are so powerless to stop it D=. I could not even hope to choose between Team Admiral and Team Lee, because they were both right in their own ways but both SO WRONG, and doing such foolish things.

    But then. BUT THEN. LEE MOTHERFRAKKING ADAMA INTERROGATES ROSLIN. Maybe it's just the undying love that I will always have for Roslin, but any sympathy I might ever have felt for him got sucked away. And really, as I think about it, motherfrakking really is the proper term, because she has been the closest thing to a mother figure that he's had on this show, and he fraks her over a million times. And I don't know if I can ever forgive him for that.

    And descending into rot13 speak for the first time…

    "Pbhyq Tnrgn whfg or fhcre dhrre orpnhfr gung jbhyq or njrfbzr," BU FJRRG FHZZRE PUVYQ LBH NER TBVAT GB OR FB UNCCL. Hagvy Gur Bngu/Oybbq ba gur Fpnyrf, gung vf…

  21. BSGfan1 says:

    I'm sympathizing with Lee and Baltar here. He's doing the right thing by his client. It was a sad thing he did to Roslin, but he wasn't wrong in terms of mounting his best possible defense for his client.

    Mark, hear me clearly. I know you believe you are well and truly un-frakkin'-prepared. But you're more unprepared than you've ever been unprepared before.

  22. kristinc says:

    "And then he decides to interrogate Laura Roslin.

    What. A. Fucking. Disaster. "

    Oh, Lee. Lee, Lee, Lee. THIS IS WHY WE CAN'T HAVE NICE THINGS.

  23. You Guys I Filmed Mark Watching the Season Finale and It Looked Like This

    <img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_T0HqdkLlYvE/TKe8YdT7cdI/AAAAAAAAA24/mHbSUu0BPe4/s1600/asplode.jpg"&gt;

  24. redheadedgirl says:

    Lee is fine. Lee is doing what he needs to do for his client- it's called Zelaous Advocacy, and that is what your client is entitled to.

    The chymala is relevant because it fucks with perception- We, the audience, know that Roslin is telling it like how she actually saw it at the time because we saw it too. But the jury, who needs to be able to judge someone's credibility- a mainstay of the legal system- doesn't know that. They have the right to know, and Lee has the duty to elicit the fact that Roslin is using a drug that fucks with perception. Her memory of the execution squad might have altered, and the jury needs to know that is a very real possibility. Credibility is everything, and you can do an awful lot to throw doubt at a witness's credibility.

    That's his job. That's a right Baltar has. That's a right you have, and if you're ever in a position to be accused of a crime, you'll be thrilled to have that.

    Now, it's been a couple months since I saw this episode, and I don't recall if the prosecutor knows about the chymala (I want to say no?) which is a problem with their witness preparation- nothing that huge should be a surprise. And knowing that, and knowing that Lee is going to find it out, too, putting Roslin on the stand is possibly a grave tactical error- but NOT putting ehr on the stand is something that the jury would notice, and while they might be told to consider only the evidence put before them, let's be realistic.

    Being a defense attorney is not about being "nice" or even "noble". It's about zealously giving your client the best defense you can.

    • kristinc says:

      I agree, contrary to my facetious comment above, and I think it's what makes the whole damn thing so gut-churningly sad. Lee's not really doing anything wrong, but in order to follow his own ethical precepts he ends up pretty much destroying poor Roslin and breaking both their hearts (and ours along the way).

      Baltar's life depends on Lee's representation. In Baltar's shoes, you would not want your defense lawyer to be nice to a witness he personally knew and liked. You would want him to save your freakin' life.

      It's not that Lee's a bad or nasty or slimy character, and neither is Roslin. They're two good people with good goals colliding in a horrible way.

    • enigmaticagentscully says:

      Oh yeah, I mean, Lee is doing a damn good job. And he believes that it IS his job to do this.
      It's just so awful to watch because of the history he has with Roslin – for him to be the one taking her apart like that is so painful to see.

    • notemily says:

      It rubs me the wrong way to see someone's credibility questioned because of drugs. I mean, I'm on psychiatric drugs, but I like to think I can still tell truth from fiction. If Chamalla was mentioned as a drug that specifically fucks with memory, I might be more okay with it. But then again, witness testimony has been shown to be unreliable again and again, and that doesn't stop people from using it at trials.

  25. ChronicReader91 says:

    If I’m ever accused of a crime, I want Romo Lampkin to be my lawyer. For serious.

    Oh Roslin. Nooooo. I never even considered this. I just assumed the cancer was gone for good, as if the magical cylon fetal blood also contained magical antibodies to prevent a relapse. So that brings up the question-
    will she use Hera’s blood again? Will Helo and Sharon let her use it again, considering what she did to them? What did her dream mean- that she’ll be competing with Sharon and with the cylons for control of Hera? I wonder if she would be willing to put her at risk, after she’s gone to so many lengths to protect her? OMG SO MANY QUESTIONS.

    Oh, Lee. Right when I’m so enjoying you and your idealism and your defense of justice and fairness and the legal system, you have to turn around and pull shit like that. To his credit, he looked like he wanted to sink into the floor when Laura made him follow up on his line of questioning. And I do feel sorry for him, since he’s now been basically disowned by his father and left by his wife for doing what he believes to be right. 🙁

    Oh, Tigh. As always, he manages to both make me feel sorry for him and piss me off. I hate seeing him so close to being driven over the edge by his confession of what he did to Ellen, even though I very much approve of Adama being such a great friend. But I also can’t say I objected to Caprica Six punching him in the face. Oh, speaking of her, MOAR HEAD BALTAR.

    I think I know what’s happening here with the music: Bear McCreary’s musical genius has reached the critical mass at which the fourth wall begins to deteriorate, and some of the characters are starting to be aware of the music that’s scoring their scenes. ;P

    In all seriousness, I have no idea why THERE IS MUSIC COMING FROM GALACTICA. That apparently ONLY A FEW PEOPLE CAN HEAR. So it’s just Tigh, Anders, and… were they implying Tory could hear it as well? What in the world do those three characters have in common? I know there must be a connection that I’m just missing. (ETA: Tyrol can hear it too? I must have missed that. So it’s only people with T’s in their name: Tigh, Tory, Tyrol, Sam T. Anders. That’s the best connection I’ve got.)

  26. shoroko says:

    I couldn't help watching both parts last night, so I won't say a lot, but something that struck me when watching Part I again was how actually realistic the handling of the trial was. Granted, this is being informed by my general experience of watching police procedurals/courtroom dramas as generally involving me yelling at the TV a lot, but for the most part, there were none of the usual TV pitfalls – the episode displayed a surprisingly good understanding of evidentiary rules. (Seriously, my usual reaction to this kind of thing tends to be "THAT'S HEARSAY!" or "THAT'S NOT RELEVANT!" … yeah I shouldn't be allowed to watch TV with other people.) The show did a really good job both in showing the two sides presenting their cases, and in handling things like the questioning of witnesses (just something like the prosecutor objecting to the relevancy of Lee's questioning Roslin about her visions and past use of chamalla, for instance, was a nice touch).

    And as uncomfortable and, I get, not cool as it is, Lee had the right to ask Roslin about her chamalla use. That's impeachment to truthfulness. It may be totally irrelevant, and not to mention completely unfair, but generally there is broad discretion for both sides to impeach a witness's truthfulness, and the use of a potentially hallucinogenic drug, even medicinally, would likely be allowed to be brought up under those circumstances. Baltar's on trial for his life here – it's hard to put a qualifier on that. Now, I think it could have been done privately, especially considering we're talking about a group of judges rather than a jury trial, but… I'll let them take that dramatic license. This is also part of why the prosecutor wouldn't charge Baltar with involvement in the original Cylon attacks – it would basically be asking the defense to focus even more on the chamalla use. I don't want to sound callous about it, as it is a really damaging thing – but I can also understand that it may be wrong to deny the defense very much when the stakes are so high.

    And that's all I'm going to say because yeah.

    Bxnl bar zber guvat – jngpuvat guvf ntnva V gubhtug vg jnf tbvat gb or fb qnza boivbhf jung jnf tbvat ba jvgu gubfr sbhe urnevat gur zhfvp, ohg nf vg jrag ba V sryg yvxr gurl qvq n tbbq wbo fgnttrevat jura gurl fubjrq gurz urnevat vg (gur pbaarpgvba orgjrra gurz nyy jnfa'g vzzrqvngryl boivbhf – vg pbhyq whfg or fbzrguvat fybjyl fcernqvat guebhtu gur syrrg naq fgnegvat jvgu gurz); naq tbvat vagb gur arkg rcvfbqr, gurl fbeg bs cynagrq n cerggl avpr qvfgenpgvba jvgu Ebfyva nyfb funevat ivfvbaf jvgu gjb Plybaf.

    Ohg V qba'g xabj – gur svefg gvzr V jngpurq guvf V xarj jung jnf tbvat gb unccra, fb V qba'g xabj ng nyy jung V jbhyq'ir gubhtug bs vg bgurejvfr.

  27. enigmaticagentscully says:

    I just remembered, so I have to say, Dee did annoy me a little in this. Her whole line about how the system wants to let Baltar off the hook so the system must be broken and needs fixing…yeaaaaah, that makes me a little uncomfortable.
    I mean, you can't just throw out your justice system and pick a new one when it doesn't give the the result you want. That defeats the whole purpose.

    • redheadedgirl says:

      See, Casey Anthony and Troy Davis as two examples.

      • notemily says:

        I'd rather let a hundred guilty people go free than send one innocent person to the electric chair. I don't think you can compare Troy Davis to this.

    • LostAurora says:

      I sort of agree with this, but at the same time, when do you decide that the system's not working and needs to change?

      Not saying that Dee's right in this circumstance, but the way the fleet seems to be hanging on to the old ways (For example, why are Quorum representatives decided by planets that effectively no longer exist and not by ships?) and not adapting to the way things are makes me think she has a point.

  28. Jonathan says:

    Are you going to watch the mid-season web episodes from season 4? I really think you’ll like them.

  29. Mauve_Avenger says:

    Something I just realized:

    When they're playing the bar version of pyramid, didn't Skulls and/or Hot Dog say "you nuggets weren't saying that at the beginning" to Anders' complaint about the game? So that implies that Skulls and Hot Dog are playing on one side and Seelix and Anders are on the other team and were probably winning but not anymore and OMG Anders is a nugget?!

    I kinda wondered if Lee's statement that Anders should become an officer would ever go anywhere.

  30. VoldieBeth says:

    Maybe I love Admiral Adama a little too much but this was the episode that I stood up (literally) and shouted at Lee. I disowned him after he interrogated Roslin (b/c some how I owned him before that? lol) And Lee hasn't really gotten back on my good side since.

    This is my first time posting but I've been stalking for a while now, LOVED Mark reads Harry Potter, Hunger Games, and His Dark Materials and LOVED Mark watches Firefly, Avatar, and of course BSG! I can't wait for more!!

  31. Chuck T. says:

    Upon reading this I thought, “Mark, you’ve GOT to watch the webisodes that went up during the break between parts 1 and 2 of season 4,” and thereby second someone who’s already said it. They are still up online, aren’t they? Hulu?

    Technically, to keep to the actual timeline of events, you should watch the “Snpr bs gur Rarzl” webisodes between episodes 11 and 12 of season 4.

    • notemily says:

      Edited your comment to rot-13 the name of the webisodes. All future episode names should be rot-13'd here. Yes, the spoiler policy is that strict 🙂

    • Noybusiness says:

      Yup, I've already mentioned that would be the order that makes most sense. Watching between 10 and 11 would make remarkably little sense, actually.

  32. Jessica says:

    Dear Mark, It is coming. You are still no-fucking-where near prepared.

    Also, Romo Lampkin > EVERYONE

  33. Brian Fowler says:

    You are not 1% prepared, Mark. You are negative 10000000000000% prepared. So Frakkin Unprepared.

    God I love this show.

  34. Robin says:

    I'm a Roslin stan first and foremost but I don't dislike Lee for what he did. He's a defence lawyer, she's a witness, it could be relevant to the case and whether it hurts to hear it or not, her cancer is not his fault and it's just an unfortunate circumstance that leads to it coming out publicly like that. This part of season 3 is actually where I like Lee best because he has an interesting non-infuriating character arc. Oh, and SO looking forward to the finale!

  35. bookyworm says:

    One thing that Lampkin says that really bugs me is when he says that Roslin wouldn't have surrendered if she'd been president on New Caprica. I've always thought that was untrue, given that
    a) she's pretty pragmatic and was the one who pushed to leave back in the miniseries
    b) the Galactica jumped, so what else could she have done?
    c) her goal has always been the survival of the human race, therefore she probably would have surrendered and then tried to help the resistance or something.

    Also the obvious fact that they wouldn't have been on the planet in the first place if she'd been president, and therefore wouldn't have had to make that terrible decision anyway. And no one would have died. So it was really a blatantly untrue statement anyway.

    But other than that Lampkin is the best lawyer EVER. Sad as it is, I guess it's a good thing the other one died.

  36. notemily says:

    LOL Gaius's Jesus powers are awakening! IT MUST BE THE HAIR.

    I love that the prosecuting attorney is like "How do we measure loss?" and then gives this look that's like NO SERIOUSLY, THAT WAS NOT A RHETORICAL QUESTION.

    I love the way Lampkin starts out with the guilty plea. "What choice do I have?" Hee hee. His speech is pretty damn brilliant.

    I see Laura got her glasses back somehow.

    As much as I want to see Lee and Adama get along, it's so delightful to watch their FATHER/SON ANGST play out. "I will not serve under a man who questions my integrity." OHH NO YOU DI'INT.

    At least it gets Lee a snazzy new pinstripe suit! Did he, like, have that lying around, or…? Oh, whatever.

    I don't know if it hurts, to question the woman who used to be your friend and ally, for Lee. But I kind of lose sympathy for Roslin over the course of this show, so I don't much care. She stole a goddamn baby.

    Hee hee. This is like that one episode of Psych where Gus becomes a legal scholar like overnight because he took a sixth-grade law class and they help that dude become a better lawyer and save the day. I LOVE A COURTROOM DRAMA, Y'ALL. (Especially one that doesn't take place in the US on Earth, so I don't have to nitpick about how this or that would never actually happen! WHEE.)

    Adama, you can't just stop all trials and such when you feel like it. I was behind him during the witch-hunting episode, but this is not cool. I'm glad the other judges or whatever shut him down. (I know I shouldn't be rooting for a guy who is trying to expose someone taking medications on the stand and therefore question her credibility because I am on all sorts of medications that may lead people to question my credibility and I don't think that's a valid reason to believe someone can never tell the truth ever, but I don't think Baltar deserves to be executed. I really don't. So I'm sort of on Lee's side even though he's being an ableist asshole.)

    Whatever Dee, you should have left him MONTHS ago.

    "Enough of this crap." I kinda love you Tory. "EVERYONE SIT DOWN AND SHUT THE GODDAMN HELL UP." (TM Cleolinda)

    "How long do you have to live, Karen?" OHHH. Man, this episode is full of great lines.

    "As well as pull a comb through their hair once a week." Aaaand you've lost my sympathy again, Roslin. Frak you and your beauty standard. ALSO YOU NEVER WOULD HAVE SAID THIS SHIT TO BILLY. BUT THEN BILLY WOULD NEVER HAVE LET YOU STEAL A BABY OR AN ELECTION OR ANY OF THAT SHIT. BECAUSE HE WAS MORE MORAL THAN YOU.

    That music makes me want to dance. I like the sitar. Is that a sitar? I don't know how music.

    Two-dimensional maps for three-dimensional space make no sense, but I don't care. Much. (How do you even map space? The scale is so weird. Your map would be as big as several rooms just to map out the solar system, right?)

    IT'S IN THE FRAKKING SHIP!!! One of my favorite lines from this show. As well as Tigh's RIDICULOUS FACE after he says that. RIDICULOUS FAAACE

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