In the eighth episode of the fourth season of Battlestar Galactica, everything is chaos and then some things hurt, and then they become beautiful. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to watch Battlestar Galactica.
Without which it could not be.
“Sine Qua Non” takes the characters aboard the fleet to uncomfortable places (surprise WHEN DOES IT NOT DO THIS) and then sees what they can live without and what they cannot. The true ramifications of the basestar disappearing are shown, and the first five minutes or so of this episode are possibly the most chaotic of the show’s entire run. This is not something to be swept under the table or ignored. Roslin, Baltar, Helo, and a host of Galactica pilots are now lost somewhere on the basestar. Of course, we don’t get a single second aboard that ship in this episode, so we’re left wondering what the fuck is going on. THIS IS NOT FAIR.
Instead, what we witness is how the main players aboard the Galactica and the Colonial One cope with the disappearance of the president. The Quorum is routinely a hot mess, but never have they been so disruptive and out of control. Which, to be fair, is understandable, given that this military mission that was ordered without their input has now eclipsed into a possible kidnapping (in their eyes) because Athena shot Natalie. (OMG I literally just found out that the Six was called Natalie. I WISH I’D KNOWN THAT EARLIER.)
It really doesn’t help that this is mixed in with the death of Natalie (oh god Cottle holds her hand PLEASE HOLD MINE NEXT) and Adama’s furious condemnation of Athena in his quarters. A lot of times, the cold open of this show will give us a tonal hint towards what we’re going to have to deal with, and the cold open in “Sine Qua Non” does a wonderful job of this. In short: everything is awkward and awful, and it’s going to hurt. A lot.
The main thrust of this all centers around Lee Adama, who consults with Romo Lampkin (PLEASE BE IN EVERY EPISODE MARK SHEPPARD) to find an interim replacement for Roslin instead of allowing Zarek to become president. I sort of thought how shitty all this must be for Zarek. I mean…every time he’s almost in charge of things, someone ruins it for him and he’s pushed aside for like five episodes before showing up again. The eternal pushover!
Anyway, I don’t the show was necessarily hiding the fact that putting Romo and Lee together would inevitably end with Lee being the one recommended as the interim president, so the writers decide to focus on Adama, Tigh, and the way in which Romo manipulates Lee while he deals with his own loss. Obviously, the disappearance of Roslin directly affects Adama and disrupts Lee’s life, but I rather enjoyed how Tigh was bought into the story. I’m still confused as to why Tigh continues to see Ellen in Caprica Six, but I was surprised to see Adama outright confirm that he knew Tigh was seeing Caprica Six. I genuinely don’t think she’s playing mind games with him; in fact, I am believing less and less that she even knows Tigh is one of the Final Five. I think it’s Tigh who is projecting Ellen on to her. And that…that makes me sad. Tigh. You are making me so sad because your life is tragedy.
I take back any statements I’ve made regarding how vulnerable Adama has been in the past, as this episode is the definitive example of Adama being vulnerable. And adorable. We’ll get to the adorable in a bit, but what’s so striking about his portrayal in “Sine Qua Non” is how he has decided to stop hiding his feelings for Laura Roslin. Admittedly, it’s taken her disappearance for him to start admitting all of this to other people, and it only gets more blatant as the situation becomes more desperate. The pieces and clues of what’s happened begin to slowly creep in: Pike is returned to the fleet in a destroyed Raptor, the exact one used as a shuttle for Baltar, Roslin, and Helo, and Racetrack finds his corpse inside. Even worse, when Racetrack and Skulls follow the coordinates of where the Raptor jumped from, they discover the “graveyard” of Vipers and basestars. Was the rebel basestar destroyed? Was the Resurrection Hub taken out?
Tigh admits to Adama that this is probably not a good sign, but Adama holds out on his hope. More than ever before, what we witness on Adama’s part is the fact that he is losing his capacity to be pragmatic. It sort of reminded me of Starbuck’s insistence on going back to save Anders, even if it wasn’t the most practical idea of all time. We can see how much this hurts him to have Laura gone, and I think Tigh can see it, too. Hell, even the way that Adama looks upon his longtime friend shows just how torn up he is over this. Why else would he visit Cottle to ask about Roslin’s Doloxan treatments will be affected by this? Because he obviously loves her and my shipper heart can’t handle this.
Speaking of Dr. Cottle….there’s actually not a whole lot in “Sine Qua Non” that’s terribly shocking. Which is not what I expect from Battlestar Galactica! But it still makes absolutely no more sense than it did when Adama confronted Tigh about the fact that CAPRICA-SIX IS PREGNANT. WHAT THE FUCK?!!?!?!??! How is that even possible? Have the writers just been leaving out their sexy time escapades from their visits? HOW CAN TWO CYLONS EVEN CREATE A CHILD? What the fuck WHAT THE FUCK! i can’t deal MY ABILITY TO CAN IS DEFUNCT.
Oh right, THERE’S STILL HALF THE EPISODE LEFT why are you dropping bombs in the middle of my episodes, BSG. Because amidst this, we have Romo Lampkin. Oh, my beautiful Romo Lampkin, you continue to manipulate the people around you while having a nervous breakdown over the death of your cat at the same fucking time. Sorry, I would lose my shit, too, if someone killed my cats. Truthfully, I didn’t know what was going on until he revealed it to Lee later on. Something seemed off about his conversation with Admiral Adama on the hanger deck, as if he was working something out in his head while trying to get a feel for what Adama is going through. The conversation quickly addresses the idea of hope, and I wonder if it was Romo’s intention all along to trigger Adama into either accepting Zarek or giving up his own position. I think I ultimately believed it was unintentional, a mere coincidence of sorts. But the two come to terms with what their limits are. What can’t they live without? Where do they draw the line?
We see how this idea causes both men to react differently. In Romo’s case, we see…shit, do I refer to him as Head Lance? I suppose so. WHY DOES THIS KEEP HAPPENING? Oh god, it’s a ghost head cat, basically. I almost want to laugh because it’s so depressing it’s nearly funny. Romo essentially breaks at this point in the story, coming to terms with a silent and unintentional manipulation by Lee Adama. When he confronts Lee about this, he states this plainly: why else did they disregard forty-seven other candidates who weren’t qualified enough?
AND THEN HE PULLS OUT A GUN ON LEE WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING
I’ll admit to not really understanding what Romo did while it was happening, but in hindsight, it seems more obvious that it was a combination of being overwhelmed and a desire to test Lee to see if he truly wanted the role of President. It’s an awkward moment, for sure, but what would Battlestar Galactica be without awkwardness??? It’s like the life fuel of this goddamn show I SWEAR. Sometimes, it’s as pronounced as this situation (Romo, you are honestly not very threatening with a gun), or it’s ironically awkward, like when Adama steps down as Admiral AND GIVES LEADERSHIP TO TIGH. Adama. ADAMA! YOU JUST GAVE THE FLEET TO A CYLON. Oh god, and a Cylon you love and respect, and it is going to break your heart until the end of fucking time when you find out. God, how long can this charade last? IT IS GETTING TO BE TOO MUCH JFC SERIOUSLY.
I’m not used to this show ending on a “positive” note. I use that word loosely because I know that things are pretty goddamn awful for the fleet in general, but this particular episode gives us two amazing things. First of all, JAKE IS BACK. Oh my god SPECTACULAR I would like a dog again, please. Oh god, I miss having a dog SO MUCH. And this dog helped the rebellion!!! None of the dogs I’ve owned in the past have ever done such a thing! WHY DOES THIS EXCITE ME SO MUCH??
Secondly, and you’ll have to excuse the Doctor Who reference, “Sine Qua Non” gives us the man who waited. I feel like I have finally become a whole person because my shipper heart has had his ship completely and totally validated by this show. I can now become a real boy. Adama has made up his mind. Laura Roslin is without which it could not be. He cannot live with out her. So, for the first time in forty years, he dons a Raptor flight uniform, refers to himself as Husker, and sits in a lone Raptor at the rendezvous point, Searider Falcon in hand, waiting for Roslin to return.
YOU SLAY ME, ADAMA. oh my god.
This episode!!! I have been waiting for this one since you first decided to join the shipping ranks. I knew it would validate your shipper heart Mark. Roslin/Adama is completely adorable and I love that he has decided to wait for her.
I think that no sci-fi show is complete without an appearance by Mark Sheppard. That man makes everything more excellent. I love Romo and his dead cat and all his issues.
V PNAABG JNVG SBE GBZBEEBJ BZT ZNEX VF TBVAT GB WBVA HF VA ERWBVPVAT NG FCNPR ZBZZL NAQ QNQQL SVANYYL NQZVGGVAT GURVE SRRYVATF NUUUUUUUUUUU FB ZHPU WBL
Dogs, indeed, are the best. My avatar on this site is my doggy whose name is Lucy. She wouldn't be very good in a Cylon resistance movement, though, because she's afraid of loud noises and people.
I remember not liking this episode very much the first time I saw it, and somehow in my head I had it mixed up with The Woman King and it involved Helo running around being mad and Romo Lampkin looking for his cat among the refugees the whole time. Look, I don't know. Obviously my brain doesn't work. (However, I like it much more upon rewatching.)
Yup, I'm a dog person, and the inclusion of a dog immediately makes things a million times better. When I was a little kid, we had a Newfie-Lab mix who was terrified of loud noises and would try to crawl under beds or (occupied) chairs during thunderstorms. Does Lucy give you similar troubles?
She's in agility classes right now, and every little bump in there freaks her the hell out. It's kind of adorable but at the same time it means she's afraid to try most things (except the tunnel – she friggin' loves going through tunnels!). Mostly I'm trying to reinforce that loud noises are okay by being like "whoa, that was cool!" and giving her a treat whenever a loud noise happens. Thunderstorms don't bother her, but sirens send her cowering into my lap, whining and squirming.
My mother describes her as the most idiosyncratic dog she's ever been around, and I would say that's accurate. She has so many little personality quirks! I think that's the mark of a smart dog, though – all the ones I know that were certifiable geniuses were also awesome little weirdos.
Aww, she sounds adorable. My later childhood dog was quirky as hell, and I loved her for it. I'm gonna agree with your assessment based on my experience, too. At the very least, quirkier dogs are a lot funnier to own. 😀
I'm a cat person, but I love dogs too. It just so happens that my dog's name is Lucy! Technically she's my Dad's dog, and she's rotten to the core. We love her, but we end up saying, "Bad dog" way more often than "good dog." 😛
I couldn't understand what was happening with Romo and his cat, or why he threatened Lee.
If I remember correctly, that part confused a lot of people. I was okay with it, mostly because I love Mark Sheppard FOREVER and am willing to watch any and all of his his scenes dozens of times over until I DRAIN THEM OF ALL MEANING. From what I understand after repeated viewings, Romo's cat had been killed several weeks before the episode takes place, likely by a group of civilians still angry over Baltar's acquittal. The cat who appears all through the episode is a hallucination or projection, similar to Head Six; a re-watch will show you that the cat disappears in any shot that also contains Lee. Lampkin was keeping the remains of the real cat in a duffel under his bed. This state of affairs brought him to a breaking point, and he couldn't stomach the thought of an honest man like Lee bringing hope to the kind of people who would slaughter an innocent animal, and resolved that it would be better for everyone concerned if Lee were to die an honorable death and for the rest of the fleet to come to the nothingness that Romo feels they deserve, rather than being allowed to populate another planet with suffering and evil. Make any kind of sense?
This is how I read it, too. HEAD CAT.
Mark agrees. I AM VALIDATED IN MY OPINION.
Indeed it does. Thanks.
<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v603/sqwonk/tumblr_lsvygewCkn1qetby9.gif"/>
What is going oooooooon. I have no idea where this show is headed at this point and that is NOT a complaint at all. Athena back in a cell! Mysterious Raptors with dead people! Basestar bits! CYLON PREGNANCY (omg will this child be a SUPER CYLON?)??!! ROMO LAMPKIN! President Lee Adama! Other Adama just waiting for Roslin to return <3 ! Upon threat of death I could have predicted…none of these (ok, maybe President Lee Adama, but definitely not the manner in which he becomes president…or his weird hair. Why does he look like a seedy nightclub owner? WHY.)
I’m pretty sure I missed this, but did Adama make any plans to meet back up with Galactica? Is he just going to float in that spot until he runs out of provisions or does he have a deadline like Kara did when she went on her Demetrius mission? If Adama does find Roslin, how are they going to find Galactica again? I was too busy gushing over the adorableness of Adama/Roslin to pay attention to any of the details.
How are you having all the same thoughts as me today? First the dragon bridge. And now Lee's hair. Important things that I concentrate on. I miss military!Lee hair. Also, I miss his scruff from "33".
I bet Adama wouldn't leave until he finds Roslin. Maybe Galactica will send a Raptor to check on him once in a while to see how he's doing. But, yes, the logistics are seriously lacking in explanation.
I know! It's weird o_O I miss military!Lee's hair too! I don't understand why he couldn't have kept it 🙁
i love this gif so much.
I always felt pretty bad for Zarek here. What's the point of having a VP at all if he can't do anything? It also sort of bothered me that out of everyone, Lee Adama is the best choice for President (who has been a Quorum member for like 3 minutes). I guess it just harkens back to Baltar's speech about "can you imagine anyone running this fleet without the last name of Adama?". Guess not. This episode is like a prime example of that.
But on the other hand, Adama is off to get his woman, which more than makes up for any misgivings this episode gives me.
When they started their search for a new president, I thought "Lance!" because he'd be infinitely better than the rest of the candidates. And then it turns out that he was dead all along. Apparently the nomination curse works retroactively now. 🙁
My shipper-heart is glad that Adama is going to wait for Roslin, but I'm also aghast that he left Tigh in charge, not because he's a Cylon, but because how awful he was at it the last time. Christ.
Jake did make things a little sunnier though, and I was wondering what happened to him during the New Caprica exodus. I still hope there's a female dog out there in the fleet somewhere.
yeah well, at least Ellen isn't around to tell him stupid stuff like sending marines onto civilian ships to put down a riot. Also, he isn't drinking quite as much, is he? Did I just make that up?
We haven’t seen him drinking, so I’d say that’s close enough. Maybe he stopped because he doesn’t want to lose control and let something slip.
He also has his Caprica Six visits to distract him as well.
OMG I WANT A CAT PRESIDENT. He could run on a platform of KIBBLES FOR ALL
12-HOUR NAP BREAKS EVERY DAY.
I APPROVE
MOST THINGS ARE BEAUTIFUL AND ONLY A FEW OF THEM HURT! It's a complicated emotion to feel for an episode I'll admit.
Okay things that hurt: Tigh/Six pregnancy. WHYYYY? no we haven't been shown anything but the show just put the thought in my head and…whyyyy? So many things that just make me want to put my head on my desk because it's so fucked up and awkward and whyyy?
Lampkin's breakdown. For only his third episode it's so hard to see him in such a bad place. But YAY more Mark Sheppard! Being awesome again!
Things that are beautfiul: BILL/LAURA IS FINALLY HAPPENING!! Every time he says something about how much he needs her, just, <3<3<3
Grace Park, only three scenes and she continues to be amazing. I'm torn between being charmed and slightly creeped out that she's humming the same lullaby to Hera that Boomer humemd to the Raider though.
JAKE! YAY! Lee acknowledging his status as a Resistance Hero may be one of the smartest things he's ever said. Nobody can deny the awesomness that is Jake!
When did we find out that Six's name was Natalie? Netflix closed captions told me, but they also gave me "Athena" when she and Helo were still stuck on Caprica, so like over a season before the name was actually revealed. I thought this meant that Natalie would survive the gun shots because her name needs to be revealed. Booo. Her death was so sad, but Doc Cottle is kinda awesome.
How in the world is Caprica Six pregnant? Does believing they were human for so long give the Final Five the ability to reproduce with other Cylons? Could it be Baltar's? I don't really know how much time's gone by, but I feel like it's more than it should be for that to be possible (Kara missing for 2 months and then off on Demetrius for another 2). I try to track time by Baltar's hairstyles but that doesn't always work.
I loved Tigh's face when Adama said that he wasn't the same man who returned from New Caprica. It was all, "Huh, that's an understatement."
Also, do Raptors have bathrooms? I think my brain just refuses to try to figure out what's going on because it knows we'll be wrong so instead we focus on hairstyles and indoor plumbing.
I think my brain just refuses to try to figure out what's going on because it knows we'll be wrong so instead we focus on hairstyles and indoor plumbing.
This sounds a lot like what happens during Fringe liveblogs.
changes in hair and makeup are really distracting!
"I try to track time by Baltar's hairstyles but that doesn't always work. "
Can I just say I am FASCINATED by Baltar's hair over time. I should make a graph or something.
PLEASE DO make that graph.
And one for Lee's hair as well. Please.
yes to both of these!
Do it.
Please.
I loved Tigh's face when Adama said that he wasn't the same man who returned from New Caprica. It was all, "Huh, that's an understatement."
Check his face right after that, when Adama says something to the effect of “You've found out a lot about yourself.” He gets this look… I can't even describe it, but it's hysterical.
"When did we find out that Six's name was Natalie?"
We found out from behind the scenes materials and/or the podcast. It's never (so far as I can recall) said onscreen. We just needed something to call her.
It's said in the next episode.
I had a quite inappropriate laugh at "You have any idea how many times I've had to repair this thing?" Yes, Eddie, let's all have a nice laugh about how you destroyed a priceless hundreds-year-old model ship.
Please don't use the word "crazy" on this site.
Oh man, sorry about that. I'm so bad at remembering that rule. That's my second time this week….I apparently need to rework my vocabulary…
Oh my, the image of Adamas lone raptor waiting for Roslin, who may or may not ever return, is just so heartbreakingly beautiful!
Darn it, whenever someone used the phrase 'oh my' I just hear it in George Takei's voice and now I read your whole comment that way.
Hahaha, nooo, now I'll never be able to use that phrase again without hearing that x)
Am I mistaken, or did Adama call Caprica Six a woman after his fight with Tigh?
I knew about Lance's death beforehand (though not when it would happen or if we'd actually see him die), so I was paying close attention to him this episode. I think I counted something like ten physical appearances and/or meows in a little less than twenty minutes, so I was naturally shocked when it was revealed that he'd been dead for weeks. I was wondering if head!Lance will ever make a reappearance (it'd be quite a feat, getting Jake to pretend that there's not a cat in his presence), but I don't doubt that that idea has very limited utility from the writers' standpoint. Poor Lance. 🙁
He said what are you going to do about that woman, so yeah. I almost expected him to force Tigh into a shotgun wedding and "make an honest woman" out of her. What can I say, my brain goes to weird places.
So many plot developments in one episode! Adama resigns, Six is pregnant BY SAUL, and oh, hey…Lee is the new president. Every scene was fraught with subtext and meaning, seemingly more than usual. I'm always proud to be a Battlestar Galactica fan, but this episode had me shouting.
And, as always…Adama and Roslin=my porn. Don't try to stop me from saying it.
p.s. Mark, "excuse the Doctor Who reference?" No, sir. I CELEBRATE THAT REFERENCE AND SALUTE YOU FOR IT.
Oh my Bill/Laura ship!!!! *dies, but the good kind of dies* LOVE!!!! And didn't you ask last review where were puppies?! Ask and you shall receive!! Jake!!
I can't wait for more!!
Oh, Adama. Though I love how determined he is to find the basestar, seriously, jumping Galactica away from the rest of the fleet? Without telling them? Even if it was only for a few seconds, that was an incredibly stupid idea. (Not that it was only Roslin, that is- I’m glad that they didn’t make it like it was all about her, and they didn;t ignore the fact that HALF their pilots were on board. But he still should have been more cautious.) But once he got his act together and realized that it wasn’t worth risking the fleet, and does the responsible thing and steps down- then he gets one of his best moments so far, hands down. He admits that there’s a limit to his realism. He admits that he can’t live without Laura Roslin. (As soon as he said that I knew Mark would be flailing over it. Because I was.) And then he’s in a fight suit and calling himself Husker and saying goodbye to Lee and Starbuck and getting in the raptor and he has Searider Falcon, and I’m just stunned by the boldness of this. It's such a powerful moment, and it makes me feel all the things.
ROMOLAMPKINOMGHE'SBACK. Best recurring character, y/y? I hope whoever killed his cat falls out an airlock and gets eaten by a space shark or something. 🙁
Caprica Six is pregnant. With Tigh’s child. Um. Whut. She’s a cylon. He’s a cylon. Haven’t we been told that Cylon plus Cylon does not equal a bouncing bundle of mechanical joy? Or is this another way that the Final Five are different from other cylons?
Jake! I thought he was dead or left behind on New Caprica! “A genuine hero of the Resistance.” Wait. OMG. YOU GUYS. JAKE IS THE FIFTH CYLON. He just couldn’t join the rest of them when he heard “All Along the Watchtower” because he had been told to sit and stay.
I give Lee and Tigh 24 hours before they start butting heads over how to run the fleet.
"Wait. OMG. YOU GUYS. JAKE IS THE FIFTH CYLON."
That was a very popular theory on the official forum throughout the year-long season four hiatus. There were some great GIFs that I no longer have.
I hope whoever killed his cat falls out an airlock and gets eaten by a space shark or something
THIS! Also lol at the idea of a space shark.
Wait. OMG. YOU GUYS. JAKE IS THE FIFTH CYLON. He just couldn’t join the rest of them when he heard “All Along the Watchtower” because he had been told to sit and stay.
Borrowed from the "Occupation" post from quenstalof:
The dog cylons were created by man.
They sat.
They stayed.
There are many copies.
They would like a walk.
Jake! I thought he was dead or left behind on New Caprica! “A genuine hero of the Resistance.” Wait. OMG. YOU GUYS. JAKE IS THE FIFTH CYLON. He just couldn’t join the rest of them when he heard “All Along the Watchtower” because he had been told to sit and stay.
LOL 😀
I have been waiting oh-so-patiently for you to get to this episode, because I knew it would validate your shipper's heart in the same way it did mine and all the other A/R fans out there. 😀
"Because I can't live without her."
THAT RIGHT THERE. BROKE ME. DEAD. DYING. DEAD.
…that's all.
I'm planning to get a text tattoo of 'Sine Qua Non'.
Just…as soon as I can can work up the courage. Because NEEDLES.
D:
But love this episode. I love it love it love it. I don't even care about anything else that happens in this episode because Roslin and Adama are just so fracking adorable even when one of them isn't even there and they are my perfect beautiful Spaceparents ship and I love them to pieces.
Also, I find Adama weirdly sexy in his flight suit.
I find Adama weirdly sexy most of the time. Like, he shouldn't be that attractive, but I'd tap that.
Edward James Olmos approves of this message
As do I.
I DIDN'T REALIZE IT WAS HEAD!LANCE. EVERYTHING MAKES SENSE NOW.
Two times watching through…seriously, how'd you guys pick up on it? I just thought Lance was still alive and Romo grabbed a random dead cat to disturb Lee. I was so confused when Jake showed up.
Please forgive my inability to be tech-savvy and embed the screen-captures. If you follow the links, however, you'll see, from Romo and Lee's first scene in the episode:
http://28.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lugzbqqgsi1r4a4…
Lee walks by Romo, slowly, and sits down, with the bed next to Lampkin conspicuously empty.
http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lugzbqqgsi1r4a4…
Next, an apparently gratuitous long shot of the cat sitting on the bed to Lampkin's right, and eventually jumping off.
http://26.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lugzbqqgsi1r4a4…
Finally, a wide shot of the two men, with no cat in sight.
The entire sequence takes less than ten seconds. It's one of many small tells throughout the episode, if you care to check.
I realized that the Lance in Romo's room was a hallucination when Lee opened the bag, because there's no way he would've believed it was Lance and that Lance had been dead in the bag for weeks if he had actually seen Lance in the room, but equally there's no way Lee could possibly not have seen Lance in Romo's room (I think he's sitting on the bed when Lee asks where he is, and then he meows loudly and goes straight across the floor to sit underneath a chair) unless Lance wasn't actually there.
I rewatched again just now, and noticed that at the end of Romo's speech to Lance (who's sitting on the bed again), he says "Lance, defense rests," and then grabs the bag that he normally carries Lance in while telling him to "come on." But Romo never actually let Lance get in the bag (in fact, I think the bag was zipped up the entire time)
because he knows that Lance is already inside.:Cis it too obscure to call for a Racetrack party? cause in case ya'll hasn't noticed she's always in the most dangerous situations and missions. according to her BSG Wiki:
"Moore stated that… writers and staff joked that Edmondson was the character whom passengers would want to ride with if they wanted to go on wild adventures and come back alive. The joke revolved around the number of discoveries and near-death experiences Edmondson had faced, not to mention being the first human to see the inside of a Basestar."
she's a boss.
RACETRACK PARTY!!!
Leah Cairns = win. I am onboard for the party.
Hagvy… jryy, yrg gung or.
Caprica Six/Tigh storyline and her pregnancy is one of BSG's major missteps for me. It just feels so unnecessary and random.. especially since up until this point, I've always felt like we were supposed to OTP Caprica Six and Baltar even though he is a total asshole.
Seriously, my major hates for BSG = Black Market, Lee's treatment of Dualla, the Adama wife flashback episode, and the Capica Six/Tigh story.
It's so exciting that I don't have to rot13 any of that anymore. HOME STRETCH OMGGGGGG.
I had some of the same reaction to Caprica/Tigh, since yeah Caprica/Baltar is kind of framed as one of the series major pairings. It's like cognitive dissonance — Caprica or Baltar emotionally invested in another love interest? WHAT IS THIS EVEN.
But I kind of feel like this is an emotional journey that's good for Caprica. And since she is one of my favorites, I like seeing her have connections with other characters, not just Baltar (as much as I do personally enjoy their dysfunctional relationship). And it helps continue to humanize Caprica, while giving Tigh a small step towards his rejected Cylon roots.
I agree about it being a major misstep. I don't even know what we're supposed to think here. It just squicks me out. And does this mean they have god's true love or whatever, since they were able to get pregnant? Because I don't for a second believe that Tigh is really in love with Caprica Six–he's in love with Ellen's ghost basically. And Six, I don't know why Six would love Tigh, except that Six seems to love everyone and want to be close to everyone, but SHE LOVES BALTAR, come on.
Ahhhhh! This episode caused so much screaming at my screen. No Lee! You can't be president. Can't you see that you're creating a dictatorship? No matter how many pretty, democratic-looking institutions you create, if at the end of the day its always the same guy (or his kids or grandkids) in charge, then you don't have a democracy. Especially when the group selecting the leaders keeps getting smaller and more select. And, by the way, when there's a constitutionally designated person next in line for the presidency (cough Zarek cough) and you decide to bypass him for someone else, then not only do you have a dictatorship, but you have a dictatorship by coup. Congratulations on crapping on a free and open form of government you arrogant, entitled, $#%@.
And Adama! You're waiting for Roslin! WE KNEW IT! Ha! We totally knew. Okay, okay, so that one was a gimme on the shows part. But still. Our ship has been totally and completely validated in cannon. Hurrah!
I actually don't mind too much about Lee becoming president simply BECAUSE it's the same episode as Adama stepping down. And presumably if they get Laura back, she'll return to being prez and Adama will return to commanding the military. So there's only ever one Adama in charge. 😛
I also kind of think of this as a temporary stopgap because there's no way they can have free and open democracy UNTIL they get settled somewhere and aren't constantly on the run for their lives. Then they can start electing people, people whose names are not Adama.
"I think it’s Tigh who is projecting Ellen on to her." This is how I read it too, that he hasn't healed from losing Ellen, from the guilt of what he did to Ellen (can he ever heal from that?) and he misses her terribly, and Six reminds him of Ellen just enough that this … weird borderline obsession has sprung up. And yeah, it's sad. Sad and a touch creepy.
Dude … you Colonial guys … it's kind of gross that you're increasingly concentrating power in a closed inner circle who are all tied to each other in some way. Seriously. Not very cool at all. Rfcrpvnyyl fvapr va n srj rcvfbqrf jura Tnrgn yrnqf n pbhc jr nyy guvax ubj onq naq greevoyr ur vf (naq V jnf qrsvavgryl guvaxvat gung gbb) (rgn: bxnl znlor abg ubj ONQ ur vf, ohg jung n gentvp naq zvfthvqrq qrpvfvba vg jfn sbe uvz gb znxr) jvgubhg ernyvmvat gung jr *whfg fnj* Ynzcxva naq Yrr cresbez n pbhc, gurvef whfg unccrarq gb or oybbqyrff.
ADAMA. YOU CANNOT PUT A MOTHER IN THE BRIG AWAY FROM HER BABY INDEFINITELY. Just no.
Count me in as one of the people confused as hell about the cat. I knew there was *something* weird going on about the cat, during the episode, because there were so many apparently gratuitous shots and mentions of it. But it was all really subtle, too subtle I thought (wonder if there were more scenes that ended up cut, that would have made it clearer) and at the reveal both my spouse and I were left going "Wait … so … he only saw the cat in his head the whole time …?" rather than "OH OF COURSE! He was only seeing the cat IN HIS HEAD the whole time omg."
"I can't live without her." BRB BAWLING.
Tigh's obsession with Six-as-Ellen is sad and creepy, but what makes it much worse for me is the fact that she's pregnant and they've established that Cylons can only get pregnant through ~true love~ or whatever. How can he love Six if he's seeing her as Ellen? SMH at you, BSG.
“Dude … you Colonial guys … it's kind of gross that you're increasingly concentrating power in a closed inner circle who are all tied to each other in some way. Seriously. Not very cool at all. Rfcrpvnyyl fvapr va n srj rcvfbqrf jura Tnrgn yrnqf n pbhc jr nyy guvax ubj onq naq greevoyr ur vf (naq V jnf qrsvavgryl guvaxvat gung gbb) jvgubhg ernyvmvat gung jr *whfg fnj* Ynzcxva naq Yrr cresbez n pbhc, gurvef whfg unccrarq gb or oybbqyrff.”
Such an excellent point.
Of course, that's the genius of this show – that you do initially react in these ways that line up with your personal biases, but if you stop to think for just a single moment (and this is obviously the sort of show you do a lot of thinking about) all of your assumptions crumble as you realize the truth of the matter. I'll never stop loving the Adama-Roslin Military-Political Complex, yet I can't help but recognize just how awful and tyrannical these protagonists can be. And I LOVE this show for forcing me to have to admit this.
Zarek's President? THIS SHOULD END WELL
I'm glad Adama is mad at Sharon. Sharon shouldn't have shot a random Six who was OBVIOUSLY NOT the same Six as in her visions. I mean, I get why she's like NOBODY IS EVER TAKING MY BABY AWAY AGAIN but seriously that was an awful move on your part, Athena.
Adama is like I AM FUCKING SICK OF PEOPLE MAKING AWFUL DECISIONS BASED ON 'A VISION'
Lee told the Quorum that his dad isn't going to cooperate? THIS SHOULD END WELL
Seriously though why does everyone act like Lee should always know what his dad is going to do at all times?
KITTY
Aw, Romo's tiny little window into space.
Tigh is like "you want me to ask a Cylon who sometimes wears the face of my dead wife about tactical issues?"
Six wearing Ellen's face is STILL CREEPY. GAH.
I like the way they're doing this episode–give us the fleet's PoV only, without giving us any idea what's going on on the Basestar or where it is or whatever. And then when they find the shot-out Raptor with a dead guy inside… *shudder*
Seriously Adama? You're going to jump away and leave the fleet totally undefended? You suck. Season One Laura never would have allowed this.
Kitty…?
UGH NOOOO. WHYYYY. SIX DON'T BE PREGNANT THIS IS WAY TOO CREEPY AND AWFUL. TIGH WHAT ARE YOU EVEN DOING. TIIIIGH
Also I just now notice that in close-up Tigh's eyepatch looks like a giant band-aid that's been folded over and is held on his head by a rubber band
Poor model ship.
Hee, President Lee <3
This is the awful part where we find out the kitty was dead the whole time. WHY. WHY KILL THE KITTY. KITTIES ARE AWESOME.
Look, I volunteer for the Humane Society. I foster kittens who are too young or too sick to be adopted. Do you know how much time I spend regretting that I can't save more of the uncountable numbers of sick, abandoned, unwanted cats out there? Do you know how sad I get when I find out that cats I've only gotten to know through blogs and flickr–cats I have NEVER MET–have died? Don't kill cats, show. IT DOES THINGS TO ME.
Jake the Hero Dog! <3
Romo is like LOOK, I AM NOT A DOG PERSON. Hee hee.
So the point of this episode is: Adama can't live without Laura. Athena can't live without Hera. Romo can't live without his kitty cat. Tigh, apparently, can't live without Caprica Six? Yeah, still don't get that. Zarek can't live without being a jerk and whining about elections. Lee can't live without making moral speeches. Natalie can't live without a functioning heart. I could do this all day.
OMG I literally just found out that the Six was called Natalie. I WISH I’D KNOWN THAT EARLIER.
MARK, people were just trying not to spoil you!
Cottle continues to win at best person on this damn show because he tries his best to fix Natalie and holds her hand as she dies. He has always treated Cylons (medically) as well as people, which makes sense because their bodies are basically identical so as a doctor he'd see them the same way.
Mark I love that you like both cats and dogs. YOU ARE A PERSON AFTER MY OWN PET-LOVING HEART.
I also love "the man who waited." Perfect reference and perfect ending to this episode.
'Aw, Romo's tiny little window into space. '
When he said 'a room with a view' I really expected him to continue with 'and a staircase and a pond.' Although considering the fact that this is BSG, they would have skipped directly to 'A Room With a View of Hell! Staircase of Satan! Pond of Death…' (I can just picture Romo Lampkin arranging matches…)
(Look, I might, possibly, absolutely adore Eddie Izzard.)
Eddie Izzard is ALWAYS RELEVANT. Haven't we established this? 🙂
I watched the 2005 Pride & Prejudice in theaters and there's a moment where Darcy literally just opens the door and LOOKS at Elizabeth and they have so many FEELINGS but they're not SAYING anything, and I turned to my friend next to me and whispered "what is it Sebastian, I'm arranging matches…" and we both collapsed into laughter. Probably annoying everyone else in the theater. 😀
That's an amazingly awesome story.
One of my roommates just happened to have the exact same favorite movie (which is how we knew we'd like each other – facebook's useful for something, at least) which just so happens to be…A Room With A View (and A Staircase and A Pond). She's the one who introduced me to the awe-inspiring genius that is Eddie Izzard (and gee, I wonder which sketch she showed me first…).