In the fifteenth episode of the third season of Battlestar Galactica, Adama’s past is paralleled with a horrifying situation onboard the Galactica when an airlock seals two crew members inside. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to watch Battlestar Galactica.
I have a lot of things to feel about “A Day in the Life,” and many of those emotions came to the forefront simply during the “Previously On…” segment. Generally, I skip them, as they tend to clue me in to the narrative focus for the upcoming episode, but I was watching with a friend and ended up seeing the ones attached to this particular story. There was a lot of Cally and Tyrol, and the first thought that popped into my head was, “Well, shit, one of them is going to die this episode.”
I’m at a point in this series where I have stopped feeling that anyone who is not a primary character is safe from death. And the primary characters themselves are certainly not safe from tragedy, either. On top of this, I have a new terrifying fear planted in my brain because of the events of “Rapture”: one of the characters that I see on this show is a Cylon, and they either have no idea that this is the case, or they’ve been deceiving everyone the entire time. When you combine these two thoughts of imminent death and Cylon deception, and then you watch the first five minutes of “A Day in the Life,” everything is wrong and awful and terrible and what might have been a slow, yet insightful episode, turns into an exercise of self-inflicted suspense.
Without this context, I don’t know that I would have enjoyed this episode quite as much; my opinion might change on a re-watch, but for now, I think this episode is a fascinating addition to season three. Besides giving us a much-needed look into the marriage of Tyrol and Cally (and explaining why Tyrol was at that bar so often a few episodes ago), we finally get to see what Admiral Adama’s ex-wife was like and how that marriage shaped his character. In fact, marital relationships are contrasted throughout this story as Adama parallels what is happening to Tyrol and Cally with what he went through.
Now….I have nothing insightful to say about marriage. I don’t! I grew up genuinely believing I could never get married, so I never wanted it. I still don’t. If the Defense of Marriage Act was repealed tomorrow, and then Idris Elba asked me to marry him, I would….okay, wait, that’s a terrible example. I would do whatever he asked me to. Ridiculous hypothetical aside, I’ve lived a life believing marriage was for everyone but me. I’ve known I was gay since I was very young, and the institution of marriage was meant for one man and one woman–at least, that’s what was drilled into my head. Knowing that I wanted to be with men (well, boys at the time….I wasn’t dreaming of sugar daddies when I was seven), I just gave up on any hope of being married.
So when I watch “A Day in the Life,” and I hear Cally say that their relationship is different because they’re married, or when I hear Tyrol say he wants to “work” on his marriage, it is akin to a person rattling off theoretical equations in quantum physics. I don’t know what this means. I genuinely have no clue how it changes a relationship. How do you “work” on a marriage? Is it like a car? WHAT THE FUCK DID I JUST TYPE?
What I do understand is that when Cally and Tyrol got trapped in that airlock, I knew that they’d have to face the problems they were discussing in the cold open, that they were overworked, that their child was essentially being raised in daycare. (There is daycare aboard the Galactica??? Did I miss this before?)
I will admit to being slightly distracted the entire episode by the exponentially-increasing fear that this was the end for Cally or Tyrol. Well, it’s not even that; as the episode pressed on, I started believing that both of them would die. It’s a scary thought because Tyrol is so nonchalant about the existence of a leak in the airlock until he patches over it and a larger hole appears in its place. The thing is, I didn’t know if there was more story to tell with them. Like Kat’s final episode, it seemed that the show could go on with a tragedy befalling this couple’s child, left alone on Galactica. And I hated admitting that, that it was totally possible for both characters to die in a single episode. It certainly made for a thrilling story, but it was agonizing at the same time. I truthfully enjoy both Tyrol and Cally, and Cally always feels criminally underused by this show; now, getting the chance to be in the spotlight, would this be her final performance?
All of this is rather brilliantly framed through the eyes of Admiral Adama. I admit to being horrifically shocked when we see a glimpse of a blonde woman sleeping in Adama’s bunk. UM WHY IS THAT NOT PRESIDENT ROSLIN. HOW DARE YOU RUIN MY SHIP. But then, when XO Tigh arrives, she seems to have disappeared. WHAT. WHAT??? Did I imagine that?
But after the Tyrols are trapped in the airlock, we start to get flashbacks of Adama when he was still married. Well, I thought they were flashbacks, but that’s not the right term, is it? Because Adama can control and operate in these memories from the present. But are they even memories? I thought. It didn’t take long for a horrible thought to creep into my brain: Admiral Adama was experiencing the same “projections” that Baltar and Caprica Six had. Oh god, he’s not a Cylon, is he? But he couldn’t be. We’d seen his past, and the show would retcon that out, would they? WHAT IF IT’S ALL A LIE.
I think “A Day in the Life” makes it clear that it’s a combination of memory and a coping mechanism for Admiral Adama. In Cally and Tyrol, he sees the choice to work hard over spending time with children, something he himself was guilty of with his own children, especially Lee. The episode suggests pretty heavily that this is why Adama is so distant, why he’s not quick to be affectionate, and why Lee isn’t used to positive praise from his father.
Yet my favorite aspect of Adama’s “visits” to his ex-wife concern President Roslin. ARE YOU AT ALL SURPRISED BY THAT. The Adama/Roslin shipper in me gets so much material to work with in “A Day in the Life,” starting with the chance to see the two flirt with one another and just be goddamn cute. Of course, Roslin has no idea of the turmoil in Adama’s brain, but I’m okay with that. She’s a perceptive woman, but she’s tired and OBE, as Adama puts it. Plus, the real shit hasn’t quite happened yet, and after it does, Adama and Roslin have a much more meaningful conversation.
When it becomes clear that the hole in the hull of the ship is intensely serious, we are given an impossible solution, and I resigned myself to tragedy. As much as I wanted to believe that the two could survive under ten seconds of exposure to deep space, I have to admit that there’s not much room for hope on this show. WHICH I DEEPLY LOVE, BY THE WAY. But I’ve had to adapt over time when watching Battlestar Galactica, similar to how I’ve had to adapt to reading A Song of Ice and Fire. This is a bleak and brutal universe with a frightfully accurate take on humanity. But even that aside, the reality of a space-borne diaspora is that things break down and people die because of it. The universe doesn’t give a shit that Cally and Tyrol are in love, nor that they have an extremely young child. And I could sit here and wax poetically about the existential nature of deep space and start comparing it to Firefly, but instead, let’s just spell this shit out: there is no reason these two can’t die.
This episode does not ignore this reality, and as Adama shares the plan with the couple, listening to them apologize to one another for their failures as parents, we are not treated to a hopeful and exciting rescue attempt. Instead, everything feels like a depressing disaster. No one rushes in to be a superhero, screaming FUCK YEAH LET’S DO THIS. Starbuck and Athena act as if this is the end. It’s not like they feel as if they aren’t skilled enough; the fact of the matter is that even if they get Cally and Tyrol into their open Raptor quick enough, the two will still have been exposed for more time than any human should. (All this made me think about was how horrible Jammer’s death must have been.)
I honestly expected one of the two Tyrol’s to accidentally let go, or for one of them to slam against Athena’s Raptor, or for both of them to just miss the ship all together. So you can imagine how pleasantly surprised (AND RELIEVED) I was when they both make it inside the Raptor in one piece. Oh. So they didn’t die. This is good! The show doesn’t ignore that even though the mission is a success, though, that doesn’t mean the two survive. So when I see Cally in a hyperbaric chamber, all I can think of is, “YOU BETTER NOT DIE I WILL NOT FORGIVE YOU, SHOW. And then I made a bunch of hideous faces when Tyrol holds up his son to the glass and Cally touches her hand to it and Battlestar Galactica, what the fuck are you doing to me. Stop it. Oh my god, you are making me feel so many things and it hurts why why why.
So. I am glad Cally and Tyrol are alive. I need to say that. I would have been a hot fucking mess had either one of them died. Just no.
And at the same time, I felt all of these wonderful things after getting chance to see a more ~sensitive~ side of Admiral Adama. I approve of all attempts to dissect and analyze the man’s masculinity; for him, his fatherhood is directly tied to that. Inspired by what he witnessed with Cally and Tyrol, he decides to confront his son. Well, I’m not sure if “confront” is the correct word. Haunted by the fact that perhaps he did make the wrong choice all those years ago, he needs to know if his son believes that Carolanne is indeed truthful in claiming that he was never around.
There’s a lot of daddy issues surround Lee’s behavior, but this is a chance for him to have control in the dynamic, and I’m glad that, at the very least, Admiral Adama doesn’t do much of anything to refute what his son tells him: he wasn’t there for his sons, and his ex-wife really wasn’t there for them either. I complained that the love square business going on in season three is getting tiresome, so allow me to compliment this: despite that we’ve revisited the relationship between Admiral Adama and his son many times, this does not feel repetitive at all. If anything, the new dynamic to this discussion leaves Adama more vulnerable than we’ve ever seen him before.
And it’s with that in mind that the end of “A Day in the Life” takes my shipper heart and warmly caresses it. A day has eclipsed in the life of Admiral Adama, and he ends that day with another briefing with President Roslin. More so than ever before, we are made aware of the fact that the two are in positions of authority, and that they must be careful about what they are doing, lest they be charged with an inappropriate intimate relationship. While I would love nothing more than for these two to be together, I can’t deny the fascinating tension that exists between them that allows them to flirt with one another, to bend the rules a bit. They both want one another, but they hide that behind hypothetical questions.
Well, Roslin doesn’t hide by the end of it. By telling Adama that she would have built that cabin on New Caprica, it feels like an invitation. She is confirming to him that her feelings for him are real. And I melt in my seat and everything is beautiful and nothing hurts. NOTHING.
Sorry guys, this isn't going to be BSG related, I just felt the need to share something.
My 6th-form college is hosting a "zombie day" event tomorrow; basically a halloween-themed costume day. A few of my friends and I decided that we weren't going to go in haloween costume, we'd rather "suit up" instead. I've been having some serious anxiety and self-image issues lately, and I figured that this was just what I needed, as dressing in a suit is one of the only things that can make me feel completely at ease in my own skin. Now for one reason or another, my friends have all gone off the idea and decided to simply go in their normal clothes, putting me in kind of a mood. I had the idea to go ahead with it anyway, but started to get really nervous. I didn't want to feel so singled out, so alienated. After worrying about this for a few hours, I got a sudden image in my head of Mark typing FUCK THE HATERS in that glouriously inflated all-caps font, and my insecurities vanished in an instant. Thank you Mark, for once again being an inspiration and having a positive effect on my life. And yeah, FUCK THE HATERS! I'm gonna wear a suit tommorow, and I'm gonna feel awesome.
That’s right, haters may take note of the left hand evacuation procedure.
I definitely use clothing as a costume on a regular basis. Besides, everyone looks snazzy in a suit.
Suiting up is the BEST. You will be LEGEN – wait for it – DARY. You will outclass everyone there. Also, zombie day sounds like the best thing ever. Infinite jealousy!
That sounds like so much fun! Always FRACK THE HATERS. ;P
Awww, this time of the year always makes me feel so sad though, because all my American internet chums are chatting excitedly about their costumes for Halloween and no-one over here bothers at all…I'd love to live in a country where Halloween is actually a big deal. I love dressing up!
I've never even been trick-or-treating. We don't get any trick-or-treaters at the door either. 🙁
I just carve my sad little pumpkin all by myself and then my mum always makes pumpkin pie out of the inside because she hates wasting food and I can't stand pumpkin pie.
OH GOD FIRST WORLD CHILDHOOD TRAUMA.
Aw, I'm sorry. I have a German friend who spent half of her life here in the US, and since she's gone back to Germany for school she's been trying to spread her love of Halloween to her friends (not terribly successfully, but it's fun!). Maybe you'll be able to rope your friends into a Halloween party?
Also, have you tried roasted pumpkin seeds? Those are yummy.
American Halloween dressing isn't all it's cracked up to be. It always kind of depresses me to go into a costume store and see that the vast majority of costumes for women are "Sexy X" while the men's are just "X."
Oh, I'm so glad you're going to do it!
Everyone looks awesome in a suit. So much class. So much charm. So much schnazz. Rock it.
Have a fun day tomorrow 🙂
In the original script, Adama's scenes with Carolanne were in the form of flashbacks, and Lee appeared. We learned that Lee was born less than 9 months after the wedding ("I can read a calendar, Dad"), which explains his negative reaction to Gianne getting pregnant.
BTW, I did the math (well, actually, the writing), and it serendipitously happens that if your first Buffy review is up on a Monday, then, given a day for a prediction post for each season after the first and no delays, your 7.22 review will be up on a Friday, all nice and neat.
Oh man, I cannot wait for Mark to start watching Buffy!!!!!!!!
Did you see Anthony Head on Craig Ferguson last week? It was almost as beautiful as when Eddie Izzard in on that show. In any case, here, have a present (no Buffy spoilers, I promise):
[youtube XTHseWv9rEk http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XTHseWv9rEk youtube]
Is. *is* on that show. Dang it, I can use proper grammar, I promise.
Who's Gianne? That episode never happened, remember? 😉
I really love how this show gives the atmosphere of "no one is safe!" so I was genuinely STRESSED OUT the entire time, wondering if Cally or Chief Tyrol or both would die. I hate when you just KNOW that the characters are going to get out all right, and so there really is not that sense of tension that there should be. In this case, I watched the entire episode with a stomach ache (and that's a compliment!).
SPACEPARENTS.
EVEN ADAMA'S DEAD EX-WIFE SHIPS IT.
I'm just sayin'.
And the deleted scene from this epi with Dee and Gaeta proves they're not AR shippers, though they totally should be, since spaceparents are the best thing ever.
THEY DON'T APPROVE??????
A bonus/deleted scene from the episode of Dee and Gaeta gossiping about Spaceparents.
[youtube zHQcmrbWRcI http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zHQcmrbWRcI youtube]
(Beware of potential spoilers in related videos)
Awww Dee and Gaeta being giggly and friendly, even if it is while making fun of Spaceparents, is nice.
I love Dee and Gaeta being friends. (I think I have a BFF obsession with this show.) I bet they gossip all the time and have many long suffering conversations about everyone else.
<img src="http://i52.tinypic.com/2mmbdll.gif" border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic">
Hehe, that's my head canon! And thanks for posting the outtake, it's adorable.
AWWWWWW I love how grossed out they are. 😛
I mean, from Dee's expression, it's gotta be like imagining your Dad hooking up with someone.
Well he is her father in law so it's pretty close really.
I AM SO DISAPPOINT even though Dee and Gaeta are super adorable bffs <3 BSG needs more adorable moments of them together
Love that scene!
Dee and Gaeta…how could you let me down like this?
I had to rely on the subtitles during that last scene with Roslin and Adama because I was shouting, "JUST KISS ALREADY!" at my screen so loudly that I couldn't hear them speaking. I will go down with this ship, etc etc.
<img src="http://i56.tinypic.com/2dtmxci.gif" border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic">
Pilots as BFFs is the best. I'm just happy to see them all happy and getting along for a change.
I kind of see this episode as almost the other half of ‘Unfinished Business’ with Cally and Chief facing and accepting that things are different and they can’t act like they did before New Caprica. It feels particularly similar in terms of Adama’s story and trying to separate himself from everyone else under the guise of Admiral.
’Like that night on New Caprica, that's really what we are talking about here now, isn't it?’
‘That, and other times.’
‘So if the Cylons hadn't come back?’
‘But they did. We have certain responsibilities.’
‘Yes, we do. And I will be back in a few days, and if you'd like, we can… talk more about that night. Bill? The answer's yes. I absolutely would've built the cabin.’
<img src="http://i52.tinypic.com/23uu748.gif" border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic">
I love the way Adama says 'That, and other times'. Like nope, it wasn't just because he was high and she was wearing that red dress, he basically wants her 24/7.
I ship it so hard it's not even funny.
I ship it so hard it's not even funny.
So say we all.
Adama/Roslin shipping is universal. There is no more adorable couple that those two, and their “will they/won’t they” is totally legit and not made of drah-ma.
As for the childcare – I guess the creators finally realized that they had several kids running around while their parents were taking care of all the problems, and that they needed to come up with some explanation as to where they were off-screen.
Bu, yrg’f fnir nyy bs gur gentrql sbe arkg frnfba. Cbbe Pnyyl.
'I admit to being horrifically shocked when we see a glimpse of a blonde woman sleeping in Adama’s bunk. UM WHY IS THAT NOT PRESIDENT ROSLIN. HOW DARE YOU RUIN MY SHIP.'
'And I melt in my seat and everything is beautiful and nothing hurts. NOTHING.'
I love you and your shippiness Mark.
"I genuinely have no clue how it changes a relationship. How do you “work” on a marriage? Is it like a car? WHAT THE FUCK DID I JUST TYPE?"
Relatedly, I don't get bachelor parties, or at least the way they're usually portrayed in fiction – a "last chance" for the soon-to-be-shackled-by-marriage male to enjoy the company of his male friends and a stripper. If marriage is such a ball-and-chain, why get married in the first place?
Basically, I don't get marriage and the various associated concepts.
Or, rather, I get the idea of marriage (not of bachelor parties) but the way it makes people behave often baffles me.
(Somebody explain it to me? >.>)
I totally concur.
I read a book on marriage which postulated that now, in today's society where many people opt out of marrriage, it's made marriage actually richer. He postulated that many people who are getting married now are doing so because they choose to be in a lifelong relationship with another person, not just because it's what society expects them to do.
Mind you, it was just a book of his opinions with no statistical data or relevant studies. 😉 Gah, sometimes it sucks to be a technical mind. 😀
"I genuinely have no clue how it changes a relationship. How do you “work” on a marriage? Is it like a car? WHAT THE FUCK DID I JUST TYPE?"
Here's just some of my thoughts on this. 4 months into marriage, what the hell do I know…
To work on a marriage…basically, it's the exact same thing as working on a long-term relationship. Sometimes it means realizing that different people have different communication styles, or ways that they like to show/receive affection (some people like gifts, some like acts of service, for example). Sometimes it's bringing up old baggage that really needs to be dealt with. Sometimes it's just realizing that work/life are starting to take priority over one's significant other and a reality check to put the relationship back in focus. Sometimes it's just not taking another person for granted.
Basically, a marriage is just a committed long-term relationship…the ceremony doesn't do anything special.
On a related note, I attended my husband's grandparents' 65th wedding anniversary on the weekend. It was awesome and utterly full of food. I wanna have one too. 😀
Ok, this is going to sound really weird, but has anyone played the game 'Dragon Age:Origins'? Because I've been playing it a lot recently, and your description of how to work on marriage sounds exactly like how you have to work to gain approval with your party members in the game.
Some characters like certain types of gift…some will disapprove of you if you make a bad decision…some are more openly affectionate than others…sometimes it helps to talk to them about their past to resolve their old issues…
Wait, is real life actually like video games after all??? Has everyone been lying to me?! I KNEW these skills would come in handy one day!
I haven't, but that sounds AWESOME! That's Bioware, right? 😀 Heh, yep, basically the same skills one'd need to build a good relationship. Hmm…kinda reminds me of the 'date' scene in Final Fantasy VII…
I'm crudely summarizing the 'five love languages': physical contact, gifts, acts of service, words of praise, quality time. Most everyone has one that they like to give and/or receive most. 😀
"Wait, is real life actually like video games after all??? "
I just wish we had save points. XD
Yep, it's Bioware. As all the best games are! (huge Bioware stan over here)
It's my favourite game in the history of all time and everyone should play it!
Mark Plays Final Fantasy VII…
I can dream.
Mark Plays Dragon Age: Origins….
;P
Or perhaps, 'Mark Films Every Second Of His Day Because Anything Mark Does Is Fascinating To Us'.
Mark Brushes His Teeth!
Sometimes when I'm making small talk it'll feel like a chore that I do only because it's a social norm, and I imagine these talks as though I'm in The Sims accumulating relationship points with the person I'm talking to in order to keep them as a friend (or to newly become friends).
Making this analogy is one of the only ways I can bear utterly pointless small talk, so I welcome using video games to mentally process things like interpersonal relationships.
Oh, I totally do the same thing! Plus, when I'm really tired, I can just see my energy bar slowly going down.
If someone is in a bad mood, I sometimes imagine the giant red floaty-cystal thing above their head too. 😛
It's possible I was exposed to too much of The Sims when I was young. That might explain why I have a fear of someone removing the steps when I'm in a swimming pool…
Ooo, that's so Scott Pilgrim… 😀
…I should play The Sims, apparently.
I have seriously and entirely used video games systems such as DA:O as a basis to explain to my husband (of four years, relationship of 10) how to value doing me favors. “Doing something outside of the house? 1 pt. Doing something that I prefer to do? x2 multiplier. Suggesting it, rather than going along with my idea? +5 pts. This is romance.” It’s simplified our relationship, because he understands what I want!
In my circle of friends (who all seem to be getting married this year), the bachelor/bachelorette parties are mostly just an excuse to hang out and party. And to actually spend time with the bride or groom as an individual instead of as half of a couple. I've never really seen it as one last hurrah, just another reason to have a good time.
In practice they seem to run the gamut from a wild weekend in Vegas with strip clubs and burlesque shows to renting a cabin and visiting some wineries to hanging out at someone's house with good friends, music, and beer.
Is it wrong that I'm thankful for the Cylon genocide bringing Roslin and Adama together? (Yes, but I don't care.) They may have never really interacted if it weren't for them being among the only survivors, and the trials they've endured as the leaders of humanity have shaped them to be perfect for each other (except they have other obligations, causing my shipping heart pain.) I hope they get that cabin eventually.
Is it wrong that I'm thankful for the Cylon genocide bringing Roslin and Adama together?
If it's wrong then I don't want to be right.
My ship works, forget everyone else.
I'm not really sure what to say about this episode that Mark hasn't already said. HEEE so much Bill/Laura shippy goodness. It's pretty much out in the open now that they totally want each other and EEEE. Laura laughing during their first briefing, Mary McDonnell's laughter is so charming (well okay it's not as chamring as Grace Park's but it's still very lovely).
Nf zhpu nf V ungr gur yngre erirny Pnyyl'f vafvfgnapr ba abg univat cvybgf gnxr pner bs Avpxl vf vagrerfgvat naq zvtug rkcynva jul fur xrcg Avpxl njnl sebz Ubgqbt. Be V'z whfg qrfcrengryl gelvat gb znxr zlfrys srry orggre nobhg gung ovg bs cbfg-zbegrz punenpgre nffnffvangvba.
(There is daycare aboard the Galactica??? Did I miss this before?)
I think Athena mentioned, or at least implied, Hera was there in the previous episode. I know they're not really the same age but I'm totally going to assume Hera and Nicky are playmates, it's a cute mental image leave me alone.
I love this episode. The tension that builds up during the duration of the Tyrols' predicament is physically sick-making; I think that the first time I saw the bit where the heavy debris from the blasted door strikes the waiting raptor, I literally screamed and jumped in my seat. What does this show do to me? Even with both of them living through the events of the episode, those events are truly painful to watch, on both an emotional and physical level. I really enjoy Cally and Tyrol's relationship, since I feel that, in a way, it's the romantic BSG pairing with the least drama, while simultaneously depicting the unpleasant realities of marriage and parenthood in a post-apocalyptic scenario. I also adore that they are both "average"-looking by Hollywood standards, giving us yet another example of beautiful realism on BSG. On a related note, I never really started hating Jacob from TwoP until I read his hideous, misogynistic treatment of Cally, as both a character and an individual. I disliked him for some unacceptable statements I felt he had made in various Doctor Who recaps, but his treatment of Cally pushed me over the edge into loathing him. That's right, mess with Cally and I WILL WOUND YOU. She is awesome.
I think Jacob actually influenced me to dislike Cally, because I thought Jacob was a genius and his opinions were Always Right (yeah, not so much anymore), and this time around I don't dislike her as much because I am forming my own opinion about her. She's still not my favorite, but I don't hate her.
I didn't actually really enjoy this episode, I don't know why. Maybe I'm prejudiced against the introduction of previously unseen blond women (see: nameless girl who wants to have Lee's kid in Black Market). Maybe I just don't want to consider the idea that Adama is a Cylon. Whatever, I'm looking forward to the next episode, whatever it is.
Another reason why I may not have enjoyed this episode is because, for some reason, I just did not believe that Cally or the Chief would die. I don't know why I had this feeling as BSG has shown they're perfectly willing to kill people off, such as Boomer in episode 2.4. But I just always assumed they both would live. The only time I had a moment of doubt was when we saw the hyperbaric (?) chamber in the sick bay. It looks suspiciously like a casket (why there'd be a casket in the sick bay instead of the morgue, I don't know). But then we saw the chief was in a normal room so I thought everything was okay. Then he took Nicky to the chamber and I started mentally freaking out, "Why are you showing your son your wife's lifeless body, Chief?!" Oh, she's sleeping. Never mind. So the worry didn't hit me until about 40 minutes in. I don't know what's up with my brain – I did sleep for 12 hours almost right after I saw this episode, so that might say something about what state my brain was in while watching.
As for Adama being a Cylon…I'm watching with Mark so I know nothing, but didn't Leoben whisper that Adama was a Cylon to Roslin? Of course, we've seen time and time again that he lies (e.g. to Starbuck about KC). And that the Cylon's don't know the faces of the Final Five except for the Threes who were so conveniently boxed. But it would make sense for D'Anna to apologize to Adama if he was one of the cloaked figures she saw. Interesting, interesting.
Oh and past EJO in photo looks very much like Hot Dog (can't look up names, spoilers!). Family resemblance was very apparent in this episode!
The scenes with Adama and his wife seem off to me. They do feel like the projections that Baltar has with Head!Six, except that Adama doesn't have any trouble interacting with the real world. And they aren't exactly memories, either. It just seems like a really strange and unrealistic way to present that story. But maybe that's just me. I did like the little detail that Adama uses memory exercises to remember the names of his entire crew.
Did anyone else pick up on the hints that Carol Anne was bipolar? It adds an interesting twist to the whole dynamic. Unless I just read too much into her mood swings. But if she was, it seems like maybe Adama didn't pick up on it, or was in denial or something.
I love the Cally/Chief story. And I totally get their marriage problems. They went from being boss/employee and friends to being married. But the bulk of their marriage until now was down on New Caprica where Chief wasn't Cally's boss. Then back on the Galactica, Chief thinks they can just go back to the way they were before and Cally's trying to get him to see that their dynamic is fundamentally different now. She wants to put family first and Chief doesn't really know how to do that. I don't think this situation is necessarily unique to marriage. The shift in power could have come about simply because they were dating. The fact that they're married with a kid puts more pressure on them to figure their relationship out, rather than simply walking away from it.
Bu zl Tbq, Ubg Qbt vf pbzcynvavat bs n enfu. Naq Uryb jnf vzcylvat gung vg jnf frkhnyyl eryngrq, gubhtu gung pbhyq unir orra n wbxr. Naq ur naq Pnyyl nyernql purngrq bapr. Vf guvf fbzr fbeg bs vzcyvpngvba gung gurl'er tbvat ng vg ntnva? Be jnf vg whfg n ernyyl jrveq guebjnjnl yvar?
I actually think I understand what Adama is doing…I've done it once or twice. You imagine that someone you know is with you, watching what you do, commenting on what you're doing/seeing. You're seeing things through their eyes and interacting with a memory all at once.
Heh, mind you, the last time I did it was imagining the guy who wrote this (http://www.gutenberg.org/catalog/world/readfile?fk_files=1458486) watching me work as an equal with men in the workforce, seeing everything he was terrified would happen, happen. He actually became my workspiration…every time I slack off, I think of this guy, and it makes me want to work even harder just to show him to what magnitude how wrong he is.
Fair enough. I guess it just seemed weird because it's not something I've ever done. I don't think I could maintain an internal conversation and successfully interact with the external world at the same time.
V guvax JBT vf gung gurl qvqa’g purng? Gung vg jnf cer-zneevntr? V qba’g xabj, V xvaq ungr gung jubyr fgbelyvar. V unq npghnyyl sbetbggra vg hagvy V jnf jvxv-vat Avpxl.
I saw the scenes with Carolanne to be more like Adama was letting her into his head, his memory of her, for just that one day. It's weird because you can't usually ask your own memory of someone if it's true that they were a shitty parent, but I got the impression that this is the one day of the year he allows himself to really think about her and have mental conversations with her, imagining what she would say. It's very different from Gaius's interactions with Head Six, who obviously does have a will of her own and isn't just based on Gaius's memories of Caprica Six.
I did think Carolanne was supposed to have bipolar disorder. But on TV There Are No Therapists. Also, I think it's definitely possible to know someone who suffers from bipolar disorder and not realize they are mentally ill. He may have just rationalized that she was "moody" and that was just part of her personality, without realizing the extent of her illness. Some people don't even believe certain mental illnesses exist, or they know of them but don't connect that knowledge with the people closest to them.
Jung gur shpx jnf rira jvgu gur "enfu" fprar. V qba'g rira trg vg.
I watched this week's episodes all in a row in advance so all I remember was thinking Lee was a total nerd and I forgot that what happened to Cally/Tyrol was actually in this ep. Besides THAT I remember Adama saying people can survive a minute of exposure and holy shit the idea of being sucked out the airlock and having to live for that long terrifies me.
According to the Wiki, you can survive for up to two minutes (theoretically; they don't really test this out in the real world for obvious reasons). It's just that your injuries become severe after one minute. So, yeah, everyone they've airlocked on this show has been floating around for two minutes in horrible pain…
My reason for disliking this episode is Cally. I dislike Cally tremendously. I dislike Cally and Tyrol being married. Yeah I felt sorry for Chief maybe losing Cally, but I just never cared about their relationship.
One of the things I appreciate about BSG — that makes it as powerful as it is — is that even after an improbable rescue is pulled off it doesn't let you believe that everything's peachy now. I got that huge rush of relief when Cally and the Chief were bonafide, no kidding in the raptor and "safe", but they weren't really "safe", we got a heartbreaking scene with Cally being kept in the hyperbaric chamber and unable to touch her son, who she must have wanted so much to get back to and hold again.
Daycare for the assorted kiddos of the Galactica makes total sense. This is a universe without glass ceilings, there are a lot of professional and military women in the fleet, and while raising children is super important the entire human race is depending on these women being able to do their military jobs. The Galactica would probably stop functioning if it were assumed that having a baby meant one parent out of a couple would be taken out of the workforce.
"I don’t know what this means. I genuinely have no clue how it changes a relationship. How do you “work” on a marriage? Is it like a car? WHAT THE FUCK DID I JUST TYPE?"
Well, I've never been married and personally think 24 is too young to be, but it's my understanding that you have to think about just about everything in life in terms of how it affects the both of you as a partnership.
I just thought you treat it like any long term relationship in terms of, you don't take the person that you supposedly love for granted and like put an actual effort in to relating to them so that you're not becoming like totally indifferent to them and their needs and they don't walk out on your ass a few years down the road cause you're totally boring.
I mean I'm the worst person ever at relationships but that was always my understanding.
"There is daycare aboard the Galactica??? Did I miss this before?"
Wasn't it mentioned in "The Woman King" when Hera was sick? Anyway, they need a daycare now that so many civilians live on Galactica.
For some reason, one of the few things I remember about watching s3 the first time (I watched it pretty much all at once) is not liking this episode. I don't really know why; I liked it fine this time around. I guess I just was ready to get to the end at that point in my watching, and this felt a bit filler-ish. But I don't really mind it now.
That said, I still don't get may deep thoughts from it? Um.
– Everything Adama says about lawyers is entirely true. … /law student.
– Okay, I will say I probably didn't care that much for the storyline with Adama's ex-wife. It really just seems… well, too little too late. I don't mind that they didn't do it before, but it feels kind of rushed and sudden now, and I may have preferred to just not deal with it in that case.
– On the other hand, watching this last night came right after watching the new Dexter, soooo…
– I like the Cally and Tyrol storyline, though I always get distracted with the idea of what it must be like to live inside that ship all the time. The concept of living in a place without… some kind of environmental regularity of some kind (okay, what I mean is, any sunlight at all) has always been something that's kind of stuck in my mind. In real life I'd think that tends to occur the most in, well, prison, or at least certain experiences in it. It's something that's a natural part of any space opera, but I think BSG tends to accentuate through the fact that they've very, very rarely left the ships they're on, and in Galactica especially, the environment is so overwhelmed by steel walls and fluorescent lights. The scene with Cally and Tyrol first getting ready in the "morning" especially reminds me of the sensation of being on a very long flight, when time has pretty much become meaningless until you reach your destination. But they don't have a destination. I guess it's easy to see why Tyrol is so inclined to slip back into how their lives were before New Caprica. Without any sense of time, just the sort of disconnect of drifting without a clear destination, the work that has to be done would be the easiest, closest to tangible thing to organize your life around.
… okay I did have some Thoughts. I'm also just going to say for the sake of it that I love Cally. I don't love everything they do with her, but I do love her.
I'm with you with the stuff with the ex-wife. It just sort of randomly pops up. She's not mentioned since the pilot. And she died in the attacks. You think Lee and his dad would have talked about her before now. Naq fur'f arire zragvbarq ntnva. Jung jnf gur cbvag?
And did the show need another character talking to people in his head? There really should be a limit on that sort of thing….
The concept of living in a place without… some kind of environmental regularity of some kind (okay, what I mean is, any sunlight at all) has always been something that's kind of stuck in my mind. In real life I'd think that tends to occur the most in, well, prison, or at least certain experiences in it. It's something that's a natural part of any space opera, but I think BSG tends to accentuate through the fact that they've very, very rarely left the ships they're on, and in Galactica especially, the environment is so overwhelmed by steel walls and fluorescent lights. The scene with Cally and Tyrol first getting ready in the "morning" especially reminds me of the sensation of being on a very long flight, when time has pretty much become meaningless until you reach your destination. But they don't have a destination.
Man, I had NEVER thought about the lack of sunlight before. I get seasonal depression when the sunlight goes away, so I would probably be non-functional on a spaceship, unless they had sunlight-imitating lights that turned on and off at the appropriate times. I even have one of those dimmers on my computer that changes to sunlight in the morning and softer, yellower light at night…
Mark says "everything is beautiful and nothing hurts". Battlestar Galactica says "yet". This is not a spoiler, it's simply how these writers operate. Joss Whedon is another one of those. Things are beautiful only for one particular reason ever. Which of course is essentially what allows Mark to be so beautifully unprepared all the time.
OH MY STARS, YES. Every word of this. Because when I got to Mark's, "Everything is beautiful and nothing hurts. NOTHING." bit, I began to hurt. I'm serious. And I couldn't convey this in a comment without it being all SPOILERS! so I'm glad there's you, Kate. Thanks.
Also…
These quiet little scenes between Adama and Roslin, particularly when she calls him "Bill." Well. Yeah. That is my porn and I do not even care if I'm harshly judged for admitting that.
Emotional porn!
I get the same thing any time Mulder calls Scully 'Dana' on The X Files. So I guess I have some kind of first-name-basis kink? Who knew, right?
…I may be slightly drunk and a little too talkative today. 0_o
HELLO BSG FANS.
Can someone repost my suggested viewing schedule? I need to see how to operate post-season three finale. Like, which order I should watch the movies, the webisodes, etc.
THANK YOU.
By air date, the second set of webisodes came after S3 (rot13 name: Enmbe Synfuonpxf) to lead up to the airing of the first film (rot13 name: Enmbe).
I've not seen the webisodes, but reading about them, I think a lot of the content is used in the film so there's redundancy between them; I will thus throw out the point that it may be weird to write an isolated review of the webisodes. Hopefully someone else has better advice about the viewing of these webisodes.
Anyway, list by airdate:
S3
2nd set of webisodes ("Enmbe Synfuonpxf")
1st movie ("Enmbe")
401-410 (aka S4.0)
3rd set of webisodes ("Gur Snpr bs gur Rarzl")
411-420 (aka S4.5)
2nd movie ("Gur Cyna")
The second set of webisodes is not the exact same content as the movie, so I strongly recommend watching them separately. Also the third set goes between 4.11 and 4.12 (they were aired before 4.11 only to tide us over, they spoil nothing and make more sense in their in-series chronological placement). I've made a fully-fleshed list, with the three extended episodes (4.12, 4.18, and 4.19/4.20) noted, below.
I wasn't thinking about the viewing experience of the webisodes so much as the reviews. It just seems a little weird to me to have a post about the webisodes, then another post after that about the movie that includes most of the stuff from the webisodes.
Doesn't sound unlike other things he's done here. Like, say, the prediction posts. And it makes all the days line up perfectly for a final review on Friday. I think it makes perfect sense.
Taking a look at your schedule, there's actually a large chance Mark will host a liveblog of the second movie that Saturday and post a proper review of it sometime after that. But I would bet Mark will liveblog the second movie, and those are generally always Saturdays; since there are a lot of people watching BSG for the first time here, it makes sense the liveblog would be after he reviews the finale so everyone can participate (even if that means a couple days between when Mark first watches the finale so he has time to prepare his review of it and when he first watches the movie).
Dunno if he'll liveblog the first movie, and if so, whether that will alter your schedule. But that's also a possibility. Basically, I wouldn't take scheduling as the basis of any decision regarding the webisodes.
Liveblogging movies that aren't airing live? Hmm, that's weird. Still think that giving Enmbe Synfuonpxf its own entry is sensible.
He did it for Serenity.
Serenity was a feature film. These are direct to TV and DVD movies. Treating them like features would be weird. They're more like big special episodes.
Okay maybe I should have said more in that post.
My point was, he hosted a "live"blog for Serenity, and The Golden Compass, the two Very Potter Musicals and the Avatar finale, none of which were airing live.
Maybe a better example would have been the liveblog for the Doctor Who TV movie. Like Enmbe and Gur Cyna that wasn't a feature, wasn't airing live and still got a liveblog post.
Okay, but I don't see any reason his liveblog post couldn't be up on the same day as the regular episode (or web series) preceding the movie in question.
Mark watches the thing (in this case movie) for the first time during the liveblog. So by what you’re proposing the liveblog would be something like 8 pm PDT/PST because that would fit Mark’s schedule (I base this off of what he did with the episode Blink from Doctor Who). But having the liveblog late in the day in California means some people in other time zones couldn’t really participate unless they want to participate at say 4 am, which on a week day is generally not something most people would do. Also, I think more people are just available on weekends, in addition to holding the liveblog earlier in the day relative to California.
Liveblogs are fun when there’s lot of people around, and holding the liveblogs on the weekend at 11 am PDT/PST seems to be the way to be able to fit the most number of people’s schedules.
tl;dr: the reason is time zones and maximizing the number of participants.
Oh. Well I personally don't feel these episodes are liveblog-gy.
Like I said, he already yes to the below schedule weeks ago, which doesn't have any mention of liveblogs.
In any event, the schedule I posted is the same one he already said "Yes, that's what I have down. A+!" to.
That sounds like a job for me.
Monday 10/24 Episode 3.20
Tuesday 10/25 Season 4 Predictions
Wednesday 10/26 Second Webisode Series
Thursday 10/27 First Movie
Friday 10/28 Episode 4.01
Monday 10/31 Episode 4.02
Tuesday 11/1 Episode 4.03
Wednesday 11/2 Episode 4.04
Thursday 11/3 Episode 4.05
Friday 11/4 Episode 4.06
Monday 11/7 Episode 4.07
Tuesday 11/8 Episode 4.08
Wednesday 11/9 Episode 4.09
Thursday 11/10 Episode 4.10
Friday 11/11 Episode 4.11
Monday 11/14 Third Webisode Series
Tuesday 11/15 Episode 4.12 (Extended Version)
Wednesday 11/16 Episode 4.13
Thursday 11/17 Episode 4.14
Friday 11/18 Episode 4.15
Monday 11/21 Episode 4.16
Tuesday 11/22 Episode 4.17
Wednesday 11/23 Episode 4.18 (Extended Version)
Thursday 11/24 Episode 4.19-slash-4.20 (Extended Single-Part Version)
Friday 11/25 Second Movie
Oh, and you should watch the uncut versions of the two movies ala the DVDs rather than the aired cut versions. I think they're easier to find than the extended versions of 4.12, 4.18 and 4.19/20, though. For example, the uncut movies are the versions in the iTunes Store, whereas Filestube is the only place on the web I've found download of the uncut Season 4 episodes.
Oh another emotional whiplash ep. One moment I'm depressed about Cally and Tyrol, then I'm intrigued by this new info on Adama, then squee! Adama/Roslin moment, then I'm sad again, but then I'm hopeful. Emotions. I have to many while watching this show and it is wonderfu but also kind of exhausting too. God help me when the finale time rolls around.
Ooooooh, I have so been looking forward to you getting to this episode. SHIPPERS UNITE AND NOTHING HURTS, INDEED. I cannot beging to try and type the incoherent noises I made when I watched that scene.
Haha, Mark, I was fearing for Cally/Tyrol/both of them for most of this episode as well. BSG has conditioned us to expect the worst, hasn’t it? I don’t know how scientifically accurate it is to survive exposed to space for that amount of time, but I really don’t care.
Adama’s memories of Carol Anne make me wonder if he and Tigh bonded over similarities in their dysfunctional marriages. And I’m not even going to think about the possibility that mental experiences were projections and he’s actually a cylon. No. Not going there. Because he’s not. Lalalala, I can’t hear you!
Up until this episode, I hadn’t thought the Adama and Roslin shipping would ever really be canon, or that the pretty heavy flirting we’ve been getting lately would be the most of it. Now not only does it seem completely possible that they will get together by the end of the series, I was half expecting it to happen within the episode. They are so adorable and perfect for each other and you know they want to and are only held back by their positions as leaders and I just want everything to work out for them!!
According to the wiki, it's pretty accurate. You can survive for about thirty seconds okay, and anything over one minute gives you serious injury. Because Cally and Chief were stuck in a place that was slowly depressurizing, that probably worked in their favor, since their tissues didn't experience as much of a shock of sudden decompression when the doors were opened. Apparently it's like getting "the bends" for divers, which has always terrified me… *shudder*
while watching BSG live as it aired, there were obviously tidbits from producers about who was or was not a cylon. now OF COURSE i will not reveal those things that they revealed to us during that time, but i almost feel bad for you mark, because you don't have the comfort or the confusion or the intrigue of knowing who the producers, at this point in BSG's airing, confirmed was NOT a cylon.
you are so unprepared.
1) I want to spoil you so badly!!! BUT I KNOW I CAN'T.
2) it kind of broke my heart when they talked about Dee and Lee taking care of Nicki. thats when it really sunk in what a horror it would be for them to die.
3) the tension between Adama and Roslin in this episode… FAN-fricking- TASTIC. its reminiscent of the "romance" in Falling Skies. there does seem to be an ever-present respect for the fact that Adam was previously married, still seems to love his wife, and so neither party wants to overstep their bounds, especially considering the sudden and dire circumstances in which they are living. UGH!!!
I'm not sure if this is the right episode but I love this line:
"Let the lawyers handle the legal matters but what we really need is someone who actually knows the difference between right and wrong".
So when I watch “A Day in the Life,” and I hear Cally say that their relationship is different because they’re married, or when I hear Tyrol say he wants to “work” on his marriage, it is akin to a person rattling off theoretical equations in quantum physics. I don’t know what this means. I genuinely have no clue how it changes a relationship. How do you “work” on a marriage? Is it like a car? WHAT THE FUCK DID I JUST TYPE?
ILU Mark. 😀 IS IT LIKE A CAR. HOW DO MARRIAGE.
For the record I have no idea either. I know how to get into relationships and how to get out of them. I have no idea how you make them last.
Episode thoughts:
AWWW LOOKIT THE LITTLE EDWARD JAMES OLMOS WHEN HE STILL LOOKED KIND OF LIKE THE FONZ.
When the door closed on them and Tyrol was like "Seelix, what are you doing?" I had the absurd thought that she was like OKAY YOU GUYS I AM GOING TO LOCK YOU IN THERE UNTIL YOU WORK OUT YOUR MARRIAGE. LOL HILARIOUS PRANK.
Yeah not so much. More like LOL GONNA DIE OF NO AIR.
"I'm going to go to the gym." I love the little face she makes when she says that. I feel the same way about the gym, Laura.
I'm not Cally's biggest fan, but it must suck to be her. I know how much it sucks to feel like your significant other is ordering you around, and when your significant other is your boss, you can't really avoid that, can you? I think Cally should find a different job, frankly, but I don't know if that's even possible? Chief loves doing what he does, but I think Cally is a little sick of it. She wanted to be a dentist!
I like that one dude who runs in and sits down late for the briefing. THAT IS ME.
Empty space is terrifying. I don't care if you can survive in it for a couple seconds. TERRIFYING. DO NOT WANT. That is one badass fucking rescue, though.
One of the reasons I don't want to have kids in the foreseeable future is that I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to handle it, like Carolanne. Or like the mother in Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood–I'm afraid I'd drop my basket, as she calls it. My mental health is not so great on my best days, and the stress of having kids depend on me… I'm just not sure I could take it. I can only just handle having foster kittens depend on me for six weeks at a time.
I know it's a cliche, but the image of the three hands at the end made me go aww.
Jesus Christ that's a lot of law books.
Blood Runs at Midnight. That sounds awesome. I want to read all of their books. Except the Caprican law books, those sound boring.
Even though I kind of hate them sometimes for torturing people and shit, Adama and Roslin are SO DAMN CUTE together.