{"id":500,"date":"2011-08-09T13:00:13","date_gmt":"2011-08-09T20:00:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/?p=500"},"modified":"2011-08-07T15:09:28","modified_gmt":"2011-08-07T22:09:28","slug":"mark-watches-battlestar-galactica-s01e08-flesh-and-bone","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/2011\/08\/mark-watches-battlestar-galactica-s01e08-flesh-and-bone\/","title":{"rendered":"Mark Watches ‘Battlestar Galactica’: S01E08 – Flesh and Bone"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the eighth episode of the first season of Battlestar Galactica<\/em>, Starbuck is ordered to interrogate a suspected Cylon captured aboard the fleet, but her thick skin is slowly cracked by the Cylon\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s behavior. Intrigued? Then it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s time for Mark to watch Battlestar Galactica.\u00c2\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Well. This isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t slowing down any time soon, is it?<\/p>\n

There\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a lot that I want to discuss about \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Flesh and Bone,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d especially the concept of a physical identity inside of a Cylon body, but I must say this first: Clearly, had I just waited one day<\/em>, I would have seen that this show is going to deal with various facets of religion in the lives of both Cylons and humans. I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t really think I spoke prematurely. As far as I do know, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Six Degrees of Separation\u00e2\u20ac\u009d is still using the Hollywood Athiest strawman, but now I feel it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll be for some other end I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve yet to see. Here in \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Flesh and Bone,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Roslin and Starbuck are both faced with deeply spiritual experiences, and they act them out in parallel to one another.<\/p>\n

I think that the overarching theme of this story is one of uncertainty, and it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the answer that lurks just around a corner, but never reached, that propels much of the action we see. Even when we get confirmations and concrete information (as in the case of Galactica<\/em> Boomer), we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re still left wondering the next step, more intrigued by that than a revelation. Roslin\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s uncertain, eerie dream is what comprises the cold open, and we have no idea why Conoy is here, especially since Roslin never met him. Why is he trying to save her from oncoming human soliders? And why is he mysteriously sucked out into the forest?<\/p>\n

We get confirmation that Roslin is<\/em> getting chamalla as treatment for her cancer when she wakes up, writing off the dream as a mere side affect of the drug. Unfortunately, though, she receives word that another ship has captured a Cylon, one we come to discover is copy of Conoy. We\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re told at the beginning of each episode that the Cylons have a \u00e2\u20ac\u0153plan,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d and, going along with the theme of uncertainty, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s nearly impossible at this point to figure out what it is.<\/p>\n

I mean…what was the point of Shelly Godfrey\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s appearance? Did she honestly exist to merely provide the opportunity for Baltar to gain faith and to earn the trust of his fellow shipmates? Why would Conoy appear in Roslin\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s dream as if the whole thing were a prophecy? The biggest question, of course, concerns Conoy\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s appearance on Gemenon Traveler<\/em>. Why<\/em>?<\/p>\n

Even from the first moment Starbuck looks at Conoy, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s clear to me that confusion is going to reign over all of this. Starbuck comments to a fellow officer about the existence of sweat on Conoy\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s face. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s now obvious just how much these Cylons can mimic human behavior, but for Starbuck, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not enough for her to forget that these are machines. In fact, for much of the session she spends with Conoy, she makes it clear that she knows that Conoy is, at heart, a machine, and only chooses to act out the human parts of his biology in order to continue to manipulate those around him.<\/p>\n

I wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t terribly interested in the two trading psychological jabs at one another, and I think it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s because we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve all seen this quite a bit before. It all borrows heavily from The Silence of the Lambs<\/em>, which sort of sets the bar (very high, I might add) for this type of interaction. But, again, things don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t go as planned because Conoy, while aiming to get \u00e2\u20ac\u0153inside\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Starbucks head, is actually far more concerned with confusing<\/em> her. (And me. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll admit it. A lot of what he says is baffling to me.)<\/p>\n

Why does he choose to focus on her name? Why, when learning it, is he so ecstatic<\/em> about it? Why does he tell her that he hid a nuclear warhead when he could avoid doing so and succeed without suspicion? Is he here specifically<\/em> to make people question themselves, to sow them with paranoia and fear? If so, why even bring up his God and challenge Starbuck\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s belief in the Lords of Kobol?<\/p>\n

Out of everything, that<\/em> detail perplexes Starbuck, and it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s something she chooses to focus on throughout \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Flesh and Bone.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Personally, I think it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the most fascinating thing about the Cylons: How can machines (self-aware ones, at that) believe in a God? Starbuck guesses that they are programmed<\/em> to. What is more human than religious belief? And so she acts on this assumption: the Cylons are programmed in every way to have human reactions, so it stands to reason that eventually they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d have to react<\/em> to torture in human ways. I won\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t lie: the torture scenes are incredibly<\/em> hard to watch, even if we think about Conoy as a Cylon. He can still clearly experience pain and it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not easy for me to disassociate from the idea. Granted, my whole race wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t the victim of brutal genocide. Starbuck even points that out when Conoy tries to rebuke her for humanity\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s problems, making sure to outline just how evil<\/em> it was for the Cylon\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s to wipe out humans.<\/p>\n

The confusion is not confined just to Conoy, either. Boomer (both versions, by the way) are acting out rather bewildering story lines as well. On Caprica, Boomer visits with Six and Doral, and it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s now totally obvious by Doral\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s use of the term \u00e2\u20ac\u0153love nest\u00e2\u20ac\u009d that they are trying to get Helo to impregnate Boomer. I still don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t know why, though. (Seriously, do I know anything<\/em> about this series? I AM SO HOPELESS LOST AND I LOVE IT<\/em>.) yet when Six gives Boomer an ultimatum–succeed with Helo or kill him–she reacts in a surprising way: she appears to disobey them<\/em>. She pulls Helo away and tells them they need to escape. Now, I could be wrong, and this could be a ploy to get him into the \u00e2\u20ac\u0153love nest\u00e2\u20ac\u009d (oh god I hate that word), but given the flashes she had of how well Helo had treated since she \u00e2\u20ac\u0153found\u00e2\u20ac\u009d him, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m inclined to believe otherwise. So…is it now possible for Cylons to resist their programming? Can Cylons develop their own personalities and feelings and emotions independent of their Cylon nature?<\/p>\n

OH GOD I AM SO CONFUSED.<\/p>\n

Guess what makes that worse? Galactica<\/em> Boomer. Humming to the Cylon Raider is not helping your appearance, dear<\/em>, and neither is making a joke to Tyrol about being a Cylon. PROBABLY A BAD THING TO JOKE ABOUT. So when she goes to Baltar, it feels like yet another REALLY BAD DECISION, but I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m beginning to think that Boomer is evidence of a Cylon having their own distinct identity. She is clearly not<\/em> aware of who she is, and she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s only fueled by her own suspicions. Even stranger, why is it that Six, Doral, and Conoy never once seem to reference the fact that they have a Cylon agent unidentified and fully integrated on board the Galactica<\/em>?<\/p>\n

So now the secret is out: Baltar knows that Boomer is a Cylon, which…christ, THAT IS SO AWKWARD. I laughed at Six\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s lines acknowledging the same thing. God, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s going to be heartbreaking<\/em> when Boomer discovers that Baltar lied to her. How is that<\/em> going to be dealt with?<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Starbuck is becoming less certain in dealing with Conoy. He demonstrates his horrifying strength by ripping away his restraints, throwing aside a table, and grabbing Starbuck by the throat. Then he utters a cryptic line: he has a surprise for her. UM WHAT<\/em>. WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT, SIR. This is not the only thing he tells her that is FUCKING WEIRD. Why is he so obsessed with streams and water? Why does he insist that she has some greater destiny? Starbuck begins to believe he is merely stalling because he is actually filled with fear. She suspects he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s worried his consciousness won\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t<\/em> transfer as it is supposed to, and she tries to act on this, repeatedly having Conoy\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s head dunked in a large bucket of water, threatening him with drowning.<\/p>\n

And really, it was obvious at this point that Conoy would never tell Starbuck where the bomb was. Why delay this whole time to just reveal it at the end? Instead, he reveals a much more surprising fact: he has seen the future, and the humans will not only find Kobol, but Kobol will lead them to earth. EXCUSE ME, WHAT?????<\/em><\/strong> This does not fit the pattern of everything else Conoy has shared, because it causes no chaos, no paranoia, no fear. It is a message of hope<\/em>. So WHY THE HELL ARE YOU SHARING THAT? <\/em>He even tells Starbuck that it is her \u00e2\u20ac\u0153destiny\u00e2\u20ac\u009d to deliver his soul to God.<\/p>\n

I think what touches Starbuck (and is the reason why she later puts her hand up to the glass) is that the arrival of Roslin triggered the rush of thoughts she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d been ignoring. In the midst of torturing Conoy, she couldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t ignore that there was<\/em> something to him that was human, that something about him proved he wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t 100% Cylon. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the only thing that I could think of that would explain why Starbuck would feel anything<\/em> for someone who contributed to the destruction of the human race.<\/p>\n

Roslin, on the other hand, seems to start from this place at the outset, doing what absolutely no one had done up until this point: treat the man with respect. That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s what makes Roslin such a good leader. She has this ability to be empathetic and understanding, even to a Cylon or, in the case of \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Six Degrees of Separation,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d the man who apparently betrayed all of humankind. So she tries to reason with him, and, almost like magic, he admits there never was a bomb in the first place. It was all a lie. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s eerie how emotional and kind this scene is, given the context of what had happened over the course of the episode, and the \u00e2\u20ac\u0153hug\u00e2\u20ac\u009d that occurs only makes it weirder. I thought at first that it was a genuine display of affection, but then Conoy whispers those dreaded words: Commander Adama is a Cylon.<\/p>\n

NO. NOPE. NO. HE CAN\u00e2\u20ac\u2122T BE. HOW DARE YOU SAY THAT<\/strong>. It shocks Roslin so badly that she immediately pulls away. She refuses to believe this, so much so that she does what she should<\/em> have done eight hours earlier: she has him ejected out into space<\/em>. I can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t claim to understand how<\/em> the very image of him being sucked out into the black of space was in her dream, but there it is. Conoy is gone, and we have no idea what he said was the truth, or what was a lie, just as Adama had told Starbuck. Shaken by the thought that Conoy was right, Starbuck silently prays to the lords of Kobol that his soul make it to God. Roslin, on the other hand, is not as hopeful. When she meets with Adama at the end of the episode, that same mixture of truth and lies swirls in her head. She tells Adama she is fine, but it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s clear she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not. She can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t get the thought out of her head.<\/p>\n

So Adama isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t a Cylon, right? RIGHT???? OH GOD.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"