Battlestar Galactica: Season 2 - SciFi US broadcast thread - Page 11

I may be wrong, but I think I read an interview somewhere that Warning: Spoiler! (Click to show)
EDIT: I thought this was common knowledge; my apologies; I shall be more careful about using tags in the future.

I edited my original reply. I've been careful to spoilers future events in the past and only abstained from doing so this time because the Pegasus news was everywhere in the press for the show and so I (mistakenly) assumed it was common knowledge. I will spoilerize ALL future story in the future when it comes up.

With that nasty business taken care of, let's move on to tonight's episode. My apologies again for anyone I've inadvertantly spoiled.
One one level, a textbook example of "alot of noise without any action". On another level, one of the finest character episodes in a while.
We're reminded of Laura Roslin's nasty attitude towards Cylons. Worse than Cally or Apollo's hatred, she doesn't even give them the space of mind afforded to thinking creatures. Boomer mk2 (hence forth just Boomer since Boomer mk1's dead) is about on the same level as a blender in Roslin's mind. Considering she's now the leader of the enemy ideology in the Cylon's mind, I think it's very potent dramatically and thematically. She and the Cylons are on the polar opposite ends of the spectrum.
Speaking of Apollo's hatred, I absolutely loved how close he was to blowing Boomer's brains out both times — and how he only stopped the first time because he was sure that Roslin would space Boomer. I was vocal last week about how I was starting to have trouble buying into Apollo's continued allegiance to Roslin in the face of his father's recovery, but this week's episode totally settled my concerns. Whatever his politics may be, he's clearly still conflicted emotionally and clearly still feels fundamentally loyal to his father in that way only family can.
I also liked the way they addressed the Apollo/Starbuck dynamic. In a matter of one episode, Starbuck becomes super-serious with this other guy, and then takes off. Now she's back in the fray with her old long-time fling. She wants to stay loyal to her new feelings, but ultimately has to concede that her connection to Apollo still has some potency. The scene with the Pyramid ball in the locker room was just spot on for their playful brotherly/sisterly/plus-a-little-more dynamic. The earlier scene where she stops him from frying Boomer also shows how much her time on Caprica has broadened her outlook. And if nothing else, his own rage for what Boomer mk1 did might be just the opening needed to broaden his own outlook. As the character that has up to now been the most irritatingly PC-level-headed Star Trek type perfect character, it's nice to see some cracks beginning to show in his character. And it's equally nice to see the same fundamental qualities that made him that PC-level-headed Star Trek type character hold him back from falling into that muddled gray that the Scifi-blog guy and Chris Atkins bemoan about modern storytelling. He remains fundamentally decent, and his flaws allow us to appreciate that instead of being irked by it.
The other relationship I liked was the Adama/Tigh dynamic. The spectre of Tigh's bad decisions in the first few episodes turned him into an incompetent alcoholic drunk to some extent in my mind (and I was one of his defenders!) This episode reminded us why Adama kept him around at all. He is the perfect XO for Adama, catching the commander's mistakes and shoring up his weaknesses. When Adama lets himself be fueled by the rage from Boomer mk1/Apollo's betrayal, Tigh catches all of the red flags and cautiously monitors the situation. But through it all, he still maintains his absolute loyalty for his boss. Tigh might not be top leadership material, but he is an extrodinarily solid military mind.
Which leads me to Adama himself. This episode was sort of heartbreaking in a way. We've had a season of him as the god teacher, and seeing him exposed time and time again as a mortal human being was a tough experience. At first, I thought the confessional scene where he's detailing the model ship was going to reveal the listener as Number Six, for maximum shock value. Yet again, the show surprises. Dualla is a character that we haven't seen interacting with Adama in such a capacity, and yet when we see it now I totally bought it. There's something inherently vulnerable about her character that opens people up, even the most mundane like Billy. That same vulnerability made her decision to press the point with Adama all the more dramatic. It was just the right small note to justify such a radical turn around.
As for that radical turn-around, I loved the moment of it. This series can pull off almost ethereal moments of revelation better than any other series I can think off. The way it just came to him as he was walking down the corridor appeared almost as if he was struck by the divine. This coupled with a subtle reprise of that Celtic father/son theme from the memento scene in last season's "Hand of God" made for one of the biggest stunners in a season of stunners.
The death of Roslin's spiritual advisor perhaps signals a return more towards the practical leader side of her character. One of the great achievements of writing Roslin through this whole priestess storyline is that they have never shortchanged her character as she's become more devout. It's one of the few portrayals of religion on TV that gets the beats of a religious character consistent with what I have seen from the religious people in my own life.
Finally, the character of Tom Zarek. Just as we start to actually trust him, we discover that he's exactly as sleazy as we'd always thought. And he has a male lover to boot! Unlike Baron Harkonnen in Dune, however, the homoerotic subtext never comes to the surface. It's there if you're looking for it, but doesn't call attention to itself if your not. I don't even think Zarek's gay; but it does makes sense to be in that kind situation after spending so many years locked up with the same person. James Remar is a fun character actor; it's great to see him get work here. I don't know how long we'll get to spend with him though, considering characters with agendas against the leads don't tend to last long — unless they're Cylons in which case there's an unlimited number of return opportunities.