Battlestar Galactica, 2-11-07 (*Spoilers Ahead!*)
Monday, February 12th, 2007 - 12:03am
Yay, a Helo-centric episode. Apparently, the natural state of a Helo is in undress. Self-righteous, half-naked - he's like the second coming of Apollo.
Also, Doc Cottle = Pure Awesomeness. But where, oh where was my trial? I want my Baltar trial.
Remember, if you want to discuss next week's preview, please use spoiler tags! Thanks.
"Today's Tom Sawyer, he gets high on you, Kat. You." - Haakon7
My GF and I saw the previews of it and we both looked at each other and thought it would be a boring episode, but it actually turned out quite good. I think Helo is a very well written character and I like the direction the writers are taking him.
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For all who live in such times, it is not for them to decide. All we get to decide is what to do with the time given to us
I was eight kinds of excited about the Baltar trial, but I liked this episode enough to be fine with the waiting. I have a total man-crush on Helo, and it was great seeing Adama admit that he realizes he should have one, too. Tigh cracks me up, not many guys could take a hit from a giant like Helo and wave off the guys with guns, then proceed to threaten said giant, with a smile.
Also, Roslin and Zarek are great together.
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This one gave me a bad vibe from the get go, something felt really off about it, basically for the first time ever for me. Even my favorite characters, Cottle and Helo couldnt lift it enough to make me think it was a good episode. Everyone around Helo just felt so exaggerated that it just wasnt believable, even Adama. Oh and they just couldn't resist throwing a brief Starbuck angst-look at Lee could they?
This will go on the small pile of episodes I wont likely watch again, joining Black Market, Scar, and last week's torture/quadrangle (double torture) episode.
ThePolypusher
WAR - Dolz
Funny, I said the same thing about Adama's pontificating at the end. They just had to throw in a Papa Adama Speech, even if it was only a couple of lines long. I wish Adama would just shut up and go back to choking Cylons with his bare hands.
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When I first saw the preview of this episode I was a little sceptic. Having just finished it now, I can say that I was wrong. It sure as hell wasn't the best episode ever, but it's surely wasn't the worst either.
I think, yet again, that Galactica has taken a current and relevant topic and turned it into a viable science-fiction episode. The topic of racism, superstition for medicine and taking care of tradition scored high with me. I also think it was great how other people showed their "distaste" for the Sagittarons and didn't really care one way or the other. Helo is sort of a beacon of truth in the middle of all the dirty crap otherwise going on on Galactica. How many times has that man gotten it wrong? (and don't say Sharon in season 1. He figured that out quick, damnit!)
And I wish that would end that freaking Lee/Kara bulls**t. Lee's happy with Dee now, but Kara had to throw a disturbing glance of unmistakeable hostility towards them kissing. Get over it girl. Jeez!
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Did I miss something at the start or did they not explain why all the Sagittarons were "refugees" from? I mean, isn't everyone in the fleet a refugee?
Fedaykin98 wrote:
wordsmythe wrote:
Because they left ships down on New Caprica, there are now refugees inside the refugee fleet. Or at least that's how I understood it...
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This is kinda what bothered me about this episode, actually. Did we really need *another* example of Helo as the Moral Crusader? Did this reveal anything about his character that we didn't already know? Frankly, throughout the whole episode I was hoping he was wrong about this one. Then THAT would be the test for him when he met his next moral dilemma: Does he do what he feels is right again, considering how he was burnt the last time? Make 'doing the right thing' have consequences on occasion, as it so often does in reality.
After all, I feel the show has done a poor job in showing the consequences of Helo's decisions so far. Doing the 'right' thing when there are no consequences is easy. Show me what made Helo's 'right' decisions hard. So far, really nothing bad has come from his suffocation of the sick cylons, him 'sending' Sharon to get their child, etc. Hell, even slugging Tigh didn't get him brig time, as it did Starbuck.
In my opinion, we need to see others blaming him for future human deaths by cylon, because he blew the chance to end the war immediately. We maybe need to see that when Sharon was resurrected, the Cylons *were* able to get some information about the fleet to use against the humans. The writers still have room to do this sort of thing in the future, and I think they should. Doing the right thing *despite* negative consequences should be one of those things that make humans worthy to survive. Now let's see some of those consequences.
On another note, get Tigh back to where he is actually useful again as a number 2, as he was early in the series. Hogan is fabulous; he needs more to do than to just be the plot point guy who states the obvious course of action or makes the wrong judgements all of the time.
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I have to admit I loved Tigh suggesting that Helo get his hand looked at while he's standing there with a bleeding mouth. That was pretty classic.
Their choice in actors for the evil doctor could have been better. The guy's a great actor but he always plays badguys so it wasnt much suprise when he turned out to be one
ThePolypusher
WAR - Dolz
I thought it was a fantastic episode. One of the best I've seen for awhile. Pacing was good, main story-arc exposition was present but understated, acting was key.
I particularly liked seeing the doubting side of Helo. Watching him struggle with the social repercussions of marrying a Cylon was interesting for me. And the same way with Athena's acceptance of his internal troubles. Finally, a non-dysfunctional relationship.
I'm glad they didn't rush into the trial this week. I would be even happier for it not to come for another week or two, honestly. Let Baltar stew in his own juices. Maybe they will finally try to find the balance between dragging a major event out or rushing through it.
Quintin_Stone wrote:
Very very happy to see the return of Head Baltar. I also find it interesting that Roslin noticed that Cap Six is hallucinating. Might that go somewhere?
We shall grapple with the ineffable, and see if we may not eff it after all.
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This episode used two techniques I hate: first, the preview that totally misrepresents what the final episode is and second, the "Previously on Battlestar Galactica" that shows scenes that weren't in fact previously on Battlestar Galactica. However, this episode was decent, but it would have been better had certain elements hinted at in the podcast (read about them at Battlestarwiki) were incorporated in the final episode.
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Funny, they're sh*tting all over this episode over at the TWOP forums. I really, REALLY liked it, despite featuring my least favorite, jaw-clenching, self-righteous character (Helo) and it being a one-off, which sometimes means a less favorable director gets attached, and the feel goes all wonky (i.e. Black Market). I think it had to do with the quality of the performances in certain scenes... Helo/Tigh, Helo/Cottle, even Helo/Sharon which had sort of a new dynamic for them. Perhaps Adama's final "speech from the old man" could have been shorter, but on the whole I thought this was good stuff, especially since I somewhat naively couldn't read which way they were going to go with that doctor's guilt. Part of me thought, no way Karl "Never Wrong" Agathon gets vindicated AGAIN, but they surprised me by giving me more of the same.
Some day you'll slip up, Helo... and I'll be there to... uh... I don't know... laugh?
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I do believe that is one of the four horsemen...
Wonder what the other three will be? Perhaps a sensible episode of Lost...
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I really enjoyed the performances in this episode. The interaction between Helo and Sharon, or Tigh or Cottle were just plain great. We haven't got to see enough of the really great relationships on the show with all the love quadrangle crap. The writing was also pretty good in this episode. And I enjoy one-off episodes myself. All in all I was pretty pleased with it.
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Was I the only one who wonders at what point Roslin's going to connect Caprica-Six's dialogue with Virtual Baltar to what the real Baltar's been doing this whole time?
"Men like sex, thus boobies! Oogaba!" - dejanzie
"If ads put your sanity to the test
come on down to Rat Boy's nest!
light up a stogie, and soon you'll see
how rock can be commercial-free!
'I'd hit it!'" - HP Lovesauce
I was hyped for the Baltar trial, and really wish they would have picked another time for a random episode. Didn't know it was moved by the Superbowl till that night, so I was dissappointed/looking forward to this one all the more. Not a bad episode, but didn't really give me the fix I was looking for.
That would be nice, then maybe we could get this thing figured out. I have no idea what the relation of Caprica/Baltar hallucinations might be. Are they hallucinations? When it was just Baltar it was easy to justify....either he is crazy or they put something in his brain. Now that CapricaSix shows the same behaviors, it puts a whole new spin on things.
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Nope
We shall grapple with the ineffable, and see if we may not eff it after all.
"What misconception traveled down the road and made you want to be here?"
For those salivating over the trial:
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Of course Helo's right again, gotta have somebody sane and non-dysfunctional on board so they can't get rid of him cause then there'd be no one left.
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The more I think about it, the more I wish Helo had been wrong. I'd like to see him questioning everything.
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In defense of the episode, Helo did openly wonder at one point if he just liked being on the wrong side of popular opinion. That and his defining characteristic being the guy who's married to a Cylon.
No, but I'm more interested in what happens if Balter and Caprica-Six figure it out first.
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