BSG: SkyCap Review/Recap Revelations - Part 1
REVELATIONS
Transcribed by: Sky
Written by: Bradley Thompson & David Weddle
Directed by: Paul Edwards
Due to some major issues with my old hard drive, this is coming to you all very late. The good news is…it's hitting very close to the premiere of the back half of S4. And to prep for the recappage, I rewatched the front nine episodes…which oddly for me…I haven't rewatched dozens and dozens of times during the hiatus. I don't know…I think it's because I know it's coming to an end and watching the eps over and over would be a constant reminder.
Anyhoo…Revelations recap could run long. Yeah, yeah…when do my recaps not do that? In my defense, much like the Hub episode, there is just sooooo much going on and there are some truly wonderful beats that I don't want to skip over. Of course, there's plenty to snark at as well. I may have to send the writers a huge thank you for giving me so much fun over the last five years.
And just to protect the few that aren't caught up with everything BSG yet, the rest of the recap goes behind the cut. And per usual…standard warnings apply. Wild ass speculation and snarky opinions are pretty much always included. It’s a very good idea to keep any form of liquid away from the keyboard, monitor and electrical current. Bad language is a given…overuse of the ‘F’ words pretty much guaranteed. And please…always, always, always keep your hands and feet inside at all times. They didn't name this episode Revelations for nothing.
The Truth Will Be Revealed…(Seriously…I can't help using lame taglines from other shows…sue me)
Okay…let's start with how appropriately named this episode is because it's chock full of revelations. Some big. Some small. And one gigantic whopper of one at the end. And I'm assuming biblical implications can be drawn, but I won't go into those. Other people are much, much better equipped to converse on the subject than I am…and it really doesn't interest me much. Since this episode is written by B&D, it's pretty much guaranteed that something dark is coming this way.
We'll start with the PREVIOUSLIES as an indication: (Voiced by Michael Hogan)
Tyrol giving Adama and company the lowdown on Kara's Shiny Viper. You know the one that looks like it just came off the showroom floor…
Roslin wants answers…time to plug the Hybrid in. JUMP!
Zarek explaining the sitch.
Lee telling Adama it seems like suicide to wait alone in a Raptor for Roslin's return…why is he doing it. Cause Adama can't live without her.
D'Anna's on board. Hub goes BOOM!
Aww…D'Anna is worried about protecting herself. She'll share who the final five are after they reconnect with the fleet. How cooperative. Except she reneges and doesn't actually share the names…AND informs Roslin…well…you'll see.
'I love you.' 'Bout time.' Nuff said.
BRIEF PAUSE FOR RANDOM OPINION:
Nothing new in the previouslies…but it's interesting what they pick to focus on. Out of all the scenes, only one doesn't really have a key tie in to the episode…but I'll bet it does later, when the back half starts airing. But it makes me wonder sometimes why certain oddball scenes are included. I mean who decides what the viewers need to see to bring them up to speed? Or is it like the survivor count in the opening credits…where no one seems to really know what the actual number is supposed to be?
Yeah, I'm probably one of the few that just irritates beyond belief.
That said…the episode begins on something that makes me very happy…and something I feel writers B&D do rather well…quiet moments that pack a punch. Let's get to it, yeah?
BEGINNING ACTION:
*It's weird for them to not be here*
Sorta love that Lee seems to be seeking answers and/or comfort by going through Roslin's stuff…in his father's quarters. The familial vibe is lovely, while being sad at the same time.
Enter Kara…and I love how she very much treats Lee like Lee regardless of the Mr. Prez…sort of like he treated her while she was in the brig. For some reason I think that lack of awkwardness and familiarity shows great growth. And we all know I like that in a characterization. : )
I also like this:
[Kara sees the page Lee's looking at in Roslin's copy of the scriptures]
Kara: Temple of Aurora
Lee: On earth…at least the way Pythia described it.
Kara: We'll get there…walk those halls together.
Lee: Yeah. Pretty to think so.
Kara: This Roslin's stuff? It's weird for them to not be here.
Seriously…love, love, love this interaction. More on this in a bit…
But first we get an awesome little piece of backstory for Lee. Involving Adama's desk of all things. About how no one sits there…Tigh can't even look at it. And it was the scariest thing ever for a young Lee Adama…when his mom told him his father was waiting for him in the study (I can SO relate to that one).
And GAH! The next part is made of awesome (er…for the most part…I have one minor bitch about it). Kara relates something Leoben told her, when he was holding her in that dollhouse on New Caprica…that children are born to replace their parents…for children to reach their full potential…their parents have to die.
End scene with a close up on the empty chair.
*meep*
BRIEF PAUSE FOR RANDOM COMMENTARY:
How many different kinds of perfect is this scene? Jamie and Katee play it very understated, IMO. And honestly…something happens here that I feel like I've been waiting for forever…or at least since UBEX, which doesn't count cause they clearly weren't on the same page yet.
Lee and Kara have an honest to gods conversation that isn't about pushing the other's buttons or snarking about issues, skills and other drama or struggling to say the right thing. I mean yeah, they start out with that teasing bit, but that quickly morphs into something much deeper after Kara assesses what Lee's doing. It's like she literally shifts gears and I love that she does.
You know how Lee handled things when Kara was in the brig…just having a regular conversation? He didn't question her…treat her like she was crazy…or berate her for her actions. And you remember how awesome I thought that was? This is the same, IMO. Kara doesn't try to distract Lee by making a sarcastic comment…tease him out of his somber mood…or scoff at his observations.
Instead she's got this really great look on her face as he's telling her about his childhood memory…like she appreciates him sharing it with her. And for some reason, the fact that she doesn't try to sugarcoat anything by telling him the admiral and the president are fine and will make it back appeals to me. Not going for empty platitudes of hope for the win.
And that brings me to why this is one of my favorite scenes…they both share something of themselves. My impression is that Lee doesn't speak much about his childhood…it's just a feeling I get from the scene, I could be totally wrong…but he tells Kara about something that used to scare him the most, which could potentially open things up for teasing comments, snarky comebacks, etc.
Instead…Kara keeps things in the moment and shares something that Leoben said to her. And it seems to hit directly on what Lee is fearful of, if the look on his face is any indication…that his father may not be coming back. I don't know…I just love the symbolism combined with rather mature but completely comfortable way they are with each other.
My one massive bitch about this scene is dialog related and that would be using 'dollhouse' to describe where Kara was kept. How the flaming hell does that even remotely come close to describing the fortress she was held in? Eh...I get the 'pretend' nature of the definition. I can even sort of buy the 'happy family' crap Leoben was trying to conjure as a reason for using 'dollhouse', but honestly? When I think of an image to associate with that word, frilly, frou-frou stuff comes to mind and that is so NOT close to Kara's life with Leoben.
Inflicting death by chopsticks in a locked, barred, concrete prison was what her life was, so excuse me while I gnash my teeth at the white picket fence complete with garden gate imagery I get when hearing Kara call her prison a dollhouse. I'm sure it's just my tiny, little brain being unable to view that experience as anything close to sweet and happy.
Moving on…
BACK TO ACTION:
*Four…there are four in the fleet*
Baseship is still jumping back…but will be with the fleet in the hour. And what do you know…didn't take long for D'Anna to assume command, did it?
This is cool:
Roslin: Then we'll return your final five to you.
D'Anna: Four. There are four in your fleet.
Roslin: Four? Where's the fifth?
No shit…wouldn't we all like to know the answer to that one, yeah?
And D'Anna wants the four in the fleet. And yeah it would be easier if she'd cough up the names…but when does D'Anna ever do things the easy way? Right, never. She's not taking any chances Adama and Roslin will airlock the four in the fleet. * eye roll * Cause it makes sense to kill your only way of getting to earth.
I'm with Roslin…why would they do that? And hey…even Leoben agrees…if they cooperate…
I'm sorry…according to D'Anna the Cylons cooperated on New Caprica? Er…with whom? And hell no, it didn't work out well, depending on your definition of cooperation. *snorts *
Ohhh…standoff. And go Helo…quick on the draw. Heh…D'Anna's face cracks me up. It's like she thinks they're crazy to think they'd stand a chance against the Centurions. Wonder if anyone told her the bulletheads are a wee bit different now?
Heh…Yes, Helo…Adama is trusting Roslin. Did you really think he wouldn't stand down when she asked him to? And stacking arms is so gonna bite them in the ass later, yeah? You don't think so? Just watch. * LOL *
When did the Eights become the go to Raptor model? Just curious.
Ahhh…Adama doesn't particularly want to go with D'Anna. Who can blame him, right? But Roslin thinks he should…cause if the Cylons get the Four…they get earth and she'll be very cranky if that happens. In fact…she tells him to blow the ship to hell if necessary. Ouch.
BRIEF PAUSE FOR RANDOM OPINION:
Um…yeah…the look on Bill's face kinda slays me here. Like his brain won't quite wrap around the concept. And I like the crack in his armor this sorta shows…especially with what happens later. * rubs hands impatiently *
BACK TO ACTION:
*We just want love and protect and hug and squeeze them…and call them George*
Ouch…Felix is not looking so good. Nice call back to the friendship he shares with Dee. Quick question though…does anyone else think he's picked up Tigh's usual method of coping…spiking his coffee with alcohol? Just saying…there's something in the look Dee sends his way when Tigh asks if Gaeta wants to be relieved. Eh…who knows.
Ahhh…Contact. Baseship and Raptor. Their people are back.
Heh…who thought we'd see Lee and Kara running down the steps to the hangar deck together after he became President? Love that.
Hmmm…Tyrol and Shiny come out to watch the show. Maybe D'Anna won't be able to identify them. *sigh* Good to know Shiny's primary concern.
Awww…father/son hugs. They always get me.
Ohhh…kinda love the calculating look on D'Anna's face as she eyes the Secret Cylon Society. Or is she looking at them? Maybe it's just the camera…
Okay…time for Lee to be presidential. The good news? Roslin is alive and well…as is the rest of the crew. But…and this is from Adama…D'Anna wants the four members of the SCS and she's gonna hold everyone on the Baseship hostage until she gets them.
Heh…they don't have to do anything but stay out of the way…D'Anna's already in contact with them. Really? That's good to know, but how is she managing that? By giving them all the Cylon Eye? And the part that slays me? Now that they know they don't have anything to fear…that the rest of the Cylons only want to love and protect them…they should find a way to join them. Um…is it stupid that all I can picture in my head is the abominable snowman dude from Bugs Bunny who's got a thing for animals and always grabs them and 'holds them and squeezes them and pets them and loves them…and calls them George'? Exactly. *nods* Too creepy.
Oh…yeah…please don't interfere with any of the shuttle traffic either, 'kay?
Right…I'm with Lee. Not asking much is she? But wait…it's up to the Four whether or not they leave the rest of the fleet and high tail it off to earth.
Heh…IF the four Cylons want to go with her, Lee won't stop them. And yes…the admiral agrees. All righty then…D'Anna will await them on the Baseship.
But WAIT…
Roslin needs her medication…and Tory needs to make sure she's all right. She's gonna go with them…even if the other three freak the hell out. After all…Tory served under Roslin for two years and her place is by Roslin's side. Smooooth.
Erm…I'm guessing Tory happens to carry around Roslin's medication at all times since she boards the Raptor immediately. Convenient.
BRIEF PAUSE FOR RANDOM OPINION:
I'll admit I was a little confused as to why D'Anna didn't just name the four. I mean what's the big ass hairy deal? She made a big show about providing their names once they reached the fleet and now she back pedals and decides to make the Four come to her? Didn't make a lot of sense…until I considered the fact that she's been in cold storage and yeah she knows (we think) who the four are…but other than that…she has no reason to think they'd willingly come with her.
That made sense. Um…sort of.
And I loved the way she looked at Tigh when he objected to Tory leaving. Kind of proved the idea that maybe playing it closer to the vest would work out better in the long run. D'Anna's nothing if not calculating when it comes to working things to her advantage. IMO.
BTW…it amuses me that Lee is stuck dealing with D'Anna. I mean I was waiting on her to make a remark about his state of dress. And hey…if she was at all nervous (not that she ever would be) she can always imagine him in his towel, right?
Just saying.
BACK TO ACTION:
*No easy answers*
Not sure why…but I love this entire conversation:
Adama: We backed your play…now what?
Lee: Starbuck goes to work on a plan to get our people back by force.
Adama: If we can't stop the Cylons from reaching the Baseship, Laura Roslin wants it destroyed.
Tigh: Half our guys are over there.
Adama: It's your call, Mr. President.
Oh…you know I'm gonna have more on that statement…
Lee: Roslin's right. We lose those four, we lose earth. If everything goes south…we destroy the Baseship and everyone on it.
Close up on Tigh…
And…
The credits roll.
Survivor Count: 39,665…wow…down 8 from last episode. Taking out the hub cost some people.
BRIEF PAUSE FOR RANDOM OPINION:
First…Kara's reaction when Lee says she gets to go to work on a plan? Priceless. Not asking for much, yeah? *LOL*
Also love the way it's clear Lee isn't hugely comfortable making the call to nuke everyone on the ship…but he'll do it if necessary. The weight of it is like a physical thing and I love that…because it's a very early Roslinesque reaction. So cool.
And Tigh? I love his dilemma. How they're handling it (the writers)…how Hogan's playing it…I just love it. You can almost see the wheels turning in Tigh's head (no pun intended) when he realizes the lives of half their men could literally be in his hands.
But my favorite part of this scene is just a blip of a moment. When Adama tells Lee it's his call. I don't know…I mean, it's significant, IMO…that he's not riding roughshod and it clearly (again, IMO) surprises Lee. Considering Adama is back from what most considered a suicide mission to wait on Roslin because he couldn't live without her…the fact that he puts her welfare (and um…the welfare of the rest of the crew) in Lee's hands speaks volumes about trust. Thinking back to Razor and Adama's high-handed usurping of command, the idea that he trusts Lee and will abide by what he decides is huge. And yes, technically, being president puts Lee over Adama in the command structure, but who really believes that would make any kind of difference to Bill?
Exactly…it wouldn't.
And maybe I'm reading too much into that, but it was such a cool thing to see. * shrugs *
BACK TO ACTION:
*Yeah…those frakkin' four could give themselves up*
Ah…planning strategy…damn, I've missed seeing that. Even when it's pretty clear the fleet is screwed no matter what they do.
This bit of dialog rocks:
Lee: And if they open fire on the civilian fleet while we're boarding?
Tigh: They could wipe out the human race right there and then.
Kara: That's why we need to make sure our Raptors are already out there with their nukes cocked and locked.
Tigh: There's gotta be other options.
Kara: Yeah…those frakkin' four could give themselves up.
And once again…it hits Tigh that humanity's fate could be up to him. Dun, dun, dun.
Meanwhile on the Baseship…
Tory's getting acquainted with her new brothers and sisters. Woo. Frankly…I think it's a bit much to swallow that D'Anna's not sharing who the others are, but that's just me. And Tory's smile just feels uber weird after D'Anna makes the introductions. And damn if she doesn't look like she's checking the Twos out.
But the next part makes up for it. Roslin rewraps Baltar's dressing and he's got both arms extended (I'd die if Roslin made that a stipulation, but yeah…I get that it's way easier to wrap a torso without things like pesky arms getting in the way) and he's all 'there's something I've been meaning to say to you…I wanted to thank you'.
And All Business Roslin is like…um…for what?
Essentially for not murdering him. Because it couldn't have been an easy decision to make…but he loves living…he LOVES it…so he wanted to thank her for saving his life.
Heh…I love that Roslin has to put some space between them before delivering the bad news. She told the admiral if D'Anna doesn't back down to blow the ship to pieces.
She what?
Exactly.
BRIEF PAUSE FOR RANDOM OPINION:
Once again, Mary and James are beautiful together. Can't say that enough. Roslin looks repulsed and uncomfortable and it's hard to say if it's from the proximity to Baltar, the fact that she did indeed almost murder him, or just the thought that Baltar once again makes it all about him. Hell…let's just go with all of the above, you know?
And James is so damn good at walking that fine line between repugnance and remorseful. Only he could make thanking Roslin for not murdering him seem both genuinely grateful and gratuitously spoken at the same time. And kudos to him for pulling it off, too.
BACK TO ACTION:
*I'm done taking orders from you*
Wow…Tory gets her bitchitude on right quick doesn't she? Sit down. Here're your meds. I'm home.
Kinda love that Baltar swears he knew it…that Tory is one of the five…even if it was only on a subconscious level. *LOL* But Roslin sure as shit didn't have a clue. Might be worth pondering what else she's been wrong about, yeah?
Oh...it's just sorta sad to see Roslin have to suck it up, kiss Tory's ass and all but beg her to ask D'Anna to back down and release the hostages. And then have to listen to her aide tell her to basically fuck off…she's done taking orders from her. Ouch.
BRIEF PAUSE FOR RANDOM OPINION:
Okay…while I find it sad to watch, Roslin truly kinda brought that on herself didn't she? Maybe when Roslin told Tory she didn't care if Tory had to get on her knees to find answers from Baltar she should have been a wee bit nicer about it. Just saying.
BACK TO ACTION:
*Yes, Mr. President*
Frak me…is that a body? It is. Hells, bells.
Okay…what the flaming hell? I'd fucking say there's been a change in plans. Dead bodies floating in space was NOT the deal. Oh yeah…D'Anna will off another hostage every 15 minutes until their people come home.
Excuse me?
That's right, Lee…give her hell. Er…okay, guess not. The rude bitch cut the transmission. Although I totally agree with Lee…she's not giving them any fucking time and damn straight I'd be slamming the handset back into place, too.
The admiral is a go for the rescue mission…if it fails, he's to blow the Baseship. Kudos to Adama for not hesitating to say 'Yes, Mr. President.'
And once again…the wheels are turning in Tigh's head. We know that isn't gonna be a good thing, right?
BRIEF PAUSE FOR RANDOM COMMENTARY:
Yeah…you knew I'd have something to say about this, yeah?
First…what the frak? How did we get from D'Anna being all happy, happy, joy, joy over Tory to airlocking hostages and handing out ultimatums? Would have been nice to see some kind of build-up, IMO.
I mean sure, we can speculate lots of crap about how it happened, but frankly, it's a big ass leap with zero explanation. And I'm right up there with the best handwavers among us…but even I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around this. And seriously? I don't believe for a damn minute that D'Anna wouldn't know the other three would be hugely reluctant to come forward, given their involvement in the resistance, insurgency, and their positions in the fleet.
The only thing I do buy is that she'd enjoy the hell out of the cat and mouse bullshit she's pulling right now. Even more than holding the survival of two races in her hands…but she is holding all the cards and that's something I think is important to her model. And yeah, yeah…they brought her back for a specific reason, which pretty much guaranteed she'd be in charge, but I just also believe it's just bug ass stupid that D'Anna's got all the power here. I'm sure that's just me.
What I do like is Bill's continued acceptance/support/whatever of Lee's position as president. Think about Razor and Bill countering Lee's orders almost as fast as he can make them. *shrugs* Look…I'm not above searching for the good stuff here people. And for me, this is good.
And of course, the not so subtle build up for Tigh to MakeABigDecision keeps rolling right along. This doesn’t bother me so much because a) Hogan kicks ass, b) I like the thought that Tigh doesn't give a shit if he's a Cylon…he's not ready for the human race to bite the big one because he still includes himself as one of them, and c) it might not be overly subtle, but Hogan doesn't play it over the top…unlike the SCS meetings where they were ALL made to appear stupid and lacking common sense.
Whew…I had a lot to say about that. Anyhoo…
BACK TO ACTION:
*I felt compelled* (*snorts* That explains everything.)
Wow…it's bizarre to see Laird as Chief on Galactica. Just saying.
Hrm…Freaky Four Music again? Chief's on the deck…Shiny's in a briefing…Tigh's in CIC…and hey…Tory's hearing it on the Baseship…and apparently it still makes her nauseous. Good thing a Two is there to lend a hand.
But it does beg the question…if Tory's on the Baseship how will she know what's going on?
Ohhh…instead of the Gym of Freakyness, the new Four minus One ends up on the Hangar Deck of WTFrakery. Gotta love Tigh for cutting right to it. What the frak are they doing by Kara's Viper?
Shiny's clueless…he just felt compelled. But there's something about Kara's Viper. Too bad none of them know what it is. Chief checked everything…every last detail…so what's it all about?
Ugh. *sigh* Of course Shiny wants to ask Kara about it. Kinda wish they would've just let him tell her he's a Cylon so she could put a bullet between his eyes already. Except with my luck, that's not what she'll do. Dammit.
Hee…Tigh tells him to hurry up and find Kara or a lot of good people are gonna die. Then totally blows him off when Shiny asks where he's going. So, so, so many things I could say about this…but I'll refrain…for now. * LOL *
And um…wasn't everyone rushing around trying to get ready for the mission not too long ago…how the hell do these three have time to piddle around on the hangar deck trying to figure this stuff out? That's bugging me.
Oh, shit…it's gonna hit the fan…it's so gonna hit the fan…
Dialog:
Tigh: Bill. You gotta scrub this mission.
Adama: What the hell are you doing here? You're supposed to be in the CIC.
Tigh: The Cylons will kill every godsdamned hostage before we put one pair of boots on their ship. Laura Roslin will be the next to die, Bill.
Adama: I'm looking for options. You got one?
Tigh: Yeah. [meep] I shoulda told you when I first found out, but I didn't have the guts.
Adama: What's wrong with you Saul?
Tigh: You remember back at the nebula when I told you about that frakkin' music. I thought it was in the ship. I was wrong. It was a signal. Some kind of crazy, frakked up Cylon signal. Switched me on. I can't turn it off.
Adama: Switched you on.
Tigh: Like Boomer. I'm one of the five.
Adama: The five?
Tigh: One of the Cylons D'Anna's after.
Adama: Quit frakking with me. Colonel, I've known you for thirty years.
Tigh: Told you. I didn't find out until the nebula.
Adama: Think about this. When I met you, you had hair. I never heard of a Cylon aging.
Tigh: Doesn't mean they don't. Before the attack on the colonies, we didn't know skinjobs existed. Turns out there's another kind of Cylon we didn't know about and I'm one of them.
Adama: On New Caprica you were in captivity…they did something to you. An implant. Posthypnotic suggestion that makes you feel this way. Let's go talk to Doc Cottle.
Tigh: Listen to me. It is not a delusion. It is not a chip in my head. I am a Cylon. I've fooled you for months now. I didn't want to, but I did.
Adama: Get your hands off me.
Tigh: If I'd had the guts to airlock myself when I first found out, we wouldn't be in this mess. But that's the way out. Not this suicidal attack. I am one of the final five. D'Anna will back down if you threaten to flush me out an airlock.
BRIEF PAUSE FOR RANDOM COMMENTARY:
These two men just blow me away. Seriously. I could probably write for days about everything that went down here…from the way EJO and MH were spot on awesome to how both men played their character reactions in exactly the way I've come to expect.
But hold on to your hats, cause there's more…LOTS more.
The whole next part makes up for the lame stuff earlier. It's beautifully edited. Adama loses his shit. Completely…times a million.
First…Tigh is being escorted to…and I'm assuming here…the airlock. Cuffed and under guard.
Adama lets out a roar of rage…then the stuff goes flying off his desk…followed by Adama almost doubling over with reaction.
Cut to Tigh…marching forward…hell he's practically leading his marine escort along…er…as much as he can being handcuffed and all.
Back to Adama…still losing it…the faces Eddie makes would be almost funny if it didn’t look like Adama was thisclose to stroking out over everything. And out comes the alcohol…like half of a full bottle chugged straight down. And BAM…fist to the mirror…
Over to Tigh, standing straight, looking forward…in the center of the launch tube between the two marines.
Pick up with Adama…and Lee dragging him away from the shattered shards of the broken mirror to collapse against the wall, his father a broken man in his arms as Lee tries to tell him that NO ONE suspected…not with Tigh's record…what he did on New Caprica…his eye…what happened to his to his wi-
Then Lee tries to get Adama back on his feet…but no joy. Adama is just too stunned…too crushed…and too full of despair to function.
The next bit of dialog…oh…*meep*
Adama [almost sobbing]: What have I done? All the people…I sent…to die. For what? For what?
Lee: For earth.
Adama: There's no earth. It's a frakking joke. There is no earth.
Lee: Okay, dad. Listen to me. Listen to me. Pull it together.
Adama: I can't.
Lee: Yes, you can.
Adama: No. I can't.
Lee: YES, YOU-
Adama: I can't kill him. I can't kill the bastard. I can't.
Lee: Okay.
Adama: I can't.
Lee: It's going to be okay.
Adama: I can't.
Lee: It’s gonna be okay. I'll take care of it.
Adama: I can't.
Lee: I'll take care of it.
GAH!!!! Where do I start?
Let's compare and contrast Tigh and Adama here. Who's the one who usually has it together and who's the one that tends to fall apart and dive straight for the bottle? Yeah…trippy isn't it? And I'm kind of in love with the role reversal we're seeing, even if it freaks me out that it took Tigh finding out he's one of the five to get his shit together. It's ironically beautiful.
And this has been a long time coming for Adama. Damned if I haven't been waiting and waiting for him to finally lose it. And wow does he ever break and go apeshit in a really huge way. (As if there'd be any other way for Adama, right?) I think one of the things that fascinates me the most about his total meltdown is that it happens after he's finally started letting some emotion in and giving it in return. How's that for a nice big bite on the ass?
But let's look at what he's got going on right now. Kara's returned from the dead (and yeah, we got to watch him grieve for her, coming close to losing it then, but not quite getting there) and he's not quite sure who or what she is. His son broke the mold and went his own way. Not a big deal, right? But consider ADITL and Carolanne calling Bill on never telling Lee he loves him. Hell think about how Adama treats Lee sometimes and then wonder if he asks himself what the hell he was thinking? In a way, I think Lee represents a foundation to Adama, which yeah, it should be the other way around (and it is, don't get me wrong) but the presence of his son, now absent, removes something solid from Adama's life. I believe that's a big thing to him.
Then you've got his other rock, a thirty year friendship, crumbling to bits in the worst way…AND…the woman he loves is dying and willing to sacrifice herself and half the fleet to keep the Cylons from getting to earth without the colonials…
…add in the idea that the friend of thirty years is the way to keep the woman he loves alive for a tad bit longer but said friend would pretty much have to die cause he's the enemy…and…frak me…who wouldn't be a broken, sobbing mess? Could go a long way toward explaining why Adama tends to be a wee, tiny bit aloof in the emotional arena and doesn't let people in often.
Now put Lee in the mix. There's something truly poignant about watching him tell his dad he'll take care of things. There's another bit of role reversal here or maybe a changing of the guard where Lee has assume the burden of getting things back on track. And this time it's all on him.
Unlike Hero where Lee is told a painful secret from Adama's past but was able to rationalize it out for both of them, or ADITL where the passage of time made the uglier truth easier (um…for them) to discuss, or The Son Also Rises where butting heads with each other gave them something to focus on instead of their grief over Kara. And it's really not like Razor where Lee's in command, but not in charge.
Nope.
None of these examples come close to the major shift we're seeing here. With his dad completely falling apart, Lee HAS to step up, take over, and get things done. And Adama? Honestly at this point, I doubt any of that even registers with him. But in a weird way, it kind of goes back to the trust thing from earlier…IMO…and maybe that's why Adama finally breaks. Because at the heart of it, there is someone strong and capable of taking the reins.
Lee.
And okay, maybe that's all just a buttload of wishful thinking on my part. *LOL*
And now is as good of a time as any for the BEEP!
Please continue to part 2.