BSG: longish post about Crossroads, part II
If anyone had told me that I would enjoy an episode that made four characters into cylons and did so by using a Bob Dylan song (with a sitar) I would have been skeptical. This epi finally showed up on iTunes just as I was about to give up and go to bed last night. So of course I calmly waited until this evening to watch it. (Okay, did anyone believe that? Even for a second?)
I did watch it today, for the second time. I made a few notes. I thought a few thoughts. Here they are in semi-chronological order.
Adama/Roslin phone conversation. That was shmoopy. I like it!
Now we're adding Tyrol to the freaky radio/music group. A sitar? Well now we know something strange is afoot, because that's what the sitar means in soundtracks.
Hm, Sam the tomcat. "Why's this door locked?" Honestly, Seelix, you are a naive nugget. Good job on the subtle tense interaction between Tory and Seelix.
Laura in sickbay. Here's who appeared in the Opera House vision: Laura, Sharon, Hera, Six and Baltar. Why are Sharon and Hera in sickbay anyway? I was surprised that Laura apologized about the shackles to Six.
Saul and Bill. Oh Saul, why would the cylons conduct musical sabotage? (Sabotage is one of my favorite French words. The origin of the word is an interesting story... okay, I'm the only one who cares.) This scene gives us the first line from the song. Saul says, "There's too much confusion."
On to the trial. Gaeta--I don't like it that he lied under oath about the death list. I do love it, though, that he was so unflappable about it. Romo knew it was pointless to press. I wonder if Felix talked with Laura or Tory before testifying?
Gaius calling Felix butterfingers--hilarious!
Romo calling Lee to the stand--does Romo really know at least seven precedents for calling a defense team member to the stand? First judge Candice Bergen allows it, then Lee's father steps in to ask for the testimony. So, Lee's speech. Oh Lee. Lee Lee Lee Lee Lee. My Lee-crush is about as big now as it was in the mini. (Leoben-crush still rules supreme, though.) Great speech. Oh wait-bored now. Speech too long. Come on, more sitar music! Move it!
I'm tickled to note that the crowd wasn't very disorderly when judge Candice Bergen called for order.
Now the verdict. Gaius has a very brief moment of gratitude--tears, even. That doesn't last long.
Romo was clearly amused by Baltar's fast mood change. "What about me?" Oh Baltar. You'll always be your own best friend. I'm so glad that we're not ignoring the interesting times Baltar will have in the future.
The jump to the nebula: Laura is almost immediately affected; then the ships lose power. And the four... is the nebula some sort of cylon-activator? The four have had their music-fixation and Laura/Six/Sharon have had their visions as they've gotten closer to the nebula.
Gaius is saved by Charlie's Angels. Are they Sagittarons? If Baltar has a big reputation as a healer now, the Sagittarons might be interested.
In Six's vision of the final five, there's only her, Baltar and Hera--plus the ominous five figures who shift from white to black. That's an interesting call-back to when Chip!Six told Baltar that he would be Hera's father. Does Caprica Six yearn for a baby? For Baltar's baby? (yikes)
Now we have THE FOUR:
Tyrol's in the hangar bay, flashlight beams bouncing everywhere. He's confused. He says a line from the song: "There must be some way out of here."
Tigh adds on, "Said the joker to the thief."
Sam: "There's too much confusion here."
Tory, sick in the head (bathroom=head, although it's okay the other way too, heh), says "I can't get no relief."
The hippy, trippy music gets louder, our four wander down the corridors to the same room. Happy campfire humming of music, each has a freak-out moment, Sam and Saul talk about how they've fought the cylons, then Chief says it. "We're cylons. We have been from the start."
The ships regain power. A large cylon fleet is visible on dradis.
Here's the part that saved this storyline for me (or at least allowed me to look at it with less disdain): with Tigh as motivating force, they all return to work. They decide to ignore for now their cylon status. That's an interesting idea.
Lee goes out with the viper pilots and sees Kara. She's been to Earth. She's going to take them there. AAAAAIIIIEEEE!
THOUGHTS AND QUESTIONS ABOUT THE FOUR:
Are they really cylons or is something else going on? How are the four different from other cylons? If the final five are never spoken of, is that partly because they're different? Do they resurrect in identical bodies?
The final cylon: Kara? Laura? Ellen? Oh Lords of Kobol, no! Drunken, adulterous Ellen who downloads and comes back after you kill her?!
I'm less distraught about Anders being a cylon than I thought I would be. My emotional attachment to his character had already been lessened after Kara's "death." We just don't know that much about him. The same is true of Tory.
Saul and Tyrol. Those two as cylons--that's a big deal.
We've seen the Chief's nightmares, we know and love his calm capable manner. He's *cuddly*. On the other hand, making him a cylon means that we have another half-cylon baby. Galen's in a position of great power, in an unnoticeable way.
Tigh--well, we know at least one cylon can age--he's looked younger in at least one flashback episode. Forty years of working in the Colonial fleet--starting with the first cylon war. Interesting... He also has a position of power as the BFF of Bill Adama. The only one of the four with little power (currently) is Sam. It wouldn't take much for him to establish a base of influence, though--as a former athletic star and former resistance leader. Hm, all of the four worked in different capacities with the resistance. I just remembered Tory had her hand in as well.
Why does the music play part of the four's self-realization? (Okay, the makers of the episode had to give us, the audience, some way of knowing what was going on. This was an interesting way to do it--the song, those lyrics. I liked the rockin' hippy-trippy version we heard near the end.) Do the other cylons have any connection to the song?
How can these four cylons choose to ignore their identity? Do they have hidden programming? Why wake up now (other than this being the season finale)? What's the connection with the ships' power?
What's the connection with Roslin/Six/Sharon/Hera/Baltar? How is Hera in danger?
CYLON FLEET:
Will they fight? Why is the fleet there? Is Kara connected to them?
KARA:
Kara Kara Kara's back!!!! She looked and sounded so good. Is she really there? Where did she get a viper? Has she died and been resurrected? How did she get to Earth? How did she get back? (Obviously not in that viper)