Blood on the scales.
I have one thing to say about BSG 4x14, aside from the obvious (I love you, Anders and Tyrol and Kara and Gaius):
Leoben - basestar, red-shirt Leoben, the one who's been so reasonable and not-crazy in episodes like "Guess What's Coming to Dinner" - was not concerned about Kara. After all we've learned about Number Two, all the Twos, the fact that he made absolutely no mention of Kara, that he objected to the idea of leaving behind the Final Four but not her, is HUGE.
And...yes, I think that's probably the end of his obsession with her, for good. It was what I predicted, after "Revelations" - despite the crazy, he's always shown a remarkably pragmatic streak. Kara, I suspect, has gotten the heavy lifting part of her destiny over and done with, and she couldn't have done it without Leoben, but I doubt they'll ever be as close again as they were in their search for Earth.
The surprising thing is, I'm not torn up about it, like I thought I'd be. Leoben is over Kara Thrace; now we get to see what he is on his own. The prophet and fanatic fades into the background. And what he is now, is mysterious, and knowing, and a little bit scary - still. I've always been fascinated by the dynamics between the various models at their war meetings. Number Two has never tried to take a leadership position, which was held by the Ones, D'Anna, later the Sixes, and now, apparently, Tory to some extent. But he has frequently been the voice of dissent, and yet, basestar!Leoben is always so deliberate in everything he does, he's also given the impression that he always has something he's working on behind the scenes. It's like his silences are pregnant with opinions he chooses not to raise, criticisms he does not point out, decisions and thoughts he does not share with his sisters. A larger plan he keeps to himself because no one else can see as he does - can see what he sees.
In this episode, Number Two quietly observes his sisters, the Six and Tory debating over a choice that is really no choice at all, because to leave the other Final Fives is unthinkable to him; and watching Roslin. The woman whose dreams he once appeared in, watching her take in what Tory tells her about the Cylons voting to leave Adama and the fleet behind. When Roslin finally bursts, and urges them to have faith in Adama, the tiny smile he gives her is creepy, and beautiful, like they share a secret - like he had already made up him mind to help her. It wasn't an Eight, the model most regularly seen doing technical work among the rebel Cylons, that figured out how to get Roslin's message past Galactica's jamming signal and out to the fleet - in an interesting mirror of Gaius' role in the first half of this two-parter, it was Number Two, the priest.
ETA: I'm still half convinced that either Leoben-proper or head!Leoben is somehow Kara's father. Whether or not this is the case, I think he'll still figure into the mystery of "what is Starbuck?" in some way.
Leoben - basestar, red-shirt Leoben, the one who's been so reasonable and not-crazy in episodes like "Guess What's Coming to Dinner" - was not concerned about Kara. After all we've learned about Number Two, all the Twos, the fact that he made absolutely no mention of Kara, that he objected to the idea of leaving behind the Final Four but not her, is HUGE.
And...yes, I think that's probably the end of his obsession with her, for good. It was what I predicted, after "Revelations" - despite the crazy, he's always shown a remarkably pragmatic streak. Kara, I suspect, has gotten the heavy lifting part of her destiny over and done with, and she couldn't have done it without Leoben, but I doubt they'll ever be as close again as they were in their search for Earth.
The surprising thing is, I'm not torn up about it, like I thought I'd be. Leoben is over Kara Thrace; now we get to see what he is on his own. The prophet and fanatic fades into the background. And what he is now, is mysterious, and knowing, and a little bit scary - still. I've always been fascinated by the dynamics between the various models at their war meetings. Number Two has never tried to take a leadership position, which was held by the Ones, D'Anna, later the Sixes, and now, apparently, Tory to some extent. But he has frequently been the voice of dissent, and yet, basestar!Leoben is always so deliberate in everything he does, he's also given the impression that he always has something he's working on behind the scenes. It's like his silences are pregnant with opinions he chooses not to raise, criticisms he does not point out, decisions and thoughts he does not share with his sisters. A larger plan he keeps to himself because no one else can see as he does - can see what he sees.
In this episode, Number Two quietly observes his sisters, the Six and Tory debating over a choice that is really no choice at all, because to leave the other Final Fives is unthinkable to him; and watching Roslin. The woman whose dreams he once appeared in, watching her take in what Tory tells her about the Cylons voting to leave Adama and the fleet behind. When Roslin finally bursts, and urges them to have faith in Adama, the tiny smile he gives her is creepy, and beautiful, like they share a secret - like he had already made up him mind to help her. It wasn't an Eight, the model most regularly seen doing technical work among the rebel Cylons, that figured out how to get Roslin's message past Galactica's jamming signal and out to the fleet - in an interesting mirror of Gaius' role in the first half of this two-parter, it was Number Two, the priest.
ETA: I'm still half convinced that either Leoben-proper or head!Leoben is somehow Kara's father. Whether or not this is the case, I think he'll still figure into the mystery of "what is Starbuck?" in some way.