A slightly less knee-jerk reaction
1. NOBODY IS DEAD UNTIL I SAY SO! Or, at any rate, nobody is dead until next week, no matter what the commercial says or suggests. (Except... is Hoshi dead? Was that Hoshi that got shot in CIC? I have Hoshi-recognition issues sometimes.) I refuse to believe that anything has happened to Papadama or Colonel Tigh until I am informed by a reputable source, in no uncertain terms. I know that *everybody* might die in the end, but but but NOT YET. Okay?
2. We got a lot of build-up in this episode - what with Lee and Kara and their gunny-gun-guns and not really shooting anybody or anything - and not a whole lot of payoff. (That's okay; if there had been payoff, I sense it would have been tragic payoff). Dare I hope that next week turns out to be a sort of latter days 'Valley of Darkness' (an episode that probably makes it into my top ten or so favorite episodes)? Roslin says she knows what Adama has to do... I DON'T!!! Where did the kids head off to? Why did they just leave Dad and their Funny Uncle behind? I WANT TO KNOOOOOW!!!
3. I made up a little fight song, and it goes like this: 'Chief, ChiefChiefChief, Chief, ChiefChiefChief, Chief-Chief-Chief-Chief-Chief!' I don't even know if he's technically a 'Chief' anymore, but to me, that is his name, and I ♥ him this week. I less-so ♥ Lee having to get in everybody's face, including the Chief's (if mildly), about being a Cylon - even if I think Lee's actually right that the Cylon alliance got pretty cozy, pretty quick. Oh yeah, I forgot, the Other Chief is also dead - I think. (And probably Skulls, but I wasn't counting him, because he deserved it). I'M SO VINDICTIVE TONIGHT!
4. 'It would take a cavity search to find the backbone in that bunch.' Heh heh. It's getting to where I sometimes occasionally miss the randy, rude, old, useless Tigh who used to giggle to himself when he was drunk on duty. Weird, huh?
5. I say Anders' disillusionment maybe makes for his second most likeable moment! His conversation with Seelix was really interesting, even before Seelix put the distracto-beams on him. His first most likeable moment, sez I, was when he got drunk and fell off the top of the viper that one time. That was kind of cute.
6. It was interesting to watch the rapid devolution of Gaeta's presence once in command. He was spookily calm answering and diverting calls, and it about drove me mad with suspense. But while Adama seems to thrive on crisis and righteous rage - even in moments when his declarations can't much amount to anything - Gaeta seems to shrink under the pressure. Especially when being king just means having to train a new switchboard dude! Good help is so hard to find. It's almost enough to make me feel sorry for Gaeta again.
7. Gaius Baltar's harem: all brunettes?
8. On a related note, what was the 'secret' Baltar mentioned to Gaeta over the phone? The one 'sealed with a special pen,' or whatever? Was it something about Gaius signing the execution orders on New Caprica? Or about the time that Gaeta lied about witnessing the execution orders on New Caprica? Or about the time Gaeta tried to stab Baltar with a pen? 'And you missed! BUTTAH-FINGAHS!' (Egad, I love that line). I wasn't under the impression that the latter *was* a secret.
9. It suppose it annoyed me a little that Zarek made such short work of the 'Push Lee Adama's buttons' phase of Teh Evil Plan. On the other hand, if he had not, Lee would not have ended up on Galactica getting captured by the scruff of his pin-striped suit, rescued by Starbuck, or running around having gunny-gun-gun adventures. I loved the kiss scene between Apollo and Starbuck for two reasons with little and less connection to the kiss itself: For one, the dialog reminded me of a scene from another one of my favorite episodes, 'Resurrection Ship II.' Before the big battle, Lee and Kara are talking about the assassination plot against Admiral Cain. 'We have to have this,' Lee says. 'Trust. Your word and my word.' (Or something like that). The scene also reminded me, weirdly, of the last act from the live-action Peter Pan film a few years ago (for which I have a poorly-concealed soft-spot). 'A Kiss! 'Tis a powerful thing...!' I was waiting for Lee to turn pink and glow and fly and wear less pin-striped jacket. Oh, and bad guys? *Do* follow Kara. Please. If only because I enjoy seeing Papadama have to restrain her like like a snapping dog on a very tenuous leash.
10. Hotdog must still be loyal, because Gaeta didn't want him when Switchboard Henchman read out the options for Pilots To Shoot The Wendy-Bird Down. What is a Narcho?
11. And finally: a theory? A theory! Looking over what I've written, I wonder whether it is possible that we are *literally* seeing all that has happened before happen again - only second verse, same as the first, little bit faster and little bit worse. The journey began with a destroyed homeland and a shared despair that bound the colonists together. Then the fleet underwent a coups and a near civil war. Adama and company have already splintered off on their own with the ultimate goal of taking back and reunifying the fleet. (But then, of course they'd do that). If this were some sort of a pattern, what comes next?
2. We got a lot of build-up in this episode - what with Lee and Kara and their gunny-gun-guns and not really shooting anybody or anything - and not a whole lot of payoff. (That's okay; if there had been payoff, I sense it would have been tragic payoff). Dare I hope that next week turns out to be a sort of latter days 'Valley of Darkness' (an episode that probably makes it into my top ten or so favorite episodes)? Roslin says she knows what Adama has to do... I DON'T!!! Where did the kids head off to? Why did they just leave Dad and their Funny Uncle behind? I WANT TO KNOOOOOW!!!
3. I made up a little fight song, and it goes like this: 'Chief, ChiefChiefChief, Chief, ChiefChiefChief, Chief-Chief-Chief-Chief-Chief!' I don't even know if he's technically a 'Chief' anymore, but to me, that is his name, and I ♥ him this week. I less-so ♥ Lee having to get in everybody's face, including the Chief's (if mildly), about being a Cylon - even if I think Lee's actually right that the Cylon alliance got pretty cozy, pretty quick. Oh yeah, I forgot, the Other Chief is also dead - I think. (And probably Skulls, but I wasn't counting him, because he deserved it). I'M SO VINDICTIVE TONIGHT!
4. 'It would take a cavity search to find the backbone in that bunch.' Heh heh. It's getting to where I sometimes occasionally miss the randy, rude, old, useless Tigh who used to giggle to himself when he was drunk on duty. Weird, huh?
5. I say Anders' disillusionment maybe makes for his second most likeable moment! His conversation with Seelix was really interesting, even before Seelix put the distracto-beams on him. His first most likeable moment, sez I, was when he got drunk and fell off the top of the viper that one time. That was kind of cute.
6. It was interesting to watch the rapid devolution of Gaeta's presence once in command. He was spookily calm answering and diverting calls, and it about drove me mad with suspense. But while Adama seems to thrive on crisis and righteous rage - even in moments when his declarations can't much amount to anything - Gaeta seems to shrink under the pressure. Especially when being king just means having to train a new switchboard dude! Good help is so hard to find. It's almost enough to make me feel sorry for Gaeta again.
7. Gaius Baltar's harem: all brunettes?
8. On a related note, what was the 'secret' Baltar mentioned to Gaeta over the phone? The one 'sealed with a special pen,' or whatever? Was it something about Gaius signing the execution orders on New Caprica? Or about the time that Gaeta lied about witnessing the execution orders on New Caprica? Or about the time Gaeta tried to stab Baltar with a pen? 'And you missed! BUTTAH-FINGAHS!' (Egad, I love that line). I wasn't under the impression that the latter *was* a secret.
9. It suppose it annoyed me a little that Zarek made such short work of the 'Push Lee Adama's buttons' phase of Teh Evil Plan. On the other hand, if he had not, Lee would not have ended up on Galactica getting captured by the scruff of his pin-striped suit, rescued by Starbuck, or running around having gunny-gun-gun adventures. I loved the kiss scene between Apollo and Starbuck for two reasons with little and less connection to the kiss itself: For one, the dialog reminded me of a scene from another one of my favorite episodes, 'Resurrection Ship II.' Before the big battle, Lee and Kara are talking about the assassination plot against Admiral Cain. 'We have to have this,' Lee says. 'Trust. Your word and my word.' (Or something like that). The scene also reminded me, weirdly, of the last act from the live-action Peter Pan film a few years ago (for which I have a poorly-concealed soft-spot). 'A Kiss! 'Tis a powerful thing...!' I was waiting for Lee to turn pink and glow and fly and wear less pin-striped jacket. Oh, and bad guys? *Do* follow Kara. Please. If only because I enjoy seeing Papadama have to restrain her like like a snapping dog on a very tenuous leash.
10. Hotdog must still be loyal, because Gaeta didn't want him when Switchboard Henchman read out the options for Pilots To Shoot The Wendy-Bird Down. What is a Narcho?
11. And finally: a theory? A theory! Looking over what I've written, I wonder whether it is possible that we are *literally* seeing all that has happened before happen again - only second verse, same as the first, little bit faster and little bit worse. The journey began with a destroyed homeland and a shared despair that bound the colonists together. Then the fleet underwent a coups and a near civil war. Adama and company have already splintered off on their own with the ultimate goal of taking back and reunifying the fleet. (But then, of course they'd do that). If this were some sort of a pattern, what comes next?