BSG 4.04 Escape velocity

[bop_radar]

I had seen a few comments about this episode being scattered and having too many plot threads being juggled but I actually thought it was pretty well tied together by the central theme of the desire for absolution.

Comments

[ez_as_pi]

After reading your perspective, I actually feel better about the ep. I'll admit I was tired when I watched it and felt like, er, what's going on?

Baltar is getting a little scary. I can't wait to see what happens there..

It was interesting that Lee hung around long enough to hear Gaius's speech--and to see Tory there. I'm hoping there will be some follow-up on that, as it's not going to be good press for Roslin if it gets out that her aide is a Gaius devotee.Now this I did catch, his strange look at her. Like what was she doing there. I'm sure someone will accuse him of making eyes at her LOL

[bop_radar]

No apologies for blathering! :) I agree that Tory's really dangerous. Oh no! I don't want to worry for Lee. *bites nails* I like your theory about the four different aspects represented in the final four Cylons. I don't know anything about next week (total spoilerphobe--I don't watch previews) but that theory seems plausible.

[blue_meridian]

(Disclaimer: Haven't watched it yet. :P)

It's interesting to hear the discussion regarding Laura, and I wonder how much of her POV is determined by the fact that she received her diagnosis only hours before the end of he world. There has to be a psychological impact there, like she's been dying ever since, slowly being stripped back to the core of herself, mercy falling by the wayside as simply being something she doesn't feel she has the time for. (The remission must seem like a dream now, the cancer back again like it never left.)

Poor Lee, indeed!
I bet he wishes that Roslin would persecute someone other than Gaius once in a while: Gaius is about the last person he would do a favour for.

So true! Yet his own personal honour compels him, and he's had plenty of practice dealing with stubborn and hardheaded.

[bop_radar]

here has to be a psychological impact there, like she's been dying ever since, slowly being stripped back to the core of herself, mercy falling by the wayside as simply being something she doesn't feel she has the time for. (The remission must seem like a dream now, the cancer back again like it never left.)
Mmm, that's fascinating. Yes, I think you're right that that must shape in some way, at least subconsciously, the way she views things. It also makes me feel like she's seeing everything through a distorted lens. Or perhaps she's the most clear-sighted of all of them: because they're ALL dying? *thinkies*

he's had plenty of practice dealing with stubborn and hardheaded.
Haha, so true! I loved Laura's line about him not facing pragmatic realities, but I didn't find it completely fair. Sometimes Lee has been the only one facing them: it's just that he hates doing it. That makes him human to me.

[cherylad]

I'm with Pi .. I feel much better about this epi after reading your review. Perhaps watching BSG while under the influence of pain pills is not a recommended situation

[bop_radar]

Perhaps watching BSG while under the influence of pain pills is not a recommended situation!
Ohh, that sounds scary!

then unknowingly being a cylon "fixes" that mistake because he can't be held responsible for those choices - since they weren't really choices, just programming.
Tory's obviously the one who's most embraced the idea that they are all 'perfect', and Galen's resisting it, but at the same time making any other approach impossible by self-sabotaging to the point where he'll be left with *only* his Cylon identity and then embracing it will be 'ok' because what else can he possibly do?

Tigh really seems to be the most screwed-up - of course he has been since the show began and poisoning Ellen and knowing he is a cylon just amplifies that for him.Hee. I'm almost finding Tigh the most sane. :p Just because his emotions about it are so human, and for once I can understand his use of denial, given the immensity of discovering you are a human. I like that it's playing out as him getting hallucinations though--it's inevitable if

[daybreak777]

Hmm. Like you and SV, I can't put together one thinky thought about this episode. I've tried and there will be a review, but it all feels so unfinished and that all we can do is speculate for now.

So much forshadowing, almost too much. In my shallowness, all I could think was: Laura's dying! And Lee's hair doesn't look good. :-(

I do agree with you about the honesty with Chief about his marriage. It's a little disjointed because as far as we knew, he hadn't thought about Boomer in ages, but something was not right about that marriage from the start.

But the ep felt rambly to me. I don't feel we really moved forward. But hey, it was new!

[bop_radar]

I know what you mean--it felt like they were progressing the plot but nothing's been resolved yet.

Lee's hair didn't look good?! Heavens, I did not notice!

I didn't find the Chief's plot disjointed... I find it convincing that he would have pushed all thought of Boomer totally aside after discovering she was a Cylon. And he would have tried hard to be a 'good husband'. He *was* a good husband some of the time, and I think he truly did love Cally--just maybe not in that mindblowy way.

[asta77]

Lee's hair didn't look good?! Heavens, I did not notice!

Me either! I've seen many people complain about his hair and I just watched the ep for the third time and it looks fine to me.

[bop_radar]

*reassured* But then I couldn't really see what was so bad about the blue jumper either...

[dianora2]

I really liked that they had the Chief conclude that if he'd known he was a Cylon too, when he was with Boomer, he would never have married Cally.

Dude, I totally didn't get this when I watched, but you are so right. And now I keep thinking of that scene in TAB when Lee asks Chief if he ever thinks of Sharon and Chief is instantly like "no" and we don't believe him for a second. Oh, Chief. Too bad Boomer is schtupping Cavil now, yick.

Tory scares the crap out of me.

[bop_radar]

You didn't? Interesting. Seems like there were lots of different interpretations. That came through strongly to me, but then I definitely was thinking of the parallel with TAB--I think setting that scene in Joe's Bar made that inevitable.

Tory is TOTALLY FREAKY. I have to be careful saying that as one of my best friends has her as a pov character. ;)