BSG: The Roller Coaster Ride Continues

I hardly know where to begin this post. This last episode, “Sine Qua Non,” was Donald-Trump rich in developments and revelations, as was the teaser trailer. Frankly, I was blown away with a lot of what happened but I’ve tried to break things down to the highlights and offer my meager insights into what they mean or might mean down the road.

Of Cylons and Men … Women … and Cylons

The sneak peek for next week’s episode hints that we may be very close to learning who the final Cylon is, possibly as early as next week.

The quick-fire clips leave us with the impression that President Laura Roslin may indeed be the final Cylon, but I’m hesitant to completely buy that considering what a little clever editing can insinuate to throw us off. I wish I could even buy with certainty that the list of “suspects” has been significantly narrowed, but I prefer to take the let’s-wait-and-see approach since the show has been notoriously unpredictable — who would have foreseen the irascible Col. Saul Tigh as a Cylon before he was revealed?

That said, I will postulate as to who is on that narrowed list, if the teaser is to be taken at face value and go only on what we know to date.

So what does the sneak peek reveal and what do we know to date? Well, for one, we can see that the newly resurrected D’Anna was shown in the clip aboard a Cylon vessel as she addresses one of the Final Five, possibly the Fifth. And we know from “Guess What’s Coming To Dinner?” that persons of note aboard any Cylon vessel include: Roslin, Karl “Helo” Agethon, and Gaius Baltar, along with a number of Galatica’s crew, most of whom though appear to be background characters.

As I said before, the sneak peek is edited to insinuate that Roslin is that Cylon, but I am not so sure, especially in light of the “Last Supper” photo and Ron Moore’s cagey response that suggested that the final Cylon wasn’t amongst those pictured. Now, that makes it really interesting because Roslin, Helo and Baltar are all in the “Last Supper” picture, and the other likely candidates are nowhere near a Cylon vessel at the end of last week’s episode. That means that we were either tossed a HUGE red herring, or there must be someone else of note that we don’t know about amongst the human contingent on the Cylon baseship, or something is going to happen to bring other likely suspects or one of the revealed Four into contact with D’Anna.

It is important to note, however, that even though the finger appears to be pointed at Roslin, Helo is also a viable candidate. Why do I say that? Consider that Tigh has apparently impregnated the Galactica’s Cylon prisoner Caprica Six. Yes, folks, two Cylons have apparently procreated, something previously thought impossible. Things are really getting interesting on that front and it opens up a lot of previously believed established things to question. Is Hera also the first progeny of two Cylons or is she still a hybrid? And what of Chief Tyrol’s son?

I think it’s pretty well established at this point that the Final Five are very different from the known models. They are subject to human illnesses and weaknesses and apparently are able to procreate. I, for one, am eager to find out how all this plays out, and a part of me loves that the writers are keeping us guessing.

ADDENDUM:
A friend of mine just pointed out that another likely possibility for whom D’Anna addresses in the clip. It could be Sam Anders, hubby of Starbuck, since his whereabouts are unaccounted for at this point. He may be aboard Galactica and we just haven’t seen him, or he could have been among the contingent of pilots sent to the wounded Cylon baseship. That would get them out of revealing the last Cylon so soon in this season and explain D’Anna’s recognition of one of the Final Five in that scene. And it would dodge the “Last Supper” picture issue.

Apollo in Chief?

Frankly, I don’t know how I feel about Lee Adama’s ascendance to the presidency. While I don’t think Lee is a bad guy, I seriously wonder if he planned this rise to power. There’s just something in how that all played out that leaves me with questions about his motives, which is something I’ve never really had before. Lee has always been a stand-up guy. Naive, gullible, and blindly idealistic, yes, but never really a man with ulterior motives. I’m not saying he’s developed them now — though he has gone into politics which is reason enough to wonder on its own — but I have a sneaking suspicion that there’s more to his quest to appoint an interim president than meets the eye.

I also worry greatly about his trust in Tom Zarek. Once again, Zarek’s spilling bile and Lee’s just lapping it up — I know that’s a gross description but I feel it’s an accurate one. Is Zarek wholly bad? No, I don’t think so, but I sure don’t trust him. And then there’s Romo Lampkin. Both he and Zarek have Lee’s number and they dial it at every opportunity that presents itself and Lee remains none the wiser, which is just plain dumbfounding at this point.

Of course, if Lee’s ambition was never to take Roslin’s place, then Lampkin’s little “I’m-gonna-shoot-you” scene is suspect. I wonder if it was a ploy to manipulate Lee into stepping up and taking it, which would be truer to Lee’s nature as someone who goes only where he’s directed or offered, something Lampkin himself pointed out. Of course, the shades-sporting attorney also had some rather unkind comments about Roslin, too. And while I think he is probably accurate in some ways, in terms of Roslin being ambitious, I think his perspective is skewed by cynicism or adopted mainly to goad Lee the direction he wanted him to go.

One thing I am fairly certain of is that there is much more afoot on that front than I think can be seen on the surface, or even be predicted. Zarek and Romo are likely positioning Lee for something and I don’t like it, mainly because Lee probably won’t see it until it’s too late.

Stop The Hate

Frankly, I just don’t get where all the Roslin-hate comes from, other than perhaps they’re like a bunch of errant children who are unhappy that they can’t have their way. That and they’re mad at her because she really does know what’s best for them and they can’t stand that she’s right all the time.

As viewers, of course, we’ve had the ability to see all sides of Roslin — both the kind, charming, funny and delicate woman she is in private as well as the wise, dedicated, occasionally iron-fisted leader she must be — and I have seen nothing sinister in her motivations, personal or professional. And Zarek’s assertion that she and Adama are in some sort of alliance to rule by autocratic decree is just plain baseless. Yes, they are united. Yes, they advise and support each other in decisions, but they are not bound together in some unholy union bent on absolute power and domination.

Get real, Zarek! These two people would just as soon everyone leave them alone so they could live their lives in peace. And personally I think a large part of Roslin would have been content to remain a school teacher on New Caprica, built that cabin by the lake and spent the rest of her days setting up house with a certain admiral. Considering that, it’s hard to understand why so many people see her as some mustache-twirling villain in women’s clothing with Adama as her black-booted muscle. It just doesn’t make sense.

Testy Old Guys

The showdown between Tigh and Adama … what can I say about that? Not a whole lot. It speaks for itself quite clearly — two long-time friends coming to blows over the women in each of their lives. I think we can all concede that Adama has the higher ground in that fight. Roslin is after all the president of the Colonies and he does love her, while Tigh has been getting it on with a “skin job” prisoner while envisioning his ex-wife. Of course, time will tell if Adama has been pretty much doing the same with Roslin, at least on the first count, albeit unknowingly.

The best part of the whole scene is that they’re back to being buddies after getting it out of their systems. They are the epitome of male friendship.

Hopefully Devoted

I have been writing about this for some time now and now we’ve been given “official” confirmation of how our dear Admiral Adama feels about Madam President Roslin.

The man loves her, really loves her, so much so that he’s relinquished his command to drift in space alone in a raptor hoping that she is still alive and will return to the fleet’s last known position. It’s a gamble of the heart because evidence strongly suggests that she and the contingent of his crew aboard the Cylon baseship that jumped away are dead. Still, Adama refuses to give up hope that he’ll find her. Why? He tells his son succinctly, “I can’t live without her.”

All I can say to that is WOW!

Just as Mary McDonnell owned “Guess What’s Coming To Dinner?,” Edward James Olmos owns “Sine Qua Non.” Adama’s worry, fear and rage fuel this episode from start to finish. He is positively ferocious in the scene where he and Tigh come to fisticuffs and while dressing-down Athena. And I loved that little half-smile he gave Lee when he admitted he couldn’t live without Roslin, as if he were glad and relieved to finally be able to say it aloud, to admit it to himself even and embrace it. There was a joy in that surrender for Adama, I think, and it’s what gives him hope that she’s still out there and coming back.

The Adama-Roslin relationship is one of those onscreen pairings that writers/creators of shows tend to avoid like the plague. Believe me, I know. I’ve suffered through years of angst with many TV series in my time, particularly Star Trek: The Next Generation, which took the most adult relationship on the series and made it look more like a prepubescent crush. Don’t even get me started on that. But I’ll take the subtle courtship and gradual deepening of Roslin and Adama’s relationship as payback for all those years of teeth gnashing.

Thank you, writers, for not being afraid to show us two grown-ups falling in love and standing by each other through the best and worst of times. Finally a complex relationship based on more than what goes on between the sheets! It’s a nice change from all the wild and lusty behavior of the younger set that usually gets the most attention.

Other Things of Note

• Tigh is now in command of the Fleet — and we all remember what happened last time, right? That said, I actually think that Tigh is going to do all right, despite being a Cylon. I think he is so afraid to disappoint Adama, and of Adama’s reaction to what he is, that he’d sooner pry out his one good eye than to mess up now.
• Sharon “Athena” Agethon is back in the brig for shooting the Cylon rebel leader Natalie, but Adama had her child returned to her before he left the ship.
• Natalie died from the gunshot wounds and had a vision, or projection, of a forest before she passed on.
• We learned that Tom Zarek is the one who pulled strings to get Lee the Caprican delegate position.
• Roslin’s prognosis is not good in her battle against cancer the longer she stays away.
• The Quorum, as usual, descended into chaos without Roslin there to keep them in line. As a friend of mine noted, these people make our Congress look highly competent.

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