Battlestar Galactica 1.6 — "Litmus" (spoilerama)

Cafe Society
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New episode tonight.

Questions:

Will the Starbuckathon continue or will other cast members get a chance to shine?

What will they learn from their examination of the Cylon raider?

Are they done with the frackin’ water yet?

How will people react to the announcement about Cylons appearing human? Low-level paranoia, mass paranoia, or Holy Horny Robot Dog Batman hysterical paranoia?

And what role does Adama play in the paranoia? Does he take the hardass military angle, pursuing investigations and security protocols, or is he more like Picard in that one hugely underrated TNG episode The Drumhead?

Speaking of whom, will Adama and Lee continue bonding after the amazing “if it were you, we’d never leave” moment from last week?

How is it that Helo, back on Caprica, didn’t get chewed up by the Cylon? And why did fifty thousand additional units not immediately descend on that position in response to the firefight?

Will the slower pace continue? Are we maintaining the focus on character development at the expense of the big epic plot that seemed to be the show’s raison d’être after the first couple of weeks? (I mention this because some have complained about it; I think it’s a strength, actually. Opinions, naturally, differ.)

How’s Baltar’s Cylon detector coming? Did he get his nuke, as requested a couple of weeks ago? Are the revelations of Cylon infiltrators connected to this work? And how is Boomer involved?

Does President Roslin’s doctor find a homeopathic acupuncturist to mix up a froo-froo potion for her tumor?

And the ongoing questions: Who gets naked and screws this week? Which piece of high-explosive ordnance will be mishandled and kill people? Is Tigh ever gonna find some space laxative and launch that massive shit he’s obviously been unable to expel?

Did I miss anything?

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Don’t worry, after this episode the show finds a better balance of characters.
What Tigh does get, a few episoded down the line, is going to blow your mind.

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Oh. You. Tease.

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Whooo-Hoooo!

That Cylon raiders have squishy innards for some reason.

I’m thinking first male-male kiss.

They’re studying him. The dissection comes later.

I’m sure I’m not the only one to think this, but at some point, as per his predecessor, he must join the Cylons. Only now, instead of a creepy double-red-eye Cylon in a red skirt, he hangs out with a smoking blond in a tight red skirt.

Where the heck are they going to find more fuel and ammo? Actually, I don’t really care. I’m enjoying this show more than anything Sci-Fi I’ve seen in a long time. I wasn’t sure with the miniseries, but they’ve won me over.

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Y’know, they didn’t even mention the water thing last week, and when they finally decided to leave Starbuck’s ass on that moon, it seemed the entire fleet was ready to jump. So I’m thinking the water crisis is pretty much over.

That’s easy. Thanks to Boomer, now he’s got Cylon smell all over him. Everyone knows Cylons won’t seriously attack you if you’ve got Cylon smell on you.

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Starbuck? Up the…kazoo? With a cigar? One can only hope.

Ladies and Gentlemen.
Ladies and Gentlemen.

It is hereby arbitrarily determined that writing “frack” instead of “fuck” will hereby cause the perpetrator to be branded “fanboy” and forever ridiculed in these glorious threads.

Thank you.
Thank you very much.

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It is a DVD, or more probably given the technology of Battlestar Ponder…Smallpox, a Betamax video tape of Starbuck Does Capricia.

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Sorry,

I was a bit ahead of you guys.
But this episode was really good. Taking a nice look at the “giving up liberty to assure security” idea and rejecting it.

Was it Olmos that played the Supreme Court nom on The West Wing?
The thing that bugged me about this episode is that last time they captured a Cylon fighter and I guess it is collecting dust somewhere.

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But a true aficionado will know it’s spelled frak.

And decomposing I’d presume. Or don’t Cylons decompose?

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Whoa. Mighty bold little allegory concerning our conduct in the War on Terror™ and specifically the whole Gitmo “Charges? We don’t got to show you no stinkin’ charges” thing. Or maybe it was meant to echo the Kenneth Starr investigation. Whatever; it was pretty powerful stuff.

BTW, I think the Chief has become my favorite character. The guy that plays him is one hell of an actor. You could clearly read the growing moral confusion on his face as he realised the price of trying to keep his affair secret.

Favorite line, more or less: “In there somewhere is truth. Perhaps you could lead me to it?”

Question time:

Pretty much, but it does get a shout out.

I’ll take “Holy Horny Robot Dog Batman hysterical paranoia” for $200, Alex.

One is led to believe one thing, then finds it really is the other.

If they do, it doesn’t occur anywhere on camera.

Think “rat” and “maze”.

How’s Baltar’s Cylon detector coming? Did he get his nuke, as requested a couple of weeks ago? Are the revelations of Cylon infiltrators connected to this work? And how is Boomer involved?

Fits and starts, nope, yup, and, uh, not clear.

The Prez and that young nerdy aide who so clearly worships her. No, I’m kidding; no sweaty shagging on view, but there is a bit of rather suggestive cigar-handling involving Starbuck and Baltar.

[Quote]
Which piece of high-explosive ordnance will be mishandled and kill people?
[/Quote[

Well, I’m not gonna say, but that particular question gets answered about thirty seconds in.

Still holdin’ it in, near as I could tell. I thought when he saluted he was just gonna split right down the middle, though.

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True Aficionadoes will be Shot On Sight.
Phasers will be set to “Paw Cartwright.”

True Bonanza Aficionadoes will know how to spell “Lorene Greene”, but I will not be tempted into digression.

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“Lorene?”

Turn in your ten-gallon hat, six-gun, and Colonial Viper, you’ve been Gaudereized.

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That’s my point, Dude.

We caught one! Set phaser to “Marlin Perkins”.

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Are you smoking locoweed or drinking brake fluid, or something? :confused:

FWIW:

[SPOILER]Starbuck didn’t have hardly any screen time in this episode, other than Baltar dropping by sickbay to give her a “Get Well Cigar.”

Speaking of Baltar, he needs to bitch-slap the voice in his head into place, before she gives him away; after the “Cylons Look Human” announcement, his quirky behavior is going to get him under some scrutiny 'less he shapes up.

What’s with the Sergeant? Is she power-trippin’, or what?! Tribunals aside, you don’t get sarky with the top officer of military battle command. She could’ve gotten everything she wanted (answer wise) with reasonable tones and respectful demeanor, w/o pissing off her friggin’ CO. I think she’s a damned Cylon, and deliberately sabotaged the tribunal process to hamper Colonial efforts to weed out any more Cylons.

I thought that Corporal was going to have a heart attack when Adama confronted him, and the way it was played just makes me think that they couldn’t have done much better than E. James Olmos. His basilisk gaze and low, gravelly voice does more than any amount of arm-waving and histrionics. Ron Moore got that much right about the military. When you’re the Top Dog, and know it, you don’t have to bark and growl to get the pack to follow you.[/SPOILER]

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My favorite line was, “I’m a soft touch.”

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Oh yes, you could see the rest of the tribunal, except for the one presiding, trying not to smile or laugh.

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Several times during the episode, I said “You’re leading the witness”. Hell, she may have been up to goating or badgering, because she was going all out.

Are they allowed to do that in tribunals, because what little I do know says you’re definatly not supposed to do it during civilian trials.

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I just want to say I think this is the best sci fi series I have seen on TV. Not just SciFi Channel series, but any science fiction at all. Olmos is exceptional. Is there anything else that compares? Maybe I’m forgetting something. (I never saw any of the original.)

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Another vote for “James Olmos rocks”, right here. Commander Adama isn’t always the brightest of souls…

Oh yeah, charge the Cylon who’s strapped to a bomb and holding the trigger in his hand, yeah that’ll work…

…but damn, he’s a self-confident SOB. And Olmos makes that work. How many other actors could give off that “I kicked a Cylon’s ass in the miniseries and I can kick your ass too” vibe with just a glance?

(Okay, it was a sick Cylon, but still.)

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I know. I appreciate his balls, but he’s also the fleet commander. He has people to do that for him.