After complaining about the poor quality of the last two episodes, I’m glad to come in and totally praise this episode. I love it!
I agree with the “shown out of order” idea - this definitely should have been shown before the last two. But it wasn’t, and we must now deal.
If nobody had been killed at the end, I would not be praising right now. Somebody had to die, dramatically & logistically. I originally thought we’d get the aforementioned BoomerNinja saving the day yet again, then being thrown back in chains. But Billy biting it made sense - too bad he grew a pair a little too late.
Just to clarify, I’m not suggesting he should have simply shot the dude in the back of the head and precipitated a gun battle. The only thing that struck me wrong is that the Delaney character says “you won’t do it” and he immediately gives in. Given past events (and yeah, the note about episode order makes a lot of sense), the moment should have played differently. She says “you won’t do it,” and he says, “you’re wrong,” underlining everything he’s gone through and how he’s changed. Something else would have to happen to convince him to surrender, or they could just stay in the standoff for a while. Or as simster suggests, he shouldn’t have revealed himself so quickly. It’s just that given “Black Market,” the specific moment of his surrender played false to me.
Oh, and I just noticed that I frakked up the episode number in the subject line again. Could somebody report this and ask 2.15 to be changed to 2.16?
I agree. I wonder if different people authored each episode, but then I wonder how it got around Moore. Anyway, I think Lee thought these were some dumb ass civilians and and they really wanted to talk, especially the woman in charge. Of course, he might have remembered killing the black market guy and didn’t want to become like him. BUT then they should have showed it on “last rag tag time on Battlestar Ponderosa”. I think I’m second guessing too much. It makes my head hurt and makes me say things like “frak” and “no, Little Joe, you can’t go into town alone to get a beer.”
Minor nitpick: Why, when the hostage-takers strike, are four recurring characters (Apollo, Dualla, Billy, Ellen Tigh) sitting in the same bar on Cloud Nine, with a fifth (Starbuck) also aboard Cloud Nine? Is ship-to-ship travel so cheap that it’s commonplace?
I’m guessing that Billy’s death will play into the Roslin-vs.-Baltar conflict that bubbled up a few episodes back. Billy was Roslin’s support network – not just emotionally, as when she alluded to him as the nearest thing to family that she’s got left, but administratively. Billy is the heart of the Presidency, which surely involves much administrivia that Roslin doesn’t tend to personally. With Billy gone, and an election coming up, Roslin may have a harder time holding it together, leaving an opening for Baltar to challenge her more effectively now that they’re on the outs.
Who will replace Billy’s function for Roslin, Dualla? Will she develop a guilty interest in his life and try to take over his role? In the soap opera style it could put her in conflict with her military position if Adama has issues with the President.
Actually, Adama does have issues, he blows stuff up, big time, but I digress.
This is a big question for me, and I hope Ron Moore doesn’t blow it off. Roslyn seems very much alone now. Everyone else has someone. Roslyn doesn’t have her priestess, nor does she have Billy. She appears to be running the presidency all alone, unless they produce a whole slew of advisors & aids overnight, which would suck. I don’t want to see Roslyn just carrying on as usual without Billy. But who’s going to step in and fill the void? Is there really anyone in the entire fleet she can trust?
Roslyn could recover the guy she stiffed over Baltar as VP. I’m looking for a meaner Roslyn.
Dualla isn’t smart enough to do Billy’s job. Or if she is, she’s not trained for that kind of work. Besides that, she’s part of Galactica’s C&C crew.
I’m surprised that Adama and friends haven’t thought through the Earth bit. I know that Adama didn’t buy into it for real until after the whole Kobol/Hologram episode.
But if they think that Earth is real, aren’t they thinking about the implications of bringing the Cyclons down on an essentially innocent third party? Or do they hope to meet Earth ships with Sooper! Dooper! Earth! Tech!?
I didn’t like this ep all that much. I tstarted out looking interesting, the set-up seemed to have lots of possibility, but then I had to think: Didn’t I just watch this on Monday? BSG -> 24. I know, it’s not their fault that the 24 episode was shown first, but it’s kind of a tired plotline.
And as soon as Adama offered to give up Sharon, it was obvious the decoy would be used. Funny how Ros didn’t protest one bit as he completely ignored her orders. And I completely agree that Starbuck trying to sneak in was ridiculous-- viper pilots would be the rockstars of the fleet, and she’d be the most famous.
Killing off Billy was something I didn’ see coming. But how many times are we going to be subject to the “Apollo is going to die!” stuff. Apollo is not going to die.
What was Lee trying to accomplish by bringing in the bad guy at gunpoint? You bargain from a position of power or you can’t bargain.
If there was a single remaining bad guy to confront, then Maybe you could lead with your hostage. However, in that circumstance it would have been better to aim from the bathroom door and shoot the remaining bad guy.
What could he Ever accomplish with his one gun and one hostage against multiple bad guys, guns, and their multiple hostages? He even walks out next to all the hostages so there is No way they cannot be in the line of fire (or ready to commit a foolish “heroic” act).
Lee said he just wanted to talk. Okay, then come out unarmed/unhostaged as a gesture of trust and respect. Otherwise stay in the walls as a gremlin. Worst case is that stupid Ellen rats him out and he has to give up to prevent a hostage death.
But what he did? I can’t see it as doing anything other than making the bad guys mad, and a stupid choice. How could it have made any sense?
I wasn’t trying to count coup on this, just pointing out that for any fan of the show, this plot twist shouldn’t have been a twist at all. Especially with president Stands with a Fist not raising one note of protest.
I was 90% dead Sharon, 10% he might whack the live one. He can be a mean SOB.
Someone suggested sneaking Sharon in alive and armed. While I think that would have sucked politically, had I thought of it, I’d have been 80-10-10.
