Episode Report Card Strega: A+ | 20 USERS: A+ YOU GRADE IT Stress Test
By Strega | Season 1 | Episode 1 | Aired on 2005.01.14
Boomer tells the others that they've got new orders. She hesitates briefly before passing on the news that they're supposed to destroy the Carrier. Crashdown leans forward like he can't believe it, and Starbuck immediately argues that it's a civilian ship. Crashdown points out, "A civilian ship with nukes." They're still moving toward the fleet, and we see some bright flashes among the ships that are presumably long-range weapons being fired at the Cylons. Apollo flies alongside the Carrier and looks at all the empty windows as Crashdown adds, "I don't see anybody in there, do you?" Apollo says that the Cylons are nearly on them, so they'd better just do it. Starbuck whines, "Lee, what if you're wrong?," even as she and Apollo slow their Vipers so that the Carrier pulls in front of them. There's a brief but very pretty shot through one of the Viper's windshields, swing the Carrier directly ahead, and the fleet scattered through the rest of the frame. Apollo takes aim at the Carrier's engines as Starbuck continues pleading for him to wait. He tells her to fire on his mark. She snaps, "No frackin' way, Lee!" Apollo says, "Mark," and fires. Starbuck does, too. A few shots hit the side of the Carrier, and then the engines explode. The stabilizer fins break off, and then the whole ship goes boom. Lee closes his eyes and files this away for when he needs a good angsting. Fade out.
Caprica. Helo's arms and legs are manacled, and there's a trusty burlap sack over his head. You'd think the Cylons would have found something better than burlap. Six pulls the bag off and -- hey, her hair actually looks slightly mussed. Spooky. Helo stares at her, and she asks, "Are you alive?" Helo pants at her for a minute and then starts reciting his name, rank, and serial number. Six starts to unfasten his chains and insists, "I know who you are, Helo. It's all right, I'm a friend." To prove it, she kisses him. Then there's a noise, and she gasps and twitches backward. Don't worry, Helo, it happens to every guy. Blood trickles out of her mouth and Helo looks properly disgusted as she collapses onto him. As she falls, we see Boomer approach with her gun drawn. Helo shoves Six's body away and gasps, "Sharon?" I watched this the first time with my family at my mom's house. At this point, my mom and I cracked up. My brother and sister-in-law had been distracted by my nephew and didn't understand what was so funny. Helo's all, "Fancy meeting you here!" while Boomer asks if he's okay. She helps him up, and he starts to ask what she's doing back on Caprica but Boomer insists, "Just move, Mister." They hurry off into the woods. We pan up from Six's body to a Cylon robot and Six, who watch Helo "escape." Tee hee. Six looks down at her body sort of curiously. I still think this is a parallel to the problem with the Carrier, and that just like with Helo, the fleet was given an obvious target so they wouldn't look too closely anywhere else. Like, Adama's scheme might have actually worked, so they did something to keep him from trying it.