Episode Report Card Strega: A+ | 203 USERS: B+ YOU GRADE IT Stress Test
By Strega | Season 1 | Episode 1 | Aired on 2005.01.14
Domicylon. Baltar tells Six that this is all wrong. "If they were left behind, why didn't the Cylons destroy them? Why are they showing up now?" Six says it's God's punishment for Baltar's lack of faith. Baltar huffs that he'd like a more logical explanation, and smokes a cigarette weirdly as Six tries a different theory: "The Olympic Carrier's been infiltrated by Cylon agents. They've been tracking the ship all along." Baltar thinks about that for a second, but doesn't like the implications. Which Six helpfully fills in for us: "Logically, in order for you to survive, the Olympic Carrier should be destroyed." Dun dun dunn.
Commercials. I think it's interesting that it's there's no plot conflict between the characters until the last act. I mean, for most of the hour they've got this massive external problem, but they aren't trying to solve it, they're just trying to survive it. Adama has that one plan, but instead of them doing a "It's crazy, but it just might work" thing and triumphing, they never get around to it because other stuff happens. So at this point there's about eleven minutes left in the show, and they're only now faced with a decision. And it totally works, and lets them establish the characters in a dramatic situation without having to really spend a lot of time on plot.
Boomer radios to the Olympic Carrier and identifies herself. We hear the captain (I assume) respond, "Thank the Lords of Kobol -- you don't know how relieved we are to see you." Boomer asks what happened to them as Tigh and Adama listen in to the transmissions. The captain says that it took them three hours to get their FTL drive working. Adama asks Dualla to ask Boomer to ask the pilot how they evaded the Cylons. Oh my lord, I really need to think of a shorthand term for these transitive conversations. The captain's response is: "You got me! They were closing in on us when the rest of you were jumping; I thought we were goners, and they just broke off. Someone must've been watching out for us." The passengers aboard the Colonial One are also listening to all this with great interest. Billy and the Prez look pensive. Baltar looks tense. So it's status quo over there. The Carrier's captain adds that there's a guy named Amarak on board who's very eager to talk to the Prez. Baltar's head pops up and he looks like he's about to chew on his own teeth. Boomer asks what Amarak's deal is, and the captain reports that Amarak "knows something about a traitor in our midst, and he's unwilling to share any more than that." Baltar ponders that for a second and then jumps up and tells the Prez that she should end all communication with the Carrier immediately. The Prez is all "Huh? Why?" and Baltar says, "Forgive me for being rude, but --" and then slams his hands on her desk as he concludes, "-- wake up, all right?" Hee. Baltar, in full, blustery panic, says that the Cylons must have let the Carrier go intentionally, which means they're tracking it. He turns and loudly tells everyone aboard that there's probably a Cylon agent aboard the Carrier. What's great is that his reasons here are good ones, but he probably doesn't mean them. The Prez tries to calm Baltar down and rather hoarsely asks him to start over. Baltar presses his palms together in front of his chest pleadingly and completely fails to hide his frustration as he asks the Prez to listen to him. He comes up with another scare tactic, and suggests that the Carrier could broadcast a signal containing another computer virus that would disable their own ships. The Prez asks Adama if he's heard all this. Adama picks up a phone and says that he agrees with Baltar. So does the Prez. Billy looks at Baltar and says, "Thank the gods you're with us." Hee. Baltar looks slightly sick as he assures Billy, "God's got nothing to do with this." Tee hee hee. Loved that.