Episode Report Card Jacob Clifton: B- | 2 USERS: D+ YOU GRADE IT Speaking Truth To Power
By Jacob Clifton | Season 3 | Episode 8 | Aired on 11.16.2006
"Let me try and understand exactly what happened to you. I'm just gonna go back a little, all right? About a year prior to the Cylon attack on the Colonies, you were on a mission with Admiral Adama. Is that correct?" Roslin watches Bulldog look at Adama, watches Adama nod at Bulldog, watches Bulldog look back at her. Watches clearance happen. "It was a black ops mission." She gives the beloved hmm and crosses her arms, nodding. "You remember the Tauron Colonists were such outlaws, always pushing their luck with the Admiralty every chance they got?" (Not for nothing, but we've only met one I can think of. And fuck yeah.) "The Taurons were drilling for tylium ore on a moon that was too close to the Cylon Armistice line. We knew that they had to get out of there, or risk provoking the Cylons." Roslin nods at Bulldog and Adama, but Tory's a gisty kinda gal: "I'm sorry, but how did this result in his ship being shot down?" Instead of yelling about context and the bardic tradition, Adama explains that Bulldog was the recon pilot: "He was there to gather evidence. Taurons must've seen us coming, because they ambushed him." Lie #1. No, #2. Roslin looks very fucking closely at him but doesn't say anything. You know she's thinking, "Oh, Bill. I'm the guardian of human morality this week?" And she is, and it's awesome as usual. "Lieutenant Novacek was shot down by the Taurons in cold blood," Adama lies. And by the way, Edward James Olmos is a fucking brilliant actor in this episode, which is relatively unmeaty. He's amazing. Every time the camera is on him, starting now, he makes me want to cry. He's just so...deeply embarrassed. Like, on a spiritual level. It's so sad. How can any of us survive, unless the man at the top finds a way to forgive himself? I understand why it's him -- why logically it has to be him -- but it makes me sad. I don't talk a whole lot about how much I love Bill Adama, and honestly, that is one of the good things about Bill Adama. Response to this episode has been mixed, but given where it falls in the season, I'm just grateful for this: it's another way for Adama to be forgiven. He's just given so much already. And all he has to do now is truth, and reconciliation. All he has to do is speak.
Flashback to the very sexy Valkyrie CIC, and its very sexy crew, as we hear a strangely familiar refrain: "Krypter krypter krypter, I've got damage to the port engine. Bird is down. Repeat: bird is down. Request rescue.Krypter krypter krypter! This is Bulldog...bird is down. Repeat: bird is down. Request rescue." Repetitive? There's a reason, but we're not there yet.