Episode Report Card Jacob: A | 1 USERS: B+ YOU GRADE IT Nature Girl
By Jacob | Season 3 | Episode 3 | Aired on October 12, 2006
Helo and Dualla, Executive Officers of their respective Battlestars, supervise preparations for the rescue op and the Pegasus's resumed journey toward Earth. "Will you quit looking at me like that?" asks Helo. Like what? "You know like what. Like we're never gonna see each other again. We will. It's a good plan, D." She sighs, he's right. "Take care of the Admiral," she says. "Take care of his son," Helo says. (Or "our son," which makes no sense, or better not make any sense, so I don't know why he said that, so it was just a loop issue or something.) Two interesting things I learned this week: Racetrack and Helo, the actors I mean, decided based on a fanfic that Racetrack was secretly in love with Helo, and they've been playing it that way ever since. The other thing is that Chief liked the characters of Seelix and Tarn so much that he inserted their names into every take of the scene where we first saw them, and they turned real. Turned out not so well for Tarn, who died on Kobol, but better for Seelix. Until now, I guess.
On deck, a thick line of salt is poured along the floor as Helo speaks. "All right, people, you know how this works: Pegasus crew on the port side of the line, Galactica on the right." They line up across from each other (defilade, safe, facing forward, hands open; from défiler, "to scroll"), and look across, or down at the floor, or up into space. Racetrack reads from the Sacred Scrolls: "Their enemies will divide them. Their Colonies broken in the fiery chasm of space. Their shining days renounced by a multitude of dark sacrifices. Yet still they will remain always together." The crews speak as one: "Always together." They very deliberately erase the line of salt (Tears? All-purpose holy element? The old religions do it both ways) with their feet, and then the two crews embrace each other, promising they'll see each other again, and that really they won't ever be apart. (Gotta go with tears. Damn, that's awesome.)
Adama and Apollo stand nearby as prep continues. Adama asks why he keeps looking at his watch -- "got dinner plans?" -- and Apollo laughs. "No, I was just thinking. Sharon's probably on the ground by now." (AN HOUR PREVIOUS TO HALF AN HOUR AGO.) Adama gives him his brief (and has the same thought Sharon and Chief are having; he's always been in the middle of their relationship): "You'll find the rendezvous point there. Take the civilian fleet and wait for me for 18 hours. If I'm not back in 18 hours, then find Earth." They agree, and Adama's voice goes quieter: "I'll see you at the rendezvous point." Apollo nods. "18 hours. Try not to be late." Adama promises to be there, even though he's getting old and he's a little slow. Apollo wishes once more that he could talk him out of the plan, but Adama's firm: "You can't. You tried." The Adama Theme goes nuts, even more Titanic-sounding than usual, as Apollo starts to say something sentimental, and Adama holds up a hand: "Don't. Don't make me cry in my own hangar deck." Apollo holds his tears back, just barely, as they shake hands and embrace. It is very touching, but I don't know how to explain it except to say that Bamber has his good days and then he has his very good days, and this is one of the latter. And that Adama can make me cry with a twitch of his moustache anyway. "Okay," says Apollo jaggedly, and Adama looks him in the eye: "I'll see you there." Apollo asks his Admiral for permission to leave his ship; Adama grants the Pegasus's Commander permission to depart. Apollo alights on a Raptor's wing and calls for attention. They salute each other, and -- Lee Adama could never cut the goodbyes short -- once more says, "18 hours." And Bill Adama watches his son leave, taking the Lie of Earth with him, so that he can stay and right his wrongs.