Episode Report Card Jacob Clifton: A+ | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT All My Darling Daughters
By Jacob Clifton | Season 4 | Episode 18 | Aired on 03.06.2009
It's like Gaius said: the courage to face death, without fearing the word. Without letting it take away our will. Without trying to soften the blow, or shutting down at the moment of our greatest challenge, or running away from it: only then will we truly have the ability to cross over. Anybody can die the same death a million times, as long as they know they'll come back from it. My friend Rachel says, "The ones who come back are the ones who suffer." Change feels like dying because it is, right, but the opposite is true: if it doesn't feel like dying, it isn't change. We don't cross over, and we don't get bigger. We go back to the beginning, and this all happens again.
When Saul gets to Bill's rack, he's just washing paint off his crazy old face. Saul's pleased that Bill "sent those toaster work crews packing, for all the good they've done," but Bill explains that's just a little bit of it: he's halting all repairs. He pours them two drinks, because they'll need it, and sits, and tells Saul to get them stripping her down. "All the weapons and gear. Gonna start offloading the civilians by tomorrow. Full crews and ordinance transferred by the end of the week." Saul's like "what?" and his eyeball goes "the fuck?"
Don't fear the word: "We're abandoning ship, Tigh." Saul shivers, and starts begging him not to. "She's dying, and we both know it." Saul turns to bargaining: As the XO, he refuses to let this happen. Bill's eyes sparkle a little bit. "You've never let me down, Saul. I can't blame you for being what you are. Especially since it includes being the finest officer and friend I've ever had. This ship never let us down, so we're gonna send her off in style." He sips his drink peacefully and Saul rolls his eye, finally sitting heavily next to him.
"So we're gonna do this, huh? She was a grand old lady." Bill nods. The grandest. "To Galactica. Best ship in the Fleet." Saul clinks his glass, and they toast her. But it's the music, again, that does it. Those darn bagpipes that get you every time: what used to be the song for Zak, and Bill and Lee, and reached out to hold Dualla and Kat, and Laura, it plays as they sit together, drinking in her honor. For everyone on that ship, as they say goodbye: I myself am home. Home is other people.