Episode Report Card Jacob Clifton: A+ | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT The Dictates Of Conscience
By Jacob Clifton | Season 3 | Episode 2 | Aired on 10.05.2006
Cavil touches Ellen's leg on their gross couch where they do it, and he says that last time was really something, and she smiles sexily. "Thought you might like that." He notes that she "didn't do the twist this time," and she shakes her head: "No, this was the swirl." Things I Don't Need In My Head, take one billion. Well, Cavil wanted something "memorable," she giggles, and out of nowhere he asks after Saul. She freezes. "Fine?" And when, pray tell, is his next meeting with the insurgents? Ellen's freaked and doesn't reply. "... Why do you think she left him out of detention." She gets her shit together and becomes awesome again, grinning and shimmying at him: "I thought it was because of the twist." That too, he admits, but "having him out there gives us advantages... " She tells him straight up she doesn't know anything about anything, and he asks if they can't just consider her denials as read and move on: "I want a specific place and time for a high-level meeting of the leadership. Or we'll pick up Saul again, and this time he'll lose more than an eye." Ellen realizes how fucked she actually is.
Chief tells Tigh about the rendezvous, and finally has to tell Tigh the liaison officer is Sharon. "I hope that's your idea of a joke?" asks Tigh, crusty overclocking, and Chief shakes his head: Adama totally commissioned her. "She's a serving officer, which is... more than you can say about us." They discuss the best places for the rendezvous; Anders has a canyon on a map already picked out for the Raptor to land. There's a knock at the door, and they hide all their super-secret spy stuff, but it's just Ellen with some crackers and treachery. Anders points at the map, saying he's going to meet the Galactica party halfway from the canyon to the city; they wrap up the meeting and memorize all their stuff, and Tigh leans over to throw away all the evidence. Ellen takes them -- "Don't get up" -- and stands at the fire, slipping the notes into her pocket. I really, really feel for Ellen, dude. This is not going to go awesome. I do have one question: why was she screwing Cavil just now? I can think of a million different reasons, and it seemed like it was the end of their arrangement, but I don't know. She's a mystery.
Gaeta runs into Colonial One, screaming for Gaius, missing him where he sits near the fore door of the office. "Tell me you didn't sign this!" he screams, and Gaius begs him to leave him alone. This is the only time he didn't obey the dictates of his conscience: the only time he can't fool himself into thinking he did the right thing. This, of all things, is his fall. That fascinates me. Even Gaius has a line; he just had to cross it before he knew that. Gaeta screams at him some more and he tries to explain how he didn't have a choice, but he's not trying very hard, because now he knows what we've always known: he's a weak little pansy that always takes the easy way out. I feel terrible for him! This is weird! "There are over 200 names on this list," Gaeta screams, ordering him again and again to look at the names on the list. You already know all the names on the list, which makes it worse, because you're like, "No way." Gaius is hollow and looking even more destroyed than ever: "I've seen them," he cries. Screams. "There was nothing I could do!"
The NCP descends on town en masse for the last raid. Everybody screams and runs about all crazy. Two of them appear at the schoolhouse, and by the set of her jaw you know Laura knows what comes next, even if you can't believe it yourself.