Episode Report Card Jacob: B- | 1 USERS: C YOU GRADE IT Can't Stop The Signal
By Jacob | Season 2 | Episode 13 | Aired on January 19, 2006
Adama has invited Helo to his quarters to have a horrific conversation. Helo's freaked out from word one, as Adama starts in the best possible way: "There's no easy way to say this." Helo just looks away. I have this rule where if you say "we need to talk" or "this isn't going to be easy" or whatever…we don't. We won't be having the conversation; you've just established a certain kind of power over the conversation that isn't necessary. You're starting out with a wall around the whole talk that you built specifically to keep me in line. If we need to talk, if you need to tell me something: say it. Tell me the thing. No matter how freaked I get, it's less freaked than if you prefaced it by basically ordering first: "You will now freak out." Anyway, that bugs me. So Adama is then out with it: "It's about the Cylon. The President has decided that her pregnancy will be terminated." Helo takes a second to digest this info, and then asks why, and is told the blood work thing, which sounds like a lie every time. Helo's sad, and pissed, and asks if it isn't something that can be assumed about an entirely new kind of person. Helo loses it, a little bit, at the end of the question. His jaw is working overtime. Adama explains that, per Roslin, allowing the baby to come to full term would constitute "an unacceptable risk to the Fleet."
Helo complains that Sharon's been completely helpful since they returned from Caprica, leading the search for the Tomb, giving them intel…even broadcasting the virus to the Raiders, characterized by Helo as having "turned on her own." Penikett's really good at not yelling -- completely contained, caged and nearly boiling over. It's very real. Adama points out that each of these involved "saving her life" -- it's interesting that these can all be characterized as self-interest even without referring to Helo and the baby -- and then a thing happens that is interesting. Because Adama's face, on the screen, says: "Don't mistake the will the live for genuine conversion, Lieutenant. She's still the enemy." And that's also what the closed-captions would have you believe he says. But the vocal track, what comes out of your TV, Adama says, "Don't mistake the will the live for genuine compassion." I wish I knew how that went down, and how and why it was redubbed, because the difference between the two is the entire point. Helo asks whether Boomer knows about this new horrible violation coming her way, and looks away as Adama replies in the negative. Helo says, and I agree, that he should be the one to tell her. Adama looks up as Helo asks to be dismissed. "Helo. I don't expect you to agree to the decision. But I need you to accept it." And Helo, of course, disagrees: "We're talking about my child, sir. Part of me." It would be at this point that I would remind Adama of the numerous times he has put the totality of humanity at risk for Starbuck's unholy ass, and she's not even his actual kid. But Helo's a class act and that's not how he rolls. "…But I guess it's easier to kill when you call it a Cylon." He hits the last phrase with a palpable disgust. This might be Helo's best performance of a pretty demanding run on the show. Adama dismisses him without an answer, because there's not an answer, and Helo snaps to attention with tears in his eyes, turns, and exits. There's a lot going on with Adama as he watches him go.