Episode Report Card Jacob Clifton: A+ | 1 USERS: A+ YOU GRADE IT Without Crutches
By Jacob Clifton | Season 3 | Episode 4 | Aired on 10.19.2006
On Colonial One, Gaeta's boredly drawing a Cylon being hung or murdered or something as Baltar waxes bitchy at the Cylons about how they should have listened to him: "Too comfortable in your predictions of success to even consider the possibility of defeat," he says, which is ironic considering that's like his theme song. "And where are we now? And more to the point, where's Laura Roslin? Where's Tom Zarek? At large. Whereabouts unknown." Three and Simon roll their eyes but don't speak. "Probably with Colonel Tigh, solidifying the insurgency's hold over the public's imagination." Finally Three speaks up and asks what the hell he wants from them now, then. "Leave. Pack up your Centurions and go," he says levelly. "Please, go." And then Three says something interesting and not that sympathetic, even for a Cylon-lover like me: "And then what? What would you do if we really just left you here? You'd live out your lives in peace and never trouble yourselves with thoughts of us again? Or would you raise your children with stories of the Cylon? The mechanical slaves who once did your bidding only to turn against you. [True.] Killers who committed genocide against your race. [True.] And occupiers of this city [True!], until we just ran away [Give it a shot!]. Would you tell them to tell the story to their children? And to their children's children? And nurse a dream of vengeance down through the years, so that one day they could just go out into the stars and hunt the Cylon once more?"
Which... I guess so? But that's not actually the problem, so she's really just kind of taking a stance. She's not in this because she's afraid that, ten generations from now when humanity is viable again, they're going to do something; she's in this because... They Have A Plan. I mean, she's right, but that's not her argument, so what the hell. It's a good speech and one that would work if she hadn't already expressed her own feelings on the subject, and an important thing to say. I fully agree with the speech in theory, but it feels shoehorned into her mouth. Gaius says it's blood for blood, but that it has to stop one day, which is something you get in Greek stories a lot. Iphigenia to Cassandra to Clytemnestra to Orestes and then you get Athens. Blood for blood. Three just smiles and thinks about how she's already crazier than he can deal with, but just then Gaeta looks away from his cartoon and notices how all of New Caprica is on fire, down below them. If this were about the Middle East, you might think the fires everywhere looked like oil wells. But also: "Hunt the Cylon once more"? When did that happen to begin with? Before the original Armistice? I don't know, Benjamin Franklin said there was never "a good war or a bad peace," and I have my theories about the Armistice and the confederation of the Colonies to begin with, but I think that what we're seeing is the reversal of that for once: the Bad Peace of Season 2.5, when the Fleet turned on itself, becoming the Good War of Season 3.0, when everybody got their shit together. (Which is, coincidentally, the subject of my essay in this book, So Say We All, coming out from BenBella Books this week, edited by Tom Zarek himself, so go read it.)
Down in the city, Tory Foster's addressing her block captains and wowing at Anders's awesome explosions everywhere. She administrates the evacuation, reminds them of their drills, and sends them with the blessing of the Gods. Maya comes up with Hera in her arms, asking Tory to thank Laura for taking care of her and the baby, but Tory doesn't have time for Maya's mess: "Tell her yourself when this is all over." She smiles down at peaceful Hera and wishes "we" (meaning "Maya" and also "all the refugees") were as chill as the baby. She sends Maya off with the block captains and runs around issuing orders and generally being so freakin' awesome. This is by far her best episode so far; I can't wait to see what goes down with her.