Episode Report Card Jacob Clifton: A | 3 USERS: A+ YOU GRADE IT Admiral Cain, She Dead
By Jacob Clifton | Season 2 | Episode 10 | Aired on 09.22.2005
In the Pegasus meeting room, Cain discusses the logs with Adama. There's a sort of backhanded indication that she's congratulating him on surviving his own incompetence. She then fills him in on the Cylon Fleet she's been tracking. There are two basestars, around a dozen support ships, and a brand-new mystery vessel. She shows Adama some recon pictures, including a more rounded ship in the background. They discuss the mystery ship, wondering if it's a command and control vessel, or a Raider factory, or what. Cain points out that the Fleet is protecting it. I totally think it's a consciousness transmitter, as I said in the recaplet: a way station to get Cylon souls back home. Cain is insultingly surprised by Adama's immediate desire to kill it, saying she'd been getting ready to "do a whole song and dance." She still doesn't know the Rules of Adama: Yell At It, Kill It, or Lie To It About Earth.
Adama offers to have Apollo coordinate with CAG Taylor, giving Cain the option of segue to how she wants to integrate the ships' crews. I think the Adama Family theme starts to play, which is perfect here, but either way, we're back to the normal show score. Cain's first move toward integration is going to be assigning Lee to Pegasus's Air Guard (under her CAG, of course -- my CAG is bigger than your CAG -- but that's just implied). Adama protests that his team works really well together, and Cain slaps him with a "I've totally read your logs, dude." She says that having Lee as CAG was a grave mistake, but that's just a smokescreen for her real intention, which is to throw her weight around by stealing Adama's children. Not to mention the fact that all the people she mentions in this speech are not only poorly behaved (so why would she want them except for intimidation?) but are also the heads of their departments and are cast regulars, so that relationships with Adama wouldn't be hard to deduce. The Glare is currently at Defcon Three. Cain quotes the logs on Lee's insubordination and occasional mutiny, and then moves on to Starbuck's infractions, sending the Glare to Four. Her final hits are Helo, who after all "fraternized with and evidently impregnated an enemy agent," and finishes with the excellent "...and let's not even talk about your XO." It's funny, but the Glare goes to Defcon Level Oh, Girl. Adama's thinking, through the rage, about how he's heard what this bitch does to XOs who mess up. Cain hands Adama a list of the transfers, and Adama complains that she promised she wasn't going to interfere with his command. "I'm saving your command, Bill," she says, and that's the thing, because she says it like she's right, and maybe she is, in some ways. But it's funny to see her lay it out for Adama (calling him "Bill," no less) like she's the rational one. Adama disagrees that the relationships blind him to "their weaknesses, and to the damage that they're doing" to morale and whatever. Cain gets steely and sizes him up. It's very subtle and very scary: "Well, that is certainly your right." Then there's a glare-off, and she dismisses him with a "You have your orders."