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Leisure Suit Larry returns just long enough to say howdy to Adama, and then blows himself up in a supposedly secure section of the Galactica. The Prez and Adama decide that they have to let the public know that there may be Cylons among them. While Starbuck adds to Baltar's paranoia, Adama appoints a Witchfinder General to figure out how Larry got aboard. She quickly discovers some inconsistencies in the reports from crew on the flight deck, and goes after Tyrol . Of course, the crewmen are actually trying to help cover up the ongoing romance between Tyrol and Boomer, because they're both so darn cute. One of the crewmen eventually falls on his own sword to save Tyrol's ass, claiming that he's the one who accidentally let Larry aboard. The Witchfinder has seen A Few Good Men too many times, so she puts Adama on the stand and demands to know why he kept the news about humanoid Cylons a secret for so long. Adama testily delivers a few lectures about civil liberties and paranoia, and eventually the Witchfinder and her whole Inquisition are buried under so many anvils that they collapse into a black hole. Oh yeah, and then Tyrol dumps Boomer. Back on Caprica, the Cylons arrange for Helo to "rescue" his own Boomer just in time for Valentine's Day. Aw. Want more? The full recap starts right below!
Previously: Helo learned that breakfast is the most dangerous meal of the day; Leisure Suit Larry was left at the Ragnar weapons depot.
Galactica. The PA of exposition informs us that the Scorpia Traveler has just docked with the Galactica, and that civilians are expected to go through security checkpoints. The camera roams through some corridors, and we see a line of civilians giving paperwork to armed soldiers. The camera moves around so that we only see the visitor's back as he flashes a passport-ish book at the soldier. We follow this mysterious visitor as he moves down the corridor. The fact that half of the "previously"s involved Leisure Suit Larry makes me think this just might be he.
Elsewhere, Tyrol approaches Cally and asks, "All clear?" She says, "I've got your back, Chief." Tyrol enters the doorway Cally seems to be guarding.
Inside, Tyrol seals the hatch as Boomer greets him. They appear to be meeting in a water-tank room. Or something. I don't know, but it looks there's a small swimming pool in there, and it's probably not really a swimming pool, y'know? Maybe it's a hot tub. After a long hug, Tyrol asks Boomer if anyone saw her. She says no, adding, "I came through the hatch coaming on 'C' causeway." Plot point! While they kiss, I have a question about the way they refer to the "hatch coaming" throughout this episode. Everything I looked up indicated that the coaming is a kind of splash-guard (or flood-guard) around the hatch. So on a spaceship, I guess they're there to keep outer space from leaking in. That's just a joke, please don't yell at me. Sure, you want some kind of vacuum seals around the doors, but it seems as though claiming to "enter through the hatch coaming" or "close the hatch coaming" makes about as much sense as saying that you opened the door frame. I couldn't find any indication that this is special nautical-talk, either. If it is, I'm sure I'll get email about it.
The mysterious visitor continues to follow the line of less mysterious visitors through the corridors. Then he suddenly turns down an empty hallway. Right here is where they lost me. The big investigation looks pretty dumb when you see that Galactica's security system depends on people's being sheep-like and following the guy in front of them.
Tyrol and Boomer are cuddling on some blankets. Tyrol dreamily talks about how he imagines Boomer's face while they're at work. I wonder if he's got a good enough imagination to picture her with a third expression.
The mysterious visitor climbs the stairway leading from the flight deck. As he passes a T-intersection, we see Tigh approaching. Tigh blinks at the visitor, and then quickly goes to a little wall phone and asks for a security detail. Adama appears nearby, overhears Tigh, and hurries after the mystery visitor. Then Adama shouts, "Doral!" That would be Larry's name. But we've kind of committed to "Larry" here. Larry turns, looks at Adama, and smiles. Then he pulls open his jacket to reveal that he's got explosives wrapped around his waist. Larry holds up a trigger. Adama starts to rush toward Larry, but Tigh continues to demonstrate that he's the one with brains by grabbing Adama and diving around a corner as Larry hits the trigger. Kaboom! Adama and Tigh are knocked down, but most of the explosion is channeled down the main corridor.
Credits. I keep forgetting to mention that I like the way they explain the premise using title cards instead of the standard deep-voiced SF narrator.
Sickbay. A slightly rumpled Adama listens as Dr. Cottle reports three dead, thirteen injured. Incidentally, I'm just taking the internet's word for the fact that his name is "Dr. Cottle," because I don't think we've heard his name on the show yet. Don't betray me, internet. Tigh asks Adama, "It was him, right?" I love Tigh, but he seems to be asking, "Do you really think that guy who turned around when you shouted 'Doral' was Doral?" Maybe he's got a concussion. We pan past the injured, and see Starbuck sitting on her bed, staring at them with horror. Wait, so sickbay is one small room? Or is it just that there are so many injured that they're using the recovery room as well? Offscreen, Adama says he wants to speak to the Master at Arms.
Adama's quarters. The Master at Arms is the chick we saw investigating the accident on the flight deck. It turns out her name is Sgt. Hadrian. While Adama cleans himself up in the background, Tigh informs Hadrian, "The Cylons look like us now." Hadrian is shocked, and Adama goes on to explain about Doral and the multiple copies and so on. He asks Hadrian to investigate "how that Cylon, or any civilian, could break through our security." Hadrian notes that there have been quite a few security lapses recently, and finally asks if she can "follow evidence, wherever it might lead, without command review." Adama sighs, "Independent tribunal," and agrees. Hadrian also suggests informing the whole fleet about the Cylon's new looks, so that everyone can be on the look out for more copies of Doral. Adama says he'll consider it, and dismisses Hadrian. Tigh basically says, "Can open! Worms everywhere!" Adama argues, "Keeping silent hasn't helped us very much." Tigh heads out, and Adama stops him to grunt, "I owe you one." Tigh frowns even more than usual -- which, I think, is how he smiles -- salutes Adama, and leaves. Adama picks up a phone and asks for the Prez.
Cally and two other crewmen are up to something in a storage room. One of the crewmen is a guy named Socinus, whom we've seen before, but I'm just going to call him Gallant; the other one is Goofus. It turns out that they're working on a still. Yay! I desperately want to see a black market develop, but this is a good start. As they fill a cup with the results, Cally asks, "So who's first?" Tyrol suddenly appears behind them and says, "How 'bout me?" He takes the cup of rotgut, sniffs it, and dumps it onto the floor. Tyrol looks disappointed and gives them all the "this stuff'll kill you" lecture, but then tells the chagrined crewmen, "I'll show you people how this is done." He gives them a list of supplies to round up. The crewmen giggle and leave happily. Tyrol sighs, "Children." Hee.
Caprica. Day 17. A gigantic rat climbs over some rubble near Helo. I look to see if Scooter expresses any interest in his cousin. He doesn't. Oh well. While Helo stares at the camera, Six voice-overs, "He's very handsome." Larry asks if she really thinks so.
Cut to a higher rooftop nearby, as Boomer sniffs, "She says that about everyone." Heh. The three Cylons continue watching Helo as he broods. Six asks if Boomer disagrees, and Boomer admits that Helo is attractive. Six says, "I hope you're more convincing than that with him." Boomer expositions that if Helo wants to rescue her, he'll go north. If he wants to abandon her and escape the planet, he'll go south. Larry says, "If he flees, he dies."
Galactica. Adama tells the Prez that they have to tell the civilians what's going on, so that they can find out if there are any more Cylons aboard. It seems distinctly odd that there's no scene in which he presses Baltar for the Cylon detector again. Because if they're likely to get it soon, it might be worth taking the chance to wait for it. Although alarming the population remains an unconvincing problem, because it seems just like the water riots -- offscreen and unreal. I haven't watched The West Wing in years because of the suck, but that show somehow made public reaction feel a real force that could affect things, and not just something they paid lip service to. They haven't managed to do that yet on this show. As I recently ranted in an email, the civilian population might as well be the last 40,000 bunny rabbits in the universe for all the impact their feelings have on things. They're just the cargo. The Prez frets about public reaction and adds, "There is a price to be paid." She claims that the people will demand that someone be held accountable. But again, how will they demand that? By grumbling about it? I demand all kinds of things; doesn't mean I get them. Anyway. The Prez says that the Tribunal will have to come up with a scapegoat, although she doesn't call it that. Adama says that there may be nobody to blame. The Prez responds, "A Cylon agent penetrated your security, killing three people. At least one of your men or women screwed up." Eventually, she says that an independent tribunal sounds great, which I'm not so sure about, but adds, "These things have a way of inflicting damage on the people you least expect." She concludes, "I do not want a witch hunt on our hands." Oooo, foreshadowing!
Flight deck. Hadrian asks Cally where she was at the time of the bombing. Cally says, "In my rack, reading some trashy novel." Hadrian asks where Tyrol was. Cally answers that Tyrol was doing paperwork on the hanger deck. I guess it sort of fits with Cally's personality that she'd be an incompetent liar, but good grief. Hadrian, of course, asks how Cally knows where Tyrol was if she was in bed at the time. Cally says she saw Tyrol before she went to bed. When I watched this episode the first time, I thought the whole thing was that the crewmen were going to be covering up for the still, and eventually someone would say something like, "The innocent lie because they don't want to be blamed for something they didn't do, and the guilty lie because they don't have any other choice." Although they should also mention that some people lie because they're just telling you what they think you want to hear. So basically, I thought there was going to be a fairly nuanced examination of why investigations like this are so tricky. See what happens when my expectations are raised? It's sad.
Cut to Crewman Goofus telling Hadrian, "I was with Cally, playing Pyramid in the mess hall corridor." Hadrian's all, "Ooookay." and asks where Tyrol was. Goofus says that Tyrol stopped by and watched them play for a little while.
Crewman Gallant says he was on watch, and he didn't see Tyrol at all. Hadrian confirms, "He wasn't on the hanger deck?" Gallant says no, and then corrects himself and says that Tyrol did come by to work on one of the Vipers.
Tyrol tells Hadrian he was asleep in his rack at the time. Hadrian looks faintly amused. The thing is, I don't get why she went straight for the flight deck. Why wasn't security at the top of her hit list? The investigation itself doesn't make sense to me. It seems like first you would want to retrace Larry's progress onto the ship. Was he aboard the Scorpia Traveler all this time? How did he get clearance? How was he able just to wander off from the line of civilians? I can reluctantly accept that all of that happened off-screen, but it's yet another irritating thing about this episode.
The Prez steps into the press room aboard her ship and addresses the crowd of reporters. Wait. Now what the hell is going on? Where did the reporters come from? I guess there would be some among the population, but...is this all of them? Or are there really fifty different independent news agencies for 50,000 people? Were they all reporters before this, or are they representatives from each ship who are just like futuristic town criers? How exactly are they passing things along to the rest of the fleet? Do they get to set up little newsrooms in the hanger deck? Do they broadcast between ships independently? Are some of them, like, people who used to do the local weather and now they're breaking into the big time because they just happen to pack enough hairspray to be an anchor? The reporters sit, and the Prez explains that she and Adama have "appointed an independent tribunal to investigate the circumstances surrounding this explosion."
As the Prez speaks, we pan past Starbuck, listening over a radio in sickbay. Well, that answers one question. Only forty to go.
Tyrol's crewmen listen as they work. The Prez adds that she is about to share some information that only a few people have known.
Adama's quarters. Adama and Tigh are listening as well. Tigh moans, "Cat's out of the bag."
We return to the Prez as she says, "The Cylons have the ability to mimic human form. They look like us now." The reporters say, "[Shocked murmuring]."
The flight crew are also shocked when the Prez adds that the bomber on the Galactica was a Cylon agent. I don't know why they're saying "Cylon agent" instead of just "Cylon." Maybe they're hedging their bets or something. Tyrol wheels around and stares at Boomer, standing nearby.
Billy reveals a large rectangular (!) poster of Larry, as the Prez explains that he "slipped aboard the Galactica with a civilian group, killed a Marine guard, stole the explosives, and detonated them." Another poster is unveiled, with a photo of dead Leoben Conoy on it. The Prez explains that Leoben's a Cylon too, and that there are multiple copies of each model. She suggests that anyone who sees these guys contact the Galactica and her office. The Prez removes her glasses to convey sincerity and tells the press, "Now I'll take your questions." Pandemonium ensues.
Flight Deck. Crewman Goofus grumbles, "They've known about this the whole time; they just decided to tell us now?" Gallant goes from zero to paranoid in ten seconds. Cally wishes she didn't know about any of it. Hadrian marches onto the deck with two soldiers escorting her. Two soldiers in space-riot gear. Because subtlety is for losers. Hadrian tells Boomer and Tyrol that they need to come with her. Goofus and Gallant march over and ask whether Tyrol's being arrested. They don't care if Boomer's arrested, heh. Hadrian tries to calm them down, and then Crashdown (I think. All these guys with crewcuts look alike to me) hurries over to perform a notably bad line reading of "What's the meaning of all this?" "It's a metaphor about Homeland Security," Cally whispers. No, actually Hadrian just orders Crashdown to step back from her jackbooted thugs. Tyrol tells Hadrian, "The lieutenant asked you a question, Sergeant." Nyah. Hadrian says that there's a tribunal investigating the bombing, and that they'd like to have a little chat with Boomer and Tyrol. Crashdown ponders this, and finally mutters, "Proceed," and slinks away. Tyrol puts Cally in charge until he gets back. Cally thinks, "I totally could have bitten Hadrian's ear off."
Tribunal fun times are going on in the ward room. The tribunal itself consists of three people sitting behind a great big counter that has a special seal on it. It's all very formal, with flags lining the walls behind them, and Hadrian has her own special prosecutor's table with a little reading light. Fancy. This is still the day after the bombing. Hadrian's a very cost-efficient special investigator, I'll give her that. Boomer tells the tribunal that at the time of the explosion, she was asleep. Hadrian asks, "Did anyone see you, sir?" Boomer gives the obvious answer: "I don't know. I was asleep." Hadrian asks if Boomer has a "romantic and physical relationship" with Tyrol. Boomer's taken aback, but finally says, "No. The XO ordered us to put a stop to it, so we did." The tribunes trade looks and make notes. Hadrian smirks, and then asks where Tyrol was at the time of the explosion. Boomer doesn't know. Boomer is excused. Hadrian calls for the witness.
Hadrian tells Tyrol that his testimony may determine his guilt. Or innocence. Whatever. Tyrol looks a little freaked to find out that he's already on trial, but says that he understands. Hadrian explains that the two questions before them are, "First, how a Cylon penetrated Galactica's security system, and second, whether one of Galactica's crew members aided and abetted this crime through conspiracy and collusion with the Cylons." Um. I think those are kind of the same question. I mean, if the answer to the second question is "yes," then you have the answer to the first question. Hadrian asks Tyrol if he will testify without invoking his right to remain silent, "as provided for under the 23rd Article of Colonization." Tyrol says that he will.
Then we're treated to a one-act play called, "How people in the States reacted to 9/11." It seems to be an Arthur Miller tribute written by third-graders. And here are Cally, Goofus, and Gallant to perform it for us. Let's give them a big hand!
Cally: I am upset at how my friend is being treated.
Goofus: I believe that the ends justify the means when it comes to catching terrorists. I mean, Cylons.
Gallant: Huh?
Goofus: Have you ever seen a Cylon drink a glass of water?
Gallant: Huh?
Goofus: Who weeps for these, weeps for corruption.
Cally: Then the Cylons have already won.
Gallant: We must hang together, or we will surely hang separately!
Goofus: I coulda been a contenda.
Hadrian tells the tribunal that Tyrol was on watch the night of the explosion, and asks Tyrol to explain his duties. Tyrol says that he checked the perimeter of the flight deck and made sure that everything was secure and that no unauthorized personnel are roaming around. On the night of the bombing, everything was secure. Hadrian asks, "What about the hatch coaming on causeway C?"
Quick flashback to Boomer telling Tyrol that she'd snuck through that very hatchway. I'm kind of impressed that someone managed to write a whole TV script using a sledgehammer.
Hadrian asks whether all hatches were sealed, including the one on causeway C. Tyrol says, "If that's what the log says." Tyrol, it was last night. If you're referring to something that happened weeks ago, you can weasel out of it with the "if that's what I said at the time" response. If you can't remember what happened last night, you just seem like you should be discharged due to stupidity. Hadrian reports that she found the hatchway open after the explosion. She adds, "It opens onto a causeway which leads directly to a small arms locker where a marine guard was found dead at the scene. The locker was opened with the correct code." Tyrol admits that he has the locker code, but adds that dozens of people have it, including the murdered guard. He suggests that the Cylon could have forced the guard to open the locker, and then killed him. Tyrol very calmly says that the stolen explosives are "an internal security matter, and internal security falls under the purview of the Master at Arms." Hey, nice work there. Hadrian brushes that off and asks if Boomer left the hatch coaming open. Tyrol says, "I have no idea who left the hatch coaming open last night." Hadrian then blindsides Tyrol with the varying reports about what he was doing at the time of the explosion. Poor Tyrol thinks, "I cannot believe how dumb my crewmen are." Hadrian asks Tyrol where he really was last night: "Were you, in fact, meeting with a Cylon agent?" After a moment, Tyrol invokes his right to remain silent. Hadrian says that staying silent will be seen as further evidence of guilt, and asks Tyrol again where he was at the time of the explosion. Tyrol folds his arms.
Gallant looks very, very nervous as he sits before the tribunal. Hadrian reminds us that Gallant reported seeing Tyrol working on a Viper around the time of the explosion. She tells Gallant that Tyrol reported being asleep at that same time. Gallant says, "Uh." He is completely amazed that this has happened. So, even after Tyrol was hauled off, the crewmen didn't discuss what they'd told Hadrian. I just can't get over how dumb they are. Gallant finally admits that he didn't see Tyrol on the flight deck. He confesses, "I left my post, sir. I ducked out to get a smoke. I went to the Galley to get some chow. An old friend came in from out of town. There was an earthquake. A terrible flood. Locusts!" Before he can pick just one lie, Hadrian asks whether Gallant went through the hatch coaming on C to get to the galley. Gallant blithely says that he did. "Did you leave it open?" Hadrian smirks. Gallant stammers for a while, and then decides that she wouldn't be asking if it had been found closed, so he says that he left it open. He insists, "The chief had nothing to do with it, it was me. I left my post, and I left the hatch open." Scribble, scribble, say the tribunes. Hadrian asks Gallant to left the hatch open because Tyrol told him to do so. Gallant repeats that Tyrol is innocent. Hadrian snaps, "Did you leave the hatch open deliberately?" Gallant, for reasons that must remain a mystery, nods. Huh? He says, "Whatever happened, it was me. Just me. I am Spartacus!"
Helo lugs along a bag of supplies as he climbs down from his rooftop via the fire. I guess it's supposed to be night. The different visual style they use for the Caprica scenes doesn't make the day-for-night filters look any more convincing.
Up on the rooftop, Larry notes that Helo's going South. Six tells Boomer, "He just doesn't love you." Heh. Boomer looks disappointed.
Helo marches along, then stops. He thinks for a minute, shakes his head, pulls out his sidearm, and turns around.
Larry says, "North, toward his love." Boomer says, "He's a good man. He always does the right thing." Larry asks Boomer if she's ready for the step.
Baltar says, "Hello, Lieutenant" to Starbuck in sickbay. This is my favorite joke in the episode. I think it's also the only subtle moment. Starbuck says, "Doctor," and then her right hand comes into the frame for a second as she brings her thumb down. Basically, upon seeing Baltar, Starbuck doses herself with painkillers. Heh. Baltar offers Starbuck a cigar as a "recovery gift," and pulls the curtain out to make the area a little more private as he shmoozes, "I just happened to be absolutely nowhere near sickbay, and I thought I would see how you're doing." Starbuck asks Baltar if his secret project is on C-deck. Baltar says he can't talk about what he's doing, although Starbuck is welcome to come visit. Starbuck points out that the Cylon bomber was on C-deck, and might have been headed for Baltar's lab. Baltar goes tharn for a second while Six begins doing shadow puppets on the other side of the curtain. Starbuck asks, "Do you think he was trying to blow up your project?" From behind the curtain, Six sighs, "And you along with it." Baltar admits that the idea hadn't occurred to him. Some paranoid genius he turned out to be. He twitches for a minute, tells Starbuck to "get well soon," and hurries out, Six following close behind him.
Baltar and Six pedeconference. Baltar says, "They're trying to kill me." Six sighs, "Me, me, always me." Heh. She says they're trying to destroy his work; killing Baltar would just be a bonus. There's a fun bit here; we watch through a succession of hatchways as they walk through the corridor, holding hands as they argue. Our view is briefly blocked by a bulkhead, and on the other side Baltar continues his conversation with Six nowhere to be seen. Cute. Baltar passes a soldier who looks bemused as Baltar argues that the Cylon detector was Six's idea, so why would the Cylons want to kill him for it? Six reappears in another hallway as she explains, "I'm just in your head, Gaius. They don't know about me, or us, or our life together." Baltar grunts, "How romantic." He says that he'll destroy the Cylon detector himself and blame it on Cylon agents. Six suddenly hurls Baltar against a bulkhead and grabs him by the throat. She says, "You're gonna complete the project, just like I told you." Baltar asks, "Really? Or what?" Six tightens her grip and whispers, "Don't make me angry, Gaius. You wouldn't like me when I'm angry." Props to her for the delivery on that, because it was obvious but still made me chuckle. Six kisses Baltar, and then releases him. We go to a long shot of Baltar, who sees a guard approaching as he leans against the bulkhead dreamily. Baltar awkwardly collects himself and moves on.
Caprica. Larry says, "Sharon..." and when Boomer turns, he swats her across the face. While Boomer gets up, Six takes off her jacket and hands it to Larry. Six wonders, "Is that enough?" and examines Boomer's face. Six decides, "Sharon wouldn't give up without a much harder fight." And then there's a pretty cool slightly-sped-up shot of Six punching at the camera. She punches Sharon in the face a few times. I love that Larry holds Six's jacket. And I love that Six actually punches Boomer, while Larry just slapped her with the back of his hand. We go to a long shot as Six kicks Boomer in the gut, then hauls her up for some more punching-bag action.
Adama's Quarters. The Prez phones in some exposition, mentioning that Gallant was charged with "conspiracy and collusion with the Cylon agents." Adama says that he's read the transcripts, and that he's not convinced of Gallant's guilt. The Prez asks about Tyrol, and wonders why he took the 23rd. Adama reminds us that remaining silent cannot be taken as evidence of guilt. The interesting thing about it being the 23rd instead of the 5th is, do you think they've got more rights than we do? Or are they just more specific in describing them? The Prez sniffs, "You sound like a lawyer." Adama admits that his father was a civil liberties attorney. The Prez says that she understands why Adama would defend his men, but that Tyrol must be hiding something. Adama says that if Tyrol wanted to sabotage the Galactica, he'd have ample opportunity. He says, "This is over." And then some stormtroopers march in. Adama calmly tells the Prez that he'll have to call her back, and ends the call. Then he barks, "What?" The head stormtrooper explains that they've been ordered to bring Adama before the tribunal. Adama picks up his glasses from where they rest atop a book. As several posters noticed, the book is a nice, leather-bound Reader's Digest anthology. Adama puts on his glasses and goes with the stormtroopers while, offscreen, a poor prop guy explains that he was too busy cutting octagons to mock up a book cover.
Helo eases on down the road. He sees a flock of pigeons flying out of a building, disturbed by something.
Helo enters the abandoned building, metallic clanks audible in the distance. He sneaks around piles of rubble with his gun drawn for a while. Eventually, he comes upon a hole broken through the floor, and through it he sees a Cylon robot dragging along a prisoner with a bag over her head.
Helo hurries to the rescue, carrying his bag of goodies slung over his shoulder. I think maybe Helo should have taken five minutes to turn the bag into more of a backpack. He looks like a complete idiot rushing to the rescue with his hands full. And soon he looks like an even bigger idiot, pointing his gun at nothing while a Cylon sneaks up behind him. I guess they can stop clanking when they want to. Maybe this one's in stealth mode. Helo turns around at the last minute, and the Cylon clubs the gun out of his hand and knocks him down. Helo scrambles back away from the curiously slow Cylon, trying to pick up his gun. The Cylon turns its hand into a gun in that way they do. Helo gets to the gun and fires at the Cylon's head. The Cylon collapses with a metallic shriek. Aw. One of its arms flops down atop Helo, who scrambles out from under it. It doesn't look quite right, but it's still a pretty good FX job. Helo pulls the bag off the prisoner's head to reveal a very bloody Boomer. I'm not sure what the point of the bag was. Oh, I guess Boomer can plausibly say that she doesn't know where the Cylons took her, or anything. Okay. Boomer sobs as Helo kisses her comfortingly a few times. He helps her to get up, and they hug as Helo chuckles, "Now we're even." Boomer looks off into the distance and harshly says, "I think we should go." Helo retrieves his knapsack of goodies and they stumble off. As Helo reassures Boomer that she'll be okay, they walk past another big hole in the ceiling. On the upper floor, Larry and Six stand in silhouette. Some posters were bothered by Helo's lack of peripheral vision here. I don't think it's an issue; the camera is angled up so that we see them. Peripheral vision doesn't usually get triggered by something that's a fifty yards away and twenty feet above you, y'know?
Tribunal. Hadrian asks Adama when he learned that the Cylons looked like people. Adama explains that he found out at Ragnar station, and explains that he felt telling the public would only cause panic. Hadrian notes that Adama didn't even tell the security aboard the Galactica. By which she means herself, I guess. So is her whole motive that she's annoyed about being out of the loop? Adama said that he didn't know whom to trust, so it seemed safer to keep the news "compartmentalized." Hadrian suggests that security procedures would have been different if they'd known about humanoid Cylons, and that maybe the bombing wouldn't have happened. Adama refuses to speculate. Hadrian asks whether Adama thinks a Cylon agent blew up the water tanks. He does. Hadrian asks if he thinks there are Cylon agents aboard the Galactica. He does. Hadrian says that Adama knew about Tyrol's relationship with Boomer. Adama says he doesn't see the relevance of that. Hadrian snaps, "My questions are not subject to Commander's review." She asks why he allowed the romance to continue. Adama says, "I'm a soft touch." The tribunes trade glances and cover their mouths. Heh. Hadrian angrily suggests that by permitting the relationship to continue, Adama allowed "two Cylon collaborators to compromise the safety and security of this ship." Adama sighs, says, "We're done here," and stands up. Oh lord, here we go.
Hadrian says that she's not done questioning Adama. Adama says, "You've lost sight of the purpose of the law: to protect its citizens, not persecute them. Whatever we are, whatever's left of us, we're better than that." This whole episode was written around that line, wasn't it? He adds that the tribunal is over, and thanks the tribunes for their help. One of the tribunes says, "This is an independent board. You have no authority to close our inquiry." Adama moves back to the center of the room and declares, "This is a witch hunt. I will not have it aboard my ship." Everyone says, "Oh, good point," and accepts that, because he's Adama. Well, first Hadrian orders the stormtroopers to stop Adama from leaving and return him to the witness chair. The stormtroopers obediently block Adama's path. Gee, he's not overly tall, is he? Adama tells the head stormtrooper to confine Hadrian to her quarters. He adds, "Make your choice, son." I sigh heavily. The stormtrooper hesitates, and finally gets out of Adama's way and asks Hadrian to come with them. The tribunes say, "[Excited murmuring]!" Sorry to bring up Babylon 5 again, because it's not like that show was flawless, but when they did a similar concept with the Nightwatch, it was an growing issue for over a dozen episodes before things came to a head. This wouldn't have seemed nearly so hamfisted if the investigation had been built up for a few episodes, with Hadrian gradually getting too paranoid to do her job. The fact that she was very nearly right is completely overshadowed by the fact that it takes her just a day to go completely bonkers, and maybe the writers didn't want us to come away thinking that, gee, actually witch hunts might not be such a bad idea, but give us a little more credit than that, okay?
Calmer murmuring is taking place aboard the Prez's ship as she begins another press conference. She tells the reporters that the investigation has been closed.
On the flight deck, Tyrol is working as the broadcast continues. The Prez explains that the Cylon got to the explosives through a hatch in the hanger deck. She adds that the door was left open due to negligence by Gallant, and that he's been stripped of his rank and confined to the brig. Tyrol stops working and listens, shocked.
Reporters: So the Cylon just happened to try to use that hatch when Gallant just happened to leave it open?
The Prez: Yup! Boy, coincidences are wacky, aren't they?
Reporters: And your chief investigator has been confined to her quarters, is that correct?
The Prez: Um. She has a cold. Very contagious.
Reporters: You realize that now everyone is going to come up with all kinds of elaborate conspiracy theories, because this is patently absurd.
The Prez: Nuh uh, because the civilians are just cute little bunnies!
Reporters: Wouldn't it make more sense to reform the investigation process, instead of just giving up on ever finding out what happened?
The Prez: Look over there! A Cylon!
Reporters: Eek! Where? ...Hey, where'd she go?
Adama is building an incredibly elaborate model ship. Because he has layers. Still. Tyrol enters and nervously says that he thinks that Gallant's confession was a lie: "I think that he's doing this out of a sense of misplaced loyalty to me." Adama doesn't look up from his model as he sighs, "Somewhere in this, there's truth. Care to take me to it?" Tyrol squirms and finally admits that he was with Boomer when the bomb went off. He says that the deck crew were lying protect him. Adama says, "You don't really know whether [Gallant] was on duty or not, do you?" Tyrol says that he should be in the brig instead of Gallant. Adama nods, "That's a fact." Tyrol goes on arguing: "You can't let an innocent kid --" Adama hops up, eyes ablaze, and asks, "I can't?" Oops. Adama gets in Tyrol's face and points out that Gallant lied under oath: "He either lied the first time, or he lied the second time. And it doesn't matter. He's guilty, and he'll pay the price. You -- you'll pay a different price." Tyrol's face twitches. Adama says, "You keep my planes flying. And I need my planes to fly." Tyrol exits, shell-shocked.
Tyrol enters the strange hot tub room, and Boomer hurries up to kiss him. Tyrol mutters, "No, no, no," and then snaps, "We're done," without meeting her eyes. She asks what he means. Tyrol finally looks at her directly, and says that he loves her, then turns to leave. Boomer demands an explanation. Tyrol explains that Gallant's in the brig because of their relationship: "No more secrets, no more lies. It's over." Boomer can't believe he's dumping her. Tyrol gets fed up at that, and snaps, "I cover for you, I protect you. I risk my career, my freedom, my integrity -- for what?" He roars, "So some innocent kid, one of my kids, can take the fall for me? No!" He chills out a little and says that their relationship isn't worth that. Boomer harumphs, "Guess I'll see you around," and exits. As she gets to the door, Tyrol says he's got a question: "Did you leave the hatch coaming open last night?" Boomer glares at him and asks if he's accusing her of helping the Cylons. Tyrol says he's not accusing her, but he thinks he deserves an answer. Boomer glares some more, and looks a little bit tearful as she snaps, "You have the only answer you're ever gonna get." She stomps off. Man, even the Cylons are lousy liars. Wouldn't a tearful "Yes, but it was an accident!" look more plausible when Tyrol knows she went through that hatch? Tyrol stares into space. Watch your back, Tyrol. I like Tigh and all, but you're cuter.