Battlestar Galactica 1.06: Litmus

[voleuse.livejournal.com]

I'm not as impressed with this episode, but that might be my personal bias against witch hunt episodes. I become so violently disgusted with the proceedings I can't be objective about the episode as a whole.

YMMV.

• I'm curious as to how, exactly, Doral was able to obtain the right papers to board the ship. Are there forgers amongst the fleet?
  
  
• I'd love to see how society is establishing itself outside the government and the military. How does commerce work now? Is there a black market?
  
  
• Tyrol and Boomer are getting the crew to cover for their liaisons? Bad, baaaaad idea. Though the entire relationship is a bad idea, anyway. I tend to side with Tigh on this front.
  
  
• Nice touch having Tigh recognize Doral in the hallways. It might have been nice if, say, Gaeta had recognized him, but at least somebody did.
  
  Tigh's intercept approach was, also, probably a better strategy than Adama's. Not that it would have made a difference.
  
  
• Given the relatively small amount of explosives Doral was carrying, and the relatively minimal damage inflicted, I'm wondering why the Cylons would bother. Unless, of course, they were able to predict the revelation of the human-form Cylons, and the fallout.
  
  The short hospital scene was painful to watch, however. Lowered morale might be another benefit, to the Cylons.
  
  
• This might be prurient interest, but I thought it was odd Tyrol and Boomer appeared to be fully dressed in every scene of their tryst.
  
  
• The independent tribunal was, I think, a good idea initially. I dislike the way things ended up, but I already mentioned my bias against witch hunts.
  
  
• I'm surprised it took this long for someone to start churning out moonshine. I'm also impressed Tyrol knew how to improve the brew.
  
  
• Seventeen days after the attack.
  
  
• "He's very handsome."
  "Do you really think so?"
  "She says that about everyone."
  
  Heh. I take it Six has a reputation amongst the Cylons, then?
  
  
• "If he flees, he dies." That's one for those of us who think the Cylons are conducting a sociology experiment, I suppose. Helo's only valuable to them if Boomer is able to observe him personally.
  
  
• I'm not sure how useful it is to let the public know about the human-form Cylons, given they don't have any reliable way to detect them.
  
  If they're nervous about sabotage, I would assume it would be simple enough to remind the public to keep their eyes open for suspicious behavior. Of course, that's a whole other can of worms.
  
  Roslin's press conference could easily been have tailored as a request for the public to keep an eye out for Doral and the other cylon as escaped prisoners, or some other such human danger.
  
  
• It seems like Hadrian already had her suspicions, given she immediately targeted the crew.
  
  The deleted scene from "Water" makes this less of a surprise, but it still doesn't make me like her.
  
  
• Nobody ever taught the crew about getting their stories straight, huh?
  
  
• Hadrian's questions about Boomer and Tyrol's romantic relationship doesn't seem relevant at the time she asks. Maybe later, perhaps, but starting off with that?
  
  
• The 23rd article of colonization allows the right to remain silent. Hm. And why would invoking it be used as evidence of guilt? That seems like it would defeat the use of the article.
  
  
• I'm not sure why everyone chose to keep quiet about the relationship, as that violation would, I think, be much less serious than that of aiding and abetting cylon agents in an act of terrorism.
  
  And while I'm touched at his loyalty to Tyrol, I don't understand why that crew member wouldn't simply state he might have accidentally left the hatch open because, again, carelessness seems to be a less serious crime than aiding and abetting cylon agents in an act of terrorism.
  
  
• "Toward his love." Um. Or maybe Helo doesn't want to abandon the only ally he might have on the planet? Not that I'm not all over Helo/Boomer, I just think immediately jumping to romance seems silly.
  
  I guess the cylons are just big, fluffy romantics at heart.
  
  
• Could we get Baltar to say "ambulatory" more often?
  
  
• Six hidden behind the hopsital curtain? So very, very creepy.
  
  
• Baltar walking, holding hands with nothing, ranting at nothing? Why don't more people treat him like he's crazy? Just a throwaway scene with the crew, or something. That's all I ask.
  
  
• "You wouldn't like me when I'm angry." BWAH!
  
  
• Methinks Six has been wanting to beat down on Boomer for quite a while.
  
  
• The book on Adama's desk? Reader's Digest Condensed Books. I wasn't able to discern the titles, but...that was sloppy.
  
  
• Helo's limp is a nice nod to continuity--his leg was injured way back in the miniseries. Or seventeen or eighteen days ago, if you want to get technical about it.
  
  
• The fight between Helo and the Cylon was nicely done, though I'm kind of surprised he didn't hear it creeping up on him.
  
  
• Aw! Helo/Boomer smooches! That was sweet. Though Helo is so, so dumb. Why would she have a sack over her head? Why would she be battered around the face, but have no broken bones? The cylon hands (such as they are) aren't very geared towards delicacy.
  
  
• Okay, I know Hadrian's suspicion of Boomer is correct, but she's so completely out of line with Adama. (I remind you of my bias.) Was Adama too lax with their relationship? Perhaps. I don't see why she felt the need to drag Adama in and browbeat him about the fact.
  
  Therefore, I was grimly satisfied when he had Hadrian confined to her quarters. Because I HATE her. Ordering Adama to be restrained? WTF?
  
  
• And the bitchslap Adama gave to Tyrol? Wonderfully done, because he's right. They can't afford to lock Tyrol up. They're woefully short on engineers, even more than they're short on pilots.
  
  
• "You? You'll pay a different price. You'll have to walk out on that hangar deck every day, knowing that one of your men is in the brig because you couldn't keep your fly zipped. You're the most experienced, non-commissioned officer we have left. You keep my planes flying. I need my planes to fly. Dismissed."
  
  
• The breakup scene made me very glad Boomer isn't actually a human being, because she comes off as spoiled and self-involved. "I can't believe you can just turn your back on us." As if the entire debacle hadn't happened.
  
  
• Also, it partially made up for Tyrol's idiocy from before.
  
  "I put everything on the line for you. Everything. I cover for you. I protect you. I risk my career, my freedom, my integrity, for what? So some innocent kid, one of my kids, can take the fall for me? No! We are not worth that."
  
  
• "Did you leave the hatch-combing [sp?] open last night?"
  
  If we didn't know she was guilty, I would say that was a low blow.

Overall, I think it's a good episode, and there were some great performances within, but my bias doesn't allow me to enjoy the episode fully.

Hey! No Apollo! ::pouts::

Crossposted to my LJ.

Comments

[littlebutfierce]

Baltar walking, holding hands with nothing, ranting at nothing? Why don't more people treat him like he's crazy? Just a throwaway scene with the crew, or something. That's all I ask.

yesssssss. i have been waiting for this one! sure, everyone's a bit weird because of what they've been through, but c'mon. sheesh. someone else brought up the point that they haven't dealt w/any post-traumatic stress syndrome among the survivors yet, either.

& i'm so w/tyrol. i think he was absolutely right to break it off w/boomer, & i agree, she acted like a brat (although to be fair, romantic shock can do that to a person).

[yafah.livejournal.com]

well, and on top of that, he practically accused her of helping the cylons. so he's like "hey baby, we're through. by the way, are you a traitor" ... i think it's understandable that she was more angry than upset. (despite the fact that she is a cylon)

but also, before that, being broken up with in such an abrupt way can do that to someone. he went to meet her in their "secret" spot, and instead of getting all kissy like he had been just the day before, he breaks up with her and very suddenly without even sugarcoating it or even trying to be nice. i think it was a decent reaction.

[shawngf.livejournal.com]

It's interesting that there's no Apollo in the ep because I *think* there was supposed to be and his scene got cut. There is a picture at Gateworld in the ep 6 archive with him and Kara and I uh don't recognize it from any *other* eps.

Gateworld (http://www.gateworld.net/galactica/s1/graphics/106_13.shtml)

Hm. Weird.

-Shawn

[livelyvc.livejournal.com]

I didn't love it either...and I have no witch hunt bias. It was good...better than most TV...but didn't live up to the last few episodes in my book.

Must see Apollo...

[yafah.livejournal.com]

The 23rd article of colonization allows the right to remain silent. Hm. And why would invoking it be used as evidence of guilt? That seems like it would defeat the use of the article.

this, i think, is a nod to the red scare in the 50s. pleading the 5th was like admitting to be communists. what she said was out of line, adama was right (he talked about it later, about how pleading the 23rd was his right and does not admit guilt), but ... well, it was a witch hunt.

[radiotelescope.livejournal.com]

"If we didn't know she was guilty, I would say that was a low blow."

I don't know she's guilty. If she is guilty, we don't know that she knows it. The Galactica Boomer sleepwalks.

We do, referring back to my post about Cylons a couple of days ago, know that the Boomer on Caprica is "active". Or was briefly active? It's still not impossible that the Cylons can go back undercover, *suppressing their memories* after a brief period of Cylon contact -- or sabotage. The show hasn't been angling that way, but it hasn't ruled it out either.

As for the witch hunt, I like that it was set up as a *four-way* conflict: the law, justice, pragmatism, and personal loyalty. Adama threw aside the law to achieve a balance of justice and pragmatism. Loyalty didn't even rate on his scorecard.

[yafah.livejournal.com]

i agree. i think it was a low blow, and if she left the hatchkomer or whatever open, i think she would have done it without knowing if she did it at all. it was just adding insult to injury, as far as i could see.

[telepresence.livejournal.com]

Given the relatively small amount of explosives Doral was carrying, and the relatively minimal damage inflicted, I'm wondering why the Cylons would bother. Unless, of course, they were able to predict the revelation of the human-form Cylons, and the fallout.

Starbuck speculated that Doral was heading towards Baltar's lab. The bomb wasn't powerful enough to meaningfully damage the ship, but it could easily have destroyed the lab equipment and killed him within it.

Regarding Hadrian and her actions/motivations: She's essentially head of internal security. She's got a huge incentive to find a scapegoat. And the evidence indicated someone was acting in collusion with Doral. The entirety of the Galactica power structure is dedicated to finding that person. The progression of events wraps people up in a way that gets them in over their heads before they realize what the stakes really are. All the deck crew people know they're innocent of anything to do with the bombing. They're not thinking in terms of those high stakes. All they want to do is tell tiny white lies to help cover up for the Chief and Boomer's affair.

By the time they realize that Tyrol is the focus of the investigation, they've already told a couple rounds of lies, one casual, and one under oath because they still know they're innocent and contradicting the first lie would be stupid (from their point of view)

It's only after they all come to realize how hard Hadrian is pressing and how seriously she's focusing on Tyrol that they get their own concerns are irrelevant to the scale of events, and by then it's too late. They're kids, and they're stupid, and they lack the big picture. Meanwhile, Tyrol has clammed up, which is not an admission of guilt per se (Adama states this to Roslin), but we can't really blame Hadrian for finding it suspicious as hell.

The only difference with Adama is, he has no incentive to lie and no fear of Hadrian, so he tells the truth till the bullshit gets too high then he kills it. But within the context of the previous events, Hadrian's questioning of Adama makes sense. She's overreaching, but she's not completely off base. There has been a conspiracy happening all around her, Adama and the deck people are implicated. It' sjust a much more benign conspiracy than Hadrian thinks it is. Of course, with Boomer being a Cylon, it's actually less benign than any of them know, but none of them know that explicitely. Basically, I largely forgive Tyrol and the deck kids because, secure in their innocence, they didn't grasp how motivated Hadrian would be to press them. And I largely forgive Hadrian because it's her job at this time to investigate evidence of a conspiracy, and half the crew pick this moment to start lying their asses off to her.

[forked.livejournal.com]

Having watched the whole season, I'll say this was my least favorite of the bunch (which is actually a good sign). I'm not a big fan of 'witch hunts' either, and I thought that part dragged a bit. I think it's the only time that I actually hit the ff while watching BSG. Of course, I did love it when Adama got fed up and called an end to it, then faced down the 'MP'. Hee! Loved that very much! Also 'I'm a soft touch.' Yes- I have much Adama love!

But overall, this one seemed a little slow to me as compared to the rest of the episodes. Not horrible or anything, but just not as compelling.

[castironlocust.livejournal.com]

Therefore, I was grimly satisfied when he had Hadrian confined to her quarters. Because I HATE her. Ordering Adama to be restrained? WTF?

Never try to get marines to lock the Old Man up... especially when he's aboard his own ship.

We called that sort of behavior "stomping on your own dick."

Hadrian most certainly did just that.

SWH

[jo-lasalle.livejournal.com]

I'm not as impressed with this episode, but that might be my personal bias against witch hunt episodes.

I have the same bias, and Litmus wasn't even very subtle as these things go.

What I hadn't expected, though, was that despite Adama putting an end to the tribunal travesty, it didn't end there; someone was actually charged with something. It gave the whole thing a lot more depth than any of the OTT interrogations.

[raffaella.livejournal.com]

"Did you leave the hatch-combing [sp?] open last night?"
If we didn't know she was guilty, I would say that was a low blow.

I think it just occurred to him that it's the second time she's possibly involved in a major incident. He covered her ass in Water, thinking that someone was setting her up, and he might be wondering if she was really innocent. The question is cruel, but it's understandable, given the accumulation of disturbing facts. But despite his suspicions, I don't think he's really willing to contemplate the possibility that Boomer is a Cylon.

[mikou.livejournal.com]

I don't mind witch hunt episodes, per se, but I did have a few problems with this one. You mentioned them in your post:

I'm curious as to how, exactly, Doral was able to obtain the right papers to board the ship. Are there forgers amongst the fleet?

I'm not sure how useful it is to let the public know about the human-form Cylons, given they don't have any reliable way to detect them.

I'm not sure why everyone chose to keep quiet about the relationship, as that violation would, I think, be much less serious than that of aiding and abetting cylon agents in an act of terrorism.

And while I'm touched at his loyalty to Tyrol, I don't understand why that crew member wouldn't simply state he might have accidentally left the hatch open because, again, carelessness seems to be a less serious crime than aiding and abetting cylon agents in an act of terrorism.

Baltar walking, holding hands with nothing, ranting at nothing? Why don't more people treat him like he's crazy?

Nobody ever taught the crew about getting their stories straight, huh?

I'm surprised that it took them 17 days to see Doral. I tell myself he must have been hiding. How he got onto BSG is a whole other question.

The crewman's false confession was contrived. There is no way I believe that this man would put himself in that position, merely to protect an illicit affair. If he thought someone's life was on the line, his sacrifice might make sense. Otherwise, he comes off as stupid.

I did, however, love how Adama dressed down Tyrol. Soft touch, indeed. I love Adama more each week.

[wildtiger7.livejournal.com]

I'm curious as to how, exactly, Doral was able to obtain the right papers to board the ship. Are there forgers amongst the fleet?

Doral could have been aboard another ship for awhile, and had all the proper papers.

And I wondered what the point of having him blow himself up was, but he was probably heading to an area a little more sensitive when he was spotted.