BSG 1.10 - "The Hand of God"

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OK, first of all, the ARMS (!!!) are back and they're better than ever ... Apollo should lean on things a lot because, whoa, those were some nice shots! OK, now onto some actual thoughts. I'm not talking about the whole episode, seeing as there's a LeeCap coming up for that (AND HOW!! 120 pictures, people! I've uploaded 120 pictures...) so I just want to focus on two of the pivotal scenes and on the varying interpretation of the titles.

This may have been what Ron Moore calls a "Big Mac" of an episode, but there are three wonderfully subtle and ambiguous things that I absolutely adored. First of all, the title itself - "the hand of god" - who is it referring too? The episode opens with the President's prophetic vision of twelve serpents (I'm a snake-o-phobe - I hope that wasn't poor Mary McDonnell in the scene!) and the priestess telling her about the prophecy; and it closes with Six telling Baltar that the twelve Vipers in Strike Force 2 (yes, I've seen this episode enough times that I counted when the lid blasts off the freighter - which is just So. Damn. Cool, by the way!) represent the snakes and of course, in the interim, let's not forget that it's the hand of Apollo (named for a god) that actually destroys the base. Baltar thinks he's an instrument of whatever he perceives as the Cylon God; the President may feel SHE'S the instrument of the Colonials' god(s), chosen by fate to lead them to the promised land. And we just don't know whether both or either of them is right. I love that.

Next - the interactions between Starbuck and Apollo. I love the scene where Starbuck is briefing Apollo and it turns into this nasty little game of one-upmanship. LOVE it! Why? I adore Starbuck, but I have to say that she was both deliberately cruel and astoundingly short-sighted in that conversation she has with Lee. First of all, she's his best and really, ONLY, friend (in the sense of being equals and contemporaries, anyway) on "Galactica" (and she clearly views him as a friend as well) and it's just harsh to be so visibly doubting that your friend can pull of the mission when there is just no-one else who can go. Secondly, there's the fact that the Fate of Humanity is riding on this mission, so making the guy who's leading that mission a little MORE nervous about the whole thing than he already is - also extremely harsh (and short-sighted). But so, so, so human and true to character!

I've watched this scene lots of times (as this is one of my favorite episodes of the season) and I understand that Starbuck is worried because of the loss of control. And possibly because she thinks Lee will get the job done, but maybe die doing it (it's clear that people are going to die during this mission; there's a moment when they're explaining the plan to the President when Tigh says there will be losses and Lee bows his head and I'm thinking he's wondering whether he'll be coming back) and she won't be out there to save him (the scenes where Starbuck has to listen to her comrades - and her student - dying are just so chilling) and that's what's making her bitter; and I understand that she doesn't think Lee has the instincts that will enable him to think outside the box the way that she does; and lastly, I understand that once she knows SHE'S not flying, she must have many more doubts about her plan - it could be a bad plan that STARBUCK might be able to pull out of the fire because she does that, but now she's not there, and the success or failure is in the hands of someone whom she's not entirely sure of, so she must be wondering if she's really accounted for everything. (In the event, not - because of course, had Apollo not done a "retina-detaching move" the plan wouldn't have worked!) And it's wonderful that she can't put all that away and her thin pretense of encouragement falls flat so quickly (and that she has to leave with one final jab!)

I LOVE that Starbuck reacts this way because it's so natural and so human - we have all, on occasion, been jealous even of our best friends (or maybe that's just me and I'm a bad person!) I love that she's being petty, for once, because jaydk and I were talking about how all of Starbuck's flaws were these grand passionate ones - anger, loving unwisely, etc. So it's good to know she can be human sometimes. Heh!

The next scene that I adored was the Adama-Apollo one. I think I have a very different take on this scene than a lot of people do because I don't see it as a heartwarming affirmation by Adama. I think Adama also wonders whether Lee's going to come back from his mission and I think he manages to say exactly the wrong thing again to his son. I love everything about this scene BECAUSE it seems so messed up to me; Adama says he's been a bad father, and Lee doesn't disagree. Lee says no one on "Galactica" thinks he's as good as Starbuck, and his father doesn't say "I do because you're a good officer and a good pilot" - he says "I do because you're my son and I love you" but that's NOT what Lee is asking. He's asking whether his commanding officer thinks he's as capable as another officer is - and his father's answer "you're my son" is not really reassuring. What parent wouldn't say that to their kid even if THEY didn't believe it? (Plus, as someone on TWOP pointed out, Zak was Adama's son too and he wasn't particularly competent as a pilot!) I love how even when Adama is trying to be a good father to his son, he doesn't quite get it right - because he doesn't really know how to interact with this man he doesn't KNOW all that well. And I saw Apollo's telling Adama that he'd bring the lighter back as more of an acknowledgment of the love his father was trying to show him, than as a sort of "OK, dad, I feel much better about myself now." Such a great scene! EJO and Jamie Bamber really have great chemistry together.

And I think it's really telling that the moment of total rapport that these two have at the end of the episode first of all takes place in total silence (words are their enemies - beginning with Lee's words to Adama at Zak's funeral that "ring in his ears" for two years; they do best when they don't talk!); and secondly, that it takes place in an atmosphere where Lee is basically showing he's a chip of the old block. In other words, the rapport is based on Lee being the son that Adama wants - the hotshot pilot - which is only a PART of who Lee is. He is a fantastic pilot (and I'm glad we got to see that) but he's more than that, and I'm still not convinced that Adama values those other, additional qualities, however much he clearly loves his son (I love how when everyone else is cheering and dancing around the CIC, Adama just takes off his glasses for a moment and sort of swallows because Lee's not dead. Sniff!)

In conclusion: Apollo IS a magnificent bastard. (And awww, hugs from Callie!)