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TV FodderThe humans have escaped the Cylon rule but are dealing with the emotional carnage left behind. Let's just say things are a little tense. This episode wasn't the roller coaster thrill ride of Exodus, but if all the episodes were like that we'd eventually get bored of that too. It was a good, hard look at post war human nature, though. I'm sure all those folks out there who say that "Battlestar Galactica" is an allegory on the Iraq war will continue to find more comparisons.
I must apologize for the long delay in this post. I was in seclusion in the remote Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina (about a 1000 miles from home), recovering from last week's episode. Ok. Maybe not exactly in seclusion per se, but it was remote and there was no cable or internet access. I was dying without my BSG!
So let's get on with the discussion of "Collaborators."
Collaborators: Episode 3.05
Justice comes to Jammer
Anders, Tigh, Tyrol, Connor, Seelix, and Barolay (aka "The Circle" ) have hauled Jammer into a dark, isolated place on the Galactica. They remove the hood from over his head and rip the tape from his mouth - he have obviously shanghaied him from some other part of the ship. As he kneels on the floor with his hands bound behind him, they read a list of charges against him - treason and crimes against humanity. He helped the Cylons kill humans. He has been found guilty. Jammer pleads. He says he helped lots of people - including Cally. He quickly describes to Tyrol how he let her go when the Cylons were going to execute her. Tyrol acknowledges that Cally got away somehow, but doesn't know what to think of Jammer's story. Tigh asks Tyrol if freeing Cally - even if true - makes up for the deaths of more than 23 people, including Connor's seven-year-old son Kevin. Jammer continues to plead his case, but doesn't do a convincing job.
So, on this, the 3rd day of the Second Exodus, the sentence is death. Jammer repeats over and over "I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" It does no good. The Circle has gone into the adjacent control room. Connor hits the button as Tyrol looks away. They watch through the glass as the launch tube doors open and Jammer is sucked out into space (slamming into something along the way that hopefully either knocked him out or killed him before he hit the vacuum of space). Anders is disgusted. "This isn't what I signed up for," he says and exits. Tyrol is obviously disturbed by Jammer's execution.
Afterwards, Tyrol returns to Cally and his son. Waking her, he asks how she escaped from the Cylons on the planet. Did someone help her? Drowsy, at first she says no one helped her, but then she rouses a bit and recalls more clearly. Someone did let her go, she said. She hadn't thought about it since it happened. "How did you know? Why do you ask?" she asks. Tyrol tries to shrug it off, focusing on the baby. He knows he just killed the man who freed his wife. A man who was also under his command before settlement on New Caprica. Poor cute Jammer. Well, if he is a Cylon, maybe he'll turn up again. Only the members of The Circle know what happened to him.
According to the credit scroll, the population is 41,435. (Is that pre or post Jammer execution?) It's a loss of 8,115 people since "Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II," the Season 2 finale.
Baltar and his best buds the Cylons
On Colonial One.... or what appears to be Colonial One, we find ourselves in a weird fantasy world where Baltar is imagining a meeting with Adama, Tigh and Roslin. He is being forgiven for his cooperation with the Cylons. "It was an impossible situation. The past is the past," they say. Then, Fantasy Six in her Ace-bandage style red dress enters and calls them all fools. "They can't hear you," Baltar says to her. "Don't make me angry," she returns. "You wouldn't like her when she's angry," Adama follows, indicating that they can hear her quite clearly. Roslin moves in on Baltar. He realizes it's a dream, but before waking Roslin gives him a big wet one on the lips.
Baltar wakes in a red and blue flashy room. A Cylon "red eye" the length of the wall pluses behind him. He's naked and has been sleeping on a cushy chaise lounge. He finds a fluffy white robe and dresses. The door to his room is open, but a Centurion stands guard menacingly. The camera pulls back and we see that Baltar is on one of five Basestars grouped together with a resurrection ship close at hand.
Later, D'Anna enters looking smug. She hands him some pills that he's obviously glad for. It's most likely a refill of whatever he was popping on New Caprica to get him through the day. Interestingly, she's trying to be all slinky and sexy. What? Does she want to mate with the token human? Baltar as sex slave to these hot Cylon babes would be way too good of an end for him. Ick. D'Anna tells him that there's been some controversy (she pronounces con-TROV-ersy) about him being allowed to stay. As with The Circle on Galactica, life hangs in the balance of a vote. Three models are for him staying. Three are against. She says that one model is still thinking - the Sixes are undecided. (Only seven models are voting? What about the others? Why are some excluded and others not?)
After some pills and another long nappy poo, Baltar wakes with a start to Caprica Six looking over him. She tells him that she has to stop caring for him. She sacrificed everything - even killed another Cylon - and for what? "I'm Cylon and somehow I lost sight of that," she says. Baltar, knowing his fate rests with her, says "You're more than a machine. You're a real person. A woman. You're in love with me and it hurts. I know it hurts. But, believe me, I'm the only one who can make it better!" Six simply says, "This has to end," and walks out. Baltar chases after her. "You need me!" he says. He runs to the door, but is blocked by the Centurion. "I need you too!" Baltar yells. He turns back to the room and mutters to himself, "Maybe I should have started with that." Hmm. Ya think?
Dissention in the ranks
On the bridge of the Galactica, Gaeta enters and looks around. Admiral Adama has ordered him there to help fix the communications that were damaged during the pounding the Galactica took by the Basestars. Tigh sees him and begins to rage. Helo tries to intervene, telling Tigh that Gaeta is there under Adama's orders, but Tigh all but lunges for Gaeta's throat. He even asks Gaeta to go back and get his eye back from the Cylons! Adama cuts off further ranting by yelling Tigh's name. He asks Tigh to go for a walk with him. Tigh complies. Adama urges Tigh to get some sleep, but that further angers Tigh. "Sure. Go to sleep and forget. I won't forget!" he growls defiantly at Adama - loud enough for the entire bridge to hear. Adama orders him to get some sleep. He goes, still growling. Somehow, I doubt he went to bed.
Later, we join The Circle voting on the fate of another collaborator. They vote her (Chadwick on the Monarch) guilty and have 57 more suspects to review. Seelix says they have "people" on the Monarch who can take care of her. Connor says that they're all guilty in his mind. Tigh slams his head into the table. "We're not a bunch of thugs! This is about justice!" he says. He lets Connor up. As Connor rubs his neck, looking pained, Tigh says "Don't get me wrong, Connor. I like you." (Yikes! I'd hate to see what he'd do to someone he really hated.)
The group opens the file on their next suspect. It's Gaeta. Tigh says he hates to consider Gaeta - they served together for four years on the bridge, but Gaeta was chief of staff to Baltar. He worked for Baltar and the Cylons. Tyrol and Anders are the naysayers here. They have no specific evidence that he did anything wrong. All they have is the fact that he worked for Baltar. Tigh pulls out the execution list and points out that Gaeta was included on its distribution list. He knew about it and who was going to be executed - and did nothing. To them, seeing a list like that and not doing anything about it makes him guilty.
Connor calls the question of Gaeta's guilt to The Circle. They vote. When it gets to Anders, he announces that he quits. He's not abstaining from the vote - he's quitting all together. "The war is over for me," he says. Well, they're in a quandary now. Tyrol refuses to cast his vote because he says that they need six. Them's the rules. They need to find someone else to add to the jury. Until then, it doesn't matter how he votes. Connor resists, but Tigh agrees. They need six.
Gaeta meets The Circle and Kara unravels
In the mess hall, Gaeta sits alone eating. All the other tables are filled with folks talking then looking at him. Nearby, Kara throws a few death glares his way. She gets up and joins him at his table. She baits him into a conversation about what happened on the planet and lays into him about doing nothing to help her during the four months she was locked away. He says he didn't know about her "situation" but he did what he could to help. He quickly rambles on about being the informant that helped the resistance, leaving important docs and turning over the dog bowl. "Well, you're a fraking hero then, aren't you?" Kara hisses. He says nothing. From behind Kara we see that Seelix has been observing this interaction closely. She knows who should be the next member of the jury. If Anders won't do it, then his wife - full of rage and hate - will do just fine.
We rejoin The Circle in their meeting room. They are describing the jury duties to Kara. Most notably, they explain how their actions are completely legal. It's been sanctioned by President Zarek (as former VP he took the office in Baltar's absence). There's a document and everything that approves their actions. They show her the evidence against Gaeta. She quickly returns a guilty verdict. It's now up to Tyrol to decide. Anders enters the room and interrupts. "I have to talk to my wife," he says. Kara has already cast her vote, so they let her go.
Anders tries to quickly explain why he left the jury and that he thinks what they're doing is wrong. "Someone has to pay! You can get with it or get lost," she says. Well... then there's the big question for these love birds. "Do you want me to leave?" Anders asks. Earlier, she pulled away from him and refused his affections. She obviously has grown cold, distant and even hostile. "Things are different now," she says. "I look at you and I want to tear your eyes out for looking at me. I want to hurt someone and it might as well be you, so you should probably go before that happens." He's obviously crushed. He pulls out her dog tag - the one she gave him on Old Caprica as a promise of her return and her affection. "I don't want this any more," he says and starts to walk away. She pulls him back and kisses him. They say nothing and she returns to The Circle. Anders watches her go, then turns and walks in the opposite direction.
Back in The Circle's meeting room, Tigh is preaching the virtues of executing those who have betrayed them. He mentions Ellen and her betrayal. "The price of collaborating is death," he says. "Ellen had to die and I liked her more than I like Gaeta." Tyrol tries in vain to argue that it was Baltar and not Gaeta who did these things. Tigh simply returns that a lot of people died because of the both of them. Tyrol, beaten and without any new persuasive arguments, capitulates and says "Fine. Guilty."
Without delay the group moves on Gaeta. They jump him in a corridor and drag him to the fateful airlock. Seelix reads the charges against him. Gaeta looks around at his executioners, taking it all in. They ask if he has any words in his own defence. Tyrol begs him to talk. Connor rages again. They want to hear him plead and beg. "What's the point?" Gaeta responds defiantly. "I've already tried to explain it," he says looking at Kara. "I'm not going to beg." The group moves towards the door and the control room. Kara boils over. Kicking him, she screams at him to beg. She wants to take her rage out on someone, but she wants that someone to beg for mercy that she will happily deny. "Tell them about how you helped them. Tell them how you were working for the Resistance the entire time. Tell them about the dog bowl!" Kara snarls. Tyrol's ears perk up. He runs back to Gaeta and demands he tell him more about the dog bowl. Gaeta FINALLY relates his role as the informant to them. Tyrol cuts Gaeta's wrist shackles. When the others protest, he explains that the only other person who would have known about the secret dog bowl signal and the messages left is THE informant. "He's the reason we know about the death lists. He's the reason I saved Cally. He's the reason we're on this ship. There's our source!" Tyrol says, pointing at Gaeta. Everyone is stunned and shaken. Gaeta slowly gets up. "I did what I could. I don't know what else I could have done," he says quietly as he carefully leaves. The Circle looks shell shocked. Their rush to "justice" almost lead them to kill their most valuable ally. Kara stomps out. No blood for her today.
Later, Kara goes to her locker to change. Hanging from a center hook she finds her dog tag and Anders' wedding ring. He has left them for her - a symbol that he is doing what she wanted and getting lost. Meanwhile, Gaeta finds his Colonial uniform hanging on his locker. (Was it left by Tigh or just under Adama's orders?) He heads to the mess hall and eats alone again. Tyrol - with his head down like a repentant dog - joins Gaeta. They eat in silence.
The brief rule of President Zarek
Yes, Zarek is president. Disturbing, no? He knows he can't hold the power, though. He doesn't have Adama's support. In fact, he knows that Adama will likely throw him in the brig rather than let him hold the office. Zarek tells Roslin that he will appoint Roslin Vice President, then step down, allowing her to take the office. Roslin is suspicious of Zarek's motives so she tells him just to put his cards on the table. He wants to continue as the VP. He wants her to appoint him once she's the president. Roslin says that Zarek's bravery in standing up to Baltar on the planet - almost at the cost of his own life - has not gone unnoticed. They will need brave people like him. She tells him the VP slot is his if he wants it.
Meanwhile, on the Galactica, Apollo (still wearing the chubby suit) tells Adama that a rash of missing person reports have been coming in. These aren't folks left on the planet. These are confirmed survivors who just vanished. Thirteen of them thus far - including Jammer. (Note: According to the Podcast, Chadwick, the woman convicted in between Jammer's execution and Gaeta's aborted sentencing, was executed. That means the count is 14.) Adama tells Apollo to keep him posted. (They don't know about Zarek's orders to The Circle.) Apollo gets up and leaves, saying he's got a date with a jump rope. Adama looks up at him. "Keep jumping," he says.
Later, Adama and Roslin are on Colonial One with Zarek. "What the hell is this?" she demands, waiving the Presidential order for The Circle's executions in front of Zarek. (We don't know how she found out. Anders, perhaps?) Interestingly, Zarek - himself a former convicted prisoner - describes The Circle as the best form of justice. The accused can't work the system and drag out a trial that would consume the fleet. He believes that neighbors would turn against neighbors and chaos would ensue. "Do you want to spend your next term as executioner and chief?" he asks.
Finally, Roslin is sworn in again as president. As always, she makes a rousing speech. She tells how the entire fleet wants justice and vengeance for what happened. "But none of us can be impartial," she says. No one can really receive a "fair" trial in these times. So... she's decided to appoint a commission on Truth and Reconciliation. There will be no prosecutions of those who are suspected of collaborating with the Cylons. With a broad sweep, she issues a general pardon for every human in fleet. "It's the only way for us to move forward in a spirt of healing and reconciliation," she concludes. Adama stands and claps loudly. The rest of the room stands and joins him. Even Zarek, who seemingly nods with understanding and approval, stands and applauds.
Observations, Thoughts and Questions
Is Anders part of the Galactica crew now? Was he only on the Galactica because of Kara? If so, now that they've broken up, will he get to stay? He'd certainly make a valuable officer. His work with the Resistance should at least get him a bunk on Galactica.
Speaking of rank, how will the pecking order be sorted out now that the Pegasus is gone? Apollo, though still a Commander, seems to be doing mostly book keeping. Tigh seems to have resumed his spot as XO on the Galactica. What does that mean for Helo? What about Duala?
What's with the Cylons voting on Baltar's fate? Why are only seven of the twelve models voting? What about the others? Why aren't they voting? Why is Six reevaluating her relationship with Baltar now that she has him all to herself? Is it another case of you no longer want what you were chasing once you've gotten it?
Does Roslin's fancy "general pardon" include Baltar? Even if it does and he makes it back to the fleet somehow, I doubt he'd live long among the general population. Adama would have to put him in custody just to protect him from Tigh or Kara alone.
Finally, will there be some form of legal sanctions against The Circle for their actions? Zarek was working against the constitution of the Colonies by giving the order. Does that mean he and/or The Circle will be held accountable for the deaths of the 14 folks who vanished?
The next episode, "Torn," airs November 3 at 9pm ET.
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Source: Cult Times Magazine
