Take Over By Brute Force [this last is heard in voice-over]
Propaganda sheets seen in Sesha's quarters:
Road to Armageddon
Can Cylons Reproduce?
In the teaser, this episode continues the use of flashbacks for the fifth consecutive. Though not heavily used in this episode, the event of Sesha's husband's death seen in the flashback is referred to several times and is a driving force in this episode.
After everything they have been through, Dee 's unexplained answer that she can't marry Billy is extremely unfair to him especially in light of how she's begun to carry on with Lee.
On the other hand, Billy's proposal is pretty weak. He doesn't even actually verbally propose. He instead just slips the ring on Dee's finger and mumbles about taking their time and leaves it to Dee to respond to the unspoken request.
This episode lists three less survivors in the fleet than the last episode, which would account for the three pilots (JoJo, B.B. and Beano) killed during the course of the previous episode.
For a by-the-book guy, Lee's personal life continues to be one bad decision after another. He follows up his dalliance with the prostitute with a blown opportunity with Starbuck and has now moved on to a girl who is supposed to be dating someone else.
Even though she is often described as being promiscuous, Ellen has only actually been seen behaving very suggestively twice and both times it was with Lee. She starts to hint at it when she refers to "us" being more complicated. She is then excited when Lee mentions the bathroom. She is clearly attracted to Lee, although the alcohol that she's drinking on both occasions may also play a part.
Of note, Ellen did previously flirt with Baltar in front of her husband once, but that is a different situation because Tigh was actually there.
Though Adama is distant in his session with Sharon , he does refer to Sharon as a "her" in his conversation with Tigh, while Tigh refers to Sharon as an "it."
Sharon tells Adama that the Cylons adapt to the tactics of the fleet. This indicates that the Cylons are dynamic in their tactics. Their strategy of eliminating the human race, however, still appears to be intact.
The Greenleaf was previously mentioned in Episode 2.13 ("Epiphanies") as the ship where Asha Janik had previously worked maintenance before transferring to Galactica.
Gaeta indicates that the Cylons attacked the Greenleaf ten weeks ago. This would apparently indicate that it's been roughly ten weeks since Pegasus ' arrival in the fleet and the attack on the Resurrection Ship, which was the last reported actions involving the fleet. The attacks during Episode 2.14 ("Scar") were isolated to Vipers on patrol far from the fleet itself.
Sesha alludes to having evidence of a Cylon agent gaining access to the Ministry of Defense. This would seem to be the altered footage that placed Baltar in the Ministry of Defense disabling the planetary defense system.
Adama's response indicates that he thinks of her evidence as part of a complicated conspiracy theory. His response can also be a commentary on the complicated conspiracy theories that have been built up about many tragic events through human history. Some people cannot accept the most straightforward explanations and rather pursue detailed, far-reaching and circumstantial theories.
Lee's triggering of the CO2 sensor does not appear to help the situation. It puts everyone on edge. The added concern over losing oxygen only adds to Sesha's desperation, which forces a quicker and less-prepared response from Adama. This escalation ultimately results in Lee being shot and Billy dying.
While Tigh is concerned that Sharon has gotten to Adama, Sesha comes out accuses him of being played.
Though Starbuck admits to possibly shooting Lee, she is less than truthful about how it went down. She went in with little or no intention of simply doing recon, because she went in armed. Once her cover appeared blown, she didn't back off and instead just started firing.
Though Kara seemed to come through her crisis from the last episode by deciding that she had something to live for in going back for Anders, she regresses a bit in this episode. She insists on being the hero. She has to go in herself and escalates things. If that wasn't bad enough, she is the one who shoots Lee with friendly fire. Her brashness got two Marines killed and Lee shot.
The first part of this season had Adama and Roslin struggling with personal issues and how their state of mind actually affected one another even though they weren't a "couple." Now that those two seem to have worked things out for themselves and thus between each other, Lee and Kara are on that kind of journey. Their issues are bleeding (literally in this case) over to one another. Like Adama and Roslin are very much connected even though they are not a romantic couple, Lee and Kara are the same.
Though it fit within the plot of the episode, Adama's visit to Sharon in the brig could be seen as a way the writers addressed two notorious plot holes. Sharon has been used as the solution several times, which Sharon points out. Also, the fact that Sharon knows the Cylons in the fleet, but won't give them up. Now that these two points are in the open within the story, it takes some pressure off the writing staff. Although, they will have to revisit both issues eventually since neither were resolved in the scene.
Even though she's stated that she is only out to protect her child, she still demonstrates some loyalty to the Cylons when she admits that she wouldn't reveal the other Cylons in the fleet. She does this even though she ran from the Cylons because she didn't like their plan for her, Helo and their baby.
However, the fact that she won't give up the Cylons in the fleet seems to contradict her aim of self-preservation since the Cylons are out to destroy humanity. She knows that, so the removal of the Cylons in the fleet would appear to give her more of a chance for her baby's survival. That is, unless there is more to the Cylons' plan and she's counting on her baby to keep the Cylons at bay.
Ray Abinell was Vinson's brother, which would make Sesha his sister-in-law.
Sesha has compiled quite a bit of propaganda and theories about the Cylons. Since her husband was killed only ten weeks prior, there are two possible explanations:
Sesha already ascribed to these theories and her husband's death only added the impetus for her to act upon them.
This information is readily available within the fleet, which would mean some level of organization within the fleet for those pushing these theories.
There is a possible source of propaganda about Cylons and the military: Gina. She is working from within the peace movement, but she has her own motives. She would be an obvious source for some of the rumors that hit close to the truth.
Either Ellen is a selfish, insecure mess or is brilliant. That is open for debate considering the hints in Episode 1.11 ("Colonial Day") that she knew more than she let on. She's almost always a cause of chaos (such as pushing Tigh into declaring martial law) which spurs the debate about whether she's a Cylon agent. In this episode alone, she does the following:
She walks out of the bathroom even though Lee had gotten her out of sight.
She admits that she is the wife of the Galactica 's XO, which gives Sesha one more bargaining chip.
She gets on the wireless and pleads with Tigh to give in to Sesha's demands, which clearly affects Tigh and clouds his thinking.
Her flicker of recognition tips off Vinson to Kara.
She again pleads for Tigh to give in to Sesha's demands, which clearly taxes Tigh's self-control.
Most of the featured characters don't fare too well in this episode:
Dee steps on Billy's heart and goes out with Lee the next day. This one episode turned her into an unpopular character.
Lee keeps his streak going of poor decisions involving women and almost dies because of it. After all, f he hadn't been out with Dee , he wouldn't have been in that lounge.
Ellen continues to cement her place as the most hated non-Cylon character going. Her behavior was selfish and insecure.
Kara once again is brash and insubordinate. However, unlike in a Viper where she only puts herself at risk, here she puts all the hostages at risk and tops it off by personally shooting Lee with friendly fire.
Sharon has helped Galactica several times, but her motivation is clearly shown to be self-preservation when she admits that she won't give up the Cylons in the fleet.
Adama appears to be unsure of whether Sharon is playing him. His gambit of giving Sesha what she wants: a dead Sharon , while keeping what he wants: a live Sharon as a military asset, backfires and results in Billy's death.
Roslin and Tigh's shared attitude toward the Cylon race in this episode echoes racist attitudes displayed repeatedly in human history.
The one character who comes out positively in this episode is Billy and he has to die to do so. Even after what she's done to him and even told him that he's not trained as a soldier, Billy still risks his life to protect Dee.
Kara's relationship (or lack thereof) with Lee has just gotten more complicated. She's shot him and he's becoming involved with another member of the Galactica crew.
Dee and Lee's relationship is likely doomed. The only question is how long it gets drawn out.
Lee's recovery seems to be a foregone conclusion, although the length of his recuperation is another matter.
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