Episode Name: Taking a Break From All Your Worries Episode Number: 312 Written by: Michael Taylor Directed by: Edward James Olmos Original Air Date: 1/28/07 on SciFi Channel Review Posted: 2/2/07
After they were unsuccessful with their last tactic, Adama drags another skeleton out of his closet with the experimental torture drug. It's a skeleton because he not only knows all about it, but even has a stash of it onboard. Considering Galactica was about to be decommissioned at the time of the attacks, how did an experimental drug with all kinds of political and moral implications end up onboard? And how does Adama know so much about it unless it was another black-op that Adama was involved in? Not only that, but he kept it secret for two years. Even so, the most surprising thing about the sequence is that Roslin, who usually questions anything military-oriented, instead channels her inner [insert media-branded torture-happy right-winger here] and is thereby content to find that they have another aggressive method for interrogating Baltar.
Although the scene ends up being surprisingly deep and thus strange for these two, Anders lets Kara know that he's been thinking about that destiny-thing that Leoben told her. Of course, he's spun it to mean they were "destined" to be together. He ends up sounding very Leoben-like, which will likely launch renewed speculation that he's a Cylon. In our opinion, Anders needs to be cut free from Kara. Anders has actually been interesting to watch when he's not with Kara such as on New Caprica and The Circle.
Back to the soap opera and it's finally time for the payoff scene between Lee and Dee. This moment has been building for three episodes. Dee finally gets to have her rant against Lee and leave. Dee becoming the "victim" in this relationship has helped her character up a little from when she ditched Billy last season. But after her little rant, she seems to have gotten exactly what she deserved and even expected. Sounds like good payback for how she treated Billy. Switching immediately to the other couple, Anders leaves Kara again so she can decide what to do. With both of their spouses walking out on them, things are looking good for Lee and Kara to "come together right now."
The second act ends with Ishay beginning Baltar's drug "treatment," while Cottle stands back and "supervises." Guess he wants deniability or Ishay came with the drugs as an expert. Yes, the character has a name and apparently some backstory that never made it into the final cut. Meanwhile in her two appearances so far, Inner Six has been nothing more than a shadow, just an echo of Baltar's own desolate feeling. There is none of the steely resolve or unshakeable confidence that she usually displays.
Act 3:
Baltar's drug-induced hallucinations begin. and then we're back to the soap opera. Both of their spouses have given them a shot to get together, but Lee's going to chicken out on Kara again. These two can't function unless one is pursuing the other. When one stops chasing, the other turns around starts to chase. Since Kara has been chasing him for the last three episodes, Lee keeps running some more with the excuse that they are talking about their "marriages." Hmm. and this is important to him now?
Back to what's really important: the delusional Baltar hallucinating courtesy of Adama, who seems to know exactly what to do to heighten the effects of the drug. It's looking more and more like the black-op that went bad for Novacek wasn't the only one Adama volunteered for. We get some scenes from the miniseries as Baltar starts babbling in the "dark waters." He manages to sound insecure and smug at the same time as he talks himself through Six picking him out on Caprica. He again reiterates that he didn't betray the colonies. Adama listens for a while, but he could care less about that. He wants to know what the Cylons know about Earth. Baltar doesn't know anything so Adama turns the light out. There is a pause and then Baltar screams. The moment was directed and edited beautifully right down to Roslin' jumping in surprise.
Dee has walked out on him and he's chickened out on Kara, so where does Lee go? To the bar, of course, where he can publicly drown his troubles in the midst of military and civilians alike. Tyrol happens along and he apparently hasn't gone back to Cally yet. Lee decides to really sour the mood even more by ask Tyrol if he ever thinks about Boomer. Does Lee, who has clearly shown his dislike of the Cylons to the point of planning the annihilation of them all through that virus, really think that Tyrol is going to admit to him of all people that he sometimes thinks about Boomer? Tyrol's cranky reaction is nonetheless telling and likely is setting the stage for exploration of marital problems between Tyrol and Cally at some point later in the season. Here's to hoping that doesn't go all soap opera too.
Baltar's back in the resurrection tank, only he's now surrounded by dead women and children. Baltar finally tells Adama and Roslin that he didn't go to the Temple of Five for clues to Earth, but rather to find out about the Final Five to see if he was one and thus a Cylon. This is old news for the audience, but a revelation to Roslin and Adama. Baltar now seems to have laid himself bare to Roslin and Adama. Adama still presses about Earth, but Baltar doesn't answer. He begins to slip away and Roslin and Adama seem to have no problem with that. Cottle now takes his turn as the "most" moral person in the scene and ends Baltar's ordeal. This is the same doctor who has previously carried out abortions and later helped Roslin take Hera away from Helo and Athena by switching her with another baby and telling them that she was dead.
