BSG: Exodus II

[beccatoria]

I'm sure I'm going to forget something. Surely I can't mention everything that happened in this episode. The long, serious meta comes last - see the LJ cut.


I'll start with Tigh. He murdered his wife. Now, that was one freakin' tender murder scene. That was more fascinating and brutal than I ever thought Ellen and Saul could be when I first saw her hanging her legs around his neck in Tigh Me Up, Tigh Me Down. But he did it. Knew she did what she did out of love, and killed her anyway. Honestly, I was a little surprised by Anders' bluntness. I think it might have sat better if there'd been previous precendents set of double agents being executed for security purposes. And yes, one could argue it's better for Saul to do this than someone else who will be far less gentle.

One could argue, he should have tried to prevent it from occuring at all.

One could argue that he wouldn't have extended any other resistance member this courtesy (of trying to save their lives from execution) and so extending it to Ellen would have been favouritism. One would be right.

He chose to be a resistance leader over being a husband. Tigh has a very clear understanding of what he did. He explained it clearly to Tyrol, "We're evil men in the gardens of paradise." He's the Operative from Serenity, he does what others will not, is the necessary ugliness of war. He's willing to do despicable things because someone has to.

His identity as the evil man in the garden of paradise is going to be more important to him now than ever, because if he loses it, nothing he did was necessary, all of it was avoidable. Admitting he's wrong now would destroy him.

Now he's back on Galactica, his irrevocably changed ideals about morality and what's justifable will eventually clash with Adama's. Saul will have to believe Adama is right and he is wrong, or that he is right and Adama is wrong. Every single time this has occured in the past, he's been willing to believe he was the frak up. The drunk. The incompetant officer. But now, admitting that would mean...well, that he murdered his wife. He's brittle, his worldview can't stand to be shaken much. He needs his new identity to survive. I'm not sure he'll slip so easily back into the role of XO.


Kara next. Okay, she's broken in a similar way to Tigh - well, okay, she's not. But what I mean is, her experiences have changed her enough I'm not sure she'll easily fit back into life on a Battlestar. I think it would have been easier for her if Kacey had either been her kid, or left in her care. (And while I don't have a problem with the plot point, per se, I did find it convenient that the kid's real mom was RIGHT THERE on Galactica). It's not because all Kara needs is a baby to make it better. It's because in this situation, the baby made her feel like she had a goal, something to fight for, a way to make herself useful and a justification for the shit situation she'd been trapped in. The baby gave her an identity after her own had been eroded to the point of "I exist to kill you." In the long run, it's better she not have the kid, because she needs to sort out herself. But by losing Kacey, she did just get smashed down to complete zero, and she'll have to rebuild herself up from there.

Since Kara is developmentally immature in many ways, I do wonder what Kara's reaction to Adama will be now. He is her father in every way that matters, and she needs a dad to either comfort her or rebel against now. The last thing she needs is a husband.


Leoben. I'm confuzzled by him. I was spoiled for Kacey not being Kara's child, and at first (and still to a degree) I was disappointed in Leoben. For being so...blatantly manipulative, for not using the truth to manipulate the situation as he did in Flesh and Bone. But then, the nuke was a lie. Maybe Kacey is the nuke. The excuse to bring Kara's feelings to the fore. Still, it feels cheap. Until, possibly, their last scene together. I'm starting to believe he is much madder than I previously thought.

When Kara fulfills his prophecy, both of them know they're faking. They're creating a moment for the sake of the moment, existing in it as it passes (in the stream, on the shore, does it make a difference?). Is it pride that makes him unable to see his own prophecy unfulfilled? It's like, what's important to him is the events occur, what's important is that the prophecy is true even if it's not quite what he wanted, because that means he still sees the future and the plan is still in place. He's infinitely patient, I believe that. Downloading so many times when it's so painful and putting himself in position to do so again (he must have known what was coming). He'll lose this round, but the kiss, forcing her to say the words though they both know it's false, is a sign of power, a promise that it's not over.


D'Anna is getting more and more interesting. I was really impressed by Lucy Lawless' acting especially in last week's scene with the oracle. The tear that slid down her cheek combined with her expression was really great. I'm struggling to reconcile the D'Anna we've been seeing in season three with the D'Anna of Final Cut and Downloaded. When we first met her she was a driven control-freak. Definitely dedicated to cylon ideology, but also under the belief that she knew better than everyone else, and desperate to maintain the status quo (either of cylon consensus or the valiant persecuted news reporter). Perhaps she's not so different now, just...questioning herself. In general I've been okay with the one year jump and the character changes, but this one is bugging me. What happened in that year to make D'Anna question whether or not her method was the right one? I figure it must have something to do with why she went along with Caprica Six and Boomer's rebellion, but after having her head smashed in with a rock, I don't get that. What made her understand she could have been wrong? Hmm. Good thing she's fascinating or I might be annoyed.


The scene when Baltar finds Hera and hands her to D'Anna was really, really interesting. Like, I was totally expecting him to refuse and say, "You get her if you defuse the nuke," or something. Or would have kept her for himself after all his devotion to the idea of her in season 2.5. Instead, he hands her over. And it's...well, tender. It's acknowledging D'Anna's right (as a cylon? A collective parent?) to hold her. Something more important than the basic conflict between them, in that instant. I don't quite have it yet, but it's symbolic somehow, I'm sure.


Gaius and Six are continuing to entertain me, though I'm not sure I want to meta-it-up for either of them at this point. I have thoughts, but they aren't formed enough yet. I will say, I loved Caprica Six's "Woah, woah, Gaeta..." and her physical acting around that. Tricia Helfer hasn't been given that much this season. For some reason this sticks with me - how desperate she is to protect Baltar even when he's wallowing in whatever it is he's wallowing in.


Brief Adama comment: "Well, that's it then," when the four base stars corner the Galactica. Was that desperate relief?


Roslin's gorgeous, but that's nothing new. My heart broke for her when Tory handed her that photograph, and my heart broke for Tory too. At first, I wasn't certain I liked Tory. She was extremely competant but came across as power-hungry, loyal to Roslin because Roslin was her employer, using dirty political tactics because that's what she understands her job to be. But here, her continued loyalty to Roslin and to the resistance suggests that she has more of a personal stake in the issues (which goes counter to everything she says to Roslin in a cut scene from The Captain's Hand). This interests me. Tory now interests me much more.


The Space Battle actually held my attention! This nearly never happens! Pegasus arriving with all guns shooting was especially memorable, but ultimately didn't hold a candle to the Galactica plummeting all in flames.

Okay, now for some serious discussion inspired by projectjulie's vlogs - anyone who hasn't should check them out. Especially the one about the girlslash goggles. (Unfortunately it doesn't explain how to take them back off).


There was some great discussion of family and kinship and queer families (notably the increasing number of mother figures in Hera's life). What it boils down to is, there's the Chief, Cally and their son, and that's a fairly standard nuclear family. Comparing every other family unit to this yields...interesting results.

Basically, the arguement that BSG's coupling up of characters during the missing years is tantamount to saying women = reproduction takes a huge hit when you look at the families presented. Hera lives with an adopted mother, shares blood with Roslin who is not related to her, is coveted by the strange threesome of Six/Baltar/D'Anna that was shown at the end of this episode.

Compare: Hera is supposed to teach D'Anna what it is to feel true love, a superficially parental role that's backed only by shared species and the child currently being in her care. Kacey teaches Kara unconditional (true?) love, again despite there being no bond other than species and circumstance - a pseudo-parental relationship with the child.

Compare: Kara's main and most healthy parental relationship is not with either of her biological parents but with Adama.

Compare: Sharon's marriage and surname change. Perhaps finding family through marriage is more traditional, but still, she's found family with people who aren't even the same species as her (a step further on than simply not being biologically related).

Compare: Roslin's blood bond with Hera, her comparitive lack of direct parental involvement but still taking responsibility for her safety and continued survival in something that seems similar to parental responsibility.

Compare: The non-issue that is Roslin's decision never to have married or had children.

What does this amount to? Not sure, but certainly an interesting view of family. Perhaps that family of choice is as important as biology? Perhaps more tellingly that children (adult or infant) can be cared for by many parents, biologically related or not.

Battlestar Galactica does place a lot of importance on family and reproduction, which makes sense for a show about the possible extinction of humanity. Also reproduction is unavoidably tied to women. However, to say that the show therefore places importance on the traditional family unit and that women need to have had children in order to be properly contributing members of society (or indeed need to raise them if they have) seems misplaced.

It's unsual because I can see where people are coming from - seeing babies all over the place, seeing marriage all over the place... Superficially I'd agree, which is why I find it fascinating that it breaks down under scrutiny.

And that's all, folks!

(In case anyone was wondering this post has been edited like a million times because LJ cuts HATE ME.)

Comments

[asta77.livejournal.com]

I hate to say it, but I just finished listening to the podcast and you said many of the same things Ron did about Tigh and his decision to kill Ellen himself. Yes, you and Ron are on the same page. :O

It's not because all Kara needs is a baby to make it better. It's because in this situation, the baby made her feel like she had a goal, something to fight for, a way to make herself useful and a justification for the shit situation she'd been trapped in. The baby gave her an identity after her own had been eroded to the point of "I exist to kill you." In the long run, it's better she not have the kid, because she needs to sort out herself. But by losing Kacey, she did just get smashed down to complete zero, and she'll have to rebuild herself up from there.

Interesting point. I still think given Kara's past choices that she felt that being a mom to Kacey could bring her some long sought after happiness. However, I can also see her clinging to the idea of motherhood because after she has lost everything (I still wonder if she believed Anders to be dead and that no one was coming for her) including who and what she was that taking care of someone else would give her a purpose and identity. And just as she accepts this new responsibility it gets taken from her.

I have my issues with all the marriages that took place during the missing time, but there are still reasons for them occurring beyond trying to create families with a mommy and daddy and babies. I've never felt that Ron had a reproduction agenda and it would be silly if no one was having children. I think making Cally, a relatively minor character, was a way of dealing with the reality of some of these people we know marrying and having kids without shoving it down our throats. And Hera has been surrounded by women for the first two years of her life. Until she is presumably reunited with her parents at some point, she will not know a male figure to look to for love and support.

[beccatoria.livejournal.com]

...I swear I'm not Ron Moore. At least, I really hope I'm not because if I am, I should be a lot richer, a lot older and a lot maler than I am. But yay for being on the right track about Tigh - I hope that means I'll continue to enjoy his character arc.

I don't think we're disagreeing about Kara. Her specific past does mean that there's an immature element of, "If I do it right this time all the pain will go away," that means Kara herself is thinking, "All I need is a baby to make it better." Which, you know, is exactly the message a large portion of the fan base aren't going nuts for. Although, it's not exactly a positive rendition of that message. She's tied up too much of her identity in the child because it's the one thing she can currently have an identity in relationship too - her history renders the results more catastrophic. Ultimately, I do feel that it works well, and I believed it.

I also agree about Cally being a great choice for the motherhood gig because of her relatively minor status. But I guess I just find it really interesting that the "token normal family" is relegated to such background status.

I've never felt that Ron had a reproduction agenda and it would be silly if no one was having children.

I completely agree - I always feel like saying that. It's something this show would be unrealistic not to tackle.

And Hera has been surrounded by women for the first two years of her life. Until she is presumably reunited with her parents at some point, she will not know a male figure to look to for love and support.

At last count, five primary female figures in her life, thematically speaking: Sharon (her mother), Maya (her adopted mother), Roslin (her self-appointed guardian & blood relative), Hallucination!Six (her would-be mother), D'Anna (her...kidnapper?)

I do wonder if Baltar will begin to fulfill his role as her guardian and father figure. Wow...if that's true I hope they get her away from the cylons quickly. As much as I love Baltar, growing up with him for a dad and a gaggle of identical supermodel mothers will screw up anyone, and Hera has enough problems...

[a2zmom.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure the Leoben/Kara kiss meant nothing. Not love certainly, but I think at that moment there was a connection between them and I think Kara knew it. Which will fuck her up even more. Becuase Leoben twisted everything to get to that point. Kara may have won the battle but at this point Leoben has won the war unless Kara is able to forgive herself and I don't see that happening too quickly.

[beccatoria.livejournal.com]

I do agree. I mean...that's sort of what I was trying (failing) to get across when I said they were existing in that moment. Outside of it, Kara hated him, and was about to knife and kill him. Both of them knew it wasn't "real", but both of them acted, for those thirty seconds, as if it was. And that's something powerful. It's really weird, like, just by insisting, he creates that reality on some level, even though the current underneath it is brutal and ugly.

I'm...*looks embarassed* actually a Kara/Leoben shipper, just a little. As in, it's horribly twisted, now more than ever, but I really do find their connection incredibly compelling and have done since Flesh & Bone.

[a2zmom.livejournal.com]

If by K/Leoben shipper, you mean you find their dynamic intriguing and disturbing and you want to explore that, I think that's a good thing.

If you mean that you think that they can talk it out, find common ground and eventually have a happy ever after, I'll send over the men in white coats. **g**

[beccatoria.livejournal.com]

I mostly mean in a wanting to explore the disturbing and intriguing dynamic. But I also mean being open to exploring that in a very disturbed romantic setting. They already *have* common ground - they tortured each other! But, on a slightly more serious note, this is not a relationship that will ever be, well, healthy, so it's not something I'd support as a happy ending. That said, I've been known to have a fascination for unhealthy Bonnie & Clyde / Macbeth & Lady Macbeth type relationships before.

Bring on the Stockholm Syndrome! For both of them! ;)

Aah, spoilerama! Even in the lines *before* the cuts!

[hmpf.livejournal.com]

It's odd. I'm... well, I'm not a paranoid spoiler avoider. I am, in fact, a total spoiler slut, for shows I have made a really deep connection with (Farscape, Life on Mars). And I'm not really *scared* of spoilers for shows I like a lot but don't love quite as deeply as the above, but... I'd really rather not read spoilers for them. (Although on the other hand I'm fine talking spoiler stuff with fans of those shows if those fans desperately need to talk, because I understand what it's like. *g*) Anyway - odd, isn't it? Most people try to avoid spoilers more resolutely if they love something *more*, not if they love it less. But for me, with BSG and a few other shows I enjoy a lot but am not obsessed with, I really like being suprised. Whereas on Life On Mars, I *really*, really want to know if something bad happens in advance, so I can prepare mentally for it... my emotional stakes there are just way too high.