nBSG: "Dirty Hands"

[xerex]

Question---- do Candians consider themselves dominated by Ontario ?

[CaptJodan]

Unlike the first guy, who threatened something to her face and was snide and rude, Tyrol gave his complaints in a calm, reasonable manner. Roslyn knew Tyrol, knew his work on the Union, and trusted him.
And, with Adama, she played him.

Good cop, bad cop. Adama gives him the stick, points out what Tyrol already knew: Adama will do ANYTHING to protect the fleet. Roslyn gives Tyrol the carrot: Unionization. Open talks between them, so that not just the fuel refinery but all the other dirty jobs could be filled, trained, and rotated. It was brutally, masterfully done.

5/5.

I agree. The ending might have been slightly contrived, but it wasn't blatently shouting it to me, and it seemed like a logical progression. Tyrol's strike probably woke Adama and Roslin up to figure that they were really going to have a serious problem if they didn't do SOMETHING, but at the same time Adama just couldn't have that shit going on on his ship. Hence the approach you mentioned.

The ending boosted the rating from what was going to be a fairly low score. But I reserve 5s for other things. I'd give it a low 4 for a decent resolution, but people listening to Baltar drags it down from a high 4 to a potential 5.

[Skylon]

I actually thought the best episode since the Starbuck/Apollo drama started to eat our souls. Filler, yeah, but filler that answers what the fuck people are doing in the fleet. Seriously, we knew some people were working, but this makes it clear most people in the fleet likely do have jobs, but labor is not evenly distributed.

For once I don't think Baltar was full of shit when he was stating how he was from Aerelon. But he's no doubt playing up his "humble" background. Man probably just did well in school, scored "genius" on tests and got a scholarship to a university, or something like that.

Tyrol probably over-stepped that one, or Cally jumped the gun by having the deck crew get in on the strike. Civilian strike is one thing, but Adama was right to respond as he did. The Old Man once again shows he's hard. I was half expecting the Chief to resign though, just to end the military part of the strike and continue the civilian effort.

Was the ending a bit contrived, yeah. I hope this isn't the last we hear of these problems. Lately things have felt like they've been getting tied up in a neat package. Compare that to the ambiguity most earlier episodes ended. That's the only thing that knocks this episode down a peg for me.

I'm also gonna wager Seelix became a pilot because we've seen a few named pilots bite it this season (Kat, Duck). Keeps named characters in pilots seats.

I agree with whomever posted that this was a lot like B5's "By Any Means Necessary", so I don't wanna hear any "oh...ah...BSG is breaking the sci-fi mold again!"

[CaptJodan]

As an aside, the fact that Baltar's the one that does this and the fact that he announces that he's the author right off the bat still plays well with his character. He's not one to shy away from any work he does, and wants to be identified in any kind of greatness he can. While I would have much preferred the book being written by Zarek (not going to happen, Roslin would likely fire him in a second for political treason) or be written by Baltar under an assumed name, we all know it appeals to Baltar's character to be identified with something like this.

[xerex]

BTW.


Does anyone think someone not named Adama will ever command the fleet ?

[Burak Gazan]

BTW.


Does anyone think someone not named Adama will ever command the fleet ?

Thats the annoying part about that scumbag


he's probably right 9/10 of the time

[Skylon]

BTW.


Does anyone think someone not named Adama will ever command the fleet ?

Some eagle-eyed viewers noted that in "Hero" when Adama almost resigned, his resignation letter recommended that Lee succeed him.

So, short of them both being killed...no.

[Vympel]

What's wrong with next week?

I'm not into the Starbuck is the "THE ONE" or marked for greatness or whatever the hell it is. Her little painting now being so intergal to the survival of the fleet. She's already a Marry Sue, this just adds one more idiotic thing to the list.

How is her painting intergral to the survival of the fleet? Just because she painted what was in the Temple doesn't make her painting important- that it was in the Temple was important. In any event, we won't be seeing Starbuck after E18, so CHILLAX

[xerex]

So we're well on our way to feudalism (someone mentioned this before)

Heriditary Officer Class, worker class etc.

sure there'll be elections but (in this case) the military is not directly under Presidential control.

[LadyTevar]

So we're well on our way to feudalism (someone mentioned this before)

Heriditary Officer Class, worker class etc.

sure there'll be elections but (in this case) the military is not directly under Presidential control.

That's one reason why Roslyn wants the Union... to prevent that from happening.

[Master of Cards]

What's wrong with next week?

I'm not into the Starbuck is the "THE ONE" or marked for greatness or whatever the hell it is. Her little painting now being so intergal to the survival of the fleet. She's already a Marry Sue, this just adds one more idiotic thing to the list.

How is her painting intergral to the survival of the fleet? Just because she painted what was in the Temple doesn't make her painting important- that it was in the Temple was important. In any event, we won't be seeing Starbuck after E18, so CHILLAX

Socure I hate this charceter

[ngc7293]

The episode reminded me of horror movies. You yell out at the actors to not open the door, and for some reason that never works. Here, that kid stuck his hand into that gearwork and you just KNEW he was going to get mangled.

I'm going to say this is the best of the Filler episodes. I'm just wondering if they should even be called that now. Baltar's trial is probably on the season finally (whenever that is).

About that chemical used to power vipers and such. Though the Cylons appear to store it in a liquid state, perhaps this ship is a flying chemical processing plant. That would mean the raw material would be a mineral form and combined with other ingredients to transform to the liquid state.

In any case, with the combination of ejection scene at the beginning, Baltar's various scenes, I give this about a 3. I would give this a 4 if it didn't remind me of a specific Original BSG episode where Starbuck and Apollo were sent to put down a strike on some Processing Ship.

[Spanky The Dolphin]

The episode reminded me of horror movies. You yell out at the actors to not open the door, and for some reason that never works. Here, that kid stuck his hand into that gearwork and you just KNEW he was going to get mangled.

Better some kid get his arm fucked up then the whole ship blow up.

[CaptJodan]

How is her painting intergral to the survival of the fleet? Just because she painted what was in the Temple doesn't make her painting important- that it was in the Temple was important. In any event, we won't be seeing Starbuck after E18, so CHILLAX

All right on the former. But it's clearly coming back to haunt us next week. As for the latter, that is good news. Of course, I used to like her just fine. She wasn't the best character, but I didn't hate her by any stretch. I think Moore just took her character across that line

[neoolong]

I liked the episode, though I think Tyrol should have checked the kid out to make sure that he could do the work. Even if the kid was a farmer, he might not have that much experience with heavy machinery.

And hey, that Robin Hood series is going to be shown in the US.

[CaptainChewbacca]

I think the Baltar-Tyrol monologue was some of the best stuff I've seen in 2007. Especially the Aerlion accent and Baltar's question.

[neoolong]

Something occurs to me. This episode was a lot better since it centered on the drama of their desperate situation and how the larger struggle for survival was reflected in the events shown for a few of the characters' lives.

It's pretty far removed from the stuff about Apollo and Starbuck and Dualla and Anders which was just petty interpersonal drama that only affected the larger picture in that it could cause them to screw up and get people killed.

[DrMckay]

Best Ep in a while, even if it is filler, it still gave us a window into the fleet.

[JME2]

A few minor problems (when was the public informed about Baltar's capture?) but good. Great acting from James Callis, gorgeous CGI, and thought-provoking.

4.5/5

[DPDarkPrimus]

The episode reminded me of horror movies. You yell out at the actors to not open the door, and for some reason that never works. Here, that kid stuck his hand into that gearwork and you just KNEW he was going to get mangled.

Better some kid get his arm fucked up then the whole ship blow up.

But he's NOT EVEN A FARMER! D:

[CaptainChewbacca]

A few minor problems (when was the public informed about Baltar's capture?) but good. Great acting from James Callis, gorgeous CGI, and thought-provoking.

4.5/5

I doubt you could keep Baltar's capture a secret. They were openly talking about it on the bridge and other parts of Galactica, and I doubt you could put a lid on that if you wanted to, given that there were civilian technicians on the planet when he was captured.

[Xon]

Thoughts.

The political setup suffers from the brain fart common throughout sci fi that 1 planet equals 1 unit.

Hence agricultural planets, industrial planets, governemnt planets.

when in reality a planets would be so large and populous that it would ALL elements of society in it.

Keep in mind, we have only been shown a single habitable and populus world and the rest of the "colonies" so far have been described as little more than specs on a rock somewhere in space.

Caprica clearly has the bulk of the population of the 12 colonies.

[Gil Hamilton]

I think the Baltar-Tyrol monologue was some of the best stuff I've seen in 2007. Especially the Aerlion accent and Baltar's question.

What makes it that much more delicious is that Baltar was almost certainly playing him with some Grade A mindfucking. Not only was it powerfully done, but smacks of Baltar actually being the manipulative genius he claims to be.

That's my theory. Baltar suddenly becoming a communist, I think, is another one of his bids to save his own life. He knows they are putting him on trial soon, which will end in his execution, and he has to know just how bad the work situation is in the fleet. So the bastard decided to put out a manifesto telling all the half-truths about their situation in the world; that they are being exploited, just like their forefathers, playing off the racism that exists between colonies, that classes are forming and indeed have already formed. All those are real and he's trying to paint himself as another victim of it. He's hoping that when he's put to trial, he'll be seen not as a traitor but as a martyr that is being killed by the aristocracy, and enough people will come to his aid that he'll escape death yet again.

[Netko]

Thoughts.

The political setup suffers from the brain fart common throughout sci fi that 1 planet equals 1 unit.

Hence agricultural planets, industrial planets, governemnt planets.

when in reality a planets would be so large and populous that it would ALL elements of society in it.

Keep in mind, we have only been shown a single habitable and populus world and the rest of the "colonies" so far have been described as little more than specs on a rock somewhere in space.

Caprica clearly has the bulk of the population of the 12 colonies.

Also, I never got the feeling they were discussing absolutes, but rather trends and ratios. Aerelon might be a basket world but that doesn't mean it doesn't have anything else. BTW, Tigh is from there, which kinda puts a bit of a wrench in the entire Caprican officer class theory, although on the other hand, Tigh seems to pretty much resigned himself to the XO post and doesn't want command/advancement.

[CDiehl]

Baltar suddenly becoming a communist, I think, is another one of his bids to save his own life.

You think? This guy was a member of the Quorum, VP and President. Wasn't he at least a minor celebrity before the Cylons invaded? Now, in all that time as a public figure, did he ever say a word about the inequities between the Colonies? No, he waited until he was in jail about to be tried for his life to give a damn about that. I don't think he was "wash[ing] his hands of this phony democracy" when he was part of it.