Monday, February 9, 2009

BSG Blood on the Scales, first thoughts

AS ALWAYS *SPOILERS* if you aren't caught up yet!

Great conclusion to the mutiny storyline that had been building since the webisodes.

I'm sad that I was right about Gaeta, but I appreciate how the episode with his death was handled.  It was clear that he was beginning to recognize his mistakes.  He gave in at the end to the inevitability of his death and perhaps even welcomed it.  He has clearly not been the same since losing his leg and then you add in the complicity that he had with many people's deaths on New Caprica (again, watch the webisodes if you haven't) or at least the complicity that he was made to feel, and it's understandable that Gaeta hasn't been thinking clearly.

I like how the show tied in his unclear thoughts with his bothersome leg and when his thoughts finally cleared and he knew that what he had done was handled wrong (if perhaps not for the wrong reasons, more on that and Zarek in a minute) his leg finally stopped bothering him.  Great finish to the episode and the character.

As for Zarek, one of the most interesting points of the episode (and the series thus far in my opinion) was the scene with Zarek and the Quorum.  Zarek tries to justify his and Felix's actions to them citing all the illegal and undemocratic actions taken by President Roslin and Admiral Adama and we are reminded once again (as we often are by this show) that the actions taken by our Heroes are often wrong as well.  Sure their motives are almost always good, but their actions are often not and Felix and Zarek recognized that and in many ways were reacting to that.  But, much like our heroes, the actions that they took in regards to the illegal and undemocratic actions were just as and in some cases (the murdering of the Quorum) even more illegal and undemocratic.

Felix came to terms with that at the end, I think.  But I'm not sure that Zarek did fully.  Tom Zarek has always been a complex and well drawn character and he remained so to the end.  There is no question that he believed that what he was doing was right and for the good of the whole, but at the same time he had a desire for power that clouded his judgement.  I'm not sure if he realized how much his need to be in control jeopardized everything else that he wanted.  And ultimately helped bring him down.  In a way it was Zarek's actions that finally made Gaeta see clearly and stand down at the end.

I'm interested to see what happens next.  There are a few repercussions from this episode that we haven't seen, mainly whether or not Anders is okay, but I wonder if this unsuccessful coup will bring the fleet back together with a purpose after the disappointment of a devastated Earth or if there will still be those who feel the current leadership is not what they desire.  At the very least, it has given the President the will to once again serve.

Also, I'm glad I was right about Hot Dog.

Until Next Time, this was definitely an exciting episode that at turns had me excited to the point of cheering and saddened to the point of tears.  What a great show.

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