“A Disquiet Follows My Soul”

D'oh!

The first episode this season to be below three star. That's such a shame.

Most jarring was the jump away from the mythology. The stuff in this episode was important and necessary, but we want to know more about the thirteenth tribe! I complimented the previous episode on the way it revealed the final Cylon by using the reveal as an insight into the bigger picture rather than just a reveal for its own sake. Without a bigger picture here, it kind of diminishes it a bit.

To me the final scene of the episode had an almost ominous feel to it, although I don't think that was intended by the writer/director. Here they are, Adama and Roslin, in bed together, when the news comes that the attack team returned with the tylium ship. And reaction from both of them is - I don't care. Again, I presume the intention was to simply show that Adama and Roslin are finally living in the moment, dedicated to each other, if only for a short while. But, to me it felt extremely strange. You have the president that's given up on her job, VP is in jail, Quorum is (probably) preparing some sort of mutiny of their own (judging by their stance previously in the episode), people are getting killed in the fleet, ships are rebelling, and all Adama has to say say is - I don't care?

If that was the point of the scene, I guess I could've gone along. But since I think it's not, it only adds to this "off" feel I've had with the episode.

There is something wrong with this episode, and it's not easy to see what exactly.

You say that the episode has a 'now what?' feel to it and I think that is exactly what is going on here. Adama still wakes up every morning and does his routine and Roslin is off living life to the Fullest. There's something ominous (as the post above me says) about it that seems sitting under the surface. Coupled with Gaeta and Zarek's politicking, there's something very, very unsettling of how unaware Adama and Roslin are of their sleeping together to be maybe the final happy moment of their lives.

I think of a number of the episodes transitions speak to that as well. One being a Wire-esque shot that follows Adama coming out of his quarters as he passes by the lunchroom only to move away and join in on Kara and Gaeta's mutinous exchange. Another is after Adama's discussion in the hall with a jogging Laura, and the next scene begins before the camera even leaves Adama's face - Baltar's wild (and drunken) rabble rousing rants about God. Not to mention the frustrated Quorum and Zarek scenes throughout and we have an episode that seems to point towards a very ugly end to, as Zarek calls it, the 'Roslin/Adama administration'.

What makes this all the more intriguing to me is that the Zarek/Gaeta potential mutiny isn't without merit. In fact, I even question the merit of the idea that Adama and Roslin are STILL in command after what has just gone down. Something's got to give here and Bill and Laura don't see it as being them.

I agree with Jammer on the pacing of the episode slightly. Sure, we didn't NEED to see Tyrol identifying with the Cylons or Tigh telling about his wife (because we assume it happened -- or do we?) but a reference of some sort might have been nice. I have read though that the 4.5 DVD will contain several extended episodes that have been cut down due to time with one of them being 'A Disquiet...'

In the end, however, one's enjoyment of this episode comes with how much one accepts the presentation. It's a bit of an oddball for BSG, but I certainly didn't have a problem with it -- although I can see why others might. On my non-existent rating scale, I'd give it a *** stars.

All in all, I'm surprised to see Jammer rate this as the weakest episode of season 4. I mean, what about 'Sine Qua Non'? Kidding.

Good to be back reading reviews at the same pace as the episodes air. Keep up the good work!

Adama popping mystery pills and almost obsessively brushing his teeth might be a bad sign :)

Jammer, in one of the few instances I've disagreed with your reviews. I gotta say: I'm throwing caution and logic to the wind. I LOVED SEEING ROSLIN AND ADAMA IN BED TOGETHER. That moment made me very happy. Yes, it's a treat for the fans. But also, it's inspiring, in a way. Relationships never evolve so completely and maturely in TV (or real life, for that matter). Moore is atoning for the sins of Star Trek --- our Janeway and Chakotay, our TNG "Attached"...

Heh, good point Joe. Janeway/Chakotay was an enduring disappointment.

My thoughts on the episode before reading any reviews pretty much track Jammer's:

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Not much happened except stage-setting. The brewing revolt. The rebels have a point. No more info on the new Cylon except that Lee let it slip that it's a "she" who they believe is dead. So Tigh must have briefed the higher-ups on his "vision."

Starbuck still thinks she's the Cylon herself of course (and maybe she is). It was interesting to watch the Gaeta-Starbuck scene with that in mind. Gaeta is BITTER isn't he? Good reason to be, too. As the webisodes showed, he trusted a cylon once, and ended up sending a lot of his friends to their deaths (his lists on New Caprica). He doesn't want to trust them again. And he is right to question Adama's absolutism.

I was disappointed that Adama was able to bluff Zarek with a made-up folder of "evidence" of Zarek's misdeeds. For some reason I had a better opinion of Zarek that apparently was not justified. I thought he was a populist idealist.

What is the point of us suddenly finding out that the chief is not the baby's father. I'm not sure what the point is, ie not sure what possibilities this opens up. Seems to be just an little twist with character-development potential for Tyrol.

And what about that Baltar scene. "God should apologize." Where are they going with that

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After reading the review and the comments, I'd just reiterate that I agree with Greg that the nascent mutineers have a point, and I agree with Jammer that it was disappointing and unnecessary to suddenly turn Zarek into a "dirty politician."

B

I agree with everything you said. Definately the most lacklustre episode of the season (or maybe second to the Road Less Travelled, imo).

However, regarding Zarek and Adama's extortion... I didn't get the impression that Zarek actually WAS dirty... it seemed to me that Adama was saying he had fake evidence that would ruin him, even if it wasn't true, and Zarek knew it. So I don't take that to mean he was actually corrupt, just that he's very ego centric about his ideals.

I liked this episode and felt it was pretty compelling. However, I did have problems with it, which Jammer highlights - namely the missing time between this episode and the outstanding "Sometimes A Great Notion".

- Tigh's reveal that Ellen was the final Cylon has happened off-screen, adding anticlimax to anticlimax. WTF?
- There is no follow-up to whether D'Anna really did decide to stay on Earth. (Obviously this is because the episodes were filmed months apart and Lucy Lawless is expensive. I thought her write-out in SAGN was pretty transparent, really.)
- We don't get to see Dualla's funeral - in fact, there's no mention of her at all. Everyone including Lee seems to have completely recovered. Seeing as we got to see Cally's funeral, who was arguably a less sympathetic and compelling character, I'd have liked to have seen Dee's - it would have nicely wrapped up the Earth storyline and the emotions surrounding it, and allowed character to pay their respects and draw a line under the disappointment of Earth
- I share Jammer's view of Tyrol's sudden identification with the Cylons.

All that said, I was fine with the rest of the episode, including the Roslin material. Adama's repeated morning ritual strongly reminded me of Kira's morning ritual in DS9's "Rocks And Shoals" - I think they were going for the same effect of the "daily grind". And I thought the final Adama-Roslin scene was beautiful. Not overdue, but just at the right moment. I'm glad we saw it.

Hey Jammer.

Just a question: What do you mean when you say the remark about clairvoyance was "a reaction to my own surprise that Illinois politics would somehow find their way into a Battlestar Galactica review"?

The something in this episode that is "off" was, I think, in part something that was "in" on The Next Generation and subsequent Star Trek series (but most notably TNG) over which Ron Moore presided: the oft-inability to successfully blend scenes aimed at developing "character" with scenes aimed at furthering the "plot." One of the biggest storytelling irritations on TNG was its A/B or A/B/C storytelling structure; the A, B and C stories often stubbornly refused (i.e. the writers were lazy) to somehow interact with each other, such that episodes often felt internally incongruous, scattershot and unfocused (look! Data learns to love his cat! Oh, wait, the Enterprise must avoid being torn apart by a quantum fistula (or is it "fissure," heh heh)! See, Data really DOES love the cat, even though Riker hates it. Wow, the Enterprise averted tragedy at the last second!) Weirdness, abruptness and awkwardness stand out more when the narrative framework forces the viewer to watch self-contained sequences.

BSG is great not just because 47,000 (Menosky reference?) things are all going on at once; it's great because these things on a good day produce an episode that is the equal (or greater than) of the sum of its parts; we get the "character development," development of the plot, and so forth, in the same scene - simultaneously. ("They breathe as one," as Annorax from Voyager's "Year of Hell" two-parter stated).

Maybe Moore's freshman directing effort was an understandable effect of his having written (and presumably watched) so many of his Star Trek creations

Jammer,

Maybe I'm missing something, but regardless of whether the "laundry" reports about Zarek had real dirt in them, or whether Adama knew or did not know that they did, or that Zarek was dirty, wasn't the recording of Zarek telling the civilian ship to disobey a military order sufficiently "dirty" in and of itself, as far as Adama (given how he wanted to expose Zarek and what Adama regards as "dirty information) was concerned, sufficient? I mean, you had the Vice President practically instructing the civilian government to disobey a (presumptively) lawful military order. This is tantamount to a Vice President (not Dick Cheney, but A Vice President) telling the population of a state that it must resist the deployment of federal troops into that state to deal with a national emergency (the only difference - an immaterial one - being that in the U.S. the President is the civilian leader and the Commander in Chief as well; Roslin is not both and Adam is not both, but then again, neither our Vice President, nor Tom Zarek - both, either).

I do think this episode has problems and felt a little off. And it was certainly a disappointment since it's the first thing Moore has written since Occupation/Precipice, and he's an outstanding writer (I WOULD attribute the problems to him not having written in a year and a half, but he's written other non BSG screenplays in that time- so no excuse).

I did, however, enjoy his direction this episode. And I thought the Roslin story was superbly handled.

All in all, it's one of the weaker episodes this season, but I think it still ranks higher than The Road Less Traveled, and it certainly doesn't have the problematic Romo Gun climax that Sine Qua Non had. I'd give it a 3 star rating. There is a lot I liked, a lot I was uncomfortable with, but ultimately, on the second watching, I thought it was a good outing. But I'm hoping for better.

A lot of the issues with this episodes are quite clearly the result of the strike hiatus and the fact that the previous episode was pre-strike. What we're seeing here is a misplaced hiatus between episodes -- we waited all that time to see SAGN, when in fact the hiatus should have come before ADFMYS. After a long hiatus, we viewers probably wouldn't have noticed that there was no mention of Dee, Tyrol was moving toward a more Cylon outlook, Tigh & Adama were back to their old relationship, or that we never saw Tigh mention Ellen. 'Cos for the audience as well as the BSG characters, months had passed.
Probably these issues could have been cleared up by one quick and easy fix: a chryon saying "3 months later..." at the top of the episode.

I really can't agree with you on this review. This episode had me really engaged with the characters. I agree it was a transition episode, but so what? Sometimes there have to be transition episodes, and I thought this was a really great one. I actually found the episode tough to watch just because it was so tense. It's like a rubber band being stretched further and further and you just know that any second it's going to go flying off.

That scene of Lara and Adama in bed together is probably the most ominous scene in the entire episode and I almost can't believe that you'd simply attribute it to being some kind of cheap pay-off. Here they are happy and nearly oblivious to the fact that their entire world is about to be turned upside down. It's poetic irony at it's best--we know something they don't know and that makes it all the more painful to watch. Well, for me at least ;-)

I don't need to see the scene where Tigh tells them Ellen is the fifth Cylon--what are we missing really? How stunned would anyone really be by it after finding out the other four are Cylons? I'm guessing the reactions of the crew would have been mostly the same kind of reaction the audience had to the discovery. The only person who it really matters to is Tigh, and we've already seen his reaction.

So, yeah, loved the episode. I probably would give it 3 and 1/2 stars.

I agree about the final scene being ominous. Laura doesn't care anymore, and Adama, at the very least, can see her point of view.

Earth's gone. They've got nothing to live for in the future.

When you can't live for tomorrow anymore, you have to live for today. From the look of this last scene, Adama understands that. He might not be ready to give into that view and shirk his responsibilities yet, but... it's somewhere in the back of his mind.

One thing we should remeber is that this episode is at least 9 days after "Sometimes...", so there is a hiatus there, even though we did not get to see all the things we would have liked to see (ie. Dualla funeral, or Ellen's reveal to the main characters.) We do now however do have a time frame where we knew these things happened.

Hehe. I can't even talk about this episode anymore after "The Oath". What I just saw tonight was in a word "RIVETING", but I'll leave it until Jammer puts out his review.

Thanks for sharing your reviews - I'm speculating wildly (not necessarily coherently)so far this season.
However, I have one observation on a minor point - back in Black Market, one of the final scenes showed Zarek mingling and conversing with unsavory characters - apparently picking up the threads of the underground inside the ship whose name I can't remember. While Adama was bluffing (imo) there isn't any reason to believe that Zarek couldn't be dirty.

Tyrol - since the final 4 have been outed, I saw Tyrol's fumbling more as him trying to get used to the new status quo. Other's no longer regard them as human, but they are used to referring to themselves that way.

Gaeta - he was "responsible" for the murder of many people in the resistance. He seemed to be overcompensating a bit in his attack on Kara.

Everyone is making good points (particularly Matt L, Gene, Greg, Joe). I liked this episode - but then I also liked Escape Velocity, another low-key bottle show a lot of people disliked. On my scale, both are between *** and ***½. But after seeing "The Oath", all I can say is: holy frak! Can't wait for the next review.

I also thought Gaeta was over the top on his Kara attack, but that was before I actually watched the webisodes after Disquiet. After watching that, I understood more where he was coming from. I also think his attack on Kara was more of an over-the-top thing to get her out of the room for his conversation with the other crew members. I am surprised that all of the people in there were for the mutiny, and not one spoke up.

With Tyrol, I actually loved the fumbling words. It's been 7 months since we saw revelations and his admittance, but it's only been weeks in the BSG world.

Kara confuses the world out of me. I have no idea what direction they're going with her...

This episode had one of the best delivered lines of the series. "You know, there are days when I really hate this job." Great moment, good episode.

This is one of the only reviews of yours I disagree on. I can understand how the episode moves slow and seems to be uneventful, but I thought it was great, because it was continuing the gradual self destruction of the fleet and how only chaos and good TV could come of this. I thought all of the character events were completely natural, even Zarek's. I felt this was more of a 3 to 4 star episode myself. I knew that this was just another step in the many events that would lead to the end of the show, and I think that may make it harder to judge based on its actual events. Of course, now that the following episode has aired, it's even easier to say this, since all sorts of shit goes down in The Oath.

Oh, my word - "The Oath" - serious nail biter. Can't wait for Jammer's take on that.

A little harsher than I would be but I see where you're coming from. This is definately a setup/transitional episode, and with so few hours remaining, we want them all to be gangbusters. But you need to take the time to set up the dominoes before you can watch them fall.

The only complaint that I completely disagree with you on is your take on Zarek. Zarek has always come across to me as Galactica's Al Sharpton (if I can toss my own state's politics in this). He's a guy with a cause, a cause he may actually believe in and at times a cause very worthwhile, but deep down you can't shake the feeling that it really is all about HIM. In many ways he doesn't want the problems solved because then he wouldn't have a platform to stand on. Remember, this is a guy who tried to have Roslin killed in season two, and may have been involved in an assassination in season one. He's a smiling villain, a villain often on the right side of a losing cause, but he is still a villain.

And that brings me to the laundry reports. I agree that came across as preictable, conventional television. But while like Adama I suspect that Zarek has been using his position for personal advantage. if Adama had REAL evidence, he would have used it long ago. He hates this man,and would love to see him out of power. As a member of the Quorum, he's dangerous. If Adama had ANY evidence on Zarek, he would have used it long ago.

Yeah, I agree with misterd on Zarek. There's a duality to this guy that's been evident since, well, episode 3 of season 1. On one hand, he is a revolutionary idealist that truly believes in his cause, BUT precisely beacause of this he is willing and able to go down some pretty dark roads to accomplish what he wants. So, he's not dirty in the traditional sense, but he probably did all sorts of nasty stuff pursuing his goals. In other words, he is "selectively dirty". This is the guy who was willing to kill Roslin and Apollo, but on the other side said no to black market proposals offered by Commander Fisk.

Zarek only claimed he said no to the black market proposals offered by Fisk. At the end of that episode you could see him on "the prometeus" which proved that in fact he had more to do with the black market than he had let on...

The laundry reports bit harkens back to Joe Mccarthy during the 1950s red scare. McCarthy gave a speech in Wheeling, WV where he held up a list of names claiming it was a list of 100 known Communists. It was the hotel's customer laundry list.

Jerry,

Yes, I see your point, and I remember it as well, but I had RDM's podcast of that episode in mind where he wonders about that "Zarek-on-Prometheus" scene, saying that he himself doesn't exactly understand what it means.

I still think that Zarek's shadiness only goes a certain distance, and can be put in context of his larger cause. I do not think of him being corrupt in the traditional sense of the word.

Gaita & Zarek - it was Zarek's executive order that created the secret tribunal that almost put Gaita out the airlock after New Caprica. On New Caprica, he supported Baltar of all people - here again his misguided attempts to play by the rules / play fair, led him to allay himself with a seriously sleezy political operator.

I would have given this episode 3 stars. That half star less seems somehow...wrong, and I was suprised to see it. This episode felt like it was needed. I didn't love it as much as some of the other recent episodes (or the episode directly following it)...but this felt very necessary. And I didn't feel there was anything wrong with it per say.

I also didn't mind them referring to things happening off screen that we didn't see. They only have so much time left on the series, and while seeing those off screen scenes play out would have been enjoyable (especially the Tyrol stuff, IMO) - hearing the references was a fun little shock, that I found satisfying in a completely different way. It also somehow felt very adult; like they trusted the audience to understand that things happened without walking us through them... Which also leaves certain aspects up for interpretation, which I also find satisfying.

I look forward to your reviews of the final epsidoes of the series.

@Paul

Few people are corrupt in the popular sense of the word. There are few who are so naked in their amorality. Most people rationalize their behavior. Zarek seems one of those able to use his "good cause" to justify whatever he does, but in the end, its only Zarek who actually benefits.

I have to say on other sites there is remarkably little sympathy for Gaeta here. Truthfully, I think it hard to sympathize with Adama. Just a few weeks ago these cylons were trying to blow them all up. Now they are being trusted to tinker with the most essential systems on these ships? And Adama is simply ignoring civilian law because he decided this was a crisis. The president has disappeared in Galactica's belly, Adama's son is put in her place, and Adama's advisors consist of 4 Cylons and their spouses. No, there's nothing suspicious about this at all.

By the way, interesting note about Adama's opening voice over that you note explains the mood of this episode so well: it was totally random. Eddie Olmos just picked up a random book and read a random line on a random page and that's what came out... it was meant to be a silent scene but he read it aloud. Feels like a Criss Angel mindfreak.

Yes, there is an extraordinary number of Gaeta-haters out there. It seems every forum is bursting with them. Personally, I've always liked him as a character and Juliani as an actor. And yeah, I can really understand his motivations - are they really that different from Adama and Roslin deciding to assasinate Cain? All three of them truly believed they were acting in the best interest of the fleet. After this, and the next episode, I like Gaeta even more. I hope they give him a dignified exit, old-fashioned officer style - here's a gun with one bullet; we'll leave you alone.

The funny thing about Gaeta is that he looks ten times more sinister with the fake leg, cane, and red rings around the eyes. In fact, had Anders not shot him, I don't think he'd be capable of convincingly pulling off this mutiny. I love what they've done with his character. Early on in the series, you would never have guessed that he was capable of things like this.

Gaita - on the podcast, Mrs. Ron complemented makeup for creating a slightly crazed look for Gaita (pale skin, shadowed eyes, slight greying), so that his behavioral transformation is believable. He really does look like he's been through hell. The tragedy of Gaita for me is that he's desperately trying to do the moral thing, he is repelled by amorality, but it only drives him to something worse (Laura stuffing the ballot box sends him to Baltar, which sends him to the 8, etc.)
I'm happy to see that so many of the chickens are coming home to roost (it's so rare that bad personal interactions have ramifications outside of an immediate story arch).

I've never liked Gaeta - he's always been somewhat childish, naive, and misguided. He's driven by morality and a sense of what's right, but fails to look at reality and practical consequences. As "knitpicker" highlights, he's always trying to to the right thing, but his meddling and refusal to stick to the side he's chosen always just make things worse.

The more I take a step back from the show though, the more it looks like he's in the right. As far as your average person in the fleet is concerned, there's been a Cylon coup. Suddenly the XO - Adama's oldest friend and right-hand man - is a Cylon, Roslin's aide is a Cylon, there's a base ship in the fleet, and the Cylons want to mix with the human populace and install Cylon technology on every ship in the fleet. Adama's son has been installed on the Quorum, the deck chief is a Cylon, Anders is a Cylon, and his wife Starbuck has come back from the dead in mysterious circumstances. Given Lee's slip-up in revealing that the fifth cylon is female and was dead, many people probably think it's her.

Concerns raised by civilians and by Gaeta have not been addressed. Adama has moved towards military rule and is just forcing his decisions through without even listening to the public. The only person who made a genuine effort to explain the alliance to the civilian fleet was Natalie, whose presence is sorely missed. At the end of the day, Adama and Roslin are past the point of caring. They're broken, and they no longer have the energy to care. As far as they're concerned, they've served their role - now it's their time to enjoy themselves while all hell breaks loose around them. The discovery of Earth was just too much to bear.

So really speaking, their geese are coming home to roost. We only see things the way they really are because we're the viewer and we're privy to this information. The average person (Seelix, Racetrack, whoever) doesn't know what's really going on and thinks the fleet has been compromised. Though why Zarek is a better alternative is anyone's guess.

One quibble though: how on earth was Gaeta able to organise this in secret and get so many people involved without anyone giving the game away?

I don't understand why they're in quite such a hurry to leave Earth without some serious archeological investigation, at least a comprehensive search for public records and databases. Even a mention of Cavil's forces being likely to find them if they didn't keep moving putting some kind of fire under somebody's ass (maybe the Cylons who are with them even who've been largely invisible so far, could have suggested it's an urgent issue) would maybe have helped. It's hard to see how a planet nuked two millennia ago that they were OK to wander about on wasn't habitable in large areas in spite of residual atmospheric radiation. The storytelling is getting a bit slack, IMHO.

Thats why I was thinking, them leaving Earth, and the scenes where the fleet was melting down should have been a "1 month later" type deal.

But they did indicate they did do surveys and digs, and quite frankly, Earth is uninhabitable, lets move on. We cant live here, we cant settle here, theres nothing of value here, whats the point of being in orbit.

I think the reason Adama left Earth so quickly is because it was a painful revelation. And he wants to just get away from that pain. From the disappointment.

A one month later deal wouldn't have been any good because what matters is the effect Earth has on them when they find it, not how they're able to pull themselves together a month later. And with all the balls in the air, skipping a month would've meant you'd return to a changed show. I don't think Gaeta would've held off his mutiny for a month just because they're still over Earth.

The probably had no choice to leave. With no way to truly survive on the planet, an extended archaeological dig could have been hazardous to a crew with already dwindling manpower and supplies. I'm sure they brought back a few things to examine on board the ship, but have not gotten around to it yet due to the mutiny.

The fleet probably wouldn't have stood for it if they had stayed in orbit while science teams investigated the planet. They'd have wanted to move on.

"I don't think Gaeta would've held off his mutiny for a month just because they're still over Earth."

Well Gaeta's mutiny is a result of many things, all of which transpired after leaving Earth.

-the fact that earth was a sham
-getting his leg amputated because a cylon shot him
-and most of all, the growing partnership between the humans in the fleet and the cylons. The same cylons that got them into the shape they are in.

Gaeta is very anti-cylon and its those actions that are the main reasons why he revolted. One month later or any kind of time gap doesnt make a difference in that.

Plus the very same resistance which Gaeta risked life and limb to help on New Caprica - and who then tried to put him out of the airlock for being a collaborator - turned out to be made up of Final Fivers. I was glad they touched on that in this episode.

After a month in orbit of Earth, either the Cylon human alliance is broken, and we have that story to tell, or it's continued and strengthened and Gaeta's mutiny happens, and we have that story to tell.

The other two things you don't need to leave Earth for.

I agree that a time gap doesn't make a difference, which is why it would happen at about the same speed and after a month, you'd be in the middle of the mutiny as we are now.

My only reason id would have to like to see a "one month later" type deal is to explain how the fleet has gone to hell in a handbasket so quickly. How we went from, YAY we found Earth, to fist fights between the crew while spray painting "Frak Earth"

But thats been done once before on New Caprica so maybe it was an unecessary option.

Well. You get to Earth. In a moment your hopes are crushed, and in a moment you go from euphoria to emotional hell. I don't think you'd slowly seep into depression and slowly lose your will to live. I think it would happen just as fast as the revelation about Earth did: in a moment.

Just saw the exteneded version of this episode, and, I gotta say, it seems like a completely different episode. So much seems to have been taken out, and seeing everything RDM envisioned really helps this episode. However, I may also be affected by the fact that I know what's coming in the next episode, and thus my judgment is skewered.

I've only seen this episode twice; once when it first aired, upon which I found it mediocre at best as far as I can remember. And secondly, tonight, upon my rewatching of the entire series this past couple of weeks. And I'm surprised. I honestly found this one to be a disquieted gem of sorts, and yes, quite a counterpoint to the brutal two episodes that come before. In a way, it feels like the quiet before Yet Another Storm and I appreciated that. Maybe it has a bit to do with the fact that I watched the "Unrated" version which I hadn't seen before, but I truly felt this was a flawless hour of TV. Sure, not a lot goes on, but I guess that's what I liked about it. It was introspective and very at ease with itself.

Gosh, Jammer, you are being harsh on RM directoral debut. I agree with you on alot of the issues with this episode, but I feel like these are problems that have tended to plague this series. The biggest was one that you mentioned, the huge plot piece we are never shown. I agree completley that Tigh telling everyone about Ellen would have been FAR FAR FAR more compelling than Adama brushing his teeth, and Roslin joggin weirdly down the corridors for 7 years. Plus, there is nothing we REALLY learned in this episode that we did not already know last episode except Callies little secret.

I liked this episode, but I do feel like it would have fit better before Earth.

(Note : I have only seen the extended version)

I like this episode. Sure, it’s not as riveting as “Sometimes a Great Notion”, but I think the series as a whole would be weaker without it. It’s kind of a transitional piece, allowing the characters to deal with what has happened before and then move on (kind of like TNG’s “Family” or DS9’s “Image in the Sand”). I loved Tyrol’s “we/they” line, it was funny and made sense. I also enjoyed Laura’s running, especially the music.

Strangely enough, the one thing I disliked in this episode was the part Jammer thought worked: finding out that Nicholas Tyrol is not Galen’s son. It felt more like a soap opera – and I have a hard time believing that Cally cheated on Tyrol, even if they weren’t married yet. It’s also pretty obvious to me that the writer’s didn’t realize that Tyrol being a Cylon meant having two hybrids, so they used the TV-Cheat-Sheet to get out of it.

Well, unlike many I was exceedingly happy to see all the mythological crap dispensed with at last. That nonsense almost totally ruined Season 3 and a good part of Season 4 for me. Back to realism.

The political farce continues: The so-called president is totally out of it, Zarek--who, after Baltar, has the strongest popular mandate--is contemptuously ignored and threatened, and Lee Adama who is no more than a (appointed) Quorum member is admitted into the highest political and military decision-making processes, all under the auspices and patronage of his daddy. And that same daddy insists on consulting what's left of the "president" on the cylon alliance because "it is a political decision," but rides a carriage and horses through other rules, as he sees fit. Not all that big a wonder seeing as the "consulting" takes place in the sack. It's totally absurd; Adama doesn't have the scruples to be a second lieutenant, never mind an admiral. Then again, he was appointed admiral by a president who was not elected president, so it figures. I see he has started popping pills, too. Ugh.

Now, I actually think the alliance is a good thing as is installing cylon technology aboard the Fleet vessels. But I likewise firmly hold that Adama has ridden roughshod with his and Roslin's totalitarian methods for way too long, and I don't blame Gaeta and others one bit for mutinying.

And rather than learning his lesson, Adama again acts like a despot with flagrant disregard for the views of the people and their representatives. Arrest Zarek and murder him if he resists. Egregious. Doesn't anyone other than Gaeta have the balls to tell him he's out of order and out of line???

Of course, Zarek's turning out to be just another venal charlatan politician (even if that file was a bluff he fell for) was very convenient. How would Adama have handled it and how would it all have evolved if Zarek was squeaky clean?

Though defeated, I loved how Zarek humiliated Adama by throwing him a scrunched up piece of paper on the floor. Here, doggy, here are your damn coordinates.

Whether the mutiny succeeds or not (and call me cynical but I have a pretty strong feeling it won't), Adama deserves to be seriously rattled and have some sense knocked into him.

* * *

I couldn't care less whose son Nicky is, and I didn't get connected to that subplot in the least.

* * *

This was a really good show. We're back to action and intrigue on the ground, rather than rummaging through someone's head or chasing someone's "visions," analyzing some wacko's dreams, and interpreting fantasies. The gods of all flavor are out of the picture; it's back to the real world.

It is this kind of episode that god me hooked to B.S.G. Welcome back, old friend!

I, for one, was glad that Nicky turned out not to be Tyrol's. Although Cally had a few good points, she often seemed whiny and weak. I don't know how Tyrol can have any regard for her memory given that she (a) murdered Boomer in cold blood and (b) let him think that Nicky was his son.

It's interesting how many have lined themselves on one side of the BSG separation of powers debate, i.e. with the quorum. I've always thought it was interesting that the BSG powers debate has really been between the pres and the military, but the quorum is coming into its own now. I know that in the US, we are used to quite a different type of political system where the POTUS is the commander in chief. But the BSG alignment is what happens in many countries, i.e. where a coup leads to a new president or a junta. I think the fact that it's still a time of war means that the quorum should be a bit more deferential to the military. Civilians would be totally frakked without the military's protection. So why are they being such an ass? Haven't they heard of the phrase, "the enemy of my enemy is my friend"?

Am I the only one who thought that Baltar was going to be the father of Cally's baby (I love it when I talk like a soap opera)

When Tyrol went to Baltar's commune, I really thought that was going to be the case. They mentioned how Cally kind of respected Baltar. Didn't Baltar shoot a Galactica crewmember to save Cally on the Kobol planet?

That would have been a neat twist.

I am glad I am not the only one who thought Roslin and Adama hooking up was a comment on the fact that Chakotay and Janeway never really explored their relationship, which they should have.

Roslin has totally checked out. She should resign. And if the mutiny happens, it's Adama's fault. Discipline on the ship has broken down. Baltar's gone angry nihilist. Gaeta gone angry. Chief is lost.

Everyone is broken. Or angry. Or both.

Which is cool. Because that is exactly how they all should react.

So, yeah, good episode, despite all the flaws Jammer pointed out,

The key question we don't know the answer to is the relationship between the civilians and the military. When Adama says "It's a military decision" and Gaeta asks "Do you get to make that call?", Adama replies "Yes, I do.". And maybe he does. I've never read the Articles of Colonization. So, we simply don't know who's legally correct -- Adama or Zarek.
Tactically, Adama's made a huge blunder. He can't enforce his will on the whole fleet. Period.

Adama and Roslin may have earned the right to relax, but they've got a tiger by the tail and don't get that option.

And I *like* Gaeta. And it sure looks like Adama sold the human race out to the Cylons.

Jammer - I think you exaggerate Cap-6's importance. As far as the fleet is concerned, she's just another 6. Only Baltar knows for sure, and he's not talking.

I always thought it was pretty clear since Kobol that Zarek was dirty (Maybe not as dirty as Gov. Rod....)

The big bit about Ellen is that (as someone else pointed out), she must have resurrected on New Caprica and be alive somewhere in the Cylon fleet. That should be big news... at least to Tigh. And lead to some obvious spoiler questions.....

In earlier episodes Michael was complaining that in a war it should be marital law or bust. That the civilian government shouldn't exist and should have no power. Then he turns and complains that Adama and Roslin push the totalitarian strategy. Very interesting.

Soldiers follow orders as I always hear. Only the government has the authority and place to call him out of line. Clearly, the military only listens in this universe when it's convenient. The former admiral had taught him well.

@Wes:
I know that in your little universe there is only one-dimensional black or white paradigm. However, most people over the age of six are able to appreciate nuances.

One such nuance is this: If you *are* going to retain a civilian governing structure in a time of a final, existential war--rather than institute martial law--, then you really, really ought to allow that structure to function in accordance with the principles of liberal democracy, separation of powers, rule of law, etc. Otherwise, you wind up with a nepotistic cabal who's purpose is to rubber-stamp your decisions and carry the blame for the bad among those decisions... - in neither case is there a government that does the will of the people. And that is far worse than outright martial law.

I realize all the above is apparently beyond your grasp, but I think most others here appreciate my point.

All we know about the colonial government before the attack was that there was a President and a Quorum of Twelve. One person from each colony representing a total population of 50 billion. It was probably only the distance between the planets that enabled this to work at all. One has to assume that there was a local government for each colony as well that controlled most of the legislation.

But now the colonies are gone; their populations are scattered randomly among the various ships. The Quorum of Twelve is just a useless bunch of screaming ninnies (except for the heroic and clever Lee Adama). It would seem as though a new constitution and a new civilian government should be in order. In this fleet, the military no longer provides only protection; they also provide food and water and who-knows-what-else for much of the fleet. Cottle seems to be the only doctor left, and yet there are still about fifty journalists. The idea that the ship providing the fuel for the entire fleet, as well as all other vital resources, have not been taken under military or government command is utterly absurd. I do notice that the operation supplying the fleet with liquor and cigarettes seems to be working fine, however, even on New Caprica.

Democracy is dead in this civilization, at least until they find a habitable planet. If the human race is going to survive, assuming that they're not destroyed by the Cylons, there has to be a centrally-directed effort to enlarge the gene pool and eliminate all of the single points of resource failure, each of which jeopardizes the entire human race. A dictatorial government does not have to be totalitarian. Food, water, fuel, and reproduction must all be under direct control of the government.

There's a reason why ships at sea, military and civilian, are not run as democracies. It's because if they were, the ships would end up sinking. The fleet commander must stop trying to do what's morally right by his conscience and stop thinking of the crew as his family. Despite his big speech at the boxing match, his sentimentality has only gotten worse. He must start exercising control. If it wasn't for her propensity towards allowing rape and murder, Admiral Cain actually had the right approach.

Of course, a show that portrayed all of this would have miserable ratings and be canceled in a month.

By the way, the quote at the beginning is from Emily Dickinson:

There is a Languor of the Life
More imminent than Pain —
'Tis Pain's Successor — When the Soul
Has suffered all it can —

A Drowsiness — diffuses —
A Dimness like a Fog
Envelops Consciousness —
As Mists — obliterate a Crag.

The Surgeon — does not blanch — at pain
His Habit — is severe —
But tell him that it ceased to feel —
The Creature lying there —

And he will tell you — skill is late —
A Mightier than He —
Has ministered before Him —
There's no Vitality.

I seriously cant stand Adama. He is such a hypocrite. He hates Zarek for his violent past as a political activist and considers him a low life terrorist whom he clearly cant forgive or forget but he is wiling to forget and forgive the very cylons (Capirca 6 etc ) who were the architects of humanities genocide. Entities that murdered billions of humans of which now only a meafer 35k are left. In fat, Adama takes that hypocrisy so far that he ends up EXECUTING his own people later on for daring to challenge that.

In this episode, I find Adama's attitude toward the whole situation an overreaction. He is just dictating what he wants instead of sitting down and addressing the very legitimate concerns the press and the Quorum have. In fact, he evades and avoids them, acting like having to answer to members of a legitimately elected government as well as the public, whom he is supposedly serving, was a nuisance and inconvenience he'd rather not deal with it if he doesnt feel like it. He acts exactly like someone who thinks he doesnt owe people crap.

That is terrible leadership and I dont at all blame Gaeta and Zarek for starting a mutiny.

I mean in situations like this you cant just shove your will down peoples' throats. Most of them are still struggling from the fall out of having lost their homes, loved ones and ...LIVES...and everything they knew because of a genocidal race that is hunting them through the galaxy. Heck they had to endure it twice: once at home and once on Caprica Two.

Adama et al should have approached this differently. You never wanna radicalize people and forcing them to swallow every shit sandwich you shove down their throats is not a sustainable way to run things or gain the sympathy of the populace whose support you need unless you are a dictator who doesnt give a shit either way since you dont need their support to reign.

Anyway, the whole situation was mishandled and it is all Adama's fault. He is thick headed, stubborn, rigid; a military dictator who doesnt like to be called such because the truth sucks I guess. Good grief. This fucking guy. The way he just disregards and tramples over the rule of law when it suits him; the way he condescends when talking to the Quorum like he didnt owe them shit. His disdain for a free press and Democratic institutions in general, and his disrespect toward anything that challenges his and Roslin's authority, are just too much. Not to mention his personal disdain and over-the-top contempt for Zarek.

In fact, why does Adama hate Zarek so much? This is now the second time he just flat out refuses to accept Zarek as the President when the situation, legally, called for him to be just that. That attitude in and of itself is proof for Adama's disdain for Democracy and the rule of law. He is basically making it clear that whatever (puppet) government is in charge, is so with his permission. When the shoe fits, he is more than willing to threaten to swiftly pull his military support until the person HE is ok with takes over.

Adama doesnt want a democratic government, he wants a military dictatorship with a president of his choosing. Sure, there is an election, but it has to be someone he can stomach.

Again, these are not traits of a"'good guy" so if the writers were going for that, it backfired cause Adama is the worst.

never knew this was RDM's directorial debut, guess it shows when reviewers hate it for focusing on specific things.

I don't know if this is 2.5 or 3 stars for me, but I know I always like it and appreciate the breathing room to linger on some of the things Jammer notes as issues. In my mind it's a bit like Final Cut-- I always enjoy it, there are some really good moments, nothing really bad. But don't have to go to the mat for it either.

I think the series needed an episode to catch up the rest of the fleet on the Cylon alliance, Earth being a wasteland etc. so we get that here along with some stuff that feels extraneous though it's still pretty compelling. Some of it felt a bit forced as if BSG is re-loading for its next offensive. Feels like a few new threads starting.

The quorum stuff with Zarek is most intriguing and BSG does paint a picture that he has a point that the Roslin/Adama administration has failed and there's no way the rest of the fleet should allow the Cylons to board their ships. Not a huge fan of Roslin completely abandoning everything, but her euphoria and trying to live what's left of her life to the fullest is understandable. And now her and Adama are sleeping together, which I found jarring, though they've been pretty intimate before.

What felt forced was Gaeta seemingly all of a sudden manifesting his hatred of the Cylons, contradicting Adama, and the scene with Kara (who we all know can be an ass) -- was that necessary? What did Gaeta hope to accomplish there? Surprised Kara didn't slug him. But it makes sense that he sees Zarek as an ally - and they kind of have their "Strange Bedfellows" ending moment. How do they make Gaeta have a peg leg?

As for Tyrol's kid not being his own and then the fight at Baltar's speech and then the real father having to watch over the kid -- just think this subplot was not needed with already so much going on here. We'll have to see if it pays off somehow...

2.5 stars for "A Disquiet Follows My Soul" -- Overall good, but definitely scattered, though there were a few things that needed follow up. Adama/Roslin should encounter resistance after everything has gone sour and morale was at rock-bottom in the prior episode and more extreme actions are taking place.