Battlestar Galactica Episode 2-13, Epiphanies
Colm Feore (‘Trudeau’) as President Richard Adar
Quote: “One of the most interesting things about being President is that you don’t have to explain yourself. To anyone.” – President Adar, preaching words of wisdom that apparently other TV Presidents could use.
Previously, Baltar becomes Vice-President, Sharon, the mother of Helo’s child tells Helo that she is, indeed, the mother of Helo’s child, and Baltar promises brig Six to hide her somewhere safe.
189 days ago, in Caprica City, Secretary Laura Roslin finds out that her breast cancer is malignant. Flash to the present day, as President Roslin is being wheeled on a stretcher to the emergency room. All this is to seemingly set up a ‘Lost’-style memory where Roslin sees Baltar and Six together.
Opening Credits
Kat’s gun malfunctions during a training session and Cally discovers that the rounds are a bit more brittle than they ought to be.
Well, it looks like Roslin’s dying, but she kinda knew that 189 days ago. Adama, Baltar and Billy gather around her infirmary bed as Dr. Cottle explains that the Cylon fetus has shown some anomalies. Baltar argues that nothing is wrong, and Roslin says that he’s gotten too close to Sharon, the mother of Helo’s child, and calls for an abortion, quoting President Adar.
Baltar tries to convince Adama to stop the abortion, but Adama brushes him off and reminds Baltar that he’s going to become President, and he’s gonna have to make similar hard decisions in the future. This leads to the return of Six, who reminds him that as President, he can do what he wants, and oh yeah, you still have that nuclear device, right? Of course, since Six is just in Baltar’s mind, it looks like he’s mumbling to himself and basically acting like a nutter.
Meanwhile, Adama has to break the bad news to Helo, who takes it about as well as one might expect.
Apollo has apparently been restored as CAG, and he and Starbuck are asked to investigate the issue with the ammunition. And since this isn’t a procedural drama, they find deck hand Asha Janik, who is part of a movement to press for peace with the Cylons. OK, I’m not exactly a pro-war kinda guy, but if some robots bombed all of my people’s planets, wiping out most of the human race, I’m inclined to think that they’re not really about the peace. Also, being a TV viewer, I’d have to think that brig Six is involved somehow. Still, Adama likes to know what he’s up against, since he’s not really a subterfuge type of guy, so he’s arranged a meeting with the leader.
And Roslin is dreaming again. This time she remember’s essentially telling the teacher’s union head that discretion is the better part of valor.
Adama meets with Royan Jahee, who of course says all the things we expect from someone who is anti-protagonist. So Adama locks him up. Meanwhile, Starbuck and Apollo go through Janik’s possessions, and turn up a PDA with refinery ship Daru Mozu on it. And in the brig, Helo tells Sharon, the mother of Helo’s child that she won’t be the mother of his child for much longer. Which causes Sharon, the mother of Helo’s child (but not for much longer) to flip out and use the glass as a battering ram. By the way, she’s now visibly pregnant. Nice touch.
Outside the Daru Mozu, Apollo, Racetrack and a tactical squad are in a Raptor when a Movement activist kamikazes the refinery ship. So Adama talks with Jahee, who again tries to justify the Movement’s actions. But since other people were killed by the suicide bombing, Adama’s not in the mood to play, so he goes all Jack Bauer on Jahee and convinces him to end this.
Billy is working to get Baltar up to speed to make the transition smoother, including showing him Roslin’s folder on known Cylon agents. And naturally the first photo is of Six, which unnerves Baltar. And Roslin’s left Baltar a letter (a tradition, apparently) but before he can read it he gets a phone call, which causes him to take a Raptor and head to Cloud Nine. And, yep, it’s brig Six. So of course Baltar wants some, and brig Six is still a little gun shy, what with the rapings and all. And also, she figures that when he becomes President, Baltar will allow the Cylons to save humanity – whatever that means to the Cylons, anyway. But Baltar seems to have grown a conscience, as he balks at this.
Another flashback, as Roslin makes out with President Adar, finds out that she wasn’t supposed to avert the strike, and then heads to the Galactica, convinced that she’d have to come back to fight for her job. Which brings us back to the present, as her condition is grave, and Adama asks people to pray for her (if that’s their way, of course).
Then Adama, Marines and a nurse go to take Sharon, the mother of Helo’s child (but not for much longer) to the infirmary, and she puts up a good fight before they do. Helo begs Adama not to do this, but Baltar does a run in. Which naturally stalls the abortion as we need to have a long-winded explanation. Long story short, Sharon’s fetal blood is miracle blood, and yes, it’s a cure for cancer. I think you know where this is going.
But first, DRAMA as Roslin’s flashback now takes her to spotting Baltar and Six making out, and her having convulsions in the present. AND she flatlines before resuming a normal heartbeat. Waking up, she sees Baltar and fingers him as a traitor, but naturally he covers that up with a “there, there”.
48 hours later, and the cancer is gone. So Roslin goes to talk to Jahee, and gets his assurance that there will be no more violence while they open up talks. I’m thinking that the threat of the military hunting them down and crushing them had something to do with it as well.
In Baltar’s lab, he and Six read Roslin’s letter, which basically says that she doesn’t trust him and he needs to be more compassionate to his fellow man. So now he knows that it’s not just a political struggle anymore – it’s personal.
And now, Jahee returns to Cloud Nine and talks to the REAL leader, brig Six. As if you hadn’t figured that out by now. And he brings gifts from Baltar – the nuclear device.
