BSG 4×05 - The Road Less Traveled
I know your upset, but what happened last night doesn't make you gay
Helo: I don't have any choice.
Athena: Yes, you do.
Athena is the toaster that proved choice was always possible, even among our mechanical brethren. What was holding Helo back was his reverential belief in the military chain of command. The Road Less Traveled finds many of our regulars re-examining what their beliefs are. It's understated, but Helo was certainly the most conflicted of any. This is the man who said "Yes sir" when Adama told him they were going to abort Athena's pregnancy.
Immediately before he made the mutiny official, he pistol whipped one of the crew to keep them in line. It's no accident he drew his weapon, either. I believe he was fully prepared at that moment to stop an uprising with lethal force. The jump co-ordinates programmed in, he was about to follow Kara's orders, until his wife reminded him that he had a choice.
Because Captain Kara has gone over all Ahab with the quest for Earth. And crazy Leoben shows up, always good for a riveting incomprehensible scene or two. I began wondering if their time on New Caprica was just to ensure she felt a little of that ol' Helsinki Syndrome when he reappeared. I gobble this stuff up, especially moments like him telling her the questions had disappeared, and "the void they left could only be filled by taking the next step on [her] journey." But I got no idea what the frak any of it means just now.
Leoben's now spouting off about a Cylon/Human unity. It's a potential series ending that's received a lot of speculation. We're finally seeing a character voice that idea, but would it have happened if Cylon civil war hadn't happened? If Leoben's side wasn't in desperate need of help? If they hadn't stood up for the rights of the oppressed Cylon "slaves"? You can't fault the character's for thinking it's a trap. On a meta-level, however, it's pretty certain the writers aren't going there. Just think of how fun it would be to have a half busted Cylon basestar join the fleet.. now that would be interesting viewing!
Quick note about Baltar: He's claiming publicly that the gods don't exist and never have. Yet HeadSix told him the old gods were fighting back. Maybe I'm misreading it, or maybe Baltar has no qualms about blatantly lying to his followers. His Tory-inspired pursuit of Tyrol (someone significant) shows he's calculating at the least. And Tyrol, for his part, just wants something to drown out that child's crying, even if it's religion.
Is baldness the new hotness? Could Kara's eulogizing have been any more self centered? Is she an angel? like HeadSix? like Shelly Godfrey? like Embrace-Death-in-the-Maelstrom-ImaginaryLeoben?
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I gotta say, Tyrol has become a much more interesting character. He used to just be one of the faceless main characters who were just 'part of the cast', but he's actually a fairly interesting presence these days. And I find it interesting that, as the Cylons engage in their full on civil war, the newest 4 Cylons are ALSO engaged in a less visceral version of the same. They aren't killing each other (yet), but battle lines certainly seem to be drawn. And one other thing about the new Cylons...so, was Tory ALWAYS this evil and self serving, but she just kept it repressed, and her newfound...Cylonhood is giving her an excuse to let it out? Now she can justify her actions with a simple "Hey, I'm a Cylon...whattya expect?", whereas it would have been more comlicated trying to explain her actions (especially to herself if she were 'merely human'?)
Helo has always been a character that I kinda wished got a little more screen time. Early on, of course, he was pretty central to everything, but he'd sort of vanished in recent seasons, and I'm glad to see him return to a level of prominence. He'd always been the 'military lifer' sort, the do your duty guy...almost a younger, less bitter, and more sober version of Tigh (though I think Tigh's allegiances were more with Adama than any sense of duty). And he's still trying to play that role, but maybe looking out for his own ass a little bit more than he did.
[...] predicted last week, baldness is the new hotness! Would you agree that Tyrol wears it better than Roslin? Can the [...]