Battlestar Galactica: Sine Qua Non

It's been a tough road for our fleet. For years now, they've been stuck in these metal husks, hoping and wishing to find this mythical planet called Earth, and as they get closer to their goal, they keep letting things get worse. It's ok, they say, we can keep going because our bright shiny future is right down the road and it doesn't matter if we're suffering now. It will be over soon.

They are stuck in battle mode, ready for any disaster but so focused on the future they've forgotten how to live right now, and can you blame really them? I've been a big Admiral Adama supporter for a long while now, but really, he's past the point of defensibility.

This one episode shows just how far he's willing to abuse his power to get what he wants, everyone else be damned. His love has vanished, and he stops thinking like an admiral. He leaves the fleet defenseless, he ignores the interim president because he doesn't like the guy, and he ignores the reasonable words from his most trusted advisers.

Sure, he's right (Roslin is alive after all), but no one knows that yet (except us I guess). He's completely lost control, and he's unwilling to see with anything but his heart that screams out for him to find her. She's his light and his hope, and in his own words, he cannot live without her. I applaud that romantic spirit (and I will freely admit that I am a shameless supporter of Adamalin), but really, with actions like those here, it's not hard to believe his own people would turn against him.

But don't worry folks, we've got another Adama in the mix that we can look up to.

Lee Adama is finally reaching the point where he's becoming his own character. Not that he was completely dependent on the old man, but for the better part of three seasons his actions were a reaction to his father, both positively and negatively. But a few episodes back, he made a choice to find his own way, and he's done it.

He's pushed back against 'Mom' when she's gotten too controlling, he's stood up for those who need it, and now he's the hope the fleet needs, even if they don't know it (yet).

I always thought the hunt-for-an-interim-president plot was a bit sudden (sheesh, she's gone for an hour, and it's time to put someone else in charge. Guess they just never learned about patience in that world.), but this time around, it did make more sense. It's about reassuring the fleet (and keeping Zarek out of power, hehe) and who is more reassuring than Lee Adama, golden boy and watch guard of the Quorum?

Romo comes back to help look for our new leader, but really, he doesn't care. He's a man without any hope, what does it matter to him who leads this fleet of fools. He's lost everything that once mattered, and dammit, he's determined to drag everyone down to his level.

I never understood his outburst at Lee, but that's it; he's in pain, weighed down forever by the guilt and horror of his past, and he can't let it go because it's all he's got left. But Lee shows him that's it OK to have nothing, because then you get to start all over. The end of the world doesn't have to be a nightmare forever, and so far, Lee and Romo are the only ones to figure that out.

And as my viewing companion pointed out, it's not just about the hopelessness. Lee's been on this greatness path for a while now, and as Romo points out, he's never had to ask for any it, and it's time for that to stop. If Lee is going to lead them to their bright shiny future, he needs to take the position, not just wait for the handout.

And Lee does. It's his now, and great things lie ahead of them. Hope is upon them (for now).
 

Stray thoughts

• Doc Cottle deserves one hell of a shout-out this week. Sure, there's not much too his character, but he's a loveable bastard full of compassion. As Natalie lay dying on his operating table, he held her hand and eased her journey to the other side, something one of her own kind (Athena) wouldn't even do.

• Tigh, when you've impregnated a woman and you know her well enough to share secrets about your best friend, it's a relationship. Stop denying it.

• But it did lead to one hell of a scene between our BSG besties. It's brutal to watch, but really, your best friends are the ones who are supposed to call you on your crap, and Tigh and Adama dish it out as well as they take it. And they love each other enough to forgive a few (literal and figurative) punches.
  

Next up: "The Hub"