Thoughts on Fragged

When this show works... it really works. I just finished watching the episode Fragged moments ago and I am still reeling from the tension of the scenes on Kobol.

After two episodes of season one closure we are witness to what I am calling the first real episode of season two. The story was pushed a little forward, the characters were pushed a little forward and everyone was pushed a little over the edge. Speaking of edges, let's examine each of them:

Tigh over the edge
The alcohol is back in the driver seat for Tigh... I suppose before it gets any better, it has to get worse. The writers really make me sad for Tigh... he has had a tough life and it is only getting tougher. Coming in to this show it was Adama's ship... it was Adama's command. At the end of the episode Tigh calls it "My Ship" for the first time. He has obviously come to grips with the reality of the situation and he is no longer waiting for Adama. He is going to climb on and ride this thing through. I found the brief scene with Gaeta and Dualla mimicking him drinking over the comm to be particularly symbolic of the crews opinion and it will be interesting to see how far he can stretch them before they snap.

Helen over the edge
Helen Tigh was back for a few critical moments. She manipulates Tigh into a position where his authority is threatened. She confronts the President in a moment of weakness. It is made fairly clear that she has a hidden agenda. I am intrigued by Laura's reaction to Helen... it was almost as if Laura could sense something we are not suppose to know... that maybe she is a Cylon? Or maybe that she is plotting against them all? That she is working with Zarek? Laura's painful ear ringing had to symbolize something... it ceased as soon as Helen left the room.

Laura over the edge
This was a big episode for Roslin... it was the moment where she ceased denying who she is and proclaimed to everyone that she is the prophet... the leader... their savior. She is no longer hiding behind a hidden spiritual agenda... she is embracing it... leveraging it for leadership. I was surprised to see Zarek in an almost supportive position. This has to be quite a turn of events for him. The scene in the brig was very moving. It is always exciting to see someone stand up and provide inspiration. I don't know why but I got a small set of chills during this. Maybe a part of me is tired of seeing Roslin so weak and trapped. Just like Lee, she is accepting who she is... what she wants. Confidence by many of the main characters has been lacking in these last episodes so it stands out so much more when it is embraced.

Lee over the edge
Lee Adama continues down his path of confidence. He continues to accept his role and do his job despite what Tigh or anyone else has to say about it. He is a natural leader and has only started to show it now that he isn't constrained to the expectations of others. I predict that his father will be proud of him when he wakes up. I predict we see Lee as being instrumental in the prevention of complete anarchy. He has a good head on his shoulders. It allows him to be objective in both political and combat situations.

Crashdown over the edge
I found this to be a particularly sad moment in the series. Crashdown was a guy who was trying so hard to do the right thing, and just didn't have the experience to carry it out in the correct manner. If you look at every decision made, he made the correct choices, but a few slips of fate prevented him from getting a positive outcome. From his perspective, the deck was stacked impossibly against him.

His team was under threat and had to move out quickly. He told everyone to gather the supplies, but a med-kit was mistakenly left behind. He made the call to go back for it, but an ambush slowed them down, cost another life and prevented the saving of another. He was correct in taking down the missile battery but a clumsy dropped pair of binoculars prevented him from having all the information. I don't know if you can honestly call any of these bad decisions, but the outcomes were the result of his inexperience and inability to adapt to a changing environment.

I think at the end of the episode when Baltar says Crashdown died a hero, he was correct. It was Crashdown's idea to take down the missile battery. I can't imagine they would have tried without his leadership.

Baltar over the edge
It could be argued the Baltar has killed millions of people by collaborating with the Cylons. Sure, we still don't know the circumstances and extent of his involvement with the Cylon attack, but we do know he was a pivotal player. Regardless, he once again fulfills the predictions of Number Six and as an "instrument of God" fulfills his destiny. In the murky waters of the story though, his betrayal is actually what saves them all. That is what makes this show amazing. He is manipulated right into Number Six's hands, and yet the result of that is the death and destruction of more Cylons and the continued survival of the humans. Why do the Cylons keep allowing Baltar to be correct (with the detector, with the fuel depot strike in Hand of God, etc)? This is one of the primary mysteries for me at this point.

I was excited to see Baltar reject fatherhood. I spoke about this in my commentary of Valley of Darkness. I didn't buy his sudden devotion to his unborn child. I was glad to see him pull away from the responsibility a little bit. That is much more like Baltar.

Tyrol over the edge
It will be interesting to see how Tyrol recovers from his experiences on Kobol. I can't imagine he will be the same guy after this. In the beginning he was an extremely selfish man, worrying more about making out with Boomer than keeping the ship and crew safe. I can only assume that his perspective has changed drastically. His conflicts with Crashdown which eventually lead to confrontation and death will no doubt leave him with guilt. He knows he would have pulled that trigger. He would have saved Cally... or maybe he knows he couldn't pull it and he would have watched her die... and now he owes Baltar for doing something he could not do. There are all kinds of interesting ramifications to explore.

I have to say I really thought Tyrol was going to die in the end. He seemed set up for it so well. Nothing made me happier to see that Raptor show up. I guess that is the sign of excellent drama. I really thought the writers were going to pull the trigger on him. I am glad I was wrong.

Democracy over the edge
It was inevitable (if you have been watching the promos) but it was still surprising. We are left with the Colonialists spiraling down into the depths of dictatorship. We are left with humanity (or Baltar at least) contemplating the reality of our existence... our drive to kill... how it overrides every other aspect about us... poetry... music... art... I was impressed with how regal Tigh looked after making his announcement. The top down lighting casting dark shadows across his face. It was a perfect combination of angelic and demonic.

This was simply a fabulous episode. I liked it better than Scattered and Valley of Darkness.

This weeks principle MVP goes to Mary McDonnell as Laura Roslin. She walked the fine line between tortured insanity and regal authority. As stated before, the scene with her in the jail cell finally accepting her mission... stepping out from behind a curtain of spiritual doubt... was quite inspiring and she deserves it this week.

This weeks secondary MVP goes to Crashdown. I do not think I fully appreciated his performances on Kobol until this week. I really didn't "get it" until he was killed. I believe he IS a hero. Everyone on those rescue Raptors owe him their lives... in an indirect but essential way.

Additional Resources

• Official episode synopsis

Comments

[John Beeler]

Agreed, this episode was fantastic. I thought the first episode of this season was good and up to speed with season 1, episode 2 was a reminder that these guys can do action sequences as well as anyone, and this episode was just as good as any of the best of season 1.

I hadn't caught Tigh calling it his ship. What's scary is whether his wife will manipulate him into preventing Adama from awakening?

I think what's so great about this show they are maintaining a constant sense of danger. By killing Crashdown, which was sad in of itself, I was so sure that Tyrol was going to die when he stood up at the end.

Also, in the wait time between season 1 and 2 I started to think "killing" Adama was a little manipulative. But I think they've really pulled it off,

It seemed like the episode was a play on the chain of command. On Kobol, that's clearly evident. But on Galactica, do you obey the CO when he's inuberated all the time he's on duty? Is the military subserviant to government? And on top of that is the allegiance to god(s). For the Roslin's guard, seeing the gods' will done was more important than doing his duty to prevent the president from escaping.

Man, what an episode.

[thicke]

There was something I noticed that I haven't seen mentioned anywhere. Last week we saw Billy trying to get Dee's attention by saying her name. Laura told him to use here rank, which worked. This week about four or five time we saw people trying to get someone's attention by using their rank/title and being unsuccessful until they tried their name/callsign. I just thought it was interesting.

[John Beeler]

Interesting Thicke. Weren't most of those attempts on Kobol? Maybe that's another indication of the decay of the chain of command on Kobol? Or maybe just overall the chain of command?