#3x19 crossroads part 1

[blue-mint-winter]

[3x19] Roslin in the Opera House

[kellymagovern]

Battlestar Galactica 3x19 “Crossroads (Part 1)”

[ratemysheppard]

33) Battlestar Galactica

Title-  Battlestar Galactica 

- Daybreak: Part 2 & 3 (2009) 4x20

- Blood on the Scales (2009) 4x16

- Sine Qua Non (2008) 4x10

- Crossroads: Part 2 (2007) 3x20

- Crossroads: Part 1 (2007) 3x19

- The Son also Rises (2007) 3x18

Year- 2007-2009

Character- Romo Lampkin

Synopsis- Humans created cylon robots to serve them, but the cylons gained independence and war ensued. Humanity thought the cylons had disappeared for good, until a nuclear attack by the cylons, who have now evolved to look identical to the humans who created them, wipes out the twelve colonies and most of the human race. The remainder of humanity must band together and escape the cylon threat, led by Admiral Adama and the crew of the Battlestar Galactica. (But seriously, this is not a synopsis, JUST WATCH IT OMG).

Medium- DVD

Entirety or episode?- Entirety

Overall verdict- I don’t actually know how to review this because it is literally the best fckn thing I have ever seen on TV and I still cannot stop thinking about it like guys I am foaming at the mouth over how amazing this show is. Like, personally – thank you Mark Sheppard for causing me to watch this masterpiece. It’s just… stunning. Professional, expensive, gorgeous graphics, sets, costumes. Incredible tight, tense, terrifying, uplifting, emotional, heartrending, CONSISTENT writing. The most memorable, relatable, loveable and hateable characters who are constantly surprising and portrayed by outstanding actors in some of the most incredible performances I’ve ever seen. It is compelling and you will CARE about it. Like, literally, this is the first thing in years I’ve watched that gave me regular nightmares – it just got under my skin so much.

I know lots of people said the quality dipped in series four and they hated the ending, but tbh for me any inconsistencies or loose threads in this case made it kind of more interesting, because it’s all thought provoking and even the (admittedly, many) flaws are fascinating rather than annoying. I’m still not even sure if /I/ hated the ending (there’s certainly stuff I don’t like about it) but it doesn’t actually matter because the whole thing’s so good. The only thing that really got to me were the rape elements (and my good ol’ Most Hated Trope, The Baby Farm) and I’d have preferred the music to be an unrecognisable song until the very last ‘modern day’ scene (like, it’s something that’s been passed down as an innate thing that’s eventually become a rock song?) Also the fact that the corners are cut off every paper item in space really irrationally does my head in..! But basically – this is only four seasons, and they are GOOD SOLID seasons. It ends when it needs to end, and there IS a clear end, and personally I found that closure to be necessarily satisfying, with none of the ‘dragging on past its prime’ that can affect some shows.

I have so many theories about this show but for once I don’t want to spoiler TOO heavily because everyone should watch this, seriously (yes, I realise I am decades late to the party and everyone’s probably already watched it but whatever). I’m gonna go out on a limb and say that whilst Crowley might be my (so far) favourite Mark character, BSG is my favourite show he’s been in and Romo is definitely a very close second fav character.

Screen time- He’s only in a few episodes, but he gets good screen time in most of those.

Accent- Irish

Mark’s character- Romo is bloody awesome. He’s competent, manipulative, self-serving, surprisingly badass (all my favourite things in a character) but underneath it all really soft and kind of broken – obviously, like the majority of the rest of the human race at that point. He’s also the most unreliable narrator ever and you can never be totally sure whether he’s telling the truth, and when, and if he’s acting at any given time, which makes him utterly fascinating. Mark S is absolutely CAPTIVATING portraying this guy, which speaks volumes about what he can do with a brilliant script. He’s just a joy to watch. And without spoilering too heavily again – that damn cat, and the whole of Sine Qua Non (the most depressing episode ever btw) like, everything that’s happened and that’s what tips him. That performance before we know what’s gone down, when Romo is talking to the cat, is just perfection. Also honourable mention to Jake the dog because /heart melts/ what is it with Sheppard characters and dogs? In short: the exact character trope that kills me every time; the noble bastard. And he actually gets a relatively happy ending, too.

Highlight- TOO MANY.

Starbuck’s escape with the cylon vessel.

Starbuck in general (I came to kind of hate her, but she’s undeniably an incredible character and I maintain Daniel was her father, and for real Katee Sackhoff has the most gorgeous smile I have ever seen on any human.)

Tyrell and Cally’s jump into space – effing TERRIFYING.

Baltar, in general. I love a self-server.

Helo being pretty much the only consistently decent and sympathetic character in the whole thing.

Tighe’s overarcing storyline and what he has to come to accept about himself.

Crossroads Part 1 & 2 – when the penny drops about the music, then that finale – I actually applauded, it’s rare a TV show gets me so immersed.

Lampkin putting on his shades and discarding his walking stick like a boss.

That captivating manipulation of Six with the monologue about his wife.

Lance was so gorgeous whyyyy.

Lampkin and Jake.

That pre-breakdown portrayal of a man torn by guilt.

Killing his captor WITH A PEN and presumably thus escaping execution himself.

(Paraphrased) “Help us” “Sorry” “Please” “Oh… frak”

Rewatch?- I will watch this so many times. I already want to start rewatching.

(I’ve only done a few caps from The Son Also Rises, as there’s tons of Romo caps/gifs already that I’ll reblog).

I mean lookit his lil studded collar 

I am painfully invested in that damn cat

[blue-mint-winter]

About Roslin and Baltar’s trial

I’ve been thinking about Roslin’s reasons behind putting Baltar on trial, because I’ve seen many different opinions on that and whether she was right or wrong. The show itself suggests a few times that she’s doing it for revenge, while her fans are taking her side. I think as always on BSG, the truth is more complicated than that.

To preface this, I am in the unique position because I am a big fan of both characters. Roslin is my favourite female character and Baltar is my favourite male character on the show. Watching their separate stories is so much fun to me and when they have scenes together is always a special delight. I love seeing how their paths cross, how they run in parallel, how they are foils to each other, everything about them is interesting. There is a symmetry to them as they exchange their roles in the show which I deeply enjoy and appreciate. They’re both very human characters, flawed, imperfect, but striving to be better. I don’t see Roslin as some paragon of virtue because she’s clearly not and never was. She made too many awful decisions for that, but she’s made quite a lot of good calls too. A lot of her ruthlessness comes from a sense of vulnerability. She can’t afford to show kindness or mercy to the enemy and potential threats have to be dealt with or the humankind won’t survive. That’s her M.O. She’s an iron lady, not some bleeding heart of a naive schoolteacher.

Season 3 of the show is all about New Caprica. Even when the characters are lightyears away from that planet, they still carry it and what happened there in their hearts. New Caprica tainted them all and left wounds they all spent the rest of the season healing. But there is one wound left for the last - Gaius Baltar. He is the symbol of New Caprica. He gave people the promised land but it turned into a living nightmare. He was a shitty president even before the Cylons came, so it was easy to place all the blame for NC squarely on his shoulders. However, it wasn’t as if he was voted in and people followed him there, rather it was the other way around - people wanted to go to NC, so they voted for him. People trusted Baltar because he was a genius scientist, because he claimed he cared, because he was an attractive political alternative to Roslin. Humanity made a bad choice, but it is easier for them to erase the physical reminder of that mistake than admit to it. Hence the ubiquitous hatred for Baltar in the Fleet.

But Roslin’s not just an average citizen, she’s much closer to Baltar. Of course she regrets not going through with stealing the election. She had a chance to prevent all this tragedy from happening and she didn’t. She chose the higher road in the end, to be the better person and she let Baltar win. Her own nobility doomed humanity. That’s a bitter pill to swallow. It must haunt her. And I think it certainly informs her ruthless decisions in S3, like ordering the Cylon genocide. NC taught her that morals can and should be sacrificed for the sake of survival. She doesn’t want to make that same mistake again.

S3 features a fascinating reversal of roles between Roslin and Baltar. It starts with him as the puppet president and her a powerless schoolteacher. Their first scene together is when he visits her in detention center where she’s held. The show never makes it clear whether Roslin was tortured and how (I suspect food and/or sleep deprivation), but she knows others were. Regardless, she is a victim of the occupation, unjustly imprisoned. Her name is on a death list, signed by Gaius Baltar.

There are many things Laura Roslin is and I believe that one of those is vengeful. She remembers everything good or bad, and she also holds grudges. One of those grudges is for Cylons who she has a certain propensity to airlock. Not unfounded of course. That combined with her regret for not stealing the election and her belief that Baltar is a traitor and traitors should be killed is a deadly combination for Gaius.

The graphic demonstration of Roslin’s grudge against Baltar is the entire episode 3x13 Taking a Break from All Your Worries. The tables have turned, the reversal of roles is complete, but what’s done is the same thing. Roslin’s doing to Baltar what was done to her. From the very beginning of the episode we have Baltar in prison, making the noose. It’s night but the guard wakes him up when he nods off. That’s the start of torture - sleep deprivation. Then Roslin’s first visit to his cell is a purposeful replication of his visit to her cell on NC. Through the episode, she continues with various methods of torture, to interrogate him and get the admission of guilt that she so desperately wants from him - which will justify what is done to him illegally. Which will validate her despicable actions against him, because he would admit to actually deserve them. But just like Roslin did not give Gaius the information or cooperation he wanted on New Caprica, Gaius doesn’t give in to her brutal methods here. Another similarity between them is that he didn’t wish her to suffer on NC and her crying when she has him tortured. Torture horrifies both of them and I think for Roslin that was a moment when she became horrified at herself and what she was doing. No Cylon was making her do this. Her conscience woke up and it couldn’t be silenced. (Still, Gaeta got only a slap on the wrist for murder attempt on the prisoner. Interesting how Roslin’s justice works when she can better empathize with Gaeta for wanting to kill Baltar, than with Gaius who she’s deliberately putting through the exact same things she’s personally gone through. As if she can transfer her own horrors to him and finally be free of NC.)

The last on her list of things to reenact is the death warrant. Adama offers to have Gaius quietly disappeared, just like Roslin was supposed to be killed back on NC. Out of sight, out of mind. But Roslin decides to give Baltar the trial for several reasons. I think the most important one is that she wants him dead for being a traitor but she also wants the moral high ground. His torture already made her too close to being like the enemy. When Baltar is tried and found guilty - and in her belief he cannot not be found guilty - he will be legally sentenced. She will not have his blood on her hands. She will not kill him just because she has the power and means to, not as a whimsy of the President. He has to be objectively judged and sentenced to death that he deserves for his own actions. Roslin fully believes her own judgment of Baltar is correct and objective. She refuses to acknowledge her own subjectivity when it concerns him. That’s why she allows the trial - because she is convinced it will go the way she wants it and Baltar will be sentenced to death. The last factor of why she decides to put him on trial is that she’s wanted to do this since she learned about his involvement with Six before the attack. She couldn’t have done it before because the only proof she had was a memory that resurfaced when she was dying and heavily medicated. It would’ve been just her word against his. But occupation of NC gives her all the reason and proof to finally convict him for his crimes. It’s tangible, real, it didn’t happen only to her. Everyone was there, everyone suffered. She has the public with her on this.

As an aside, it’s pretty hypocritical that Zarek gets away scot free. The man was the political mastermind behind Baltar’s presidential campaign, but because he got lucky and Cylons didn’t shoot him when he refused to cooperate and then he was with Roslin on the death list, he gets a free pass from her. A lot of help he was, rotting in a cell for the whole occupation. But now he’s her pal, he gave her back the presidential seat so all is cool between them. Even more hypocritical that Roslin banned Zarek’s secret tribunal killing collaborators right and left, but for Baltar she recreates it and makes it public for everyone to watch/listen to on radio.

It’s almost funny how Baltar makes Roslin lose her cool, how easily angry he can get her. She’s completely unobjective when it comes to him. He writes a book and she’s frothing mad. She imprisons a man because he read that book. She jokes about burning the book. She humiliates Baltar to make him stop writing, she lies to make him feel small, powerless, unheard. That’s how deep her grudge against him goes. If Adama is the equivalent of Zeus, Roslin fits the characteristics of Hera to a T.

One thing I really love about the show is that in the end, it doesn’t present the ideal solution to the issue of Baltar’s trial and punishment. I’d say that the actual message is that of mercy, but there’s no whitewashing his character. Baltar during and after the trial is shown at his smarmiest, but the justice is blind. It doesn’t care about likeability of the accused, it cares about evidence.

Was Roslin right or wrong? Was it right that Baltar was exonerated? What would be a just punishment for him? That’s left for the viewers to ponder about. In my opinion, the majority of S3 already showed Baltar’s punishment. Let’s not pretend that he was having a picnic when everyone else was suffering. He’s been imprisoned, horrifically tortured TWICE, he’s been almost killed multiple times, he tried to commit suicide. He had little to no control over his life, all he could do was to cling to it. His own guilt and self-loathing poisoned him and his love with Caprica Six. He’s lost everyone he cared for and became the most hated man in the universe. He was betrayed by Gaeta. And Baltar’s informal punishment isn’t going to go away just because he was freed by the court. Season 4 barely started and already someone attempted to murder him.

I spent hours writing this meta, so sorry if I rambled too much. I’ve just got a lot of feelings and opinions about the trial, Roslin and Gaius.

[blue-mint-winter]

BSG 3x19 and 3x20 Crossroads part 1 and 2 rewatch

*aggressively puts on All Along the Watchtower (with Cylon intro) on a loop to write this*

This is S3 finale and the most iconic episodes in BSG, in my humble opinion. Certainly the most memorable to me.

Honestly, I was looking forward to this SO MUCH on this rewatch. It has my favourite moments - Baltar’s trial and the Final Five reveal. It’s a turning point. It’s a gamechanger.

Baltar’s trial is pretty much the Lee Adama show. This is about Lee defying his father, defying the president, defying the whole world and speaking the truth. The truth that is so uncomfortable but the truth that humanity needs to hear. This trial was never to judge Baltar, he was already found guilty and sentenced in everyone’s eyes. It’s to pretend they have justice and law, that they are a civilization - but that’s not true. They’re survivors on the run and they bend the law to what is convenient for them. Everyone gets forgiven for their crimes, because if they handed just punishment according to crimes, the Fleet wouldn’t be able to function. They wouldn’t last. Gaius Baltar is humanity’s scapegoat, the one they can put all their blame on, as if killing him would absolve them of their own guilt. I love Lee’s speech in the court so much. Best moment.

The trial is when Lee’s relationships deteriorate and break apart in a cascade effect. Thanks to him, Romo exposes what happened to Ellen - Tigh publicly admits to it. This in turn deepens the rift between Lee and his father to the point Lee resigns and Adama is glad for it. This causes Dee to leave Lee, which only confirms to me that her loyalty is to Adama first and foremost. She can’t be with a man that betrays Adama’s trust, that’s against her code.

The last relationship that’s now officially broken is the one with Roslin. Frankly, I think Lee’s trust in the president was lost in Pegasus arc when he found out about the Cain assassination plan. But practically since Kobol he didn’t have any scenes with Roslin, so they were already in a state of “separation”. I can’t help but speculate that on her side Billy’s death might have something to do with her not trying to reconnect with Lee. She still has some fondness and trust in him, otherwise she wouldn’t ask Adama to make Lee in charge of trial preparations, but in this episode Lee destroys what’s left of a bond between them when he makes it public in the court that she’s taking chamalla again in effort to undermine her credibility as a witness. For Roslin, this is a personal betrayal. For Lee, it is necessary to win the case that’s staked against him. He seeks justice at the cost of his personal relationships, she seeks revenge on Baltar disguised as a lawful verdict.

Roslin still makes the best she can of this secret reveal and declares the return of her cancer in the court. So, her Dying Leader cred is back. Also, Adama knew, because he tried to stop the questioning to protect her secret. I only wonder when she told him, was it on the bridge after she snapped and they had a private talk after that?

Another important point of the trial was Gaeta’s false testimony. Gaeta wants Gaius dead so much that he lies in the court, says that he witnessed Gaius signing the death warrant on NC. Maybe in his mind it’s not that far from the truth, after all Gaius told him that he saw the list and that he signed it, but still Gaeta wasn’t there. He didn’t know that Gaius was forced at a gunpoint to sign it, that he protested. Gaeta could have told the truth of what he knew and it was proof enough, but he wants Gaius 100% convicted so he lied about witnessing the signing. And Gaius’ emotional reactions are just the best.

In the end, Caprica Six wasn’t brought to the witness stand. Roslin realized that after Romo talked to Caprica, she wouldn’t testify against Baltar.

Funnily enough, despite it being Gaius’ trial, he’s the least important person in this courtroom. It’s about humanity looking at itself in the mirror. Instead these episodes mark the beginning of the cult storyline.

So, thanks to Lee Gaius is found not guilty by the judges. But he’s completely alone. Romo refuses Baltar’s offer to work together (he’s looking for a new minion after he lost Gaeta, plain and simple). Lee and Romo both leave Gaius - they defended him not because they like him, but for their own reasons. Instead, Gaius is taken by a group of women, one of them asked him to bless her son before. This marks the beginning of the cult of Baltar storyline XD Basically, this is a situation in which unintentionally Baltar’s developed a group of devoted followers, who he thinks are crazies, but he owes his life to these people. The man has so much luck, maybe they are onto something with his “holiness”.

But that moment when Romo leaves behind his cane. He was pretending to be worse off than he really was just to get Lee to help him with the case XD. As he said, he learned everything from Joseph Adama, who was not a honest man like Lee.

I liked that moment when Roslin figures out Adama voted to release Baltar. He let her down, but she forgives him. What’s good is that Adama’s principled moral side awoke after a long slumber this season and he actually listened to Lee, despite being at odds with him.

The fleet is approaching the Ionian Nebula, but the Cylons are on their trail. This begins a series of mystical happenings. Roslin, Sharon and Caprica Six all share the same visions about Opera House and Hera. Helo senses that a storm is coming (similar to how in 2x20 Sharon felt that something dark was coming). There’s a power outage in the whole Fleet and the Final Five hear the music and awaken. And Kara returns from the dead and knows the way to Earth.

“It’s in the frakkin ship!” - another iconic moment XD

Tigh in this episode is forced to talk about Ellen’s death, to remember her, first by Caprica Six, then in the trial. He goes back to drinking and can’t be the XO for a while, but after the truth is out, he’s still got Adama’s friendship. The revelation that he’s a Cylon only makes his determination to be Saul Tigh, colonial officer, even stronger. He chooses his identity as human and to stand by Adama’s side.

Tory who comes with him to the bridge and declares herself for the president, is his opposite in my opinion. She’s been sick and out of sorts, snapping at reporters. She was always such a background character, her only identity was as Roslin’s right hand woman but now she’s faling at even that. What’s worse, Roslin’s clearly going to replace her if Tory doesn’t get a grip. No matter all they went through together on NC. What a contrast to Tigh-Adama unconditional friendship. So, Tory being one of the Five is a big thing for her character, puts her in the spotlight. I think maybe she still has some remnants of loyalty to Roslin, but she’s for now following Tigh’s lead. Her identity as a Cylon doesn’t change anything, instead it’s a secret she has to protect - so she has to maintain her cover. And being close to the President is crucial for that.

Then we get Tyrol, who accepts being the Cylon - because he suspected it for a long time. Ever since Boomer, he was afraid he was a Cylon too. He must have examined everything he knew about himself and his past in detail. He even wanted to kill himself because of this strong suspicion. Now he knows for sure, and it must be a relief to him. No more uncertainty. Anyway, he still built a life for himself despite the suspicion, the confirmation of it isn’t going to change that.

Sam is the most in denial. After Kara’s death, he was just turning a new leaf, he’s training to be a pilot now, he even has a fling with Tory (! I didn’t remember that at all). But he wants nothing to do with other Cylons, not after everything that happened. Btw, he did say to Kara that he survived Caprica and she came back for him for some higher reason. Well, he was right, just not in a way he suspected or ever wanted.

As an aside, Seelix got a crush on Sam, she was getting closer to him. She was visibly upset when she saw him with Tory.

Anyway what I like about that final sequence with the Fleet arriving at the nebula and Cylons catching up to them is not just the identity reveal of the Final Five. It’s also Lee who sheds the skin of a lawyer and dons the pilot uniform. He resigned from military, he was not called for duty, but he still went to do what he’s good at, what’s needed at the moment. It’s who he actually IS, his identity - a pilot. And then he finds Kara.

The end with zooming through the galaxy to show Earth can’t be more clear about their destination. It’s shown right there, they are going to our Earth.

[blue-mint-winter]

[3x19] Dee, Gaeta and Helo at the trial.

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[3x19] Adama and Tigh

[blue-mint-winter]

[3x19] The irony of Tory telling the prosecutor that she can be replaced, then being told the same thing by the President.

But they both pull through for Roslin in 3x20:

[blue-mint-winter]

[3x19] “It’s in the frakking ship!”

[blue-mint-winter]

[3x19] Lee’s resignation.

[blue-mint-winter]

BSG 3x19 vs 3x20

Lee exposes Roslin’s secret vs Gaeta’s perjury

In this trial, Lee and Gaeta both turn against someone they were once close to. Roslin and Baltar react similarly at first, calling back on that close relationship, using the informal names, but when it’s no use, their final reactions can’t be more different. Roslin defends herself with class by declaring the return of her cancer. Baltar erupts in anger and yells out about Gaeta’s murder attempt in the last ditch attempt to undermine his credibility as a witness.

[blue-mint-winter]

[3x19/3x20] Baltar on trial

Bonus:

[blue-mint-winter]

[3x19] About Baltar’s fans.