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January 29, 2006

Battlestar Galactica - Black Market

With the Cylon fleet dealt such a blow in Resurrection Ship the writers have taken to some character studies.

And in Black Market we find Lee "Apollo" Adama now off the "Mr. Goody Two-Shoes" list.

This is a man with serious issues. He's trying to find some way to deal with is own personal shortcomings with his relationship with Goodtime Girl Shevon and her daughter Paya while he pushes away a possible real realtionship with Anastasia.

The depiction of the rise of the black market amongst the fleet and how both it was tacitly accepted and needed is a remarkable bit of writing, especially the balancing act in having Lee buck Roslin's authority in telling her how he is going to handle it. Actor Bill Duke's short part in protraying the kingpin Phelan was intense, and the closing scene where he believes he has Lee's measure, telling him "you're not going to shoot me", then Lee coolly does shoot him again demonstrates this show is not afraid to go where the story logic leads rather than play it safe.

Small quibble. I like Bill Duke and wish he could have stuck around for more episodes.

While Lee and Cmdr Adama seem to be finding a moment of detente, Roslin and Baltar's atagonism comes to the fore.

And where is that nuclear device that Baltar handed off to the "peaceniks?"

I see several possibilities for a season's cliff hanger.

Posted by Darleen at January 29, 2006 09:09 PM

Comments

You forgot to mention the garroting of the XO! Hehe that caught me off guard. I thought he was going to hang around for awhile.

Yeah they did good in Apollo hanging with a prostitute and blowing some dude away. Maybe now he'll become a little more believable. I didn't think he'd shoot him and was surprised yet again!

Was a pretty decent episode.

Baltar!

Posted by: Digger at January 30, 2006 04:25 AM

Yeah like I said over at my blog, who are they going to get to command the Pegasus now? "I'm not going to do it...you do it." Seems like its not conducive to a long life.

By the way, it brings out a military oddity. Pegasus is much newer and more militarily effective. Admiral Adama should have transferred his flag to Pegasus when he became admiral.

Posted by: Gahrie at January 30, 2006 09:43 AM