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:''For information on the black market itself, see: [[black market (organization)]].'' | |||
{{Episode Data | {{Episode Data | ||
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== Overview == | |||
: ''Captain [[Lee Adama]], battling haunting demons of his own from a spurned love lost on Caprica, investigates the murder of new ''[[Pegasus (RDM)|Pegasus]]'' commander [[Jack Fisk]], and uncovers a black market that strains the resources of the Fleet.'' | |||
: ''Captain | |||
== Summary == | == Summary == | ||
*The recovered President [[Laura Roslin]], discusses her plan to eliminate black market problems within the [[The Fleet (RDM)|Fleet]] in Adama's quarters with Admiral [[William Adama|Adama]], ''[[Pegasus (RDM)|Pegasus]]'' Commander [[Jack Fisk|Fisk]], and Dr. [[Gaius Baltar|Baltar]], since they hold back on the majority of some needed | *The recovered President [[Laura Roslin]], discusses her plan to eliminate black market problems within the [[The Fleet (RDM)|Fleet]] in Adama's quarters with Admiral [[William Adama|Adama]], ''[[Pegasus (RDM)|Pegasus]]'' Commander [[Jack Fisk|Fisk]], and Dr. [[Gaius Baltar|Baltar]], since they hold back on the majority of some needed. | ||
*Fisk | *Fisk seems adament to help stop them, and tells the Admiral that on his order, he is willing to have his men put a stop to it. | ||
*When he arrives back in his quarters on ''Pegasus'' ( | *When he arrives back in his quarters on ''Pegasus'' (Cain's old quarters) Fisk sees a familiar face and starts conversing with the man, but from behind, he is garroted by several black market henchmen. One in particular stands out as a well-dressed "businessman", who just merely stands there and lights a cigarette as his men kills Fisk. | ||
* | *[[Lee Adama]], severely depressed since his ejection from the [[Blackbird]], has apparently been nurturing a relationship on ''[[Cloud 9]]'' with a woman named [[Shevon]], who has a young daughter named [[Paya]]. | ||
*He has brought a toy for Paya, but | *He has brought a toy for Paya, but appears all mangled, which spooks Paya. | ||
*In a "morning after" talk, Lee and Shevon talk in tones that hint towards his wanting of a serious relationship. Shevon appears to dodge these, and requests 100 extra [[ | *In a "morning after" talk, Lee and Shevon talk in tones that hint towards his wanting of a serious relationship. Shevon appears to dodge these, and requests 100 extra [[Cubit|cubits]] as Lee is leaving because he "stayed the night". | ||
*In flashback scenes, we see a past love of Lee | *In flashback scenes, we see a past love of Lee Adama on Caprica. The scenes revolve around a rendezvous between Lee and this girl, which resolves with her running away. The details and intensity of these flashbacks increase as the episode progresses. | ||
* | *Apollo finds a small fortune of luxury goods in Fisk's closet, including a gold bracelet with the monogram "E.T." on it. Apollo realizes it's [[Ellen Tigh]]'s, and confronts Col. [[Saul Tigh]] about it in his quarters. Tigh says that it was he and not his wife who traded it to Fisk for good liquor, fruit, etc. for Ellen and himself. Tigh explains that Fisk was deeply involved in using ''Pegasus'' as a hub to fence black market goods. | ||
*Dr. [[Cottle]]'s autopsy finds cubits jammed in Fisk's mouth, perhaps as a warning. Adama realizes that Fisk was trying to undercut one of his black market suppliers, and they took revenge. | |||
[[Image:Leeshevon.jpg|Lee with Shevon.|thumb]] | |||
*On ''[[Colonial One]]'', President Roslin, piecing together her [[Epiphanies|near-death recollections of Caprica]], becomes aware of Baltar's pre-holocaust contact with a copy of [[Number Six|the Humanoid Cylon]] known to the Fleet as "[[Shelly Godfrey]]" and "[[Gina Inviere]]". She candidly asks Dr. Baltar, her vice president, to resign. Offended by her request, Baltar begins to walk away, but Roslin stops him to say that it's an offer she will not make again. Baltar replies that while he never wanted any political power in his life or even the office at first, he wants to remain vice president now more than ever. | |||
*Dr. [[Cottle]]'s autopsy finds cubits jammed in Fisk's mouth | *While [[Lee Adama]] is exercising in ''Galactica's'' gym, [[Anastasia Dualla]] comes to him to bravely ask if the flirtations they exchange during training are leading anywhere. Adama has no idea what to say, and Dualla takes the quiet hint. | ||
[[ | *Lee Adama rushes to Shevon's room on ''Cloud 9'' after she calls for help. He finds Shevon and Paya bruised, and decides to take them to ''Galactica'', but is ambushed by thugs, who nearly garrote him. As he is held within a breath of his life, he is confronted by a well-dressed, blunt "businessman", who warns him to back off of the investigation. | ||
*On ''[[Colonial One]]'', President Roslin, piecing together her [[Epiphanies|near-death recollections of Caprica]], becomes aware of Baltar's pre- | *After the beating, Apollo notices the corpse of the man that garroted Fisk. [[Tom Zarek]] drops by the scene in Shevon's room later, and discusses the black market with Apollo. | ||
*While | *Zarek points out that the black market does get supplies where they are needed. Nonetheless, Zarek mentions the central hub of the black market, ''[[Prometheus] (ship)|]'', a ship so lawless it's practically "off the grid", where you can supposedly get anything. Zarek gives a name to the "businessman" -- [[Phelan]] -- and tells Apollo that he probably took Shevon there. Additionally, he points out that Phelan has given Apollo the murderer -- the thug with a bullet in his head -- and that it should be considered "a way out." | ||
*Lee Adama rushes to Shevon's room on ''Cloud 9'' after she calls for help. He finds Shevon and Paya bruised, and decides to take them to ''Galactica'', but is ambushed by thugs, who nearly | *On ''Prometheus'', Lee Adama searches and finds Paya and other children locked up. | ||
*After | *Apollo encounters Phelan in the ''Prometheus's'' bar. Apollo warns that ''Galactica'' is fully aware of his location, and that the battlestar would vent ''Prometheus's'' air into space unless Shevon and Paya are returned safely and the black market is shut down. | ||
*Zarek points out that the black market does get supplies where they are needed. Nonetheless, Zarek mentions the central hub of the black market, ''[[Prometheus (ship)| | *Phelan counters that the Fleet needs the black market; it's like a pressure valve. Whenever a ship falls behind in the supply schedule, the black market fills the need. Phelan states that they sell all things to fill all wants, including children used as prostitutes. Adama is horrified. Shevon is dragged out and admits to her work for Phelan as a prostitute. | ||
* | *Snatching a gun from one of Phelan's guards, Adama threatens Phelan and cautions that the black market is crossing the line, and after several flashbacks, shoots him in the chest. | ||
*Apollo encounters Phelan in ''Prometheus'' | *Apollo turns to Phelan's guards, also in shock, and tells them that he's not going to shut down all black market trade because the Fleet needs it for vital supplies whether he likes it or not. However, they must continue their business at his whim only. If there are more killings, if they hold back essential medicines or exploit children, he will annihilate them without restraint. | ||
*Phelan counters that the Fleet needs the black market | *Shevon rejects Apollo, telling him he doesn't really care for her and only sees her as a replacement for the girl he left on Caprica. | ||
*Snatching a gun from one of Phelan's guards, Adama threatens Phelan | *Back on ''Colonial One'', Lee Adama and William Adama present their reports to the President. Roslin is upset that Apollo did not shut down the black market, but Apollo counters that they will never have a perfect system and there will always be a black market -- at least this way it can be monitored and controlled. | ||
*Apollo | |||
* | |||
*Back on ''Colonial One'', Lee Adama | |||
== Notes == | == Notes == | ||
*Ron D. Moore admits in his podcast that this episode did not live up to his expectations. A long complaint about failed goals he made in his blog is actually about this episode. | *Ron D. Moore admits in his podcast that this episode did not live up to his expectations. A long complaint about failed goals he made in his blog is actually about this episode. | ||
*Survivor count for this episode is 49,597. That is one less than last week's episode, "[[Epiphanies]]" in which a suicide bomber attacks the tylium [[refinery ship|refinery]]. However, bodies are seen blasted into space, and Adama actually says in dialog "people are dead, | *Survivor count for this episode is 49,597. That is one less than last week's episode, "[[Epiphanies]]" in which a suicide bomber attacks the tylium [[refinery ship|refinery]]. However, bodies are seen blasted into space, and Adama actually says in dialog "people are dead", so more than one should have died. However, this number is occasionally offset by new babies born in the Fleet, which can account for some small discrepancies. That said, however, prior to her meeting with Baltar, Roslin is shown standing by her tally board, with a pen in her hand, suggesting she has just updated the number; this suggests the new count is intended to reflect the assassination of Fisk. | ||
*Zarek notes that he is the representative of ''[[Astral Queen]]'', although in "[[Colonial Day]], | *Zarek notes that he is the representative of the ''[[Astral Queen]]'', although in "[[Colonial Day]]", he was elected to represent the colony of [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)#Sagittaron|Sagittaron]]. Given the nature of the conversation, however, he may have been speaking of his status as ''de facto'' leader of the ''Astral Queen'' instead of his political position. | ||
*As seen in "[[Final Cut]], | *As seen in "[[Final Cut]]", there are occasionally meetings of all the ships in the Fleet. | ||
*Bill Duke (Phelan) also appeared in the sci-fi film ''[[Wikipedia:Predator | *Bill Duke (Phelan) also appeared in the sci-fi film ''[[Wikipedia:Predator|Predator]]'', and played Bolivar Trask in ''[[Wikipedia:X-Men 3|X-Men 3]]''. | ||
*Prostitution was legal in the Twelve Colonies; this is a nod to [[socialator]]s of the | *Prostitution was legal in the Twelve Colonies; this is a nod to [[socialator]]s of the [[Battlestar Galactica (TOS)|Original Series]] ([[Podcast:Black Market]]). | ||
*Apollo pilots a Raptor alone to get to ''Prometheus''. As also seen in "[[Pegasus (episode)|Pegasus]]" and "[[Resurrection Ship, Part I]], | *Apollo pilots a Raptor alone to get to the ''Prometheus''. As also seen in "[[Pegasus (episode)|Pegasus]]" and "[[Resurrection Ship, Part I]]", he is qualified to fly both Vipers and Raptors. | ||
*John Mann, the actor who portrayed [[Jackson Spencer]], the original Galactica CAG in the Miniseries, makes a second appearance in this episode (in a deleted scene) as [[Linden]], who directs Apollo to Phelan. | *John Mann, the actor who portrayed [[Jackson Spencer]], the original Galactica CAG in the Miniseries, makes a second appearance in this episode (in a deleted scene) as [[Linden]], who directs Apollo to Phelan. | ||
*Much of the regular cast, including | *Much of the regular cast, including [[Kara Thrace]], [[Sharon Valerii]], [[Karl Agathon]], [[Felix Gaeta]], [[Galen Tyrol]], and [[Cally]] do not appear in this episode. | ||
*The scenes with Lee Adama and | *The scenes with Lee Adama and Gianne on Caprica where filmed at the same [[Filming locations (RDM)|location]] as the ones with Roslin's doctor in the [[Miniseries]]. This is evident from the spiral staircases. | ||
== Analysis == | == Analysis == | ||
*This is the third episode to use a "flash forward" introduction to the storyline as a hook (''[[wikipedia:in medias res|in medias res]]''); this was also used just two episodes previous in "[[Resurrection Ship, Part II]]. | *This is the third episode to use a "flash forward" introduction to the storyline as a hook (''[[wikipedia:in medias res|in medias res]]''); this was also used just two episodes previous in "[[Resurrection Ship, Part II]]". Ron Moore has said that the device was added after he was disappointed with initial cuts of the episode, as a way to add suspense. The narrative technique also appeares in "[[Act of Contrition]]". | ||
*To some viewers, Apollo's recent angst may appear as rather hastily added to the character. However, another facet of it is addressed in "Resurrection Ship, Part II" when he admits to Starbuck, "I didn't wanna come back alive." | *To some viewers, Apollo's recent angst may appear as rather hastily added to the character. However, another facet of it is addressed in "Resurrection Ship, Part II" when he admits to Starbuck, "I didn't wanna come back alive." | ||
*The Apollo-Dualla relationship, a story thread running since "[[Resistance (episode)|Resistance]], | *The Apollo-Dualla relationship, a story thread running since "[[Resistance (episode)|Resistance]]", appears to have been stopped very abruptly, with only Adama's emotional state as an excuse in ending their flirtation. The manner in which Dualla and Adama speak to each other seems out of character. Dualla later appears with [[Billy Keikeya]], where he says little, and Dualla seems ready to give Adama up and continue things more seriously with Billy. | ||
*Ron Moore stated the relationship was introduced because the writers thought it would make an interesting love triangle. | *Ron Moore stated the relationship was introduced because the writers thought it would make an interesting love triangle. | ||
*It is interesting to note Shevon's final reaction to and rejection of Adama. Given the dire straits a person in her position would find themselves in, one might think that she would be grateful for the patronage of a (relatively) powerful and generally decent man like Adama, regardless of whom he saw her as a substitute for. | *It is interesting to note Shevon's final reaction to and rejection of Adama. Given the dire straits a person in her position would find themselves in, one might think that she would be grateful for the patronage of a (relatively) powerful and generally decent man like Adama, regardless of whom he saw her as a substitute for. | ||
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**Phelan and his men clearly had access to Fisk already and might have boarded ''Pegasus'' claiming to be on official business. | **Phelan and his men clearly had access to Fisk already and might have boarded ''Pegasus'' claiming to be on official business. | ||
**Considering that an attempt on William Adama's life has already happened once, Marines should have been escorting him from the very beginning. With Fisk and Cain now both dead, there may be a standing Fleet or Colonial military order in place that automatically activates, similar to such real-world orders. | **Considering that an attempt on William Adama's life has already happened once, Marines should have been escorting him from the very beginning. With Fisk and Cain now both dead, there may be a standing Fleet or Colonial military order in place that automatically activates, similar to such real-world orders. | ||
*The scene between Baltar and Roslin is interesting in its scripting and acting. Roslin is determined to be ''extremely'' polite, forceful, and cheery despite the fact that she is making a power play and now ''knows'' Baltar | *The scene between Baltar and Roslin is interesting in its scripting and acting. Roslin is determined to be ''extremely'' polite, forceful, and cheery despite the fact that she is making a power play and now ''knows'' Baltar has something to do with the fall of the Colonies. | ||
== Questions == | == Questions == | ||
*How were the black market henchmen able to penetrate ''Pegasus'''s security and murder its second commanding officer in a short period? Were they able to enter and leave without notice, because Fisk's dealing with them was general knowledge? Or did enough crewmen aboard ''Pegasus'' assist them to get them that far? | *How were the black market henchmen able to penetrate ''Pegasus'''s security and murder its second commanding officer in a short period? Were they able to enter and leave without notice, because Fisk's dealing with them was general knowledge? Or did enough crewmen aboard ''Pegasus'' assist them to get them that far? | ||
*At the end of the episode, Zarek is walking in a crowd on ''Prometheus'', with one of Phelan's old men nearby. Is Zarek going to try to fill the power vacuum left in the wake of Phelan's death? Or is it just to show how everyone needs to use the black market, even someone like Tom Zarek who claims to wash his hands of involvement with it? | *At the end of the episode, Zarek is walking in a crowd on the ''Prometheus'', with one of Phelan's old men nearby. Is Zarek going to try to fill the power vacuum left in the wake of Phelan's death? Or is it just to show how everyone needs to use the black market, even someone like Tom Zarek who claims to wash his hands of involvement with it? | ||
*Did Zarek somehow set up the entire incident to get Apollo to kill Phelan for him, allowing him to take over control of the black market? | *Did Zarek somehow set up the entire incident to get Apollo to kill Phelan for him, allowing him to take over control of the black market? | ||
*At the end of the episode William Adama tells Lee Adama, "you should have told me about the girl. | *At the end of the episode William Adama tells Lee Adama, "you should have told me about the girl". Is it Shevon, the prostitute (the obvious, close-at-hand issue)? Or, is it the woman back on Caprica (the deeper-seated, much more affecting issue)? | ||
*Why has Roslin not openly accused Baltar of collaborating with the Cylons after "[[Epiphanies]]"? Is it because she lacks proof? | *Why has Roslin not openly accused Baltar of collaborating with the Cylons after "[[Epiphanies]]"? Is it because she lacks proof? | ||
*Who will take command of ''Pegasus'' following Fisk's death? ([[Barry Garner|Answer]]) | *Who will take command of ''Pegasus'' following Fisk's death? ([[Barry Garner|Answer]]) | ||
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== Official Statements == | == Official Statements == | ||
*''In an interview in issue #197 of | *''In an interview in issue #197 of TV Zone, James Callis (Dr. [[Gaius Baltar]]) said'': "Mary and I had a great deal of fun doing a scene where the President tells Baltar in no uncertain terms that she doesn’t like him and wants him to resign. He’s not very happy about that." | ||
== Noteworthy Dialogue == | == Noteworthy Dialogue == | ||
*''During the discussion about the black market:'' | *''During the discussion about the black market:'' | ||
:'''Commander Jack Fisk''': Civilians wouldn't be civilians unless they had something to bitch about | :'''Commander Jack Fisk''': Civilians wouldn't be civilians unless they had something to bitch about | ||
*''{{audio|Black_Market_-_Standing_in_the_mud.mp3|Phelan to Lee Adama'':}} | *''{{audio|Black_Market_-_Standing_in_the_mud.mp3|Phelan to Lee Adama'':}} | ||
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*[[Hayley Guiel]] as [[Paya]] | *[[Hayley Guiel]] as [[Paya]] | ||
*[[John Mann]] as [[Linden]] | *[[John Mann]] as [[Linden]] | ||
*[[James Ashcroft]] as | *[[James Ashcroft]] as Security Officer | ||
*[[Brad Mann]] as | *[[Brad Mann]] as Pegasus [[Colonial Marine Corps|Marine]] | ||
*[[Gustavo Febres]] as Herbalist | *[[Gustavo Febres]] as Herbalist | ||
* | *Unknown as [[Renner]] (deleted scene only) | ||
* | == External Links == | ||
* [http://www.storyentertainment.com/article.asp?id=2542 How to create surprise and challenge your audience] (based on Ronald D. Moore's podcast from this episode.) | |||
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[[Category:Episodes written by Mark Verheiden]] | [[Category:Episodes written by Mark Verheiden]] | ||
[[Category:Episodes directed by James Head]] | [[Category:Episodes directed by James Head]] | ||
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