The Imperfections of Memory

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The Imperfections of Memory
"The Imperfections of Memory"
An episode of the Caprica Series
Episode No. Season 1, Episode 7
Writer(s) Matthew B. Roberts
Story by
Director Wayne Rose
Assistant Director
Special guest(s)
Production No.
Nielsen Rating
US airdate USA March 12, 2010
CAN airdate CAN
UK airdate UK
DVD release
Population {{{population}}} survivors
Additional Info
Full Credits
Episode Chronology
Previous Next
Know Thy Enemy The Imperfections of Memory Ghosts in the Machine
Related Information
Official Summary
R&D SkitView
[[IMDB:tt{{{imdb}}}|IMDb entry]]
Listing of props for this episode
Related Media
@ BW Media
Promotional Materials
Online Purchasing
Amazon: Standard Definition | High Definition
iTunes: USA


Overview

To continue her goal of obtaining Zoe's avatar, Clarice carries on her friendship with Amanda who is being haunted by visions of her dead brother. Heracles guides Joseph through the hazards of New Cap City. Zoe and Lacy continues their respective efforts to get the U-87 to Gemenon while Daniel is still being pressured by Vergis to sell the Caprica Buccaneers to help work on the meta-cognitive processor.

Summary

Teaser

Act 1

Act 2

Act 3

Act 4

Notes

Analysis

  • It seems clear now that Zoe-A is deliberately seducing, rather than simply courting, Philomon, with her goal evidently being to use him as a means to escape Graystone's lab. However, Lacy's question regarding Philomon's attractiveness indicates she thinks that's not the only reason Zoe is approaching the roboticist.
  • Zoe-A and Lacy clearly differ on whether the latter has disappointed the former yet, underlining some tensions between the two. Lacy indicates she hasn't, because that Zoe-A isn't Zoe and so her sudden refusal to board the maglev doesn't count. Zoe-A, however, seems to believe that she really is Zoe, if only in personality, an idea well in line with Sister Clarice's theory of apotheosis. On the other hand, had Lacy not refused to board the maglev, she would be dead and unable to help Zoe-A.
  • During the drug binge at the Dive, Clarice let her monotheism slip, as noted by Amanda Graystone who questioned which god she was talking about when she said "God." It is unclear if Amanda suspects Sister Clarice's true allegiances, but it is clear that Clarice is in danger of breaking her cover.
  • While an interesting theory and one that would theoretically explain why the MCP has not yet been successfully copied, Zoe-A's explanation to Philomon about letting a program "grow" rather than building seemingly contradicts several points. Notably, of course, is Zoe-A's very existence - Zoe-A is repeatedly described to be a perfect copy of Zoe Graystone, rather than simply an imitation or look-alike. In this case, making an identical copy of her shouldn't be impossible, which Zoe-A's statements and later Philomon's reiterations of such to Daniel seem to imply. A possible explanation exists in the Significant Eight, in which each individual of a particular model line are all theoretically one personality, but who in practice tend to act very differently (particularly the Sixes). Zoe-A might also mean some kind of controlled growth that is distinct from a line by line copy, as Daniel has been attempting.

Questions

  • Is there any weight to Clarice's theory that God is speaking to her through Amanda and Zoe? Could this be evidence of a higher power at work, just as the Messengers influence events during and after the Fall?
  • Following on from this question, could there be a connection between Amanda's visions of her brother and the apparitions that appear to people in the Fleet sixty years later?
  • Does Clarice's belief that a person seeing others who aren't there is evidence of divine intervention indicate that she has read about prior appearances of the Messengers?
  • How will Daniel go about testing his theory that Zoe-A is in the U-87?
  • Why hasn't Tamara-A simply come out and met her father?
  • Is Zoe-A a "perfect" copy of Zoe Graystone, as both she and Daniel seem to believe? Or is there an underlying difference, as Lacy seems to? Similarly, is Tamara-A a perfect copy of Tamara Adama?
  • Is there any attraction at all on Zoe-A's part towards Philomon or is she simply using him to escape?
  • Will Philomon's proposed method (based on Zoe-A's suggestion) of AI development work in solving the MCP problem?
  • Is Amanda genuinely attracted to Clarice (or vice versa)? If so, will either of them act on this?

Official Statements

Noteworthy Dialogue

Amanda: Do you remember that old saying? "All this has happened before, and all this will happen again"?

Guest Stars

References