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Unfinished Business

2007-01-02T04:24:24Z

Acegikmo1: Nielsen rating

{{Episode Data
| title= Unfinished Business
| image= Season 3 - Promo - Unfinished Business - Lee and Kara.jpg
| season= 3
| episode= 9
| guests=
| writer= [[Michael Taylor]]
| story=
| director= [[Robert Young]]
| production= 309
| rating=1.3
| US airdate= 2006-12-01
| UK airdate=
| podcast=Y
| dvd=
| population= 41,422
| prev= [[Hero]]
| next= [[The Passage]]
}}

== Overview ==
:''Admiral Adama re-institutes a military tradition onboard Colonial warships, in which crewmembers disregard rank and fight each other in a boxing ring to relieve tensions aboard ship—tensions which have existed since ''[[Galactica (RDM)|Galactica]]'' discovered [[New Caprica]].''

== Summary ==

*The episode begins on ''[[Galactica]]'' in a boxing ring, where [[Helo]] and [[Lee Adama]] are exchanging blows. Helo has the advantage, but comments that the major is giving him a rough fight.
*Several flashbacks occur where we see [[Lee Adama]] waking up on a planetary surface, bare chested; he sits up slightly, looking around with a confused look on his face.
*[[Kara Thrace]] and [[Samuel Anders]] finish making love, but when Anders broaches the subject of repairing their marriage, she rebuffs him and leaves her officer's [[duty locker]], throwing the "in use" boots back inside the locker's door.
*Thrace is seen in a flashback, lying outside, her head on a man's bare chest, suddenly startled and frightened.
*[[Lee Adama]] is losing his fight as he is distracted by memories of seventeen months ago, or eight months prior to New Caprica's [[Cylon Occupation Authority|occupation]]. Eventually, Dr. [[Cottle]], who has been enjoying the fight while monitoring the damage of each boxer, removes Adama from the fight, leaving Helo with the win as [[Saul Tigh]], acting as the referee, calls the match.
*Flashbacks show Lee Adama boarding a [[Raptor]] and passionately kissing [[Anastasia Dualla]].
*Admiral [[William Adama|Adama]] arrives to watch the match, as does Thrace, from separate sides of the ring. Thrace comments that a couple of months ago you would have had to roll Apollo into the ring.
*[[Laura Roslin]] greets Admiral Adama and happily tells him of her father's joy of boxing, which she has inherited.
*Another flashback occurs, with [[Admiral Adama]] sitting on [[New Caprica]], his uniform tunic open. He is relaxed and enjoying the moment. Roslin appears and sits by him. Adama compliments her on the color of her dress, while obviously observing her figure as well. She smiles and notices his relaxation, with the sand between his toes. While he corrects her that the soil was "alluvial deposits" from a former river mouth, not sand, Roslin corrects herself but not without another joke about Adama letting his guard down in the beauty of the moment. She says it is good to see him, and he returns the compliment as she squeezes his arm.
*Roslin and Adama, in the present, appear to show the same look of a close friendship while the boxing transitions to [[Hot Dog]], who unwisely challenges Thrace to a match. Hot Dog initially lands a few blows before Thrace KO's the cocky pilot.
*Several flashbacks occur where Thrace, Lee Adama, and Dualla are seen at a dance.
*Another flashback shows Saul Tigh enjoying time with his wife, [[Ellen Tigh]].
*Another flashback with Roslin and Adama, who are drinking alcohol, [[New Caprican loco weed|smoking a psychoactive native plant]], and relaxing together. Their conversation continues.
*Adama recalls when [[Galen Tyrol|Chief Tyrol]] requests that he and [[Cally Tyrol|his wife]] muster out of the [[Colonial Fleet (RDM)|ship's fleet]] to have their [[Nicholas Tyrol|child]] on New Caprica. Adama flatly denies the request, citing Tyrol's obligation to the fleet.
*A later flashback shows Tyrol attempting to convince his wife that staying on ''Galactica'' would not be so bad, while the scene changes to Adama and Roslin on the planet, as she discusses how important it was for many people to get on with a regular life.
*Adama changes his mind and accepts Tyrol's request to muster from the service, but appears hurt behind the smile he presents.
*Admiral Adama hands his glasses to Roslin and tosses his tags into the box. He challenges Tyrol to a match: "Chief, get your fat, lazy ass up here."
*Flashing back, Adama and Roslin lie together outside, watching the night sky. Later, she snuggles closer to his shoulder, her hand on his chest. Both are quite comfortable, and Adama notes briefly how comfortable he was with Roslin so physically close and with the stars overhead.
*Roslin questions whether if this will all last -- the colony, and their respite from the [[Cylons (RDM)|Cylons']] chase. She happily resigns herself to the fact that, no matter what the future holds, the present is good to have.
*Admiral Adama's boxing match gets ugly when Adama cold-cocks Tyrol (who has his back turned) as soon as the horn sounds to start the match. Adama appears very edgy.
*The match continues, but Tyrol's anger and youth begins to edge over Adama's experience. During the round's break, Roslin enters the ring, trying to get Adama to quit, but when he refuses, gives him no-nonsense boxing advice. Adama states that he can't win this fight, but doesn't necessarily imply that trying to win is his objective.
*Another flashback, with Thrace and Lee Adama, who are both drunk. Dualla is aboard ship, and Thrace has literally drank Anders, now unconscious, under a nearby table. The two former [[Viper (RDM)|Viper]] pilots exchange intimate words and soon find themselves outside of camp, getting very intimate.
*Lee Adama and Kara Thrace have a gratifying sexual session. Afterwards, Adama suggests that they each break up with their respective lovers to become a couple themselves. Adama gets up and happily yells into the nighttime sky that he loves Thrace. Adama urges the giggling and embarrassed Thrace to return the gesture into the sky and that he will continue to yell until she does. In less than full volume, Thrace finally somewhat hesistently yells that "Kara Thrace loves Lee Adama." They then return to lovemaking.
*Thrace awakens, confused, and leaves the area, leaving Adama to awaken some time later, alone.
*Lee Adama returns to camp, where his father tells him that Thrace had found a [[Religion in the Twelve Colonies#The Clergy|priest]] and had married Anders earlier that morning. The young Adama is visibly shaken.
*Lee Adama encounters Thrace and Anders. Adama is still visibly upset but hides it long enough to shake hands with Anders in congratulation and to wish him luck, saying "You're going to need it."
*Recalling the reason for Lee Adama's passion, viewers see Adama and Dualla kissing on the Raptor once more.
*In the present in the boxing ring, Admiral Adama is overcome by Tyrol's fight and is knocked to the mat. Everyone watching is silent in concern, and Tyrol helps the admiral up. With blood streaming down both cheeks, Adama speaks to the crowd, saying that over the last year he had let his crew, his family, become too close, relaxing their mandate and responisibility to the safety of the [[The Fleet (RDM)|Fleet]]. He notes that his weakness led to the loss of lives. Adama wearily informs the crowd that such lax operations will now cease, and leaves the ring, escorted by Dr. Cottle, Roslin, and her entourage.
*The enthusiasm for boxing has been extinguished by Adama's speech, and Tigh calls it off and dismisses the group. Regardless, Thrace challenges Lee Adama to a match by name-calling and an exchange of blows.
*In the ring, with no referee, Major Adama initially takes it easy, but a few well placed blows from Thrace dispatch Adama's reticence. The two begin to bludgeon each other, Thrace adding a kickboxing element to kick Adama and keep him off-balance.
*Anders shows up at the boxing ring to see his wife, Thrace, fighting Adama. As soon as he arrives he asks Dualla, who looks very upset, "What are they doing?" Dualla answers with "What does it look like they're doing?" Anders comments, "It looks like they're trying to kill each other."
*The match soon degenerates into something that the crowd does not enjoy, and many begin to leave. Anders and Dualla stand together, watching the match with no small amount of disappointment, aware of the dark mood between Adama and Thrace, and its history. Anders tells Dualla "I'm outta here," and leaves.
*Too tired and beaten to fully continue fighting, Thrace and Adama fall together in a boxer's hug. Thrace whispers into Adama's ear, "I missed you," and Adama returns the message in kind.

== Questions ==

* What will occur now that Kara Thrace and Lee Adama have begun to mend fences? ([[The Eye of Jupiter|Answer]])
* What will be the fallout, if any, in Thrace's and Adama's current marriages? ([[The Eye of Jupiter|Answer]])
* Now that Adama admits to letting the crew get too close to him, will he be harder and stricter on his crew? ([[The Passage|Answer 1]], [[The Eye of Jupiter|2]])
* Did Adama and Roslin have a more intimate encounter than was shown?

== Analysis ==
*This episode confirms what caused the rift between Kara Thrace and Lee Adama. Thrace avoids the notion of feeling too close with Adama by marrying Anders, and Adama returns to Dualla and soon takes to overeating.
**From Thrace's remarks about how Lee Adama doesn't know "when to make his move and when to pull back", it's also possible that she does not feel the same way towards him as he does towards her.
***That seems unlikely, though, considering that she is shown to be as strongly affected by the incident as he was.
*On New Caprica, Adama and Roslin are as relaxed with each other as the two leaders could be, not necessarily chasing romance, but allowing themselves a moment of mutual relaxation, physical closeness, and contemplation. This level of open affection may have seemed more permissible due to Roslin's status as a private citizen during the Baltar administration, although the two appear to remain good friends even in the present.
*Adama made a similar declaration about tightening military discipline when ''[[Pegasus (RDM)|Pegasus]]'' arrived, and immediately thereafter almost started a civil war in an effort to rescue Tyrol and Helo. The inability to maintain emotional detachment from his subordinates has repeatedly proven to be a strong personality trait of his, and it is questionable whether he will be able to manage detachment this time, or for very long. This trait can also be seen in the episode "[[You Can't Go Home Again]]" where he risks the whole fleet to save just one pilot - Starbuck.
**Also present in his speech was the continued conviction that the disasters that have befallen humanity can be placed on his shoulders. This sense of guilt seems likely to keep haunting him for the foreseeable future.
*This is the first episode thus far to make New Caprica look like a pleasant place to live. Every other episode on-planet has shown it to be dreary and spartan.
**It is possible that this dramatic change on-screen merely depicts a seasonal change in terms of weather patterns.
*Ships are seen flying in heavy power generation equipment of some kind, suggesting that this and many other colonization resources that were too large to retrieve during the [[Second Exodus]] were later abandoned on New Caprica, foretelling an eventual supply shortage.
*Helo's quip about Apollo "fighting like he has it in for me" may have a basis in fact. It was Apollo's plan that Helo's actions derailed, and some resentment over that would be natural.
*Kara Thrace does not feel obligated to follow rules of engagement when she starts to lose. During her fight with Lee Adama, once it becomes obvious that she stands a good chance of losing she quickly begins using armlocks and kicks to gain an advantage. Once knocked to the ground, she sweeps Adama's legs out from under him. Adama responds by using a grappling hold on Thrace, placing her into a headlock. This is reminiscent of Starbuck's expressed attitude in "[[Scar]]" that war is not bound by ideas of honor or fair play.
**It should be clarified that Thrace and Adama's fight takes place after the boxing tournament is officially closed. No referee is in the ring, and no bells are rung to signify rounds, making their bout something of an unregulated fight in any case.
*The [[Fleet]] population count has risen by one since "[[Hero]]." This is almost certainly not [[Daniel Novacek]], since his arrival in the teaser act of the previous episode is accounted for in the population count in that episode; similarly, the nearly 1,700 member crew of the ''[[Pegasus]]'' are instantly added once they are discovered. It is possible that the on-screen figures are more realistic this season, incorporating births and deaths that would naturally continue to happen anywhere but would not be depicted on-screen.

== Notes ==

*Adama and Roslin are smoking a psychoactive drug on New Caprica.<ref>{{cite_rdm_podcast|episode=Unfinished Business|act=2|id=stoned|timestamp=16:37|totalrunning=49:09}}</ref> The act of drinking and smoking simultaneously is, perhaps not coincidentally, a pastime for [[Ron D. Moore]] as he speaks during his podcasts.
*The fights shown (and the winners) are: Helo vs. Apollo (Helo), Starbuck and Hot Dog (Starbuck), Kat and Racetrack (Kat), Tyrol and W. Adama (Tyrol) (albeit it is a strong possibility that W. Adama deliberately threw the fight), Apollo and Starbuck (draw). One other fight is shown with Sergeant [[Omar Fischer|Fischer]] fighting a member of the crew portrayed by mixed martial artist [[imdb:nm1342807|Paul Lazenby]] (Fischer).<ref>{{cite_rdm_podcast|episode=Unfinished Business|act=1|id=boxerid|timestamp=11:42|totalrunning=49:09}}</ref>
*A fight between [[Felix Gaeta]] and [[Sharon Agathon]] was discussed in the writers' room. Gaeta was going to bait Sharon into pummeling him due to guilt he still felt as a collaborator. The writers were unable to come up with anything Gaeta might use that would get a rise out of Sharon. This proposed storyline evolved into the Tyrol vs. W. Adama fight.<ref>{{cite_rdm_podcast|episode=Unfinished Business|act=1|id=gaetavsathena|timestamp=13:03|totalrunning=49:09}}</ref>

== Noteworthy Dialogue ==

*''After his fight with Chief Tyrol'':
:'''Admiral Adama''': When you step on this deck, you be ready to fight, or you dishonor the reason why we're here. Now remember this; When you fight a man, he's not your friend. Same goes when you lead men. I forgot that once. I let you get too close, all of you. I dropped my guard. I gave some of you breaks, let some of you go, before the fight was really over. I let this crew and this family disband, and we paid the price in lives. That can't happen again.

== Official Statements ==

== Guest Stars ==

*[[Michael Hogan]] as [[Saul Tigh]]
* [[Aaron Douglas]] as Chief [[Galen Tyrol]]
*[[Tahmoh Penikett]] as Captain [[Karl Agathon]]
* [[Nicki Clyne]] as [[Cally Tyrol]]
* [[Alessandro Juliani]] as [[Felix Gaeta]]
*[[Kandyse McClure]] as [[Anastasia Dualla]]
*[[Michael Trucco]] as [[Samuel Anders]]
* [[Kate Vernon]] as [[Ellen Tigh]]
* [[Donnelly Rhodes]] as Doctor [[Cottle]]
* [[Bodie Olmos]] as Lt. [[Brendan Constanza|Brendan "Hotdog" Constanza]]
* [[Christian Tessier]] as [[Tucker Clellan|Tucker "Duck" Clellan]]
* [[Leah Cairns]] as [[Margaret Edmondson|Margaret "Racetrack" Edmondson]]
* [[Don Thompson]] as [[Anthony Figurski]]
* [[Dominic Zamprogna]] as [[James Lyman|James "Jammer" Lyman]]

== References ==
<div style="font-size:85%"><references/></div>

{{episode list (RDM season 3)}}

[[Category:Episodes written by Michael Taylor]]
[[Category:Episodes directed by Robert Young]]
[[Category:RDM]]

Black Market

2006-09-22T15:42:32Z

Acegikmo1: /* Notes */

:''For information on the black market itself, see [[Black market (organization)]].''

{{Episode Data
| image = Black_Market-Lee.jpg
| title= Black Market
| season= 2
| episode= 14
| guests= [[Richard Hatch]] as [[Tom Zarek]]<br/>[[Bill Duke]] as [[Phelan]]
| writer= [[Mark Verheiden]]
| story=
| director= [[James Head]]
| production=
| rating= 1.8
| US airdate=2006-01-27
| UK airdate=2006-04-04
| dvd= {{Season 2.5 NTSC DVD release date}} '''US'''<br/>{{Season 2 PAL DVD release date}} '''UK'''
| population=49,597
| prev= [[Epiphanies]]
| next= [[Scar]]
}}

== 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.''

== 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]].
*When he arrives back in his quarters on ''Pegasus'' (Cain's old quarters) Fisk is garroted by several black market gangsters. One in particular stands out as a well-dressed "businessman".
*[[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]].
*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 cubits as Lee is leaving since he "stayed the night".
*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 Cylon agent]] known to the Fleet as "[[Shelly Godfrey]]" and "[[Gina]]". She candidly asks Dr. Baltar, her vice president, to resign. While he never wanted any political power in his life or the office at first, he wants to stay VP now. Roslin tells him it's not an offer she'll make again, but he leaves anyway.
*Off duty, working out in ''Galactica's'' gym, [[Anastasia Dualla]] comes to [[Lee Adama]] to bravely ask if their flirtation while working out is leading somewhere. Adama has no idea what to say, and Dualla takes the quiet hint.
*Lee Adama rushes to Shevon's quarters on ''Cloud 9'' after she calls for help. He finds the bruised Shevon and Paya, 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.
*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.
*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]]'', 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 Lee the murderer -- the thug with a bullet in his head -- and that it should be considered "a way out."
*On ''Prometheus'', alone, Lee Adama searches and finds Paya and other children locked up.
*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 he gets Shevon and Paya back, and the black market is shut down.
*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 ''child'' prostitution. Adama is horrified. Shevon is dragged out and admits to her work for Phelan as a prostitute.
*Taking a gun from one of Phelan's guards, Adama threatens Phelan about the black market crossing the line and after several flashbacks, shoots him in the chest.
*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 continue their business at his whim only. If there are more killings, if they hold back essential medicines or use children, he will annihilate them without restraint.
*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.
*Back on ''Colonial One'', the Adamas 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.

== Questions ==
*How were the black market gangsters able to penetrate ''Pegasus''' security, causing the death of its second commanding officer in a short period?
**It is likely that ''Pegasus'' draconian command structure allows for abuse, and Fisk's own use of the market led to tacit protection of it, including its figurehead, Phelan.
*At the end of the episode, Zarek is seen 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? Was it just showing 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?
***It's possible that Zarek is going to fill the gap with his own agents and use it as political leverage against President Roslin at some future point in time. This is just speculative however, more evidence would be required to prove Zarek's hand in the Black Market.
*The woman that William Adama (father) discusses with Lee Adama (son). Is it Shevon, the prostitute (the obvious, close-at-hand issue)? Or, is it the girl back on Caprica (the deeper-seated, much more affecting issue)?
**Could very easily be both, though it is probably the latter of the two choices. If Admiral Adama's relationship with his son was strained before the attacks, he might not know about his son's prior bedroom activities.
*Why hasn't Roslin openly accused Baltar of collaborating with the Cylons after "[[Epiphanies]]"?
**Possibly it is because she has no actual "evidence", and she remembered seeing him when her mind was in shambles dying of cancer, so she may not feel confident enough in this revelation to act on it more openly. However, it does seem to have influenced her to the point that unofficially, she no longer trusts Baltar.
*** She didn't entirely trust him before, given the contents of her letter, but now Roslin does not trust him in any capacity.
*Did Apollo's pregnant former love on Caprica actually die, or is she perhaps one of the handful of survivors? Or worse, a prisoner in one of the Cylon [[Farms]]?
*Who will take command of ''Pegasus'' following Fisk's death? ([[Barry Garner|Answer]])
*Where does the Black Market get all their goods, given the finite supplies on the fleet?
**Possibly from freighters that were en route at the time of the attack. Non perishable goods such as medical supplies, liquor, cigarettes and fumarellos could have become a currency they could negotiate with.

== Analysis ==

*It may be that Moore was attempting to work the story as a detective mystery, but fell short of the goal.
*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]]. Moore has said that the device was added after he was disappointed with initial cuts of the episode to try to add suspense. The narrative technique also appeared in "[[Act of Contrition]]".
*Apollo's recent angst may appear to some viewers as rather hastily added to the character, much like the issues involving [[Laura Roslin]]'s miraculously fast recovery from her cancer in the [[Epiphanies|previous episode]].
**Then again, it was rather addressed in [[Resurrection Ship, Part II]] when Lee admits to Kara, "I didn't wanna come back alive."
*The Apollo-Dualla relationship, a story thread running since "[[Resistance (episode)|Resistance]]", appears to have been stopped very abruptly, with only Adama's angst as an excuse in ending their flirtation. The manner in which Dualla and Adama speak to each other appeared out of character. Dualla later appears with [[Billy Keikeya]], where he says little, and Dualla appears ready to give Adama up and continue things more seriously with Billy. Actor Paul Campbell (Billy) has been filming a lot of TV pilots and other projects, so he hasn't had much to do this season. But, in comparison to [[Cally]] or [[Kat]], who now seem better developed, Billy's character appears underused.
**The relationship between Apollo and Dualla may have been a contingency plan in case Campbell left the series.
***Actually, RDM said it was introduced because they thought it would make an interesting love triangle.
*Much of the regular cast, including [[Kara Thrace]], [[Sharon Valerii]], [[Helo]], [[Felix Gaeta]], [[Galen Tyrol]], and [[Cally]] do not appear in this episode. Baltar's virtual [[Number Six]] is seen in what some may feel was a distracting appearance, taunting Baltar on ''Pegasus'' and in the meeting with Roslin.
*Col. Tigh is merely a person to be interviewed in Apollo's investigation. Dr. [[Cottle]]'s screen time has increased in the last two episodes, although his character's contribution may be too short for some.
*Like many "pulp" murder mysteries, the episode appeared without a special point or purpose other than to unravel the mystery. Perhaps the writers were attempting to stress the ''realism'' of living in a "Rag Tag Fugitive Fleet" of civilians; yes, there would probably be gangsters carving out fiefdoms who would run drug, medicine, and prostitution rackets. The show took a really dark turn when it made mention of child prostitution. Once again, this isn't anything that several police-dramas airing at the same time of night as BSG haven't done, and nothing is "shown"; a character just mentions in dialog that he runs a ring of this, and the "good guy" promptly kills him and shuts it down. However, the entire idea of the drug rings, etc. is a little disturbing, even if entirely logical.
*The storyline of Apollo's pregnant girlfriend on Caprica was unusual in that this episode is the first mention of such a crucial backstory thread. Considering the extent to which the memory seems to weigh Lee down, it seems contrived to introduce it so late in the series, especially when there have been [[Resurrection Ship, Part II|many circumstances]] in earlier episodes during which such reflection would have been considerably more apt. In addition, confusion arose concerning Shevon's line about Adama's old flame "want(ing) to give you a child." That is, many viewers may not have understood that Adama's old love was actually already pregnant. Further, the incessant repetition of the flashback, which did not vary, did little to advance the plot.
*[[Jack Fisk]] being killed as easily as Cain was implausible. Admiral Adama is now escorted by marines at all times. With Cain's [[Gina|killer still on the loose]], it would rational for Fisk to have some paranoia.
**Phelan and his men clearly had access to Fisk already, so it may not be all that implausible.
**Considering that an attempt on 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 in the US military.
*The scene between Baltar and Roslin was interesting in its scripting and acting. Roslin is determined to be ''extremely'' polite, forceful, and cheery despite the fact that she's making a power play and now ''knows'' Baltar has something to do with the fall of the Colonies. Viewers should probably expect this revelation to come to a head at the close of season 2.

== Notes ==
*Ron D. Moore admits in his podcast that this episode did not live up to his expectations. The long complaint about failed goals he made in his blog was actually about this episode.
*Survivor count for this episode was 49,597. That's one less than last week's episode, "[[Epiphanies]]" in which a suicide bomber attacked the tylium 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.
*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.
*[[Kara Thrace|Starbuck]] and [[Sharon Valerii]] do not appear in this episode.
*As seen in "[[Final Cut]]", there are occasionally meetings of all the ships in the fleet.
*Bill Duke (Phelan) also appeared in the scifi film ''[[Wikipedia:Predator|Predator]]'', and played Bolivar Trask in ''[[Wikipedia:X-Men 3|X-Men 3]]''.
*[[Karl Agathon|Helo]] does not appear in this episode. This is only the second episode that he has not appeared in; the other was "[[Fragged]]".
*[[Galen Tyrol|Tyrol]] does not appear in this episode. This is only the second episode he has not appeared in; the first was "[[Home, Part I]]".
*Prostitution was apparently legal in the Twelve Colonies.
*Apollo pilots a Raptor alone to get to the ''Prometheus''; as we've seen in "[[Pegasus (episode)|Pegasus]]" and "[[Resurrection Ship, Part I]]", he is qualified to fly both Vipers and Raptors.
*This episode had the lowest [[Wikipedia:Nielsen Ratings|Nielsen Ratings]] figure that an episode of the Re-Imagined Series ever received, at the time this episode aired.[http://www.gateworld.net/galactica/s2/ratings.shtml]

== Noteworthy Dialogue ==

*"You're not gonna shoot. You're not like me. You're not gonna--(''Apollo shoots him in the chest midsentence'')--Uhuhhh..."
:—''The last words of Phelan''

== Official Statements ==

*''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."

== Guest stars ==
*[[Richard Hatch]] as [[Tom Zarek]]
*[http://imdb.com/name/nm0006419/ Claudette Mink] as [[Shevon]])
*[[Bill Duke]] as [[Phelan]]
*[[imdb:nm2173573|Hayley Guiel]] as [[Paya]]
*Unknown ([[Weller]])
*Unknown ([[Beach]])
*[[imdb:nm0065320|Graham Beckel]] as Colonel [[Jack Fisk]]
*[[Leah Cairns]] as Lt. [[Margaret Edmondson|Margaret "Racetrack" Edmondson]]
*[[imdb:nm1674589|Amy Lalonde]] as [[Gianne]]
*[[imdb:nm0542821|John Mann]] as [[Linden]]
*[[imdb:nm0542668|Brad Mann]] as Pegasus [[Colonial Marine Corps|Marine]]
*[[imdb:nm0038778|James Ashcroft]] as Security Officer
*[[imdb:nm1591767|Gustavo Febres]] as Herbalist

== External Links ==
[http://www.scifi.com/battlestar/episodes/season02/214/ "Black Market"] at scifi.com

{{episode list (RDM season 2)}}

[[Category:A to Z]]
[[Category:Episode Guide (RDM)]]
[[Category:RDM]]
[[Category:Episodes written by Mark Verheiden]]
[[Category:Episodes directed by James Head]]