False Labor

"False Labor" An episode of the Caprica Series
Episode No.	Season 1, Episode 13
Writer(s)	Michael Taylor
Story by
Director	John Dahl
Assistant Director
Special guest(s)
Production No.	113
Nielsen Rating	0.3
US airdate	October 26, 2010
CAN airdate	October 26, 2010
UK airdate
DVD release
Population	{{{population}}} survivors
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Things We Lock Away	False Labor	Blowback
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Sam Adama's attempts to aid anti-government rebels on Tauron create new conflicts on Caprica. Amanda Graystone tries to get closer to the Willow family. Daniel Graystone struggles to create a realistic avatar of his wife. Joseph Adama and Evelyn build their relationship.

Summary

Teaser

• The residents of Caprica City sleep: Daniel Graystone dreams about the death of Tomas Vergis, Sam Adama hears the screams of victims of the Tauron Civil War, and as Amanda Graystone dreams of Clarice Willow, Sister Clarice herself watches over her in a guest room of the Willow house.
• In the morning, the Adama household bustles with activity as Evelyn and Joseph Adama prepare for work. Sam and his husband Larry enter, and Sam immediately turns on the television to CapTV news about the new uprising against Tauron dictator Andreas Phaulkon. Ruth encourages young Willie Adama to pay attention, since his father and uncle Joseph and Sam both endured the same kind of violence from the Tauron regime when they were his age. Larry suddenly shuts off the TV, disgusted that Sam is investing so much time and income on supporting the rebels. A moment later, Evelyn and Ruth are alone in the kitchen, and Ruth encourages Evelyn to spend time with Joseph this evening, even offering to visit a friend so that they can be alone.
• In the kitchen of the Graystone Estate, Daniel talks about his problems recreating his daughter Zoe's avatar program with Amanda. Amanda is unusually sweet and seductive with him. Daniel removes his holoband and leaves the virtual world reconstruction of the Estate and the avatar of Amanda, returning to his real--and empty--home.

Act 1

• In a television commercial, a mother and her children weep at the wake for their deceased husband and father, a soldier in the Caprican military, until he walks into the room smiling and hugging everyone. Daniel Graystone steps in front of the camera and introduces the audience to Grace by Graystone Industries, a service that promises escape from the loss of death by creating v-world avatars of loved ones. The real Daniel is unequivocally unhappy with the commercial, starting with the fact that Cyrus Xander and others appropriated Daniel's own digital avatar for the spot without his prior consent. At the other end of the table, the Guatrau overrides him, saying the commercial is "sweet" and recommending that it be re-shot with the real Daniel.
• Mar-Beth Willow is becoming increasingly unhappy with Amanda Graystone's presence. She dismisses her with a menial errand after Amanda expresses surprise at Mar-Beth not receiving any professional medical support for her pregnancy, and then confronts Clarice about the danger of keeping "Terror Mom" as a house guest. She goes on to ask Clarice if she is ready to continue exposing their family to this and other increasingly hazardous risks. Clarice answers only that it is all "God's will," and she hopes God will not ask her for a sacrifice that will truly endanger the family. Mar-Beth points out how God's will and Clarice's will seem to have become the same thing recently.
• Sam talks privately with Joseph in a Graystone Industries meeting room about his nightmares of the civil war. When he complains that Larry cannot understand why he is so driven to send money to the rebels--something that even Evelyn is doing--Joseph presses him. Sam admits to smuggling small arms to Tauron, without the Gautrau's knowledge. Joseph points out that Larry knows the repercussions Sam could face for these activities, and that he should be grateful someone who loves him deeply is trying to protect him. Standing off to the side of the room, Evelyn hears everything Joseph is saying.
• In a public park, Amanda is surprised when Global Defense Department agent Jordan Duram appears. She confesses that she is making little progress in begin accepted by the Willow family. Duram urges her to go faster, acting only on a gut instinct that they are losing precious time.
• Driving a hearse into an alleyway, Sam and a Ha'la'tha colleague, Demos, stop behind a city maintenance truck. A black car pulls up behind them, pinning them in. The maintenance workers suddenly point guns at the hearse as a group of armed men step out of the car.

Act 2

• The leader of the armed Tauron men, Atreus, orders Sam and Demos out of the vehicle and inspects the contents of the coffin in the back of the hearse: a cache of assorted firearms. He gut punches Sam and has Demos shot dead when he attempts to intervene, and puts a pistol to Sam's head. Sam defiantly yells at him to do it, and Atreus pulls the trigger. Nothing happens. Atreus simply says, "Whoops, I'm out," and warns Sam about "your Guatrau" intruding on his weapons smuggling trade before withdrawing.
• Returning to the v-world estate, Daniel chats with the Amanda avatar about work, but she distracts him with talk about vacations. He plays along and pulls up photographs of a family camping trip on Zoe's ninth birthday. As the conversation moves into personal memories, the Amanda program visibly adjusts and tries to continue, but she is only capable of lifting entries from Zoe's journal. Daniel pushes her to actually recall the trip, and she seemingly begins to remember making love on the beach at night. This inspires Daniel in a new direction based on a wider social networking approach that draws on shared experiences, but Amanda moves closer and insists on giving him pleasure. He relents.
• The Guatrau confronts Sam in a back room of Goldie's about the encounter with Atreus, upset by Sam acting without his permission and challenging Atreus' rightful control of the business. Sam's only defense is that the cause of helping their people's struggle on Tauron called for any action necessary. The Guatrau informs him that since he acted alone, he must resolve the problem alone and demonstrate to Atreus that he will not passively accept Demos' death. He goes on to tell Sam that the issue needs to be addressed by the end of the day, or he will have Sam tortured and killed.

Act 3

• Daniel apologies to Xander for his attitude in the meeting earlier, but Xander needs to speak with him about another issue: time cards indicating that Graystone Industries is now running an unauthorized third shift, and shipping and receiving paperwork without appropriate data. Daniel's best guess is the Ha'la'tha illegally selling holobands. He asks Xander to use the surveillance system to learn something more specific.
• Mar-Beth directly confronts Amanda about her apparent disapproval of the family's way of life, and tells her to leave. Amanda grudgingly agrees, but pauses to say that she is jealous of them. She reveals that being pregnant with Zoe was an accident, and that it had taken a long time before Amanda could truly accept and unconditionally love her daughter. She even suspects that Zoe's rebelliousness was partially influenced by Amanda's ambivalence. Compared to her own life, the energy and chaos and love of the Willow house was a moment of pure joy, and Amanda thanks Mar-Beth for the privilege of having been able to share in it.
• Sam looks for Joseph around the Graystone Industries offices, without any luck. He pauses as his attention is drawn to schematics for the U-87 Cyber Combat Unit left on a tabletop.
• On a quiet and isolated maintenance ledge overlooking Caprica City, Daniel discovers Joseph smoking, and starts to leave before Joseph invites him to stay. Daniel lights his own cigarette and says that the two of them might have become friends if circumstances had developed differently, the first in a long series of wrong turns since the maglev bombing. Now, Daniel is trying to go back to where he was before all of this started. Joseph tells him that it is not possible to go back; instead, Daniel needs someone who can see the kind of person he used to be and forgive him for what has been done and said since then. Daniel asks if Joseph's wife used to fill that role for him. Joseph bluntly states that Shannon Adama was just that kind of person, before Daniel's daughter killed her in the bombing.

Act 4

• Atreus, his crew, and a number of female guests celebrate their earlier victory at a high rise club and bar. Atreus confidently announces that his campaign to topple the Guatrau from control of the Caprican underworld is well underway, when they notice an unannounced elevator making its way up. The crew is armed and ready when the elevator door opens and a U-87 steps out and surveys the room. The Cylon pulls a pair of heavy machine guns from its back and fires. It takes down its opposition within seconds, wounding Atreus and slaughtering everyone else without suffering any significant damage. When Sam enters the room, Atreus offers all of his merchandise to him. Sam gratefully accepts before taunting Atreus, putting a pistol to his head, and pulling the trigger. Nothing happens. Sam says, "Whoops, I'm out," eliciting a laugh from Atreus and a smile from Sam, before he turns to the U-87 and asks, "How about you?" Without hesitation, the Cylon reloads and kills Atreus. Sam studies it for a moment and asks about some of its other military capabilities.
• Daniel pours drinks for himself and a more distant and skeptical Amanda, thanks her for coming, and attempts to continue the conversation they began weeks earlier by confessing that the Zoe avatar was the reason he had an advanced processor stolen from Tomas Vergis. He informs Amanda about his involvement with the Ha'la'tha and Vergis' death in the very room where they are standing. Amanda is initially unwilling to forgive him even when Daniel tells her it was all part of his attempt to return things to the way they used to be, but she abruptly changes her mind and holds him. Daniel laughs at her willingness to accept "half-truths." Losing his patience, he lashes out at the improved Amanda avatar for not challenging him and leaving him forever, the way the real world Amanda would rightfully do to him. The avatar derezzes and fails. In the real world, Daniel smashes his holoband in frustration.

Act 5

• Sam appeals to the Guatrau to send U-87s to the rebels on Tauron. The Guatrau expresses skepticism about whether a victorious and principled rebel government would maintain business ties; the Ha'la'tha, from his perspective, endures and thrives by not becoming involved in politics. The Guatrau grows harsher and accuses Sam of being obsessed with the old world and forgetting that his home is on Caprica. Before leaving, he extends his hand to Sam, demanding a show of loyalty. Sam gives it, but his feelings have obviously not changed.
• Life on Caprica goes on: Samuel dwells on a photograph of his parents while Larry sleeps, Daniel fixes his broken holoband, Joseph and Evelyn make love, and Mar-Beth delivers her newborn with her spouses surrounding her. Amanda hands the baby to Mar-Beth, and Clarice says a prayer over the child.
• On a park bench the following day, Duram asks Amanda how she managed to get closer to the Willow family. She only says that she lied. Duram commends her.

Notes

• The very day after this episode first aired, Syfy announced that it would not be renewing the series for a second season. The subsequent five episodes were then pushed back to 2011 airdates. Foreshadowing this, Syfy did not air the preview for the next episode at the conclusion of this episode as normal.

Atreus and his thugs hold up Sam Adama in front of Downtown Community Court?

• During the scene in which Atreus and his thugs search Sam Adama's hearse, Vancouver's Downtown Community Court can be seen. This is likely a mistake given the criminal activity and proximity to a court, or it could signify the degree of power and impunity that the Ha'la'tha enjoy in contemporary Caprican society.
• Lacy Rand, Zoe-A, and Tamara-A do not appear in this episode.
• Alvo is written as "Arvo" in this episode's subtitles.

Questions

• Will Sam send Cylons to the rebels on Tauron, despite the Guatrau's orders? (Answer)

Noteworthy Dialogue

• Baxter Sarno on New Cap City:

Baxter Sarno: So I tried to play this holoband game, New Cap City. I held up a liquor store and I rolled a guy in an alley. If I do it three more times, I'll have enough money to actually buy the game and play it.

• The Guatrau suggests a change to the Grace commercial using Daniel Graystone's avatar:

Guatrau: Then may I suggest that you re-shoot it. And this time use the actual Dr. Graystone. After all, there's no substitute for the real thing.

• Under orders from Sam Adama, a U-87 finishes its efficient elimination of rival gangsters:

U-87: Task completed by your command.

Sam Adama: How are you with tanks?

• Daniel talks with Joseph about finding redemption:

Daniel: It's like every decision I've made since the bombing has been a wrong turn. By now, I've made so many of them I'm not sure I even know how to get back.

Joseph: Get back to where?

Daniel: To who I was, or who I thought I was.

Joseph: You can't do that alone. You may need somebody. You need someone who can see the man you were inside the man you've become and forgive you.

Daniel: Did your wife do that for you?

Joseph: Yeah. Till your daughter blew her up.

Guest Stars

• Jorge Montesi as The Guatrau
• Ben Cotton as Atreus
• Sina Najafi as William Adama
• Hiro Kanagawa as Cyrus Xander
• Karen Elizabeth Austin as Ruth
• Philip Granger as Tanner
• Anita Torrance as Mar-Beth
• Panou as Olaf
• Teryl Rothery as Evelyn
• Julius Chapple as Larry
• Vincent Tong as Demos
• Camille Atebe as Phoebe
• Christopher Rogan as Military Father
• Tanya Hubbard as Mother
• Taya Clyne as Tessa
• Evan Bird as Johnny
• Phillip Mitchell as Natty Thug
• Michael Nyuis as Kiss-Ass Thug
• Patton Oswalt as Baxter Sarno (uncredited)