Flesh and Bone

"Flesh and Bone" (credit: Sci-Fi Channel)

Overview

When a copy of Leoben Conoy is captured aboard a civilian ship, [[Roslin, Laura|President Roslin] orders he is to be interrogated, and Lieutenant Thrace is assigned the job. She finds herself facing the possibility that Conoy may have planted a bomb somewhere in the fleet.

Summary

Roslin has a Kamala-induced dream in which see foresees Leoben Conoy, who warns her that Colonial troops from the Galactica are actually Cylons. He vanishes, carried away in a wind that comes from nowhere, but which is accompanied by mechanical sounds
She is awakened by Billy, who informs her a Cylon has been captured aboard the Gemenon Traveller
Roslim has a conference call with Adama - the Cylon is Leoben Conoy. Adama wants it destroyed. Because of her dream, Roslin wants it interrogated
Adama warns that nothing beneficial will be gained from talking to Conoy, except confusion, lies, and deceit. Nevetheless, he sends Starbuck to interrogate Conoy, giving her the same warning
On the Traveller, Starbuck confronts Conoy, who attempts to play word games with her, trying to find out her name. She is about to leave when he reveals he has planted a nuclear device somewhere in the fleet. He then further discomfits Starbuck be revealing he knows her name
On hearing the news, Adama order a full sweep of the fleet for radiological signatures
Starbuck continues her interrogation of Conoy, using ever more drastic means in an attempt to break him. In return, he quotes scripture, talks bout his God, and reveals he knows a lot about her upbringing - and he promises her he has a surprise for her
On Galactica, after meeting with Tyrol and asking him if things would be different between them if she could prove she were human, Boomer visits Baltar requesting he tests her using his new detector. Prompted by Six Baltar initiates the test
As the test progresses, Six taunts Baltar, wondering what Boomer will do if the tests reveal she is a Cylon - "Thank you or kill you" - the taunts are enough to have Baltar fake the results - Boomer clearly shows up as human, but he makes her appear human
On the Traveller, Conoy informs Starbuck that she has a role to play: deliver his soul to God. After saying this, he finally gives his gift to her: he informs her they will find Kobol, and Kobol will lead her people to Earth
On Colonial One, Roslin has an other vision of Conoy, prmopting her to visit the Geminon Traveller, arriving in time to witness how Conoy has been tortured - without result
After having him cleaned up, Roslin offers Conoy a compromise - that their two sides can stop the fighting. In return Conoy admits there is no bomb - then grabs Roslin, whispering to her that Adama is a Cylon
After Conoy has released her, Roslin - to the shock of Starbuck and other - orders Conoy ejected through the airlock
While in the airlock, Conoy shares a personal moment with Starbuck through the glass - despite all she has done to him, there is a bond of understanding between them
The airlock is opened to space, and Conoy blown out - and Roslin realises his departure mirrors what she saw in her dream, when he was blown away by the mysterious wind
Later, on Galactica, Starbuck offers a prayer to Artemis and Aprohdite for the soul of Leoben Conoy, and Adama sits with Roslin in his cabin. It is clear that Conoy's words have taken root: she now doubts Adama.

On Caprica:

It is the morning after Helo and Valerii slept together
Valerii meets with Six and Doral and informs them of what has happened
Six isn't impressed, as aHelo hasn't said he loves Valerii
Doral informs Valerii they are preparing another little love nest, and she is to take Helo to it -but if he doesn't want to stay and start a life there, she is to kill him
Leaving them, Valerii runs back to Helo, flashbacks to her time with him flitting through her mind - including leaving him on Caprica Mini-Series
When she reaches him, she tells him they must run, faster than ever before - and leads him in the opposite direction to that indicated to her by Doral.

Review

Re-cap

From Litmus: Adama halting Doral, only to have him reveal he has a bomb strapped to his chest; Tigh saving Adama as Doral detonates himself.

From tne Mini-Series: “When this body dies my consciousness will be transferred to another one,” Conoy telling Adama of the Cylon ability to transfer minds

From Litmus: “The Cylons have the ability to mimic human form. They look like us now.” Roslin informing the gathered press

From Six Degrees of Separation: “You sleep, I watch.” Helo to Valerii on Caprica, before we see them coupling.

From Six Degrees of Separation: “You are lucky that you didn’t lapse into a coma!” Doctor Cottle to Roslin after her collapse while addressing Baltar by telephone, before he goes on to tell her she can't keep her condition a secret forever

Teaser

A dream world of a night-time forest strung with mist opens, through which Laura Roslin walks in her night dress and gown. As she walks we cut to running feet and the clank of body armour and weaponry.

She appears to hear the noise in the distance, but walks on. Suddenly, away in front of her a figure appears: Leoben Conoy. He cups his hands to his mouth, projecting a quiet cry: “Cylons!” He repeats again in a hoarse whisper: “Cylons! Cylons!” and points over her head, back down the route she has just walked.

We see dark figures running across the skyline, weapons in hand, and Roslin runs. The figures give chase: Colonial guards. As she passes a tree, Conoy reaches out and grabs her, pressing her to the tree and covering her mouth as the guards run by. After they have passed, he releases her, and we see his face from her perspective as he inclines it to her in acknowledgement of…something….

There is a flash of light, a rush of wind, and Conoy is swept away, feet first, vanishing among the trees. Confused, Roslin looks around in the sudden silence, Conoy appearing beside her: “Laura!”

And Roslin wakes up in a start; flushed and shaking from more than just the dream. She goes to the bathroom, and checks her pills. She is interrupted by a knock on the door: Billy is checking on her, anxious. She informs him she is fine – suffering the side-effects of the Kamala treatment she is having, “You know, the thing they say: what’s worse, the cancer or the cure? What do you need?”

Billy informs her that a Cylon has been captured aboard the Geminon Traveller.

A short while later, in her office on Colonial One, Roslin informs Adama of the find via radio. Lee Adama wants to know where “it” is now: Roslin informs the Galactica that the Cylon is the Conoy model – a fact that resonates with her dream – and that he is under guard on the Traveller. Adama orders the ship isolated, CAP Vipers to escort it. He then informs Roslin that he’ll send a team over to destroy the Cylon. Roslin, however, however has other ideas: “I want this man interrogated.”

“First of all,” Adama replies, Tigh listening-in on the call, “It’s not a “him”, it’s an “it” Second: anything it says cannot be trusted. The best thing we can do is destroy it immediately.” Roslin will not be swayed; “I’d like to hear what this thing has to say. It might be important.”

Adama also will not be moved; “Madame President, I’ve dealt with this model before. It will fill your head with double-talk, half-baked philosophy and confuse you.” Staring at the photograph, Roslin still stands firm. “Then send someone who won’t be easily confused. That’s an order, Commander. I want him interrogated.”

Acquiescing to the order, Adama visits Starbuck – now off her crutches but still requiring a walking stick to support her leg – as she works on the Cylon Raider in the hanger bay. He wants her to handle the interrogation. “You really think it’ll give us something?” she asks. “No,” Adama replies, “But the president disagrees.”

Starbuck states she’ll go, and Adama asks how the work on the Raider is coming along. “We, ah, have the entire avionics package figured out; fire control, navigation and I think I’m zeroing in on her FTL drive.” Adama hands her a report he “did in a hurry about three weeks ago” on the Conoy model. He also repeats his warning that it is a “very clever machine; manipulative, cunning. The problem with Leoben isn’t that he lies. That would be too easy; it’s that he mixes lies with truth. Just remember: he’s going to try to get into your head.” Scanning the file, Kara looks up, “Ah, Mom always said there was nothing in there anyway,” she quips with her cocky grin. Adama returns the grin with a slight upward twist of a smile. “Just be careful,” he replies. “He has an agenda. It’s a goal you won’t understand until later. Your job is to make sure he doesn’t achieve the goal.” The words are designed to be sobering, and they have their effect on Starbuck as Adama departs, leaving her not a little spooked as she looks at the image of Conoy in the file and we go to the opening titles.

Acts

As we rejoin the show, we’re still in the hanger bay, but Starbuck is gone. In her place, Boomer walks down the leading edge of the Raider’s port wing, caressing it and humming to herself. As she crosses to the nose of the Raider and strokes it, it is as if she is humming to the Raider; comforting it. She breaks off as Tyrol arrives.

She stands awkwardly as he prepares to work on the Raider and then asks her what is up. In return, she asks if what she told him “the other day” (that they should treat the Raider like more of an animal than a machine) helped at all. Tyrol admits it did. “How’d you come up with that anyway?” He asks as she starts to walk away, “Did it just pop into your head?” The comment causes her to pause a beat. As Tyrol starts working, she turns slowly and faces him. “I’m a Cylon,” she replies, her voice level. Tyrol tells her the comment isn’t even funny. She then challenges him: “If I could prove that I wasn’t…would that make a difference, you know, between us?” Tyrol stares at her in reply, saying nothing, and she turns and walks away.

In space, Raptor 719 seeks permission to dock with the bulky Geminon Traveller to deliver Starbuck to the ship. Once aboard, she goes directly to the holding area where Conoy is sitting with his head down on a table. Observing him from outside the room, Starbuck notes he is sweating. Taking a closer look, the Traveller’s Captain agrees. “Gods, they go to a lot of trouble to imitate people! Why do you think they do that?”

“I don’t care why,” she responds. “But the fact that these things sweat…now that’s interesting…” She enters the room, acknowledging the armed guard and slaps the file Adama gave her down on the table. Conoy doesn’t move. Taking the seat facing him, she shuffles the papers in the file. “Sleeping?” she enquires. Conoy raises his head slowly, “Praying.”

Starbuck stops what she is doing and leans towards him, “I don’t think the gods answer the prayers of toasters.” Conoy gives a small, hesitant grin. “God answers everyone’s prayers,” he replies, grin widening, then fading. Starbuck launches directly into her questioning: how many Cylons are there in the fleet? Conoy tries to deflect the question, “We haven’t been properly introduced,” he raises his hands above the level of the table top for the first time to reveal he is manacled and the manacles are chained to his ankles. “I’m Leoben,” he adds. Starbuck repeats her question. “I have no idea,” he replies, “What’s your name?”

Starbuck ignores him, pressing on: how long has he been aboard the ship? He wonders if he’s not allowed to know her name. Why was he hiding aboard the ship? He admits he had a mission to perform before asking again if she would tell him her name. Starbuck puts forward a proposition: he tells her about his mission, and she’ll think about telling him her name. He tells her his mission is to perform an act of sabotage, but when she asks what kind of sabotage, he turns personal, “God, you stink,” he whispers, his animal grin showing again. “Can we get some air in here? Between you and the humidity….”

“I am not here to play games with you,” Starbuck warns. “Either start talking or we are done.” Conoy agrees to co-operate, then returns to the original subject of his questions: he wants to know her name. This prompts Starbuck to close her file and start to leave. As she reaches the door to the holding area, he stops her. “Are you Lieutenant Starbuck?” Her back to him, Starbuck is disconcerted, and Conoy feels it. “Yes you are,” he states with a small note of triumph. “I knew it!” he exclaims, his laughter nervous, as she turns around, “I knew I was right! I saw it, I’ve seen it…” Facing him, Starbuck looks down at him. “Happy now?” she asks through gritted teeth.

“It all makes sense now,” is Conoy’s cryptic reply, “Doesn’t it? Now we can talk. Now we can….talk…about a lot of things…” Walking back to the table, the guard closing the door behind her, she continues to stare Conoy in the face. “Like what?” she hisses. “I planted a nuclear warhead aboard one of your ships,” Conoy states, his tone matter-of-fact, “It is set to go off at 18:30 hours.” Staring at him, trying to judge if he is telling the truth, Starbuck has one question for him: “Where?” Tone still sincere, Conoy won’t be drawn, “I’m not ready to give that up yet.” Starbuck tries to call his bluff, telling him there is no warhead. “You can’t take the chance, Starbuck. Your military training dictates you take it to your masters and let them decide.”

“Maybe my training wasn’t so good,” Starbuck counters, turning to leave as the door is again opened. “May I’ll just push you out of the airlock and tell them you never said a word.” As she hobbles down the corridor, Conoy’s taunts follow her. “Now who’s lying? These things happen for a reason, don’t they? I’m looking forward to spending a little more time with you, Starbuck! We have a lot to talk about!” We close on him after Starbuck has vanished down the corridor as he concludes, his tone quieter, “It’s going to be fun.”

Getting the news on Galactica, Adama orders a sweep of the ship for any kind of radiological devices. He then orders Dualla to contact all Captains and tell them to run a radiological sweep on their vessels, but to emphasise the sweep is just a precaution and that he doesn’t want anyone alarmed until they know for sure that Conoy is telling the truth; he then rejoins the 3-way radio conference with Roslin and Starbuck. After pointing out they have eight hours and forty-three minutes to discover if a bomb has been planted, Roslin then asks Starbuck if Conoy gave up any other information. A disconcerted Starbuck reports that he has guessed her identity and seems really pleased by it. Adama warns her that Conoy is playing with her mind, that as a stowaway on the fleet there are “50 ways” he could have heard her call sign. Roslin wants to know if Conoy has indicated what he wants. Again Starbuck reveals that beyond stating he’s “looking forward” to spending time with her, he revealed nothing. Adama again admonishes her not to take any chances.

Returning to the holding area, Starbuck is confronted by another question: “You believe in the Gods, don’t you? The ‘Lords of Kobol’ and all that…that you prey to Artemis and Aphrodite?” Starbuck counters with a question about the location of the warhead, prompting Conoy to state he was right, adding, “You see, our faiths are similar but I look to one God, not to many….to know the face of God is to know madness….I see the universe; I see the patterns; I see the foreshadowing the precedes every moment of every day. It’s all there. I see it – and you don’t…and I have a surprise for you. I have something to tell you about the future...but we have to see this through to the end.”

There is a pause in the proceedings as food arrives, and Starbuck doffs her uniform jacket and starts eating, a hungry Conoy watching her every move, “What is the most basic article of faith? ‘This is not all that we are’…You see the difference between you and me is that I know what that means and you don’t. I know that I am more than this body, more than this consciousness. A part of me swims in the stream, but in truth I’m standing on the shore; the current never takes me downstream.” This causes Starbuck to stop eating and look at him for a beat. “This is worse than Galactica,” she states, pushing the food aside, “And I didn’t think that was possible. Now what was that swimming in the stream or something?”

Seeing the unfinished food, Conoy asks if she would mind…? Finishing her cup of water, Starbuck pushes the tray into his reach and he starts eating with almost human gusto, admitting he hasn’t eaten in days. “Kind-of bad programming isn’t it?” Starbuck enquires. “I mean why bother with hunger?” Forking-up more food, Conoy replies, “Part of being human,” and cocks her a look as he takes another mouthful. “You’re not human,” Starbuck counters, but gains no response. “How’s your lunch?”

“You know how it is when you’re starving,” Conoy replies, finishing the food, “Anything tastes good. He looks up at her in time to see her give a small nod, then he looks around in time for one of the guards to strike him, almost knocking him from his chair. As he sits up, gasping, he feels the side of his head. It is bloodied. Starbuck feigns surprise: “Did that hurt?” she asks. “Yeah, that hurt,” Conoy admits. “Machines shouldn’t feel pain; shouldn’t bleed; shouldn’t sweat.” Wincing, Conoy look at her, “Sweat. That’s funny. That’s good.” Starbuck suggests that a smart Cylon would “turn off the old pain button” – but she doesn’t think he’s so smart. “Maybe I’ll turn it off and you won’t even know,” Conoy counters. The comment earns him another blow, this time to the other side of his head.

“Here’s your dilemma,” Starbuck informs him. “Turn off the pain and you’ll feel better. But that makes you a machine, not a person. You see, human beings can’t turn off their pain. Human beings have to suffer. And cry. And scream. And endure; because they have no choice. So the only way you can avoid the pain you’re about to receive is by telling me exactly what I want to know. Just like a human would.”

Conoy meets her stare. “I knew this about you. You’re everything I thought you’d be. But it won’t work. I won’t tell you anything.” Starbuck agrees that he may not; but that through it all, deep down, he will know that a human being beat him; that his kind are really no greater than humans, that “You’re just a bunch of machines after all.”

“Let the games being,” Conoy replies – and Starbuck indicates for the beating proper to start.

Back on Galactica Baltar is once again at work on his fabled Cylon detector, once more the free man and for once at peace with “Six” as she apparently gives him a loving back-rub. They are interrupted as the door to the lab opens. “Well look what the cat dragged in,” Six comments, mouth twisting in disgust as Boomer enters, looking vulnerable.

“Lieutenant Valerii,” Baltar acknowledges as she enters. “This is an unexpected visit…you look wonderful.” The comment causes “Six” to drop her “hands” from his shoulders.

Closing the door, Boomer asks Baltar about his detector – but he refuses to confirm what he is working on. She asks to be included in his first batch to be tested. “What’s her rush?” “Six” asks, and Baltar repeats the question before he can stop himself. “I’m not sure it would be appropriate to show favouritism - If indeed I’m working on anything at all,” he gives her his winning smile. Boomer points out she saved his life on Caprica, that her co-pilot gave up his seat for Baltar and that she brought him back to the safety of Galactica - therefore he is in her debt. “She shoots,” “Six” purrs, looking at Baltar, “She scores.” He concedes the point and Boomer presses him as to whether he will put her in the first test batch or not. “I think you should do it,” “Six” states, standing beside Boomer, “The results would be…quite…intriguing.”

Baltar informs Boomer that the technology isn’t ready for implementation. When this earns him a look from “Six”, he goes on to say he could use a beta test subject.

Meanwhile, on CYLON-OCCUPIED CAPRICA it is the morning of Day 25 of Karl C. Agathon’s time there. He is asleep, but Valerii is awake, and appears to check his pulse as she strokes his cheek with her thumb. Elsewhere, Six and Doral arrive at a swing set among the woodlands. “Sharon’s late,” Six announces. “Half an hour,” Doral replies, then pauses, “I notice you’re calling her ‘Sharon’ now.” Sitting on the swing, Six gives an uncomfortable grin. “Yeah, well I choose to think of her as one of them.” “Because you dislike her?” Doral asks. Six looks at him. “Because in the scheme of things, we are as we do. She acts like one of them, thinks like one of them – she is one of them.” Doral looks around, “But she is one of us. It would be best to remember that,” he replies, a note of warning in his voice.

Valerii arrives, prompting Six to stand and cross to her. “We had sex,” Valerii reports. “Congratulations,” Doral responds, a touch of warmth in his voice – has a target been achieved in the experiment? “Does he love you?” Six asks, her voice a little harder. “I think so,” Valerii confirms, a hint of a smile on her face. Six’s tone gets harder, “Has he said it?” Valerii admits he hasn’t said so directly. Six’s look is superior, “Then you’re just guessing.” Doral then instructs Valerii to keep Helo in their current location as a cabin is being set-up for them: food, water electricity, “All the comforts.”

“It shouldn’t be too hard to convince him to stay and start a life together,” Six adds, a look edging on fear in Valerii’s eyes as she speaks, “If not, kill him. Can you handle that?” Valerii looks from her to Doral, who gives a single nod. Six continues to stare at Valerii, her look still superior. Valerii turns and heads back through the trees at a run. As she does so, we she flashbacks of her past with Helo: the time he comforted her after destroying the human carcass being eaten by rats when they first entered the city; his admission that if something happened to her, he wouldn’t know what to do; the time they picked up the “Colonial broadcast” on their survival radio; making love the previous night; running from the Cylon warriors the previous day (with Doral’s words echoing, “If he flees, he dies.”); Helo standing on Caprica as their Raptor lifted off, stranding him there; the time he “rescued” her after her “capture” by Cylon warriors.

As she runs down a path, Helo stops her suddenly, “Hey! What’s going on?!” She tells him they’ve got to go, that there are Cylons heading their way. “We’ve got to travel fast – faster than before,” she tries to head off, but Helo stops her, grabbing her and turning her to face him. “Why? What’s different?” he demands. “Everything,” she replies, “Just trust me.” He looks up the path she was running along, then nods. “I do,” and they head off together – defying Doral’s instructions.

Back on the Traveller Conoy is returned to his seat after what has obviously been something of a beating. Starbuck tells him that this is the point where a human would start offering-up some false information in order to spare themselves from the beating – but she keeps forgetting Conoy isn’t human – he’s a machine. “I’m more than you could ever imagine,” he gasps, “I’m God.”

Starbuck’s reaction is predictable: disbelief laced with nervous laughter. “You’re God? Wow! Nice ta meet ya!” She agrees to give him a couple of minutes for the comment. “It’s funny, isn’t it?” Conoy agrees. “We’re all God, Starbuck. All of us. I see the love that binds all living things together.” Starbuck challenges him on the use of the word love - that he couldn’t even know what it means. “I know God loved you more than all other living creatures and that you repaid his divine love with sin, with hate, with corruption, evil, so then he decided to create the Cylons.” This prompts Starbuck into anger as she points out the gods did not create the Cylons – humans created them, that it was a stupid mistake and that the Cylons wiped out her entire civilisation – an evil act, so the Cylons are therefore evil.

“Am I?” Conoy counters, tracing a line of his blood on the table top. “I see the truths that flow past you in the stream,” he states with a grin. “You have a real thing about rivers and streams, don’t you?” she replies. “I think we should indulge you in your obsession,” and she signals the guards to leave.

When they have gone, Conoy informs her he could kill her before the guards could get back in the room; that he could kill her, get out the room and kill the guard outside in less time than it takes to describe the act. When she challenges him on this, he replies that it is “not the time”, a comment that earns him a “yeah, yeah” grin from Starbuck – and three seconds later, she is pinned by the throat against the door frame by Conoy’s right hand, while he holds the door shut with his left, having broken his manacles with ease.

He holds her against the frame as the door at the far end of the holding area opens and three guards rush in. “I have a surprise for you,” he informs her. Then the guards grab him and pull him away from her. “You fraked up, pal,” Starbuck whispers, catching her breath, “Now the gloves come off.”

On Galactica, Adama is in the morgue, where he pulls out the tray containing the cadaver of the Conoy encountered at Ragnar Anchorage. Folding back the sheet covering the body, he looks at the face before crossing to an intercom phone mounted on the bulkhead. Calling CIC, he asks about the search for the nuke. Tigh replies they’ve found nothing so far and they have two hours and nine minutes left. Adama order the fleet to disperse in the hopes of lessening the effects if a bomb does go off – no more than 500 kilometres between ships.

Lowering the phone’s handset, Adama stands over the cadaver, and we see the handset gripped in his right hand, his knuckles turning white as he fights the urge to smash it into Conoy’s face. Gaining control, he moves his hand away from the body, leaning over it. “No,” he states in a firm whisper, then returns to the intercom and replaces the handset in its slot with controlled deliberation.

On the Traveller, Conoy is on his knees between two guards, his hands locked up behind him as Starbuck faces him and two more guards enter carrying a large pail of water, which is placed on the floor in front of Conoy. “Do it,” Starbuck orders, and Conoy’s head goes into the water. As he starts to struggle, she orders him to be held down, until one of the guards questions her, and she raises a hand, indicating his head should be pulled from the water, and Conoy comes out gasping. She orders him to tell her where the warhead is, “Otherwise you’re going to drown in that bucket.” “I can’t drown. I can’t die.” Conoy replies. Starbuck agrees, informing him Adama mentioned how Cylons can transfer their being when their body is on the point of death. She then tells him she’s been wondering about this, and that why, if it is true, a Cylon would even bother talking to her. And down Conoy goes again, back into the water.

When he comes back up, she again asks where the warhead is. “This is not your path, Starbuck,” Conoy replies. “You have a different destiny…” She cuts him off, informing him that she thinks the reason he is talking at all is that he is afraid that the fleet is a long way from his “home” and that if his body is killed, his consciousness might not make it back; that if he dies on the Traveller, he really dies. “It’s your chance to find out if you’re really God, or just a bunch of circuits with a bad haircut….someone has programmed you with a fairy tale of God and streams and life ever after but somewhere in that hard drive that you call a brain is a beeping message: error, error, does not compute. I don’t have a soul, I have software; if I die, I’m gone.” And down Conoy goes for a third time.

This time when he comes up, he’s allowed to collapse on his side, “I have a soul,” he states, in a tone which suggests he’s trying to convince himself as much as her, “I see patterns. I know you. You’re damaged. You were born to a woman who believed that suffering was good for the soul, and so you suffered. Life was a testament of pain, injuries, accidents, some inflicted upon others, others inflicted upon yourself. It surrounds you like a bubble, but it’s not real. It’s not just something you should put in your head. It’s something that you want to believe, because it means you’re the problem, not the world that you live in. You want to believe it because it means you’re bad luck; like a cancer that needs to be removed, because you hear her voice every day, and you want her to be right.”

Throughout this, Starbuck listens to him with an intensity of thought, her face a mask, eyes unblinking. As he finishes, she looks up at the guards. “Start again,” she orders quietly, her anger barely suppressed. As Conoy goes under again, we see his face from under the pail, as he first tries to fight the guards as they hold him down; we cut to Starbuck, watching from her chair, face intent, staring unblinking on the kneeling Conoy. Then, from under the pail, we see his struggles cease, and he simply stares, a faint smile playing at his lips – has a mental connection been made?

In Baltar’s lab, the good doctor has taken a sample from Boomer and is dropping it into his computer for analysis. As Boomer stands across from him, he explains the results that will appear on his screen. “Green, you’re a normal human being. Red, you’re an evil Cylon,” he chuckles at the joke, but Boomer’s look remains unchanged as she continues to stare across the table at him, forcing Baltar to sober suddenly and add, “It should take a couple of minutes.”

He watches the screen and tries to ease the tension. “So tell me, are you from Aerilon? Slight trace of an accent there.” Boomer shakes her head, “Ah, No. Troy.” Baltar asks why the name is familiar. “Mining settlement…the accident,” Boomer replies. “The explosion,” Baltar adds, “Right. That was tragic. Your family are…?” “Died with the rest,” Boomer states quickly. “I’m very sorry,” he concludes before “Six” steps up to him, “It’s a lie,” she whispers in his ear. As Baltar turns to look at her, she points to his screen, a wicked smile on her face. “Congratulations, Doctor. You’ve just uncovered your very first Cylon.” And we see that the results are indeed red – right across the screen. “Now here’s an interesting moment in the life of Gaius Baltar,” “Six” continues to tease, as Baltar starts clicking at his keyboard with increasing nervousness. “What will he do?” He tries to reassure Boomer everything is fine, while “Six” wonders how she’ll react if he tries to expose her, “Thank you or kill you?” Boomer wonders what is happening, and Baltar starts hedging, desperately trying to turn the display green. “She probably doesn’t even know,” “Six” adds, “She probably thinks she’s just another little girl from Troy whose entire background vanished in a mysterious accident. Should be interesting to see how she responds when you tell her the truth. I’m guessing her Cylon side will take over and break your neck before you can give away her secret. Let’s find out.”

At that moment, Baltar hits a key and the display turns to green; his relief is palpable – as is Boomer’s. “You’re one hundred percent human!” He lies, pointing to the screen, “And very bright green as well.” Boomer admits that for a moment she was worried, but Baltar, swiftly escorting her to the door, assures her she couldn’t be more human if she tried. Thanking him, she leaves.

On Colonial One, Roslin is apparently preparing for bed when Conoy appears in her dressing mirror. “I have something to tell you,” he informs her, shocking her into wakefulness where she had been dozing in a chair. She orders Billy to get her a shuttle and get her over to the Traveller. He tries to argue, but she won’t be stopped. He orders a shuttle and an armed escort for her.

On the Traveller, Conoy is allowed up for air – has he been down this whole time? He is lifted and dropped into a chair, a disconcerted Starbuck watching. She orders the guards out of the room as she again repeats he is not a person, he is a machine. ‘“All of this has happened before, and all of it will happen again,’” he says in reply. She warns him not to quote scripture, he doesn’t have the right. “You kneel before idols and ask for guidance and you can’t see that your destiny has been already written,” he tells her. “Each of us plays a role; each time a different role. Maybe the last time I was the interrogator and you were the prisoner. The players change, the story remains the same. And this time – this time – your role is to deliver my soul unto God. Do it for me. It’s your destiny. And mine.” His voice drops to a whisper, “And I told you I had a surprise for you. Are you ready? You are going to find Kobol, birthplace of us all. Kobol will lead you to Earth. This is my gift to you, Kara.”

As they stare into each other’s eyes, the truth is clear, but the moment is broken as the door is opened and Roslin demands, “What the hell is going on here?”

Taking Starbuck to one side, Roslin demands to know what is going on. Starbuck tries to explain, but is forced to admit that after 8 hours of interrogation, she hasn’t gained any indication of where any bomb he may have set might be. She does reveal that he appears to be able to predict the future, and has stated they will find Kobol.

Roslin orders the prisoner cleaned up and brought to her in the corridor, where she apologies for what has been done to him, and orders his restraints removed. On receiving his thanks, she tells him she can guarantee his safe passage if he reveals the truth about his bomb, and that they need to stop the fighting between humans and Cylons – that he must trust her; that he knows he can trust her. And the first step to reaching an understanding is for him to tell her where the bomb is.

Amazingly, Conoy admits there is no bomb, that Starbuck was right, he’s too far out and didn’t want to die and so made up the story when captured. Roslin thanks him for the truth, and he thanks her, and Starbuck goes to check-in with Adama and inform him. As she leaves, Conoy asks that Roslin is not too hard on her, that she was just doing her job, that the military “dehumanises” people. Roslin promises to take this into consideration – and Conoy suddenly grabs her, hugging her. As guards lunge, she orders them back. Everyone freezes and Conoy whispers in her ear: “Laura, I have something to tell you. Adama is a Cylon!” With this, she pulls away from him, disconcerted, and the guards grab him. Seeing her discomfiture, he gives a small smile – mission accomplished? Doubts sown?

As she recovers, Roslin looks back at him and catches the look…and perhaps something more – perhaps understanding - as his expression shifts. Starbuck returns and, after confirming no sign of a bomb has been found on any ship, is stunned when Roslin orders Conoy is put out the airlock. This drives the look of understanding from Conoy’s face and shocks Starbuck into stating Roslin can’t do this. She responds she can: she tells Starbuck they’ve lost perspective, that in the time she (Roslin) has allowed Conoy to remain alive, he has put the entire fleet at risk, causing it to be spread out and left defenceless and that he has placed insidious ideas in people’s heads and that he creates fear. She then agrees with Starbuck’s statement that he is a machine – and that people don’t keep deadly machines around when they are a threat to the future.

Conoy looks through the glass of the airlock at Starbuck and presses a hand to the glass. “He’s not afraid to die,” she informs Roslin, “He’s just afraid his soul won’t make it to God.” She walks to the glass separating them, and presses her own hand to it, over Conoy’s. They stand for a moment, then Conoy inclines his head and Roslin signals for the airlock override to be thrown.

We see Conoy head-on, as he raises his head, the airlock opening behind him – and in a mirror of Roslin’s dream sequence, we hear the rushing roar of air as the airlock evacuates into space, and Conoy is blown out with it – just as Roslin saw him vanish into the night in her dream – and she recognises this fact as well.

Tag

Later, on Galactica, Starbuck is in her bunkroom where she takes two figurines from a rolled-up cloth: Artemis and Aphrodite, two of the Lords of Kobol, to whom she offers up a prayer for Conoy.

In Adama’s cabin, over a drink of water, he informs Roslin she took one hell of a risk, and asks if she’d care to explain why. “President Adar once said that the interesting thing about being a president is that you don’t have to explain yourself to anyone,” Roslin replies. They share a smile at this, Adama’s warm; Roslin’s functional, before her eyes drop away. “Something wrong?” Adama asks. She looks up at him, warmth still lacking as the smile returns to her lips. “No. Nothing at all,” she lies, and Adama’s eyes cloud in doubt.

Analysis

“Flesh and Bone” is the strongest story yet to come out of the season one arc. It is the first time that everything meshes with a synchronicity that is simply awesome: season arc development, episode arc, character growth, character revelations, religious insights, Cylon and human motivations – all combine into 42 minutes of magnetic television.

I have to admit, from reading the synopses of this episode, I had a smidgen of concern: “Litmus” has Doral turning up on the Galactica and setting off a bomb that was possibly intended for Baltar; in “Six Degrees of Separation” we apparently have Six – in the form of “Shelly Godfrey” - turn up on Galactica and accuse Baltar of treason; now in “Flesh and Bone” we are promised Conoy turning up having planted a bomb on Galactica. “Ho hum,” went the little mind, “Three in a row?” That’s pushing things a little. Even if it should turn out “Shelly Godrey” was not actually real, but some form of mass-psychosis, after she and Doral “turned up” on Galactica, one would hope that the Colonials have beefed security sufficiently enough to prevent a third Cylon agent getting on board the ship – much less plant a bomb. Had the episode actually moved in this direction, then credibility would have been stretched to the breaking point.

Fortunately the writing team at R&D TV aren’t that stupid. In proving the essential synopses wrong, they open a story that is rich in its layering and totally believable in its context: Conoy never comes anywhere near the Galactica, and the bomb isn’t targeted at her, but at one of the other ships in the fleet. Not only does this latter point avoid stretching our credibility to the limit given the events of the previous episodes, it also reminds us that we are dealing with a fleet of vessels – almost all of them very fragile and very vulnerable.

Assessing this episode is no easy task: the religious undertones / overtones alone are rich enough in material for a minor treatise. As others will no doubt debate this particular aspect in far greater depth than can be achieved in a review like this, I’m going to move it to one side. Instead, and in keeping with previous reviews, I’m going to start with a look at the characterisation.

As usual, the featured actors turn in outstanding performances, with Mary McDonnell again adding depth and vulnerability to Laura Roslin. Is the President’s hardened attitude a result of her on-going adjustment to the plight of the Colonials, a direct reflection of her growing determination to beat her cancer, or a result of her acceptance that life for her may not be as rich and as full as she may once have hoped? Or is it a combination of all three? Whatever the underpinning reasons, the last few episodes have seen Roslin develop the kind of hard shell one would expect of a leader in her position; and McDonnell’s portrayal of Roslin as she goes through this transition has been outstanding.

Katee Sackhoff also shines in this episode – alongside of Callum Keith Rennie, she has the most time on screen – and she again shows that for a relatively young actress, she has a broad range and depth. At every turn, Thrace’s over-confidence, her flippancy, her inborn doubts, her fear of failure, of being found out – all are so perfectly portrayed through word, look and attitude.

But the accolades this week go not to a regular member of the cast, but to a guest star: Callum Keith Rennie for his portrayal of Leoben Conoy.

The last time I encountered Mr. Renee at any length was in the (also Canadian-filmed) series “Due South”. At the time, he did not impress – although to be fair, he was trying to fill David Marciano’s considerable shoes. Indeed, on seeing him in the mini, I was similarly unimpressed. But in “Flesh and Blood” Callum Keith Rennie proves the faith the BSG producers clearly had in him. His personification of Conoy is a marvel to watch. Not only does he evoke sympathy and concern as he is systematically beaten; he also maintains a degree of detachment towards the events around him that sufficiently reminds us that, while human-looking, his character is not truly human. By turns he is philosopher, victim, man, child, inquisitor, and agent provocateur – and in all, he is utterly convincing and absorbing.

Through Conoy, we get our greatest insights today into Cylon thought processes, religion, and view of life - and insight into the Colonials themselves. He is a mirror, held up to reflect the angst, the perceptions, bias and insecurity of the human race, as personified by Kara Thrace. Through him we also gain what appears to be a further hint of Cylon capabilities.

Conoy first turns up in Roslin’s dream – causing her to demand he is interrogated, not destroyed on being discovered. During his interrogation, he demonstrates personal information concerning Thrace’s upbringing, and shortly before his death, he again appears to Roslin, prompting her to go to the Geminon Traveller where he can meet with her and plant a bomb potentially every bit as devastating any the nuclear warhead he claimed to have hidden somewhere in the fleet.

All of this tends to raise the question: are Cylons – or at least the Conoy model – psychic? Does the ability to transfer their conscious minds at the point of physical death enable them to do other things mentally as well?

It could be argued that Conoy’s knowledge of Thrace has been gleaned from records – perhaps her military file; maybe she revealed things to Boomer on Galactica, and she was able to communicate them elsewhere. BUT – watching and re-watching the scene as a half-drowned Conoy talks about Thrace’s mother and upbringing, it seems altogether too personal, as if he is, through describing the events, reliving them – and we see this reflected in the intensity of Thrace’s look. There is more here than has been gleaned from official records and half-revealed anecdotes relayed through a third party.

“I see the universe. I see the patterns,” Conoy states with the conviction of a man speaking the truth. “I see the foreshadowing that precedes every moment of every day. It’s all there. I see it, and you don’t.” These are the words of a man convinced of the fact that he knows what is to come; how things will end, even before time has run its course, and as such, it is hard not to accept he does not, somehow, have the ability to foretell the future.

Or is it merely that through words, through the persuasion of his “half-baked philosophy”, Conoy can influence, twist, turn and manipulate to bring about the events and situations he requires in order to give himself the appearance of precognition? Is there any way we, as the audience can tell if Conoy can “see” the future and thus determine how much of the truth he is telling? Well, apparently there is.

As his time runs out, he reveals his surprise to Thrace: “And I told you I had a surprise for you. Are you ready? You are going to find Kobol, birthplace of us all. Kobol will lead you to Earth. This is my gift to you, Kara.”

You are going to find Kobol. The essence of truth – we know that this is indeed what will happen; the Colonials will indeed find Kobol; this much is apparently certain from the title of the two-parter that concludes season 1: “Kobol’s Last Gleaming”. So Conoy is telling a degree of truth.

But is he telling the whole truth? On the surface, this comment seems pretty direct. But one thing we have learnt in this series is that nothing is every quite what it seems. Messages are always delivered in layers. And if we strip away the surface gloss to this comment, we come across a deeper meaning: You are going to find Kobol….This is my gift to you, Kara. There is no mistaking the meaning here: Kobol will be found – but it will be Thrace who realises the fact of the matter. He is almost saying that while the Colonial may find Kobol, it will take Thrace to realise that it is Kobol…Should this happen, then we may well have additional proof that Conoy is telling the truth.

So, if Conoy is telling the truth about Kobol – what about his other statements? What about he whispered revelation to Roslin? Adama is a Cylon? Could this be the one falsehood, carefully woven into a fabric of truth that is sufficient enough to persuade, and thus bring into being the inevitable mistrust of Adama? As Roslin herself states, Conoy plants insidious and deadly thoughts in the mind that are far more effective than any warhead. Perhaps this was the real goal of his mission aboard the Geminon Traveller – to recreate the mistrust and uncertainty that marked Roslin’s early relationship with Adama; build on her prejudices and use them to create something more destructive within her own mind?

If so, he may have succeeded. Or, again, he could be telling the truth. There has been much speculation on “who is” and “who isn’t” a Cylon on various BBs on the web; I’ve engaged in some of the debates. I’ve even postulated (admittedly somewhat in jest) that of all the Colonials, Adama is actually best placed to be an unwitting Cylon agent: he is, after all, the one who put them on the “path” to Earth, the one who is, presumably, making the decisions on their course, and thus the one who brings them to the star system that turns out to be the location of Kobol….

Like everything else that has been hinted at in BSG, the truth about Adama works whether he is or isn’t a Cylon. BUT – if he is, it could be one of the most outstanding denouements seen at the end of a series – assuming the writers won’t reveal the fact until we reach the end of the main story-arc.

If Conoy isn’t psychic – then what of Roslin? Is it Conoy communicating with her through her dreams in this episode? Possibly, but perhaps not. When she first “encounters” Conoy in her dream at the start of the episode, Roslin has yet to learn of his presence – yet she pictures him in her dream wearing the very clothes he is wearing when he is captured – and his face is scarred and bruised from the beatings he has yet to receive during his interrogation. How is this? Either he really does see everything – the future, the past, the foreshadowing of events, and is able to pass on those impressions to others around him, or something in Roslin caused her to “see” him before she even knew of his presence.

If she does indeed have precognition, this is the first time we’ve seen it. What has caused it? Could it be the results of her using Kamala extract in her fight against cancer? The Galactica’s Major Connell indicated it is a fringe treatment, frowned upon by mainstream medical science. Could it be that this apparent precognitive ability is a side-effect of her treatment using the extract? If so, then the character of Roslin may be evolving into more than just the head of the civilian population. Indeed, in keeping with the religious overtones of the series, most religions need a prophet. Why not Laura Roslin?

And why, in her dream, does he warn her about “Cylons”, only to have Colonial guards chase her? Is this a veiled reference to Adama’s true status, or is it something else? Is Roslin simply worried about “who is and who isn’t”, and the worry is affecting her dreams? If this is the case – are these worries something Conoy picked-up on, allowing him to use them to implant the doubts about Adama – routing a lie in foundations of genuine concern?

Indeed – in watching Adama’s scene in the morgue we see him make a considerable effort to control his rage, to avoid smashing the telephone handset into Conoy’s face. Then he leans over the cadaver and states firmly, “No.” Just what is going on here? Is the “soul” inside the cadaver trying to tell him something? Should Adama be a Cylon, is his human half caught in an internal struggle with his Cylon “half” without him actually being aware of the cause of the struggle? Or is him simply concerned that the Conoy on the Traveller will seek to confuse Thrace, twist her thinking much as the dead Conoy tried with Adama himself at Ragnar Achorage?

Away from the central action, we begin to see the pieces fall into place around Helo on Caprica. Last time around I suggested the answer might lie in the act of procreation. This week I’ll go further: the reason is deeper than the “mere” act of reproduction. The Cylons are seeking…love.

Love is a theme that resonate throughout the episode – and indeed, has resonated through the series since Six’s first on-screen appearance with Baltar. As he is interviewed for a news broadcast, she enters his house, a look of adoration on her face. Then, after the interview, as they start to make out, she asks him in a child-like voice, in need of reassurance, “Did you miss me Gaius?” Still kissing and undressing her, he replies, “Can’t you tell?” and her tone grows more petulant, “Your body misses me. What about your heart…your soul?”

Intent on sating his lust, Baltar remains flippant, “Yeah, those to,” Six’s voice returns to one of need. “Do you love me Gaius?” When he does answer, she stops him from kissing her, making him look her in the eye. “Do you love me?” It is something he cannot answer except to ask her if she is serious. For a moment there is hurt in Six’s expression – which she covers and still proceeds to have sex with him.

Do you love me? The need is real. Could it be that, in carrying her primary mission of sabotage through Baltar, Six did actually come to love him – she actually, if accidentally came to experience that one emotion, that one driving force of life that the Cylons have equated to Godhood, (“God is love”)?

If so, it would suggest that, indeed, whatever is in Baltar’s head - whatever caused “Shelly Godfrey” to appear in “Six Degrees…” - is not a product of Baltar’s own mind….

Certainly, it is the question of love that appears foremost in this episode – both with Conoy, who returns to it time and again in his references to Cylon religion, and more particularly with Valerii on Caprica, where the first question she is asked after her revelation to Doral and Six that she had sex is “Does he love you?” A comment which is immediately followed by a dismissive “then you’re just guessing,” when she admits he had not actually said as much.

Following the interview with Doral and Six, two things are clear: Valerii has fallen for Helo. That much is evident from the flashbacks of her time with him. She also very much shares the memories of Boomer back on Galactica – at least up until the point where Boomer left Helo on Caprica, indicating the various incarnations of a specific humanoid Cylon share experiences throughout their existence – although this may be limited by the distance between one another.

Did the Cylons anticipate that any love expressed by a human might be reciprocated by one of their own? If they wish to experience love, then it is hard to see how they could avoid coming to this conclusion. Indeed, it might well explain Doral’s question to Valerii in “Litmus” when Helo sets out to “find” her: “Are you prepared for the next step?” A comment that at the time appeared to have implications well beyond the beating she then received at the hands of Six.

Again, putting these items together – the fact that different incarnations of a Cylon humanoid share experiences and the attempts to have Helo fall in love with Valerii on Caprica – go a long way to explaining Six’s very apparent sarcasm and vindictiveness towards Valerii, as witnessed in “Litmus” (“He doesn’t love you,” and the unnecessarily-harsh beating she then gives Valerii), and her jealousy towards Valerii shown in this episode (She acts like one of them, thinks like one of them. She is one of them”). Why? Because if Baltar’s Six did indeed fall in love with Baltar, then Six on Caprica may well have experienced some of it for herself – a vicarious thrill, the very thing the Cylons seek – but it is down to another to achieve the goal of having a human fall in love with her, not Six.

Layers in layers, clues and counter-clues, wheels within wheel all are revealed, all light the path of the story while simultaneously obscuring the truth behind what is happening. We receive glimpses and shadows of what might be happening, and what might yet come to pass; but like the insidious nature of Conoy’s half-truths and riddles, they serve to weave a story that even here, more than half-way through season one, inspires discussion, evokes enthusiasm and engages the imagination. Long may it continue!

Reviewing “Flesh and Bone” is a complex matter. There is so much going on here, that covering everything in any depth is near-impossible in the space available. To this end, I’ve skipped over the Boomer situation on Galactica – although the issues here do, for now, seem clear to all. Similarly I’ve avoided plumbing the depths of the rich religious imagery contained within the episode, as I’m sure this will be the subject of debate for days – if not weeks – to come.

Instead, I’ll close now by stating that “Flesh and Bone” is the strongest story yet to come out of Battlestar Galactica – more than that, it is one of the most thought-provoking and evocative 42 minutes of television drama ever broadcast.

Notes

This episode takes place within 24 hours of those portrayed in Six Degrees of Separation
Galactica’s medico has apparently been successful in his quest for Kamala – Roslin is now using it in her fight against cancer
There are 47,954 survivors in the fleet, presumably including Galactica’s crew, as the figure has fluctuated between 45,000 and 50,000 over the past few weeks in rounded figures
Laura Roslin may have precognition, and / or Cylons may be psychic
Boomer believes her family were all killed – together with almost her entire past in a “tragedy” that destroyed the colony of Troy
Baltar’s Cylon detector works
Baltar now knows Boomer is a Cylon

Noteworthy Dialogue

Conoy to Starbuck, towwards the end of his interrogation, just before Roslin's arrival

Conoy: Each of us plays a role; each time a different role. Maybe the last time I was the interrogator and you were the prisoner. The players change, the story remains the same. And this time – this time – your role is to deliver my soul unto God. Do it for me. It’s your destiny. And mine. (PAUSE) And I told you I had a surprise for you. Are you ready? You are going to find Kobol, birthplace of us all. Kobol will lead you to Earth. This is my gift to you, Kara.

Official Statements

Statistics

Guest Stars

Callum Keith Rennie as Conoy
Matthew Bennett as Doral
Christina Schild as Playa Kohn
Biski Gugushe as Hamilton
- Eric Breker as Geminon Traveller Captain

Writing & Direction

Written by Toni Graphia
Directed by Brad Turner

Production Notes

Series 1 (2004 / 2005)
Production Number: 1.08
Airdate Order: 8 (of 13)

First Run Air Dates & Releases

UK Airdate: 6 December 2004 (Sky One)
US Airdate: (Sci-Fi Channel)
DVD Release: N/A