Gravedancing

"Gravedancing" An episode of the Caprica Series
Episode No.	Season 1, Episode 4
Writer(s)	Jane Espenson
Story by	Michael Angeli Jane Espenson
Director	Michael Watkins
Assistant Director
Special guest(s)
Production No.
Nielsen Rating
US airdate	February 19, 2010
CAN airdate
UK airdate
DVD release
Population	{{{population}}} survivors
Additional Info
Episode Chronology
Previous		Next
The Reins of a Waterfall	Gravedancing	There is Another Sky
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Official Summary
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Listing of props for this episode
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			@ BW Media
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Overview

Daniel readies himself for his appearance on Backtalk with Baxter Sarno. The GDD carry out searches on the Athena Academy and the Graystone home. Sam waits patiently for his moment to kill Amanda, but Joseph is slowly overcome with regret for calling in the hit on her.

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Summary

Teaser

• Somewhere in Caprica City, a closed and empty Holo Cafe is bombed. Three hours later, Director Gara Singh and Agent Jordan Durham discuss the bombing, believing it to be either copycats or Soldiers of the One. During the conversation, Durham preens himself on obtaining a warrant from the Inter-Colonial Court on Libran, whereby they are not only permitted to search the Graystone Estate, but also the lockers that Zoe Graystone may have used at the Athena Academy. Singh gives his blessing on making the school search a media spectacle, but stresses that Durham should make the search "tasteful."
• At the Willow home, Desiree, Nestor, Olaf and Clarice Willow awaken in the morning. As Nestor and Clarice start to be intimate, Clarice receives a call on her cellphone. She abruptly leaves the bedroom, leaving the rest of her partners to wonder what just happened.
• Out on the steps of a building, Clarice Willow "accidentally" bumps into another man, taking out an e-sheet from the man's pocket. On it she types in "GDD RAID COMING," sends the message, and disposes of the e-sheet in a trash can.
• Keon Gatwick receives Willow's message at Athena Academy and removes his detonators and explosives, throwing them into his bag. Just as he finishes, Agent Durham and various GDD agents are followed by reporters and Sister Willow. Durham announces that they are executing a search, and GDD agents begin cutting off locks and force students to empty their packs.
• During the raid, Lacy Rand approaches Gatwick and asks him to follow her shortly after she leaves, so that they may talk. Instead, he chooses to walk away, leaving her behind.
• At the Graystone Estate, Daniel Graystone reviews the list of talking points for the Backtalk with Baxter Sarno show. Daniel discusses how best to divorce his late daughter from the holoband technology with Priyah Magnus and Cyrus Xander, but is not pleased with calling his daughter troubled. Amanda Graystone briskly walks by, leading Daniel to note of her displeasure with his appearance on Sarno's show; Xander asks if she'll make another scene that'll contradict Daniel's statement, leading Daniel to assure him that this will not be the case.
• When talking to Magnus, he very directly notes that the holoband wasn't the problem, thus earning her praise. They continue the pow-wow.
• Outside across the river from the house, Sam Adama watches via bincoulars the ongoings inside the Graystone Estate from inside his car. He receives a phone call from Joseph Adama, who asks why Amanda was not killed yet. He tells his brother about Graystone's visitors and asks how much of a bloodbath Joseph would desire. Joseph quickly backtracks, realizing that he doesn't want one; Sam asks Joseph if he still wants Amanda killed. Joseph assures him that this is still his desire; Sam tells his brother to have patience and ends the conversation.

Act 1

• In the hallway, Sister Clarice Willow promises her students that the GDD's search will not happen again, and gives her students leave to return home for the day. After the students leave, she collapses to the floor and begins hitting a nearby locker as she screams in rage.
• Daniel Graystone enters their bedroom, telling his wife that Priyah Magnus and Cyrus Xander have left for the studio. As Daniel looks for his suit jacket, he and his wife emotionally quarrel over "dancing" over "Zoe's grave" by going on Sarno's show. He reminds her that he's only doing it because of her actions in Apollo Park, wherein she opened a dialogue to greater Caprica. She appeals to him to say that they are going through a difficult time right now, but he points out that such a thing "doesn't play," much to her disgust. He storms out after noting that they are not parents.
• In Daniel's lab, Zoe-R accesses the virtual world trying to get Lacy Rand. Zoe finds herself in the V-Club, and de-rezes when Philomon begins running his diagnostics. He notes that the robot needs a name.
• Backstage of Sarno's show, Magnus and Xander continue to coach Daniel on what he should say, while Rebecca the makeup artist works on hiding most of Daniel's injuries from his encounter with Sam Adama. He wants to smoke, as he finds the thought of going on television nauseating, but Rebecca is insistent that he not smoke. After bribing her through an offer of a thousand cubits, Rebecca permits him to smoke.
• At the Adama apartment, Ruth calls out William Adama on not going to school. Willie claims that he was with Uncle Sam, and asks if that's a problem. Ruth notes that this isn't a problem, but he shouldn't tell his father. She notes that on Tauron males are considered men at 13, and therefore capable of making their own decisions; she notes that whenever Joseph sees him, he shouldn't be angry. As Willie sits in a chair and is about to watch television, Ruth takes the remote from his hand and directly asks him what he wants to be right now. He tells her that he wants to take the job offered to kids, where they work inside the locker room of the pyramid players. During the conversation, Willie notes that his dad knows the owner, but they do not appear to be friends any more. She scoffs the comment, noting that one gets the best things from enemies, "because they're scared of you." Ruth adds that Sam can look into it, as he can get things done, and returns the remote to the now contemplative Willie.
• Still sitting on a cliff overlooking the Graystone Estate, Sam sees Amanda going to the kitchen. Much to his chagrin, he receives a phone call from Joseph; he exasperatedly tells Joseph that he'll have to live with the murder of Amanda. During the phone call, he sees a group of GDD agents and civilian reporters barge into the mansion, much to Amanda's shock. Joseph is shocked at this development.
• Inside the mansion, Agent Jordan Durham tells the press to remain outside. Amid Amanda's protests, Durham serves her their warrant, noting that they will only search the residence and stay away from Daniel's lab. He tries to talk her down, noting that all they want to do is find out who turned her daughter into a bomber.

Notes

• Jordan Durham notes that the Soldiers of the One have been dormant for 10 years prior to the bombing of Maglev 23.
• As Philomon cycles through music selections in Daniel's lab, the Colonial Anthem is briefly heard.
• Ruth's quip that Tauron males are considered men at 13 is odd as it does not match up with Willie Adama's, which is 11.
• The source music for Backtalk with Baxter Sarno, such as the opening theme and the walkout music heard when Daniel walks onto the set, is the same source music heard at the dance at the end of "Colonial Day."
• Several mentions are made during the episode to Willie's set of Tauron jacks. This may be an indirect reference to "Sometimes a Great Notion," where Anastasia Dualla discovers a set of jacks buried among the ruins on Earth.

Analysis

• The public's deep suspicion of the Holoband as discussed on Backtalk With Baxter Sarno is mirrored in real life Earth over worries of the Holoband's presumed predecessor in the Colonies, the Internet. Much of the same issues of parental control, the youth losing its way on it due to, as the adult public sees it, nefarious forces are much the same as the public worries of the net on Earth in First World Nations, particularly with social networking sites. This phenomena is called a Moral Panic when a new powerful trend that generates anxiety in a population, mostly among the middle age adult and older as they worry as to the effect on the new cultural touchstone on children, teenagers and young adults; in particular adolescents. Past Moral Panics have included video games in the 1980's through the early 21st century, Hip Hop Music, in particular Gangsta Rap in the 1990's, Skateboarding in the 1970's, Rock 'n Roll music in the 1950's and 1960's, Comic books in the 1950's. Such panics sometimes involved congressional investigations such as The United States Senate Subcommittee on Juvenile Delinquency in early 1954 to investigate the Comic Book industry over what it saw as very violent content of detective and horror comic books. This lead to the voluntary adoption of the industry created Comics Code Authority to police itself. Then the Congressional investigations of content in video games deemed to have a violent content in 1993. As with the Comic Book industry in the 1950's such concerns led the video game industry to adopt voluntary ratings rankings of video games such as the ESRB rating system in the United States and Canada, as well as the PEGI rating system in Europe to placate public and governmental concerns and to head off actual governmental regulation (congressional attempts failed due to First Amendment issues). Daniel Graystone at the spur of the moment pledged to take the profit motive out of using the holoband in response to public suspicion that it was somehow the holoband, which seems overwhelmingly "populated" by teenagers that caused Graystone's "troubled" daughter to blow up the commuter train. Graystone pointed out that it was because her daughter saw lack of moral direction on the Holoband that lead her to join the STO, not that it caused her to lack moral direction.

Questions

• Will Barnabus Greeley help Lacy Rand deliver Zoe Graystone's "package" to Gemenon?
• What exactly is on Gemenon?
• How will Daniel Graystone's promise to make holoband access free affect the company? What are the possible repercussions to Daniel's hold over the company?
• Will Philomon ever discover that the U-87 contains Zoe's avatar?
• What is Jordan Durham's personal stake in hunting down the Soldiers of the One?
• How involved are Clarice Willow's various husbands and wives in the STO?

Noteworthy Dialogue

• Daniel and Amanda Graystone quarrel over Daniel's necessity to appear on Backtalk with Baxter Sarno:

Amanda Graystone: Look, can't you go out there and say that this is a very sad time for our family, and that we need time to process?

Daniel Graystone: It just doesn't play. The car should be here by now. Serge?

Amanda: "Just doesn't play?!" Doesn't play? Did you actually hear what you just said? It won't play?

Daniel: I don't have time for this—

Amanda: You sound like Cyrus. "It just won't play," Daniel?

Daniel: I'm about to go on international television.

Amanda: We're not company spokespeople, we're parents!

Daniel: Parents? Actually, no, we're not.

• Ruth imparts unique advice to young William Adama:

Ruth: You think you only get things from friends? You get the best things from enemies, because they're scared of you.

Guest Stars

• Scott Porter as Nestor Willow
• Patton Oswalt as Baxter Sarno
• Kendall Cross as Youngblood
• Peter Wingfield as Gara Singh
• Luciana Carro as Priyah Magnus
• Alex Arsenault as Philomon
• Karen Austin as Ruth
• Sina Najafi as William Adama
• Hiro Kanagawa as Cyrus Xander
• Jim Thomson as Voice of Serge
• Liam Sproule as Keon Gatwick
• Françoise Yip as Desiree Willow
• Panou as Olaf Willow
• Feguins Toussaint as Bodyguard Sean
• Rebecca Lee as Rebecca (credited as "Makeup Artist")
• Maggie Ma as Crew Member
• Scott Patey as Comic
• Riel Hahn as Stage Manager
• Conrad Whitaker as Businessman

Caprica definition: a civilian outfit on Caprica in operation prior to the First Cylon War handling large-scale enforcement throughout the colony, akin to the FBI, see: Global Defense Department

Galactica 1980 definition: Troy attempts to use a phone booth near a gas station prior to their first run-in with Jamie Hamilton ^{(1980: "Galactica Discovers Earth, Part I")}.

Re-imagined Series definition: in military parlance, directive to continue the attack; otherwise used to refer to journalists ^{(TRS: "Maelstrom")}

Caprica definition: a monotheistic terrorist organization in existence for more than a decade prior to 58 BCH (^{(CAP: "Pilot")}, et al).