Battlestar Galactica recap: The Ties That Bind (S4×03)
Wow.
I have a feeling that the goodbye we said tonight wont be the last of this season by a long shot.
Before we get into that dreadful, sad ending, let’s start with the Demetrius, a.k.a. Psychoship.
Starbuck has some mental issues. She’s pouring over charts, painting on cabin walls and questioning her own “being.” She tells Anders that she just wants to “frak”, and then shares the creepy feeling of not really being a part of her “alien” body.
That’s she’s just watching from above. Okie dokie…what the frak?
Is still really Kara, or some resurrected version of her sent back to lead the people to Earth? Not exactly a Cylon, but something else entirely maybe?
Meanwhile, the rest of her crew (which is made up of the best of the best amazingly, let’s hope the Galactica doesn’t need Athena, Gaeta, Helo, Selix or Anders for anything) is questioning her motives and constant change in directions.
Over in Cylon space, war is brewing. Civil war. Between the Cylons.
After being blown away last week, One, Four and Five decide to reconcile things with Caprica Six and her uninhibited Centurions. They also agree to un-box the Threes.
At least, that’s what we’re led to believe. The Ones have no plans to make any sort of truce. They lure the others into a trap, leaving the resurrection ship behind. The 3 Basestars commanded by Caprica Six are surrounded by 6 or so other Basestars controlled by the Ones.
When we leave them, Six’s ships are being blown to pieces. But their fate isn’t known yet.
Back on Colonial One, Lee Adama is sworn in as Caprica’s representative in the Quorum of 12. Tom Zarek gets to Lee though, and drops a classified document in front of him. This gives Lee the motivation to continue what he started at Baltar’s Trial: Becoming a player in the political game.
He questions the classified document’s intention to allow a tribunal to be formed with total control by the President. Caught, Roslin opens it up for discussion to the Quorum, but knows Zarek was responsible.
(on a side note, of our readers Adam thinks Zarek is the final Cylon, which I’m starting to come around to.)
Finally, we get to the main event of the episode. Cally is going nuts on drugs, trying to get some sleep despite a crying baby. Chief Tyrol in the meantime is gone most of the time, and Cally goes looking for him.
She finds him at the bar, having a deep conversation with Tory. While the Chief is feeling strange and distant from his former self, Tory appears to be in ecstasy at the changes happening to her.
We’re not sure if it’s a hallucination or not, but Cally sees Tory rubbing the Chief’s arm and loses it.
But even worse, she finds a note hidden in the door to their room and finds a time for a meeting. Thinking it’s Chief and Tory, she spies on the arms locker only to find Tigh show up as well. She squeezes into the electrical spacing between the bulkheads, and overhears the most shocking news ever:
Tigh, Tory and Tyrol are all Cylons. Her world is blown apart and she can barely contain herself.
She runs off, but leaves the cover off to the opening she used, which arouses Tory’s suspicion.
But Cally goes back to her room and stands, shaking and disturbed. Chief walks in behind her, with a distant, canned voice as we experience Cally’s state of mind: Utter fear and confusion.
That confusion and fear turns to anger as the Chief turns away to comfort the baby. Cally grabs the biggest wrench I’ve ever seen and knocks him out with two heavy blows.
She runs off to the hangar deck and the airlock, ready to kill both herself and the half-Cylon baby she mothered. But Tory catches up, talks her down and takes the baby from Cally.
And then the new nature of Tory comes out, as she socks Cally about 15 feet across the airlock. As Cally comes to, she stares at Tory looking at her from the control room, holding her child…and then is blown out the airlock without a hint of emotion on Tory’s face.
Holy crap.
While that scene is chilling, it didn’t have the emotion I was expecting. Perhaps because I was about 95% sure Cally died in this episode, it didn’t affect me as much as I thought it might. How about you?
One thing is for sure: Cally was a tough girl and faced a lot over her time on the show. I do feel bad that her ending was sudden and filled with such darkness and heartbreak.
But the real revelation here is that our newly awoken Cylons are starting to change. We haven’t seen Anders or Tigh enough, but Chief and Tory definitely are evolving. Tory’s evil streak is coming out, her embracing of her new self evident. And Tyrol is beginning to not recognize himself in the mirror, seeing a different man looking back at him.
On another note, I have a sneaky suspicion that the Cylons being led by Caprica Six will escape and seek out the humans for protection and help. I’m not sure, but it’s starting to feel that way.
If it does happen, THAT will be an awesome meeting.
What did you guys think of the episode? What’s up with Starbuck?
Oh and, what’s up with Brother Cavil (the One) and Boomer kissing? My wife saw that coming, even suggesting last week that’s how Cavil got the one vote he needed.
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Another great episode. I’m still not sure what’s up with Starbuck.
Whatever happened to the baby that Boomer had? It’s been so long I can’t remember? Is it still hidden or was it killed?
No, it’s on the ship being taken care of by Athena…in fact, last season, Roslin, Athena and the captured Six on Galactica all dreamt about Hera at the same time
Great, great episode. Claustrophobic, intense direction for Cally’s degrading mental state, and Tory becoming *even hotter* than before.
Personally, I think Tory is changing into this new, uninhibited person because she feels like the morals and mores that constrained her before no longer apply. I don’t think it is anything inherent in being a Cylon. It’s just who this government factotum is in her heart. And Chief? He’s just confused about his place in the world and trying to come to grips with it. I imagine that will be made a tad more difficult by Tory’s actions.
Everyone else catch the number on the weapon’s locker? A shout out to Ron Moore’s old ship.
R.A. Porter’s last blog post..Friday Night Sketch War: Round Eleven
Oh yeah, as for Boomer kissing Cavil…she’s obviously got Stockwell Syndrome!
R.A. Porter’s last blog post..Friday Night Sketch War: Round Eleven
I think Tory is definitely embracing the Cylon side of life. Since they have been “activated” I would assume they have a mission of some kind either being transmitted to them subconsciously, or something preprogrammed.
By the way, it is Stockholm Syndrome.
Collin, it was a play on words because Cavil is played by Dean Stockwell
But does anyone else think Boomer with Cavil is strange?
I just have to say, the entire story of Boomer as a Cylon has been disappointing. She’s totally gone over to their side, doesn’t seem like a hint of her former self is there anymore.
Just feels weird to me.
It as 8 base ships…and its wasnt clear if the one was alone, so not sure if it was 7 on 1 of 6 on 2 or what, but civil war within the cylons is awesome.
Starbuck…whoa get a grip there partner…geesh. I feel bad for Anders, but hes a frakking machine so then I dont…
Yeha Chiefs wife biting it was a bit of surprise… whats in store next!?!?!
Alright, bear with me for a second while I spin out this weird story…
Once on Laverne and Shirley, the girls won a timed shopping spree at a supermarket. I think they were the millionth customer or something. So they prepare their strategy for going through the store and are going to clean up. Lenny and Squiggy each ask for one thing - I only recall that one of them wanted Bosco. Spree on, the girls are kicking ass, many items to go, but at the very end they fail to completely cross the finish line, only each getting one hand across the line. Of course, one had a jar of Bosco and the other had the second requested item. All that work, all that effort, and only two items made it across the line.
Why this ridiculous story?
Because I’m starting to think at the end the 39K survivors aren’t making it to Earth. I think 12 Cylons and 12 humans might be all that make it across the finish line. Hell, it might be even less than that. That’s my new theory.
R.A. Porter’s last blog post..TV Critic Follies
Good one Porter…I have to think that the ending is just going to blow us away. There are so many theories out there, that the humans will arrive and find Cylons there, or in fact, they are ALL Cylons already, and the final 5 are just the creators, etc.
I’ve also heard the end is going to be brutal…which kind of goes with your theory…that not many people are making it, not many of the characters we know.
I already miss Cally. She could never catch a break, could she?
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I didn’t see it coming w/Calley until the airlock scene. I don’t think she’s a cylon. I totally dogged Tory & my friend told me that Tory was only protecting their [the 4] secret. Yeah. Right. She was more involved then protecting the secret. She enjoyed it. But, come to think of it while I am writing this, there was a bit of evil in Tory from the beginning. Remember when she more or less encouraged Roslin’s dead baby Hera plan & rigged the election? Maybe that’s why I wasn’t surprised that she killed Cally. As for the 5th model, I think it’s goion to surprise us & wont be anyone we think it is.
Cally isn’t a Cylon of course
And I agree Kate, Tory is liking it too much.
Yeah Tory is embracing it, and her vision of cylons are evil so she is becoming that, I agree with Kate as well….
I love that anyone related Laverne and Shirley to BSG! That’s classic!
Apr 20th, 2008 at 9:49 pm
[...] enjoyed reading a few of the articles. I'll point out that I really enjoyed Mike's "Battlestar Galactica recap: The Ties That Bind (S4×05)" after I watched the episode myself. Nevertheless, I need to mention some minor spelling [...]