TVSquad

This show never ceases to surprise me. I was not looking forward to this episode either but was pleasantly surprised at what the episode was really about. Also, why is Kara so damn hot? Nerd Friday. :)

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Yes a surprisingly good ep, in many way, most of all the acting. I mean there was almost no sci-fi or space-y stuff in this one, just relationship stuff, and it was still gripping. Amazing acting too by all. That said, I wonder if the subtleties that make this one hell of an ep might be lost on newbies or relative newcomers. I kept saying aloud "OH! Thats why he married Duala! OH! Thats why he got so fat!
Poor Duala. First Billy buys it, now this.

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Kara's tats are new to this season. When she was sitting there watching Anders sleep under the table, and Lee came up - her arm was bare. There was also a scene a little later where it looks - really quick - like she has a bandage covering up the blocky pyramid on her shoulder blade - like it was new.

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Kara's tattoo is new this season, both her and Anders have them, I THINK it was supposed to be their version of a wedding ring. I read somewhere that Katee Sackhoff and Michael Trucco came up with the idea between seasons.

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Dude, you're way off base. Starbuck has this whole "I don't really deserve to be happy" thing going on, so she almost automatically does stuff in her personal life to fulfill that. Part -- most -- of it may go back to considering herself responsible for Lee's brother's death.

She doesn't know how to live without the edge.

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The arm tattoo is new. It IS a wedding band (Anders has the same one) and yes superbagman the actors did think of them.

As for the blocky pyramid I am pretty sure it is new as well. I am thinking back to all of the times we have seen her naked back before and I dont recall it.

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I have to say it was rough seeing how the Lee/Kara filler played out. i watched someone that i loved up and marry someone else because she didn't think it would work between us. looking at another man's wife knowing she still loves you is probably the worst thing you can ever feel. like a punch to the gut and Lee showed that when his dad told him the news.

i gotta say though, i thought a better ending would have been Lee going totally out of his mind and beating Kara senseless. it just seems like that was what she wanted the way she kept pushing him. i mean, she acts like he screwed her over or something.

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What you all said.

I thought this was a great episode, too. Really enjoyed seeing how Adama came to allow so many of his best people to leave the military, and now -- because he *is* Adama -- he's beating himself up for dropping his guard. The whole New Caprica period is a lot clearer to me now.

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This is definitely one of those episodes that I will have to watch twice. Most of you guys know one of my favorite relationships on this show is Lee/Starbuck. There are times that I want them to get together, and there are times where the frustration of never being on the same page is so much better drama. I had always kind of hoped that it had been Lee that somehow caused their falling out, and not Starbuck, simply because thats what most would expect. I am interested in going back and watching last season's finale though. Tigh said something to Starbuck about asking Lee for help for Anders' meds, and I had thought it had seemed as if Tigh had some clue of what had happened.

My other favorite relationship is the Chief and Cally (And the third is the President and the Admiral, so I guess I got all of them tonight). I had originally thought that the whole 'Admiral having a bone to pick with the Chief' seemed REALLY rushed, but I think it was a small red herring as to exactly what the Admiral's point was. Something I didn't exactly see coming, even after the Admiral said that he didn't plan on winning the fight.

Jane Espensen, whom I think is incredibly talented, wrote the next episode, and compared following this episode to following the Beatles on stage (Over at AICN, if anyone is looking for the quote). Pretty high praise, and I think fairly well deserved.

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Very interesting episode. I would have liked to see Baltar/Cylons, but it was a nice episode nonetheless.

Dee pretty much knows now that those two are in love...will be interesting to see how Lee breaks it off with her. One thing I am surprised by is that they never mention Lee's Brother (Adama's son)...obviously he played a big part of Kara's life, and he maybe the reason Kara was afraid of getting involved with Lee was him. Still, they should have mentioned the guy sometime.

Great to see Adama teach everyone a lesson of sorts. I guess boxing really is cathartic in some sense. Question is, did Adama and Roslin hook up that night?

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Four of us were watching this episode last night, speculating on what Lee did to piss off Kara that she was ragging on him so badly. As soon as we all found out that she jumped up and married Anders, we all gasped loudly... None of us had seen that coming this way. Very nice misdirection.

No wonder this show is one of my favorites, it never stops surprising amid all of its twists and turns. I kept watching Adama and Roslin too, all of their body language suggested a married couple of sorts, too.

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This episode is a lesson in patient watching. Waiting eight episodes to explain why Apollo and Starbuck haven't been talking to each other rewarded people for waiting that long.

I add my voice to those who say they were not looking forward to this episode. But, I remember thinking that way about many shows in the first season. But, wow, that episode was a knock-out!

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Worst Episode Yet.

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I have to agree with Calpurnius - Kara destroys anything that is good in her life because she feels she doesn't deserve it. Also, given what Kara thinks of herself, she probably didn't want Lee (the person she loves) to go through any crap because of her issues.

And yes, I so wanted Lee to beat the tar out of Kara, but when they hugged and said they missed each other - what a moment.

As for Kara'a tattoo on her shoulder blade, watch old episodes - there has always been a square bandage on it. Perhaps Katee Sackhoff has a tattoo that they decided to mask with makeup instead of a bandage.

Episodes like this make BSG the best on TV.

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Thanks for the penetrating commentary by Kevinc.

Seriously, though, what was so bad? I think it gave us a better understanding of Adama, Apollo, Starbuck, and the Chief. We saw more of what happened on New Caprica, and how it informs our characters now.

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I thought this was a strong episode. It was a lot better than what the promos made it out to be. I'll chime in later w/ more thoughts....but still, I enjoyed it more than the previous ep.

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Stupid question but when exactly does this fit into the timeline? I didn't quite get that one.

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I hate to go against the grain, but I must play devils advocate on this one. Firstly, I am glad for you Dorv, that you got an episode that had the elements of your favorite subjects. Being BSG, the episode itself was engaging. The realistic aspects however, was stretchy.

Boxing, in its most fundamental form, is the most brutal form of activity as to traumatic effects on mind and body. The pros train arduously for this sport that still negates only a percentage of possible short (and long) term damage to body and phyche. Boxing can cause blood clots, brain hemmorraging, broken noses, etc. The point is...If I were a commanding officer, would I promote this kind of activity in order to "air out" the pent up feelings of the populace? In the situation they are in, can they afford injuries to the already dwindling population of their experienced crew? I would think Adama would have chosen tug of war, or dodge ball or...well anything that would not impair the well being of his valuable crew.

Having said that, did you notice Helo...lucky bastard that he is, being jumped on and showered with kisses by the beauty queen of the fleet after he won his match? If I knew I would be jumped on and showered with kisses by Sharon after a boxing match, I would jump in the ring with Mohammed Ali!

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STRONG episode. I still do not understand why Kara rushed to marry Anders. Were Apollo and Kara acting upon drunken instincts when they hooked up; and then professing their love for each other in a drunken stupor? I don't think so. Kara is a tough nut to crack, and Lee knows this...but i thought he made a connection w/ her that would have brought them together. Then she frakked him by marrying Anders in a rush ceremony. Lee was DEVASTATED(obvious in his performance). Why Kara, why? She is such a great character, but..I was surprised by her actions. He gave his soul up to her about his love for her...and she married Anders on a whim. WHY KARA?
Lee deserved to beat the stuffing out of her in the ring for what he was feeling. In the BSG universe, it seems, you have boxing matches to be on equal footing between all genders. Although it might have looked like an uneven match, Kara held her own against Lee. But she needed to have that goddamn chip knocked off her shoulder. i was satisfied w/ the conclusion of the fight between them. But Kara..has problems. And these problems predate the occupation w/ Leoben as her captor.
On another note...I LOVED the scenes w/Bill and Laura. I thought that the scene w/ both of them lying down side-by-side was nice(SEX maybe?). And of course, smoking of a New Caprican joint between them was a nice surprise.
Bills' speech after gettin' his ass kicked by Tyrol was brilliant too. Adama let his guard down during the pre-Cylon invasion of N.Caprica , and allowed others to do the same. NEVER AGAIN. And Tyrol instantly realized this revelation after the match.

This was a really solid episode.

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Tim-1: I can see you going against the boxing aspects w/ the reasons you stated. BUT...remember the ep. w/Adama and Lee boxing it out in an ep. awhile back?(Great cinematography, "slo-mo" shots, editing, etc.) I think this aspect is part of Caprican/Colonies culture. Hell, they're not so removed from "us". If Adama likes this form of physical sport/combat between his officers...then I can see him allowing it in whatever form. Regardless of consequences. It is a HUMAN thing. Cylons wouldn't understand this human concept IMO. The fights between our Galactica crew are a very real human thing, something that(no matter what their intelligence is), the Cylons are still learning; trying to understand.

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