TV Recap: Battlestar Galactica - The Ties That Bind

Let’s get this out of the way upfront: this episode lacked the emotional impact it deserved. Around our house there’s a general feeling of ambivalence towards most stand alone episodes of serial television series’. Although the occasional standout will take its rightful place on our replay list. “The Ties That Bind” has the unfortunate task of driving some plot points forward, but ultimately the viewer is in the same place when the credits roll as they were an hour prior. We get some great info, but aside from the Cylon story it felt kind of empty. Which is made all the more sad by the passing of Cally, who was executed by a cold hearted bitch…or perhaps there’s more to that story than the events would have us believe. There is a lot of feeling, and sex, in this week’s Battlestar Galactica. We can now move on to the sex.

Cavil Is Hitting That, Yo!

The show opens with the recently resurrected Cavil being greeted by friends, who inform him that Brunette Six and her band of merry misfits have split from the main fleet. When next Cavil and Six meet it would appear that the bullet riddled One has seen the error of his ways. He readily agrees to stop lobotomizing the Raiders; but stops just short of agreeing to unbox Three. Here’s what I don’t understand: Why the frak would Six ever trust a One, in particular the very one she had executed? He’s a sex crazed fiend who has been scheming and stabbing people in the back for a long time. It’s in his nature to be deceitful. And it would appear that Cavil is not just watching Boomer do naked yoga, he’s participating. It’s an image none of us needed.

Cavil comes back to Six and her friends with the proposal to go a few jumps to a server that will give them access to Three, who is being downloaded at that moment. This was not what Cavil wanted, of course. He still believes it was the right idea to box D’Anna, but his buddies outvoted him. Right…and now you’re just rolling over and undoing the very action you took the time to orchestrate. In any case, the Cylon fleet jumps to this location and Cavil immediately surrounds the rebel Base Star. Six and her compatriots realize it’s a trap as they are killed with no resurrection ship nearby. Boomer questions the action, asking what will happen to their souls. “We’re machines, dear,” Cavil responds. “We don’t have souls.” OK, it looks like if you’re going to make a bold move against Cavil it had better be permanent. This dude is not playing games, but we’ve known that for a long time was we watch him maneuver a place in the power position within the Cylon ranks.

Kara Gets Frakked

We meet up with Kara and crew on day 22 aboard Demetrius. She’s been studying star maps, sending the ship around in what the crew is beginning to see as random directions, and Earth doesn’t appear any closer. We also get to see her crew: Cylon suspect numero uno Gaeta, Anders, Seelix, Helo and Boomer. Kara is losing touch with reality; and with me as a viewer. Starbuck used to be a reason to watch the show. Punching out Tigh is a pivotal and wonderful moment for the character, and it would seem all of that is gone. It’s sad because I want to know what her purpose is, but I’d much rather have season 1 Starbuck back in the seat of a Viper.

Kara goes back to her painting ways, but Sam comes in wanting to reconnect. Maybe share some love, but Starbuck rebukes him with a comment that she only married him because it was the safe and easy thing to do. She then tries to belittle him and make him feel bad, but this just leads to wild sex. There must be a weird wire in Cylon brains that equates vitriolic comments as an indication that all systems are go for sweaty frakking. No, it’s not quite on par with Spike and Buffy bringing an entire house down…but maybe that kind of passion is needed. Kara’s desire to get frakked and feel something comes off as desperate. Post coitus Kara waxes philosophical about how she feels as if she’s watching her life rather than living it.

Heil To The Chief

There may not be any passionate frakking going on, but the Admiral and the President share a powerful personal connection. Adama sits with Roslin and reads to her as she struggles with the pain of her cancer treatment. If there’s a sweeter moment anywhere else in the universe I’d be hard pressed to find it.

Over at the press room Lee speaks a bit about his joining the Quorum and the press immediately wonders if Roslin has forgiven him for his role in Baltar’s trial. Not only does the President forgive the young Adama, she hopes he brings the same passion to representing his constituency. Surprisingly Adama tells Roslin about Demetrius’ true purpose, and what he is allowing Kara to do. But it makes sense, because this is the woman he can confide in. The decision to let Kara take a crew and look for Earth has far more to do with his fatherly feeling toward her. While Roslin is not happy about having to keep this secret, she’ll do it. Why? The man is there to comfort her when she needs it most. Besides, what if Kara is right?

Tom Zarek makes another appearance, chatting up Lee. This time he’s warning Lee that Roslin has not forgiven him for the Baltar fiasco. Zarek seems to be positioning himself to help Lee oppose Roslin, and the last time he offered someone that kind of alliance the humans spent months under Cylon tyranny. But he simply hands over a file marked confidential after airing his fear that the President is becoming too secretive.

As Roslin dodges more questions about the Demetrius, Lee broaches the subject of the confidential file. It appears Roslin is looking to enact an order that would essentially cut the Quorum off at the knees. Her plan would give the president unilateral control over the government. Roslin tells the Quorum that the plan in question is still being worked on, and would have been brought forward when finished. She gives Lee the stink eye for bringing the subject up, but you have to wonder where things would have led if he hadn’t. Is Roslin really in the business of trying to become the benevolent dictator? Perhaps what happened with Baltar’s presidential run has hardened her soul when it comes to doing “what it takes.”

Here Floats Cally

While Chief is busy trying to figure out what being a Cylon means Cally is going crazy back at their bungalow. She’s getting no sleep, Nicky is crying constantly, and her husband tells her he has to work all the damn time. But it turns out that he’s going to Joe’s Bar, and so she follows him there. Tory, whose evil robot levels appear to be directly proportionate to how big her hair has gotten, flirts with Chief. Cally witnesses this, it makes her sick…and she is majorly pissed off.

Tyrol tries telling Cally he’s not having an affair, but she doesn’t believe him. For his part, Doc Cottle tries to help out. He offers to take a look at Chief. Cally thinks she’s the one who’s crazy; she did marry the man who broke her jaw. Yeah, looking back that might have been less sweet than I thought. She's also apparently been downing antidepressants, which Cottle thinks could lead to paranoia. Back at the homestead Cally finds a note, obviously meant for Chief, mentioning a nearby weapons locker.

Curious lady that she is, Cally goes to the locker and sees Tigh, Tory and her husband go in. She scurries along in the wall and overhears them talking about being Cylons. Cally freaks out, runs back home, and when Tyrol comes back she knocks in his face with a wrench. Twice actually, it was a serious beatdown. I guess she really wasn’t over that broken jaw issue and finally got her payback.

Distraught Cally takes Nicky and goes to airlock herself and him, but Tory stops her. Tory is really taking to being a female Cylon; she could become our new Number Six. In a decidedly creepy way, Tory tells Cally that none of them knew they were Cylons. They found out at the nebula, but they all feel like the same person. She convinces Cally to give her Nicky, and then she backhand uppercuts Cally. The next thing we see Tory is outside the deck, she opens the door and Cally gets airlocked. She floats out into space and the Cylon secret is safe.

I wish that Sci Fi had not run the promo they did after last week’s episode. It gave everything away. I knew the entire plot of this episode due to that, and it took the surprise and impact of Cally’s death down to negligible levels. Other than that, the episode was fairly entertaining to watch. I loved the drop of blood hitting the floor, just like when Cally shot and killed Boomer. But overall, I doubt I’ll be rewatching this episode all that much.