BSG “A Disquiet Follows My Soul” – Paging Howard Beale
After watching the whirlwind events of “Revelations” and last week’s “Sometimes A Great Notion”, this week’s episode, written and directed by Ron Moore, definitely provided a slower pace and less meaty morsels for people to chew and savour. However, I think this was a wise move and will probably serve the overall story arc well by giving the audience a chance to catch their breath after the major roller-coaster ride of the last two episodes.
“A Disquiet Follows My Soul” did feature some intriguing character developments and the much needed time to explore how some characters are handling their new reality. I was thrilled to see that Gaius may finally be returning to his old, bitter self again (perhaps his shortened coiff is indicative that we’ll see a complete rejuvenation of the old, narcissistic, self-serving Gaius in the episodes to come. Or at least we can hope). However, I was disappointed to see what a short-shrift he was given in this piece after we saw that old fire returning to his character. One can hope that this scene is the segue to more Gaius-centered subplots in the subsequent episodes. I also liked the fact that they revealed that Tyrol’s son is in fact Hotdog’s child. Given the importance that was put on Hera, I always found it odd that none of the Final Four wondered how Tyrol could have sired a son. That is, unless they knew it wasn’t his all along – after all, the grapevine has to be pretty small on a ship like Galactica. Of course, this new revelation no doubt adds to Tyrol’s growing disconnect to his life on Galactica in light of realizing he had a life on Cylon Earth, as evidenced by his identity confusion at the start of the first act in Adama’s quarters.
Unfortunately, this episode also suffered from some tired and well-worn bits – the whole plot surrounding Tom Zarek felt too much like a been-there/done-that sort of deal. He’s not someone who’s looking out for the fleet’s best interests, but instead his ‘legacy’ in history; okay, we got that already several seasons ago. Sadly, Zarek’s character is one of those that never really got fleshed out into something more deeper and multi-dimensional and as a result, all his actions end up being predicated by the same motives. Given his background as a ‘rebel’ or perhaps more accurately, someone who sees things outside of the majority viewpoint, there was the potential for his character to serve as a more effective foil against the position of Adama and Roslyn – when those two were in agreement, that is. I did enjoy his rimshot line at Lee Adama where he asks him which role exactly was he currently playing. Well served – point goes to Zarek.
Of course, it’s interesting to see who struck a deal to be Zarek’s new partner in crime. Granted, Gaeta felt a little too sneering and bitter in this episode – it has been some time since he lost his leg, so it can’t be because of that. I assume the resentful and angry Gaeta was meant to demonstrate the growing frustration of the fleet’s populace now that it’s sinking in that they have no real concrete plans for a future, that they’ve all been hooked on this dream fix called Earth. Still, I would have liked to have seen a little more of that frustration and inner rage in Gaeta glinting in last week’s episode so the build-up here would be more reasonable. And did anyone else catch the focus on water as a visual element throughout this episode? A few times in the episode, the scene direction played particular attention to the presence of water in the scene – Adama running the shower (water conservation is not an issue?), Roslyn with her glass of water, and so forth. This scene between Zarek and Gaius may hold the rationale for that as I did get the impression of Zarek playing the part of Pontius Pilate, washing his hands of the bloodshed he’s about to set forth (again, no big surprise that Zarek would ask for a ‘partner’ since he’s shown the shrewd approach of playing the puppet-master in such situations).
Regardless, I’m glad to see that Moore and Eick are not shying away from dealing with the reality that the fleet should start to sink into the darker side of humanity as a result of Earth’s discovery. It’s often said that one of our species’ greatest assets is our ability to hope, to see a better tomorrow in spite of current conditions. The reality of this is that the flip side of this coin is how quickly we fall from that state of grace, and start turning on each other to express our rage and sense of disillusionment, if not betrayal of that vision. Will the fleet hit rock bottom only to start picking up the pieces? Guess we’ll find out over the course of the remaining episodes.
It’s clear that this episode is setting up some new arcs and that for me is a very reassuring sign since that means that Moore and Eick are not content with using these remaining episodes simply to tie up existing plot-lines; rather, they want to use it as an opportunity to create new ones that will make this final leg of the journey, hopefully, a very memorable one. So, in that regard, I don’t mind a ‘quiet’ episode like this one, since a good storyteller knows that he/she needs to give their audience a chance to take in all that has happened before sending them back into the chaos.
Some other posts you may enjoy:
- BSG “Blood on the Scales” – Off Bloody Spot, Off
- BSG “Sometimes A Great Notion” – Honey, I’m Home
- BSG “The Oath” – It’s Payback Time
- BSG “Daybreak, Part 1” – The End Is Found In Where We Began
- BSG “Revelations” – We’re Off To See The Wizard
- BSG “Islanded in a Stream of Stars” – Finding One’s Place To Call Home
He’s not someone who’s looking out for the fleet’s best interests, but instead his ‘legacy’ in history; okay, we got that already several seasons ago.
See, I don’t think we got that several seasons ago at all, and I don’t think we got it here. I think the frustrating thing is that Zarek is right: he’s not squeaky clean about it, but the man has a point as it relates to Roslin and Adama’s power and while his inner politics of fear are bleeding out here that’s in my mind a more nuanced character struggle than it is a retread of past storylines.
But I otherwise completely agree with your thoughts, echoing many of them in my own review, especially about Gaius: a perusal of Bear McCreary’s blog shows that there was actually a Head Six scene in the middle of Baltar’s sermon of sorts that was cut in post-production, so I am really intrigued to see if that would of given us more of a sense of the role he’s going to play in future episodes.
a perusal of Bear McCreary’s blog shows that there was actually a Head Six scene in the middle of Baltar’s sermon of sorts that was cut in post-production
Wait, what? Gaius’ mind-frakking Six was supposed to return? I have to admit my initial reaction was disappointment that it was dropped since that would’ve really been a shock. But then pondering it some more, I could see why Moore ultimately decided to drop that segment from the scene. As it stands, the scene shows Gaius feeling betrayed by whatever notions he had about his apparently-divine role in leading the flock. It’s that sense of disillusionment that he has over recent events that is driving his renunciation over what he used to believe – the fact that he just sat there smoking a cigarette while his flock cheered Tyrol and Hotdog’s fighting emphasized that ‘frak if I care anymore’ attitude he now has. If the scene with Six had been kept, it would introduce the idea that it’s not Gaius’ frustration that is behind his change in stance, but that Six voice in his head prodding him down a certain path. Besides, when that Head Six does re-appear, Gaius should have the opportunity to confront it as it was Head Six that had him believing he was some sort of a messiah.
The second reason why I think the omission makes sense is because of the whole mood of this episode – this storyline wasn’t about generating shocks or mind fraks, but rather fleshing out the emotional state of the fleet. With the goal now attained of finding Earth, new lines need to be drawn in the sand as to who sides with whom over what should be done next. So, having this sudden reappearance would stick out more like a sore thumb than be one of those wonderful surprise curve balls this series likes to throw out.
In regards to Zarek, from the start we were introduced to a character who was clearly motivated by opportunism and not a sense of what he felt was the best way for the fleet to function. Every time we’ve seen Zarek, his opposition to Adama and/or Roslyn was not because he had a clear, alternate vision of what to do; instead, just like we saw last night, all he sees are chances to stir the masses to rise up in protest, but without any viable alternatives of what to do instead. It’s also why Zarek hides behind someone else – first, it was with Gaius, and then Lee and now, it’s Gaeta – since as he did yesterday, he can claim that the actions people took were not because he told them to, but because it was the will of others. This strategy also protects him from people coming round after the deed is done and asking him what his plans are for turning the tide around. This lack of a real alternate voice is why I see the Zarek character as being pointless and a wasted potential.
Thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts, Myles. I’ll be sure to stop by your blog to see what other impressions you had of this episode.
I think that’s the inherent “tragedy” of sorts with Tom Zarek: he has the right ideas and sees the right things, but unfortunately he is still a terrorist. He still operates on the politics of fear, and doesn’t have a plan on how to actually fix this situation. It feels a bit sudden after he took such a backseat as of late, but I think Zarek is an intriguing character sketch, and one that is extremely relevant at this stage.
When the fleet jumped away from the Cylons, Zarek became irrelevant – he was a terrorist in a world where the sheer terror of their lives was enough to drive people towards the most reasonable terms. Tom Zarek has always been struggling for relevancy: battling to subvert power during the original split from the fleet, working under Baltar on New Caprica, and eventually using Lee for his uses. Now, with the fleet in disarray, there is room for terror: he’s going back into his old ways because it’s possible that he could have a point now. He could in fact be exactly the person the people need.
Unfortunately, he’s not ready for it, and even with Gaeta I don’t think Zarek can make this work. Terrorism is still too simple an ideology, same with fear, to deal with the series’ complex identity politics, and he’s going to discover that sooner or later.
And agreed on Head Six – although apparently McCreary has said that the scene had Head Six questioning Gaius’ statements as opposed to egging him on. She wasn’t pleased with it. So I’m curious if we’ll see that storyline continue to play out.
It feels a bit sudden after he took such a backseat as of late, but I think Zarek is an intriguing character sketch, and one that is extremely relevant at this stage.
I completely agree with you that the current mood if not deflation the populace must feel right now is an ideal breeding ground for Zarek to reassert himself into the spotlight. But as you pointed out, it’s the manner in which they have him conveniently plop his character into obscurity and only arise to play the same hand again is what I find discouraging. I would’ve liked to have seen someone call him out on his strategy of conspiratorially whispering discontent in the ears of others and then finding someone to act as a symbolic figurehead that he could stand next to so as to remain clear from any fallout. I think if they had Gaeta pointing out that he knows only too well Zarek’s bag of tricks, it would have given the character the chance to move out from being a caricature to someone who can only exist on the sidelines, challenging those in positions of authority as a means of being the counterpoint or countermeasure to whatever policies are made. That way, despite what people might think of Zarek, they realize that his role of being the discordant voice helps to keep the process honest by making sure people question everything and not take for granted whatever Roslyn says as being in the fleet’s best interests.
I think that’s why I’m eager to see if they will keep Baltar on this path of disillusionment regarding all the choices the fleet has made, along with his own interpretations of recent events. While Zarek can use emotional manipulation to fan the flames, I think having Baltar coming in from a whole other different tack will increase the threat of a complete societal collapse given how even Adama is starting to question the point of it all. Without any anchor, or firm assuring voice at the helm, I can see the fleet quickly turning in on itself – that is until the inevitable return of the Cylon fleet.
Regardless, I enjoyed reading your analysis of Zarek’s character here and I do think you’re right about his current relevance both to the fleet and the series plot line at this point. As for Head Six, I have no doubt that she’ll return since I think that in itself creates the question of which state of mind is the non-delusional one for Baltar – the one where he sees himself as some sort of messenger of the Cylon god or when he sees Head Six plying him with all sorts of notions of how to perceive the events around him. The fact that both cannot exist simultaneously is fascinating in its implication of a fractured disconnect with reality.
Again, thanks for the wonderful conversation, Myles. I do look forward to discussing your insights on what we’ll see in the remaining episodes.