1. Fragged
On the list of things I tell my students: look at the title of whatever you’re reading, it’s important. On the list of things I never did until I started writing TV reviews: look at the title of an episode. Honestly, when I went to hit play on this episode, I assumed “Fragged” was some slang version of frack. But, in fact, it is not. It’s a term used for the deliberate killing by a soldier of a superior officer, and importantly, an unpopular officer. As we see in this episode, Crashdown is leading his marooned squad on Kobol, and they begin to lose faith in him as he bungles the plan to take down a Cylon squadron. Long story short, Baltar kills Crashdown after he threatens to execute Cally for freezing under pressure.
2. Religion and Terrorism
Religion is such a driving force in this series, and at the time this show came out, we were in the throes of the Iraq War, which began only a year before BSG aired for the first (reimagined) time. The Iraq invasion occured as part of a declared war against international terrorism and its sponsors in response to the September 11th attacks. To think that Battlestar would be the same show without these real world events seems impossible. The exploration of differing religions as in when Six tells Baltar those that die on Kobol die forever, because God has forsaken the planet and its human inhabitants for worshipping false Gods, as opposed to the Cylons’ one true God. The fact that the Cylons commit varying levels of terrorist attacks on humans, the fact that the Cylons committed genocide in attempting to destroy their creators, the fact that Baltar’s vision of Six tells him “now you’re a man,” after he kills one of her enemies; all of these elements were a creation, and product, of the time in which BSG was written and released.
3. Religion and Faith
The audience knows about President Roslin’s fatal illness, and we also know the prophecy that states a dying leader will lead the human race to their salvation. Tigh wants to discredit the president for various reasons, and believes he can do so after she begins to withdraw from her cancer medication. Tigh does this at the urging of his every unlikable and selfish wife, Ellen, but unfortunately, his plan blows up in his face as he brings the Quorum of Twelve to see Roslin. She is lucid. She explains how she is the savior that will lead them to their new planet, earning their faith, and now Tigh has to grab power back from the president in the only way he knows how: by declaring martial law. The one thing he said he wouldn’t do as it was something Adama despised. He’s really fracking things up for the old man.
4. Tigh’s Confusion
A good deal of this episode is shown to us through Tigh’s perspective. Despite the fact that he is making terrible, spiteful, drunken decisions, this perspective evokes some sympathy for the guy. He’s obviously confused, I’d like to say it’s because the pressure of the job is getting to him, but it’s probably the drinking. He’s hiding a flask in his boot and can’t make it through his shift without hitting it a few times; he’s losing the Galactica and he knows it. He needs Adama, but the commander isn’t around to guide his fellow soldier and friend.
5. Season 1 v. Season 2
To me, it seems Season 2 of BSG picks up the pace of storytelling in terms of the long game. Season 1 had some fantastic stand alone episodes that moved the story along in small ways: we need more water, we must quell this prisoner rebellion, Starbuck needs to be disciplined, etc. This season, we’re attempting to fulfill major prophecies. It’s slows the story down for me a bit and this episode didn’t deliver much, but there’s always next week.
