If you’re using the “Tigh” Maneuver schedule, here’s what you should be watching this week or weekend…
Season One: Episode Three “Bastille Day”
I love Tom Zarek episodes and not simply because we get to see more Richard Hatch ( who played Apollo in the original series). I appreciate them deeply because we rarely come away without a challenge to the fleet’s leadership structure. There’s a undercurrent of classism that happens the entire show and Zarek is the first character to point this out and demand action about it. This also setups up two major showdowns: one later this season in the episode “Colonial Day” and the one that defines the end of season two, “Lay Down Your Burdens” (Part One & Two).
Coincidentally, most Tom Zarek episodes also tend to be the best Apollo episodes because it forces him to execute and live out his beliefs, for better or worse. I know many fans can get annoyed by Apollo’s decisions when they are contrary to the obvious course of action (a fact that Roslin succinctly calls out near the end of the show) but it speaks to his moral fiber and where he’s unwilling to let certain societal pillars fall…no matter how unpopular they make him in or out of universe.
Content warning: This episode puts Cally into a dangerous situation with a male inmate who attempts to sexually assault her. While the act is interrupted by Cally, the implication could still be triggering for some of our viewers/readers.
Season One: Episode Four “Act of Contrition”
This episode brilliantly tackles Starbuck’s guilt over Zac Adama’s death, training new viper pilots (who will be sorely needed), and adds more layers to Commander Adama’s relationship with Starbuck. It really pushes a knife into the father-daughter dynamic and asks whether it can weather this lie she’s maintained.
We also learn a lot more about Viper operations, the subtleties of how the fighters work or operate, and how truly difficult their job is (Commander Adama will subtly reference this later in the season). The pilots trained in the next two episodes won’t all become household names, but they will become more than just background fodder for the Cylons to fire on. Many of them, like Kat, will play pivotal roles in season two and beyond.
This episode also marks a clever, but well-designed flow that the first season achieves better than any other season of BSG: The use of small details in one episode that become a bigger thread until they get their own episode.
Back in episode two “Water”, Tyrol covers for Boomer and interacts considerably with the master-at-arms off-screen, who is trying to figure out what happened with the blasting caps. In episode four, she is seen investigating the accident that kicks off that episode, implying that she’s been collecting details on Galactica’s recent mishaps. Finally, those threads will come together and pay off in episode six, “Litmus”. This is a fantastic way for the show to create a standalone feel, which most network producers prefer to hook in new viewers, while giving the season enough forward thrust in it’s primary arcs, which writers tend to prefer.
That producer and writer conflict will come up again, trust me. But for now, just know that it produced a great season of television and definitely helped the middle episodes here gain traction.
Season One: Episode Five “You Can’t Go Home Again”
While not technically a two-parter, it’s great to watch these two episodes back-to-back. We get to see Tigh and Roslin shine as the voice of reason when Commander Adama and Apollo let their feelings get in the way of their search for Starbuck. Additionally, we learn so much more about the Cylon physiology and ship architecture as Starbuck dissects a downed Cylon raider.
Easter egg: You’ll see our 2004 versions of Apollo and Starbuck execute a “waggle” in their respective fighters near the end of the episode. It’s a great callback to an original series episode titled Hand of God (I’ll include more details in the episode recap for this episode later in the week.)
Gods, that reminds me, there’s actually a few good production notes that I will save for the episode recaps cause there’s honestly no way to talk about them without spoilers.
Weekly Trivia Question:
Yes, I realized I didn’t include one for last week, so I’ll make it up to you tonight with a few questions during the AMA. Here’s your question for the week of April 13th:
Edward James Olmos’ actual son becomes a recurring character during episode four and beyond, can you guess which character it is? (Try not to use Wikipedia or the internet if you can avoid it). Submit your answers here, on our FB page, or on our Discord server.
Past Primer: Week of April 6th
Next Primer: Week of April 20th
About Author
