Battlestar: Galactica 3.13: "Taking a Break From All Your Worries"

Written by Michael Taylor
Directed by Edward James Olmos

The title of this episode apparently refers to the theme song from “Cheers”, which is relatively appropriate, given one of the two major plot threads. Seemingly out of nowhere, a bar emerges, where the various officers gather to complain about their relationships and get rip-roaring drunk. This is integral to the Love Polygon between Kara, Anders, Lee, and Dee, which certainly doesn’t help.

It’s hard to tell why the writers chose to add a makeshift bar to Galactica. One might assume that the underground establishments from “Black Market” were wiped out at the end of the second season, and they were never recreated on other surviving ships. Whatever the case, having a bar around implies that the crew has enough downtime to make it worthwhile, and that enough alcohol exists to keep the thing running. Perhaps it was addressed in passing in the episode, but does this really make much sense?

It does give Lee a source of alcohol, however, which provides him with the time-honored means of drowning his sorrows and self-pity. One can only hope that this is the end of the relationship issues for a while, because this plot thread was a mess. Unfortunately, Lee’s decision to save his marriage still feels temporary, and that means more excruciating scenes between Lee and Dee. Kara and Anders aren’t much better, but Anders’ unusual attitude regarding his wife makes it somewhat tolerable.

The lead writer for this episode also wrote “Unfinished Business”, and so he seems to be the one who writes episodes with heavy soap opera content. Michael Taylor has an interesting list of genre credits. He wrote some of the best episodes of “DS9” before taking a substantial role on “Voyager” as story editor and author of some of the most reviled episodes of that series. So far, his episodes of “BSG” have been loved or despised. There’s not much in the way of middle ground, and the strong focus on the agonizing Love Polygon.

That might change based on the other prominent plot thread. The interrogation of Baltar could have been the entire episode, as far as I’m concerned. This pays off the deep hostility and anger shown in “The Eye of Jupiter”, especially when it comes to Roslin and Adama. One doesn’t expect restraint from Tigh, after all. Roslin and Adama put Baltar through some serious torture, most of it psychological, and that’s rather revealing about everyone involved.

It’s always interesting to see the similarities between the Humans and the Cylons, and in this case, we see the Humans turning on one of their own in an especially brutal manner. Roslin’s “airlock” scene was one of the highlights of the hour, and it was far more visceral in its effect than the Cylon vote to keep Baltar alive. Plot elements from “Epiphanies” and “Collaborators” came back with a vengeance, with Roslin and Gaeta both grabbing a chance for their pound of flesh. The effect was a mixture of satisfaction and pity for Baltar. As Adama said, Baltar sees himself as the victim, despite the reality of his choices, and there’s enough truth in that to keep his fate in doubt.

The writer tries to draw a strong correlation between Baltar and Lee, and it doesn’t quite come together as well as one would hope. There’s a difference in scale and effect that cannot be surmounted. Baltar feels like the victim, but his choices led to his current torturous existence. The same may be true of Lee, but his choices didn’t lead to genocide or collaboration with the enemy. One might argue that both are devastating psychological states for these individuals, but it just doesn’t seem to work. That leaves the episode itself in a curious and frustrating middle ground.

Writing: 1/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 1/4

Final Rating: 6/10