The Whips That Lash

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The Whips That Lash
"The Whips That Lash"
An episode of the Re-imagined Series
Episode No. Season 4, Episode 3 (discuss)
Writer(s) Michael Taylor
Story by
Director Michael Nankin
Special guest(s)
Production No. 405
Nielsen Rating 1.74
US airdate USA 18 April 2008
UK airdate UK
DVD release
Population {{{viewers}}} Million People Still Watching
Extended Info {{{extra}}}
Episode Chronology
Previous Next
Six of Nine The Whips That Lash Embrace Verbosity
Related Information
Official Summary
R&D Skit – View
Dull analysis and bland recap available on Battlestar Wiki
Online Purchasing
Available at iTunes – [{{{itunes}}} Purchase]


Contents

Overview

Smellbuck leads a shit ship in her search for Earth, while Galactica's crew deals with political, marital and sexual issues. On the Cylon side, the Significant Seven's solidarity is challenged.

Summary

On Galactica and the Colonial Fleet

  • When Cally Tyrol realizes that Nicky is actually crying, she comforts him and returns him to his crib. She calls Dumballa, apparently to try to Pesuade her into a threesome with Fatpolo
  • As Roslin tries to relax on the bed, William Adama sits by her bedside and begins to read from a book to her, I Wanna Shag The President by Nick Taylo, apparently an Adult novel.
  • The book's passages of a character's Horneyness appear to reflect through Adama as he gazes at Roslin's b00bz while he completes the passage: "From the moment I take my pants off, she's in my head, bittersweet, tinged with regret. I'll never be free of her, nor do I want to be. For she is smokin' hot, all that is, should always be."
  • Galen Tyrol tries to explain to Cally that he and Tory Foster aren't banging, but Cally Ignores him and then says that she's gonna go smoke some weed at Cottle's Place.
  • In sickbay, Cally Tyrol asks for some weed, but Cottle objects, not wanting to turn his sickbay into an "Adama's Stash". Cally can't fly with the drugs so she tries a launch tube.
  • Admiral Adama and Tyrol smoke some serious weed in the end.

On the Demetrius, in the shit

  • On day 22 of the mission, Demetrius continues on its mission to find Earth, with as many as four Viper Mark II fighters magnetically locked onto its top hull.
  • Inside, Kara Thrace appears frustrated as she pores through star charts and other navigation data, trying to gain her fix on the direction of Earth. Felix Gaeta enters the room as Thrace tells him of a decision.
  • In a mess hall on the dark, dirty ship, Diana Seelix asks in frustration what they are looking for in deep space. A pilot named Gonzo, looking at the centerfold of Nymph magazine, explains that they are searching for a gas giant with rings orbiting a trinary star cluster with a comet. Seelix angrily retorts that the search is more like a "cluster-frak" to her when Helo admonishes her.
  • Sharon Agathon and Samuel Anders are also in the room, fighting depression.
  • Some of the group complains that Thrace's repeated course corrections are pointless. When Pike says that he thinks Galactica is hounding them in secret, waiting for Thrace to show her "true colors" as a Cylon, Anders defends her. When the mood darkens more, Helo orders everyone to shut the frak up.
  • Thrace is quietly approaching, listening to the conversation from above the mess hall deck, and soon yells for Helo to talk to him. Anders looks above him to Thrace (standing on steel mesh decking) and asks if there is any chance for her coming out in a skirt next time. Thrace gives Helo new FTL coordinates.
  • Anders meets with Thrace, as she paints what she has seen on a bulkhead. Anders complains that she needs to open up more about the mission with the rest of the crew, but Thrace disagrees. Anders complains the second plan of opening up her legs more.
  • Their anger dissolves into sex.
  • After sex, Thrace questions that she and Anders's marriage was real. She questions how her feelings, her perceptions of her past, as if she were watching it from another "alien" body far away. Ander's face suggests comprehension about feeling unsure of identity.

On the basestars

  • On a Resurrecty Ship, a Number One is resurrected. Another One tells his confused brother that he was shot by one of their own Cylon Centurions. Boomer is there with him, watching his erection.
  • The first Number One wants to return to his baseship, but the second One tells him that he has been effectively kicked off from his own ship in a type of coup. Boomer apologizes that her swing vote to enforce the Raider "reconfiguration" failed, and kisses him deeply.
  • On the same baseship where the Centurions shot several humanoid Cylons for their part in the Raider reconfiguration, a Number One returns to the conference room where a Centurion is busily cleaning up the mess caused by their shootout and the orgy the mutineers had after the coup.
  • Lotta talking about lotta crap, until Cavil says, "We're machines, dear. We don't have souls."

Notes

  • The number and alphabetical designation of the weapons locker, 1701D, is a Star Trek: The Next Generation reference. 1701-D is the registry number for the USS Enterprise from that series, which Ronald D. Moore formerly worked on. Further, Michael Taylor did write for the Star Trek franchise alongside Moore on Deep Space Nine. They must be really proud of themselves they could ruin two great names in science fiction television
  • The script was being written while "Razor" was still in pre-production. It seems, the writers had too much free time to write that much dialogue.
  • For the first time since the second season, the journalist Sekou Hamilton makes an appearance, but no one remembers him.
  • When Cally enters the launch tube 06, she looks a side window and sees stars where one would expect to see launch tube 07. This is inconsistent with the known layout of the flight pods. The launch tubes are internal and perpendicular to the length of the flight pods, so it would be impossible to see stars from a side portal in the tube. However, when she exits the tube, the scene shows open space to the right of the the launch tube. Someone at the specia effects department was sabotaging the episode.

Analysis

General

  • Once again no one notices the use of a launch tube. It is hard to believe that such a critical system is not monitored, especially at night when the hangar deck is deserted.
  • When learning that her husband is a Cylon, Cally remembers seeing him cutting his finger and licking off the blood. This shot resembles the movie Terminator 3, where Kristina Loken analyzed the DNA this way.

The Quorum of Twelve

  • The episode shows a lot about the Quorum of Twelve and about the state of fleet politics in general. The Quorum meeting is reminiscent in format of Question Time, a tradition of many parliamentary systems including that of the United Kingdom and Canada. These political story arcs made the great drop of Nielsen Ratings.

The Cylons

  • Cavil and Boomer apparently have some sort of relationship. This was hinted at in the previous episode, when she dances lightly attired in front of him, but unclear. Maybe Cavil misses the swirl.
  • The force with which Tory hits Cally indicates that the Final Five possess the Cylons' superhuman strength and if they possess this trait it is likely that the have other Cylon superpowers as well.
  • Foster also seems to be calmer, cooler, and more calculating than in the recent past. She appears to be more accepting of her Cylon nature than the others.

Questions

  • Is Cally an idiot?
  • Is Natalie an idiot?
  • Why do The Eights keep on Sleeping with the nerds?
  • For those allergic to the algae mash, like Nicholas Tyrol, what alternative foodstuffs are available?

Noteworthy Dialogue

"It started like it always did. With a Penis. This one was up her butt, and I could tell she had once been horney, but this Penis and fast flow of cum had taken that away from her. All we are, or that we think we are, all that we are certain about, is taken away from us. When you've worked the streets as a slut and seen what I've seen, you become more and more convinced of it every day. Caprica City has been my teacher, my mistress. From the moment I take my pants off, she is on my balls, like cheap wine. Bitter and sweet, tinged with regret. I'll never be free of her, nor do I wanna be, for she is what I am. All that is, should always be."
Adama: Well, sometimes a Huge Penis is exactly what you need.
Zarek: No. A Penis craves Pussies for its own sake. And all Laura wants is to give free BJs.

Guest Stars

External Links

References

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