BSG: Valley of Darkness

Apologies to The Box and Aurelius for not getting back to them with more Galactica stuff. I've been wrapped up in the Survivor: Tatooine game for the last few weeks. General Grievous and Mace Windu have been voted off.


When the season premier ended, the Galactica had survived yet another close encounter with Cyclon ships, only this time a large Cylon ship crashed into the side of the Galactica and penetrated the hull.

The episode starts with Billy and Dualla, my favorite couple, coming across each other in the hallway and acting awkward. They can't be a couple anymore because Billy's boss, the President, has been arrested by D's boss, Adama. Oh poor star crossed lovers! Boo hoo!

Cut to Adama in what passes for the ICU. There's a big red line down his chest where the unqualified medic cut him open to relieve pressure on his heart, or some shit, in the first episode. Tigh is looking down at Adama worriedly. What worries me is, how the fuck can you not have a mask on and some scrubs, Tigh? You want to give him an infection to go with his gunshot wounds?

The lights start to flicker. Galactica's electrical systems are still in scary shape because Gaeda networked the computers and the Cylons installed a virus on the ship.

Cut to the hangar bay where the "nuggets" high five each other and feel good about themselves for repelling the latest Cylon attack. They feel good until Lee reminds them they screwed up and let one through.

Back in CIC the chubby guy that works with Gaeda (what's his name?) gets a call from some other part of the ship that Cylons have been spotted. The Galactica has been boarded.

Back to the nuggets and Apollo. The power is down all over the ship and the nuggets and Apollo are walking back to the barracks or CIC or something. One nugget is walking backwards and running his mouth. He's very happy. You know he's gonna die, right?

He does.

A Cylon jumps out from behind a corner, unfurls its claws and disembowels the dude. Someone manages to fire a few shots and the group runs, screaming like mofos, back the way they came. I loved how they looked so scared. No one ever looked scared when the
Enterprise got boarded. Shouldn't they have been scared?

Some Marines show up before the Viper pilots are decimated. They blow off the head of the Cylon with an explosive round, but they reveal, of course, that they have no more explosive rounds and nothing else can stop a Centurion.

Lee sends Hot Dog to CIC with a note that he's going to go "toaster shopping" with the Marines.

On the bridge, Gaeda send a message out to the rest of the fleet that the Galactica has been boarded and they are not to approach or attempt to dock.

In the brig visiting the President, Billy hears gunshots. Laura asks the corporal guarding her (apparently a very religious man) to let her out of her cell, since she doesn't want to get "shot like a rat in a cage." He lets her out just as someone starts opening the door to the brig. It's Lee and the Marines. Lee advises the corporal to take the President and Billy to sickbay, which is designed to function as an autonomous disaster shelter. Lee gives a gun to Billy, but Laura refuses one. Lee intends to lead his team to the small arms locker a few decks below to get some explosive rounds.

On Caprica, Helo apologizes to Starbuck for having a relationship with a Cylon. She isn't very kind, instead repeatedly letting him know that he's a "frakking idiot." Helo still seems to think that there's a real human Sharon on Galactica. He doesn't get that all of the Sharons are Cylons. It's not clear if Starbuck thinks that Galactica-Sharon is human also. She was not there when the shooting of Adama occurred.

Starbuck takes Helo back to her apartment.

Back on Galactica, Gaeda and the chubby guy try to repair the damage caused by the Cylon virus and keep up to date on the Cylons on board the ship. They show Tigh where the latest sightings put the Cylons and Tigh deduces the plan. The Cylons are trying to override the decompression safeties and vent everyone into space. With everyone dead they will then turn the Galactica's guns on the fleet.

Back on Kobol Baltar has a dream that they've been saved by Adama. Baltar is holding a baby and Adama asks to hold it. He then takes the baby to a river and drowns it.

Baltar wakes up agitated. "He killed our baby!" he wails to Number 6. Number 6 shows him he's been sleeping around a bunch of human skeletons. She says it's a sign of human sacrifice. She says it'll happen again, but only if he lets it.

Back on Galactica the Marines and Lee and the Latina nugget pilot come across people who've been mauled by the Cylons. They make it to the small arms locker where there are more bodies and one electrician is hiding. They find only six explosive rounds.

Back on Caprica, Helo marvels at Kara's apartment, which looks like a squatter's shelter. She's graffittied on her own walls. She has some oil paintings that show the chaotic state of her mind. Kara slips on an old leather jacket that apparently was her father's. Helo complains that there's no food, but she kicks back and lights a cigar. Feeling introspective, Kara has a monologue about how she always hated her apartment and how she didn't really lose anything when the attack happened. "Everyone I know is fighting to get back what they had. I'm fighting because I don't know how to do anything else."

Back on Galactica, Laura's team comes across more grisly remains of people maimed by the Cylons on their march through the ship.
Dualla is there and is alive, but she's in a daze. A concussion caused by being grazed by a bullet? I suppose it could happen. The group can hear the not too distant sounds of gunfire, so Laura asks the corporal to find an alternate route to sickbay.

In CIC Gaeda and "Chubbs" update their tactical board and inform Tigh that three Cylons have been destroyed and one is trapped in the laundry room. Tigh is still certain that the remaining ones are heading for the aft damage control area to execute the venting plan. Another report comes in and Tigh announces that there is nothing between the last two Cylons and the decompression safeties. "If you know any prayers, now's the time."

On Kobol, Callie and Tyrol hike back to Crashdown's camp. Callie gives Tyrol a pep talk with ends with her calling him a "motherfrakker." He seems to find that funny, though and he is able to go on without brooding over their comrade's death.

Baltar stumbles back to camp and Crashdown chews Balter out for wandering off and tells him to call him "sir." Baltar looks scared and disoriented. Callie and Tyrol arrive and give the medicine to the medic, but she says it's too late for Socinus, who was injured in the crash. She says they can ease his pain by ODing him. Tyrol asks Crashdown to make the decision, but Crashdown puts it back on Tyrol. Tyrol administers the lethal dose himself.

Back on Galactica the electrician is able to jimmy together a working phone and Lee calls the bridge. Tigh tells Lee to haul ass to aft damage control to stop the remaining two Cylons.

Laura's team tries to go through the enlisted head to get to sickbay, but the door is frozen. The corporal suggests an alternate route through, you guessed it, the aft damage control area. Dualla advises Billy that if he's going to walk around with a pistol in his pants like a gangsta, he needs to turn the safety on. Why the warning? He’s dickless already, so...

Okay, that was mean. LOL.

Lee's people take position in front of the aft damage control to await the Cylons. Unwittingly approaching them are Laura's people.
Dualla tells Billy to take the safety off and he accidentally cracks off a shot in Laura's direction. One of the two Cylons heading for Apollo's position hears the shot and turns to face Laura's group. The Cylons and Apollo's people start unloading their guns and Laura screams and hits the deck. Two of Apollo's Marines are killed, but both Cylons are destroyed.

The religious corporal checks to see if Laura is okay. Billy's bullet went through her clothes and she is unharmed. His belief that she is blessed by the gods becomes even stronger. Dualla takes the gun from Billy, FINALLY.

Back on Caprica, Kara finishes her cigar. She checks her coat pocket and finds a set of car keys. "Tired of walking?" she grins. She and Helo jump into her humvee and head off who knows where.

Back on Galactica, D gets some medical attention in sickbay. She and Billy have a heart to heart then draw the curtains to get busy.

In another part of sickbay, Tigh informs Lee and Laura that Doctor "Dutch" is on the way. Laura comforts Lee, then Tigh has her taken back to her cell. Tigh confronts Lee and says, "I can believe you sided with her against the old man. You're not fit to wear the uniform."

"You're right. Maybe I never was. Then again, neither are you," Lee replies. He reminds Tigh that it's papa Adama's ship, not Tigh's. Lee kisses his father's head, then he too leaves.

"Thank the gods I didn't have kids," Tigh mutters. He pulls up a seat next to Adama and begins a long vigil.