Fade in on the next chapter -- which is awesome -- Gaius on Colonial One, looking over a confidential report as Admiral Adama debriefs his President: "We suspect the warhead was stolen from your lab, then smuggled aboard Cloud 9 by a Cylon agent." Their positions are reversed, now, and now Baltar is the one in power, the one who says what does and does not get investigated. He's sick at Gina's death. "I don't suppose I could interest you in a cup of tea, Admiral?" he manages. "Ambrosia? A biscuit?" Adama warns that this explosion might be the first step in a coordinated Cylon attack, but Gaius knows better. Adama advises that they should focus on internal security, but Baltar's got tears in his eyes, and speaks as if in a trance: "Our first priority is to the people. See that they are safely established on New Caprica. Once that's accomplished..." he sniffs, and actually wipes away a tear. "We can put this tragedy behind us." Adama protests that Baltar's not listening, but Baltar slowly looks up at him: "I don't have to listen. I'm the President." Which is I think a callback, in addition to being an external reference, but I can't find it. He sips his tea for the fourth time in the scene. I don't think he's got a lot of tea in there: "The settlement begins, and it begins now." Adama leaves, and Gaius stares at him. We back away from the President, not in a smooth track but in a couple of cuts, and consider him, all alone in Colonial One, Gina dead, his head in his hands. He sighs, and a new song begins to play. It's beautiful. Violin and percussion, piano. He breathes into his hands. How come Gaius always gets the best music? We track back in on him, focusing closer and closer, until it's just the thatch of his newly-conditioned hair.









Comments