Unfinished Business By Luke Hung

Finally we find out what happened during the year of the colonization of new Caprica. We open with a bell ringing. To the thousands in attendance and the millions watching at home, are you ready? Let’s get ready to rumble. Helo and Apollo are trading blows in a sanctioned boxing match. Helo seems to be winning, and the betters are going wild. Between punches, there are quick clips of what we learn later are events that happened during that missing year. Apollo waking up alone and outside surrounded by nature; Kara dancing for the camera; Apollo and Dualla kissing.
During the flashbacks the fight ends and Kara and Anders do the nasty. When finished she springs up quick and comments that is exactly what she needed. Can you say booty call? I can. Anders tries to draw her back into a relationship, but when she declines he accurately states that she doesn’t want a relationship now because she never wanted him in the first place. Kara flees from Anders and reaches the fight in time to root for Helo. She has a quick flashback of her lying on a man’s chest as she comes to ring side. She reaches Helo and Sharon’s corner in time to say that at least she’s in time to see the CAG get his ass kicked. She also comments that a few months ago they would of needed to roll him into the ring. Heh, that’s a good joke, I have to remember it for later. But considering the politically correct world we live in I guess I could only use it when talking about my fat ass.
Apollo catches sight of Starbuck ringside and goes into more flashbacks, including her walking hand with Anders and him walking past her. Well that flashback is plenty, cause Helo whacks him with a left cross and a right hook. Actually it was a left hook and a right hook, but that actually would be bad boxing technique so I’ll pretend that he did the right moves. Apollo does down. He’s battered and bloody but he makes it to his feet before the 10 count. However, Doc Cottle pops in the ring and calls the fight. Starbuck smirks. Lee moves to a box where his dog tags are and pulls them out. The box we later learn contain all the tags of the crewmembers who are willing to fight. If your tags are in them anyone else who also has their tags in the box can ask for a fight.
Starbuck seeing Apollo heading to the box asks if he wants a little more, but he says he’s done. Starbuck drops her tags in the box and says the night is still young. Frankly that is an offer too good to pass up. Apollo agrees with me and returns his tags to the beating box and we head to commercials. I know that this episode will be knee deep in flashbacks, how can it not as it is telling the story of what happened during the lost year. Actually I can think of a number of ways to do it without flashbacks, for instance a completely retroactive episode. But in reality that is what this episode really is. What happens in the ‘present’ is more a flash-forward than what’s happening in the past being a flashback given the ratio of past events to present events. But back to my point, if the show hadn’t pissed away all my tolerance for flashbacks I would have rated this episode higher seeing as the flashbacks were far more appropriate for this episode than any other and in fact were far less heavy handed aside from the first act.
We return from the commercials 17 months into the past and 8 month prior to the Cylon occupation. I must say thank you for the timeline reference point because trying to figure this stuff out in my head just plain hurts. Lee and Dualla are walking along the promenade of the new colony, which is a dirt road. Apparently Dualla just got a transfer to the Pegasus so Apollo doesn’t have to go to the Galactica to get his freak on. On the other hand if she is on the Pegasus and he is her commanding officer he is breaking all kinds of regulations making her squeal like a pig. Anyways they bump into Anders and Kara and they play nice or as nice as Starbuck can. Ultimately they make plans to meet at Baltar’s groundbreaking ceremony because there is an open bar. 
True story, unlike most of mine, I was getting married in Ireland and as an American I insisted on an open bar, which in Ireland they were very confused about. The hall where we got married had no idea how to calculate it, because it happens so rarely over there. Long story short, one of the guests got so drunk off the open bar that he snuck me a drink stating that they were just giving beer away free at the bar. I responded I knew because it was my wedding. But no matter what I said he kept trying to slide me beers. Okay now that doesn’t necessarily sound that bad, but how in hell doesn’t he know that I’m the groom, I was wearing a tux and with a name like Hung I know I can’t appear that Irish.
In another corner of the colony, Adama and Roslin also make nice, but in a semi-distant responsible way. Roslin seems a little flirty and Adama eyes her a little. He makes a comment about her dress, which gives her an opportunity to preen a little, and for Adama to sneak a few looks at her bod. We return to the present long enough for Adama to explain the purpose of the fights. To keep grudges from becoming all out wars, as long as your tags are in the box you are fair game. The fight that was going on in the background ends and Hot Dog gets next. Hot Dog is Olmos’ son if you don’t know that already. The Dog calls on Starbuck and during the fight she goes into flashbacks too. She sees Apollo stalk past her, but little else. When we come out of the flashback Hotdog is down. Went down like an extra, which I guess he is.
On the colony, between flash-forwards we see Starbuck alternating flirting with Anders and staring at Lee. Also we see Gaeta start his political career and Adama and Roslin flirt some more. In the present an engineer comes up to Tyrol and explains that he needs more time to fix a broken ship, but he left it unfinished to watch the matches. The Chief lets it go which prompts Adama’s flashbacks. He remembers Tyrol and Cally asking to be relieved of duty so they can raise their child on New Caprica. Adama refuses with a laugh and states that he can’t spare them. However that thought spurs Adama to enter the ring and ask for Tyrol’s butt. Just as an aside it’s kind of funny to watch Tigh referee the fights taking a swig from a flask every few moments. Tyrol enters the ring thinking that Adama isn’t that serious and when the bell rings he gets clocked… hard. He goes down stunned and hurt and Adama mumbles “get up, this is just getting started.” Commercials.
We return to see Tyrol try to explain to Cally that it is better that they have the kid on the Galactica. She isn’t really buying but she agrees anyway. A few more punches and flash-forwards and we see everyone excited that Adama is doing so well. In a field in the past and away from the groundbreaking ceremony Roslin and Adama cuddle close and she talks about enjoying the moment and the break from the Cylons. Okay, I love Olmos and McDonnell but I can’t get into their romance and its all Olmos’ fault. Its not that he’s not a good actor, cause he’s great, but he’s a hard man, he tried to terminate Roslin’s Presidency. She just did what she felt needed to be done, but he hated her and he sold it. Mutual respect okay, admiration maybe, but romance hell no. Think to yourself, someone sent many men with guns to imprison you for doing what you thought was right, is he your boyfriend a year later? I don’t think so.
Back to the fight, Adama taunts Tyrol some more and Tyrol pops him once or twice. He asks if that’s what Adama wants and Adama uses that question to hit Tyrol a couple more times. Starbuck comments that the Admiral knows how to fight unlike his son loud enough for Apollo and Dualla to hear. They go back into flashback mode and Apollo is bringing Starbuck some more booze, Anders is lying unconscious under a table and Dee has returned to the Galactica to pack. Starbuck and Apollo note that it’s just the two of them.
In the present Adama is on the receiving end of a butt whipping. Cottle wants to stop the fight but Adama is pulling rank. Roslin is trying to give him some pointers on how to fight Tyrol, but Adama knows already that he’s not going to win. He goes back into flashback mode and we see him letting Cally and Tyrol muster out. During the next round Adama basically stands there and lets Tyrol beat him to a pulp. The crew is disheartened. Well Adama is no Captain Kirk cause Kirk would have won. Adama eventually gets knocked down. When he stagers to his feet he tells everyone in attendance that when you fight you fight. You can’t let people get too close, or too far, and you can’t forget that the war hasn’t ended. He (Adama) made that mistake once and he can’t let it happen again. This speech motivates Tyrol to get his engineer back to work on the broken ship and Tigh calls the fights over.
Starbuck argues that she hasn’t given Apollo his beat down, but Tigh isn’t listening. She instead goes straight to the source and tries to taunt Apollo into a fight. She comments that he is courageous when trying to “frak another man’s woman, but doesn’t have the courage to fight one.” And something about Dee being sloppy seconds which earns her a punch. “Truth hurts.” Yup it does and Apollo is now in the game. They climb into the ring and commence the beat down of the century. Frankly Apollo has it all over Starbuck but whenever she starts really losing she cheats, kicking, wrestling and a whole bunch of other moves that are not approved by any major boxing association.
Also during the fight, of course there are flashbacks. Starbuck and Apollo following many drinks at the party go to the site of her future home. It’s just an open field, but Apollo wants a tour of the place especially the bedroom. Apollo talks about the future and if this is the life she wants to lead and is Anders the man she wants to live with. Starbuck doesn’t answer but they kiss and later do things that I’m not allowed to describe in a non-adult website. When finished Starbuck asks what are they going to do. Apollo kind of wants to do the honorable thing, which is telling their partners. It would have been more honorable if they broke up with their partners before they had sex, but sometimes the timing can be tough.
Lee starts screaming at the top of his lungs how he loves Kara and continues until he shames Kara into doing it too. They kiss have sex some more and fall asleep. In the relative present Anders and Dualla watch the fight, which continues to be brutal. Anders says it looks like they are trying to kill each other, but Dulla has other thoughts. Returning to the past Apollo wakes up alone, much like the first flashbacks of the episode. He wanders into town only to learn from his father that Starbuck rushed back that morning proposed to Anders and got married by the riverside. He sees Anders and Starbuck walking hand in hand and Anders excitedly tells him the story of the proposal and marriage. Anders picking up a weird vibe asks if they need time to talk, but Apollo declines, he wishes Anders luck because “he will need it.” He stalks past Starbuck without a word and walks onto a shuttle that happens to have Dualla on it. Apollo and Dualla kiss.
Back in the present both Apollo and Starbuck are clinching and punching. They are exhausted but are still trying to do damage. As the use each other for support Starbuck whispers that she misses Apollo and Apollo seconds that emotion. Anders is disgusted with the display and storms out. Dualla on the other hand watches sadly.

 Overall the episode was an A-

Acting: A, Some of the best acting of the season. It’s tough to be a good guy basically living your life and get big acting points, but these guys did. Everything seemed so natural and normal, well aside for Apollo and Starbuck howling in the night, but that’s TV folks. I said it before I’m not too in to this Adama – Roslin romance not that I would mind either getting a little I just want them to hook up with someone else.

Plot: A, We finally see what happened between Starbuck and Apollo and how and why the military fell apart in a year. Starbuck could be a psychological case study. She is so afraid of getting hurt she will go out of her way to hurt others and herself first. The second she got close to Apollo a man who she actually might love she ran off. Which makes you wonder how interested in Zac she really was all those years ago. Adama’s rage at Tyrol was a little over the top since it was more his fault than Tyrol’s, although one might argue that he threw the fight. Nicely woven, I was going to kill them for the flashbacks but it worked. Just don’t do it again.  

Action/Episode Energy: B, I would have liked to given the episode an A because that is how interested I was in the information given, but the pace wasn’t there. Again it was the flash backs it breaks rhythm especially the repetitive quick clips. The longer ones didn’t cause as much disharmony but it shook me.