Written by Anne Coffell Saunders and Jane Espenson
Directed by Wayne Rose
“Why do I have such a hard time picturing you milking cows and shoveling manure?”
“Lack of imagination.”
“Or maybe that you’re little tale is manure.”
I’ve been spoiled. One astonishing episode last week…to be followed by another astonishing episode. An EXTRAORDINARY episode. But what is even more extraordinary is that it’s all about labour relations and sociology! This is material I usually find in The West Wing…but Battlestar Galactica?
Dirty Hands is the episode that exposes the heart of Battlestar Galactica like no other. It wasn’t an epic space battle (Resurrection Ship-Part 2)…it wasn’t an examination of life behind enemy lines (Downloaded)…but it was the episode that we needed: a true examination of the evolution of a rag tag fleet, from human fugitives to functioning, space-faring civilization. It’s an anthropological masterpiece…and Aaron Douglas’ finest hour as an actor.
The issues dealt with are simple, but their social impact is profound. Are people destined to be trapped forever in their fleet jobs? Is social mobility and education dead? Do political & labour rights still exist when everyone lives in a constant state of war? Is the society of the Twelve Colonies destined to fall back into some form of feudalism in order to survive?
The key to this is Baltar, and James Callis astonishes with another astounding performance. It’s so typically Baltar to try and wriggle out of his predicament by inciting social revolution within the population, but I wasn’t expecting a secret book (which sounds disturbingly like Mein Kampf meets Karl Marx) that’s spreading like wildfire throughout the fleet. Just watch the scene when Baltar speaks to Tyrol…is he really an expatriate of Aerelon, complete with accent? Or is he simply playing the Chief like the master tactician he is? It’s disturbing to discover that, after three seasons, I’m not entirely sure if it’s the truth or it’s a lie. But it IS a pointer to what we can expect from Baltar’s upcoming trial…which is setting itself to be the show of shows, and may yet bring to fruition Tom Zarek’s disturbing prediction of social chaos in The Woman King.
But the Baltar shenanigans are just icing on the cake, because this isn’t about the toffs at the apex of the fleet. This is the story of the series’ everyman — the character that speaks for the little guy, and exemplifies a show’s heart and soul. DeForest Kelly performed this task admirably in Classic Star Trek, and Colm Meaney continued the tradition on DS9. And Battlestar Galactica? Well, it’s pretty obvious who has a lock on the everyman role. This is Chief Tyrol’s episode…the episode where he steps up to become a real leader within the fleet. Watch his face, as this episode unfolds…the shifting emotions, the building anxieties…the final realization that the fleet’s labour and social situation is intolerable…and that someone has to do something. Aaron Douglas acts his heart out, in an award-worthy performance…and I defy you not to cheer when President Roslin tells him that he’s the recognized leader of the fleet’s union. The look of surprise and delight on his face is the episode’s coup de grace.
A special note must go to Edward James Olmos, and his terrifying play of bluff-counter-bluff with the Chief…demonstrating zero tolerance for mutiny…and then revealing, in the most off hand way possible, that it was simply a ruse to maintain order AND get the Chief his negotiation meeting with the President. I had to pick my jaw up off the floor once the realization of the scene hit me…
It ends with the most realistic happy ending we could expect – one that exemplifies a building & budding hope for the remnants of humanity. The episode may be titled Dirty Hands, but it comes out smelling of the most luscious roses. This is easily one of the top five episodes of the entire series, and a jewel to cherish.
10
