Hero By Luke Hung

We get a ten second clip of a sweaty heavily breathing black guy and then a close up of a painting of Baltar. As we pan out we see Tory and Roslin remodeling Colonial One after Baltar’s Presidency. They decide to put the painting of Baltar over the toilet, which frankly is a nicer place than I would have put it. As a guy I can picture it against the back of a urinal and taking daily opportunities to relieve myself on him. In addition to the picture they find Billy’s old briefing dossier of Adama. They learn that it is nearing Adama’s 45th anniversary in the Colonial Fleet and decide to give him a medal for his efforts and as an excuse to have a party for the fleet.
At about the same time on the Galactica they note that there are three Cylon raiders closing. Helo determines that this is not a standard attack pattern. In fact two Cylon ships are firing on a third. The CAP for once is not on the other side of the fleet and consists of Starbuck and Kat. Kat questions why Cylons would be shooting at Cylons, but Starbuck doesn’t care. They use the Cylon fight as an opportunity to destroy the two chasing Raiders before finishing off the third. However, before they can get a bead on the final Raider, it calls out over the radio “Cripter, Criptor, Criptor. This is Bulldog.” I immediately award the episode two points for continuity. One point because, this is the exact call that Apollo used when his Viper was disabled and the second because it happened two and a half years ago in the miniseries. Do not ask me how I remembered that; just know that my life is a very lonely one. 
Nobody seems to understand what’s happening aside from Adama who just looks grim. He orders marines to the hanger bay and the CAP to escort the Raider in. The Raider is brought in and Adama along with a dozen marines and Starbuck watch the Raider disgorge a sticky black man. It’s the same guy from the opening credits. He slowly rises to his feet and with a half smile salutes Adama. Adama returns the salute much to the surprise of the onlookers and says “Welcome home Bulldog.”
There is a flashback of Adama meeting with the Admiralty prior to the war and they are asking him to undertake a secret missions they that they will disavow if he is discovered. It has something to do with a stealth ship and Bulldog. Back in the present Cottle uses Bulldog’s military genetic records to confirm that he is both the Bulldog that served with Adama and not a Cylon. I’m not quite sure how the records would prove the second point as the Cylon’s could have infiltrated prior to the time Bulldog entered the service. Also as an aside, did Sharon ever tell them about all the Cylon models now that she is officially on their side? I’m sure she didn’t for plot reasons, but I can’t explain why not for any other reason. 
Cottle offers Bulldog a smoke and he just stares at him. Heh, that was funny. Later in Adama’s quarters, Adama asks how Bulldog escaped. Bulldog tells a joke how the service was lousy and the accommodations were poor and he felt the Cylons had “nothing to offer him so he left.” Well aside form being very funny that explanation revealed nothing. I got to be honest, this guy reminds me facially a little of Herbert Jefferson. It would have been awesome if they could have used him for Bulldog, although to be fair H.J. is about sixty now. Adama doesn’t let him get away with that explanation and Bulldog says that the Cylons got sick from the virus and he jumped a three model that got too close to his cell. That explanation is better, but still has holes in it so huge that you could drive a truck through it.
 Quick jump to Roslin, who also is trying to figure out what is going on. The story goes a little farther where Bulldog explains he was spying on a Tauron Colony that was close to the Cylon Armistice line. The Taurons shot him down and Adama left him for dead. This makes more sense than his escaping story, but Roslin isn’t buying what they are selling. She dismisses Tory and Bulldog and corners Adama saying she smells bullshit. Adama says it’s his mess and he’ll fix it.
In bizarre Cylon news, we see a dream sequence of D’Anna Biers getting shot. I presume this occurred soon after they determined that D’Anna was just another model three Cylon. Curiously just before her death, she walks into a door that says “end of the line,” which along with the three waking up in the next scene proves that it was a dream an not a flashback. She crawls out of the bed she shared with Baltar and Caprica Six.
In bizarre human news, we see Tigh playing with his cigarette. He swings it out from his right and when it gets directly in front of his face he says, “I see it.” Well, losing an eye is going to ruin your peripheral vision. Adama walks in and through some fragmented sentences we learn that Adama did something to Bulldog that will come out eventually. Tigh tells Adama to just tell Bulldog and Adama storms out saying he doesn’t even know why he came to talk to Tigh in the first place. Tigh whatevers him and goes back to playing with his cigarette. Later after some Tigh and Ellen flashbacks, Bulldog comes to visit Tigh. Tigh actually welcomes Bulldog warmly and offers his best expression of love by giving him a drink.
Bulldog wonders how Tigh and Adama got booted to the Galactica. Tigh explains that Bulldog’s failed mission was the cause of it. Tigh also lets “slip” that Adama “didn’t tell him.” Of course Bulldog now wonders what Adama didn’t tell him. In a mirrored scene we see Adama telling his son that Bulldog’s mission was actually a spy job on the Cylons and when his ship got damaged Adama shot him down. He explains that the Admiralty thought the Cylons were mobilizing for war and they wanted proof. Long story short, told by integrating flashbacks with the mirrored conversations of Tigh and Bulldog, and Apollo and Adama we learn that they sent the Valkyrie along with a stealth ship piloted by Bulldog over into Cylon territory. A few minutes after Bulldog’s crossing his ship gets damaged. Cylons are popping in all around him and when he requests assistance Adama instead hits him with a missile. Tigh protests, but Adama counters that Bulldog’s capture will destroy the peace. 
As Bulldog learns what happens he cries he doesn’t believe it. Tigh tells him he knows it to be true and to get over it. Adama on the other hand blames himself for starting the war, which is a bit of an overreach. He was just following orders, plus if one ship over crossing over the Armistice line was enough to induce the Cylons into a massive assault then the attack was bound to happen. Sooner or later a civilian or a different military ship would have crossed the line for no other reason aside from wondering what was still out there.
On the Baseship Three and Six discuss her dreams. Three lets it slip that she thinks her dreams might be something very significant. A few moments later she gets a Centurion to shoot her in the head to go through the resurrection process and have a vision during her state between life and death. She ultimately arises in a pool of goo surrounded by other humanoid models who just tell her to breathe through it, but never ask how the hell she died on a Baseship in the first place.
Back on the Galactica, Starbuck for no particular reason is examining the dogfight between Bulldog and his Cylon pursuers. She determines that there is no way the Cylons could have missed Bulldog. She reveals this information to Tigh who confesses that she is right and something strange is going on. She, like any rational person, can’t figure out how he escaped and found the Galactica. It must be a set up some how. Well, on another section of the ship the reasoning becomes clear. Novacek calls Adama to his quarters and the moment Adama walks through the door Bulldog starts whacking him with a lead pipe. The only question is whether this is Novacek doing it cause he’s pissed, a Cylon, or brainwashed. Well being a Cylon isn’t really an option because he would have chosen a far more lethal means of attack than a lead pipe. Also as the beat down is occurring, he is asking why and commenting “how stupid” he was to hope that Adama was coming to rescue him. He babbles long enough to say that they Cylons left the door open for him instead of his beating the Three up original explanation.
A bloody Adama jumps on the ‘open door’ comment and that just makes Bulldog madder. “I escaped, you can’t take that away from me.” He tries to beat on Adama some more, but Tigh springs in with a gun. Bulldog wrests it away from Tigh, but Tigh grabs the lead pipe and beats Bulldog with that. He tells Bulldog the truth is better than living a lie and if he kills Adama he is just doing what the Cylons want him to do. Adama twists that into Tigh needing to quit drinking, but its all good. Adama cleans himself up and then goes to Roslin with his resignation. She is disgusted and irritated. Self-pitying or not Adama is twice as good as Lee or Tigh and Roslin is not about to accept his resignation.
She also tells him what everyone else seems to be able to see so clearly, that the Admiralty and the President in all probability set him up. Furthermore the attack was probably coming sooner or later anyways so he should stop blaming himself. He thinks that someone needs to pay so Roslin says his penance with be serving his fellow survivors by accepting a medal and giving them an opportunity to celebrate something. Shit, that’s not a punishment; I got worse from my mother when I lost her Tupperware at lunch in the fifth grade. He starts a war and gets a party. Hell if he worshipped the Devil would he get a threesome with hot chicks? Hmm, I guess so… Baltar basically worships the Devil and he gets threesomes all the time.
Ultimately in a bunch or relatively quick closing scenes we see Adama accepting the medal to a nice round of applause. Novacek gets sent to another ship for some psychiatric treatment, but before he can leave Adama gives his a new uniform and basically forces him back into service. Tigh and Adama kiss and make up with Tigh telling him how he had to kill his wife.

 Overall the episode was a B

Acting: A-, I like the performances a lot. In fact self-flagellating Adama is counter intuitive the fact that Olmos sold it is very impressive. Carl Lumbly (Bulldog) was good throughout, but I didn’t like the sweaty stares, but that’s a director decision so I won’t blame him. Supporting Sackhoff, Hogan and McDonnell were good. 

Plot: B, Frankly this is basically a stand-alone episode. Aside from the slight progress on the Three suicide angle nothing really long term happened. I also doubt Lumbly is going to join the cast as he has quite a little career going on outside of BSG and from what I gather their acting costs are tremendous. Aside from Olmos and his son Bodie I’d like to see a character of color with a significant role.

Action/Episode Energy: C+, With only brief combat scenes this episode had quite a bit of tension. I personally was looking for signs to determine whose side Bulldog was on. The episode dragged a little at the end with self pitying Adama, but the editing can’t be perfect every time.