The Blacklist
Leonard Caul
Season 2, Episode 19 Recap

4/30/2015

The Blacklist, Leonard Caul

I haven't posted anything about The Blacklist for quite a while now. For that you can blame both my procrastinating during the long breaks and another favorite show of mine, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Marvel has limited edition artwork for each of the final twelve episodes of SHIELD that I've been writing about, twice as many as last year. There are still three to go, so I doubt I'll get a chance to write about The Blacklist again before the finale. This season has been fantastic, but it takes me so long to finish certain posts, never knowing whether to concentrate on a few aspects or to just keep writing until words lose all meaning. I rely mostly on memory, because I hardly get the chance to rewatch and I never pause to take notes; if I did that, my family would wonder why I was ruining their viewing experience. Kept my TV blogging secret for five years and counting. I don't do a recap style anyway, so I never had the inclination to take notes. My style is more a reaction to the characters and their situation. So, you can usually find me just speaking off the cuff about the things that I loved the most about an episode - the feeling of it, how relationships change, how much Red gets hurt and still cannot reveal to Liz more than whispers of the truth. Then I rearrange that into something readable.

What you'll almost never find here are complaints about my favorite shows. They're my favorites for a reason. Something would have to be very wrong for me to project my own desires on them and be disappointed when they go another way. I never feel that they owe me anything. The writers generally know what they're doing and, while I imagine alternate scenarios for every scene, how it all ties together and what could happen, I don't presume that any ideas I have would be better. Where they are headed is for them to figure out in their own time and for us to discover the pieces bit by bit. I demand nothing other than beautiful drama, characters to care for, and an intriguing story. The Blacklist surely has a story to tell, and I am along for the ride as long as it stays true to its core: a dangerous man who betrayed his country and became a criminal mastermind, a broken man who lost his family and is trying to protect someone he loves and feels responsible for, and all the emotional baggage that come with that.

I'm running out of time here before the next episode, "Quon Zhang," which airs tonight at 9 PM Eastern on NBC. I actually sacrificed work for this, as usual. So, since I spent so long on that preamble, I think I'll just pick a few favorite moments to gush over. A few possible spoilers follow for those who aren't caught up to "Leonard Caul."

The first minutes of the episode with Liz and Dembe trying to get Red into the car without getting shot themselves, Red gasping for air, excruciating pain etched on his face, may have been the most intense scene of the series. And, yes, I do remember everything Red and Liz went through in the "Anslo Garrick" and "Luther Braxton" two-parters. There have been exciting moments, satisfying moments, funny moments, emotional moments, tense moments, unexpected moments, but this was something else. I was genuinely concerned that he might not make it, that he would never have another chance to reveal the truth to Liz. He is the show and it wouldn't work without him, so I shouldn't have been nervous, but I can't see him getting out alive in the end. From day one I've dreaded that, but in this episode I was concerned that it had come far sooner than expected.

I would include my tweet about the episode, but I'm mobile and can't access the desktop site. Anyway, if you're curious about my immediate reaction, follow this link. I'll replace it later with an embedded tweet if I get the chance.

This whole episode was a testament to Spader's talent. He has an innate understanding of how to play characters as people. The complexity of the role demands that in some scenes Spader play up the cold-blooded, menacingly jovial personality to protect his reputation in his dealings, and in others drop Red's guard to show the vulnerable and broken man beneath. He never fails to impress, but this episode showed even another layer. He was so convincing that I momentarily forgot that Red is irreplaceable and not likely to meet his maker...yet. In the end, surely. A number of times I realized I was holding my breath. Spader was captivating throughout, even when he was just listening to Tom, too tired and hurt to do otherwise. Until this episode's Petented Red Monologue near the end, he had few lines, mostly mumbled, blood choking the words. It was a superb performance that again managed to surprise me.

What didn't surpise me is that Dembe wouldn't leave Red's side, sending Liz in his stead to Red's apartment to get the machine to decrypt the Fulcrum. It's a small, lonely place filled with books, records, an unfinished jigsaw puzzle. And a kitty! At least he has company. Dembe knew Liz would see things there to reignite her hunger for the truth, including photos Red thought she would never see. This was a betrayal of Red's trust, now that I'm thinking about it. Though Dembe says he understands why Red hasn't told her, he obviously believes she should know.

Then there was Kate (Mr. Kaplan) saying she would stay, Red telling her to go, then giving him her gun and kissing him gently on the forehead. It was so sweet. I need to know her story. It's so touching to see people care about him.

Those moments made me even more nervous about the imminent attack, a situation even more dire than in the intense "Anslo Garrick" because there was no impenetrable box to hide in. The Director's kill team breach the door and toss a grenade. The sound of the action dims, the music taking over for a bigger emotional impact as Red's men are picked off one by one. Red alone in his bed, with just a gun and a hole in his chest. Still, taking out three guys before trying to get a weapon off one of them. Liz saving the day by bringing the Fulcrum to the Director, forcing him to call off Red's assassination seconds before the trigger is pulled, leaving Red stunned.

But not stunned enough to finally spill his guts to Liz. He almost took the secret to his grave and he still can't bring himself to say enough, even after he admitted to Dembe that he should have. Red almost got there with that beautiful speech. It looked like he was struggling not to. He wants Liz to know, but at the same time he's afraid to let her in. He seems to think the truth may destroy what's left of their strained relationship. But not telling her is even worse. He thought she should come to it in time, but the longer he strings her along the more likely he will lose her for good. Liz is a little ball of anger who's been though enough to nearly break her, and he hasn't handled her very well. That's just frustrated her more, and she has given up on Red ever being straight with her, teaming up with Tom to uncover the truth.

Until then, here's the entirety of the speech to savor again. It's one of Red's best.

"Liz, when I hired Tom Keen, it was at a time of profound transition in your life. You'd already left behind the relative safety and innocence of youth. Sam's care as a father had served you well, but you'd outgrown him. And I knew eventually my life would jeopardize yours. So, in an admittedly presumptuous and ultimately futile effort to keep you safe, I hired Tom, simply to be there, as a friend of a friend, to look after you from an arm's length. When I learned that your relationship had become intimate, I fired him. I should've removed him, but you were already in love with him. And Tom, he shifted his allegiance to Berlin in part to protect himself from me, but also because it allowed for an inextricable intimacy and commitment to you. And so you were married, and I couldn't stay away any longer. A confluence of peril had entered your life, and I wanted to be within reach, to have influence. I turned myself in to the FBI to point you toward a truth that, inevitably, you would have to discover for yourself."

I do not like the sneak peek for "Quon Zhang" involving Dembe and Samar. Please don't be the way it looks. Ugh, this show is going to kill me. If you missed it, you can watch below.

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
The Dirty Half Dozen
Season 2, Episode 19 Preview :: Art of Evolution

4/24/2015

The Dirty Half Dozen

We have a chance to hit Hydra...hard.
~ Phil Coulson

Agents of SHIELD knocked another one out of the park with "The Frenemy of My Enemy." Along with "Melinda," it's one of the best of this superb season. And that really means something, because the entire series has been stellar. Yes, the entire series. Despite some people's assertions, it was never struggling to find itself. It wasn't confused about what it wanted to be. It was never boring. It was setting up the dominoes. It was bringing in all these elements and introducing these characters to each other and to us.

Those who wrote it off either were invested so deeply in the comics version of the Marvel universe that deviations via other mediums are looked down upon, or those with an attention span so short that a show that doesn't establish every personality and spoil every future plot point within the first half of its first season is not worth the time. Sometimes people just cling to the written word and always say that's the best version. For me, while I love getting lost in the page as much as anyone, a superb actor bringing their heart to a complex character, easily weaving between emotions, is often far more beautiful. Then there are those who didn't like Coulson in the first place. That I will never understand. He is humorous, intelligent, and kind. His personality lit up the screen, and fans loved him so much that he was resurrected.

I've said it all before, but it's worth repeating. I hope some of those people rethink their decisions, not because the show needs them, but because they're missing a great, evolving story and acting that matches any Emmy-worthy series. Of course, though it has top-notch writing and acting and deals with normal life themes, such as friendship and betrayal, it does so through the prism of the fantastical, a show like this no one would ever think to nominate, or would ever dare unless they wanted to be laughed at by their peers. That's is a great shame, because the feelings created by shows like this I find are often as deep as any other. Just look at shows like Fringe, The Walking Dead, Doctor Who, Supernatural or Buffy/Angel/Firefly (the Whedon Trifecta of emotional powerhouses) to see where I'm coming from.

Okay, so I went off on one of my tangents and completely forgot about this week's print. The Dirty Half Dozen is a fun title and another fantastic print, this time depicting the original six characters the series started with, albeit one now an enemy, or frenemy for the time being as the previous episode and its title showed. This print is one of the best of so far, definitely as great as "Melinda," and we'll see how it grows in emotional significance when the episode actually airs. I'm sure the episode will be something great, as they have all been important, fun, exciting, or poignant. Some more so than others, as with any series, but overall the quality has never waned. It only gets better, always topping itself, adding layers upon layers of depth. So I can't wait for next Tuesday. I kind of wish there was more time. The end is so very near, and last season's final episodes were so jam-packed with action and revelations that I was fearful for the characters the entire time. They've done it to me again.

Speaking of fearful, the two times I really feared for Fitz's life (not counting the split second when Mack saved him from the exploding wall) were both because of Ward! He can never make up for stranding Leo and Jemma at sea - Fitz nearly dying, their relationship changing because of it - and he still tries to talk to Fitz like a friend. I love how Fitz was ready to kill Ward, and also how Hunter and Coulson were ready for it.

Speaking of Ward, as much as I like hating the bastard who grew up in a terrible, abusive family, escaping into the eager arms of a manipulative organization whose goal is domineering cruelty, I still sympathize with him because he just really had no shot at a normal life. Now this emotionally withered husk of a human being may have found love with Agent 33. Although, likely he could snap her neck if it suited him. We'll have to wait and see if he can again be the same man who tired to save FitzSimmons by jettisoning them out of the Bus into the ocean rather than shoot them where they stood. And maybe he can do one better and actually own up to everything he's done rather than justifying himself.

Favorite Scenes, Or the Moments I Don't Have Time to Fit Properly into the Post

  • Cal and Daisy. Wow, Kyle MacLachlan can make you sympathize with a "monster," as Cal has called himself. He only became that way because his family was ripped apart (his wife literally) and he was desperately searching for "Daisy" for so long. (I'll always call her Skye.) It was poignant how he wanted to make up for lost time, not knowing Skye was there to soften the blow of his departure, and MacLachlan played the eager, earnest, broken and betrayed heart perfectly.
  • Coulson and Skye's reunion was agonizingly brief. He loves her and just wants to protect her, and that is very difficult to do when her father is a raging maniac (who would never hurt her intentionally, by the way) and Gordon intervenes to whisk her away.
  • Fitz's aborted attempt to geek out over Deathlok's new upgrades was adorable.

Well, that's about it for me. I'm behind on work this week, and if I stop writing now I shouldn't have to make up for it on Saturday. I wish I could get more in depth on "The Frenemy of My Enemy," but I would need to watch it again and take notes. I will, but not today. Instead, I'll look forward to "The Dirty Half Dozen" after a nice, quiet weekend. In the meantime, we can all read about the artwork for the episode at Entertainment Weekly and watch the sneak preview below.


Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
The Frenemy of My Enemy
Season 2, Episode 18 Preview :: Art of Evolution

4/17/2015

The Frenemy of My Enemy
I'm not going down without a fight.
~ Phil Coulson

Looks like there will be a lot going on in "The Frenemy of My Enemy" and that Deathlok will play a big part in it. Unlike the last episode, which was all about May and the reason she got herself a desk job, next week seems chock-full of action, especially since it's so close to the release of Age of Ultron. I'm not saying nothing happened in "Melinda." There was a lot of kicking ass - both in the normal and Cougar Town meaning - but it gave the characters a bit of breathing room in this whirlwind ride they've been on by reaching into the past. Even Skye got a break and only had to deal with finding out Jiaying is her mother and that her father used to be a good man...and the details of May's story through Jiaying. Yeah, "only." The episode may be titled "Melinda," but it was an emotional filling-in-the-blanks for both Skye and May.

I love backstory that deepens understanding of characters, and I think that was a bit overdue for May. Although, it really couldn't have come any sooner. There have been a lot of other things that had to happen. The first season was out of the question, because the Inhumans storyline hadn't begun yet; the pieces had to be set up. They would've had to ramp up to Terrigenesis much sooner, while also dealing with the lead up to Hydra in the final episodes. The reason I'm mentioning this is I just stumbled upon an article about the episode where Coulson told Skye that May had become a completely different person after Bahrain. It said the series only answered a question with another question and would have been better if May had told us everything herself. Would it? Would she have been willing to share? It was too traumatic for her. That should have been enough for anyone to understand that May wouldn't just volunteer details about the worst moment of her life. It should have been enough to realize that this defining event would be explored again eventually, but some people are impatient and don't think too far ahead.

Great writers write to a character's established personality. If May suddenly opened up then critics would have had a problem with that, too. Those who don't know the full story need to realize that sometimes things are held back for good reason. It wasn't a crutch. It had nothing to do with not knowing where they were going, just filling in some vague details to placate the audience, and everything to do with being a necessity for the storytelling. Now with "Melinda" we have the rest of the story, that what May was forced to do destroyed her marriage, that she was looking forward to being a mother. Killing a child, even though that child had been crazy out of control and superpowered dangerous, ruined that for her, haunted her. This reveal wouldn't have been right last season. This was the time it could make the most impact, after getting to love May for who she is now, the hardened operative who knows the job comes at a high price. Seeing her fall apart in Coulson's arms, being so vulnerable and broken was a moment that will stick with me, and I assume all of us.

And there I go again getting a bit off topic and annoyed with a year-old article. You came here to see that pretty picture. Maybe you're interested in purchasing it. Well, that can be done at the Marvel Shop. It's a wonderful place full of Marvely goodness. And if you missed the previous seven limited edition prints, they all seem to still be available. That's good for me, because I'm still waiting to see all of them before I make up my mind since there are twice as many to choose from as last year.

If you're interested in learning more about this artwork by Nathan Fox then read "It's All Connected..." at Entertainment Weekly. But before you go, here's the preview for "The Frenemy of My Enemy." Actual show clips are a bit lacking because they squeezed Age of Ultron in there, too. What a ridiculous yet wonderful title. I kind of hope there will be "The Enemy of My Frenemy" in tribute to last year's "End of the Beginning" and "Beginning of the End."


The Avengers (and Clark Gregg) on Jimmy Kimmel

4/14/2015

I just wondered if any of you had ever considered working on the small screen.
Lately I haven't had time during the week for quick posts like this. The Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Art of Evolution prints I've been making time for every Friday are the exception...and they have not been quick. They take up at least an hour, sometimes three. I'd rather throw up a video and short introductory comment like this more often, but they usually turn into rambling essays. Who really still has that kind of attention span anyway? So here's what you came for if you don't watch Jimmy Kimmel and you've been busy today. I really loved the "surprise" of Clark Gregg asking a question like a fan. I say surprise because SHIELDTV kind of gave it away. ;)

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Melinda
Season 2, Episode 17 Preview :: Art of Evolution

4/10/2015

Photobucket Pictures, Images and Photos

I've had their pain. Now give me yours.

I really need an extra few hours per week. Another has gone by without a peep from me other than to talk about Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. every Friday via limited edition prints. Good thing then that I love the show to pieces. The artwork has been beautiful, but I wish they were also available as t-shirts. It's much easier to come by drawer space than wall space. Shirts would also be less expensive, so I wouldn't have to be so picky and anxious that the next might be better. The previous prints still seem to be available, so I am going to try waiting to see what's in store for the final five, but I love this one. If I were to rank all of them, this would be either at or near the top. The artist really captured May's face. It shows her cornered, in a desperate situation, the shadow of an attacker looming over her. We know she triumphed, but she also lost something. She went in alone, saved the day, and came out a completely different person.

"Melinda" is the seventh in a series of twelve to complement the back half of the second season, available from the Marvel Shop. Read more about it at Entertainment Weekly before next Tuesday, when we finally get to know exactly what happened in Bahrain to earn May the nickname of "the Cavalry." Until now we've only gotten hints. It's an incident that changed her personality from warm and rule-bending to cold and by-the-books. The May we know is a highly skilled asset to the team and can single-handedly save the day, but she is closed off, unwilling to be vulnerable again. Coulson misses the person she was and I'd like to find out myself the person he knew. We've gotten a glimpse before; in which episode I can't remember, but I do remember a smile. It will be good to know why that smile is so rare, and character background is always important.

I have been exhausted the past couple weeks. Not with the show. Not with its direction or pace. I love every moment. It's just everything they've been through, and now with "the real SHIELD" and their relentless pursuit. One thing after another. They need room to breathe or something good to happen at some point. And that point finally came.

After the blitz attack on S.H.I.E.L.D., the capture of FitzSimmons and May, and Hunter, Coulson, and Skye's narrow escapes from the clutches of the "real S.H.I.E.L.D.," forcing them into hiding, it's been feeling like the hopelessness that was felt at the end of last season. But there are key differences. This new S.H.I.E.L.D. is not made up of a bunch of sociopaths and the easily suggestible. That doesn't take the sting out of betrayal, but at least there is the possibilty they could work together eventually...after the huge task ahead of Coulson and team finding a way to beat them or make them consider the possibilty that they went about this all wrong. They attacked good people because they're afraid of anyone with powers and believe that Coulson and Skye have been compromised, even calling Skye a thing. They want to neutralize everyone that's different, not considering that good people can still be good and assets, colleagues, or friends. S.H.I.E.L.D. sees people. The "real S.H.I.E.L.D." only sees threats to be controlled or eliminated, which is understandable after what they all went through with Hydra's devastating resurgence. "Shoot first, ask questions later" must be their motto. They believe that loyalty to a man is dangerous, that loyalty to the organization, an idea, will prevent another attack from within. But really it only makes it easier to take out their own, to never question an order, to deaden emotions...to become as bad as those they are afraid of.

Another difference, and the best moment of this half of the season for me, was the end of "Afterlife," where Fitz left the Playground. It reminded of when May left Providence because she had been discovered spying on Coulson for Fury, a moment filled with sadness. It reminded me of Skye leaving with Ward, a moment filled with dread. But this moment was filled with hope. When Fitz got in the cab and pulled out the Toolbox, I was cheering for Jemma again for only the second time this season; the other was when she captured Bobbi. When Fitz pulled out the prosciutto and buffalo mozzarella sandwich with "a hint of pesto aioli," his favorite, I was grinning from ear to ear. This scene was filled with joy at the prospect of getting a leg up on the "real S.H.I.E.L.D.," but more importantly FitzSimmons returning to a semblance of their old selves, doing great work together and having a close friendship. If they can make it through such a tough situation, they may be better for it in the end.

Speaking of Ward (a few sentences ago), now they have to enlist the help of that duplicitous crazy pants. Awkward conversation. I still hold the tiniest bit of hope that Ward will eventually be on slightly better terms with S.H.I.E.L.D., maybe edging out of villain territory. Even after getting to know who and why he is, I still see glimmers of the Ward of season 1, the man who made friends with his team, who acted so normal. That he turned out to be a deadly double agent for an organization that values order and control above life was such a blow, the kind which you only see in the most well-written shows, where realistically-played relationships matter. Those stakes are what make it great. It's a world where superheroes are becoming more commonplace, a world where death can be reversible if you're are willing to do whatever it takes, but the human connections are very much grounded. Even with all the story interweaving across mediums, that's where Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.shines brightest: the simple, complicated lives and emotions of people.

A few great moments that I couldn't fit anywhere else:

Another narrow escape when Mike Peterson (Deathlok) showed up just in time! It's been so long since the first season finale that I actually forgot he was free from Hydra and back on the side of the good guys. I didn't get the season for Christmas, so I haven't rewatched yet. I have to do this soon.

It was hilarious when Coulson and Hunter fooled their pursuers with a hologram of them playing cards, allowing Coulson and Hunter to hit the agents from behind with ICERs.

Oh, and Skye nearly kills Raina, but her mother stops her. Skye doesn't know who she is, but she was visibly shaken by their meeting.

Fun fact: I got interrupted no fewer than a dozen times by family while I was trying to write this. It's amazing I got anything done. And here's the promo for "Melinda" if you missed it.


Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Afterlife
Season 2, Episode 16 Preview :: Art of Evolution

4/03/2015

 photo fb97c9b6843600949f313533f0b18471_zps4bdultzj.jpg

We're gonna find Skye and I'm gonna take back SHIELD... We're not going down without a fight.

I had a general feeling of uneasiness before bed last night. I had no idea why. It followed into my dreams and was still there when I woke up. As soon as I checked my email from Marvel I understood; I had forgotten to write about the next Art of Evolution print! Only six more to go. I haven't bought one yet. There are just too many, so I have to choose wisely. But I really love Afterlife because it reminds me of Providence. I think any artwork with Coulson as the centerpiece is going to be my favorite.

Normally I would say I don't have time to talk about this print and the last episode, and then go on to spend an hour (or three) doing so. Though I would like nothing more, today I really have to cut this short. You can read more about "Afterlife" at Entertainment Weekly. Alright, now just a two-week wait until the next episode...or so I thought. I remembered the date incorrectly, probably due to every other series I watch deciding to take at least the next week off. Like The Blacklist, which, after a similarly enormous winter break to Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., won't be back until May... Ah, May - her in action is so fun to watch. I love how she dispatched the guards on Coulson, in the midst of a hostile takeover, in order for him to escape.

What a mess "the real S.H.I.E.L.D." has made. I get the concern over Coulson having alien blood in his veins and being obsessed with a hidden city after his resurrection, and Skye developing powers after being subjected to the Terrigen mist. The world is scared and wary of extraterrestrial threats now, and there are more and more humans with inexplicable powers that choose to use them in selfish and dangerous ways, as some humans always choose to do. They have a right to be afraid, and some react badly to that fear. And that's the way "the real S.H.I.E.L.D." is reacting: from fear, because they have no understanding of Coulson and Skye's experience nor of the good-hearted people they are. Rather than talking to them they come in guns blazing. Of course, Bobbi, Mack, and Gonzalez were in the thick of the Hydra uprising, as many were, and I'm sure they will find it hard to trust ever again, so I give them the tiniest bit of slack and hope they come around.

And poor Skye, terrified and just trying to get away from the people who would lock her up, maybe experiment on her, rather than try to help her. But that's apparently what we do now in this new world; there's no discerning between the good guys and the villains, and anyone with otherworldly powers need to be put away. (Crazy Cal had a point.) Two of these people Skye thought were her friends, and I think Bobbi still is. She's going about things in the wrong way because she's loyal to the people she went though hell with, but any viewer could tell that while Bobbi was with her team, it maybe wasn't 100 percent. She was concerned for Skye and warned her when she was about to get shot by Kirk Acevedo, whose character is such a dick right now that I can't be bothered to remember his name. At least he got a nice big "splinter" from Skye. I cheered that...after my jaw dropped at the acre of trees she took down. That won't help her case with him, though. He'll think she did it on purpose when she was just acting on instinct to protect herself. He actually tried to kill her instead of using his ICER, as he was ordered to do. Now he will be even more determined to eliminate Skye. It's Calderon, by the way, Acevedo's character. I just looked it up.

So now instead of peaceably joining forces, the "real S.H.I.E.L.D." has captured and made enemies of people who would have been allies. Good job. If they keep this up, I'm going to start calling them "Hydra-lite." So, Coulson and Hunter are all that's left and I assume they're out there gathering new forces. (Yay, Hunter! Love him.) They're going to need numbers in order to get their people back, or a super sneaky strategy. Having Skye would make it easier, but she escaped with Mr. Creepy No Eyes Gordon after her incident in the forest. She'll now be with his clan of Inhumans, and he apparently doesn't discriminate against the mentally unstable (Raina, Cal). Yeah, that'll go smoothly. No chance they'll want to take over the world and destroy everyone who gets in their way, Inhuman or not. Skye will either be in danger or she'll become the danger. The faster she gets out the better.

Oh, look, I did the thing I didn't want to do anyway. I never listen to myself. Before I go, here are a couple things that deserve special note:

    Sweet, nervous Jemma is getting good at lying. She took down Bobbi, who was completely unsuspecting! That was hilarious...and a little scary.

    Mack saved Fitz! Awwwwwwwwwwwww. I like you again, Mack. Now, I would love it if Bobbi and Mack both came to realize that this is all wrong and do something about it. I don't want any of the new S.H.I.E.L.D. people to get hurt, except maybe a splinter for Calderon's other arm, because they aren't Hydra. They're just scared and trying to weed out threats. I hope they can eventually be reasoned with. I'd like to see more of Adama - *ahem* I mean Gonzalez, and would love a recurring guest role for Olmos in future seasons.