“The Farm” is episode five of season two of the new Battlestar Galactica.
Commander Adama, who came out of his coma in the previous episode, “Resistance”, enters CIC to applause. Apollo and President Roslin had escaped and the commander asks Gaeta if their location is known. Essentially, no. Adama wants every ship in the fleet searched, one at a time, using quarantine procedures to isolate them.
Roslin is telling Tom Zarek she wants to speak, to appeal to the people. Zarek tells them that Adama is back in command. He thinks that something personal would galvanise the people, like a son denouncing his father. Apollo attempts to record something, but is unable to do so. Roslin decides she will play the religious card. Once someone shows her how to use the recorder.
Cally is in the brig for killing Boomer and the chief is speaking to the commander on her behalf. Adama starts asking if Tyrol loved Boomer. The chief thought he did. The commander says that means he did. Yet Boomer was a Cylon, a machine. And she was more than just a machine to them. She was a vital living person, who served on Adama’s ship for almost two years. She couldn’t have been just a machine. It sounds like the commander is struggling to deal with a humaniform Cylon he had genuine feelings for. Cally is sentenced to the brig for 30 days for discharging a firearm without permission. As Tyrol leaves, the commander says the chief will see her again. Boomer. There are many copies.
On Caprica, at the resistance base camp, it turns out that the rather physical Pyramid game that Starbuck played with Anders was her version of flirting. As she’s getting dressed, Anders asks what she will do if she can’t get back to Galactica. Because the resistance doesn’t know what it’s doing; their tactics come from movies and they could use some professional advice. Starbuck advises them to head for the mountains, above the radiation, and hole up. She’ll send a rescue party from Galactica.
The resistance forces head out. There’s a Cylon refuelling airstrip that a heavy Raider visits every day. Starbuck is laying out a plan to take the Raider when they are opened fire on from the trees. Starbuck is hit and collapses.
Starbuck wakes in a hospital bed and the doctor says she was brought in yesterday morning. He introduces himself as Simon. And she is? Kara Thrace. Simon says they removed a bullet; they didn’t think she would make it. She was brought in by Anders. He died on the table; he had internal bleeding.
The next day, Starbuck asks Simon if he’s a Cylon. When he answers, he says he isn’t. But points out that if he was, he wouldn’t admit it. Starbuck asks if she can leave. Simon indicates the door. Starbuck can’t get out of bed. She’s not convinced Simon isn’t a Cylon, but would have expected the Cylons to have better digs. Simon says the place is a former mental institution; one of the few places the Cylons haven’t been found. He checks her wound that adds pain meds to her drip. Which knock her out.
Next time, Starbuck asks Simon how many patients there are, as she hasn’t seen anyone else. 223 patients, 2 doctors and 5 teachers masquerading as nurses. Starbuck makes a comment about a teacher masquerading as the president. She’s surprised how quiet it is; she hasn’t heard anyone else. Simon explains that most of the patients are suffering from acute radiation poisoning. Which he describes in detail. It’s not pretty, but it is quiet. Starbuck is being checked for infections before being allowed contact with others. Then Simon starts talking about how few healthy childbearing women there are, and that Starbuck is one of the few women capable of bearing kids. The conversation does not go well.
Commander Adama and Colonel Tigh underestimate just how much religion can affect the rest of the fleet and Starbuck becomes increasingly suspicious about the hospital she’s in.