advertisement
Lights: On Off
On CBSSports.com: Watch March Madness® Online Now!
SyFy (Ended 2010)
Episode Guide > Season 2, Episode 14

Battlestar Galactica (2003): Black Market

 

Episode Score

 
8.0 Great
668 votes

Your Score

Air Date

Friday January 27, 2006

Production Code

214

Episode Summary

The new commander of the Pegasus, Jack Fisk, is murdered by black marketeers. Lee Adama is charged with solving the crime.

Roslin seeks to stamp out the black market by introducing new trade regulations.

Read Full Recap » (warning: possible spoilers!)
  •  
    5 Mediocre

    This episode simply was bad executed. hide show

    ***This review details –» this is a "I" perspective, based in what I like and recognize to be good or interesting, this is not a "god" where the guy thinks what he thinks is the true or the "you" perspective where I know what you will like and what you don´t.***

    This Black Market situation is well explored in terms of situations that could happens, but seems to me a mere filler and nothing more, even if a commander is dead. Then they decided to do another episode centered, this time in Apollo and my problem is that not only Apollo doesn´t have any interesting plots in the moment, he Is not a very interesting character, but he serves great like a support for some characters or for some situations.

    This is why suddenly he is sleeping with a hooker and he have his own drama form the past the he didn´t overcame, this came from nowhere to give meaning to the episode, this girl was not mentioned one single time before. The structure of the episode can come as a joke for some people, but could be worse.

    Presentation Phase - » (6/10) not bad,
    Complication Phase - » (5/10) Apollo as a detective, did not combine, poor treatment of the conflict,
    Climax Phase - » (5/10) didn´t see it,
    Ending - » (5/10) predictable and strange,

    The black market continues, what they did in this episode was just make Apollo make two conclusions, one about the situation, other about his past, the Storyline is bad executed, the is some things that don´t make sense, like Apollo detective or murderer. For me, this was pure filler.

    Details/Progress (To point A to B) -» (6/10) fair,
    Time and Scene Management - » (5/10) or the episode is bad or this is a bad filler,
    Plot Details/Holes- » (3/10) there is no connection between the past and present, But far worse was the existence of a crime syndicate so powerful that it could eliminate the commander of a military vessel so easily (like there is no security) and without consequences.
    Storyline -» (5/10) weak,

    Very hard to care for the drama or feel the tension.

    Drama - » (5/10) didn´t care,
    Suspense/Tension - » (5/10) poor,

    This episode simply was bad executed.

    Do you agree?
     
    Report Abuse
  •  
    6.5 Fair

    Some at the bottom, some in low... hide show

    So, we are having new kind of Lee - he is stressed out and somehow off after the accident with him in Blackbird.. And he has taken it all down himself and gets in trouble - a new commander of Pegasus gets killed again and Lee is investigating it while being involved with those people who were part of it, in real or just connected way, too closely.

    I most say - the story was not the best and the whole feeling was missing. The past of Lee and his regrets and what they wanted to show - it was not working too well.

    A weaker episode than those marvelous last ones.

    Do you agree?
     
    Report Abuse
  •  
    8.9 Great

    Another great drama episode. hide show

    I really like how this one started and how it ends. We get shown a glimpse of how people live outside of Galactica and how it deals with them. I like how its shown that when there is despair and malcontent there is someone there to deal with them and for profit too. Like in real life where governments don’t provide basic items like medicine there is always black market items that will soon follow. The solutions that Lee Adama has for the broken system looks at best promising and is anything but ordinary. The phrase keep your friends close and your enemies closer seem to come to mind.

    Do you agree?
     
    Report Abuse
  •  
    1 Abysmal

    In a departure from anything we care about, Apollo leaves Galactica to investigate Black Marketeers that are wreaking havoc with the fleet's economy. hide show

    This episode crashed and burned, and really ought to be retitled, "Black Mark--on an Otherwise Great Series". The military is requested to help remedy a situation with black marketeers. (We haven't really heard of this being a problem before, mind you.) Apollo investigates, some people die, the black marketeers are slapped on the wrist, and we are back where we started as if the episode never took place.

    "Black Market" is a great example of a "filler episode". Problem, plot, and solution are all synthesized for one episode, and then never mentioned again. Another classic "filler episode" is this season's "Scar", which at least had some cool space combat action.

    Just assume this episode never happened (and assume that the commander of the Pegasus was replaced by a new actor), and BSG will continue to be a gripping, groundbreaking series.

    Do you agree?
     
    Report Abuse
  •  
    4.5 Poor

    The first real miss of this superb series. hide show

    Not bad (by horrible Criminal Minds standards) but not up to the usual quality at all. Interesting premise to peel beneath the layers of Caprican society, but overall a disappointment. Lee's story simply doesn't have enough meat to be the focus of an entire episode. The main bad guy character seems very broadly drawn, almost a stereotype which this series never seems to stoop to. The first time i remember being rather glad the episode was over instead of drooling for more. I believe this is universally considered one of the weakest episodes of the series. But again, still light years ahead of every crime procedural drama out there.

    Do you agree?
     
    Report Abuse
 
See All Reviews

Episode Cast and Crew

View All
  • There are 49,597 survivors in the fleet according to the onscreen count in the main titles. []
  • In a deleted scene, Apollo's girlfriend on Caprica was revealed to be pregnant. Apollo told her he wasn't ready for a child. []
  • Deleted Scene
    Shevon gives Apollo a locket, telling him it's a family heirloom. He tries to refuse, but she says she'd only wind up selling it on the black market if she kept it. Later when Apollo goes to the Prometheus, he trades it for information about Phelan's location. []
More Notes
  • Phelan: (referring to the black market) It's hard to find the moral high ground when we're all standing in the mud. []
  • Zarek: (to Apollo regarding the black market) Did you really expect some Utopian fantasy to rise from the ashes? []
  • Cmdr. Fisk: Is Madam President always so right in your face?
    Baltar: Her last minute resurrection seems to have invigorated her somewhat. []
More Quotes

Allusions

advertisement

Top Contributors

  • 123home123 Editor
    User Score 6713 , Last Online 3 hrs, 12 mins ago
  • malocite Retired
    User Score 1027 , Last Online Sep 29, 2008
  • SrRui
    User Score 164
  • Mafeu
    User Score 147 , Last Online 9 hrs, 19 mins ago
  • lowriderz95s10
    User Score 128 , Last Online 28 minutes ago
What is a TV.com Contributor?