My Life and Times

Characters: President Laura Roslin (Mary McDonnell)
                   Dr. Gaius Baltar (James Callis)
                   Elosha (Lorena Gale)
                   Admiral William Adama (Edward James Olmos)

Scene Summary: During the battle to destroy the Resurrection Hub Baltar is injured. Laura, in an act of comapssion dresses his wound. When the pain medication takes effect he reveals his part in the destruction of the twelve colonies. In response Laura takes of the bandage and proceeds to let him bleed to death as he begs for his life. As he comes close to death and she prays, she is thrust back into the visons she's been having throughout the episode whenever the ship jumps. In this particular one, Elosha explains that she has to forgive and love in order to prove that the human race deserves to survive.

Thoughts: This scene is easily one of the best written for television ever. I'd loved the character of Laura Roslin from the start and I really hated where they had been taking her character prior to this scene. I understood it, I just didn't like it. Mary McDonnell, a hell of an actress in any circumstance, absolutly outdid her self here. I was getting chills as she prayed while Baltar bled out. I even felt honest to god relief when she made the right choice because I was so completely into the whole thing. Just an excellent, excellent scene.

Quotes: (These characters belong to NBC Universal. The dialogue was written by Jane Espenson. For the final time, I swear I'm not making money off this.)

(The battle continues as the Heavy Raiders and Vipers rush back to the Rebel Basestar. There's an explosion; the Centurion and Gaius fall. He discovers that he's bleeding and begins to cry, terrified. The battle begins to wind down; Marines bring Gaius back inside.)

Roslin: Put him over there. Wait. Easy, easy. Easy slim, easy. Okay. Find out what's going on!

Marine: Yes sir.

Roslin (bandaging him) Okay.

Baltar: Thank you, thank you.

Roslin: Good.

Baltar: Thank you, thank you. Thank you...

Roslin: Okay, wait. (She injects him with morpha and he yelps.) Okay. Sorry. You have this, uh... You have this big hole in your hide, as Cottle would say. Okay. All right. I'm gonna do this again.

Baltar: Thank you.

Roslin: It's the least I can do. I think you're gonna live. As usual.

Baltar: You know something?

Roslin: What?

Baltar: You're very pretty.

Roslin: Man, that morpha worked fast.

Baltar: Still... Do you know why I'm so serene right now?

Roslin (indulging and funny) You're doped out of your mind?

Baltar: Because I know God. You need God, Laura. Really, you'd be a different woman. I know God, therefore I know myself. Truth is... I was harboring the most awful, desperate guilt. A heavy, dark... Unimaginable, soul-breaking guilt. Now it's gone. Now it's gone, it's been transformed. Into ... I have been transformed.

Roslin: What was your guilt about?

Baltar: I have no guilt.

Roslin: What was your guilt about?

Baltar: I gave the access codes to the Cylons. They wiped out most of humanity. Of course, I didn't know that's what I was doing at the time, exactly, but that's what I did. And when I realized what I had done, the magnitude... In that moment, I was saved. I was loved. By God. Looking back... I think I was rewarded.

Roslin: Rewarded.

Baltar: Pythia talks about the flood that wiped out most of humanity. Nobody blames the flood, a flood is a force of nature. Through the flood, mankind is rejuvenated, born again. I was another flood, you see. I blamed myself. I blamed myself. But God made the man who made that choice. God made us all perfect. And in that thought, all my guilt flies away... Flies away, like a bird. I can give you that peace, Laura, that freedom. Pray with me. Pray with me.

Roslin: Okay.

Baltar: Thank you.

Roslin: Okay...

(She sits down to think, having nearly fainted during all that. She watches his blood drip down onto the floor, and makes her way back to him, tenderly removing the bandage from his abdomen.)

Baltar: What are you doing?

Roslin: Shh.

Baltar: What are you doing?

Roslin: It's all right. You're fine. Shh! You're fine.

Baltar: Don't do this to me. Don't do this to me, please.

(His blood pours out in a flood.) 

Baltar: Don't do this to me, don't... Don't do this to me. Don't do this to me, please. Please. No.

(Roslin's hands are folded in prayer as he dies) No...

(Jump.)

Jump

Elosha (over Laura's deathbed) I'm not saying Baltar's done more good than harm in the universe. He hasn't. The thing is, the harder it is to recognize someone's right to draw breath, the more crucial it is. If humanity is going to prove itself worthy of surviving, it can't do it on a case-by-case basis. A bad man feels his death just as keenly as a good man.

Roslin: What do you want from me here?

Adama: Laura.

Elosha: Just love someone.

Roslin: Love. Huh.

(Dying Roslin flatlines. Bill begins to weep, and kisses her lips. He falls beside her.)

Adama: You go. You go. You go to your rest now. I'm not gonna be selfish anymore. You go. Rest.

(He takes off his wedding ring and puts in on her finger. Laura is moved. Jump.)

Basestar/Corridor

(The bandage is still on the floor. She puts on her glasses, panicking.)

Roslin (taking Baltar's pulse) No. No. Please, no. Stop bleeding. Stop the bleeding, stop the bleeding... Oh! (He stirs.) Okay, good. Don't go... 

(Laura talks herself through setting up a saline drip.)

Roslin: Please don't go, Gaius. Please. I don't know how... All right, put it in...

Roslin: No more. No more, don't go. Please don't ... die, live. Please, live. Don't go. 


1. Cally's Death - Battlestar Galactica

Characters:Cally Henderson Tyrol (Nicki Clyne)
                  Tory Foster (Rekha Sharma)

Scene Summary: After finding finding out that her husband, Chief Tyrol, is a Cylon Cally goes completely around the bend. She attacks him, steals his access keys, and flees with Nicky. She goes to the airlock intent on killing both herself and her son. Tory arrives and makes what seems to be a sincere bid to talk her out of it. Once Cally has calmed and handed Nicky to Tory to hold for a moment, Tory knocks her out. When Cally awakes, she realizes that she is alone and locked in the airlock. She looks up through the glass of the control room to see Tory holding Nicky. Tory meets Cally's eyes and pushes the button to open the airlock.

Thought: Okay, I will admit that this is is in my top ten for less exalted reasons then the rest. The acting is admittedly top notch. Sharma, in particular, is awesome. I love the way she plays out Tory's whole hearted embrace of her Cylon nature. But that's not the reason I love this scene. I love this scene because I hated the character of Cally. She was possibly the most insipid and annoying role to ever grace a television screen. I felt extremely sorry for Nicki Clyne, who I could always tell was struggling to get above the matierial she was handed. It has to be really hard to play a doormat whose only flash of spine was attempting to kill herself and murder her child. Here's hoping Clyne is handed a role worthy of her talent in her next venture. Meanwhile I will admit I rewound this on my DVR about ten times just to enjoy the character's look of utter shock as she blows out an airlock.

Quotes: (See above disclaimer. The dialogue was written by Michael Taylor)

2. The Death of Roy Fokker - Robotech

Characters: Roy Fokker (Dan Woren)
                  Claudia Grant (Iona Morris)

Scene Summary: Roy Fokker is wounded in a dog fight with a Zentraedi ace. It doesn't appear serious at first, but certain clues let the audience know that it's pretty bad. He receives treatment but as soon as the doctors leave him he disconnects the machine that is giving him a blood transfusion and goes to his girlfriend's quarters to keep the dinner plans they made. As Claudia is cooking she complains a little about his seeming non-chalance in combat situations. He responds my telling her he doesn't think of it as a game. Her back is turned as she responds to him and when she turns around it looks as if he's fallen asleep. She says his name trying to wake him, but he groans and falls face first onto the floor of the apartment. The scene fades to Roy covered on bed and medical personnel explaining to Claudia that he bled to death internally. The scene ends with a distraught Claudia falling beside the bed and sobbing over his dead body.

Thoughts: I can still remember the shock I felt when I first saw this scene. Cartoon heroes don't die, they just don't. It doesn't matter if they get shot at every day,they always come through and vanquish the enemy. The Japenese (Macross) version of this was even more raw. He actually bled to death. It was pouring out his back when he hit the floor. After rewatching the scene a few times I realized that this was an excellent commentary on the unpredictable nature of war. I also realized how brave it was to present. Truly killing a lead character in a cartoon was nearly unheard of in America at the time. The writing, voice acting, and animation in this scene were truly top notch as well. Robotech has many scenes of this caliber, but this was the one that's always stuck with me.

Quote: No quote or video today. I couldn't find a clip in either a dubbed or subbed format and transcripts are pretty non-existant.

See you tomorrow for the grand finale!

4. Dean Sells His Soul to Save the Life of His Brother - Supernatural

Characters: Dean Winchester (Jensen Ackles)
                   Deal-Making Demon (Ona Grauer)

Scene Summary: Sam Winchester and his brother Dean are "hunters" who find and destroy supernatural creatures. Sam has been killed in a contest run by the yellow-eyed demon who has been attempting to corrupt Sam and his power of premonition since the demon murdered his mother when Sam was a baby. Dean decides to save Sam by returning to a crossroads where he once met a demon who offered him to let him sell his soul to her in order to save his father. He asks for the same deal in order to save Sam, but the demon has different terms. Dean gets one year before the demon collects and can make no attempts to weasel out.

Thoughts: This show is one of the few on the CW not entirely devoted to upper class snobs being assholes to one another. I decided to try watching because the guy who plays Sam was the guy who played Rory's boyfriend, Dean and I really liked the actor. From the first minute I was totally enthralled by the relationship between the brothers Winchester. It totally culminates with this scene. Ackles was awesome as a person willing to give everything up for the person who mattered most to him. I mean the guy didn't even hestitate to turn down the deal for his father and then showed the same lack of hesitation in taking a worse deal for Sam. Just awesome!

Quote: (These characters belong to Warner Brothers Television.The dialogue was written by Eric Kripke & Michael T. Moore.I don't own or make money of them.) 

[CUT TO: Impala engine revving. Headlights turn on and DEAN drives recklessly. He stops on a dirt road and inserts several items into a box, including a photo ID of himself. He begins to bury the box in the middle of a crossroads. Several seconds pass in silence, as DEAN looks left and right.]  

DEAN: Oh come on already. Show your face, you bitch! [Suddenly, a beautiful woman in a black dress appears.]

DEMON: Easy sugar, you'll wake the neighbors. Dean. It's so, so good to see you. [Inhales sharply] I mean it. Look at you. Gone and got your family killed. All alone in the world. It's too sweet. Excuse me, you're gonna have to give me a moment. Sometimes you gotta stop and smell the roses.

DEAN: I should send you straight back to hell.

DEMON: Oh, you should. But you won't. And I know why.

DEAN: Oh yeah?

DEMON: Yeah. Following in Daddy's footsteps. You wanna make a deal. Little Sammy back from the dead, and--let me guess-- you're offering up your own soul?

DEAN: There are a hundred other demons who'd love to get their hands on it. And it's all yours. And all you got to do is bring Sam back. And give me ten years-- ten years, and then you come for me.

DEMON: You must be joking.

DEAN: That's the same deal you give everybody else.

DEMON: You're not everybody else.[Whispering in Dean's ear] Why would I want to give you anything? Just keep your gutter soul. It's too tarnished, anyway.

DEAN: Nine years.

DEMON: No. 

DEAN: Eight.

DEMON: You keep going, I'll keep saying no.

DEAN: Okay, five years. Five years, and my bill comes due. That's my last offer-- five years or no deal.

DEMON: [Leaning in for a kiss]  Then no deal.

DEAN: Fine.

DEMON: Fine. [Walking away] Make sure you bury Sam before he starts stinking up the joint.

DEAN: Wait.

DEMON: [Softly] It's a fire sale, and everything must go.

DEAN: What do I have to do?

DEMON: First of all, quit groveling. Needy guys are such a turnoff. [Sighs] Look...Look, I shouldn't be doing this. I could get in a lot of trouble. But what can I say? I got a blind spot for you, Dean. You're like a... puppy. You're just too fun to play with. [Sighs] I'll do it.

DEAN: You'll bring him back?

DEMON: I will. And because I'm such a saint, I'll give you one year. And one year only. But here's the thing. If you try and welch or weasel your way out, then the deal is off. Sam drops dead. He's back to rotten meat in no time. So...it's a better deal than your dad ever got. What do you say? [DEAN grabs the demon and kisses her to seal the deal.]

[CUT TO: SAM's eyes open wide and he sits up on the mattress, looking around, confused, and breathing heavily.]

3. Richard in the Hospital - Gilmore Girls

Characters: Emily Gilmore (Kelly Bishop)
                   Richard Gilmore (Edward Herrmann)

Scene Summary: After he collapsed at the family Christmas party, Richard and Emily speak in his hospital room.

Thoughts: This was one powerful scene. Coming as it did about midway through the first season the scene was an absolute revalation to me. I was convinced from what I'd seen that Emily and Richard were a typical arranged marriage of the ultra rich. In this scene everything I thought was totally turned on its ear. Bishop and Herrman portrayed such a deep and abiding affection that I was just riveted to the screen. This scene defined how I thought about the characters for the rest of the series.

Quote: (These characters are owned by Amy Sherman Palladino and Warner Bros Televison. The dialogue is written by John Stephens. I just love them.)

EMILY: Well I finally found you some decent pillows, they’re not down but at least they give a little.

RICHARD: Emily, we need to talk.

EMILY: Can you life your head at all?

RICHARD: This is serious.

EMILY: Just a little.

RICHARD: There is a key in my top desk drawer.

EMILY: Better yes?

RICHARD: It is to the safe.

EMILY: One more time.

RICHARD: All of our stock information is in there, plus all of the insurance information.

EMILY: Now if I could just find you some different sheets.

RICHARD: Our will is in my lower left drawer, Denis has a copy in case there’s a problem.

EMILY: Maybe I could get Dava to bring some from home -

RICHARD: Emily, this is serious. We have to be practical.

EMILY: I’m gonna have Dava get those -

RICHARD: Emily listen to me, if I die -

EMILY: No!

RICHARD: Emily.

EMILY: Richard Gilmore, there may be many things happening in this hospital tonight but your dying is not one of them.

RICHARD: But -

EMILY: No! I did not sign on to your dying. And it is not going to happen. Not tonight, not for a very long time. In fact, I demand to go first. Do I make myself clear?

RICHARD: Yes Emily. You may go first.

EMILY: Good. I’m gonna get you those sheets. [picks up the phone as Richard takes her hand and holds it.] 

Hope you readers enjoy these. Tomorrow I'll have #2 out for barring any emergencies :)