Gravedancing

Gravedancing
Episode	Season {{#pad:1|2|0|left}}, Number 04
Title	"Gravedancing"
Airdate	February 19, 2010
Written by	Jane Espenson (teleplay) Michael Angeli and Jane Espenson (story)
Directed by	Michael Watkins
Previous	"Reins of a Waterfall"
Next	"There Is Another Sky"
Episode guide
Additional Images

About

Gravedancing is the fourth episode of the first season of Caprica and the fifth produced hour of the series. It first aired on the SyFy Channel on February 19, 2010.

The Global Defense Department searches Athena Academy and Zoe Graystone’s residence with disappointing results. Daniel Graystone goes over his talking points for his appearance on Baxter Sarno's show. Duram wants expanded powers to look through communications. Philo runs a diagnostic on the U-87 body. Daniel and Amanda Graystone appear on Backtalk. Daniel makes a startling announcement. Sam Adama kidnaps Amanda and frightens her before releasing her.

Summary

Prologue

The STO is suspected in a holo cafe bombing.

An empty Holo Cafe in Caprica City is bombed. Agent Jordan Duram informs Gara Singh, director of the Global Defense Department investigators, that he has obtained a search warrant for the lockers of the Athena Academy and Zoe Graystone’s residence. Singh cautions him to “keep it tasteful,” as Duram plans to bring reporters with him.

At home, Clarice Willow receives a phone call alerting her to the impending raid. She leaves, purposefully bumping into a Businessman and picking his pocket for an e-sheet that she uses to tip-off Keon Gatwick at the Academy. Keon clears his locker of bomb equipment.

GDD agents arrive at the Athena Academy with the press and ransack every locker. As the raid begins, Lacy Rand whispers to Keon that they need to talk. She says she will leave and tells him to follow in a few. Keon ignores her and leaves immediately. The GDD turns up nothing and leaves.

Meanwhile, Daniel Graystone goes over his talking points for his appearance on Baxter Sarno's talk show with Priyah Magnus and Cyrus Xander. Daniel vehemently objects to the idea that Zoe was “troubled” or that her actions were the fault of the holoband.

Joseph Adama contacts his brother, Sam Adama, to confirm that he wants Amanda Graystone dead, to which Sam replies that Joseph must “have patience.”

Act One

Ruth advises her grandson

The hallways at the Academy are a mess. Clarice sends the traumatized students home. Then she breaks down.

Amanda and Daniel argue about dancing on Zoe’s grave after Cyrus and Priyah leave, with Amanda saying Zoe was not crazy. Their argument escalates until Amanda shouts that they are parents, with Daniel replying that they are not. In the lab, Zoe is disconnected from Lacy and connects herself to the virtual world. She is abruptly interrupted by Philo, who performs maintenance on the U-87 body. At the studio, Priyah and Cyrus continue to argue with Daniel about Zoe.

At the Adama residence, William Adama comes home to Ruth. She knows he was not at school, but will not tell his father. Since William is thirteen years old, he is now a man by Tauron standards. She convinces him to pursue his goal of working with the pyramid players, saying Sam can help. Willie doubts this will happen since his father and Daniel are no longer friends. However, Ruth tells him, “You get the best things from enemies because they are scared of you."

On a stakeout across the lake from the Graystone residence, Sam watches as the GDD raids the Graystone home. At the house, Amanda objects, but Duram claims that all they want is to find out who turned Zoe into a bomber.

Act Two

Lacy convinces Keon to arrange a meeting with Barnabas.

As the raid progresses, Amanda and Jordan engage in a back-and-forth discussion about why Zoe’s possessions need to be torn apart. She asks, "What is this to you? Who did you lose on the train?" Jordan says, "I lost everyone on that train."

Lacy finds Keon at the bike repair shop where he works and helps him finish a repair. She presses him to arrange a meeting with Barnabas so she can get her "package" shipped to Gemenon.

After the raid, Duram explains to Singh that someone warned the students. He wants expanded powers to look through communications. Later, Duram and Youngblood review student e-sheets to see who might have warned someone at the school about the impending raid. Duram lashes out at Youngblood in frustration, but quickly apologizes saying that she is not entirely to blame for letting Ben Stark go. He says, "We all got complacent and we're all responsible."

Philo runs a diagnostic on the U-87 body, which leads to him and Zoe dancing in the lab.

At home, Joseph and Ruth discuss death with the television running in the background. She says that Shannon and Tamara cannot move on unless they are avenged.

Daniel makes his appearance on Backtalk. Amanda catches up with them in time to hear Daniel say that Zoe was “troubled,” a description he wanted to avoid. Sarno accuses Daniel of creating a lawless environment that drove Zoe to blow up a train. Amanda reaches a tipping point and strides out onto the stage.

Act Three

People all across Caprica City watch the Graystone interview on Backtalk. Duram and his colleagues watch from GDD headquarters.

Onstage, Amanda and Daniel renew their defense of Zoe, saying that she was not inherently a bad person, rather an angry young woman who saw the horrible, moral lawlessness of the holoband. Because of that, the Soldiers of the One got to her. Sarno demands to know how Daniel knows this. Daniel confesses that he created an avatar of Zoe, much to Sarno's and Amanda’s shock.

Meanwhile, Sam enters the studio and obtains an ID badge from a stagehand so he can have full backstage access.

Joseph and Ruth watch, wondering why Amanda is still alive. Ruth says, "I could kill her with my own hands and sleep well every night. Couldn't you?" Joseph realizes he could not live with himself.

Continuing his reconciliation attempts, Daniel says the V-World might be to blame, since they thought they could control the content and were obviously wrong. Sarno pushes Daniel to consider a resolution. Daniel decides, on the spot, that Graystone Industries will no longer profit off of the V-World or holoband technologies. Backstage, an irate Cyrus says that is “sixty percent of our net” while Priyah contends that it is “great PR.”

Afterwards, Amanda departs with Sam, who claims to be Baxter Sarno's driver.

Act Four

Sam drives Amanda "home."

Keon finishes the bike repair and thanks Lacy for her help. She pleads with him again to help her get her package to Gemenon. He says he can probably set up a meeting between her and Barnabas, but that is all he can do.

In the car, Amanda and Sam discuss the consequences of the bombing. Amanda suspects that Sam intends to do her harm when he takes a detour through Little Tauron, insisting that they are “good people” who are not nosy. Sam goes on to say that he lost his sister-in-law and niece on the train. Further, he says that since they cannot turn back time, they will need to find a balance instead, hinting at his sinister intentions.

Joseph frantically leaves messages on Sam's voicemail to call off the hit. Ruth is disappointed and angry with him, but says nothing.

Epilogue

Joseph wakes up later that night to find Sam washing himself off in the kitchen. Larry hates it when he comes home bloody. Joseph begs to know if Sam went through with the hit, unable to see through his brother's sarcasm. Sam informs his brother that other people call him and that he received Joseph’s “sixty text messages.” Besides scaring her a bit, Sam escorted Amanda Graystone home alive. Sam tells his brother he knew he could not go through with it. He calls Joseph a "frakking Caprican in a Tauron body."

At the Willow house, Clarice is watching the Backtalk interview again. She tells Nestor that every time she sees the Graystones on television, she gets so much out of it. The part of the interview she is watching is Daniel saying he made an avatar of Zoe just so he could hear her voice again. This is the avatar program for which Clarice has been searching.

At home, Amanda reflects on the atmosphere encompassing the public. Daniel concurs that more caution is a good thing. They discuss the avatar one more time. Daniel says he did it because he missed her. Lying in bed, the couple reflects on their shared feelings towards Zoe - they both miss her. Amanda ends the conversation by saying that she hears the Graystones will be on television that night and that they are really good. Daniel replies that those ridiculous people are everywhere.

Trivia

Bloopers and Continuity Errors

A Starbucks is visible in the background of the scene where Clarice Willow bumps into the Businessman. This occurs 3:34 minutes into the episode.

Music

Source Music: Was Love
Music and Lyrics: Jonathan Snipes
Performed by Captain Ahab (1)
Philo and Zoe dance to this song during the Cylon diagnostic.

A fragment of Stu Phillips' Main Title for the original Battlestar Galactica (1978-1979) is heard when Philo is skimming through the channels looking for dance music.

Source Music: I Am a Man
Music and Lyrics: Brendan McCreary
Performed by Young Beautiful in a Hurry (2)
This song is playing on Sam Adama's car wireless when he is taking Amanda "home."

Cultural References

• Lethe River

Lethe beer in the scene when Sam comes to Joseph's apartment to wash up.

References

1. "Caprica: Original Soundtrack from the Syfy Television Series." Music by Bear McCreary, La-La Land Records, 2009/2013, LLLCD 1267.

2. Ibid.