There Is Another Sky

There Is Another Sky
Episode	Season {{#pad:1|2|0|left}}, Number 05
Title	"There Is Another Sky"
Airdate	February 26, 2010
Written by	Kath Lingenfelter
Directed by	Michael Nankin
Previous	"Gravedancing"
Next	"Know Thy Enemy"
Episode guide
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About

There is Another Sky is the fifth episode of the first season of Caprica and the sixth produced hour of the series. It first aired on the SyFy Channel on February 26, 2010. After announcing the Graystone Industries will stop profitting from the holoband, Daniel Graystone faces an attempt to oust him from control of his company. He counters by telling the board of directors that the future of the company is in the Cylon. Joseph Adama comes to terms with his origins and participates in a funeral rite for his wife and daughter. In the Virtual World, Tamara is transformed from a girl on the run to a woman who fights for what she wants. She sends the owner of another avatar back into the real world with a message for her father.

Controlling Graystone

"U-87, rip your arm off."

Daniel Graystone approaches Cyrus Xander and tells him that he has been unreachable for a day. Cyrus responds that the company board of directors has called an emergency meeting because of Daniel's announcement that Graystone Industries will no longer profit from the holoband. Atkinson called the meeting, but Jon Parker will be doing most of the talking. It is possible that Daniel Graystone will be ousted and lose control of his own company. Daniel asks if they have the votes and Cyrus backs away from him without answering. Later at home, Daniel can not sleep. Amanda reminds him that his greatest success came when they were poor. She tells the story about how, when Daniel was at his worst, she was pregnant, and they were behind on their rent, Daniel called in a favor to meet with a company, MicroCap, who had no interest in him. Falling in the rain while stepping off a bus because he was trying to help a woman with a stroller, Daniel attended the meeting, soaking wet and injured from breaking his wrist. He walked away with the deal that started everything.

The board meets. Priyah Magnus and Cyrus defend Daniel, but others are upset that he has eliminated the profits from holoband. Jon Parker hears a loud noise outside the room and Daniel walks in with Zoe in the U-87 chassis, his only working model. Daniel apologizes for being late, explains that profits from holobands are over because of free hacked sites, and that it is inevitable – future generations would scoff at paying for any part of the Virtual World. He explains that the Cylons are the future. The board is skeptical. Daniel and the Cylon demonstrate the Cylon's perceived sentience by having "her" stroll around the board members. The manner in which it walks is more life-like than machine like, as if the machine is taking an interest in the assembly, or is perhaps strutting. Daniel explains that the Cylons will be practical because they are tireless workers who will not need to be paid, will not retire or get sick, and will not have rights. A Cylon will do as told without question. He demonstrates that by having U-87 rip her arm off. She's hesitant, but then succeeds, dramatically tossing the severed limb on the boardroom table. Not only does Daniel demonstrate the machine's willingness (albeit reluctantly or hesitantly), but the discomfort felt by the members also demonstrates their tendency to anthropomorphize the device, which will become a selling point for a robot costing millions of cubits.

After dark, Cyrus approaches Daniel and tells him he got the votes to retain control and that he had better be right.

Performing the Rites

"I have a coin for my wife..."

Sam Adama arrives at his brother's apartment. He finds William working on a computer and Joseph asleep on the couch. Sam tells William that he is late for school and prepares to take William with him. Joseph tells William to wait and Sam counters by asking Joseph if he is going to work. Joseph answers that it has been a rough couple of weeks and tells Sam to mind his business. Sam responds that it is not business, it is family and asks Joseph if he remembers that he is a Tauron. Joseph tells Sam the he is a Caprican, at least that is what Sam always tells him. Sam's response is that first Joseph needs to decide to be a father and that when he does, Sam will introduce him to his own son. Sam leaves with William after telling Joseph to wake up.

Later, while Joseph is looking through a ledger, he finds pictures of him and his entire family on a fishing trip. Principal Andrews of William's school calls to check on William, since someone has been reporting that the boy is sick since the previous Wednesday. Joseph finds William at Goldie's Off Track Betting with Sam and other Taurons. Joseph tells William to come with him. Sam tells Joseph that what one man loses in a desert, another may claim, permanently.

Joseph and William go fishing. There is very little water in the "lake," but Joseph tells William that means the fish are closer to the surface. There are other youths nearby who are progressively more amused at Joseph's appearance, and William is progressively more embarrassed. The youths, drinking, begin to be belligerent; one spouts racist comments about Taurons. Willy strikes the aggressor with a large rock, and proceeds to beat him while Joseph tries to pull him off.

Joseph and William return home. William supposedly does his homework, but actually sits and continuously clicks a retractable ball-point pen - his passive aggressive way to irritate his father. Sam and Larry arrive. Joseph asks his brother what he has been teaching William. Sam responds that he has been teaching William what he and Joseph had been taught. Sam reminds Joseph that William will be a man soon and that he would already be a man on Tauron. When Joseph admits that he does not know what to do, Sam responds that William needs closure, that it is time to let Shannon and Tamara go, and that it is time for Joseph to look past himself and perform the rites.

Later, a group of Taurons gather at Joseph's apartment for the rites. Ruth prepares food. Sam, bare chested to display his tattoos, stands behinds Joseph and William as each hands a coin to Ferryman, Joseph for Shannon and William for Tamara. Joseph asks Ferryman to grant the deceased women passage. Ferryman asks if Joseph and William will let the women go and both say good-bye. Ferryman assures the Adamas that Shannon and Tamara will live forever in their hearts. They will live forever in peace. Ferryman applies a ritual tattoo to Joseph's chest. A woman sings a funeral dirge. Heracles knocks on the door and tells Joseph that Tamara sent him. He still believes that Tamara is a sleeper; he didn't realize she really was dead. Joseph asks him to take him to her, and Heracles runs off. Joseph follows him down onto the city street, but can not keep up.

Waking Up

Solving the puzzle

Tamara Adama is still trapped in the Virtual World. She's looking for Vesta. Heracles and Byun guard access to Vesta and agree to allow Tamara to see Vesta. Vesta is at a table, with a group of other "players." There are pistols on a stand in the center of the table. After the players place their bets, Vesta rotates the stand. When it stops, she says, "Grip," and they all grab pistols and hold them to their heads. When Vesta says, "Fire," each person pulls a trigger. One weapons fires and the player holding it de-rezzes and disappears. Tamara offers to play. Instead, Vesta shoots her in the torso. Instead of de-rezzing, Tamara falls, obviously wounded. Others are stunned. Vesta take Tamara, Heracles and Byun to another room where Vesta agrees to help Tamara get home. However, Tamara must first pay the price. She has to "play a little game." Everyone notices that Tamara's wounds have miraculously healed.

Heracles takes Tamara to a different part of the virtual world, called New Cap City, which is virtual representation of Caprica City, identical except that it is lawless. Heracles and Tamara stand on the fire escape of a hotel as a massive airship drifts by; several fighter aircraft detach themselves from the mother ship and engage in dogfights with waiting fighters. Some stray rounds almost hit Heracles and Tamara. Heracles explains New Cap City is a game. Noticing an elevated train passing below, he explains that the city is updated and even includes the area where the MAGLEV train was bombed. When Tamara expresses surprise about a bombing, Heracles asks how long she has been asleep. She responds that she does not know. Heracles explain that the true goal of the game in unknown, but that discovering the goal may be the goal. He also tells her that once one dies in the game he or she may not join again.

They are looking for Chiron, who is the best gamer in the city. Heracles wants to acquire his avatar so he can capture all of Chiron's point from his (Chiron's) digital vault. Tamara's task is to draw Chiron's security away. It's just a game to Heracles, but it's real to her. Tamara approaches Chiron, acting as if she knows him. As she approaches, Chiron's guards move toward her and away from Chiron. She becomes nervous and a weapons appears in her hand. She shoots one guard, causing him to de-rez. She is shot by another, but everyone is mystified when she does not de-rez. Heracles slips in behind Chiron and captures his avatar. Chiron feels something, but sees nothing awry. Both Heracles and Tamara disappear.

Back in a virtual hotel room, Tamara's wound heals before their eyes. Heracles demonstrates that he has captured Chiron's avatar by morphing into him and back again. He agrees that she's done her job. He explains that New Cap City allows him to be "something."

Tamara accompanies Heracles, disguised as Chiron, into Chiron's vault. Heracles approaches it first, telling the security guards to leaved. Tamara comes when the coast is clear. The vault is actually under their feet, further secured by a puzzle. Tamara steps on selected signs of the twelve colonies as directed by Heracles – Picon, Caprica, Gemenon, Picon, and Tauron – and the vault opens, releasing points. Heracles collects them with a device and shows the result to her. Over 366 billion points are registered before an alarm sounds. The security guards return. Tamara steps between them and Heracles. She clenches her fists and they disappear, to Heracles' astonishment. She doesn't know how she did it.

Tamara and Heracles visit Vesta at the club where Chiron used to be. Tamara demands to be sent home before she will provide Vesta what she wants. Vesta reveals that Tamara is on a list of the people who died in the MAGLEV bombing. Tamara knows what happened, but Heracles doesn't understand. Vesta tells her she's dead, and Byum tells her she can't go home. Vesta says Tamara has plenty to do. Tamara hugs Heracles, then pulls out some guns, shooting everyone but him. She sends Heracles to see her father at her real world house, 615 Olympic Street, No. 3. Heracles takes off his holoband and de-rezzes. Vesta is still there, crouched low. She asks, "What are you?" and Tamara replies, "I'm awake." She fires her gun at Vesta.

Tamara, alone in the virtual world, walks down a street brandishing a machine pistol.

Trivia

Production Notes

• Magda Apanowicz, Brian Markinson, and Polly Walker were not credited and did not appear.

Music

Source Music: The lyrics for the funeral rites song, Tauron Ceremony Song, was penned by Lingenfelter (uncredited). Patti Allen performs the song on screen. On the soundtrack CD remix, it is sung by Raya Yarbrough. Lyrics were added to the Adama theme (which is used in the soundtrack as a leitmotif to identify the Adamas and the Taurons) with slight alterations made to the melody to accommodate the words.