The Lampkin Effect
With the brilliant introduction of Romo Lampkin and his accurate reading of people’s emotions and souls we all now realize that Laura backed the wrong horse with her choice in prosecutor. The trial would probably be over by now if Lampkin were on the other side of the fence. Then again, I don’t thinkthe spectacled Romo often finds himself hanging with the popular crowd.
Now that Sam is good and messed up I think the general consensus is that he can stay awhile. I am hoping that Lampkin does the same; he comes prepackaged with issues and problems so he could have staying power if they wanted to write him in on a more regular basis. Even if we just see him once in a while it would welcome.
His regular day job has got to be quite interesting. What I want to know is where has he been hiding himself and why have we not heard or been forced to hear about this guy before? I’m really hoping he’s not a Keyser Söze type figure that just disappears after the trial never to be heard from again.
Romogets my vote for coolest character this season. I really want to know more about the dude. At least explain the stealing or the real reason for the cat.
Galactic Watercooler 
Modern Geek 
Save Eureka 
Eff This Week 
FitSmart
Yeah, not so much
Dang, Sean. I can’t believe you’re giving up on Cavil like that! I do have to agree, though. Romo “Badger” Lampkin is a sweet character. Almost like a Frank Black gone dark or something. A profiler that works for the defense.
I really like how he is a Master Manipulator and how he played Lee. Okay, “played” is too heavy a term… How he induced Lee to finally be truthful about his motivations.
I’ll say Lampkin #1, Brother “We’ll Throw in Baltar” Cavil a close second.
Reality check. They can’t afford to keep him around much longer, and he’s busy enough that they can’t count on bringing him back for guest shots, so he’s not going to be a character that they hang a plot on after the next episode.
That said, he’s cool as cats.
I was on the Lampkin/Cavil tip as well, until this episode. He’s just too new, and I think in the end, Pike’s right.
It would be interesting, though, to see him in a Zarek-like role, or maybe if they kill off Roslyn and instate Zarek as President, as one of Zarek’s operatives. He might actually be that already. . . That would be kind of cool, if they had Lampkin be kind of like Zarek’s go-to man. Although I don’t know how well ol’ Romo would deal with authority.
As for the cat, it’s gotta be a ruse. A little bit of misdirection to cover for his cleptomania, like in Roslyn’s office.
X_O
“. . . it’s in the ship. . . “
If he gets favorable enough reviews — and more importantly brings in revenue — then Sci Fi should spring to make him a new member of the cast. We had a semi-member in D’anna, but unless something REALLY wild happens next week (which I would NOT put past the show), she won’t be back. So we need a new character.. and we need someone to keep the emerging aristocracy in check. As much as Tyrol is being guided into that path, he can’t take it strongly enough, because he is too close to it.
Romo would make a wonderful foil. And I fear for what would happen if he and Tom Zarak teamed up.
While I do love the character of Romo Lampkin now, when he was first introduced to the show, there was a strange feeling in me that this character didn’t “belong” in the Galactica universe. And that wasn’t a neccesarily bad thing, but I just got the feeling that his character felt like he came from a completely different universe (or show) than the Adamas, Roslin, and Tighs.
And this isn’t the same thing as “Ellen Tigh is a completely different animal than the military folk” or “Sam Anders is a type of character we haven’t seen before” but a feeling that this guy walked off the stage of the yet to be produced “Caprica” show and walked onto Battlestar Galactica. Maybe that’s why I dig his character so much.
Too bad he couldn’t wear his glasses in court. They’ve already become so iconic to the character already.
Browncoat:
Well of course he doesn’t trump Cavil overall. 😉 But this season I think Romo has puppeted everyone better than Cavil. That and I think he is gonna get the guy Cavil couldn’t manage to kill off the hook.
That deserves a shout out.
We had better get some Cavil action next week. We haven’t seen him since he pulled the plug on Xena. And I miss her, she was such a nice Cylon.
Way back in the day RDM did a podcast where he had Jamie Bamber, Tahmoh Penikett, James Callis and Mark Sheppard over for a roundtable. Lampkin asked for more episodes and RDM said he was only getting three, no matter how much he begged.
Don’t tell me that, Steph! Awww…
I love how he uses the cane, though. I mean, it’s the subtle props in theatre and the courts that make the impact.
He is a very interesting character, well played out. Pretty amazing he managed to make his mark in just 2 episodes. Like Athenor said, he uses props with great effect, the cane, his sunglasses…
Stephanie, I also caught the podcast he made with Bamber, Penikett, Callis and RDM. 3 hours long. Fun podcast. He must have made quite the impression on the cast and director to be invited to this! In his latest podcast, RDM briefly mentions that Callis, Sheppard and Bamber were having a lot of fun together on and off the set, playing off each other. He said something like “lots of testosterone showing”.
Maybe they smoked some fleet wheat and went to RDM’s house for munchies and had a great idea: “Wow! Let’s make a podcast!”
Eagerly waiting for next Sunday to find out what happens!
Lampkin is a lot like Cain as far as a “big impact in a few episodes” goes. And I think he would be using the cane because of his injuries from “The Son Also Rises”.
Which reminds me, I was watching some Star Trek TNG last night for a few minutes (I know a little bit about ST, but I’ve only watched about 5 complete episodes, all of the original series) and anyway, Michelle Forbes (Cain) was giving Patrick Stewart a hard time. It reminded me of her role on BSG by being a general hard ass. Anyway, it was kind of funny.
My guess will be Baltar will be found not guilty and then Lampkin will be killed in an assignation attempt against Baltar.
This is in the category of I can’t beleive I am doing this… coming to the defense of a prosecutor. First I am a defense oriented fellow from way back. Early on in a Public Defenders office and them a number of years in crim defense in the private bar. My general opinion of pros. are that they often are lazy and depend too much on the police to do their work. Think Hamilton Berger! (a la Perry Mason fame.)
Anyway Audra gave her no love (no passion) and feels she is overmatched. I beg to differ. In fact she is as protrayed one of the more deadly types of prosecutrix. She struck me as methodical, contained and intense. No high flying lampkinng here. Rather business like and to the point.
The role of the proisecutor is to lay out a case, that will lead the jury inextribly to the point and conclusion she wants, ie a conviction. A prosecutor (save in perhaps the closing arguement) that goes super emoting, will imho lose the jury. They will alienante the very ones who initially look on the state’s advocate in a usually positive light. So she approcaches it low key, then tires to pile stone on stone then invites you to accept her edifice. She makes it graphic and to the point. Hammering the numbers. Make it real. Show some pictures of the dead. Her closing almost starts to write itself. ” We all lost someone. This is Mrs Jones. She was someone, a lving breathing person who loved, who sang songs, enjoyed her friends but now lies dead, anbandoned in an umarked grave on New Caprica. And Baltar, the man who was given the public trust, betrayed her.now unmourned. But you as the jury can mourn her and give her, not peace, but perhaps justice…etc.”
As Bill said, no facts, no law, then confuse. That’s the defense line. All the defense lawyer is looking for is one single vote. The prosecutor needs to sway all, the defense, not so much. So we use emotion, appeal to self interest, turn the case on the state. Another defense axiom is “put the police on trial”. Challenge thir motive, bias and techniques. this is what was done in the OJ case and echoes here. Rosslin is being painted as the puppet master, pulling the strings (and I would not be surprised to have the stolen election attempt leak out)
So I think she is a match for Lampkin, in the court. Lampkins genius is that he sees the whole context as the trial. So he talks to Caprica 6 and plants seeds that bear fruit in Tighs flameout, he co-opts Lee and manages to make Adama come across as a biased and pre-judging magistrate, which when they confer, will offset his status as Admiral. The prosecutor is out matched only inso far as the arena is self circumscribed. just the facts ma’m. Romo, like all good defense attorneys are masters of human interaction, motivation and self interest, bith in and out of court. Like SunTzu he seeks to win before ever stepping into the court.
Good points, Dainin. I was thinking Sun Tzu also. He’s definitely channeled Master Sun.
That’s what makes Lampkin so scary and formidable. He’s not old timey hardcore like Perry Mason, or folksy like Matlock. This guy is like the Hannibal Lecter of defense attorneys. This guy WON the trial before the first opening statement was made.
I’m diggin Lampkin but how much use could they really have for him after the trial? Then again throw him over on the baseship with Cavil and I’m probably willing to watch anything those two could cook up together.
If he gets favorable enough reviews — and more importantly brings in revenue — then Sci Fi should spring to make him a new member of the cast. We had a semi-member in D’anna, but unless something REALLY wild happens next week (which I would NOT put past the show), she won’t be back. So we need a new character.. and we need someone to keep the emerging aristocracy in check. As much as Tyrol is being guided into that path, he can’t take it strongly enough, because he is too close to it.
Romo would make a wonderful foil. And I fear for what would happen if he and Tom Zarak teamed up.
Lamkin = Iblis
that’s my prediction
I hope Lampkin is a final five! He’d make a coool cylon!
“While I do love the character of Romo Lampkin now, when he was first introduced to the show, there was a strange feeling in me that this character didn’t “belong†in the Galactica universe. And that wasn’t a neccesarily bad thing, but I just got the feeling that his character felt like he came from a completely different universe (or show) than the Adamas, Roslin, and Tighs.”
Agreed, EA_Cru_2002, and I finally figured out why–at least in my own head–this is true. Lampkin is like this uncanny, slightly more extroverted double of Dr. House, from the show of the same name: the scruff, the cane, the eccentricity, the unapologetic manipulation of everyone around him, the questionable morals, the explanation of defending criminals in order to understand the human mind, those fabulous theatrics (his opening statement–throw him out the airlock!), and those “big picture” insights (particularly on display in the full deleted scene).
Anyway, I’m just blathering if you’ve never watched House, but I swear the comparison is apt. More to the point, House and Battlestar are the only shows I follow religiously, but they are set in such fundamentally different universes based on fundamentally different world-views that I cannot watch them in the same week. Dropping the Housian Lampkin into the Galacticaverse is, indeed, a really cool mindfrack.
Lamkin = Iblis is a brilliant idea…
I’ve heard they might bring back the ‘war of the gods’ arc in a reimagined sense. he definitely would make a great iblis.
for anyone that doesnt know. Iblis = devil in islam.
Lamkins manipulation of people is purely devilish.
Iblis gave the cylons their voice… lamkin has given baltar his.
I’m sure there’s something that could be made of the cat… every bad guy strokes a cat? the cat was a way for lamkin to say “i know there’s a bomb on here?”
not sure on that one
but i could easily see him becoming iblis… he’s got the cunning and manipulation of the head characters… those must be the seraphims and lamkin is iblis… it only makes sense.
FYI – Won’t spoil it here, but Ron Moore at least speculates on the reason for the cat in his Podcast. Don’t know if it’s canon, or just what he was thinking would be a good story for the cat.
I confess that when they introduced Romo I thought he had the potential to be the best character ever created in the BSG universe. I loved the entire package – the attitude, the manerisims, the intelligence and the arrogance.
After this week’s episode, however, they took some of the mystery away and had him acting more “human” – still manipulative, but not as mysterious as the prior week and part of the manerisims went away also.
I do agree with Promethia that the character did not really fit in the BSG universe, but that was what was so appealing to me – here is something different to consider and think about. It really was a new character. Romo does have some House characteristics, but I think he has/had much more Agent Smith in him.
Well speaking of Lampkin, I just read where Mark Sheppard will be in The Bionic Woman pilot. Katee Sackhoff will be playing the Bionic Woman’s nemesis, which means she’s in her second David Eick show. And it was also announced this past week in TV Guide that Tricia Helfer will be in David Eick’s other show, Them. She’ll still be on BSG like normal because the shows will be filming at different times. Kind of interesting stuff I thought I’d pass along.
Thanks for the info, 13th!
Lol, idontlikeroslin – “every bad guy strokes a cat.”
Now that I think about it…
Bad guys who stroke cats:
Dr. Claw from Inspector Gadget
Gargamel from the Smurfs
Dr. Evil from Austin Powers
Good guys who stroke cats:
The old man from Men in Black
Chuck from Galactica Watercooler
Looks like the baddies do indeed outweigh the good.
Meow meow meow meow meow meow meow,
meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow. Meow meow meow meow meow , meow meow, meow meow meow.
Effective meow.
(Sorry, I couldn’t help it. –Audra)
Audra, shame on you. Blofeld!
http://mcp.2000i.de/cats/blofeld.php
(Also, Pike. So yeah, way more baddies with kitties.)
Pike – lol! Sorry it took me so long to respond. I love the evil cat! And thanks! I totally didn’t catch the Bond cat.
Btw, isn’t there some urban legend that cats jump on people’s faces and smother them in their sleep? I’ve always loved kitties and even had one that slept curled around my neck when I was a kid. And I always woke up the next day, every time.
Acutally, the legend is that cats steal the breath from infants. Their tendency to sleep on the warm, exposed parts of people (eg, faces) might have contributed to that, though.
I’ve been loving the whole Galactica series but when I saw that first episode with Romo Lampkin, all I could think of is I want MORE! This ‘character’ is amazing! I wish they’d make a Romo Lampkin television series! The attitude, the fashion, the way he thinks…. amazing! I liked him ok as ‘Badger’ but Romo Lampkin…. hands down the best character I’ve seen in a long time!
GO ROMO!!!!!