All I have to say about Guess What's Coming to Dinner 2 is: ??
For a Part 2 it was remarkably inconclusive, and even non-continuing (i.e. where was Gaeta?). It moved the plot along, but was fairly predictable when it wasn't being confusing. Well-written twists should seem inevitable in retrospect, but I don't feel any of the major twists in this episode (which also happen to be the major story choices) achieve that. Let's see:
1) Lee becomes President. This one is perhaps excusable because it was just predictable, not confusing. From the moment that Zarek says to him "I bet you have someone in mind for the job" it's in the air, and Lampkin's almost subsequent criticism of Lee's "repressed ambition" seals the deal.
How it happened, compared to the other twists, was at least plausible. Adm. Adama's loathing of Zarek has been a constant throughout the show, and his willingness to ignore civilian law for the sake of his convictions plenty established, so at least it adds up in motive. But they still took too long with it. It didn't have to involve all that "who on this list could be the next candidate?" stuff, because there wasn't anyone else but Lee that the audience could plausibly accept. In this case, the "visceral logic" of the episode made obvious what the writer, working only to a plan, thought was a suspenseful dilemma.
2) Adama resigns as commander. Seriously, what the hell? Adama has "lost his objectivity" plenty of times in the past over Lee and over Starbuck especially. That he feels he needs to resign this time, I guess because of an out-of-place lecture from Lampkin, feels wacky. And why he thinks waiting for Roslyn at that spot will do him any good is even wackier. If he's a realist, what exactly makes him think that Roslyn, maybe regaining control of her situation, would assume the fleet would wait for her? A more irrational personality might jump at that hope, but Adama? His motives inadequately thought-out, all the goodbyes and the stoic glances don't really add up to much.
3) Lampkin. What was up with that dude, and why should we care? The revelation about the dead cat was unexpected, and superficially affecting, but it certainly didn't seem inevitable in retrospect. It was supposed to be a symbol for his survivor's guilt, holding onto the past I guess, but it's an unnecessary development for an unnecessary character in this episode. I was actually beginning to wonder whether Lampkin was a figment of
Lee's imagination. After all, the only person Lampkin ever talks to is Lee, and he serves as a sort of mentor character that could be his subconscious or whatever. Of course, that would have been a crappy twist, too, but better than the weird cat thing. Then Lampkin goes to talk to Adama, which made my theory pretty obsolete.
Lampkin and Lee's relationship is such that it feels twee when their roles are reversed. Lampkin doesn't learn lessons, he gives them. That has been his only role in the show thus far. Contradicting it reduced the character practically to null. I can see why they did it: pass Lee the torch of wisdom as he moves onto the Presidency. What didn't work was trying to drum up sympathy for Lampkin who has no qualities as a protagonist. Giving the episodes scenes from his POV was a mistake, and so was giving him a lesson to learn.
That cliffhanger with the gun was odd, too. Even after it was over, I really had no idea why Lampkin might want to shoot Lee, even from his "survivor guilt" POV. What did Lee represent to him that was so abhorrent? There've been some guesses in this thread, but I'm not satisfied!
**
It seems I tend to like mediocre episodes better when they come down from a height, like from Guess What's Coming to Dinner 1. This holds. I didn't think this ep. was terrible. I could see the parallels. I noticed a theme, something like "how people react to positions of power." But the shape of it was forced on the episode like a waffle. For every congruence there was a hasty plot resolution like "Athena should have her kid back—everyone needs family" (following Adama's respect for Lee, I guess????).
The direction was fine, sometimes quite clever, and the acting was, as usual, spiff, especially during Adama and Tigh's brawl. Whether or not that brawl was a good scene for story purposes is quite debatable, though. It, along with much of the plot, felt forced on the characters as they swapped and exchanged places on the roster that is BSG's list of positions (like musical chairs): who is President now? Which of the crew are on a mysterious mission? Who is pursuing love at the expense of his duty? Who is on a spiritual adventure?