A superb episode 1.5 of Caprica last night - I would say easily the best so far of the series - in which Tamara Adama (Joseph's daughter and Bill's sister) finds her way in the virtual world.
Actually, she does more than find her way. Since she's already dead in physical, analog reality (having been killed by the bomb blast, along with Zoe Graystone), Tamara in the virtual world is immortal. Or, in virtual-game terms, Tamara cannot be de-razed. She's something between pure code, which can be easily eliminated, and all the avatars, who when 'killed' in the virtual world wind up jolted back to their physical realities, like snapping out of a dream. Tamara's special quality could make her the most powerful avatar in the virtual world, and we see her progress from frightened to well on the way to being totally in control.
This happens just as Joseph is coming to terms with what he had come to accept, under pressure from same, as the permanent loss of Tamara. And in a powerful parting scene, the real person analog of Tamara's partner and friend in the virtual world comes to see Joseph, to tell him about Tamara, as per her request. Since there's no likely way Tamara's friend (I didn't catch his name) could have known Adama's address except from Tamara, Joseph is convinced the report from Tamara is real. Everything will now be changed for Joseph - and, by extension for Sam and young Bill - as Tamara's presence in the virtual world begins to exert increasing influence over their lives.
Tamara is moving into a position as one of the most powerful characters on the show. At the same time, Zoe's importance is increasing in her Cylon shell, as her father Daniel commits his corporation to moving from virtual viewers to development of robots aka Cylons. This is a philosophically right move - a robot will always be more powerful in impact than an avatar, since the robot lives in the real world. But, as we also of course know from Battlestar Galactica, it's a move that will eventually come this close to destroying the human race.
Zoe, it's worth remembering, has the same immortal powers as Tamara in the virtual world. And Zoe has the additional power of being able to move in the real world in a Cylon body. Will be interesting to see what happens if Zoe and Tamara ever become enemies...
See also: Battlestar Galactica Caprica: Exquisite, Flawed Copies ... 1.2: Dawn of a Different Machine ... 1.3: Daughters, Missing and Present
The Plot to Save Socrates
"a Da Vinci-esque thriller" - New York Daily News
"Sierra Waters is sexy as hell" - curled up with a good book
