[1] Haunted by his near-death experience after ejecting from the Blackbird, Apollo begins sleeping with Shevon, a prostitute on Cloud Nine who reminds him of his pregnant[2] girlfriend who died in the Cylon attack on the Twelve Colonies.
He claims he refused to join Fisk's smuggling network and suggests that the murderer's corpse was given to Apollo as "a way out" of his investigation.
On Phelan's ship, Apollo discovers the black market is hoarding antibiotics and trafficking in children; Paya is among their prisoners.
Apollo's journey through the fleet's criminal underground culminating with the encounter with Phelan was inspired by Heart of Darkness.
In October 2005 he wrote, in reference to the still unaired "Black Market",[2] that he was "positively angry with myself at something I knew in my bones had fallen well below the bar I set for myself and for the show in general.
At first, Moore notes, it is difficult to see what distinction Roslin makes between legitimate and illicit commerce in a post-apocalyptic environment.
The distinction may only become clear to the audience once the child trafficking is revealed, but Moore came to regard this as a "cheap" dodge of the dilemma.
"[4] Jacob Clifton of Television Without Pity gave it a D, writing, "Good acting is marred by nonsensical plot and unreadable dialogue.
[7] Amanda Keith of the Los Angeles Newspaper Group wrote, "'Black Market, one of the most reviled episodes of the entire series, deserves it.
"[12] Alan Sepinwall praised Duke's performance but called "Black Market" "one of the series' low points".