Battlestar Galactica #92: Six of One

"The Hybrid is always telling us something. They're supposed to maintain operations on each ship. Not vomit metaphysics."
SO SAY WE ALL: As Starbuck rants about Earth, some Cylon models are staging a coup on the others.

REVIEW: If the previous episode was about getting us back from a cliffhanger in the most explosive way, this episode is about setting into motion at least the first half of Season 4 with a new status quo rife with possibilities. It's been a while since we've been to the Cylon ship, and Six of One provides. The Significant Six are discussing why the Raiders broke off the attack, with three models sure it means the Final Five are aboard the Colonial fleet, and three thinking it's poppycock (or doesn't matter). Cavill orders the Raiders lobotomized so they can do their work, and again, there are three dissenting models who believe this is an outrage. Ever the priest, he forbids the talk that would prevent him doing what he wants and seeing as the more "liberal" models are the ones that got the Cylons into the disastrous Occupation of New Caprica, he means to keep a monolithic hold on the Cylon faith and world view. But make no mistake, hubris, not God, rules his actions. Except things are changing. Boomer dares vote against her model, which has never happened before, and so Cavill will have his way millions to millions+1. So the Dissenting Three stage a revolution and a coup, free the Centurions from slavery , shoot the others... but what's happening across their fleet? The next episode will show it isn't a purge, but if it were, where would the Cylons go next? Sixes, Leobens and Sharons are the ones who can see a common destiny with humanity, but will they be embraced? That's if they actually come out on top.

Meanwhile, on Galactica, Starbuck is going out of her mind as she feels the location of Earths slipping away. She tries to convince the President to follow her coordinates, but Roslin's having none of it. She almost gets shot for her trouble, and through her desperate acts of violence, loses an ally in Adama. It's hard not to see Adama caught in his personal pattern here. Over and over on the series, he's had a knee-jerk reaction, gotten angry, even violent, then with time to reflect, does the right thing and trusts the person he was just very shitty to. We need to move away from that because it's gotten a little ridiculous. Not that the scenes are bad, because Olmos always carries them off, but they've become redundant. So in this case, there's a violent scene between him and Starbuck in her jail cell, and then of course, he gives her a little ship to cover his bets - Kara and a crew of name characters will go try and find Earth her way, and the fleet will continue on the path the President has laid out for it. I feel like we could have gotten to that place without all the drama-rama, especially given that Roslin herself is only going by "visions". It's not clear Roslin agreed to Adama's back-up plan, as she's quite adamant, and possibly can't allow herself to be wrong as her force of will is the only thing keeping her in our piece at this point. Cue hair loss from cancer therapy to drive the point home.

At the same time, Lee is leaving the service forever, apparently to go into politics. They treat this as if Jamie Bamber is leaving the cast, which isn't the case, but it actually made me check. He gets goodbye scenes with everyone important in his life, and even his marriage to Duala is officially over. Realistic that the CAG would get such a send-off, but from an audience's perspective, they're kind of over-egging the pudding. WE won't miss him, after all. But with Lee and Kara off on their own adventures, who's going to be our heroic Viper jockey?

The quest for the last member of the Final Five continues, with Baltar coming up as a definite possibility. So the Four send Tory after him, reasoning that women are his weakness. Tory initially gags at the plan, but goes through with it, and it's not clear if she finds it as repulsive as she thought. Her tears during love making are ambiguous. The truth is, of the Four, she's the one least likely to stick to old loyalties. She's been the least vocal and from her performance, it's easy to imagine her turning against humanity, or turning to Baltar's One God. He's not a Cylon, but he does carry their faith, which she perhaps responds to on an unconscious level. We know Tory the least, so there are fewer limits to what the writers could make her do. Was she, in that moment, turned? We'll see. Also of interest of course is the fact that Head-Baltar, previously only visible to Caprica-Six, now appears to Baltar himself. If they are divine agents, then there's no reason they couldn't appear to anyone, and indeed, in any form. As the final act approaches, we're getting closer to an answer about these mysterious presences.

ALL THIS HAS HAPPENED BEFORE AND IT WILL HAPPEN AGAIN: In the classic series, more evolved Cylons like Lucifer were contemptuous of dumber Centurions, as Cavill is here of both Centurions and Raiders.

HUMAN DEATH TOLL: We start the episode at 39,676, which is 22 less than the previous total's. Presumably these are the deaths of people wounded in the opening (pre-credits) battle of He That Believeth in Me, and Shaunt who is killed in the bathroom by Paulla.

VERSIONS: Deleted scenes include a longer version of the scene between Adama and Kara in her cell that includes so much added dialog that it feels like a completely different scene, one that recaps events a lot more, but is also missing some lines from the broadcast version; Kara ranting in her cell and bugging the guards; Boomer trying to explain herself to the others and admitting to loving Cavill (this would have been Leoben's only scene); a longer version of Lee and Kara's scene in which he gives her the Nike icon she gave Adama, apparently something he gave Lee before he left Galactica; as part of Adama's reflections, his taking Starbuck's Viper into space (or at least asking to); and a slightly longer version of Adama letting Kara go on her mission.

REWATCHABILITY: Medium - Big points for resetting the board for the final season, some points lost for making Adama the jerk again.

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