Battlestar Fodder

Battlestar Galactica: Six of One

The last we left Starbuck she was pointing a gun at Roslin on her quest to convince everyone that she is utterly frakking insane, and Baltar was starting up a new Koresh cult. That leads us straight into...

THE INTRO

Starbuck is still pointing the gun at Roslin, as Tigh and Helo make their way to Adama's chambers to figure out what all the commotion is about. Starbuck reminds the President (at gunpoint, mind you) that their trip to the Tomb of Athena was Roslin's idea in the first place (touché, Madame Starbuck). Roslin looks on doe-eyed as Starbuck hands her weapon over, telling Roslin to go ahead and shoot her if she thinks she's a Cylon. As Starbuck walks away with a dramatic flourish - BAM! Roslin fires the gun, and as Tigh and Helo force their way into the room with soldiers in tow, we find...

...Roslin is holding a smoking gun, and somehow has missed Starbuck at point-blank range. The soldiers pin Starbuck to the ground as Adama bursts into the room, and Starbuck recommences her litany that the more jumps they take, the less she'll "feel" the way to Earth. She's dragged away screaming like a maniac.

Survivor count: 39,676

ACT 1
The opening notes played out during this episode are going to send shockwaves throughout the entire season. For the first time we're really seeing a rift appear inside the Cylon 7 that had merely been hinted at before. Six, Boomer, and Leoben believe that The Hybrid is trying to tell them that the Final 5 are aboard the human fleet, but Cavil is having none of it. He argues for the status quo, and scolds the others for wishing to discover who the Final 5 are.

Two interesting tidbits arise during this heated opening debate. First, that the "original programmers" wished them not to think about the Final 5. Will we learn why this is so, or are we going to have to wait until the Caprica prequel? Second, we learn that Raiders and Centurions are more sentient than we first believed, and that Cavil is for dumbing down these robots he says are tools and not pets. The other 3 wish to follow the will of the one true God. Thus begins the deepening of the schism.

Meanwhile, back on Battlestar SoapOperica, the Sleeper 4 are holding their weekly cabal, this time with a bent toward Starbuck's erratic behavior, and the realization (via Tigh) that they now more than ever will have to keep themselves hidden given that Roslin nearly put a bullet in Starbuck's head. The discussion quickly turns to the final Cylon, and Tyrol suggests that Baltar may know who it is given that he was seen in the temple on the algae planet with D'anna (interesting that Tyrol is still calling Cylons "skin jobs"). As they discuss the best way to get to Baltar, Tigh utters one great line in an episode full of great lines: "Well, he is accomplished at two things - lying in a cell and lying in a woman." Seeing that Tory is the only woman in the group, it appears that she's automatically elected. When she balks at this, Tigh quips, "You don't have to get on your back for him." Zing!

Starbuck, as we find out, is lying on her back in a cell of her own. Adama pays an uncordial visit and tells her that she's blown her only ally, that she didn't have the guts to hold on. In a heated exchange, Starbuck tells Adama that he's the President's wet nurse, and that he's the one that doesn't have the guts. KERPOW! Adama slams her to the ground in a fit of rage, and just as it appears Adama is going to pulverize her, Starbuck says "nice to know you still care Admiral." Adama nearly slams her head into the floor, and then walks away in a huff with Starbuck screaming "WE'RE GOING THE WRONG WAY!"

ACT 2
The Cylons have held their Democratic Primary to see if the raiders should continue to be lobotomized so that they can continue to act like Hillary Clinton (ha! see what we did there?!). The 1's, 4's, and 5's vote to continue to "reconfigure" the raiders, while the 2's, 6's, and 8's vote against it, resulting in a stalemate. But wait, what is this? Cavil throws out the trump card - a sole 8 model (Sharon) has voted against her line and in favor of reconfiguring the raiders. For the first time we're seeing individualization arise from the Cylons, and while this is titillating to us, the viewing audience, 6 is none too pleased. It appears the Cylons are headed for a downward spiral the likes of which hasn't been seen since - oh, yeah, since the bitter romance between Lee and Starbuck.

Back on the Fleet, the pilots are having one final frat party for Lee's departure into guv'ment work (he's going to work with Zarek!). What begins with a good ol' farewell toast accompanied by shots of strange looking liquor ends in a classic BSG moment as Lee soberly dedicates the final shot to "absent friends." Admiral Adama looks with remorse at a picture of Starbuck on the wall. Dissolve to Adama's chambers as he gazes upon the pendant Starbuck gave him. Is the Admiral having a change of heart?

In the mess room, Tory sets her feminine trap for an unsuspecting Baltar. He saunters over, revealing that he's seen her spying on him. Tory tries to play it off that she's interested in the miracle she heard about, but Baltar can see right through her lie. And this is when Head Baltar appears and tells Real Baltar to play nice. That's right - not Head Six, but Head Baltar. The one that appeared in Six's head originally. Now I'm corn-fused. What are we supposed to take from this? Sure, you could say merely that "Baltar is talking to himself," but that's an easy out. Surely there is something more to this development in Baltar's psychosis? Hopefully RDM will give us insight during his podcast.

Regardless, it makes for a hilarious exchange between the trio. Baltar's offers a quick monologue on being an instrument of God - which turns out to be an amazing piece of writing tying in the song the Sleeper 4 heard that activated them - Tory gets spooked and leaves him there to talk to himself.

ACT 3
This act starts with one of the most excruciating scenes it has ever been my non-pleasure to cover (nevermind that this is only my second review). The relationship that Adama and Roslin have developed since New Caprica has been a tender one to watch unfold. But we know that Bill can be a mean drunk, and boy does he ever shoot an arrow into Roslin's heart on this one.

Adama returns from Lee's party quite sauced, and it's a mistake on Roslin's part that she chooses that moment to get him to sit down and talk about the fate of Starbuck. Adama drops the bomb - in a drunken state mind you - that he may believe Starbuck's return is a miracle - although he doesn't actually say the word. Roslin is still determined not to let Cylon Starbuck lead the fleet to what she believes is certain doom (you'll remember that The Hybrid cylon in "Razor" said that Starbuck would lead the humans to their doom). In their pain, they both take shots at each other. Roslin tells him that he's so afraid to live alone, and Adama says that she's afraid to die that way. "You're afraid that you may not be the dying leader you thought you were, or that your death may be as meaningless as everyone else's." Ouch. Bill stumbles away. Roslin, with tears in her eyes, pulls at her hair only to find that pieces are beginning to fall out. Way to go Bill.

Damn, give these two an Emmy already.

Lee, dressed in sharp pinstripes, visits Starbuck in jail. He's there to say his official goodbye before heading off to be a government mule, but he just can't get enough. He turns back and gives her one final kiss, whispering "I believe you" in her ear. Somehow we don't believe that this will be the last exchange between these two.

After a brief trip down memory lane in the pilots' ready-room, Lee heads to his shuttle to leave Galactica, where he's greeted by a surprise military departure from the crew. As he says "good-luck" and goodbye to each in turn, he makes a final awkward gesture of closure to Dee. Man, that bagpipe and drum crescendo never fails to get me charged up with emotion every time it plays.

The very next scene we're greeted with a gruesome picture of a Cylon raider's brain being drilled - bone and blood and all - before cutting to a meeting room where 6 implores Cavil to stop the lobotomies. When Cavil says no for the last time, the tension comes to a head as 6 summons two Centurions into the room - who spin up their guns.

Cue commercial Break!

ACT 4
We return to the action - oh wait, there's some faint groaning sounds, and what appears to be someone's butt - oh crap. Baltar is shagging Tory. We learn that Tory cries during sex, which leads to more unremarkable acting on her part as she stirs up the whole Cylon emotion/lack of emotion debate. Baltar appears to be ready to unleash a whole lot of hellfire and brimstone upon the fleet, as he realizes that he's tired of holding in his beliefs toward the one true God.

On the Cylon base ship, Cavil tries to command the Centurions to leave, which falls on deaf cybernetically-enhanced ears. 6 reveals that they have removed the inhibitors that kept the Centurions from a higher plane of intelligence, much to the dismay of Cavil. 6 also shares that when the Centurions found out what the others were doing to the raiders that the Centurions were a tad upset, to say the least. The Centurions close in on Cavil and his cohort Cylons in the room - and commence to blowing them all away! Oh. Hell. Things are gonna get nasty from here!

In the closing moments of the episode, Adama has Starbuck released from her cell and taken to the flight deck, where she believes he's going to give her the Roslin treatment and have her tossed out the airlock. Instead, Adama informs her that she'll be taking a small crew in a garbage freighter to find Earth, under the guise of a scouting mission. Adama may or may not believe her, but he's tired of turning away from the things he believes in, which is that Starbuck won't stop trying to find Earth or will die trying. And he won't lose her again.

Group hug!

Overall, this episode improved upon the themes from last week's premiere, and cemented in my mind once and for all that we're in for one hell of a ride this season.

Post your thoughts in the comments!

Next: "The Ties that Bind" - Kara Thrace seeks her own path in the search for Earth while the Cylons face the threat of sentient Centurions. A member of Galactica's crew learns a dark secret about a loved one. - TV.com

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Posted by Perrin on April 12, 2008 10:31 PM
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