- A shaky alliance between the Colonial Fleet and Cylon rebels is put to the test when the two groups combine efforts to take out a Cylon "Resurrection Hub". Meanwhile, Athena loses control when Hera becomes unnaturally drawn to Natalie.
- The Demetrius and the Basestar return to the colonial fleet - not without some challenges - and the Cylons seek an alliance with the Colonial fleet. Natalie 6 offers to lead them to the Cylon resurrection hub which, if destroyed, would end the possibility of Cylon resurrection. She also tells them the Final 5 are already in the Colonial fleet. When the Quorum of Twelve learns of the deal with the Cylons, they consider a vote of no confidence in the President. The President meanwhile again has her dream of chasing Hera in the Kobol Opera House. She learns that her chief of staff, Tory Foster, has become one of Gaius Baltar's followers. She wants to know who is spreading rumors about her sharing her visions with the Cylons. When Starbuck tells the President what the Hybrid told her, the President takes Baltar with her to speak to the Hybrid. On the Galactica, Athena has a fatal encounter with Natalie. Lt. Gaeta, who was shot by Sam Anders during the attempted mutiny on the Demetrius, has his leg amputated below the knee and spends his time in the infirmary, singing—garykmcd
- Previously on "Battlestar Galactica": Helo (Tahmoh Penikett) tried to lead a mutiny on the Demetrius after Kara/Starbuck (Katee Sackhoff) attempted to jump the ship to meet with a Cylon base ship, but the mutiny didn't go all that smoothly after Sam (Michael Trucco) shot Gaeta (Alessandro Juliani) in the leg to stop them from jumping back to the fleet. Starbuck compromised by taking a Raptor with an away team, including Barolay (Alisen Richmond-Peck) and Athena (Grace Park), to meet with the base ship so she could chat with the Hybrid (Tiffany Lyndall-Knight). The Hybrid informed her that the Five know the way to Earth, and to find them they'll have to re-awaken the Threes, aka the D'Anna model of Cylon. Along the way, a Six (Tricia Helfer) killed Barolay, and Natalie/Six killed that Six. Oh one more thing -- after all of that, the Hybrid told Kara that she happens to be the harbinger of death who will bring them all to their end.
All in all, cheery news!
This week's episode opens with Lee Adama (Jamie Bamber) in President Roslin's (Mary McDonnell) office, playing a tape of one of Gaius Baltar's (James Callis) sermons. In this particular delivery of the One God's word, Baltar is informing the fleet that the President is experiencing visions -- visions she happens to share with two Cylons aboard Galactica, Caprica Six and Athena. Lee, all hopped up on power and self-righteousness, declares that "the people" demand a response to Baltar's accusations.
Roslin asks Lee what he would feel obligated to do in her situation, and Lee is shocked, shocked! Does that mean what Baltar is saying is true? he asks. Roslin reluctantly admits, yes, it is true.
Meanwhile, back aboard "Operation: Find Earth and Try Not to Kill Each Other, You Big Whiners," Kara and Helo are prepping to jump the base ship and the Demetrius back to the Colonial fleet at the same time. Gaeta is looking very, very bad, and let's just say that anyone in the same room as him and his leg might be smelling the scent of rotting almonds. Kara is debriefing Natalie/Six, warning her that she's not sure what Galactica will do when they jump a base ship into the middle of the fleet. But presuming that Admiral Adama (Edward James Olmos) doesn't blow them out of the sky, Natalie's the one who will do all the talking since she seems to have been giving the orders up until now. Leoben (Callum Keith Rennie) doesn't look particularly pleased at this command, but he doesn't make a move to disagree either. There's been enough of that going on today, we're guessing.
Helo and Athena begin counting down to the simultaneous jumps; everything's ready to do. However, although they hit their marks...the Demetrius pops up in the wrong place! And it's going to take them a minute to reconfigure their systems. The base ship, meanwhile, jumps exactly to where its supposed to jump -- right in the middle of the Colonial fleet.
This can't be good.
And it isn't. Aboard Galactica, everyone on the command deck commences to wigging out! Colonel Tigh (Michael Hogan) bellows for every available Viper to get into the air! Admiral Adama orders the civilian fleet to jump to emergency coordinates! Aboard the base ship, Athena is desperately trying to hail Galactica so the battlestar doesn't blow the crippled base ship out of the sky. The Demetrius is nowhere in sight. Vipers descend upon the base ship, and Galactica's cannons aim squarely at the presumed enemy's vessel. On the base ship, Athena checks the wiring and realizes that wireless communication system isn't working -- there's no way to tell Galactica that the base ship is a friendly. They're doomed for certain!
At Galactica command, the officers are awaiting Tigh or Adama's order to fire, but Tigh suddenly seems to sense something is not quite right. Adama, meanwhile, is not fazed. He starts the countdown -- three, two, one, fi -- just in time Tigh orders a weapons hold. This strikes everyone as incredibly strange, no one more than Admiral Adama, who's always ready to mix it up.
It is in this crucial moment that the Demetrius jumps in and Helo urgently hails Galactica, informing them that the base ship is under fleet control and there are officers aboard.
Tigh seems surprised at himself. Adama looks extra-surprised...and a little suspicious. The credits roll!
Survivor count: 39, 673. (Later, Barolay.)
Returning from break, Raptors full of Marines escort Tigh aboard the base ship, where he meets up with Sam, Athena, Kara, Leoben, Natalie/Six and all those crazy Eights. Kara informs Tigh they're all with her. Tigh asks which one shot Gaeta.
Sam gets the "uh,oh, Spaghetti-Os" look on his face.
Galactica: In a briefing room, Natalie/Six stands before Roslin, Admiral Adama, Tigh and Tory (Rekha Sharma), explaining the situation. The Twos, Eights and Sixes came to believe their destiny lies with finding the Final Five. The Ones, Fours and Sevens violently opposed that belief. Adama responds that they know there are seven models of Cylon, and asks why she only mentions six.
The Threes, she said, the D'Annas, were punitively deactivated after the conflict on the algae planet, because she saw the faces of the Five. If the Threes are reactivated, they can identify the Final Five. Kara interjects that the Final Five have been to Earth, and if the fleet can find them, they can help the humans get home. All of this seems to come as a bit of a shock to Tigh and Tory, who are trying to mask their nervousness at this development.
Natalie/Six continues that the base ship can heal itself, but that they lost most of their Raiders in the ambush. Roslin asks why the Colonial fleet should help them. Natalie/Six pauses before admitting a crucial flaw in Cylon weaponry: The facility where the D'Annas are boxed happens to be near the main resurrection hub, which controls all the resurrection ships. It jumps around periodically to remain safe from the enemy, and relays its coordinates back to each base ship. In other words, destroy the hub and destroy the Cylon ability to download.
You want a reason to help us? Natalie/Six asks. How about vengeance? (Yes, that is powerful incentive.)
"Why would you be willing to lose your ability to resurrect?" Roslin asks.
Natalie/ Six answers, "We're rebels. We can't go back. What matters most to us is being with the Five. D'Anna will be able to identify them. We'll take you to the hub if you help us to unbox D'Anna."
Adama asks for the coordinates to the hub first, but Natalie initially refuses, agreeing only to take them there. But Adama's not playing that game. He orders the Marines to escort Natalie away -- and it's only then that Natalie relents, asking if Adama's word is good. If so, then she'll hand over the coordinates. Adama says that yes, she has his word.
"Once their identities are revealed, and we come back here, we'll be free to leave your fleet with the Five," Natalie says, leaving every human in the room with an expression on their faces most television addicts would recognize as, whatchu talkin' bout, Willis?
"Yes," Natalie says softly, "they're here with you. The Final Five are in your fleet. That's why our Raiders turned back the attack in the nebula."
Later, as Adama and Tigh are walking away from the meeting, the Admiral asks Tigh how he saw that calling a weapons hold was the right thing to do. Tigh replies that, to be honest, he didn't. "What can I say, we got lucky," he says. Adama orders him to send a Raptor to the coordinates to do recon -- and thanks Tigh, who isn't sure what to do with that, but salutes him anyway.
When the Raptor heads to the coordinates, it's a beautiful place that looks like it's carpeted with clouds, asteroids...and a few base ships. They take a picture with a gun cam and jump out.
Sick bay: Doc Cottle (Donnelly Rhodes) is about to put Gaeta under, but Gaeta tells him not to. Just numb everything, Gaeta says. "I don't want to wake up with my leg gone." Doc Cottle hesitates, but then agrees. The bone saw squeals awake, and we see Gaeta's eyes widen -- and Sam, in the background, looking on guiltily.
Since this is the part where the episode cuts to commercial, we've gotta ask: Is there a reason Sam is still out and about after shooting Gaeta? Why has there been no mention of the mutiny by now? What, did Adama just look at the whole messy schmear and essentially say, "Eh, we lost a soldier and Gaeta's losing a leg, but what can we say? War is frakked. Bygones." No doubt that's coming, but the fact that it hasn't come sooner in this episode seems a bit odd.
Back to our program, and the fleet: Civilian ships jump back in. In Adama's quarters, Helo, Tigh, the Admiral, and Roslin are going over their strategic options. Helo recommends putting half of the fleet's Vipers into the base ship and leading the battle from there. If they're aboard the base ship, he reasons, they'll be less noticeable initially, giving the Colonials more time to execute the attack. But do they blow the hub and get out of there, abandoning the Six's plan, or do they unbox the D'Annas and keep the Admiral's word? Tigh, being the undercover Cylon in the bunch, thinks that screwing the Cylons is a fine thing to do. Their word means nothing, he suggests, and just because they didn't attack in the nebula doesn't mean they won't attack now. Adama responds that the Five know the way to Earth, so they should probably find out who they are, but Tigh replies that he'd rather follow the President's plan and stick with what the Scripture has laid out for them.
Then Roslin surprises Tigh by suggesting they split the difference: Unbox the D'Annas, find the Five, let them lead the human survivors to Earth and then let them go. The rebel Cylons have waited this long, she reasons -- what's a little longer? Tigh looks a little nervous at this idea.
Roslin concludes, "It's all pie in the sky, gentlemen, until we know what's true and what's not." Adama tells them that the plan stays in the room. If their strategy gets back to the Cylons, he says, the attack is off. He orders Natalie/Six to be escorted back to the holding area on the base ship.
Flash to a meeting of the Quorum: Tom Zarek (Richard Hatch) is reading aloud a Presidential decree about the joint attack, and everyone at the table wears a look of horror and dismay. Tom asks Lee why he said nothing about this, and Lee admits he's in the dark as much as everyone else. Zarek looks mighty P.O.ed.
A meeting of the undercover Four: Tigh is giving another one of his countless pep talks. Galen Tyrol (Aaron Douglas) admits he can't wait until they unbox the Cylons, but Tigh replies that the only thing that'll accomplish is to make the airlock a little more crowded. "You think they're going to give you a medal when they find out who you are? "(Man, what a buzzkill!) Sam voices his guilt about causing Gaeta's leg to be amputated.
Later. Tory bounces back to the President's office for a briefing. Roslin asks Tory why she always seems to be glowing when she returns from Galactica -- to Roslin it's like heading from one dungeon to another. Tory smiles and essentially shrugs it off. Roslin gets down to business, tasking Tory with finding out who spilled the beans to Baltar about her visions, smoothly segueing into the conversation stopper:
"You've been sleeping with him, right?" Tory's jaw drops for a moment, and Roslin cuts her off before she can B.S. her way through a denial. "Don't," Roslin growls. "I've just been informed that you've been spotted down there enough times to be a charter member of his nymph squad." (Someone in the room watching with us yells, "Oh, snap!")
Tory stumbles for a bit, but then admits that yes, she's come to believe in the message of Church with Benefits, and she's been looking for a way to admit that to Roslin.
Tory says, "Your friendship and your trust...means --"
"Frak," Roslin cuts her off. "Clearly my friendship and trust mean frak. And I don't really care if you have to spend the night on your knees praying, or just on your knees -- I want a name. I want to know who's responsible for these lies." (To this the peanut gallery offers: "Oh! Two snaps, around the world and back! Tory, are you going to take that?" Apparently she is.)
Roslin turns her back on Tory, who pleads with her. But Roslin is just through, informing Tory she has a job to do.
So. Tory is now being pimped out by Tigh and Roslin. Geez, the woman isn't exactly innocent but a person almost feels sorry for her.
The base ship, a holding area: A Colonial armed guard stands outside a door as Leoben, Natalie and an Eight sit around a table, and hold it right there. What kind of a military organization allows people they don't trust, people who will soon have access to a very large and powerful ship, to sit in the same room together? It just seems like a bad idea. And guess what? Natalie/Six whispers conspiratorially with the other models. She believes that the humans will never allow them to take the Final Five and go their own way. The Eight balks -- is she sure of this? Not entirely, she admits, but they need insurance. Leoben offers that trust has to begin somewhere. Not with us, Natalie declares, and proposes that when the base ship jumps, they take control of it. They carry out the mission as promised, but when they return, they take hostages. The humans on the base ship stay on the ship until they have the Five.
"We've changed but the humans haven't," Natalie/Six opines. "We've come too far to risk everything on their trust."
See what we're saying? Allowing three Cylons to bunk together -- bad idea!
Sick bay: Gaeta is drugged out and singing a mournful song. He has a beautiful voice, remarks the President, who is there getting her cancer treatment. Lee Adama comes down to visit her, and tells her that the Quorum is considering a vote of no confidence against her. Roslin closes her eyes in that universally recognizable sign of being so over it, and replies, "I won't compromise the success of this operation or the safety of this fleet to indulge the neediness of twelve perpetually unhappy representatives. I can't."
Lee explains that he was with them during the emergency jump -- his first on the civilian end -- and saw something in their faces he wasn't used to seeing. They weren't afraid, he says. They had given up. Their faces were empty, as if they had just chosen to expect the worst in order to cope.
"You felt their suffering," Roslin says. "Now try holding their lives in balance every day." Lee seems to understand both sides (for once!) but urges Roslin to speak to them, to put a face to this mission. "Let them hear from the Cylon leader. Anything to put their fears to rest."
Church with Benefits: Tory and Baltar, post-coitus, are staring up at the ceiling. But no afterglow seems to be present. Baltar asks what's wrong, and Tory replies, "Honey, I gotta call the Three 6 Mafia, because it's hard out here, being pimped."
OK, no she doesn't, but we wish she did.
Baltar complains that they're just lying there, doing nothing, and Tory grimaces while informing Baltar in so many words that his lies about the President are a huge turnoff. He counters that there's no lying going on there, and where is this coming from? Tory replies that she just can't stand what the rumors are doing to the President. Oh yes, because Tory cares. She does.
Baltar reveals that Caprica Six is the one who told him, through his attorney, on the last days of his trial when a guilty verdict seemed to be a certainty. So why hold it back until now?
Baltar admits that he's no saint, but that the President is a hypocrite, keeping everyone in the dark about all of these secret missions -- including Tory.
"The truth is, no good ever comes from concealing it," Baltar finishes, getting out of bed to do his next broadcast.
Sick bay: Gaeta is still singing sadly, and reaches toward the place where the rest of his right leg used to be.
Meeting of the Quorum: President Roslin faces the twelve representatives to assure them that she still cares, and informs them that she's there to let them know how much she believes in this mission and what it means for the future of the fleet, and profess her trust in their new allies. She asks them to listen and express their support. She has the guards bring Natalie/Six before the twelve, who look none too happy to see her.
Natalie explains to them that during the war, the lack of resurrection ships transformed their way of thinking about life. Mortality, she said, is the one thing, the one flaw, that makes humans whole because it forces them to make life meaningful. Natalie continued that she doesn't think that it was an accident that Kara found them -- that it was destiny. While Natalie speaks, Kara has a flashback to the Hybrid's prediction: The dying leader shall know the truth of the opera house...you are the harbringer of death, Kara Thrace!" When she re-focuses Natalie is saying, "Our destiny, our future, begins here."
The guards lead Natalie away.
Sick bay: Gaeta is still singing, and by now it's got to be getting annoying for everyone else in the place. What's interesting is that Baltar is standing back in the shadows, listening.
Later Roslin, asleep, is having the dream of the opera house again. So are Six and Athena. In Roslin's version, she's running after Hera Agathon, who runs to Caprica Six. Caprica Six picks her up and walks through a pair of doors to a brightly lit room where someone is waiting. It's Baltar. Roslin snaps awake.
In Athena's version, she's running to her daughter, and sees Six walk towards Baltar. The doors close. Athena awakens abruptly, and sees Hera standing by her bed. Athena's child smiles and says, "Bye bye."
Sick bay: The President is reading while she gets her treatment, and Starbuck visits her. Roslin tells her, "I've got to hand it to you -- if you are a Cylon, that was a great plan. Dangle yet another way to Earth, throw in the hub, the Final Five, and the real kicker, put the Final Five in the fleet. Even I can't pass that one up."
Kara asks if she really is having those visions, and Roslin doesn't answer. So Kara quotes the Hybrid: "Thus shall it come to pass: The dying leader shall know the truth of the opera house."
This gets Roslin's attention. She has Kara repeat herself. "Where did you hear that? Who told you that?" The Hybrid, Kara tells her. "How does the Hybrid know what's in my dream?" Roslin asks.
"I wish I knew," Kara replies.
"This has got stop," Roslin says. "These visions. I have got to find out about these visions. I've gotta know. Will you help me?"
Kara agrees. Roslin tells her to find Captain Agathon.
The base ship conspiracy HQ: Natalie/Six is having second thoughts about her grand plan. She felt the contempt of the Quorum, she says, and Leoben tells her that she was right. No, Natalie replies, observing that the Cylons are the ones who aren't ready. They're deceiving the humans, and that's just plain wrong. What if the Final Five are watching and judging them on their actions? What if they refuse to come with them? We can't do this, she concludes, saying they have to order the Centurions to stand down.
Leoben says it's too late -- they're committed. The Eight points out that if they tell Adama the truth they'll never trust the Cylons again, that they'll jump to the coordinates, destroy the hub and it'll be over completely.
Leoben advise Natalie/Six to talk to Adama and stall for time while he does his best to change the Centurions' minds. As she walks away, Leoben seems to know they're in deep doo-doo.
The flight deck: Roslin has summoned Baltar to board a Raptor with her. He arrives, flanked by armed guards. In her lap she holds Adama's favorite book, "Searider Falcon." She tells Baltar she's ready to settle everything.
"What's to settle?" he coos, adding, "Your Chief of Staff is incomparably talented."
She tells Baltar everything he said about the visions are true, and that she's going to talk to the Hybrid. "And why would you require my presence?" he asks.
"Because you're in my visions," Roslin replies. Baltar looks like he wants to wet his pants.
The Agathons' quarters: Hera is drawing pictures as Athena comes home, recovering from a hard day of work. Athena asks what she's drawing, and Hera shows her: Lots of smiling faces with yellow hair, with the number 6 scrawled all over everything. Athena is horrified at the realization that her opera house dreams are coming true. When she looks up from the drawings, her daughter is gone.
On the flight deck of the base ship, the Centurions get into position. On Galactica, Athena is running everywhere, looking for Hera and calling her name. Natalie/Six arrives, flanked by Marine guards. As Natalie walks down the hallway with her guard, Hera runs towards her. Natalie looks overjoyed to see Hera, and bends down to touch her, just as Athena rounds the corner. Athena draws her gun and points it at Natalie, yelling at her to get away from Hera. The Marine guards raise their weapons, but Tigh tells them to stand down. Natalie/Six complies with Athena's demand. Athena then tells Tyrol to take Hera away.
On the base ship, an armed guard is accompanying Roslin and Baltar to see the Hybrid. The two enter the Hybrid's chamber, and Roslin tells the Eight standing by to plug it in. At that very moment on Galactica Athena, still holding a gun on Natalie, asks Tigh if Hera is gone. Tigh replies, yes.
Then Athena tells Natalie, "You are never going to take my child."
Natalie replies, "We didn't come here to." But Sharon is not satisfied. She shoots Natalie/Six, twice -- apparently killing her.
On the base ship, the Hybrid comes back online and screams, "JUMP!" The base ship disappears with everyone on board, including the President and Baltar.
Gaeta sings a final verse.
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