Last week on Battlestar Galactica, Baltar was whisked away by a cult of ladies who seem to worship him as a messiah. Meanwhile, Starbuck returned from being presumed dead for two months, but was under the impression that she was only gone for six hours. Though Kara has no clue what happened to her, she’s convinced that she knows the way to Earth. She’s even willing to hold President Roslin at gunpoint to prove it.
Tonight’s episode, “Six of One,” shows us why pointing a gun at the head of the president is an extremely bad idea.
Tonight’s episode begins where last week’s left off: with Starbuck (Katee Sackhoff) holding Roslin hostage. She reminds the president that she once trusted her vision concerning the Arrow of Apollo, and since that all turned out peachy keen, the president should trust that she knows the way to Earth. Kara hands the gun over to Roslin, telling her to shoot her if she thinks she’s a Cylon. The president picks up the gun and blows a hole in the wall next to Starbuck’s head.
When Tigh (Michael Hogan) and Adama burst in to save the day, Kara starts screaming and freaking the frak out. She’s losing her mind. They place her under arrest while she tries to explain that they’re moving further away from Earth. One more jump, and she’ll forget the way back forever.
On the Basestar, the Cylon Hybrid is trying to tell the toasters that the final five are among the Colonial fleet. That’s why the Cylon raiders were unwilling to fire upon the Galactica in last week’s episode. Brother Cavil tells Six, Boomer (Grace Park), and Leoben that they are forbidden to talk about or contact the final five. Cavil also thinks that the Cylon raiders need to be dumbed down and lobotomized. They’ve exceeded their programming, and it’s time for them to be neutered. He doesn’t believe the final five are with the humans.
Meanwhile, the Secret Cylon Foursome is trying to figure out who the final Cylon could be. Tyrol (Aaron Douglas) thinks that Baltar might know the answer, and Tigh insists that they get the info out of him. Knowing Baltar’s weakness for the ladies, he thinks Tory should gather the intel.
Adama wants to know what the hell is up with Starbuck. She explains again that she’s been to Earth, and also tells Adama (Edward James Olmos) that he’s the president’s wet nurse. He doesn’t take this comment particularly well, grabbing Kara by the throat and slamming her to the ground. She still insists that they’re going the wrong way.
The Cylons have to vote on whether or not to lobotomize the raiders, but they’re at a deadlock. Cavil says that one of the Boomers wants to vote against the rest of her kind, which Six (Tricia Helfer) claims has never happened before. The Cylon models always make decisions in unison and never go against one another, but something has changed. Six still thinks that neutering the raiders is a terrible idea, but Cavil’s side now has more votes.
Back on the Galactica, it’s time for strip poker and booze! The crew raises a toast to Lee (Jamie Bamber), celebrating his decision to move on to a different job. In the mess hall, Tory gets ready to work her magic on Baltar (James Callis) and his massive scarf. Just as she begins to charm him, Baltar sees a vision in his head that he’s never seen before: another Baltar. It may not be as sexy as a vision of Six, but it’s just as cryptic. Tory wanders off, leaving Baltar to chat with himself. Fake Baltar tells Real Baltar that Tory is fragile and needs to be handled with care.
It’s time for one of the things I love most in the world: a quiet scene between Adama and Roslin. They’re trying to figure out what to do about Starbuck. Adama is starting to wonder if this entire thing was really a miracle, but Roslin doesn’t think so. She tells Adama that she’s not going to apologize for distrusting Kara, and she’s not going to put any faith in her. She doesn’t have the time to follow false leads now that her cancer has returned. I can’t even describe how awesome this scene is and how well Mary McDonnell and Edward James Olmos sell it. AMAZING.
Lee stops by the brig to say goodbye to Starbuck. He’s off to his new job. They share a handshake that turns into a kiss, and then he’s off on his way. When Lee goes to the flight deck, the entire crew is there to salute him and see him off. I’d like to get teary-eyed right now, but it’s hard to type a recap while blubbering, so I’ll remain composed. In case you’re wondering, Lee also says goodbye to Dualla (Kandyse McClure) before leaving.
It turns out that giving a Cylon raider a lobotomy is a pretty nasty procedure. Six keeps insisting that Cavil is making a mistake, but he believes that raiders with free will are too dangerous. That’s when she calls in a couple Centurions with giant guns to attempt to persuade him.
Oh goodness me, it appears that Tory went “all the way” to get some information out of Baltar. She starts crying in the middle of sex, which you think would be a major turn-off, but it only stops them for a moment. Baltar gets on the topic of the One True God, and soon they’re making out all over again.
The Six, Boomer, and Leoben models have upgraded the Centurions and given them the gift of reason. The Centurions know exactly what Cavil has been doing to the raiders, and they’re not very happy about it. The toasters use their guns to blow away Cavil and a few of the other models.
The Galactica makes another jump while Starbuck freaks out in the brig. Helo (Tahmoh Penikett) arrives and takes her to see Adama. He’s giving Kara a ship and encouraging her to find her way back to Earth. He knows that Kara will die before she stops trying to get back, and he refuses to lose her again. Adama is officially the best father figure ever.
Next week, Cavil resurrects in a puddle of goo and is a little bit upset. I haven’t seen Dean Stockwell this pissed off since Quantum Leap got canceled.
– Don Williams, BuddyTV Staff Columnist
(Image courtesy of the Sci Fi Channel)
Staff Writer, BuddyTV
