SPOILER SPACE

























At the end of the second season, I was personally disappointed in the episode
“Downloaded”, because it represented a moment of transition for the Cylons
without the necessary context. Caprica Six and Boomer decided to change the
Cylon philosophy towards Humanity, and this was depicted as a deviation from The
Plan. Unfortunately, The Plan was shrouded in mystery, so it was hard to
recognize the extent and depth of what was coming.

This episode has a similar shift, but the writers took the time in previous
episodes to set the stage for the schism. Everything since New Caprica has been
prologue to the revelation of the “Final Five” and the effect on the Cylon
as a whole. The boxing of the Threes permits stalemate. The current Six
revolution (led by “Natalie”) is most interesting because it facilitates the
transformation of Cylon culture.

It suggests, very strongly, that the Raiders and Centurions were operating under
complete programming restraint to follow the will of the seven known humaniform
models. After all, previously, those seven models were essentially in lockstep.
Now, the emergence of the Final Five could have triggered the Raiders towards
free will, and now the Centurions have been given the same. They want to
understand their origins as well.

This again plays into the idea of a possible ancient origin to the Cylon within
certain Human genetic bloodlines, supporting the “cyclic mergence” theory.
It’s known that the humaniform Cylons can breed, so odds are good that the
children can breed. The Cylons of the First Cylon War were all robotic. Why,
then, would they designate twelve models above and apart from the robotic and
cyborg types? Why would seven of them be aware of each other, but the other
five not be? Is it possible that the Cylons only created seven models, but were
programmed to know that five others existed somewhere else?

That said, Cavil’s decision to break the deadlock with Boomer shouldn’t have
led so directly to the decision by Natalie to start a revolution. She never
presented a firm challenge to Boomer’s right to a vote. After all, if Cavil
began with the precedence of it, Natalie could have easily demanded that all
versions of every model should be given an equal voice. Or she could have
demanded that Boomer’s right to vote independently be justified or debated.
Whatever the case, it seemed more like a plot convenience than a logical
progression.

Back on Galactica, the story is less active. Lee officially departs to his new
job as a member of the Quorum of Twelve. This positions him rather well to be
Roslin’s potential successor, since her health continues to decline. Given
his early association with her, this would be fitting. In contrast to the
obvious conclusion that Kara Thrace is a Cylon, this change in Lee’s status
makes him the perfect candidate. If nothing else, it would certainly make his
comment about Zak in the premiere a case of clever foreshadowing. It would also
put him in the perfect position to facilitate a Human/Cylon accord.

All that said, his departure felt interminable. No less than three scenes
covered the necessary emotional requirements. Everything was taken care of in
the final scene, rendering the scenes in the rec room and the ready room a bit
moot. It felt like the writers needed something to fill the time, and they
pushed for sentimentality. (The time might have been better spent on Racetrack
and her game of Strip Triad; Leah Cairns in civvies would be more than worth
it!)

Despite the rift that it threatens to create between Adama and Roslin, there was
little question that Adama would ultimately throw his support behind Kara’s
claims regarding Earth. Not full support, of course, because that would be
incredibly foolish, but enough to get the job done. I suspect that this will
eventually put her in contact with Cylons of similar vision, though that is
obviously nothing but speculation.

The final item of significance is Baltar’s new relationship with Tory. It
begins as subterfuge, but I suspect it will turn into a significant plot point.
The writers again went with over-convenience by giving Baltar just the right
metaphor to use with Tory, but the presence of Head!Baltar made up for some of
the disappointment. Is that Head!Six messing with Baltar’s mind, or has his
own subconscious manifested in a new and disturbing form?

The end result is an episode that is a bit slower than the premiere, and given
that it was essentially the resolution of a cliffhanger, it felt like something
was missing. The potential for a true Cylon civil war has potential, but the
events on Galactica could have been equally explosive. Instead, they were more
of an emotional counterpoint, and that may not have been enough.


John K
Reprinted with permission
Original source: c. Critical Myth, 2008
All rights reserved
Link: http://www.criticalmyth.com