Your skin is so soft, do you moisturize?

Now that's what I'm talkin' 'bout.  This was a return to Galactica firing on all cylinders, and Cylons.  Brother Cavil took the things that the Sixes and Sharons started last episode to their logical final conclusion.  Seeing as democracy failed to work in his favour, and the other side had wronged them with violence: jump to the end game and completely annihilate the opponent in a surprise attack.  It's nice to see the same logic that resulted in the nuclear winter of the Human race now being applied with equal coldness to their own.

It seems that Cavil knows something the rest of them don't. Unlocking the full potential menace the mechanical Cylons represent is certainly reminiscent of the original uprising of the mechanicals against the Humans, prior to the start of the series. But what does Cavil know?!?! It feels unlikely that we've truly seen the last of half the Cylon fleet, but these are interesting times for the Cylons.  We're continuing to see both the Cylon democracy and the Colonial democracy facing hard times with leaders who've grown tired of the process and would rather get their way.

Third season's Dirty Hands (3x16) pissed me off when it aired. It was a shaky episode, sure, but Roslin's abrupt about face of policy at the end had two meanings: either the writers had cheated (not unlikely at the time, season three's back end being sub-par), or they were laying the groundwork for future episodes. Apparently it was the latter.  It's official, some factions regard Roslin as a religious crazy nutjob of the highest degree. Seeing Lee conflicted over his continual, unwanted, run-ins against the President is good fun. Sticking up for your principles sucks sometimes.

Tom Zarek's private words to Lee were stunning. His position was so nuanced as to be impenetrable. A character that states his acceptance and support of someone he does not like, and views as dangerous is not something you see every day. With a checkered past such as his, Zarek has no rights to be judgmental, but he seems honestly subservient to the principles of democracy.

What strange bedfellows he and Lee have made over the course of the series. Lee seems linked with this man he'd rather not be, but because Zarek occasionally hits on sore notes of truth, Lee's moralistic center compels him to listen. When Zarek called for elections (1x03) Lee's conscience agreed; even knowning Zarek's heart wasn't in it, hoping merely for an ugly mutiny to make Adama look bad.  He found himself again standing next to a man he did not like when helping Roslin stand against Tigh's incompetent drunken leadership (2x04). And now he is standing up to Roslin, again, because of what he believes in.  Stupid Lee, believing in shit, that gets you shot.

Bullets!

• Adama reading to Roslin: Yesss!!!
• With that many regulars (hand picked by Helo), it looks like we're on board for an extended stay on The Grand Poo-Barge
• Tory seems to have embraced her Cylon nature as a disconnection between her and everyone else.  An excuse to feel "you're not like me, so it matters not what I do to you."  Sucks to be Cally, intriguing for audience. A theme that's been explored before, but from the human side. Tory's initial ambrosia conversational fragments with Tyrol take on a much great weight.  

Are the eerie interchanges between Anders and Starbuck the writers toying with out conceptions, or something deeper? Will anyone miss Cally? Do Starbuck's painting skillz make you want to frak her too? Did you notice Weapons Locker 1701D and if so did it make you laugh as much as it did me?