So all life (original Humans and Cylons) originated on Kobol.  That’s what I’m getting from the show and interviews trickling in from the writers.  Kobol is as far back as history goes.  Humans created artificial life, the Cylons, on Kobol for the first time.  Those Cylons eventually fled to Earth where they created artificial life of their own.  EarthCylons now had their own Cylons, which rose up and killed them.  Just like 12ColonyCylons rose up and killed 12ColonyHumans.

Baltar’s return to his cult was pretty dry stuff.  Rival Paula has (in what, a week?) gained some control over the nymphets.  The two of them engage in a variety of pissing contests that leads to Baltar’s passionate speech that they unexpectidly need more guns! Bigger Guns! HeadSix’s long absence is broken so that she might suggest they lock & load?  I sure hope the militarization of Baltar’s fan club is necessary plotting for what comes next (much like the various Galactica Goop Patrol scenes.  Oh, I’m so waiting for the Galactica to come alive, mack on the basestar and be all like We Must Obtain The Allspark!).  James Callis reliably elevates the material, but it all felt a little ^what_ever.

Both sides seem compelled to re-create the same pattern but what if a shared future, like the one Hera represents, could transcend this cycle of apocalyptic violence.  Tigh recently lamented that ^{you point a finger back far enough and some germ get blamed for splitting in two - NO!}; Tory in particular has been eager to side with the Cylons, blaming Humans for genocide down to her burnt morning croissant. But what if they could find a way to band together and become something greater?

Ellen is willing to dash those hopes to spitefully hurt the man she loves.  Ah! ELLEN! I’ve missed you :)  It was brilliant seeing the return of the slutty drunken destructive Ellen I eventually came to love.  She was so cool and collected dialoguing with ungrateful offspring John, during No Exit, that I wondered if her former self was just a Boomer-like personality plant.  But no, she really is that messed up.

Ellen’s arrival in the fleet comes just in time for her to learn that Tigh has knocked up a Six.  When she first ^*eh-hem* re-acquainted herself with Saul, Ellen seemed like she could’ve forgiven almost anything from her man.  Except that.  I enjoyed that the final Cylon, who seemed matronly and rational, so quickly embraced jealousy and pettiness, willingly dooming them all to spite her husband.  Bravo writers for creating such an interesting wedge between these two.  We can understand how Saul Tigh found himself in this position and we can also easily imagine Ellen’s disgust with the results.  But Paul Hogan and Tricia Helfer have done such a good job, especially in this episode, of selling this unlikely romance that at least to me it doesn’t seem so wrong.  Even if it violates a Cylon taboo that we didn’t know about until last episode, it’s still removed enough from my normal life that I’m more interested in the question and don’t really have any gut reaction to this apparent, what, its not incest is it?.

Awww...

Tigh (and I love this bit) is so tied to the uniform and his friend, William Adama, that Ellen decides to hurt Saul Tigh by compelling him to leave Adama. The Cylons debate whether to stay with the Humans or make their own way.  Leaving the fleet would be a horrible thing for Tigh, who has little besides his Galactica life to cling to and define himself.  When Ellen votes for the Cylons to abandon the Humans she believes in her heart that it is the wrong future for the Cylons.  But it’ll hurt Tigh.  Oh that poor drunken abused cyclops; he just can’t catch a break.

I was underwhelmed by this episode.  I surely enjoyed the tumultuous return of Ellen Tigh but it needed more than her machinations and the Paula / Baltar friction to sustain it.  I haven’t dwelled on its faults because really it just failed to reach the heights recent episodes have.  It also shares the general vibe of season four Galactica, which sometimes feels like we’re merely watching chess pieces rearrange into endgame positions.  Basically the Cylons want to leave, having realized that seat at the Quorum isn’t quite as relevant as they once thought.  I like the idea of Cylons debating whether to stick it out but if they don’t, what, in a few thousand years there might be some consequences?  The drama just didn’t come alive for me. Give me some freakin’ space battles with a side of hot sweaty six on eight action or something to keep me from flicking channels to Al Jazeera and wondering “Hmm.. what are my career options”  I’ve enjoyed BSG’s action-less outings of late because I felt those episodes had enough to offer they could stand on their own.  Deadlock was missing an exciting mutiny or massive exposition dump (or, again, hot sweaty six on eight action) to keep things moving.  Well it’s not like I’ll suddenly stop watching.  See ya’ll next week.

So is there any precedence for “Cylon majority rules in binding covenant” or did Jane Espenson just pull that out of her ass? Does Chief Galen Tyrol root for Humans or Cylons?  He works for Adama but votes to leave.  And what’s Baltar going to do with all those guns?