- Eighteen months ago: Saul poisons Ellen, who then finds herself downloaded into a new body aboard a Cylon Base Star, with a single Centaurion keeping watch over her. After the initial shock, she has a revelation as she remembers things she had forgotten. Present Day: Dr. Cottle is operating on Anders, who has a bullet lodged in his brain. Anders starts to remember things he had forgotten. Eighteen months ago: Cavil comes to see Ellen, who calls him John, because that's his "real" name. Cavil says he hates that name. John was the first Cylon model *Ellen* created. She also created seven others. So, there are actually only *eight* Cylon models and the "Final Five" are actually copies of humans who lived 2,000 years earlier and, together, created Resurrection, which allowed them and the Cylons to download. Number Seven, Daniel, was a favorite of Ellen. Jealous, John sabotaged the process of using Resurrection on Daniel, making him unique. John and Ellen start a months-long philosophical and ethical argument on Cylon - human interaction. John says he started the genocide of humankind because his "forebears on the Centaurion side of the family were the slaves of humanity." And he wants justice for that. Present Day: Anders tells Starbuck that he has seen "everything" and needs Kara to get "the others" - Galen, Tory, Saul and Ellen to his bedside. Anders says he remembers everything and knows why they have come all the way to Earth... Adama reinstates Tyrol as a Chief of Engineering. Tyrol starts inspecting the damage Galactica has taken during their journey. But he is not prepared for what he finds and Adama is not prepared for what Tyrol suggests as a repair method.—Toni Tapola, Finland
- Now back in command of the Galactica, Admiral Adama seeks to re-assert his overall authority. Gaeta and Zarek are under arrest and there can be only one sentence. Chief Tyrol shows the Admiral what he's found in the engine room. Sam Anders is in serious condition having been shot in the head during the re-capture of the ship. He has a sudden burst of clarity however telling Tyrol, Tory and Saul about their time on Earth before its destruction. In a flashback to when Saul poisoned his wife Ellen on New Caprica, it is revealed that she was reborn on a Cylon ship where she once again meets John Cavil and later, Boomer Valerii. She created Cavil and he hates her for it. She in turns resents what happened to another of the Final Five's creations, Daniel. Cavil wants her to recreate the regeneration technology and will cut it out of her brain, if necessary. Boomer has another solution however.—garykmcd
- "Battlestar Galactica" - "No Exit" - Feb. 13, 2009
After we get a refresher on the entire series mythology and a look back at Tigh poisoning Ellen, we take a ride which must be akin to what happens when the Cylons resurrect. We are whizzing through tubes that look like red computer graphics as we see memories from Ellen's life. And we get the moment where she wakes up in the great tub of goo-giving life. She sees a Centurion and starts crying and screaming and then suddenly she settles, smooths her hair and asks for help up. The Centurion hesitates. She says "it's okay, you can do that much." He helps her up.
Back on Galactica, Cottle is operating on Anders' brain. (His head is shaved and held in a vise-like device as Cottle cuts in). Anders is babbling about the forgotten children and the bright stars as Kara watches and reassures him. We see flashes of Anders' life with Kara and a flash of Ellen's face. Cottle says he's not out of the woods yet, what with the bullet in his brain and all. He has a massive hematoma and once Cottle gets that under control he's going to bring the brain guy over from another ship and see if they can't get that bullet out. An agitated Kara tells him to get cracking. Anders flashes some more and sees the five figures in the opera house. He starts saying "we've been to that beach too, sometimes Ellen would be there too because she loved the water." Kara fights back tears.
We cut back to a still gooey Ellen and are told with an onscreen bumper that this resurrection happened "Eighteen Months Ago." Cavil pulls up a chair. She greets him as "John." He says he doesn't care for that name. She says she named him after her father. He sarcastically thanks her for also making him in his image. He says he's guessing she's here because it didn't go so well on New Caprica. She says she betrayed the resistance and Tigh poisoned her, and that he did what he thought was right, which is what any man would do. Cavil points out that Tigh isn't a man. Ellen retorts that, as someone with firsthand knowledge, she begs to differ. Cavil says Tigh's a machine and so is she. She protests. He says their ancestors didn't crawl up out of a swamp and, personally, he's proud of that. She says he really hasn't changed. He says, on the contrary, he's made vast improvements. But he's still the same confused and petulant boy she loved all those years ago, she's sad since she had such high hopes for him. He had them for her also but clearly she's still enamored with delusional thinking. He says the humans have a word for that: schizophrenia. She notes he used her name, so there's clearly hope for him yet. He says they'll talk later. He offers to get her some clothes, noting that he's seen it all before-snarky.
Adama and Tyrol are walking and discussing the damage done by the mutiny. Tyrol shows him the crack he noticed while disabling the FTL drive. Tyrol advises him on a course of action. Adama says for him to do it, that he needs a chief and Tyrol is it, if he's willing. Tyrol says he's still a Cylon. Adama says it's alright, so is his EX-O.
In the hospital wing Sam wakes up and says he's seen everything. She tries to tell him how she's to blame and how sorry she is. He shushes her and says a wonderful thing has happened and she has to get the other four Cylons. She says Ellen is dead. He says of course, he knows, there's too many layers. He says he remembers everything: Earth, why we're here, everything.
Survivor Count: 39,556
As we zoom in on a Cylon baseship we get another bumper: Twelve Months Ago
Cavil is telling Ellen that he often wondered what effect the mortal experience would have on her, apparently none. She asks if he still dreams of dog-faced boys chasing him through the mist. He scoffs at the idea of sleep and wonders why she chose to program it into their software. Fortunately, he was able to delete that program and hasn't slept in 20 years. She wonders then if he's so disgusted by such human attributes as sleep and Centurion values like a belief in a living god, why then, did he so singlemindedly pursue such human concepts as vengeance and murder? Why not just explore the idea of being the best machines in the universe? Justice, he says, for his forebears, on the Centurion side of his family. An Eight arrives with lunch and it's Boomer. Ellen is thrilled to see her. Cavil says he and Boomer have a "rapport." Wink, wink. Boomer says Cavil is teaching her to be a better machine and let go of human constructs. She asks Boomer if he's taught her the "swirl" yet. Cavil departs in a huff over the faulty blood pressure he has thanks to the miserable body Ellen designed for him. He tells Boomer to stay and chat with her creator about why she made her the way she is: self-destructive, hyperemotional, torn apart by conflicting impulses. Boomer unveils a fruit and cheese platter. Ellen says Cavil brought Boomer in so he could have an audience while he talked about justice and that Boomer should make up her own mind.
On the Galactica Sam is telling Tigh that he and Ellen were married on Earth and telling Tyrol that he and Tory were madly in love. Tigh remembers his flash of the destruction of earth and Ellen saying they'd be reborn. She knew they'd be resurrected. Apparently certain Cylons made sure to keep a resurrection ship in orbit near earth. But they had to reinvent resurrection technology - organic memory transfer- since it fell out of use once the Cylons were able to procreate. Kara wants him to take a break. He won't. He says they worked night and day to bring it back online but that it was Ellen who made the intuitive leap that made it all work. Cottle enters blustering that Anders is soaked in sweat. Tigh wants to know what the plan was but Cottle shoos them away. Kara keeps saying that Anders said he was okay.
On Colonial One Roslin and Lee survey the torn up Quorum room. They are grieving the massacre. Roslin wonders who they are without the Quorum. Lee says they need a new Quorum or something else, since they no longer really represent their planets (Caprica, etc.) but the ships they live on in the fleet maybe that's how they should be represented. She says that's an excellent idea and one he should keep in mind as he assembles the new Quorum. She says she will remain president in title only. He says she can do more. She says it's time she let someone else do the heavy lifting. (Then why not relinquish the title?) Lee looks bummed and is speechless. Until he finds speech enough to say he's honored if she thinks he's the right one. She says he has always been the right one but that her only concern is that since he's so hellbent on doing the right thing he doesn't always do the smart thing. He promises to try and be smarter and wronger. She coughs.
Down in another part of the ship Tyrol is showing Adama more damage. Adama wonders how it happened. Tyrol points out that the ship was already 50 years old when the war started and that, um, they also cut corners. He says he can fix it and squeeze more life out of the ship but that Adama needs to not jump her for awhile. Adama says he wants an all-human crew. Tyrol looks mildly offended.
Tigh is asking Anders what happened. Apparently, after the destruction on Earth they went to the other 12 colonies to warn them to treat their artificial life forms well and keep them close but it was already too late as the humans were at war with the Centurions, it had happened again. Tory wonders how the holocaust on Earth took place thousands of years in the past then? Anders says they hadn't developed jump drives yet and were traveling at subluminal speeds. He starts to jerk and seize and Kara tries to stop him but Anders says he has to tell them and she should understand since he knows she felt this same determination on Demetrius. He says if he had her answers, why she came back, what for, wouldn't she want him to give them to her. She asks if he does. He does not but so much is coming back that maybe he will get to that and to let him keep going.
He says when they reached the Centurions of the 12 tribes they were already trying to make humanoid models with the hybrids but hadn't been successful. The final five made an exchange: if the Cylons would stop the war they would give them help. They helped develop the 8 humanoid models and gave them resurrection. Kara is confused by the math of 8 and says they must be missing someone. Sam looks around and there is a gold light hanging around everyone in the room. "Oh wow, everybody's glowing," he says, and then he seizes as Kara screams for Cottle.
Ten Months Ago
Ellen is looking at photos from the Temple of Hopes, which is 3,000 years old. (This is the temple that Tyrol recognized with the swirling eye from Kara's pictures that pointed the way to Earth that was destroyed by a nova). The exploding star was a nice touch, says Cavil. When that happened D'Anna was able to see the faces of the final five, which he thinks is a testament to Ellen's vanity. Since she saw them, however, Cavil simply had her whole line boxed. Ellen points out that boxing isn't permanent, unlike what they did to Seven. Boomer looks askance at this. Cavil says the Threes being unboxed is unlikely and by planting a "carnival trick" to reveal their own faces she left them no choice. Ellen says they didn't "plant" anything, but that they backtracked the path of their ancestors and found their temple. Ellen says the one true god must've orchestrated these events, i.e. the nova that he referred to as a carnival trick.
Cavil asks if she's ever seen a star go supernova. She says no. He says he has and he stuck around purposefully to see it, to see the creation itself of other stars and planets out of the supernova. And he's apparently mad at Ellen that he had to witness this miracle with the "gelatinous orbs" of human eyes, which can't even take in the whole "EM spectrum." With ears that can only detect vibrations. She says the five designed them to be as human as possible. He snarls that he doesn't want to be human, he wants to see gamma rays, hear x-rays, and smell dark matter. He's even mad that he can't express himself fully because the complex concepts he wants to get across are limited by the spoken language of human beings. He says he knows he wants to reach out with something other than his pre-hensile paws and feel a supernova wash over him and embrace his very machine-ness but he can't since his five creators decided that God wanted him trapped in this absurd body. He stalks off. Boomer asks if Ellen doesn't feel the slightest remorse over what she did to him, to all the Cylons. Ellen says there's no need for remorse since the FF didn't limit them, they gave them something wonderful: free will, the ability to think creatively, to feel compassion and love. Love? Who? Humans? asks Boomer. Who would she want to love?
Cut to Tyrol catching up with Tigh in a Galactica hallway. Anders is still in with the doctor and Tory and Tigh are being kept outside. Tyrol is itching to get back in and finish the chat. Tigh is agitated that according to Anders all of this is their fault since the FF made the skin jobs. Tyrol points out that what they did was stop the first Cylon war and buy humanity some time. Tigh says he remembers Adama saying that humanity would have to atone for what it did- making the skin jobs- but it turns out that humans didn't do it. Tory points out that the humans on Kobol made them so really it is their fault. Tigh says if you point a finger back far enough you can blame a germ for splitting in two, maybe they share the guilt but they don't get to shove it off completely on the humans.
The brain guy - who is played, funnily enough, by "Daily Show" correspondent John "I'm a PC" Hodgman- is explaining a brain scan which shows how the pressure of the bullet caused the seizure and that it's miraculous really that it's just such a small trickle but that if it happens again it will mean death within minutes. He says this with the cheerful tone of a scientist in awe. Kara tells him to take out the frakking bullet then. Yes says PC doc, they have a pretty good shot. Sam realizes that the pressure is causing the seizures and the seizures are causing the memories so ergo if they relieve the pressure the memories will stop. PC doc says this is possible. Sam asks them to wait until he can "complete the circle" and then starts babbling. PC doc says it's aphasia- "word salad" - and is not uncommon. Cottle asks Kara, as Sam's wife, if the decision kicks back to her what does she want. Sam tries to collect his words and begs Kara to give him more time. She says to Cottle: prep for surgery. Sam pleads for more time. She says he has until they knock him out.
Four Months Ago
We're seeing the destruction of the resurrection hub ship, amid others. Cavil awakes Ellen with a highball and breaks the news. She wonders if he's contemplating his mortality now. He says more like extinction and that they need to regain resurrection. She wishes him luck. He says he doesn't need her good wishes, he needs her help. The fleet may have destroyed the hub but they don't know about the "colony" where all her equipment is. Even with the tools, she says it would take all five of them to recreate it as she only knows a part. He calls her a liar, she says she's not lying. He says her children are dying and she won't lift a finger to help. Why? He wonders. Out of spite since he won't kneel to her orthodoxy? He turns to Boomer and asks what she thinks of her blessed creator now. Boomer commands that Ellen just tell them about resurrection. Ellen says she can't, that it would take all five. Cavil says the five are no better then the humans that created and enslaved them. He says if she doesn't tell him he will cut open her brain and get the info himself as well as a glimpse at her deepest hopes and fears. (Did he just turn into Sylar from "Heroes"?)
Sam, conscious again, tells them Cavil was the first one they made and then in turn he helped them make the others. Tyrol is confused, given that they'd already witnessed the cycle of violence, "we didn't think this was a bad idea?" Sam says that since Ellen programmed them with human love and compassion and the Centurion belief in one true God, she thought the cycle would end. Cavil disagreed. He put the final five in a compartment and suffocated them. Tigh seems to remember this suddenly. When they downloaded into new bodies, Cavil blocked their memories from them and implanted new ones in them and introduced them as human a la Boomer. Tigh was introduced first, then the Ellen - whom he calls Gisele at first. He says something about a figure appearing to each of them before the holocaust to warn them, how that figure was different for each of them, for some a man, others a woman. Kara asks about the Seven, Anders says he was called Daniel. She asks if he's sure about the name. He is and that Daniel died. She tells the doctors to take him. Tigh protests saying they need to know more. Anders tells Tigh that no matter what he should stay with the fleet, that the miracle is about to happen - (his baby with the Six?)- and tells Kara to make them stop. As he is wheeled towards surgery, he yells at Kara to let him speak more and that after he stood up for her on Demetrius she owes him.
Tigh returns to his quarters and wakes the Six. He wonders where the booze is. She says they haven't had any for weeks since the smell was making her sick. Weeks? Really? Tigh asks, a little disoriented. Six asks how it went, what Sam said. Tigh says Cottle kicked them out. She hugs him from behind and says the baby has started to kick. He talks about getting a crib and baby stuff and then the baby kicks and he gets all misty kissing her belly.
Two Days Ago
Ellen is drawing a picture of Tigh. Cavil leans over and tells her to add the eyepatch. Boomer paces in the background. Ellen says she prefers to remember him pre-gouging. Cavil says the OR is being prepped by the Simons and that she'll be impressed at the progress they've made with memory recovery. She says she's sure he'll make it as long and painful as possible. He says, despite what she may think, he's not enjoying this. She disagrees saying he's a sadist and asks why they were sent to live with the humans instead of killed outright? He says he wanted them to see them up close and personal so he gave them grandstand seats to a holocaust. But they survived she says so that Cavil could torture them each in different ways- Tyrol by Boomer, Sam in the resistance, Tigh's eye- but never actually killed them, so that when they finally did download into new bodies, after all that suffering, they would be appropriately grateful to him. She says he claims to be the perfect machine but has proved to be driven by the most petty human emotions: jealousy and rage. She says she knows what he did to Daniel. Seven, says Cavil, did not thrive as a model, pity. Ellen looks over his shoulder to Boomer explaining that Daniel was a sensitive artist to whom she was very close. She says Cavil thought she was playing favorites, and perhaps she was, but someone corrupted Daniel's genetic material and tampered with the amniotic fluid in which the Daniel's were "maturing." She knew it was Cavil and his sadistic mind. But who made him? Cavil asks. "That's what we're dancing around here, isn't it?" If he's such a mistake then who's fault is that? It's his maker's fault. Which is her, not God. She tearfully says that although he has made mistakes, he isn't one and that if he could accept himself as the boy she made he could be good. He could be anything and she loves him because she made him. She holds out her arms, crying, saying it's okay. she goes to touch him and he yells "don't you dare." He says he has to go scrub for surgery and he can't wait to see what perfection looks like on the inside. Boomer just looks at her.
The crew works on Galactica's patching issues under Tyrol's watch. Adama comes to check things out. Tyrol tells him that it occurred to him that there might be even more damage that the eye can't see. (I think we're to surmise he got this idea from looking at Sam's brain scan). So he injected a flourescent matter into the hull and, as he runs a light over it that exposes the matter, shows Adama that there are hairline fractures in all of the beams on the ship. "Her bones are rotten," he tells Adama. Adama fingers the exposed cracks. Tyrol says he thinks he can fix it by injecting the ship with a resin from the Cylon baseship. A material that will begin to take the load "as it matures." Matures? asks Adama. Turns out it's biological Cylon technology and Adama wants no part of it. Tyrol says with all due respect he asked him to do this job and what his life is worth to him. Adama simply says no.
Kara is whispering to Sam who is back in the OR with his head in a vise. She's apologizing for being greedy, for keeping him too long. She thought she might be the 7, she says she needs to be something and that she will be there when he wakes up and he'll have all the time he wants. She is ushered aside as PC doc starts his work.
Adama heads into his quarters and hits the bottle. He goes to splash water on his face. He looks in the mirror, hears a noise and looks up. There is a crack over the door of his own bathroom.
On the basehsip Ellen sits meditatively. Boomer arrives, glances at the drawing of Tigh and wonders how Ellen can stand knowing that Tigh hates her for what's she's done. Ellen says that perhaps he doesn't, since love is like that sometimes. Boomer says the Simons are ready for the surgery. Ellen says they should have brought a "tumbrel." Boomer says nothing. Ellen says nevermind, let's get this over with.
Outside the hospital wing Tory, Tigh, Tyrol, and Kara wait. Tigh says they just needed a little more time to ask questions. Tory says they forgot to ask about that frakking song. Cottle opens the door and gives Kara the bullet, saying the damage has been repaired and that Sam will live. PC doc is surprised Sam isn't awake yet but Cottle says not to worry. Cottle lights up and lets Kara in.
As they walk the halls behind a Centurion, Ellen tells Boomer she'll regret this. She agrees she probably will. Ellen asks what's she's doing. Boomer goes rogue again and tells Ellen she's forgiving her and leads her onto a raptor and jets off the baseship. Cylon fighters follow guns blazing but Boomer jumps.
Kara goes to Sam's side and tells him that he's going to be okay and that he's got a roomful of rabid Cylon-types who can't wait to hear the next chapter of their life story and that it sounds like they're hoping for a musical so to hurry up and get better. The nurse tells her not to bother talking to him. The nurse points to an EEG machine and reports there's almost no brain activity. "He's not in there," she says somewhat callously and walks away.
Adama continues to drink. And take some pills. He calls up Tyrol and tells him to do whatever he has to do to "save our girl." Tyrol agrees.
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