Please be aware that this post contains detailed spoilers for episode 16 (4.18) (“Deadlock”) of the fourth season of Battlestar Galactica so do not read on if you have not seen the episode and do not want to be spoiled

One Sentence Review

Ellen is back on Galactica, Head Six is back and Hera is like the highlander in that there can be only one

Plot Summary

The episode opens with Adama inspecting the now cylon led repairs on Galactica where we find out, that the material used to repair Galactica is what the base ship is made of. We then see marines doling out food in the underbelly of the ship (Dogsville) and Caprica 6 gets accosted she then goes to sickbay where we see that the baby (Liam) is still fine.

We then move to the bridge were Hoshi picks up Boomer and Ellens raptor that went missing from Galactica a year earlier. Starbuck intercepts and despite a garbled transmission a 6 recognises an 8′s voice. The ship lands and in a scene reminiscent of Ellens original introduction she arrives on Galactica to considerable surprise being received by Adama, Lee, Roslin,  Tyrol and a few others. Tyrol senses something about Boomer and identifies her causing her to be placed under arrest and put in the brig. Tigh then arrives and greets Ellen with a kiss.

We then go to a briefing room where Ellen tells them about Cavil’s plan to rebuild resurrection technology and she says she thinks he is unbalanced. Ellen asks to see the other members of the final 5 and find out that Anders has been injured. After the others leave Tigh and Ellen get passionately reacquainted and in a cut away we see Caprica 6 have bad stomach pains.

We then move back to Dogsville and see Baltar rejoin his flock, while most are enthusiastic about his return, Paula is very negative towards him. We also find out that his flock have armed themselves through getting the guns from people killed in the failed coup. Head 6 then reappears and tells Baltar that “the sheep have a new shepherd”.

We then return to Ellen and Tigh and Ellen has worked out Tigh has slept with someone while she was thought dead. She is initially okay with this but is disgusted when she finds out it was Caprica 6 and that he had visions of Ellen while with her calling it mental porn.

At Anders bedside we have the final 5 together again along with a 6 and an 8. The 6 then asks the final 5 to join them on the baseship and they will then jump away due to not feeling safe in the fleet. Tigh works out that Tory set them up to it, and Ellen then finds out that Caprica 6 is pregnant which Tigh had not told her. She and Tigh then bicker whilst the debate continues, they then get told to vote with majority rule for the 5 deciding if they stay or go. Tyrol and Tory vote to go, Tigh votes to stay and Tyrol reminds them that Anders made it clear he wanted to stay. Ellen cant decide and walks away.

Baltar is walking around Dogsville and sees lots of starving people, and tells Paula to share some of the food they have, despite her objections, and then announces he will find everyone there and gets upset looks from his followers. In a hallway Roslin speaks to Caprica 6 and we find out they havent had any visions since Caprica 6 got pregnant.

Ellen goes to visit Caprica 6 and Caprica 6 is upset when Ellen tells her about her and Tigh sleeping together once she got back. Ellen mentions Simon would want the child which Caprica interprets as a threat. Ellen tells Caprica 6 that she wins and that Tigh loves her. In Dogsville Baltar gives his food away, to continued objections from Paula, a gang of heavily armed men then take the food away. We then cut away  to Adama’s quarters when he and Tigh are getting drunk and Adama admits that he needs the cylons if Galactica is to survive though Roslin and Lee think that he cant see it.

Back in Dogsville we find out that Baltar’s followers where acosted by the Sons of Ares and that he would not have tried anything if he knew they were involved. Head 6 then appears to Baltar and guides him in retaking control of his flock from Paula by helping give them hope again and also promising to feed everyone in the lower decks and giving them hope by giving them strength and more guns bigger guns and better guns.

In a storeroom Tigh tries to convince Ellen to vote to stay, the other cylons then arrive including Caprica 6 and Ellen votes to go in order to spite Tigh. Tigh then tells them that a pure human or cylon culture wont work. Ellen then tells Caprica that Tigh loves Bill Adama and Galactica more than her. Caprica 6 then collapses with stomach pains.

In sickbay it is confirmed that Ellen voted as she did to hurt Tigh and that she agrees the cylons and humans need each other. She decides to go but changes her mind to comfort Tigh. Ellen tells Tigh to tell Caprica 6 that he loves her and he admits he does but says that he feels it better than saying it. A short while later the baby dies after Ellen tells Caprica that Liams heartbeat is the proof that Tigh loves her and Tigh turns to look at Ellen with love in his eyes for what she said, leading him to blame himself.

We then go to Adama’s quarters where Baltar is meeting with him, Lee and Roslin and he tells them that the ship is becoming a blended ship only half human, and that people are not ready for it, and he is offering him the last human solution he will ever get. Back in Dogsville we see Baltar and his followers being given the bigger guns which Paula looks especially happy about.

Back in sickbay Anders brain activity reappears, in the brig Tyrol watches Boomer sleep and  Adama comforts Tigh over the loss of Liam.

Later Adama and Roslin are walking by the “wall of the dead” and see that the cylons are putting up photos of their dead as well, to which Adama states that “it has already happened hasn’t it”.

My Thoughts and Speculation

I have to say that I found that after last weeks answers and exposition this episode was a bit of a disappointment as we do not learn that much if anything new. I was also thought that the whole Caprica 6 baby arc was badly done as it was not given the importance that it should have merited and then when it finally appears again the baby dies before it is born, which again leaves Hera as the chosen one. On the more positive side they seem to be setting Paula up as a potential Judas for Baltar and head 6 reappears after a long absence which gives us another potential source of answers.

While I was dissappointed with the episode, I thought the whole Caprica/Ellen/Tigh triangle was handled well as Tigh’s reaction including sleeping with Ellen was what you would expect given their prior relationship. It is also inferred that the reason Liam died was due to Tigh being conflicted over who he loves and it will be interesting to see who he stays with in the forthcoming episode as it may be that they are going to resurrect the Baltar Caprica 6 relationship. One thing I will say is go back and watch Ellens original arrival back in season 1 when the raptor door opens and then her introduction in this episode as they are similarly done

The whole voting sub plot seemed contrived simply to cause conflict though and I also did not think that Tyrol would vote to go given his recent reinstatement and strong ties on the ship. If they had to vote then it should have been all the cylon models with a balance being the 6′s, Tory and Leobens voting to go, against Anders, Tigh and Tyrol voting to stay, with the 8′s abstaining due to not wanting another Boomer situation from Athena leaving. Tyrol did show some cyloness in this episode being able to swiftly tell who Boomer was.

There was continued movement on the cylons and humans need each other ongoing plot, and it seems that at the end Adama realises that Galactica is already a hybrid meaning Baltar was in a sense correct in saying that he was giving Adama the last fully human decision he would ever make. I want to know what Baltar suggested though.

Baltars development continues and it looks like if he is going to die Paula is the one to do it in order to grab power for herself. He also has his inner 6 back and we are once again treated to surprising guidance in this case moving from promising hope and inner strength to guns, more guns, bigger and better guns, not as Good as his nuke trick in season 1 but only Starbuck tops Baltar in the getting things department having delivered the full cylon set (Raider, Heavy Raider, Baseship and Planet (Earth)).

Given the slow pace of this episode if they want to wrap things up the next few episodes will have to be fast paced as there are only 2 standard plus a 3 part finale to go, as we still need answers regarding cylon origins, what the head beings are, the significance of Hera, the Pythian Prophecies, the Cavil faction VS colonial fleet story and of course finding a new home. Or RDM could just kill everyone and give answers in the spin off series.

Finally there are a few funny quotes in this episode including

Hotdog: “How many dead chicks are out there”

Ellen: “..I was your mental porn..”

Baltar: “All we need is strength, and strength comes from within (Head 6 gives him gun guidance) and guns, more guns, bigger guns, better guns and when we have those we will win”

Episode Rating

6/10 – A slow episode that doesn’t give any us any more meaningful answers