Battlestar Galactica Season 4.5 Epi. 20: Daybreak, Part 2

So, tonight’s the night. The last frakkin’ episode of Battlestar Galactica ever. (We still get Battlestar Galactica: The Plan. Woohoo!) As usual, I’ll list the questions we have going into tonight’s episode. But first…

… There’s been lots of questions wondering whether or not they can possibly answer all the questions in tonight’s two-hour finale. I think they can. What I’m worried about, is not being able to see reactions to answers. We’ve come to know, love, and loathe these characters and I not only want to know what the deal is with Starbuck, but I want to see some reaction to it. I want an ending and then some.

If it were a perfect world, this episode would include some flashbacks to the Final Five’s time on Earth so we can see who these messengers were that warned them of the coming war with their Centurions. I also wouldn’t mind some flashbacks explaining how the Temple of Five became a tool for D’anna to see their faces.

But the world isn’t perfect, and I suppose I should just be happy with what I get, and appreciate the years of geeky joy this show has brought me.

As usual, the episode’s recap will begin after the last blue header.

Questions I’d Like to See Answered in Tonight’s Finale

1. Why did the 13th tribe of Cylons go to Earth when the other 12 tribes left and founded the colonies?

2. Who were the messengers that appeared to the Five when they were on Earth and warned them about the attacks? I find it funny that Galen thought he had a chip in his head, which is exactly what Gaius thought when Head Six began appearing to him.

3. Why did the Five model/name each of the 8 skinjobs the way they did?

4. Just to clarify then, after John decided to kill the Five and place them in the colonies, he “wiped” all the other Cylons so they wouldn’t remember them and think to ask about them? Also, if John had resurrection and the other models, then killed the five and put them with the colonies, why did it take so long for him to make his move?

5. Who set up the Temple to reveal the faces of the Five? Ellen says they used it as a road marker when making their way to the colonies to warn them.

6. Who is Starbuck’s Daddy and why did he teach her that song?

7. What is Starbuck? How was she able to come back from the dead?

8. What up with Daniel? Is he gone for good?

9. Who switched on The Four? What was going on with Ellen when they were switched on? Did she at least hear the music even though she was already aware of her Cylon nature?

10. Why does Roslin, Caprica, and Athena all have those Opera House visions?

11. Will Tory ever answer for killing annoying ass Cally?

12. Will Anders die a hybrid on Galactica? They better not do that!

13. What’s up with Gaius having a Head Six and Caprica Six having a Head Gaius?

14. Not really a question… but I sincerely hope that the series doesn’t end with the big battle that is gearing up. They cannot spend four episodes preparing us for this full human-Cylon integration aboard the rebel Cylon baseship, and not show us what life is going to be like with the military being run from the Cylon’s ship!

My Predictions

1. Starbuck is half-Cylon. “All of this has happened before, and all of this will happen again.” Just like Hera, Starbuck is half Cylon. WRONG

2. I think Daniel is the key to the switching on of the Final Four… but that means that he has to have some connection to Starbuck since it’s the song her Daddy taught her. Hmmm. Did Daniel suspect what John was going to do and make his own preparations? WRONG

3. Who’s gonna die? Boomer, for sure. She’ll probably get some kind of redemption by helping Hera, and then bite it. Sadly, I don’t think Gaius is long for this world either. Ditto that, Anders. Oh, and let’s throw in President Roslin for good measure. 3 outta 4 ain’t bad!

4. Gaius will “man up” and join the fight even though he acted like a little bitch last week. RIGHT!

What are your predictions?

Now That I’ve Watched The Episode, Here Are the Answers To My Questions

1. Why did the 13th tribe of Cylons go to Earth when the other 12 tribes left and founded the colonies?

Ans. We really don’t know. I choose to believe that they thought it best to not have Cylons and humans co-exist.

2. Who were the messengers that appeared to the Five when they were on Earth and warned them about the attacks? I find it funny that Galen thought he had a chip in his head, which is exactly what Gaius thought when Head Six began appearing to him.

Ans. Angels. Angels guided by God (though apparently he doesn’t like to be called that) to help those with a destiny fulfill that destiny. Too bad we never got to see what these angels looked like.

3. Why did the Five model/name each of the 8 skinjobs the way they did?

Ans. No one knows. Beyond John being modeled after Ellen’s father, we may never know why Boomer had that nose and Simon had his lips.

4. Just to clarify then, after John decided to kill the Five and place them in the colonies, he “wiped” all the other Cylons so they wouldn’t remember them and think to ask about them? Also, if John had resurrection and the other models, then killed the five and put them with the colonies, why did it take so long for him to make his move?

Ans. Since the latter wasn’t really answered, I’m going with my assumption that his backstabbing took awhile. They were probably living together and getting along quite well before he snapped. And once he made his move, we know he needed time to get the Cylons in place for their various missions.

5. Who set up the Temple to reveal the faces of the Five? Ellen says they used it as a road marker when making their way to the colonies to warn them.

Ans. God.

6. Who is Starbuck’s Daddy and why did he teach her that song?

Ans. Apparently her Daddy was nothing more than a pianist with ants in his pants. He taught her that song ’cause it was her destiny to play those notes, have those numbers, etc. Here’s what I choose to believe, the Final cylons were switched on because she returned. That song was getting clearer the closer she got to the fleet in the Viper that had the coordinates to Earth. If Ellen had not have been killed on New Caprica, she’d have been switched on too. It seems that all of that was in God’s plan too. It was her destiny becuase it all happened before, and it was all set to happen again.

7. What is Starbuck? How was she able to come back from the dead?

Ans. Starbuck was a pigeon.

I kid, I kid, she was apparently sent back to fulfill her destiny of leading them to the real/2nd Earth. Some kind of ghost it seems. But I think it’s pretty clear that she truly did die back in season 3.

8. What up with Daniel? Is he gone for good?

Ans. Daniel was just what they said he was; a model 7 cylon that was killed because John was jealous of him.

9. Who switched on The Four? What was going on with Ellen when they were switched on? Did she at least hear the music even though she was already aware of her Cylon nature?

Ans. Again, now that it’s clear that Starbuck had a connection with the song, it’s my belief that her return is what switched on the cylons. All guided by the one true God.

10. Why does Roslin, Caprica, and Athena all have those Opera House visions?

Ans. Like Starbuck, they had a destiny. Roslin was meant to grab Hera and keep her from harm so that she would end up in the CIC when she did.

11. Will Tory ever answer for killing annoying ass Cally?

Ans. Yes. Yes, she will. And the answer will be delivered with a snap.

12. Will Anders die a hybrid on Galactica? They better not do that!

Ans. Yes. Yes, he will. On the plus side, he remained shirtless.

13. What’s up with Gaius having a Head Six and Caprica Six having a Head Gaius?

Ans. They were, as they said they were; angels. Angels sent by God to guide them to their destinies.

14. Not really a question… but I sincerely hope that the series doesn’t end with the big battle that is gearing up. They cannot spend four episodes preparing us for this full human-Cylon integration aboard the rebel Cylon baseship, and not show us what life is going to be like with the military being run from the Cylon’s ship!

Ans. Oh, they gave us aftermath and then some. Like 150,000 years some.

Daybreak, Part 2

Caprica is so pretty at night. I want to live in Caprica.

Tigh and Adama are in a strip club discussing whether or not Adama should do that thing that will only take one hour of his time, but apparently, lead to lots of money. Ah, he’s pondering retiring from the military. Ellen is there too, and the three of them drink liberally.

At dinner with Lee, Zach, and Starbuck, they’re all drinking heavily too.

Sean shows up for his blind date with Laura Roslin. Turns out, he was a student of hers. What kind of student are we talking? College? High school? It doesn’t matter. They continue on with the date. Roslin was so pretty.

At the strip club, Tigh admits that no matter how much money he was offered, he wouldn’t take a military desk job.

Zach Adama can’t handle his spirits so Starbuck and Lee put him to bed.

Adama apparently can’t handle his either, ’cause he’s all vomiting in an alley and staring up at the stars. Chunks of sick sit on his chin. Gross.

Present Day Galactica…

Gaius is talking to Head Six, and she tells him that he is following God’s plan of leading mankind’s remnants to their end. End of what, he wants to know. A-ha! Clue number one! She doesn’t get to answer though because Paula interrupts.

Doc Cottle tells Roslin she is being left with enough medicine to last two days. She thanks him for all that he has done. Keeping her alive all this time when she should have died years ago. He gets all misty and kisses her hand. Awww, I love Doc Cottle! I hope he doesn’t die.

Helo is preparing the Raptor pilots and tells them it’s gonna be a tough mission. They all volunteer cause really, what else do they have to do?

Lee preps the commandos going in on foot. Adama preps Galactica’s crew and tells them that once they run out of bullets, he wants people to start throwing rocks.

Adama is awesome.

The final cylons discuss moving Anders to the CIC so they can patch him in to the colony’s hybrid faster. They’ll use him to turn off the colony’s guns which will start firing on Galactica as soon as they jump in.

Adama promotes Lt. Hoshi to Admiral and tells him to lead the fleet to the rendevous point. If they’re not there in 12 hours, he should leave. Anders is plugged up and ready to go.

Romo Lampkin is president! I really like that choice ’cause he’s six cups of awesome with three cups of crazy thrown in.

He and Hoshi get on the last Raptor leaving Galactica. Gaius is about to board, but changes his mind. Yah! His nuts finally dropped. Paula begs him to stay. Wait. Didn’t she hate him? Where’s the other chick with the sick son?

Lee tosses Gaius a gun. He’s part of the cool kids now.

The rebel Centurions march along the hangar deck led by a Six. They have red paint across their chests so the humans will tell them from the evil ones.

Tigh gets on the horn to check that all stations are ready to go. Tyrol is on FTL. Roslin is helping set up triage.

Caprica and Gaius are at the same back-up station. She tells him she’s probably seen more combat than he has. True dat. She also looks really proud of him because he’s there instead of hiding under his harem.

Adama gives one last rah-rah, sis-boom-bah, speech. Action stations, bitches!!!

They jump right in front of the damn colony!!! And the colony opens up a massive can of whoop ass… and I think they shook the can before opening. Galactica is taking a pounding.

Ellen switches Anders on and he whispers sweet nothings to the colony’s hybrid. She creams in her bath water and the colony stops firing on Galactica.

Galactica launches her Vipers. The colony launches Raiders. Then…

Galactica rams into the colony. Just like Hera did with the models a few episodes ago. Told you.

Lee leads the assault team on foot into the colony. They’re accompanied by some bad ass Centurions. Lee removes his helmet to reveal his fantastic new hair. Because, is it just me, or did Lee have his regular hair before the mission, and then sexy ass fly boy hair the moment that helmet came off?

He exchanges some hand signals with the Centurions and says, “Move out.” They march into battle with the Centurions who suddenly have some serious attitude. I know I’m a girl and not supposed to like this stuff, but it’s hot!

The Raptors have jumped in from behind and are coming in amongst lots of debris. The colony cylons don’t seem to know they’re there. Racetrack tells Skulls they should go weapons-hot. Skulls makes their nukes hot, and then starts reminiscing. They die immediately after as debris hits their window and busts it.

(Question: weren’t Racetrack and Skulls a part of the mutineers? Didn’t Starbuck shoot Skulls when she rescued Lee on the hanger deck? She then asked, “Who’s next?  Racetrack? Colin?” How are they down with the mission now?)

Starbuck, Athena and Helo’s Raptor team make it inside the colony. They encounter Centurions. The colony rocks the old-school Centurions!

A Simon is performing tests on Hera and Boomer can’t believe he’s still doing it while the colony is falling apart. He says that she is overestimating the humans, they have the numbers and will win. She snaps his neck.

There’s a commercial for Caprica, and one of the houses looks a lot like Gaius’ house on Caprica. Just sayin’.

Centurians are fighting Centurians and Lee’s hair is still fabulous.

Tyrol tells Anders he’s pushing too much power through the ACS and he’s gonna blow the main bus if he doesn’t back off. He totally listens.

John, a Doral, and a Simon find out what Boomer has done. They know she’s taking Hera to the humans.

At their station, Caprica admits that she always wanted to be proud of Gaius. He kisses her ’cause that’s how he rolls; world is literally coming down around his ears and he will still get his.

Head Six and Head Gaius show up and tell them that the pieces are falling into place. They will hold the fate of the Cylons and the humans in their hands. They are both surprised to realize that they can see each other’s visions.

The Cenutrions blow a hole in deck 21 and start taking out a platoon.

Starbuck, Helo, Athena, and co. run into Boomer with Hera. She gives Hera to Athena. Boomer says she wants Adama to know that she owed him one. She says she made a choice and she thinks it’s her last one. Starbuck is all, “Um, yeah, can we get on with it?”

Boomer tells them they can’t go the way they came, but Athena says that wasn’t their plan. Starbuck says, “Can we not tell her the plan?!” I know, right?! But that’s not what Athena had in mind. She shoots Boomer. A lot.

Flashback to Adama and Tigh chewing Boomer out for screwing up her landings. Her gives her another chance, and she says that she owes him one and that one day she will deliver on that when it matters.

1. This is exactly how I hoped this finale would go. I liked the flashbacks they touched on last week, and hoped they could master telling the ending while incorporating flashbacks at key moments like Lost does each week. They’ve done that.

2. I love when a show makes use of history. Starbuck tells Athena (back in season 2.0) that when she looks at her sometimes all she sees is that rookie pilot that kept spooching her landings.

Lee’s team meets up with Starbuck’s team, they plan to retrace his steps. Brilliant plan.

A fire breaks out in the CIC up top where Anders is. I think they should have left some Centurians in the CIC to guard doors and shit. Just sayin’.

Gaius and Caprica are kicking Centurian ass. Gaius gets a little carried away and Caprica has to stop him when Lee and crew show up with Hera.

Roslin gives herself another dose of medicine and has a flash of Hera running through the opera house. She takes off her hospital smock and leaves the triage area.

The assault team are making their way through the halls with Hera when a Doral comes out and shoots a few of them, including Helo. Hera takes off. Athena leaves Helo to run after her. She’s worried that he’ll bleed out, but he tells her to go.

Now, it’s just like the opera house. Roslin gets to her first and finds shelter with her as Cavil and some Centurions march by. While she’s not looking Hera takes off again.

Ok, seriously? Somebody need to teach that little heifer about stranger danger and who she can trust.

Caprica and Gaius find Hera  just as Athena runs into Roslin like in the visions. Caprica scoops Hera up and, like in the vision, they close the door on Roslin and Athena.

They take her into the CIC which has obviously witnessed some kind of major battle. Adama kicks down a Simon that is bleeding from the neck. People are dead at control panels. I would have liked to have seen that battle!

Mirroring the vision, they look up and see the final five on the balcony.

Goosebumps!

Cavil is alive in the CIC and when Galactica shakes, he knocks out a guard and grabs Hera. He wants to take her, but Gaius tells him that she’s the key to humanity. He admits to seeing angels (Head Six and Head Gaius are off to the side looking smug.) He tells him that everyone knows there’s a higher power at play and it’s obvious their two destinies are entwined. Cavil asks how does Gaius know that God is on his side. Gaius says that they don’t know. He doesn’t think that God is on any one side. He creates them and they have a choice on how things will play out. Cavil is worried that giving up Hera means that his people can’t survive.

Tigh offers to give them resurrection if he’ll give up Hera. Cavil agrees and calls off his fighters as a show of good faith.

Frak this mushy shit! I keep waiting for someone to bust a cap in his ass. But they don’t.

In the CIC everyone is checking in. They lost 4 vipers and 7 raptors. The bad cylons are standing around looking suspicious.

Each of the final five know a secret to resurrection. They’re gonna put their hands in Anders goo, compile their info, and then download it to the Cylons via Anders. Ellen explains that for a moment, they’re each gonna know all there is to know about one another.

And Tory shits her pants.

She tries to soften the blow by saying there’s stuff they’re all not proud of and Tyrol just looks at her like, “What you talkin’ ’bout, Willis?”

“I don’t mean to rush you, but you are keeping two civilizations waiting!,” John Cavil shouts.

Tory wants them to agree that they’ll forgive each other no matter what they find out. Tigh is all, “Yeah, yeah, yeah, let’s do this.”

I don’t know why she doesn’t just switch places with Ellen. Standing next to Tyrol is not the move, homegirl.

They stick their hands in the goo and the download begins. A Simon is on the phone… why do the phones still work? A squirrel farts and my DirecTV goes out, Galactica gets lit to holy hell and the AT&T basic phones still work? And to connect to the Cylon ship no less? Anyway, Simon confirms that the plans are coming through.

We get flashes of each of the final five’s lives, but when we come to Tory and her meeting Cally at the airlock, well, Tyrol don’t look too happy. They all see her kill Cally.

Tyrol takes his hand out the goo and chokes Tory. Anders screams. The hybrid screams. Ellen screams. I scream. The only person that doesn’t scream is Tory ’cause she’s too busy getting choked.

The Simon says that the download has been broken, and one of the Dorals yells that it’s a trap and they should open fire.

Yeah, that’s the trap. One of the final five is going to choke another one to trick you guys. Tyrol snaps Tory’s neck. DAYUM! And then pushes her to the floor.

The cylons in the CIC are killed fairly quickly with John Cavil yelling, “Frak,” before killing himself.

I guess ressurection dies, once and for all, with Tory.

Remember the Raptor with dead Racetrack and Skulls and the hot nukes? Well some debris hits it, and Racetrack’s dead hand hits the launch button. The nukes hit the colony with Galactica inside of it. Adama instructs Starbuck to jump them out of there, but she doesn’t know the rendevouz coordinates. Adama doesn’t care. Just jump them anywhere.

“There must be some kind of way out of here,” Starbuck says. Another lyric from the song. She starts remembering how she assigned numbers to the notes of the song and Leoben telling her that she was an angel blazing with the light of God. She starts punching the numbers in. And then she jumps the ship.

And I have more goosebumps and this is just the FIRST hour.

Flashback to Starbuck and Lee drinking while Zach sleeps. She admits that she thinks about death every time she’s in the cockpit, but she’s not afraid of dying. She’s afraid of being forgotten.

Galactica makes the jump, but barely. She’s taking heavy damage. Adama orders Tigh to give a damage report. Galactica’s back is broken. She won’t jump again. Tyrol sits in a corner zoned out. Tory is dead on the floor. Roslin asks Starbuck where she has taken them.

Earth! A new Earth!

12 hours later. A raptor has jumped to the fleet and told them where to find Galactica. They send Raptors down to the new planet. It’s habitable because there are bush people living there. Adama, Hoshi, Gaius, Tigh, and Cottle ponder the odds that a human civilization could have naturally evolved 1 million lightyears from where they lived.

When it’s suggested that lines for a city could be up in days, Lee disagrees. He tells Adama they should learn from their mistake and leave technology behind. They should start over with a fresh slate.

Um, this plan sucks!

For the record though, this is exactly what I was telling my Dad happened with the 12 tribes that left Kobol. They had the technology and ships and stuff back then, but they obviously felt the need for a fresh start on the colonies because they (humans at the time that the show starts) looked at the scriptures and prophecies as fake. Also, they thought they “discovered” Cylon-building technology 50 years prior to the show’s start. This would also explain the Cylons parting ways with them when they left Kobol.

Ok, back to the show. Adama tells the major players (including the Cylons… oh, looky here, a Leoben. Where has his ass/models been?!) that they will distribute humans all over the habitable continents and start over. The sixes, eights, and twos decide to stay with them. They’re giving the Cylon base ship to the Centurions because they earned it.

Sheeeit, I’d wanna go with them.

They run the risk that the Centurions might evolve and decide to come back for them, but oh well. Once all the civilians have been desposited around the planet, the fleet will be programed to rendevouz with Galactica, piloted by Anders, and he will lead the fleet into the sun.

What!? This plan is getting more and more frakked up!

Starbuck says a tearful goodbye with Anders, and I’m not gonna lie, I lose my shit. She puts her dog tags in his goo. He cries and says, “I’ll see you on the other side.”

Frak! I need tissue.

Adama is the last one to leave Galactica. He pilots a Viper out. I love to see Adama’s old butt in his flight suit. Flashback to him taking the lie detector test for his cushy desk job. During the test, he storms out when he realizes that no amount of money is worth his dignity.

Anders pilots Galactica as his interview response from last week’s flashback is played. He talks about being apart of the perfection of creation and the beauty of physics and that’s the kind of perfection he wants to be connected to.

Then he leads the fleet into the sun, and I lose my shit again!

Tyrol tells Ellen and Tigh that the last Raptor out is going to take him to this island up in the highlands that he found. He wants to be alone. Between the music and his name, I told Donny I think Galen’s gonna found Scotland, but I suck at geography and he tells me to shut the frak up.

Flashback to Ellen and Tigh in the strip club where she tells him all she ever wanted was to be with him. I don’t like this ’cause this is all that frakkin’ John programming. I’d have much rather seen flashbacks to the five on Earth… although, as with Anders, I suppose it’s interesting to see their Caprican selves still having some influence on the way their lives turned out. Like, despite their programming, they ended up fulfilling their destinies.

Roslin and Adama sit under trees as she watches gazelles through binoculars. She asks if the world has a name and he says Earth. Since Earth was a dream they were chasing, they’ve earned it. They’re gonna call the new planet Earth. Roslin has trouble breathing and Adama asks if she’d like a better look at the animals.

See, I couldn’t have done it. I like creature comforts! I don’t like creatures!

Adama carries her to a Raptor and Lee and Starbuck follow. He tells Lee that he doesn’t have much time. They hug goodbye.

Adama asks, “What do you hear, Starbuck?”

“Nothing but the rain,” says Nina.

Don’t judge me!

He takes off with Roslin who waves goodbye from the window.

I lose my shit.

Lee realizes that Adama isn’t coming back. Starbuck says she’s not coming back either. She doesn’t know where she’s going, but she knows she’s done and it feels good.

Flashback to Starbuck daring Lee to do her on the dining room table while his brother sleeps in the next room. Classy! They start to, but she knocks over a glass which wakes Zach up and only then do the two fools come to their nasty senses. Lee leaves.

Back on new Earth, she asks what he’s going to do. He says he wants to explore. He turns his back on her and when he turns back, she’s gone.

“Goodbye, Kara. You won’t be forgotten.”

Jesus, could this get any sadder?!

Flashback to Lee waking up the next morning in his apartment and a pigeon flies out of the door. So, Kara was a pigeon?

Flashback to Roslin kicking the younger guy out of her bed and apartment. Then she calls Mayor Adar’s office and agrees to join his campaign. So interesting to see these pivotal moments in these major player’s lives and how things would have been a lot different had they made other choices.

In the Raptor, Roslin comments on how much life there is on the planet, and then she dies. Adama starts talking about the cabin they were gonna build on New Caprica until he realizes she’s gone. He takes off his wedding ring and puts it on her finger.

Do I really need to say I lost my shit?

Ellen and Tigh go off together with a group of civilians. Helo (he’s alive!), Hera, and Athena are walking and talk about building a new life. Caprica and Gaius watch as their angels tell them that they completed their missions.

Flashback to Gaius on Caprica before the fall (my mother points out how good he looks. she’s right) and he agrees to let Caprica Six get a peak into the defense mainframe. How it all began.

On new Earth he points out a spot where they can settle and cultivate land.

“Cultivation?”

“Yes. You know, I know about farming.”

And then he cries… and I do too. Such a great moment. You can see the weight of everything that has happened and the memory of his father hit him at once.

Adama sits on a hill, where he has buried Laura, and talks about the sun coming up over the mountain and how it reminds him of her.

GOD! I’m downright miserable watching this. Like, I knew I would be sad cause it was ending, but not so sad over the content.

Hera walks through the fields and looks up at the sky…

Forward 150,000 years later. Head Six, in what looks to be modern day NYC, reads over a man’s (Ron Moore’s!) shoulder an article about Hera’s remains being found in Tansania. She and Head Gaius comment on the commercialism, decadence, and technology run amok. It reminds them of Kobol, the first Earth, and Caprica before the fall. Caprica doesn’t think the cycle will repeat. Gaius isn’t so sure. When she refers to God, he says, “Now you know he doesn’t like that name.”

They walk off through Times Square as “All Along the Watchtower” plays.

The End

I’m spent. I’ll probably need to watch it for a third time (watched it twice alraedy) before it will sink in. And be less sad. Overall, I loved it. BUT, I must point out one thing. Donny thinks they traveled back in time. I think what we’ve seen these past four seasons was always supposed to be before our time. OK, discuss.