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I always enjoy the episodes where they show the Cylons on their own turf. As interesting as life is in the Colonial Fleet, most of what goes on could just as well be happening on a fleet of ships at sea here on earth. The Cylon world, however, is something altogether different. With their seven “human” models, centurions and raiders, they are fascinating to try to figure out. This week was a doozy: Cavil and two other models voted to lobotomize the raiders because they refused to attack the fleet anymore after discovering one of the Final Five among the humans (Anders, during last week’s show). Six and two others voted against it. With the Threes boxed, that meant a tie. Except the Boomer Sharon did something unprecedented and voted against the other Eights. Six demanded they stop the lobotomizing anyway on the grounds that the raiders are Cylons just like them, but Cavil refused, insisting they are just “tools” (much like the humans used to feel about the Cylons). So Six allowed the centurions, from whom she had removed their higher-level thinking inhibitors, to let their feelings be known about the situation by killing all the Cavils, Leobens, and Simons on the base ship. Wow.

Not as exciting - but just as cool - we got to find out the numbers of the other original seven besides Six, Eight (Sharon), Five (Doral), and Three (D’Anna). The Cavil model is One (which I’ve long suspected, since he is the de facto leader), Leoben is Two, and Simon is Four. It seems odd that they are all one to six, and then Sharon is Eight, but I don’t think they had the whole thing planned out when they gave her that designation (I know Six, the first to be designated, was an homage to The Prisoner). I can only suspect that the last to be revealed (and probably the leader of the Final Five) will be Number Seven, since that number often has significance.

So Tory, presidential aide and recently-revealed Cylon, is falling for Baltar (or is a rather extraordinary actress who doesn’t mind taking one for the team on her back like a Bond girl). That’s really something considering she used to hate him so much that she conspired with Tigh and some others to rig the presidential election against him. I always thought that character deserved some more air time and a bigger part, so I’m glad to see they’re finally giving her something to do besides following Roslin around. Baltar actually appears to like her, too, and that’s just one of the many changes in him that are being revealed. The fact that he’s now seeing another version of himself rather than Head Six (or is it her in disguise, as he thought?), is very intriguing, and I can’t wait to see more of that. Is it a sign that he’s a Cylon? Many fans are speculating that they’re making it too obvious, but maybe they know we’ll think he’s not a Cylon if they make it obvious, and they’re trying to trick us. Hmmm.

Lee Adama is quickly becoming my least favorite character. It’s quite okay, because I’m pretty sure they’re doing it on purpose. If so, they’re doing a great job. First he agrees to defend Baltar, he continues to frak Starbuck even though they’re both married, then he quits being a pilot when the fleet is in its greatest need, and now he’s going to work for—Tom Zarek? The good thing is, they’ve got to be setting up something big, and I can’t wait to see what it is.

Now, criticism time (I know, it’s rare in my reviews for this show): I can see Lee’s friends giving him a party and getting drunk with him before he leaves, even though they should probably be pissed at him. But the whole surprise ceremony honoring him as he left was over the top, ridiculous, and made no sense. Here’s a guy who leaves everyone in the lurch so that he can become a politician (something the fleet has no shortage of, as they do Viper pilots). He’s handed a plaque by the wife he’s about to leave (in every way) after screwing around on her their entire marriage, and he’s saluted by everyone, including his dad, the admiral whose orders he’d disobeyed many times (putting the future of humanity at risk in the process). Look, I get that he’s a hero, but heroes fall, and Lee is a long way down right now.

I did love his line to Dee, though: “I guess you got the house.” Now THAT’S a good way of telling us they’re divorcing without all the drama and exposition.

His scene with Starbuck in the brig was excellent also, and really intense. I could tell they were going to kiss, though, couldn’t you? And speaking of Starbuck, I also knew Adama was going to give in to her somehow since he loves her like a daughter, but I couldn’t figure out how he was going to let her have her way without disobeying the president. I guess it’s a pretty good compromise, having her go off in her own ship to look for Earth, but…uh…didn’t she already find it? And aren’t they going in the opposite direction, like, REALLY fast? How the hell is she going to let them know she’s found it again, and how is she going to find THEM?

Ah, well, I’m sure it will all be explained soon enough and make some kind of sense. Everything eventually does on this show.

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