Previously on Battlestar Galactica, a third of the fleet has jumped away from Galactica to follow Roslin back to Kobol; CALLIE SHOT SHARON, but there are many copies; we’re going to open the tomb of Athena and find the road to Earth, and Sharon from Caprica can show them the path; Adama is putting the fleet and family back together; and there is a plan afoot by Zarek’s henchmen to kill Lee Adama on Kobol.
Speaking of Kobol, it’s raining, and Sharon is leading Lee, Starbuck, Hot Hot Helo, President Roslin and others towards the tomb of Athena, while Adama Sr. pours over maps and scripture. (There’s some gorgeous string music in the background, if that’s your thing, and it certainly is mine.) Gaeta explains the likely location of the tomb of Athena, with assistance from Chief Tyrol, who, if we remember, spent some time on Kobol a few episodes ago. Tyrol can’t see how they navigate the path to the Tomb without some sort of guide. Cue Sharon on Kobol, leading the way. Adama announces that he’s going down to Kobol in a raptor himself, to minimize bloodshed and loss, and also because he’s the only one who can reach out to Roslin and reconcile the fleet. On Kobol, Zarek is uncomfortable taking Lee’s orders.
Credits!
On Kobol, Sharon identifies the most likely place for the tomb. She also points out that Cylons believe in one true god, but also know more about the Colonial’s religion than they do.
On Galactica, Baltar is in the brig? I honestly don’t remember why, but Head Six is naked and talking to Baltar about their baby, which Baltar dismisses as ridiculous. Baltar starts speculating about “what ridiculous thing could happen this week,” Head Six starts giggling, and the next time Baltar turns around, she’s wearing sweats and a ponytail, and completely changed her demeanor ““ gone is the coy, alluring sexiness she’s carefully cultivated every other time we’ve seen her. She tells Baltar he doesn’t have some chip implanted in his brain, he’s not getting secret messages from the Cylons, he’s just crazy. Head Six is just his subconscious frakking with his mind. She tells him to go get a brain scan, to check for any sort of Cylon chip. He does so, which I think means he was just hanging out in the brig for fun. Weirdo.
On the raptor heading for Kobol, there’s confusion, and at one point, Tyrol mutters “topography’s for pansies,” a line I hadn’t picked up on before. Are we really using “pansy” as an insult, BSG? You’ve got a huge cast and no openly gay characters, and now there’s this line. Not cool.
But back to the plot! Adama has brought Tyrol, Billy, Racetrack, and a few others with him on this mission. They’ve landed on Kobol, and there’s no Cylon presence. So that’s good. The rest of our friends on Kobol are hunkered down out of the rain, and Lee is still suspicious of Sharon and now Helo, too. Sharon explains to Helo that she remembers everything Dead Sharon did and knew ““ that it makes sense to her to be back with the fleet, even though she was technically never in the fleet before. Zarek and his henchman are still scheming, and Henchman suggests that they have the Cylon shoot Lee. Not until they find the tomb, says Zarek.
Next day, Sharon’s leading the group through the woods. She tells Helo that she knows the fetus she’s carrying is female. Starbuck, meanwhile, is updating President Roslin on the current situation on Caprica. There’s a resistance movement, she tells her, and their first order of business needs to be a rescue mission back to Caprica. Roslin tells her she can’t think about that right now.
Meanwhile on Galactica, Head Six is harassing Gaius, who’s getting a brain scan. Doc Cottle provides some fantastic grumbling. Head Six mocks the idea that Gaius believed there was a god who has a special plan for him, the complete opposite of everything she’s said to him thus far. So basically, Sweatpants Head Six is a sarcastic atheist, eager to mock this pompous man. Girl, come sit by me.
On Kobol, Zarek’s Henchman is trying to convince Sharon that she needs to take out Lee. This Sharon doesn’t remember shooting Adama, nor does she know what happened afterwards. Henchman tells her that Boomer was shot by the crew, and that they’re not going to let Sharon raise her baby. And then, a noise! Helo, Lee and Starbuck scramble for their weapons, the music mounts, and Lee bursts out of hiding “¦ to see his father! After a brief few seconds, Adama’s eyes fill with tears (which Adama? Both.)and the emotional Celtic music swells as they hug. Roslin and Billy reunite, Adama Sr. and Starbuck share a moment “¦ and then Tyrol sees Sharon. Guns cock, but Helo announces she’s with them. Adama proceeds to look at her and flashback to his own shooting, before grabbing Sharon by the throat and throwing her to the ground. Roslin and Helo both scream at Adama to let her go, which he only does after something painful-looking happens to his heart.
On Galactica, Cottle explains to Baltar that there are no unidentified objects in his brain. Frakkin hypochondriac.
On Kobol, Adama and Roslin make nice. Sharon tells Helo that they killed the other Sharon in cold blood, no trial. Tyrol comes over and says hi to Sharon. He’s surprised that she knows who he is. “We haven’t met yet, but I remember you” is how Sharon puts it. For those of us who have forgotten, Tyrol and Boomer Sharon were hooking up for awhile, and very much into each other. Sharon hugs Tyrol, which has clearly freaked him out. Helo’s in the background, trying very hard not to be jealous. Meanwhile, I believe Zarek and his Henchman are taking a piss, and discussing where they stand in terms of the “assassinate Lee” plans. Zarek says they’re back where they were before, and to let the plans go. Roslin tells Adama that Starbuck told her there are people fighting on Caprica, that there’s a resistance. They rehash the initial decision ““ to flee Caprica or stay and fight the Cylons. Adama says that it’s only because he followed Roslin’s lead in that decision that he’s still alive. Sharon’s freaking out to Helo about how the others see her as a thing, not a person. Helo promises he won’t let anything happen to her. Sharon says she’s going to have to take matters into her own hands. She asks Helo if he loves her and trusts her, and then tells him to not question her. (Related: In pretty much all pop culture, isn’t “Do you love me? Do you trust me?” a sign that a character’s about to do something quite rash? I thought so.)
Sharon goes and chats with the Henchman, and the plan is that, when they get to the entrance of the tomb, she’ll take out the father, and the Henchman should take out the son. SHARON WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! Literally seconds later, they’re at the tomb entrance, and Sharon pulls a gun on Adama Sr. Lee aims at Sharon, but Henchman’s got his gun on Lee. Sharon then turns and shoots the Henchman! When, out of nowhere, a second Henchman pulls out a weapon (seriously dude, I haven’t seen you all episode, where’d you come from?!) and Lee shoots that guy in the head. Sharon then brings her gun back to Adama Sr. and explains that while she is Sharon, she’s not the Sharon that killed him, she has no secret protocols, and she makes her own decisions. And this is her choice: she then flips the gun around, handing it to Adama. The gun, it transpires, isn’t military ““ Zarek’s plot has been revealed.
But wait, here we are at the Tomb of Athena, and we’ve got the Arrow of Apollo, but now what? The frakkin thing didn’t come with an instruction booklet, Starbuck points out. (Related: If there was an instruction booklet, would you really think Starbuck’s the type of person who would read it?) Waving the arrow around in front of the tomb entrance didn’t seem to do anything, but when Adama, Adama, Helo and Billy push really hard on the stone, it opens. Helo isn’t allowed in, and Tyrol is left outside to “guard everybody.”
Commander Adama, President Roslin, Lee Adama, Starbuck and Billy enter the tomb of Athena. It seems to be full of broken statues. Starbuck identifies the statues as the symbols of the original 12 colonies. The statue of Saggitaron, the archer, is intact, except the archer has no arrow. Starbuck fits the Arrow of Apollo into the carved stone bow, and the door of the tomb snaps shut, plunging everyone into darkness. When the light returns, the five of them are in a field of tall grass with lots of crickets. They are in the middle of a circle of standing stones, each of which has a symbol illuminated on it, corresponding to a constellation directly above the stone. Roslin tells us that the symbols are ancient versions of the current twelve colonies ““ Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, etc (our current twelve signs of the zodiac, if you haven’t picked up on that yet.) They’re trying to figure out how this is the map to earth, when Starbuck says that they’re standing on Earth. Earth is the place where you can look up in the sky and see the constellations of the twelve colonies. (That’s a verbatim quote from Roslin, because, well, this is important.) While Starbuck wonders whether they’re supposed to wander the universe in search of a specific star pattern, Lee recognizes a nebula in Scorpio, giving them a direction to head towards.
Back on Galactica (how did they get out of the tomb?!) Adama addresses Galactica, and presumably the whole fleet. He does a lovely speech about reconciliation, and then introduces President Roslin, starting this clapping thing that’s vaguely reminiscent of cheering at a sports game, before it erupts into applause. And now, Sharon’s in the brig, just for being Sharon. She and Helo talk on the phone, with Baltar looking on in the background. Helo says he doesn’t want their child born in a cell, which Baltar freaks out a bit about. Head Six shows up, sexy dress, hair curled, makeup applied, voice low and sensuous as it usually is. Baltar takes Sharon’s pregnancy as proof that Head Six is more than just his subconscious. Head Six tells Baltar that she’s an angel of god, sent to protect and guide him, to the end of the human race. Yeah, right.
