Fave Episodes - No. 1

No. 1 - Downloaded

I bet you thought I would come up with something Helo-related, right? Its nice to be able to throw people a curve sometimes.

In a brilliant stroke of cosmic justice, let me introduce -- the Baltar clone! Yes, I love to hate Baltar. But what if he had a spine, a conscience, and a rapier wit to go along with his technical brilliance? Essentially, you'd have the Baltar clone. The Baltar clone is everything that Baltar isn't - but without the religious sanctimoniousness of the Six clone.

For a quick review, Six has just been downloaded to a new body after the annihilation of Caprica. When she awakens, she's greeted by the Baltar clone. Like her human counterpart, she's told that only she can see him and needs to keep his existance a secret. Later, Six, now known as Caprica Six, is enlisted to aid in the reintegration of the original Sharon, who has recently been downloaded after she died following her attempt on Adama's life.

What I love about this episode isn't just the symmetry and justice of having a Baltar that haunts Six the way he's haunted, its his style in so doing. For example, when Six and Sharon discuss why Three has put them together, Baltar responds, "Oh, it's so perfectly obvious. You know, for a self-aware cybernetic life-form, sometimes you can be unbearably obtuse." Just masterful.

Where the Six clone is a club beating the real Baltar into submission, either through ranting about God's will, threats or sexual manipulation, the Baltar clone is all finesse. When Six is injured in the blast at the cafe, Three offers to finish her off to save her from suffering, allowing her to be downloaded into a new body. Instead of threats and ranting, Baltar uses a bit of verse to get his way:

"Life is short, but the next one's not.
Let your heart adrift and your soul will get caught."

Now THAT is an episode.