Battlestar Galactica recap: “The Hub” (S4×09)

Ah those tricky, tricky Battlestar Galactica writers and Sci Fi commercial-makers playing with our minds last week! The big preview for this week’s episode, The Hub, showed a scene that caused panic across the net (myself included) that the identity of the Final Cylon had been given away and that it was Laura Roslin herself!

Of course it wasn’t, but in a brilliantly done scene, we all almost totally fell for it.

Yet the real shocking and monumental moment had nothing to do with the Final Cylon. Nope, it had to do with one universal emotion to both Cylon and Human:

Love.

The Hub was one of the best episodes of the season, maybe one of the best in awhile. It had some amazing battle sequences, spectacular special effects, a major dose of humor, blood, insight and tears.

Of course, those were sort of mine. At the end. Let’s get into the episode.

Two Days Ago

The episode begins two days previous to last week’s Sine Qua Non, where we left Bill Adama sitting patiently in a Raptor waiting for Roslin and the Rebel Basestar to return.

The opening sequence was beautifully intertwined with the jumps by the Hybrid and Roslin having visions of walking down corridors of an empty Galactica alongside Elosha, the long dead priestess.

She sees herself dying in sickbay, with people who love her looking on: Bill, Lee, Starbuck, and Cottle standing by. Elosha tells her point blank: “You don’t love people“.

These visions for Laura continue throughout the episode as the Basestar continues to jump. She begins to see how she’s become almost robotic herself. Too much the President, and not enough love for her people. Or a person perhaps.

The Mission Continues

Thanks to Baltar’s connection with the Hybrid, they find out that it knows Natalie has been killed on Galactica. Yet the mission to destroy The Hub is still on. Roslin and Baltar take turns trying to talk to the Hybrid and they do get SOME information out of her, but not much.

Helo and a Sharon model work together to form a plan that would cloak the Vipers until the last minute, but would force the Humans to have to work deathly close together with the Cylons in their Heavy Raiders.

And elsewhere, in a surprising turn of events, Cavel and “pet 8” Boomer wake up Deanna to try and use her as a last resort to end the Cylon Civil War. To heal their dispute. This doesn’t go the way Cavel wanted.

I have to say, I’m really torn with what has happened with Boomer. She was so integral in the first two seasons, and suddenly she’s just like a little puppy on Cavel’s leash and it just doesn’t feel right to me.

The Basestar finally arrives at The Hub, and the opposing Cylons take a few minutes to realize what is going on. By that time, the Vipers have disabled the FTL drive on The Hub, while Helo and Sharon board it looking for Deanna.

Deanna had just killed Cavel by wringing his neck after her “inhibitions” were leaving her with the arrival of the Rebel Basestar, and she is practically waiting for Helo and Sharon to save her. Boomer runs off and we aren’t really sure if she makes it off The Hub or not.

The Hub Destroyed

When Deanna is rescued, Helo orders the Vipers to nuke The Hub, which explodes in one of the most glorious destructions ever on Battlestar Galactica. The entire battle itself, with missiles flying everywhere and streams of smoke trailing behind, was like a symphony.

In fact, the music composed by Bear McCreary (read his recap of the episode over here) for that scene was perfect as always.

As the explosion takes out a nearby Basestar, Deanna watches the end of immortality for Cylons and marks the event with a beautiful, poetic quote:

“With a whimper, every Cylon in the universe begins to die.”

It happened so fast for us, but let’s not forget how important that moment was. No more Cylon resurrections. When they die, they are dead. They can no longer be reckless or bold. They have to preserve THEIR race now.

A massive, HUGE moment in the series, and it was done so very well.

Baltar and the Centurion

Baltar believes so much in God right now and his own self being saved, that he ends up in a conversation with a Centurion about the robotic warrior’s own destiny and soul.

Now, it was a one-way conversation in terms of the spoken word, but it was two-way in the reactions of the Centurion itself. It was actually listening and…responding?

Not only that, but it was one of the funniest moments ever in Galactica history. The battle is going on outside the Basestar, but Baltar is so focused on this Centurion, as if it’s a real, living, breathing soul (which we know it sort of is now), it’s hilarious. Well done BSG writers…that was brilliant.

Baltar and Roslin

And just as quickly as we are laughing, things turn drastically more serious as some missiles make it to the Basestar, blowing a hole in the side and destroying the Centurion that Baltar was talking to. And in the process, opening up a 6-inch gash in Baltar’s abdomen that was bleeding all over the place.

Roslin bandages Baltar up and gives him morphine to dull the pain. It’s at this moment that Baltar reveals the secret he has been carrying since the destruction of the Colonies.

“I gave the access codes to the Cylons. They wiped out most of humanity.”

Yet he only revealed it because his guilt was gone because of the love God has for him now. He tells Roslin that he was rewarded for his actions, comparing it to the Flood of Noah from the Bible. From the Flood, mankind is rejuvenated. He wasn’t the Flood and it was man’s decision to bring the Flood upon themselves.

So very interesting…but not to Roslin. She pulls off the bandage covering Baltar’s massive wound and lets the blood drip and drip and drip to the floor below, while his barely audible whispers of “Please don’t do this to me…please don’t”, fall on her deaf ears.

Roslin’s Realization

She’s wanted so long to kill this man. It has been her mission, her nemesis, her hatred for so long. He’s ruined so many things for her. And now his life is in her hands.

But when the Hybrid jumps one more time, this time to safety, Roslin is with Elosha again. She sees herself die on the table, with Bill giving her a goodbye kiss, and Elosha telling her to “Just love SOMEONE.”

This time she realizes what she’s been blocking out of her mind, pushing away from her heart. And what kind of person she’s become with the idea of just letting a man die, even if he is Gaius Baltar.

She wakes back up when the jump is over, and rushes over to help Baltar, sobbing and shaking.

Deanna and Roslin

Helo brings Deanna to Roslin, much to the surprise and disappointment of Sharon, who realizes she’s been betrayed. Helo has suffered his own inner struggle this episode, with having to deal with his love for Athena that he sees in the Sharons around him.

Deanna and Roslin finally are face to face, after all this time, the answers of WHO the Final Five are within Laura’s grasp.

And the moment is capped with a stunner of a joke, or trick, played mostly on the audience, but also to an unsuspecting Roslin.

Laura tells Deanna what she knows about the Final Five:

“I know they are supposed to know the way to Earth.”

Deanna deadpans:

“But you don’t know that you’re one of them.”

Then Deanna starts laughing, says “Look at your face!” and then says she’s not giving the names away until she knows she’s safe. She’s just as mortal as any human now.

The joke was perfect, the musical score got so amped up you almost couldn’t help but fall for it yourself. So great!

The Wonderful Ending: Bill and Laura

As far as endings of BSG episodes go, this one takes the cake. While they are jumping back to meet up with Galactica, Elosha and Roslin converse, this time in peace while watching and listening to the Hybrid.

Roslin is comforted by the Hybrid, knowing every jump is bringing them closer to home. Closer to Galactica.

Roslin says. “Maybe there’s something there for me.”

Elosha: “Maybe…even closer.”

That’s when you know she’s talking about Adama, waiting in his little Raptor for his beloved Laura to come home.

That’s also when things started getting misty for me.

Finally, the Basestar appears in front of him, and he docks inside the ship. He walks out of the Raptor, in his jumpsuit, with Roslin standing there waiting for him.

The dialog is beautiful. Thanks Bear for adding such wondeful music for this moment.

Bill looks at her, finally reunited: “Missed you.”

Okay, MY eyes started welling up here. The two of them hug.

Laura whispers to him softly: “Love you.”

Bill pulls away, smiling: “About time.”

The end. Yeah, my vision was pretty blurry at this point, but I didn’t care.

I’ve now watched that scene about 10 times and it never loses it’s impact for me. One of the most awesome, spectacular moments in all of BSG. Ever.

What now?

I’m curious how this will impact Laura when she’s back with the fleet. Will her entire presidency and attitude change?

Will she even go back to being president?

Next week is the final episode until 2009 and it’s called Revelations. From the previews for next week, it might just be close to what the title indicates.

What did you think of the episode? Was it as awesome as I thought? Did you cry at the end? If you didn’t shame on you! It was a moment almost three seasons in the making.

(Make sure to check our Bear’s musical recap)