"Let your heart drift, and your soul will get caught."

[SPOILERS]

Downloaded

Original airdate 02/24/06

With the exception of one scene at the end, this was a shining example of the excellence of this show.

We flashback to 9 months ago, the day of the Cylon attack. It probably doens't mean anything, but I thought it interesting that in an episode dealing with birth and re-birth we have a flashback time frame equal to the human gestation period. Nine months ago, Six died in the attack she helped to orchestrate and in Downloaded we get to see what transpired from her point of view since the attack, as she is resurrected on Cylon-occupied Caprica.

Cylon resurrection is not a pleasant experience. All memories, including their last moments alive and the pain they suffered when they died, are retained when they are re-born. While the ability to resurrect certainly gives the Cylons the advantage over human beings, it doesn't appear to be all that desirable an experience. The trauma of resurrection gives them incentive to fight to stay alive. That and the threat of being "boxed". Boxed is what happens to a Cylon model's memory and life experience if and when they are deemed to have been corrupted by their experiences. In other words, if they start acting like Galactica Boomer, who has been resurrected on Caprica as well (after being Jacky Ruby'd by Cally), and to a certain extent Six, who is having just as much trouble adjusting but who is just better at hiding it.

And what is causing all of this trouble? Why it's love, of course - Six's love for Baltar and Boomer's love for her Galactica crew and the Chief. I wonder where these 12 humanoid Cylon models come from? Who are they based on? Why would the Cylons create models with a propensity for so much humanity?

Lucy Lawless is fierce as D'Anna Biers, a take-no-prisoners model 3 with strong leadership skills. It was so good to see her back. My girl crush on her is still going strong. and Tricia Helfer is just amazing as Six. What a nice surprise it was to see that she has an imaginary Baltar - just like Baltar has an imaginary Six - who acts as Six's conscience (moral compass), but also as her subconscious mind, guiding her in her interactions with the other Cylon models. I love the contrast between the super-smooth imaginary Baltar (idealized by Six's love for him, I think) and the perpetually befuddled-anxiety-ridden-crazy-talking-to-himself mess that is the real Baltar.

Oh! And back on Galactica, Sharon and Helo's baby Hera is born prematurely, and Helo and Sharon are very happy and in love, until Roslin makes another hard choice (not the airlock, no) - Helo and Sharon are led to believe that Hera died - and Sharon is PISSED - but in reality have given the child to an anonymous woman in the fleet to raise. Something tells me that won't end well.

At the end (which was written in the hokiest way) we have D'Anna dead but on her way to resurrection in about 36 hours, so Caprica Six and Caprica Boomer decide to make the best of that time and find "...a new beginning. A new way to live in God's love. Without hate. Without all the lies."

And just how will they manage that one?