This is pretty much nothing but spoilers, y’all.
Man, this shit is really coming to an end, isn’t it? It’s hard to believe, especially since season 4.5 has been so unbelievably good through and through. Even that one meh-ish episode was still really great, right? How are you dealing with the pain? Equally important, how are our favorite humans and cylons dealing with the pain? Let’s check in, shall we?
Lee Adama once again has to get snippy with the quorum members, who are all eager to strip Galactica of her supplies before she’s even gone cold. We won’t stand for that, will we?
Lee Adama will not stand for your bullsheet, quorum people.
Ellen Tigh copes with everything by — SHOCKER! — being a complete and total cunt. I know. Uncanny. She belittles Saul’s attachment to Galactica, Adama, and the rest of the crew; she tries to undermine his sense of loss over his unborn child; and she insists his concern should lie with his “millions” of cylon “children.” Nice try, Ellen, but please fuck off.
Ellen Tigh, still an evil whore.
Baltar copes with his (relatively) new and inscrutable personality as a radio cult leader by contemplatively shaving with a straight razor. Scenes where anyone shaves with a straight razor are always fraught with tension and what the literary types call “symbolism.” Yawn. This scene was saved by the fact that Starbuck is sitting in that stall back there with the door wide open, peeing.
Baltar remains tool-like while Starbuck audibly urinates in the background.
Oh hey, look who is in this Hybrid tank? It’s none other than Sam Anders. Starbuck and one of the Eights eagerly await his cryptic utterances. I confess I can never be bothered to pay attention to any type of “cryptic utterance” like these (or like, for example, the utterances of the annoying River on Firefly), so that’s all I’ve got here.
Who's that in the Hybrid tank?
And behold here, the exciting return of SCIENCE! I know! Remember when Baltar still used to be a “scientist” and was always working in his “la-BOR-a-tree” on his “cylon detector”? Man, that was a long time ago. I guess even though he is the horny swami of Galactica’s indie radio station now, he has still somehow retained access to the lab. Will answers (or at least excitement) ensue?
Did you remember that Baltar was once a scientist? I had almost forgotten that. All hail the return of SCIENCE.
Helo and his inability to tell the difference between Boomer Eight and Athena Eight — well, he’s not too happy with himself. Don’t cry, Helo. I will come and comfort you!
Oh, Helo. Sniff.
Although not convinced by Baltar’s belief in angels, Starbuck seems to find the phrase “necrotic tissue” persuasive enough that she hangs her own photo on the Wall of Death. (See? SCIENCE.) I question the placement, though. Seriously. And did anyone else get creeped out by her weirdly beatific smile in this scene?
Starbuck, why in gods' names would you hang your photo on the Wall of Death...NEXT TO KAT?
Despite Ellen’s evil machinations, it’s still Bill Adama with whom Saul shares his tightest and most sentimental bond. Watching these guys toast to Galactica as the camera slowly pulled back in this final scene definitely had me shedding a few tears.
So, so sad.
I guess it’s fitting to end Battlestar Galactica with the end of Galactica herself. I can’t wait to watch it all play out.
What do you guys think? What will Cavil do with poor sniveling Hera? Will Helo strike out on his own rogue mission? WHAT is going on with STARBUCK?
Raveling Out 
I know no answers to your last 3 questions, but I will answer another. Starbuck is beside Kat because that’s where she said she wanted her picture to go when/if she died. When they thought she was dead before. Lee put her picture next to Kat’s. Now, she’s just putting it back. (Remember all that stuff about Kat being CAG but not really being Kat and getting radiation poisoning shuttling the fleet through whatever the hell that was? That’s when SB said that. And she kept Kat’s secret too.)
S and I have proposed that, oh, I just remembered you didn’t see previews probably, so I will abstain. But generally, we think that a select chosen few will go to the colony, that SB’s notes will lead them there and Sam will jump them, and it will be Galactica’s last jump, and they will save Hera. Other than that, I don’t know. What the frak IS going on with SB? And Baltar, for that matter?
Wow, I completely forgot all of that Kat stuff. But now that you say it, it definitely sounds familiar. That might have been one of those end-of-the-evening episodes.
Re your speculation, I hope that doesn’t become a suicide mission for our crew, but you just KNOW some important people will have to die in the end. I will have to have some tissues at the ready.
I hate Lee Adama’s politician hair. I think it’s his turn for a nice trim.
K – Agreed! The trim worked so well for Baltar. I liked Lee’s hair when it was more short, military-ish-looking.
Holy crap, I hardly noticed he has a near-mullet! GAH!!
I forgot to mention that I definitely think Starbuck has something to do with Number Seven, Daniel. It’s inevitable that they will reveal who Daniel is (they can’t just not answer that question, right?) and they’ve been dropping hints about Starbuck for awhile. Now, whether she is Daniel or her dad is, I don’t know, but there’s definitely some connection there.