The Plan - Recap

Two copies of humanoid Cylon model Number One (Cavil) are being escorted to an airlock aboard the battlestar Galactica. They argue about wiping humanity out of existence. It seems one of the two has an enlightened perspective on things due to his time among the survivors on Caprica. The other who has been among the fleet doesn't see it that way. In fact, to admit that it was all in err, means that they and their plan was sealed in failure from the very get-go.

10 MONTHS EARLIER
2 WEEKS BEFORE THE DESTRUCTION OF THE COLONIES
Among the Cylon fleet, two Cavil copies stand amidst a ring of five tubs containing their parents, the Final Five. They expect that when the five die in the Colonial holocaust, they will be reborn with a different, apologetic outlook on human life. One of the pair hopes to meet the bombings with Ellen Tigh while the other prepares to leaves for Caprica to meet with a contact.

14 HOURS BEFORE THE ATTACK ON THE COLONIES
This contact turns out to be a Number Six that has been posing as Gaius Baltar's lover in order to gain access to the colonial defence mainframe (later christened in the series as Caprica-Six). She gives him the device located in her briefcase that will allow access to the mainframe. Before he leaves, he recommends she leave her current body before the unpleasantries begin. His suggestion? Poison.

The destruction of the Twelve Colonies begins. Basestars leave the orbit of the Cylon colony and reappear in orbit over the dozen planets and scan battlestars that attempt to engage them, crippling them, leaving the world below floating in a backdrop of vulnerability. The humanoid Cylons inside bask happily in the beginning of mankind's end.

Meanwhile on Picon, the other Cavil converses with Ellen. Inquiring about his name, he simply calls himself "a mysterious stranger." Further into discussion, Ellen states that she doesn't believe anyone can change who they really are, including herself, a proclamation that disappoints Cavil. Their dialogue and Pyramid practice on a training camp high in the mountains is interrupted by several nuclear bombs dropping onto the colonies.

Even after the bombing has ceased, the devastation continues. Humans who have avoided death both on the planets and in space are stricken with a mixture of grief, anger, confusion, and panic, all while the Cylons who've infiltrated colonial society watch and listen as humanity gives out its death rattle. Meanwhile, as Galactica preps for a war, Raptors begin picking up survivors such as Tory Forster and Ellen with Cavil in tow. Also among the saved is a woman named Giana O'Neill whose husband escaped Gemenon with her daughter, completely unaware that he is a copy of the Cylon model Number Four (Simon).

5 DAYS AFTER THE DESTRUCTION OF THE COLONIES
As the fleet makes another jump to escape the Cylons that have been perusing them every 33 minutes since Ragnar, Cavil is still at Ellen's side, contemplating the cruelty of keeping her alive, but feels it's necessary that she learn her lesson.

8 DAYS AFTER THE DESTRUCTION OF THE COLONIES
Cavil passes through the hallways, bumping into first Saul, then a young boy who knocks several fliers out of his hand. A Six helps him and he offers her one. He then asks Specialist Socinus that he be able to post them. Soon the flyers regarding "the plan" get around to the Cylon operatives in the fleet and group in Cavil's makeshift chapel - a Two (Leoben Cony), a Five (Aaron Doral), and a pair of Sixes. Cavil puts it on the table - the plan to exterminate humanity failed to account for survivors. Cavil hands out plans for them for both offensive and defensive action. Leoben is tasked with communication and listening to the military signals. A Six (Shelly Godfrey) is to discredit Baltar so as to prevent the enabling of his Cylon detector. And Doral is to carry out a suicide bombing.

Meanwhile, the Pyramid players, who've amassed with other stranglers, scramble for action. After seeing Centurions gather the remains of their own to a repair shop of some kind days earlier, they hatch a plan to use a piece of a Centurion to explode when returned, destroying the shed of spare parts (a Trojan horse, if you will). With the aid of a Pyramid ball filled with explosives, it works, but at the cost of some human lives, something that breaks Samuel Anders's confidence in his already unsure assumed leadership.

9 DAYS AFTER THE DESTRUCTION OF THE COLONIES
On his way to begin to begin contact with his sleeper agent, Cavil finds the young boy from yesterday sleeping in his chapel before kicking him out. Boomer walks in on Tyrol working with the newest crewmember Giana; when she leaves, Giana calls the two out on their secret relationship. When Boomer enters her bunk, she finds a wooden elephant on her bed - her trigger. Having dropped her human persona, this Eight proposals venting Galactica's water supply out into space. Cavil accepts and has her commit suicide and subsequently report the location of the fleet when she downloads. However, her human ties have become quite strong - including her relationship with Tyrol. Cavil suggests having a fatal "accident".

On the civilian ship Cybele, Simon is eating with his human family when Cavil approaches them, continuing his ruse as a priest. His presence is there mainly to remind Simon of his true nature. Later, Boomer updates Cavil on the planting of the bombs, still dripping wet with water. She is also soaking in her human feelings and questions whether humanity is a big enough of a threat. Cavil tries to talk her back to her robotic psyche and pulls her out of "real" personality by plucking the wooden elephant. Moments after he leaves the room, Boomer seemingly wakes up, confused about where she is and what she's been doing. She shares these concerns with Tyrol when the explosives go off, releasing 60% of Galactica's water ration.

On Caprica, what has now built to a resistance group finds several Number Fives disposing of bodies, discovering the chilling fact that Cylons now look human. Recovering from the horror, they kill the Fives and find a One passing off as a survivor.

17 DAYS AFTER THE DESTRUCTION OF THE COLONIES
When Doral blows himself, knowledge of human-looking Cylons is gets out to the fleet, as are faces of the two known agents. Leoben soon finds himself dodging marines.

When left along with Anders, Cavil proposals the thought about the relationship the Cylons' wrath has with the Gods, either as punishment or assuming their role. Anders staggers at the thought and subsequently asks if Cavil will hear his confessions at a later time, to which Cavil agrees, hoping that it will be the one his model has been waiting for.

Back on Galactica, Simon finally comes to Cavil's chapel. Cavil is critical of his willingness to carry out any damage, especially since he is married to a human. Cavil ends their "session" by requesting he return tomorrow to discuss blowing up Cybele.

24 DAYS AFTER THE DESTRUCTION OF THE COLONIES
Horrified to find "CYLON" written on her mirror, Boomer sees Cavil. She believes it may have been herself, done in an effort to either snap her into or out of what she is going to have to do next - kill Commander Adama. Cavil, of course, tries to remind her of humanity's sin as their parents, but Boomer finds more comfort in her human persona.

Meanwhile, Shelly Godfrey has begun her attempt to turn everyone against Baltar with fabricated evidence for his part in the Cylons' attacks, but Baltar confronts her and, aware of her true Cylon nature, accuses her of being just "another Cylon copy". Unbeknownst to Baltar, his words pierce far more fiercely than he could have imagined. Cavil brings Shelly's mission to an end by using Tough Six to allow Shelly to shake off the marines escorting her, leaving the impression to everyone else that she seemingly disappeared. He then takes her to an airlock and orders her to report the fleet's position when she downloads, to which she begrudgingly complies. Unfortunately for Cavil, the so-called proof Shelly supplied is finally revealed to be fake very easily. Maybe a little too easy.

Leboen's peeping in on the fleet transmissions leads him to become fixated on Kara Thrace and even paints a familiar looking mandala. He tries to tell Cavil that there's something special about her, but he refuses to listen with the argument coming to an abrupt end when marines come after him.

25 DAYS AFTER THE DESTRUCTION OF THE COLONIES
Leoben finally comes face-to-face with Kara when she interrogates him on the Gemenon Traveller. During an effort to show his strength versus her weakness, he grabs her and pins her up against the door, and in a brief moment catches glimpses of premonitions of thing to come and visions of that which will be. His obsession culminates with Kara apparently returning some feeling of compassion by the two pressing their hands against the window moments before Leoben is airlocked.

In his chapel, Cavil yet again finds the young boy and urges him to go... anywhere else.

After a late night at work, Giana returns to her quarters to find Simon behaving oddly. He is very hostile toward her for the time away from the lives that they once had. Scared, she takes her daughter and leaves.

51 DAYS AFTER THE DESTRUCTION OF THE COLONIES
Despite her attempt at suicide, Commander Adama has Boomer carry out a Raptor operation to nuke a Cylon basestar. However, the victory of success upon her return is short-lived when Boomer suddenly shoots Adama.

Simon reports the grave news to Cavil. He also gives in and agrees to blow up his resident ship, the Cybele, but only on the one condition: the safety of his wife and stepdaughter. Cavil doesn't believe that he wants that because if they live, they will inevitably find out who - what he really is.

52 DAYS AFTER THE DESTRUCTION OF THE COLONIES
Things have begun to look up until it seems that Adama may make a recovery and Cavil chastises Boomer for her poor aim. She has increasingly become human to the point that she had to kill it in order carry out her mission. Cavil tries to push her further, but she feels that has gone too far and Cavil says goodbye to Number Eight, leaving Boomer to the colonials' cold brand of justice.

On Caprica, Cavil discovers Helo and Kara and falsely reports the two as possible Cylons to the resistance with the hope that the two will kill each other for the same suspicions. However, the Four that has been the Pyramid players' doctor is openly critical of such tactics, especially when a swift victory was promised two months ago.

Simon gives in and says his goodbyes and apologies to Giana, but instead of destroying the entire ship, he only blows open the doors, venting himself into space and out of resurrection range. Colonel Tigh calls Giana in for an investigation with Tyrol present to make sure it doesn't turn into an interrogation. Giana, however, seems adamant to deny that Simon was a Cylon without the accusation even arising. Tigh just wanted answers. Meanwhile, Cavil has his own questions over why nothing seems to be going his way.

53 DAYS AFTER THE DESTRUCTION OF THE COLONIES
Cavil and Simon hear Anders and Kara getting friendly - no, romantic. Seeing that she needs to be taken out the picture, he arranges for her to take a trip to a farm. However, Anders simply cannot let her go. Anders finally confesses his sin - he believes he acted cowardly and has made for a poor leader. Frustrated that he didn't get the admission he had hoped, Cavil gently tries to get it out of him by asking if the Cylons can be forgiven. The thought confuses and upsets Anders, only solidifying Cavil's belief that the Final Five can only embrace their children without the emotional stranglehold of their parents. Later, Anders leads a rescue effort for Kara, who has already managed to get as far as outside. During the escape, Four is outed and ordered to be killed.

On Galactica, Cavil finally relents and allows the young boy inside his chapel, even offering some of his leftovers, which the boy eagerly finishes.

280 DAYS AFTER THE DESTRUCTION OF THE COLONIES
Following Kara's return, Giana discovers that her husband was indeed a Cylon. However, she thinks that maybe he defied an order by killing himself. Consoling her, Tyrol recalls that Boomer was a better shot and she may have botched the assassination intentionally. Pondering that they may, in fact, have been heroes, Giana confesses that if she believed that she was a Cylon, she would climb atop the hangar bay catwalk and "sawn-dive out of this life." This haunts Tyrol who begins to have nightmares about carrying out such acts, driven by his fear of being a sleeper like Boomer. This leads him to seek out Brother Cavil for counselling, but Cavil offers his own confession: everyone he has put his trust in has utterly let him down.

On Caprica, Cavil remarks about the loss of the people Anders has had over the past several months. Cavil is puzzled that Anders would continue to love his people, even after they're dead. Anders insists that he would because "death doesn't change that." They're heated discussion is put on hold when news gets about that there's movement up ahead. This turns out to be the rescue party Kara promised to return with. Cavil hides from view and aims his rifle.

About this same time on Galactica, the small boy offers Cavil an apple, which he takes and slices with a knife and gives a large piece back to the boy, who, when asked, says that his name is John. Cavil puts Kara in the crosshairs of his scope. Cavil remarks to John that they've become friends, but Cavil proves that can be a dangerous thing as he coldly stabs the boy in the side. Recalling Anders's words, Cavil takes his finger off the trigger and lowers his weapon. Cavil shrugs the dead boy's body off his bed.

The joyous reunion is short-lived as Cylons begin attacking, pushing everyone behind a dilapidated wall for safety. Suddenly, to everyone's puzzlement, the fire ceases, though the Cylons are still looming in the distance. Even Cavil is curious and when day turns to night, a sleepless Cavil sneaks off to meet his comrades and finds out that through a vote, a truce has been declared. They've just not relayed this back to the humans and Cavil agrees to be the messenger.

281 DAYS AFTER THE DESTRUCTION OF THE COLONIES
Once brought to Galactica, Cavil emerges as one of the rescued and Tyrol instantly outs he and his counterpart in the fleet. Cavil brings back with him the news that the Cylon occupation of the Twelve Colonies has ended. With no more use for them, they are ordered to be airlocked. On their way, Tigh feels that there's too many civilians and has everyone stop until it's clear. Taking a moment to look around, the two see that, by coincidence, that all five of their parents are looking back at them. It's a long awaited moment for them, but comes out more like a nightmare than a dream come true.

Once in the launch tube, the two Ones continue to argue. The Cavil from Caprica truly believes the attacks were a mistake because if every human were gone, their five parents would just love humanity more rather than put their model on a pedestal. This is punctuated by the suspense of being airlocked. The Cavil from Caprica offers the other Cavil his hand who takes it. Anticipating their deaths, Cavil from the fleet closes his eyes; his brother from Caprica remains open-eyed. The two remain hand-in-hand as the doors open and their bodies shoot out towards the stars, beyond the fleet, and into the depth of space.

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