Battlestar Galactica-Sometimes A Great Notion
I find myself drawn to character-based dramas. Formula television just really doesn’t work for me because I like layers and, as a commitment-phobe, it’s hard for me to designate time to watch the boob tube. (My DVR is my bestest friend these days. Opened up a brand new world for me.
Although I’m sure that there will be a lot of criticism of last night’s bleak episode of Battlestar Galactica’s first show in six months (that will sadly be gone in nine more episodes), I thought it worked. I thought the scene with Dee was perfect hitting the fact that she needed one last day of hope and that was enough because she was not strong enough to keep going on in a world where she saw no alternatives.
The show for me is set on different levels. Religious mores vs. faith, politics vs. humanity and hope vs. a darkness that is compelling. We see joy in finding earth, only to find that sometimes you get what you want and it’s nothing like you imagined. (The reincarnation theme intrigues me.) The “toasters” were just as disappointed with the discovery as the human survivors of Caprica were.
Hell, I was disappointed for them and as the Geiger counter informed us, the viewer, that this new world would be uninhabitable, I felt bad for these characters. All of them.
Humans, and toasters as well, can only take so much before they hit a breaking point. This was evident last night and red herrings were everywhere on the future although I honestly thought that all of them might be (notice I say MIGHT) Cylons.
BSG remind me of a western set in space to a large degree and maybe, because High Plains Drifter is one of my favorite movies of all time as is High Noon, I can’t help but be compelled to watch it and follow it with adoration. I trust the writers here, as I do with Lost, to take me on a journey.
Things I noticed:
- Adama really doesn’t need to drink. Leave the boozehounding to Tigh (who despite his obvious character flaws, I’m smitten with.)
- Why was Leoben with Starbuck on earth? I have no idea why this bugs me as he literally would lick her face off if he could, but he was. Kara Thrace always intrigues me though.
- Dee was a character I never really thought much about but last night shocked me. I wasn’t expecting her choice, but I watched it twice and I have to say, as she was shaking on the ship home, the writers set it up for us. She did the things that made her happy and she found her smile again. This was very heart wrenching though. Once again, the thing of needing some hope and Dualla just didn’t have it.
- The scene where Adama walked through the hall of the ship and people were coming apart at the seams was amazing.
- I want to marry Mary McDonnell’s voice. She really has the sexiest voice I’ve ever heard.
- The way the politics always plays out in this show, the warts and all, always grabs me. It appears it’s going to get very political next week because Tom Zarek is back.
- The shiny Cylons are my favorite. I don’t know why I just love them.
If you haven’t seen the latest episode, you can at Sci Fi Rewind.
I watched and mostly ate it all up, too–I’m really curious to see how this will all wind up.
Agree about Adama not needing to drink. One part that made me chuckle as unintentionally funny was when he was going into another one of those pained-with-emotion crying jags, the ones that start with clenched teeth. Mostly because my husband totally called it.
Other than that, I was rapt. I missed the setup for Dee’s suicide – thanks for the link!
The Dee scene was amazing. When they showed her in the background stuff at the beginning, I thought they were going to make her be the final cylon. I’m glad she wasn’t. I’ve never liked her much – since the first episode. I didn’t dislike her like I did Cally, but she bored me to tears.
Still, that scene was amazingly put together. Especially because I’ve been reading theories all over saying that Gaeta was the fifth, and that I really expected something to happen between he and Dee there. And then WHAM – totally didn’t see that coming. I thought they were leading in to her and Lee getting back together. So not what I expected.
I adore Tigh. I love Adama, but wish they’d cut back on the crying scenes. Yes, he’s fallible. I get it. Although the scene with him walking down the hall, yes, that was amazing.
And the fifth? I’m thoroughly disappointed. I mean, yeah, cool, that she knew they’d be reborn, and cool that there are they have this across time and the universe kind of love or whatever, but she sucked and I’m a little pouty over having to see her again for another nine episodes now to more or less forget that she existed in anything other than name.
OH, and the Leoben/Starbuck thing. WAY more intriguing than the fifth reveal. Way.
What if everything is backwards? What if the Cylons are the Masters and the Humans are the slaves?
What if the Cylons are the ones who created the humans? What if the humans are the ones who rebelled and nuked earth before fleeing and establishing the 12 colonies?