Saturday, March 21, 2009 TV Round-Up: Battlestar Galactica Daybreak "All this has happened before and will happen again..."
Viewed as three-hour finale, "Daybreak" is a nice coda to one of the great series in TV history. Was it perfect? No, not so much. But it did give us answers to a lot of questions and attempted to do a lot of resolution on the many on-going storylines that have unfolded for the past six years (or four season if you count it that way). It's interesting that in a three-hour finale, only about an hour of it was devoted to the action and space battles while the other two were all about the characters.
Last week, we saw Adama realize that Galactica has one last mission left--to save Hera from the Cylons. A lot of last week was a set-up for this week and it will be interesting to sit back and watch this entire storyline as one long, epic episode (it seems Ron Moore sees it this way since he stated he will do one long podcast commentary for Daybreak). From the standpoint of the effects and the drama, "Galactica" rarely gets better than Hera's rescue. A superbly put together piece of action television that really drew me in, had me on the edge of my seat and just enjoying the viseral thrill of it all. Seeing old school Centurions battling our heroes and the new school Centurions helping our heroes was a nice touch. I do wish we'd had one instance of a "By your command" in there just for so we could get giddy with geek glee.
Ron Moore did the virtually impossible with his script--he not only brought closure to a lot of long term arcs but he also pulled in all the pieces of the puzzle from the last ten or so episodes. In the course of two hours, we find out what the visions of the Opera House mean (the Opera House is Galactica...nice touch), character revlations that have been a long time coming are revealed, we find out why the music heard by the final Five is so important, we find out what Starbuck is and we find out that the Earth visited in the mid-season cliffhanger wasn't really our Earth after all. I'm sure if I really sat down and thought about it, there'd be some plot thread left dangling, but I am not going to do that. I was satisfied by what we got.
And I liked that the death of Cally came back to play a pivotal role. Cally turns out to be the turning point between peace and war. Tyrol discovers that Cally was killed, just as a peace and cease-fire has been brokered. The Cylons get what they want, our heroes get what they want and it seems that all is headed toward a happy ending. I will admit I was duped by this. I almost forget what show I was watching. Once Tyrol sees the vision of Cally's death, he reacts, killing Tory and throwing the entire situation into chaos. I did find it interesting that Ron Moore had promised a lot of characters wouldn't make it to the final scenes of the show, but in the end a lot of the deaths were Cylon.
I felt sure he was going to kill Helo, but it looks like he survived. I guess Moore decided that the Colonial fleet had enough losses and it would just be too cruel to save Hera only to force Athena to become a single mother.
Also, an accident sends nukes out, destroying what's left of the Cylons--or so we presume. I also imagine have Galactica jump while that close to the station couldn't help things. I am going to presume that balance talked about last week of being so near a black hole was thrown off, thus dooming what was left of Cavil's group. Or are they still out there?
Then, we finally find a home for the rag-tag fleet. And it's our earth, only 150,000 years ago. The fleet sets down, abandons their technology and decides to break the cycle. I find it an intersting choice, but am a bit surprised there was no dissenting vote on this one. But the Earth part isn't about that, it's about finding the long-promised home and giving the journey its closure. Earth is found, the story is over. Roslin gets to fulfill her place in prophecy and dies there. For all the deaths, this was one of the most moving in the hour, watching as Bill Adama grieves and then still continues to talk to Laura after she's gone.
So, in the end, "Galactica" wrapped itself up well and brought closure to a lot of the story. I will admit I was satisfied by the episode but wasn't quite as jaw droppingly thrilled as I was by the series finale of "The Shield" back in November. But they're two very different types of shows and both went out on top. You can't ask for more than that....
posted byMichael Hickerson at 3/21/2009 10:38:00 AM |
| Wednesday, March 18, 2009 TV Round-Up Dollhouse: "Stage Fright," "Grey Hour," "True Believer" I'm still watching "Dollhouse" but a lot of that is out of my blind loyalty to Joss Whedon. And the feeling that this show is just on the cusp of getting a whole lot better.
The past couple of weeks, I've been relatively less interested in what's going on with Echo and more interested in what's happening in the other plot threads. "Stage Fright" and "True Believer" were both guilty of this and while "Grey Hour" was interesting from the aspect of someone can wipe personalities on the fly, it never really connected beyond that. But given that Echo isn't a character we're supposed to be able to connect with every week because she's a different person each week, these episodes seem more designed to get us to like and accept Boyd as our point of entry into Dollhouse each week. Each episode has shown his loyalty to Echo and how he is the exception rather than the rule at the group. Boyd genuinely cares about Echo and will go against orders to keep her safe. How far will he have to go remains up in the air, but I have a feeling some kind of conflict is coming between his duty and his loyalty to Echo.
And could that come into play with the Agent Ballard plotline? Ballard's dogged pursuit got a bit of a SPOILed twist when we find out Vinnie is a doll and feeding Ballard false leads. Had Vinnie not been included in the promotional photos for the show, this little revelation would have been a bit more surprising. That said, I firmly believe the neighbor across the hall is somehow connected to things and may be in place to keep an eye on Ballard.
I do like that Ballard is being allowed to make progress with his investigation and it's not all a dogged pursuit that leads no where. And it easily could be. Again, I could see Boyd and Ballard becoming allies of a sort at some point in the future out of concern for Echo.
And then, there's the plotline that Echo may be retaining part of her imprints or the original Caroline personality is lurking under the surface . In the episode where Echo got wiped, I have to wonder if whoever did it implanted the equivalent of a trojan in her mind that will allow a good portion of her memory and personality to be wiped but still retain some small, essential portions. Or is the Caroline side of Echo strong enough to be trying to resist? Clearly some within the organization don't like Echo and want her taken out while others will try to keep her. I have to wonder if Echo is starting to retain things from each wipe but is just playing along with the mantra that is gone through each time she's wiped.
All of that is fascinating and compelling. What's not is the personality of the week storylines. I found myself less than fascinated by the rock star one and the religious cult one kind of bored me and followed all the standard beats. Nothing new or different here. And I know we can't reinvent the wheel every time, but at least put a new spin on it...
Battlestar Galactica: "Deadlock," "Someone to Watch Over Me," "Islanded in the Stream of Stars," "Daybreak, Part 1" Following the genius that was the mutiny storyline, "Galactica" has settled back into some solid episodes. Are they the pure nirvana that the whole finding of Earth and the mutiny were? No, not really. But they are necessary to set up things for the final few episodes, I think. I have a big feeling all of these episodes are all about putting the foundation in place for the series finale this Friday.
I'm hoping I'm right.
We bring Ellen back to the fleet, the Cylons get Hera, we get some indication that Hera and Starbuck are connected, Anders becomes the Galactica version of a hybrid and the fleet is forced to abandon Galactica. I have a feeling the old ship won't make it out of the finale and will be sacrficed like Pegasus was for the greater good.
That said, I kind of wish we'd found out the nature of Starbuck before the finale. What is she? I find it interesting that Anders in hybrid state tells her that she'll lead humanity to its destruction, echoing what we heard all the way back in "Razor." And it's also interesting that in her pursuading Adama to listen to Sam and try to make sense of the notes that Kara decides to leave his bit of information out. That coupled with Lebonen's reaction to finding her body on Earth makes me wonder what exactly the nature of Starbuck is and what it will mean to the mythology of the show.
I find it interesting that Adama's final mission for the ship is to rescue Hera. She's clearly vital to both sides. As Helo was begging Adama to rescue her, I recalled a line from Bill to Lee in season one. It's from the episode with Starbuck lost on the planet and taking over the Raider. The fleet had to leave before the Cylons caught up to them, but Bill tells Lee if it was Lee out there lost, Adama would wait forever to find him. I wonder if that occurred to him as he looked at the photo of Hera and made his choice.
And I don't think for a minute Baltar won't go. He'll go if only to try and prove he's unselfish.
posted byMichael Hickerson at 3/18/2009 03:15:00 PM |
| Thursday, February 26, 2009 TV Round-Up Battlestar Galactica: "No Exit," "Deadlock" After the sheer greatness that was the mutiny two-parter, I guess there had to be a bit of a letdown. It's not that these episodes were bad, but compared to scenes of Adama taking back the ship and Roslin swearing unholy vengeance on Zarak, it just wasn't the same. But yet it was just as rewarding.
It took me a long time to get my head wrapped around "No Exit." Essentially it's a huge info-dump of an episode and one designed to tie up some loose ends. It also seems to be setting up things for "Caprica," I think. But we'll have to wait until the pilot comes out on DVD before we jump to any more conclusions.
Ron Moore gave us a lot to digest in an hour--from the origins of the Cylons to how resurrection came about to the heirarchy of things. And Moore has admitted that they screwed up the continuity by not being able to count and he's also said that we won't see or hear much more about Daniel the rest of the run. Which is kind of disappointing or else it's a huge red herring because Daniel does have some huge impact on the final revelations to come (best theoery I've heard is Starbuck is a child of Daniel). Again, maybe it's all setting things up for "Caprica" and we'll learn more about Daniel there. But I don't think it's likely.
It also put some interesting new spins on certain relationships like Tigh and Caprica Six. It's one of those moments where you suddenly re-evaluate everything from the series to that point and then do a mental cringe. Kind of like Leia kissing Luke in "Empire Strikes Back." You can kind of go--ewww! in retrospect.
Which brings us to the next episode where the final five are reunited and Ellen returns to the fleet. The reunion of Tigh and Ellen was everything it needed to be and then some. And then to see Ellen shift back to her manipulative self, trying to manuever things to hurt Tigh just as she'd been hurt was wonderful. The dynamic of Tigh, Caprica Six and Ellen was wonderful and I found it a bit odd that Ellen had to play a Cyrano of sorts to get Tigh to share his feelings for Caprica Six. I think Tigh does love Caprica Six, but will they stay together now that she's lost the baby? And what impact will that have on her and the series as we move into the final episodes? It's easy to see how much Tigh cares, but could this drive them apart? Certainly we know that most couples outside of Roslin and Bill Adama can't be happy for more than four episodes at a time on this show, if that many.
And then there's Baltar. Batlar who fled at the first sign of trouble from his crazy cult and now returns to find he's not the man in charge any more. And who decides it's time to take back power. I'm not sure what to make of this plotline really. I've both liked and disliked it all year. I find it fascinating to see Baltar in exile or on the run, but I don't feel like that's fully been explored. It seems like a lot of people have forgotten what he was accused of and/or have forgiven him far too easily or quickly. In the day and age where we still bring up the Nicole Simposon murders when we mention O.J. Simpson, I find it strange that no one ever brings up his time as president and his list of accused crimes to Baltar. Especially the thugs in the down below areas who come and take the food. And I'm not sure giving the crazy cult guns in the best idea. It's interesting to see Baltar trying to re-establish some kind of order since he's the one who started the whole process that has created the chaos we see now.
Could we finally see Baltar grow beyond the man who follows his own impulse for self-preservation and self-fulfillment? Or is that too much for the final episodes to really delve into. We've only got five hours left and a lot of other big questions. I have a feeling this one will be glossed over in the final run. And maybe that's for the best.
Dollhouse: The Target I've read a lot of comments that wonder why Fox couldn't have this episode serve as the pilot and not last week's? While I will admit this was a more solid episode that better expanded what the show is and what it's going to be, I think it comes down to one thing--this one wasn't written by Joss Whedon. If you put on a new Whedon show, the first episode better have his name as the writer or one of the writers or else the Whedonites will riot in the streets
Beyond that, I can still see why it came second. Last week, it was all about meeting Echo and getting an idea of what this universe entails. This week it was about opening up the universe a bit more and giving us a few questions. We've found out that the default setting of the dolls is to be childlike and without the ability to defend themselves. Apparently, they tried having a default setting with defense abilities and it turned out negative. That's a story I'd love to know more about, but I suspect it may be related to Alpha somehow.
Which brings up a bigger story arc. I'm wondering if Joss is structure the show along the lines of "Buffy" with a single threat to drive the overall narrative. If so, that could be Alpha for this season. Who is Alpha and what is his or her interest in Echo? I think it's safe to assume Alpha wasn't the guy who hired Echo out for his playing of "The Most Dangerous Game." It seems like they'd recognize him. And what is Alpha's agenda? If we're to assume that he or she sent the photo to Ballard, why would he do it? Does he or she want the program exposed and why? And if Alpha a programmed personality or a combination of several that leaked through?
This is why I watch shows by Joss Whedon. Those kind of potential stories and arcs.
And the characters. So far, we don't know a lot about them, but I think it's wise to have a show that gets us to know more about Boyd Langdon. On a show where our main character changes each week, he's the one who we'll look to as an audience to figure out how to react. It's almost like the role of a companion when a new Doctor is introduced on "Doctor Who." We learn about the new Doctor by how the established character reacts to him. And I think Boyd could eventually become disillusioned with the process or pursuaded to help Echo recover whatever these memories are that are bleeding through. He clearly has a backdoor into her personality and can quickly establish trust no matter what imprint she has. How far could this go? And could it eventually be used to hide things from being erased?
So, I'm hooked. We all knew it would happen. Which means that Fox will pull and cancel the show next week....
posted byMichael Hickerson at 2/26/2009 05:02:00 PM |
| Wednesday, February 11, 2009 TV Round-Up: Battlestar Galactica
"The Oath" & "Blood on the Scales" Like the final season of "The Shield," the final season of "Battlestar Galactica" is going out with a bang. Just as having the end in sight freed "The Shield" to allow them to take the gloves off and really start delivering on several seasons' worth of build-up and tension, so does having the end in sight do that for "Galactica."
This is a story that's been slowly building and bubbling since the first days of the series. And now, with the fleet having lost hope of a home in Earth and without Roslin there to provide some kind of moral compass leadership for the last survivors of humanity, things become so frayed that a full-scale mutiny is not only possible but almost expected. Tom Zarak has waited in the wings long enough and he finally sees his chance to slip in and make a last, desparate grab for power. He finds the ally he's always wanted in Gaeta (he's tried many times with Lee Adama, only to see him go scurrying back to Roslin's camp) and he's got the issue that he thinks he can pound home. The concept of putting Cyclon technology on all the ships of the fleet must be terrifying to him--and it's a completely understandable fear.
And that's the thing about this show. While we may be rooting for Adama, Roslin and company to take the fleet back, we still know deep down that Zarak kind of has a point. In the miniseries, Adama wouldn't network computers together to keep the Cylons from gaining control. Now he wants the ships to trust them enough to install their technology. It's a big leap of trust to go from supporting each other against Cavil and his group of Cylons to letting them put their technology into the very things that sustain our every day lives. And as you watch things unfold in the first half, you can see Zarak has a point.
It's only in the second half that he goes too far in trying to drive home his vision of the fleet. Zarak finds it's easier to be the second-string guy than the guy out there leading. Everyone loves you as the back-up but once you're thrust into the spotlight, the same people who loved you before will now turn on you. (Listen to any sports call-in show in the known world for proof). Zarak figures that once he takes power, everyone will fall in line with him. And then, the Quorum doesn't. So instead of taking the road Roslin would and trying to pursuade them of the strength of his position, he has them all shot and killed.
At that point, any sympathy I had for Zarak evaporated. And yet it was such a jaw-dropping moment that you couldn't look away. And you realized just how duplicitious Zarak is and the only thing he cares about is himself. He may claim a high road and a moral superiority, but he's not. And it's fascinating to see Gaeta's reaction to the news and realize that maybe he's back the wrong horse in this race.
Meanwhile, Adama faces the task of taking back the fleet and trying to rebuild it. It certainly won't be easy to trust anyone who mutineed against him, but he may not have a choice. At this point, his pool of capable officers and military people has dwindled down to next to nothing. And with Tyrol seeing that crack in the FTL drive, I am betting that puts added pressure on Galactica to find a new home and soon...before they're stuck in space forever.
Just like the final episodes of "The Shield," you can feel the tension getting higher every week. The noose is closing and there aren't many options yet. And that's even before Cavil and his group of Cylons have shown up. You can bet they're out there and you can bet they'll be back.
It's episodes like these that are bittersweet for "Galatica." They're so exemplary that you can't help but with the show could go on at this level of brilliance forever. But then you realize that part of what makes it work is having the end in sight and being able to make some of the choices made here. Killing of Zarak and Gaeta, as well as a bunch of others from the mutiny could only work with the series being in its final episodes. And yet, I can't help but love the series that much more and be left wanting more and wanting it now.
posted byMichael Hickerson at 2/11/2009 04:52:00 PM |
| Wednesday, January 21, 2009 TV Round-Up: Battlestar Galactica
Sometimes a Great Notion Outside of the series finale of "The Shield," I can't think of an episode of any TV show this year that's had as many jaw-dropping, "holy cow they just did that" moments as the triumphant return of "Battlestar Galactica." They were all so huge that I've held off posting about them for a few days simply to let them continue to sink in. Also, my good buddy Sam set off a firestorm on the Slice of SciFi web site when he put up a poll this week about the death of Dualla. (Just one of many moments in a superb episode).
Last time we saw the "Galactica" crew, the war was over and we'd found the way to Earth. The music swelled, full of hope and everyone went down to the planet, full of hope that, at long last, the nightmare journey to find a new home was finally over. And just like that Ron Moore and company socked us in the gut as we found Earth a radioactive wasteland. Which led to a lot of questions...and a lot of time to speculate.
"Sometimes a Great Notion" continues the story and shows its impact. What happens when you pin all your hopes on something and it falls very, very short? What happens to the characters?
For Laura Roslin, she retreats into herself. Her faith is rattled and she no longer can find comfort in the prophecy that had led her for so long. She can't and won't address the quorum because she can't figure out what should happen now. In many ways, it appears that Roslin is handing over the reigns to Lee Adama, who steps up here and acts like the leader the fleet needs. Just as his father and Roslin did in the wake of the Cylon attack on the colonies. If anything, this episode is about passing the torch of leadership from one generation to the next.
Becuase it's clear that Bill Adama was ready to pass along that torch. Adama takes a gun, goes to Tigh's quarter and tries to get his friend and XO provoked to a point that Tigh will kill him. Interestingly, the Tigh we saw in season two is gone--the one who nearly led the fleet into self-destruction and only by Adama's pushing himself back into leadership were things saved. Now, we have Tigh acting like the leader that Adama can't be--or doesn't want to be. Tigh refuses to kill Adama, knowing it will destroy more than just one man, but possibly the entire fleet itself. Without the "Old Man" to tell them what to do next, things will get a lot more bleak.
And they are pretty darn bleak. To the point that some can't imagine going on any more. Like Dualla. I have to admit, that until the moment Dee pulled out the gun, I never saw it coming. What a stunning moment for the show. And the impact it has on all the characters. And it's such a raw, unflinching look at suicide and the impact it has on those left behind. Hearing the conversation between Lee and Bill Adama about how they never saw this coming and trying to make sense out Dee's actions was one of the more powerful scenes in a show packed full of powerful moments. And I have a feeling Dee's death is only the first of many we're going to see in the coming episodes.
Meanwhile, we've got a new mystery. What is Starbuck? Is she a ghost? An echo? Is there time-travel involved? A time loop? Or is she a clone or a Cylon from this 13th colony? (How cool was it to see the old school Cylon faceplate? I hope we see them again...) It brings up the question of where was Starbuck (or when) when she saw the fields of green? Clearly it's not Earth as it is now. And what exactly happened on Earth to destroy it. Will we find out? Will we stumble across the other members of this colony? Will they be old school Cylons? I have to admit some deep geeky part of me would LOVE to see that...
Finally, there's the big reveal of the hour--the identity of the final Cylon. I'll go ahead and say I liked the choice. And I like that Ron Moore and company went ahead and answered the question now rather than letting it linger. Had it continued too much longer, it could have taken away from the final episodes in my opinion because the whole series finale build-up would be all about that. And we'd not get to see the impact it will have on the characters--esp. Tigh. The irony that Tigh is a Cylon and he killed Ellen for betraying the resistance to the Cylons....goosebumps.
And since Ellen was killed before the Ressurection Hub was destroyed, odds are we could see her again. A scene between Tigh and Ellen over his killing her....that has some amazing potential.
SciFi Wire reports that tomorrow night's highly-anticipated (at least by me) return of Battlestar Galactica will run long--by about three and a half minutes.
posted byMichael Hickerson at 1/15/2009 10:37:00 AM |
| Saturday, June 14, 2008 TV Round-Up: Battlestar Galactica Revelations Watching the mid-season finale of Galactica, I found myself wondering if SciFi's scheduling might not have helped bring the show to its early end. Each season, except the first, the writers and producers have been forced to build to two cliffhangers, two big events per season, two points of interest to keep the fans coming back. I'm not advocating that the series should have been kept going beyond its natural storytelling end, but I do wonder how the pressure of building to two massive cliffhangers per season took a toll on the show.
This year's mid-season cliffhanger felt like a season ending cliffhanger more than the mid-season one. It was one of those series-changing types of cliffhangers like we got at the end of seasons one and two. This may be the most intriguing series-changer since they jumped forward in time a year to end the second season.
I'm sure there's a lot of divided opinion on this, but I'm going to come out and say I'm intrigued they've already found Earth with ten episodes left to go. Of course, the fact that once they got down on the planet that it was not going to be all legend had cracked it up to be was fairly obvious. I know there's been some complaint this year that special-effects intensive episodes have been spaced out a bit. But when you get visuals like the fleet coming up to Earth such as we saw here, I can see why they'd put their eggs into one basket like this. The moment was stunning. Combined with the stirring soundtrack and it looked like an Emmy clip for best effects and best music.
And that was before we had the highlight reel for Edward James Olmos. I'm sure I'll only be annoyed when they announced the Emmy nods later this year that BSG was overlooked again. I'm not sure how you can see Olmos' superb work here and deny him a nod and give one to, say, James Spader. But I'm sure it will happen.
Watching Adama break down upon finding out that Tigh is a Cylon was superb. To see Adama's faith in himself shattered was incredible. Yes, this scene was shown in the previews, but even then it didn't capture the pure, raw and terrifying power of it. In a lot of ways, it felt like the torch of leadership in the fleet was being passed from Bill to Lee in the scene where Lee has to comfort and reassure his father.
On another level, I almost expected a bit more of a power struggle when Laura Roslin returned. I guess there's only so much you can put into an hour, but the fact that Lee provided the leadership and played hardball with the Cylons, including ordering the destruction of the basestar with half of the fleet's defenses on the ship was nice. Also, it does bring up a question of if Lee will survive the series since it turns out that he was (in a way) the leader who took them to Earth. And since we know that part of that prophecy is a dying leader will take them to Earth, are Lee's days numbered?
The entire standoff between the two fleets was some of the most suspenseful stuff we've seen all year. I was on the edge of my seat and that could easily have been the cliffhanger.
But that's the good thing about this show--it doesn't just go for the obvious choice. It will give you what you expect and then still pull the carpet out from under you, all in the same episode. And I'm glad they found Earth now. And I'm glad it wasn't something out of Galactica 80. The fact that it's not what we were promised and what do we do know should provide some fascinating material for the final ten episodes. And it also manages to keep the storyline for the final episode that much more of a mystery. Which is probably what Ron Moore wanted.
The only part of the story that I didn't like was Tori's new-found arrogance and acceptance of her Cylon heritage. Did the arrogant program switch on? Or is she playing politics and trying to side with the winners? Her arrogance toward Roslin seemed a bit much. This was someone who Laura held as part of the inner circle and while Roslin was hard on Tori at times, it seems a bit of a stretch that Tori would take the first chance she got to turn on her former boss.
So, we're left with a lot to ponder until next year. At least the wait won't be as long this time, though I'm sure that it'll seem a lot longer.
A couple of random things:
I found myself wondering if we're seeing some kind of circle. With Earth apparently destroyed by some kind of conflict, did the Colonials destroy themselves there, flee to the Colonies and create their own destruction again? Now they've come back and it would fit the "this has happened before and will happen again."
Speaking of Emmys, Michael Hogan needs one. His performance as Tigh was, as always, amazing.
I liked the reaction by the various members of the final four to being discovered. Tyrol almost seemed relieved, even though he was going to die. Just to stop living with the secret.
Will anyone else find out that Tori killed Callie?
Anyone else think the fifth Cylon is dead?
Has the discovery of Earth and the revelation of the Cylons within the fleet made finding out who the fifth is a bit anti-climatic at this point?
Loved the scene of Bill Adama picking up the dirt. And the long pan across the regular cast standing on the planet. Only person missing: Tom Zarek.
posted byMichael Hickerson at 6/14/2008 01:20:00 PM |
| Tuesday, May 06, 2008 TV Round-Up Lost: Something Nice Back Home Oh I wish I hadn't been right last week when I predicted that this week's Lost wouldn't compare to last week's Ben-centric episode. Oh why couldn't they have worked a bit harder to prove me wrong?
Talking to a friend about the episode, she pointed out that this year's episodes have followed a pattern of the odd number ones a brilliant and the even numbered ones, not so much.
And this week was an odd episode. In more ways than one.
I found myself wondering if the producers felt they had to give us this episode to try and explain why Jack mentioned his father in the present-tense during last year's finale. Because heaven forbid they admit it was just a red-herring to throw off the viewers so when they eventually pulled the carpet out from under us, we were all stunned. The impact of it being a flash-forward was enough for me that I was willing to forgive it or chalk it up to Jack's deteroriating mental state as we saw during the entire episode last year.
And while I like Jack, I did feel as if this was a chance for Matthew Fox to channel his inner Charlie Salinger for a few minutes, esp. in the scenes with Kate. It was like half a season of that show in about half-an-hour. Oh, I love Kate. Oh we're getting married. Oh, my jealous control-freak half is showing. Oh, we're doomed. The thing is we all know how it plays out to a certain point, so the impact of seeing it unfold wasn't quite as good. Again, no where near as interesting as last week with Ben or the Desmond episode a few weeks ago.
That said, there were still some isolated bits to like. Mainly all the stuff happening on the island. I loved seeing Jin's realizing Charlotte can and does understand him and making a deal for Sun to leave the island. And the question of just how did Jack and Claire's father get onto the island and where has Claire gone is intriguing. Based on the pattern of things, I bet we don't delve too far into where Claire has gone next week, but will the week after.
Also, I'm beginning to think Jack is going to force his way off the island. His behavoir in the flash-forwards seems to make me think he has a lot to lose if the truth comes out. I have a feeling he will want to desparately go with Kate to the point that he will screw some other people over or make a deal that haunts him. I sense betrayal and the control-side of Jack lurking out there. And looking at it now, it's fascinating that in just about all the Oceanic Six flashforwards, Jack or Hurley play some kind of role. Is it too extremes of conscience over the choices made? Is Hurley's apparent mental decline and seeing Charlie out of the guilt he feels over what's happened? And is Jack's desparation to make sure everyone is on the same page part of that as well?
Battlestar Galactica: The Road Less Travelled The first "just OK" episode of the season for me. But then again, it could be that it's the first of a two-part story and we have yet to see how it will all play out.
For the first time this year, the focus narrows to just two stories--that of Tryol and Baltar and the wacky antics of Starbuck, who is slowly losing what's left of her fragile little mind.
First up, the Baltar plotline. I've heard it said that you either love or hate the direction this is going. As I've stated before, I am firmly in the camp of loving it. The storyline of watching Baltar try to bring about massive religious change and shatter the polythesistic beliefs of the Colonials is fascinating. Also, to see how he's doing it and how he's being manipulated by another female Cylon--can you say irony anyone? I wonder if Baltar will discover that Tori is a Cylon before anyone else does and just what his reaction will be? The man does have a weakness for the Cylon ladies, if you know what I mean. Also, I am shocked that we've not had any more reaction from Six to this latest turn of events. And I'd still love to see Baltar talk to himself again like he did a few weeks ago.
Then we're out on the Demitrius where Starbuck's craziness is starting to take a toll. The crew is none too happy with her and cracks are starting to show. Helo is defending her but you can tell the guy is having a harder and harder time with that. Then Lebonen shows up and wants to propose some kind of alliance between his faction of Cylons and the Colonials. And, as we all know, Lebonen has had some kind of weird fascination, connection to Starbuck dating back to season one when she interrogated him. It just gets a bit more weird here.
Now, I predicted a few weeks ago that I could see the show going to a point where the mechanised Cylons wipe out the skin-jobs, thus creating some kind of loop where it cycles back to the original series and those models. And this development only sort of makes me feel a bit more justified in the thought that this could be the case. Of course, I'm not Ron Moore, so the rug could be pulled out from me at any time.
I do find it interesting that the crew finally reaches a breaking point and mutinies against Starbuck. Which would have been a fun little surprise had no SciFi's promos during other shows given it away. Seriously, who makes these things? I know you've seen it all, but that doesn't mean some of us don't like to be surprised.
And then the networks wonder why people with DVRs wait a few minutes into the show so we can zip past the commericals. It's not that we're against the products being sold, so much as we're avoiding the ruining of the last two minutes of any given show due to your promos.
posted byMichael Hickerson at 5/06/2008 01:12:00 PM |
| Monday, April 28, 2008 TV Round-Up Lost: The Shape of Things to Come Lost's first new episode after the five-week hiatus and it's a doozy and a half, providing a few answers but opening up a few dozen more doors. I'll go ahead and say it--I think this season is shaping up to be the best since season one.
And with that statement, I realize I've doomed next week's episode to be one of the worst ever.
I don't care. I'll probably just watch this one again on the DVR.
So, here's some random thoughts:
Ben shows up in the desert in a park with a Dharma logo. I am assuming that he doesn't leave the island with the Oceanic Six. Does he leave somehow via the station in the wintery conditions we've seen before?
Anyone else think Ben was invovled in the death of Nadia in order to manipulate Sayid into helping him.
Interesting that the storylines of Sayid and Desmond follow similar tracks. Both lose a woman they love, will find her again and have the potential to have her taken away. Sayid has lost Nadia...could Desmond lose Penny?
Is the target Ben has Sayid going after Penny?
Does Ben somehow control the smoke monster? Or did he make some kind of deal with Jacob/the island to slaughter the Whitmore soldiers?
Kind of an interesting trifecta with Ben, Locke and Hurley going to find Jacob.
The storyline on the beach where it's revealed the helicopter people are lying was interesting. More wackiness with time there?
Is something wrong with Jack? I mean more than that he can't see past his obsession with Kate?
Battlestar Galactica: Escape Velocity The last three episodes of Battlestar have reminded me of a quote from J. Michael Stracysnki during season four of Babylon Five. Stacynski pointed out that while space battles were great and he loved seeing them, you could tell just as great a story with two people in a room talking, if you wrote it right.
The last three episode of Battlestar have shown just that. We did have a colossal space battle to start the season, but since then it's been about the characters and implications to them. And a whole lot of two people in a room talking.
And if it's going to be as good as it has been, I wouldn't have it any other way.
Now, I'll admit I have a natural bias toward the writer of this week's story. Jane Espenson worked on Buffy and a whole lot of other Joss Whedon shows. So, naturally when I see her name, I figure it's going to be good. In fact, I expect it to be good. And the good news is that its rare that Espenson disappoints me.
I'm glad this week's episode picked up a few days later and showed us the impact Cally's death is having on Tyrol. Watching his slow descent into darkness is compelling and the scene with Adama at the bar where Tyrol lets loose, saying he never really loved Cally but settled for her was one of the more compelling in the episode.
But not nearly as compelling or fascinating as the scenes between Tigh and Caprica Six. I love how Tigh's guilt over killing Ellen for collaborating with the Cylons on New Caprica is manifesting itself here. The visions of Six becoming Ellen and Tigh seeking some kind of absolution or understanding from her were superb. Tigh's attempts to understand or justify what he did in the light of his new found knowledge that he is a Cylon is one of the best plotlines going on right now. And it just goes again to show how incredibly under-appreciated Michael Hogan is as Tigh.
And does anyone else find it interesting that while Tyrol and Tigh are crumbling under their new found knowledge and are plagued by self-doubt that Torri is the one who has become a blunt instrument, dark, cold and calculating. Her killing of Cally last week, her continuing to use Baltar and her overall attitude toward everything makes her utterly chilling.
Speaking of Baltar, I've heard that with the character you either love him or hate him. Put me firmly in the camp of loving him. The scenes where the guards kept hitting him, knocking him down were superb. And then to see Head Six pick him up and literally pull him up was a superb bit of work. Also, the scene where Roslin tells him she's no longer going to put up with his hijinx was a nice touch. I am loving the new direction for Baltar and I have a feeling he could be leading humanity toward its destruction.
Speaking of Roslin, does anyone else find it interesting that she seems to be consolidating her power and becoming more and more convinced of her unerring destiny each week? Also, she seems to tolerate dissent to her policies less and less. Is she being set up for a huge fall or blunder at some point? Or to have her approval ratings drop to a low point? Will Lee step up to challenge her with Tom Zarek pulling strings?
Man, I love this show and so far, it's been back with a vengeance this year.
posted byMichael Hickerson at 4/28/2008 07:38:00 PM |
| Sunday, April 20, 2008 TV Round-Up Battlestar Galactica: "The Tie That Binds" So, here's my latest theory on how Galactica might end. In Razor, we saw the old-school Cylons. I've heard that the old-school Cylons will show up somehow this season. We also have a civil war of sorts brewing with the fleet. With the Raiders and Centurians now having their freedom and free-will back, could this be the trigger that will allow them to not only turn on the lines they've already turned on the other lines as well. They wipe out all the skin job Cylons and take over and somehow it leads to the start of the original BSG and the famous line "All this has happened before and will happen again."
OK, so maybe it only makes sense to me. But if I were to sit around thinking about how we've only got sixteen new episodes of this show left after how good this week's episode was, I'd be a lot more depressed.
Watching the streaming episodes on Friday mornings helps me to avoid the SPOILER-ific previews. I've heard from some that the ending of this one was given away by the previews. That's a shame really because I think it could have ruined some of the impact of Cally's death had I known it was coming leading into the episode. Not that the poor woman wasn't doomed from the second she found out her husband had a secret and then finding out what it was. Now, I will admit the whole "Oh I'm leaving a note of our secret meeting" rang a bit too false and inconvenient as a way to get Cally to the meeting and set off the final series of events. But I did like where it took the story and the dark places Galactica is going looking at the implications of these four being revealed as four of the final five.
It's also interesting to watch how they're reacting. Tigh seems to not want to deal with the reality any more (wonder if he'll hit the bottle harder) while Tyrol and Tori are trying to come to grips with what it really means and the impact it is having on their lives.
Meanwhile, the difference between the Cylon fleet and the Colonial fleet are becoming less and less distinct. In-fighting and politics are dividing the various players--whether it be in the Cylon fleet deciding whether or not to un-box the Deanna line or in the fleet with Roslin's apparent consolidation of power. It's also interesting to see who is on the sidelines making maneuvers. In the Colonials, we have Tom Zarak who is pulling the strings of Lee Adama. I'm not sure what yet what Zarak's overall agenda could be, but watching Lee Adama call Roslin on the way in which she's enacting things and couching herself inside the cloak of "military secrets" to side step some issues is fascinating. Of course, it's not like Admiral Adama has done her any favors by allowing Starbuck to chase her connection to Earth with a ship of her own.
Meanwhile, the Cylon fleet is dividing but wants to come together in unity. Or at least they say they do. If by unity you mean wiping each other and having political alliances. Interesting to see that one Sharon model is apparently romantically linked to one Cavil model and that's where the separate vote arose.
Of course, I do have one other question--and that's how much time is passing. We're told the ship Starbuck commands has been gone 22 days. But when we cut to the Cylon ships, the Centurians are still cleaning up the mess from last week. Would they really do that for 20 or so days? Or was it a symbolic gesture to disconcert the Cavils?
Just a thought....
Smallville: Descent So, after seven seasons it's finally here. Lex Luthor has embraced his dark side and gone from friend to enemy. The friendship between Lex and Clark is (finally) shattered forever and now all that's really left is for Clark to become the Man of Steel.
Watching Lex's final steps into darkness were fascinating and compelling. Let's face it--when it comes to Smallville, Lex has been the more interesting character since day one. A lot of that goes to the acting efforts of Michael Rosenbaum. But I think a lot of it goes to the fact that it's just more interesting to watch the bad guy become the bad guy. And while I may not always have been happy with the direction and the reasons Smallville gave for the rift between Lex and Clark and how it grew, I liked the payoff here.
And thankfully unlike the 100th episode, it appears the series-changing events of this one will stick. I imagine Lionel is dead and gone, that Lex has truly descended into darkness and that Clark is now in danger of becoming Lex's pawn. That said, I bet the whole Lex has something that can control Clark won't become a huge plot-point until the season finale in which the world will somehow be ending yet again.
"Descent" did have some interesting visual choices. Having the young, innocent version of Lex that has been struggling to get out appear visually was a nice touch. And it at least justifies that "Clark wanders around in Lex's mind" episode earlier this year. And the ways in which we saw Clark and Lex mirror each other during the story was a nice touch visually.
I may even go so far as to say that this is the most satisfying and complete episode of Smallville we've had all season and in a while. Which only means they'll somehow find a way to completely disappoint me next week.
posted byMichael Hickerson at 4/20/2008 07:28:00 PM |
| Saturday, April 12, 2008 TV Round-Up: Battlestar Galactica Six of One While this week's episode didn't feel nearly as urgent as last week's season premiere, there's still a lot to like about it and the directions season four is taking.
Before I jump into all of the things I liked, let me express one small, nagging dissatisfaction. While I'm fascinating (though not surprised based on SPOILERS that came out in August) about the storyline of the Raiders and Centurians beginning to question their place in the scheme of things, I do wish we'd seen a bit more set-up of this. I found myself wanting to jump back to season three to see if there were hints of this to come, but based on what I can recall, last week was the only real week we saw any kind of open defiance by the Raiders. The thing is that Battlestar has been very good about creating retroactive continuity over the show's run and making it feel like this was something Ron Moore and company had intended to be there the entire time (interviews they've given have pointed to this not being the case). And while I love that that newly awakened Cylon models are creating controversy among the Cylons and this latest plot development, I wish it felt a bit more authentic and organic within the entire context and run of the series.
That said, the scenes on the Cylon ships were absolutely riveting this week. And part of that has to be that you could have Dean Stockwell come in and read the yellow pages and he'd just find a way to make it compelling to watch. And it does raise some interesting questions for the rest of the season--the biggest being is there a Cylon civil war brewing? And what are the bigger implications of one model of the Sharons rebelling and voting to lobotomize the Raiders? And why exactly have the Cylons kept the Raiders and Centurions as some kind of slave to their will? And why is this just coming up now? Again, is it tied to the final five? And what is it about the final five that bothers or scrare the other models so much?
It's interesting that the opening tease has replaced the text that the Cylons have a plan with the fact information on how many Cylons there are? Do the final five somehow represent a threat to the plan the Cylons have?
And isn't it interesting that when we first met the Cylons they had a single purpose--to bring God's love to humanity or wipe them out. And now their agendas are starting to fracture a bit. Could it be exposure to humanity that's done this?
Meanwhile, back in the fleet we have a lot of compelling stories unfolding as well. It's still not clear where Starbuck went, but I'm starting to have doubts about her story. Last week, she said she lost time, was at Earth and took some photos before heading back. Now, it appears she was on the planet. Her story of what happened isn't making much sense. I suppose we could chalk it up to a muddled memory because of what happened, but I think there is something more going on here. From Razor, we know that Starbuck is leading them on a path to destruction. So, what will happen as she and Helo try to find their way back to wherever Starbuck was?
You know, as we have characters going in several different directions and in several different places, I'm reminded of the end of season one and the start of season two. And if they can pull off the kind of incredible storytelling that all comes together as well as that did, I will be one happy fan.
Of course, Starbuck isn't winning any supporters among the fleet with how she acts. Except for Adama, who wants to believe her. I really liked the scene between Adama and Roslin in his quarters where they discussed the dilemma he faces--he doesn't want to admit he is losing those close to him. And his response that she can stay in his quarters but stay out of his head as he continued to refill his glass was great.
And here's a random thought--have we seen Tigh really binge-drink since the revelation he is a Cylon? Is part of that his not wanting to lose control and fulfill the vision he had last week? Or that we just haven't had time to see Tigh drunk in these two episodes?
Meanwhile, the revealed four (at least to us) are trying to figure out who they are and who the final Cylon is. It seems like a lot of people are curious about this these days. Was this something that woke up in the Cylons when these four were revealed to each other? And is that what led to the revolution within the Cylon fleet?
And finally, we have Baltar. Baltar who is looking to unsettle the faith of the colonies. Baltar who is apparently enjoying his role as a cult leader. Baltar who is now talking to a copy of himself inside his own head. How fantastic were those scenes? Kind of gives you a new respect for James Callis for pulling that off, doesn't it?
And with that, season four is off to a great start. We're two for two in terms of quality episodes. And while this episode did have a few more problems than last week's, it's still great.
posted byMichael Hickerson at 4/12/2008 11:53:00 AM |
| Monday, April 07, 2008 Something I wonder
For those of you who don't know, SciFi is streaming the new episodes of Battlestar Galactica on Fridays at noon EST.
Thanks to the quirkiness of my schedule, I'm generally not working Friday mornings during that time so I can watch the episodes on my home machine without any fear of monopolizing bandwith and being an all-around slacker.
So, good for me, but I also know that a lot of fellow fans don't have that same option. And it made me ponder something. There are reports and studies that show the first two days of the men's NCAA basketball tournament lead to an overall drop in office productivity. So, I wondered if, perhaps, the productivity of fans of Battlestar might drop a bit on Fridays for about 48 minutes as SciFi streamed the new episodes on-line.
Or maybe not everyone is as crazy about the show as I am and can wait until it airs in its normal time-slot....
posted byMichael Hickerson at 4/07/2008 01:18:00 PM |
| Saturday, April 05, 2008 TV Round-Up: Battlestar Galactica "He That Believeth in Me..." Oh, Battlestar Galactica, how I've missed you. Thank heavens you're back. The withdrawal pangs were starting to get a little painful.
Yes, "Razor" helped a bit. It was a nice little snack in the long wait between seasons, but it's not the same as the promise of a long stretch of all new episodes.
And now, you're back...at last.
And it's like you never left. Picking up about five seconds after the end of season three, "He That Believeth in Me..." took about three seconds to suck me and remind me why I love this show so much. Before the opening credits, we had the newly revealed Cylons trying to a handle on who and what they are, an epic-space battle and a whole new layer and mystery in the overall series storyline.
And after that, we had 45 minutes to go.
This episode took the series' theme of identity and ramped it up. We have a lot of people questioning who they are now. It's interesting to see Starbuck returned in a brand-new Raptor and only have been gone six hours from her own timeline. She's been to Earth and while several characters are happy to see her, there are a whole lot of others who are suspicious of her, questioning is she's really Starbuck. By episode's end, Starbuck is asking the question of if she's who she thinks she is or is she a Cylon or some kind of clone. Watching her breakdown at the wall of the dead, going more and more desperate to convince herself that she's not a Cylon and that she's been to Earth was nicely done. And the whole scene is infused with subtext for the audience as she talks to Anders, who the audience knows is a Cylon. But Starbuck has no clue. And I loved Anders conversation on how he'd love her if she was a Cylon and Starbuck replies he's a better person and if he was a Cylon, she'd gun him down. Makes me eager for that revelation to come to light.
I also enjoyed the conversation between Adama and Lee about if it was Lee's brother coming back from the dead, they'd just accept him and it wouldn't change their feelings or love for him.
It's interesting that after the initial space-battle and action of the teaser, that the episode became a lot of superb conversations between these characters. Of course, watching all the conversations that involved the newly discovered Cylons and their looking at each other as things were said were a nice bit of subtext and a good added layer to the show. And that scene in C in C when Tigh saw himself shooting Adama...even though I knew it had to be a fantasy, it was still shocking in that it could happen based on the history of this show.
And I haven't even got into the storyline with Gaius Baltar and his struggle to find his new identity. Last year, we had hints that a cult of personality was building around Baltar and his book, but it's here that we see it. And to see how Six is manipulating the events to undermine the basic Colonial belief structure was interesting. Is this part of the Cylon's ultimate plan? Is one hope to create chaos and discord among the Colonials by creating a religious rift? If so, it's an intriguing idea and one I hope we'll see explored.
And, of course, we did get a whole lot of questions brought up for the new season. Here's a few that jumped out at me...
So, what happened when the Cylon and Anders made contact? Does the ship know? Do the Cylons know that these four models are active? Why were they activated now? Are there other copies of each of them?
Where was Starbuck in between Earth and the fleet? And what is her mysterious connection to the nebula that causes her pain with each jump away? Given what we learned in "Razor", this becomes even more intriguing.
Why doesn't Six like to think about the final five?
Does Starbuck really think pulling a gun on the president of the colonies is going to make a more compelling argument? And does she really think that killing Roslin will make Adama sit up and listen to her? (I'm going to say a bit no). And how did Starbuck figure out that Laura is in Adama's cabin?
OK, I think I've raved enough. I'm having a hard time deciding how much I liked the episode because it's been so long I wonder if part of my enthusiasm is "holy cow, we've got new episodes." But the more I think about it, the more I realize it's a solid return that promises great things for season four. And it left me eager for next Friday to see where the story goes next...
For the past couple of days, I've been trying to figure out if I liked "Razor" because it was a really cool two-hour episode of one of my favorite TV shows or if it's just that it's been so long since we had any new Galactica that you could have shown "Black Market" and I'd have loved every last second of it.
Honestly, I think it's a litle of both. Yes, "Razor" was pretty darn good, but I think the fact that it's the first new Galactica since March also played into it.
Watching "Razor," it's easy to see that was intended as a love-letter to the Galactica audience. If you're coming in as a new fan, you're probably not going to enjoy this one. I can see how SciFi might have wanted a two-hour movie event, ala Babylon Five's "In the Beginning" to help new viewers get a taste of what the show was about and why people love it so much. But "Razor" is no where near as new-fan friendly as "In the Beginning" was, though both do give away SPOILERS for events that happen later in the series.
"Razor" is fully intended for the Battlestar fan who is keeping up with things. I think a big part of it was to remind us that season four is coming and to whet our appetites for it.
In that case, mission accomplished.
"Razor" follows, for the most part, a couple of missions of the Battlestar Pegasus. One storyline follows it from the time of the Cylon attack on the colonies to its meeting with Galactica in season two. The other Pegasus-centered storyline follows one of Lee Adama's first mission as the commander of Pegasus, purusing a scientific expidition that's gone missing. Each story is tied together by the character of Kendra Shaw. The title refers to Shaw's going from a blunt rookie to a sharp, pointed officer who become an extension of the command style and leadership of Admiral Caine. The story also fills in some gaps, such as why the Gina Cylon sought out and killed Caine when released by Baltar as well as showing us the scene where Caine gunned down her XO for disobeying orders (we'd previously heard it referenced).
The character examination of Caine is meant to be a mirror held up to what Bill Adama could have been. Whereas Adama decided to lead the fleet on a mission to ensure the survival of humanity, Caine decides to lead her ship on a quest for revenge. Part of this is she's having a relationship with the Gina Cylon before the attacks. Adama admits in one of the late scenes that were it not for having Roslin and Lee around, he could easily have gone down the same path of obsessed revenge that Caine does. It also brings up the question of--does the end always justify the means, esp. in times of war? And what are the personal consequences to that. At one point, we see Shaw in a standoff with a civilian freighter of Caine's orders. Caine has decided what parts her ship will take and which personnel. She's leaving the rest to die, but doesn't care. It's Shaw who starts a riot by shooting part of the mob protesting these orders. This decision haunts her throughout the story and leads to her eventually sacrficing herself in an attempt at some kind of personal redemption.
But while it shines a new light on some familiar ground, "Razor" also drops hints for the fourth and final season of Battlestar. The oft-used "All that has happened before and will happen again" line comes up, but this time we get a new prophecy--that Kara "Starbuck" Thrace will lead humanity to its destruction. Of course, only we the audience know this, so it should be interesting to see if and how this plays out in season four.
There's also the interesting possibility that by having some old-school Cylons and Cylon ships in the show, that Ron Moore may be trying to tie the new Galatica to the old Galactica. The whole 'This has happened before and will again" could play into that. I've heard the old-school Cylons we saw here may be back for season four.
For now, "Razor" did what it needed to do--reminded me why I love Galactica and how season four can't get here soon enough.
posted byMichael Hickerson at 11/28/2007 01:14:00 PM |
| Tuesday, October 09, 2007 When does it start?!?
An official promo for the fourth and final season of BSG is on-line...
posted byMichael Hickerson at 10/09/2007 07:10:00 PM |
| Tuesday, August 28, 2007 Spoke too soon
I got all excited this morning when I saw the news that Kevin Smith would be directed an episode of Battlestar Galactica this season.
Yeah, apparently the reports were a bit pre-mature.
Smith will not be directed an episode this year due to "scheduling conflicts" according to the wife of executive-producer Ron Moore, Terry Moore.
Rats!
Of course, that story could change at a moment's notice.....
posted byMichael Hickerson at 8/28/2007 10:28:00 AM |
| Friday, March 30, 2007 Longer thoughts on the season finale of BSG
If you're interested in more coherent thought on the season finale of Battlestar Galactica, I encourage you to surf over here and read my long, rambling post about it.
And jump in the discussion...we only have nine months between now and the next new episode.
posted byMichael Hickerson at 3/30/2007 01:12:00 PM |
| Tuesday, March 20, 2007 Battlestar Galactica Thoughts
Best episode of the second half of season three. A stunning, great first-half to the season finale and the next episode can't get here fast enough.
posted byMichael Hickerson at 3/20/2007 07:07:00 PM |
| Monday, March 19, 2007 Questions from part one of BSG
Some random thoughts that occurred to me as I watched part one...
(Recall here I don't read spoilers and I don't watch the previews...so all this is supposition and speculation only.)
The people hearing music seem to be high-level members of the resistance from New Caprica--namely Anders and Tigh, so far. I know Tigh was held prisoner, but was Anders ever in custody? If so, did the Cylons do something to him?
I think Six is playing the Fleet. I have a feeling that Cylons are waiting in the nebula for Galactica and the fleet to jump out and ambush them. Helo seems to be slowly coming to this conclusion, but it may be too little, too late.
How long has Roslin been back on the comala extract? And how long before the press demands some kind of proof her cancer has returned and she's not just taking the extract to induce vision to try to get them to Earth?
Those are just, out of the gate, initial reactions and questions that cropped up. I'm sure there will be more and if Ron Moore knocked on my door right now and said, "Hey Michael, I've got part two here. Want to crack open a beer and watch it with me?" I'd not be replying in the negative to that one.
posted byMichael Hickerson at 3/19/2007 03:06:00 PM |
| Tuesday, March 13, 2007 Battlestar Thoughts
It was better than last week's and while I enjoyed it, parts of it were frustrating
