lizardbeth (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
lizardbeth) wrote2007-03-26 09:35 am
lizardbeth) wrote2007-03-26 09:35 am
Sun night t.v: Rome and BSG: Crossroads II
First, *snuggles her ROME finale, gives it kisses and tears*. Goodbye, sociopath Octavian. Goodbye, Atia of the Julii, who started out a soap opera diva and became a woman I wish I could know. Goodbye, Marc Antony, you hot hunk of a man, even if you're a crazed barbarian. Goodbye, Octavia, who was everybody's victim and rose above it anyway.
Goodbye, Vorenus.
Goodbye, Titus Pullo.
*sniffle*
Goodbye, show. Despite historical inaccuracies aplenty and the lack of any battles or famous oratory, you were my home for two years and I will miss you.
However, the Rome finale ran long, so I missed the first ten minutes of BSG.
I missed SHIRTLESS SAM! *wail* (although in exchange I saw Pullo PWN Octavian, so that was worth it, but STILL!)
It was an odd experience to be so completely spoiled for something. I felt a bit like I was watching it for the second time, even though I hadn't seen it before. I avoided spoilers the last two weeks, hoping that at least something was left unknown, but... not really. Watching was pretty much a checklist, of Yep, here's the "perry mason" moment (though a true Perry Mason movement would probably have been to call the prosecutor to the stand, but close enough); yep, here's lee's big speech (which while, yes, a speech, I thought was well done, bringing in a lot of the ethically dubious actions that they've all taken throughout the series). No, these things aren't forgotten, and that always pleases me.
Not surprisingly the parts I enjoyed the most were the small surprises: like Gaeta lying his ASS off on the stand. Racetrack training the nuggets. Roslin's cancer being real (I had thought she might have lied about it). Caprica saying that she was protecting Hera.
Although Baltar's trial outcome was never really in doubt, I think it was a valuable thing to have done, to bookend the New Caprica storyline. In one way or another, this season has been about the consequences of what happened there, so it was fitting. I think we got just enough of the trial to be interesting, while not belaboring it too much. Lamkin's weaselly defense counsel was fun to watch. There aren't many 'colorful'/eccentric characters on BSG, so I enjoyed his time around.
What else? hm I have to say I disagree with people who call Kara's return 'predictable' in the pejorative sense. I think it was expected, and I'm fiercely GLAD that Ron paid off that expectation. Because if he hadn't? How much wailing and gnashing of teeth would there be today? Me, for one, and I'm sure I wouldn't have been alone. Think about it from his side of things - he had two choices: bring her back now or S.4 (I don't think not bringing her back at all was ever really on the table). All those viewers who believed Kara was dead and not coming back, were going to be surprised and happy whenever she came back. But for those people like me? Who were more sure after "Maelstrom" than before it that she was coming back? He had to pay that off or it would really have been cheating. So he did exactly what he had to do narratively. No, it wasn't a surprise, but in this case I think a "surprise" for the sake of a surprise, would've been the weaker solution.
(ETA: And I'm also glad we're spared of nine months of hype and teasing and leaked spoilers that would have made Kara's return in S.4 even MORE anticlimactic. At least now we can debate what her return means rather than the return itself.)
Having long since digested the idea of the Four and their identities, thanks to the spoilers (and now that Ron has apparently confirmed that they really are the Four, I can finally just accept that they are and move on), it wasn't a surprise of course. Though I am very intrigued by the use of Earth music ("All Along the Watchtower" - c'mon, how is that not cool?). McCreary didn't come up with a Cylon theme - they very specifically chose a modern, well-known song, and more than likely paid through the nose for the rights, too. So I think it's more than just a whim. I like it a lot.
While I'm thinking the Four -- it was awesome how Tigh took the revelation as a way to return to his duty. To return to his humanity, in a basic way. And he got the others to do it too. Yay, for Saul Tigh! Weird. Would never have thought that during LDYB,y'know?
So, what do we have for Season 4? A whole lotta basestars, a whole lotta ships without ability to jump, Kara in a Viper with the way to Earth, four now-revealed Cylons doing their Human duty, an unknown Fifth still lurking, Nick Tyrol another (unknown) hybrid, Baltar free and off with some cultists, some sort of mystical battle over Hera... It's not as visually stunning as Cylon warships above New Caprica, but man, that's a lot of threads laid out for the new season.
I will cross my fingers that Ron and Co use this time to figure out where all of them are going. But I remember a lot of doubt about the Year Gap and the conquest of New Caprica and THAT paid off, so ... for now, I'll keep the faith.
Finally, hooray, for the word that that the Pegasus movie will feature the main cast. PHEW! Boy, does that relieve my mind that there's not as much stupidity and/or crack being smoked as I feared...
Goodbye, Vorenus.
Goodbye, Titus Pullo.
*sniffle*
Goodbye, show. Despite historical inaccuracies aplenty and the lack of any battles or famous oratory, you were my home for two years and I will miss you.
However, the Rome finale ran long, so I missed the first ten minutes of BSG.
I missed SHIRTLESS SAM! *wail* (although in exchange I saw Pullo PWN Octavian, so that was worth it, but STILL!)
It was an odd experience to be so completely spoiled for something. I felt a bit like I was watching it for the second time, even though I hadn't seen it before. I avoided spoilers the last two weeks, hoping that at least something was left unknown, but... not really. Watching was pretty much a checklist, of Yep, here's the "perry mason" moment (though a true Perry Mason movement would probably have been to call the prosecutor to the stand, but close enough); yep, here's lee's big speech (which while, yes, a speech, I thought was well done, bringing in a lot of the ethically dubious actions that they've all taken throughout the series). No, these things aren't forgotten, and that always pleases me.
Not surprisingly the parts I enjoyed the most were the small surprises: like Gaeta lying his ASS off on the stand. Racetrack training the nuggets. Roslin's cancer being real (I had thought she might have lied about it). Caprica saying that she was protecting Hera.
Although Baltar's trial outcome was never really in doubt, I think it was a valuable thing to have done, to bookend the New Caprica storyline. In one way or another, this season has been about the consequences of what happened there, so it was fitting. I think we got just enough of the trial to be interesting, while not belaboring it too much. Lamkin's weaselly defense counsel was fun to watch. There aren't many 'colorful'/eccentric characters on BSG, so I enjoyed his time around.
What else? hm I have to say I disagree with people who call Kara's return 'predictable' in the pejorative sense. I think it was expected, and I'm fiercely GLAD that Ron paid off that expectation. Because if he hadn't? How much wailing and gnashing of teeth would there be today? Me, for one, and I'm sure I wouldn't have been alone. Think about it from his side of things - he had two choices: bring her back now or S.4 (I don't think not bringing her back at all was ever really on the table). All those viewers who believed Kara was dead and not coming back, were going to be surprised and happy whenever she came back. But for those people like me? Who were more sure after "Maelstrom" than before it that she was coming back? He had to pay that off or it would really have been cheating. So he did exactly what he had to do narratively. No, it wasn't a surprise, but in this case I think a "surprise" for the sake of a surprise, would've been the weaker solution.
(ETA: And I'm also glad we're spared of nine months of hype and teasing and leaked spoilers that would have made Kara's return in S.4 even MORE anticlimactic. At least now we can debate what her return means rather than the return itself.)
Having long since digested the idea of the Four and their identities, thanks to the spoilers (and now that Ron has apparently confirmed that they really are the Four, I can finally just accept that they are and move on), it wasn't a surprise of course. Though I am very intrigued by the use of Earth music ("All Along the Watchtower" - c'mon, how is that not cool?). McCreary didn't come up with a Cylon theme - they very specifically chose a modern, well-known song, and more than likely paid through the nose for the rights, too. So I think it's more than just a whim. I like it a lot.
While I'm thinking the Four -- it was awesome how Tigh took the revelation as a way to return to his duty. To return to his humanity, in a basic way. And he got the others to do it too. Yay, for Saul Tigh! Weird. Would never have thought that during LDYB,y'know?
So, what do we have for Season 4? A whole lotta basestars, a whole lotta ships without ability to jump, Kara in a Viper with the way to Earth, four now-revealed Cylons doing their Human duty, an unknown Fifth still lurking, Nick Tyrol another (unknown) hybrid, Baltar free and off with some cultists, some sort of mystical battle over Hera... It's not as visually stunning as Cylon warships above New Caprica, but man, that's a lot of threads laid out for the new season.
I will cross my fingers that Ron and Co use this time to figure out where all of them are going. But I remember a lot of doubt about the Year Gap and the conquest of New Caprica and THAT paid off, so ... for now, I'll keep the faith.
Finally, hooray, for the word that that the Pegasus movie will feature the main cast. PHEW! Boy, does that relieve my mind that there's not as much stupidity and/or crack being smoked as I feared...
no subject
About Kara, I certainly expected her to be back, and I thought it would happen this episode because I was 100% convinced she was the one who found Earth. I'll have to withhold my judgment on the *nature* of her being back until Season 4.
no subject
And the Hera thing is intriguing and somewhat scary, I agree. Who does Caprica need to protect Hera from? The other Cylons? Sharon? Roslin?
At least Kara didn't appear in glowing white robes or just in Lee's head (which, admittedly, is a bit of an uncertainty, but I don't think so). Anything else I think I can deal with.
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LOL! You hit the nail on the head!
And I love your icon. So pretty, and true.
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totally. when I first read the spoiler - I was like WTF! Tigh is the one person I can't buy as a cylon. But then someone pointed out that they were all the leaders of the resistance and it began to make more sense. But really, the best was Tigh's reaction - the I don't give a frak, I'm going back to work!
no subject
As much as this was Kara's season, it was also Tigh's and I don't think I can find him more awesome. which is all the more amazing when I think about how little I liked him in the beginning. It's things like this that let me keep the faith even when it gets stretched kinda thin...
no subject
now I want to know - when did Ron decide Tigh was a cylon?
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heh. LATE. One of the interviews he said he came up with it while "working toward the finale". So, somewhere in 3.5. I suspect it was a bit of a process -- Anders was probably first, since I think we're given a clue or two in the midst of the Quandrangle stuff, and the others were later.
It pisses people off that he didn't have all this planned from day one, and it's valid that it would've been better if he had... but *shrug* I don't know. I guess I'm not as invested as some.
no subject
I thought it was just cool how he immediately took over. The other cylons were just like... "OMIGOD" and he was immediately thinking... close the doors, figure out what's going on, and then immediately go back to work because if I die, I will die as Saul Tighe.
Go Saul! Woo hoo!
So... who do you think the 5th cylon is? They were playing it pretty close to the vest, because if you think about it, both Lee Adama and Baltar!Koresh were wandering about in the midst of the chaos, and both were heading somewhere, but WERE stopped and turned away.
So wouldn't that be a kick in the teeth, if Lee was a cylon? :D
no subject
Lee as a Cylon would be a big shock, oh yeah. And would give Kara an ...interesting choice to have to deal with. I called Lee Cylon Number Nine way back in beginning of Season 2 - it would be hilarious if I was right (however much by accident). But I do think it adds more complications than they probably want to deal with.
I think the Fifth is Roslin, myself. She's the only one with punch to her reveal left. Baltar's been teased so much I don't see any impact. I wonder if Hera's blood isn't what's allowing her into the vision (like some are speculating), but instead somehow opened the door to her nature, in a way that the Four don't have yet. she's been displaying some odd powers lately, and I'm not sure that Hera's blood and chamalla are enough to really explain it. But heck, the Fifth could be Jake the Dog for all I know. *g*
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no subject
As my brain finally starts to process the ep, I find that I'm starting to look forward to s4. S3 has taught me one thing, though -- don't do spoilers for BSG. Or at least not as many as I've always done in the past. I knew about the Four and that Kara was coming back (duh), but I didn't know everything down the transcript level the way I did for the end of s2, and I find that I enjoyed the ep a little more that way.
I loved Lee's speech. I love Romo Lampkin and hope that he comes back around in the future, now and again. I love all the threads left dangling, at least for now.
Here's hoping that they really are using the 9 months gestation to tighten that story back up and that they don't let all those laden-with-potential plot threads fall by the wayside if something else shiny shows up. And they should totally replace Michael Angeli with David Kemper. Yes.
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Yeah, I'm with you on the spoilers. I really regret reading mandigirl's all-but transcript on TWOP for the last three eps. In a way, I guess it helped, because I feel like I'm also about three weeks ahead of figuring out my feelings for what happened because I've thought about it all for so long. But it was hard to take the episode on its own terms.
According to the EW interview they're already plotting ep. 8 and they know the end, so I have a fairly optimistic feeling that at least they have the main arcs figured out. I had the impression reading that RDM would prefer to more heavily serialize the show, but Skiffy's tying his hands a bit. Stupid Skiffy - do they seriously think at this point that new viewers are going to understand anything more in an ep like Woman King than Crossroads?
And God yes, I would love that.
no subject