Battlestar Galactica: the Resistance.
Sep. 22nd, 2006 11:21 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
beccatoriaSoooo, I've been catching up and watching the Battlestar Galactica webisodes (these little two minute things they're using to tide us over till season three, except near as I can tell a labour dispute prevented them from being released until it practically *is* season three, and SciFi.com have region-locked it or summat so I have to resort to nefarious sources to get a hold of them).
They're okay. That's my considered opinion.
I am enough of a BSG junkie that I'm pathetically grateful for the little they're giving us and I totally appreciate the huge amounts of effort that went into this thing.
I'm also very sympathetic to the constraints of time and budget, and think that using these things as a way to give a deeper backstory to smaller characters but not so much as to make the series unwatchable otherwise, is awesome.
(Actually, S2.5 could have done with those webisodes regarding the "Peace with Cylons!" gang. Cos, there is a fantastic example of an interesting idea: people who are so bloody tired of running, of nearly dying, of being stuck in tin cans with nothing to contemplate but their own mortality and no active way of staving off the encroaching depression such as going out and flying vipers and *doing* something, that they honestly don't care what life under the cylons would be like. In fact, they might prefer giving that a shot and dying to living as they currently are. Err, yeah, this fantastic idea that was terribly executed. Because we never found out anything about these people and their motivations beyond vague yelling and a bunch of flyers. And my immediate response? "Did President Roslin TELL ANYONE that Adar surrendered unconditionally after the first nukes hit Caprica? And that their response was to nuke ELEVEN MORE COLONIES?!" Because, you know, the answer might be yes, she did, and they feel this way anyway. And hey, that's *interesting*. But you can't not answer that question, or stuff starts looking dumb. And there is my biggest rant about season 2.5 irritatingly squashed into a post that has nothing to do with it.)
Anyway, the point is, it's a great idea that I have complete respect for.
That said, they're okay.
I don't want to be mean, but much as I enjoy her character, the actress who plays Cally isn't stellar, the actress who plays Nora wasn't stellar. The actor who plays Duck might be okay but he's got sketchy material to work with. The writing is generally good but occasionally seems a little...constrained by the time limits? A little close to cliche? Like, yeah, someone might throw up after hearing that their fiance has been brutally murdered, but the way it was shot was still...staged?
I also feel like there's some great stuff hidden in there. I think the prize of this webisode series is going to be Jammer and his journey. Here, FINALLY, is an intelligent look at the rational behind the people who side with the cylons. In the first episode, that one line he has which puts forward the idea, "Some people think the New Caprica Police is a good idea because then we can police ourselves instead of having the cylons around all the time," immediately lends depth to the decision. Is it collaboration when your goal is not loyalty but greater independence? Is it collaboration when you're just trying to continue existing and making the best of a situation? That second question is harder because it's through inaction that travesties are allowed to happen.
And again, I actually agree with Tigh - coldly, they got a bargain for the lives of ten people and a crate full of weapons, and unlike a lot of military strategists, Tigh didn't even have to plan something as brutal as that himself (can anyone say "Coventry" and "Churchill"?) And he's also right that Jammer needs to remember that 20 billion humans were slaughtered (Wow, that's a lot. I think that's the first time we've heard a figure for the dead). But also, Jammer's right that the Resistance has blood on its hands. They put civilians in danger and innocents payed the price. Even if this is war and Tigh's methods are justified, it's hard not to understand Jammer's fear and worry. Especially when those fears are met with derision from Tigh.
So yeah, I'm not sure it's the best written or acted BSG I've seen (okay it's far from it) and sometimes the scenes are just sorta cheesy, but there's some genuinely great discussion in there.
It's the first time in a long time I've felt like we're remembering how scary the cylons are. We're asking difficult questions without firmly planting all the "right"ness on the side we're probably rooting for. Stuff like Flesh & Bone where we felt for Leoben and were shocked by Kara and Laura's actions, but we were reminded, in Starbuck's fantastic outburst, that "You destroyed my entire civilisation! That is sin! That is evil!" And she was right.
It's good to see them move away from the "let's make a direct paralel with the west vs. islamic terrorists hysteria that's gripping the world and anviliciously point out that they're only bombing us because we mistreated them!"*
*I don't have a problem with direct paralels, but one of the things I love most about BSG is that all the paralels genuinely don't fit which sort of frees my head up to consider things I'd find hard to consider otherwise. So, using the Christianity vs. Muslim paradigm, a compelling arguement can be made that either the cylons or the humans are *either* faction. Everything's a tad off. And it was SO weird and disturbing to realise that if I were in the fleet, after that abortion issue, I wouldn't be voting for Roslin, and I'd be screwed then, cos Baltar would be in charge. Like, nearly NOTHING gets me as riled as certain election fraud issues, and I was terrified when I heard Roslin was going to rig one cos I thought, man, I'll hate this. And I ended up rooting for her. ME! I ROOTED FOR AN ELECTION TO GET RIGGED! Watch how the paralels crumble!
But I already posted about that ages agooo, so.
Yeah. Webisodes. They're okay.
They're okay. That's my considered opinion.
I am enough of a BSG junkie that I'm pathetically grateful for the little they're giving us and I totally appreciate the huge amounts of effort that went into this thing.
I'm also very sympathetic to the constraints of time and budget, and think that using these things as a way to give a deeper backstory to smaller characters but not so much as to make the series unwatchable otherwise, is awesome.
(Actually, S2.5 could have done with those webisodes regarding the "Peace with Cylons!" gang. Cos, there is a fantastic example of an interesting idea: people who are so bloody tired of running, of nearly dying, of being stuck in tin cans with nothing to contemplate but their own mortality and no active way of staving off the encroaching depression such as going out and flying vipers and *doing* something, that they honestly don't care what life under the cylons would be like. In fact, they might prefer giving that a shot and dying to living as they currently are. Err, yeah, this fantastic idea that was terribly executed. Because we never found out anything about these people and their motivations beyond vague yelling and a bunch of flyers. And my immediate response? "Did President Roslin TELL ANYONE that Adar surrendered unconditionally after the first nukes hit Caprica? And that their response was to nuke ELEVEN MORE COLONIES?!" Because, you know, the answer might be yes, she did, and they feel this way anyway. And hey, that's *interesting*. But you can't not answer that question, or stuff starts looking dumb. And there is my biggest rant about season 2.5 irritatingly squashed into a post that has nothing to do with it.)
Anyway, the point is, it's a great idea that I have complete respect for.
That said, they're okay.
I don't want to be mean, but much as I enjoy her character, the actress who plays Cally isn't stellar, the actress who plays Nora wasn't stellar. The actor who plays Duck might be okay but he's got sketchy material to work with. The writing is generally good but occasionally seems a little...constrained by the time limits? A little close to cliche? Like, yeah, someone might throw up after hearing that their fiance has been brutally murdered, but the way it was shot was still...staged?
I also feel like there's some great stuff hidden in there. I think the prize of this webisode series is going to be Jammer and his journey. Here, FINALLY, is an intelligent look at the rational behind the people who side with the cylons. In the first episode, that one line he has which puts forward the idea, "Some people think the New Caprica Police is a good idea because then we can police ourselves instead of having the cylons around all the time," immediately lends depth to the decision. Is it collaboration when your goal is not loyalty but greater independence? Is it collaboration when you're just trying to continue existing and making the best of a situation? That second question is harder because it's through inaction that travesties are allowed to happen.
And again, I actually agree with Tigh - coldly, they got a bargain for the lives of ten people and a crate full of weapons, and unlike a lot of military strategists, Tigh didn't even have to plan something as brutal as that himself (can anyone say "Coventry" and "Churchill"?) And he's also right that Jammer needs to remember that 20 billion humans were slaughtered (Wow, that's a lot. I think that's the first time we've heard a figure for the dead). But also, Jammer's right that the Resistance has blood on its hands. They put civilians in danger and innocents payed the price. Even if this is war and Tigh's methods are justified, it's hard not to understand Jammer's fear and worry. Especially when those fears are met with derision from Tigh.
So yeah, I'm not sure it's the best written or acted BSG I've seen (okay it's far from it) and sometimes the scenes are just sorta cheesy, but there's some genuinely great discussion in there.
It's the first time in a long time I've felt like we're remembering how scary the cylons are. We're asking difficult questions without firmly planting all the "right"ness on the side we're probably rooting for. Stuff like Flesh & Bone where we felt for Leoben and were shocked by Kara and Laura's actions, but we were reminded, in Starbuck's fantastic outburst, that "You destroyed my entire civilisation! That is sin! That is evil!" And she was right.
It's good to see them move away from the "let's make a direct paralel with the west vs. islamic terrorists hysteria that's gripping the world and anviliciously point out that they're only bombing us because we mistreated them!"*
*I don't have a problem with direct paralels, but one of the things I love most about BSG is that all the paralels genuinely don't fit which sort of frees my head up to consider things I'd find hard to consider otherwise. So, using the Christianity vs. Muslim paradigm, a compelling arguement can be made that either the cylons or the humans are *either* faction. Everything's a tad off. And it was SO weird and disturbing to realise that if I were in the fleet, after that abortion issue, I wouldn't be voting for Roslin, and I'd be screwed then, cos Baltar would be in charge. Like, nearly NOTHING gets me as riled as certain election fraud issues, and I was terrified when I heard Roslin was going to rig one cos I thought, man, I'll hate this. And I ended up rooting for her. ME! I ROOTED FOR AN ELECTION TO GET RIGGED! Watch how the paralels crumble!
But I already posted about that ages agooo, so.
Yeah. Webisodes. They're okay.
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no subject
Date: 2006-09-27 05:10 pm (UTC)I actually really enjoyed your vlog - like, honestly enjoyed it. I'm really looking forward to the next one.
I love Maya more than Tory, but I like Tory. I think I'll like her more if I see more of her - I'm pretty sure she will be back.
I sort of get what you mean about the election being rushed. I think they were trying to portray Baltar's tactic of not letting her get her say by hogging all the time. Also, perhaps Roslin was trying not to appeal only to the Religious contingent. Tory said that was the only issue Baltar was getting traction on and her idea of finding Earth is probably quite closely linked with her religious status and thus her banning of abortion. Though yes, it could have been better explained. And *I* would have found that interesting. But as it is, I really am okay with the amount of screen time it got.
Re: the Captain's Hand, I'm actually okay with that episode. I think that the Garner plot is good Lee material and it's nice to see him competant instead of sulking. There's good exploration of his anger at Kara and his articulation of it, and I think that the actor who plays Garner has the presence to pull off the part despite it's cliches. Also, I'll forever forgive any shortcomings in the other half of the episode for the fact that they got Roslin to ban abortion. Again, it's the weakness for the "Holy crap, I actually wouldn't vote for this woman now, yet I STILL LOVE HER!" The main issue I have with this episode is actually Roslin not considering alternatives like positive measures for people who did have children, and the negative issues like backstreet abortionists and dead women if she did. That rang false to me. But still, props for 'going there'.
Anyways, looking forward to next week's vlog.
no subject
Date: 2006-09-30 03:53 pm (UTC)thanks for the vlog encouragement. I actually re-edited that one with some additional webisode commentary, so now there's a new version that's up officially! plus the first installment.
I think I am finally getting over my season 2.5 continuity angst. watching the finale again helped -- it really is a great episode. The Captain's Hand was the most difficult ep of all for me to watch. as you say, I don't think they handled the complexities of the abortion issue very well, and I'm not going to give them props for hot-button issues if they do it badly. funny how when Roslin wants to airlock cylon babies I think it's awesome, but banning abortion I just could not deal with (I wish I could find the relevant posts from back then). basically people she wants to kill it's because she believes it's necessary for the survival of humanity, whereas banning abortion was for political gain, plus there could have totally been another way to handle it if she was smart about it. but I STILL voted for her! Roslin 4EVAR!
no subject
Date: 2006-09-30 10:11 pm (UTC)I'll check out your new vlogs - sounds interesting, I really enjoyed the first one. I've subscribed to your vids, actually, but haven't been to YouTube in a while.
I agree about the finale being a great episode. And it's not the raising of a hotbutton issues I give TCH credit for - you're right, if they do it badly, especially when we *know* they can do it well, they don't get points - it's that they got to a point where we had Roslin being Bush even though Roslin isn't Bush. Does that make sense? It's like, the way they got there was tacky so they don't get the points for raising the abortion issue. But having your leading lady make such a shocking decision for all the wrong reasons when she's against it makes for an interesting story twist and an interesting commentary on what Roslin's becoming.
It's an example of her being willing to compromise her own personal integrity and be the bad guy in order to do what she feels will save humanity. We see this at other points too, but usually it's not clear if she still believes she's acting with ruthless integrity (see Leoben's airlocking / ordering of Sharon's abortion).
To skip ahead a little to the finale, I found it incredible that BSG basically said, "Hey, humanity just got screwed over by democracy," even though the importance of democracy is still a core belief of the show.
And it's an interesting question - if you absolutely and completely believed that abiding by the will of the majority meant the end of your entire species would standing by your personal morals be a luxury you could afford? Would you be a coward not to take the hit, to shatter your image of yourself as a good person, and do the 'wrong' thing to save everyone? It's that willingness to be the bad guy I find fascinating.
If your choice is between extinction and martial law with no real freedom, which do you choose? Anyways, in case you were interested, here were my thoughts at the time (though it's long, and I did just sum most of it up...)
http://beccatoria.livejournal.com/1600.html#cutid1
no subject
Date: 2006-10-02 04:13 pm (UTC)also I'll happily host it, if you like -- I have oodles of space.
yeah, the ambiguous moral landscape is my very favorite thing about the show -- and Roslin in particular. the abortion issue was the ONE time I thought they didn't pull it off, because there was a lot more complexity to the options than Roslin & co. acknowledged. and I think they could have saved it with better follow-through, like I said -- if it had actually been a major election issue (or a part of the Roslin as fundy candidate that we heard hardly anything about). but I LOVED the rigged ballots (my audio response from that night has me screaming "hanging chads!!!"). it took me a LONG time to forgive Roslin for NOT going through with it (or Adama for dissuading her) -- except, I read your post, and you explained the stakes really beautifully and hauntingly --
If Baltar wins and is assassinated, or is cheated out of winning, we're back to ghost ships, going through the motions, pretending nothing's changed, except that they've lost the thing they were once willing to die for - retreated behind a line that was once drawn in blood, in front of tinned coffee on the Gideon. Just shells in hollow ships.
well, damn, I guess you're right.
I've been round with jennyo about the Roslin vs. Bush question, and she managed to convince me that the comparison is a superficial one. Roslin is far more complex -- which is what I love about this show: how it takes contemporary political scenarios and reworks them so that they're much murkier than they can be on the news. I mean, everybody knows who are the good guys and who are the bad guys in our so-called war on terror, but on BSG that's far from clear.
no subject
Date: 2006-10-04 05:10 pm (UTC)I'm really glad you found something useful in the post I linked to, and also:
I FORGOT YOU MADE JESUS WALKS! THAT IS MY FAVORITE VID EVER! *worships*
Wow, *blushes*, it's great to hear that you like it so much. But please, save your worship for someone who needs and deserves it much more than me: Laura Roslin.
also I'll happily host it, if you like -- I have oodles of space.
Wow, that's an amazingly generous offer. I'm not sure what to say. I don't think that many people would still be wanting to DL it and I don't want to use up your bandwidth, but if you honestly don't mind, then sure! I'm certainly not going to say no - just let me know what the link is and promise to remove it should you ever need the space.
Becka.
no subject
Date: 2006-10-06 04:17 pm (UTC)I'm planning to talk about BSG's mode of political commentary in today's vlog -- stay tuned...
IT'S G-DAY!!!
no subject
Date: 2006-10-06 04:39 pm (UTC)And sadly, no. That's the only copy there is. I vid using scaled down versions I have on my portable media player because I just don't have the space to keep higher res versions on my laptop. I also vid using Windows Movie Maker because anything else might well crash my machine. Though when I make my next vid I may experiment with that...we'll see how my patience is.
And thanks for hosting that! That's so nifty. :) And I doubt anyone's going to eat up your bandwidth with downloads.