so, this episode. I liked it far less than the first three. I HAD NO IDEA WHAT WAS HAPPENING. and sometimes that was delightful, like OMG BDSM WTF HOTTTTTTT, but more of the time it was just directionless, like GAIUS CHRIS WTF THEOLOGY AND WHEN DID LAURA BECOME DUMB? now, this didn't come out of nowhere -- the first three eps were wildly shattering, and probably the only way I made it through the third in the throes of squee is that Tory and I were already so sympatico -- but this was the point, for me at least, when my willingness to ride the awesome and trust that they know where they're going with it just broke. and I'm much less generous than you about calling that good television storytelling. they have to EARN the discomfort and ambiguity, as far as I'm concerned, and as you imply that comes of pacing the narrative so that each character's journey can be fully elaborated. I agree that Laura and Lee and Zarek are getting short shrift especially right now -- none of their positions makes much sense, and after all we've been through with Laura that's rapidly becomeing unforgivable. yes, SAYING that dying changes her perspective makes sense, but how that perspective extends to bad political decisions I do not understand (it might have helped if we'd learned more about the aftermath of her miracle cure the first time around). Tory is deeply blank and ambivalent, but personally I have no problem running with that given the excessiveness of my ongoing fanon (LAURA JUNIOR OMG). in this case it's Gaius that really trips me up most. I can't imagine that, after everything, that actually expect us to buy him as sympathetic and sincere -- and yet, by casting him as the victim of political opression and the subject of genuine inspiration, it's hard to see a way around that. such a mindfrak! moreover, it's totally unclear how his theology, which seems to exist in his megalomanical vacuum, fits into the universe's actual theology. and given my obsessions, this is driving me CRAZY. I just have no idea how to read this without knowing its connection to larger theological debates, which made this episode feel confusing and pointless. and needless to say, the idea that he could turn out to be RIGHT and GOOD makes me want to stab myself in the eye.
it's still the greatest post-apocalypse ever, though. because since the attacks both humans and Cylons have been operating under the assumption that they have to survive for a reason, that there's destiny and purpose and rightousness at work even in dark times, and however many months later things are just crumbling and crumbling and rapidly ceasing to make any sense at all. see how your interpretation about throwing out the rules just became LITERAL CANON? I didn't manage to comment on last week's post (although I did finally read it), but I agreed and mostly still can only say TORY TORY FLAIL FLAIL. she's my pefect woman! FEMME TOPS FTW!
I still think they can and will pull it together. notably, they totally set up the confrontation between Laura and Tory there -- and that is going to be EXPLOSIVE (Mary did say "you're going to be happy" when I was haranguing her about Laura/Tory XD). or at least it better be, or I might stop apeaking to them again. and there's going to be some twisted reveal about Gaius -- he's going to be right about the One God, but in some perversely skewed way that guts him. and the Cylon civil war storyline is going to converge with the human civil war storyline and/or with The Real World: Demetrius in a CONFLAGRATION OF AWESOME. if these things DON'T happen -- well, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it.
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Date: 2008-04-27 10:54 pm (UTC)it's still the greatest post-apocalypse ever, though. because since the attacks both humans and Cylons have been operating under the assumption that they have to survive for a reason, that there's destiny and purpose and rightousness at work even in dark times, and however many months later things are just crumbling and crumbling and rapidly ceasing to make any sense at all. see how your interpretation about throwing out the rules just became LITERAL CANON? I didn't manage to comment on last week's post (although I did finally read it), but I agreed and mostly still can only say TORY TORY FLAIL FLAIL. she's my pefect woman! FEMME TOPS FTW!
I still think they can and will pull it together. notably, they totally set up the confrontation between Laura and Tory there -- and that is going to be EXPLOSIVE (Mary did say "you're going to be happy" when I was haranguing her about Laura/Tory XD). or at least it better be, or I might stop apeaking to them again. and there's going to be some twisted reveal about Gaius -- he's going to be right about the One God, but in some perversely skewed way that guts him. and the Cylon civil war storyline is going to converge with the human civil war storyline and/or with The Real World: Demetrius in a CONFLAGRATION OF AWESOME. if these things DON'T happen -- well, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it.