BSG: The Road Less Travelled.
May. 4th, 2008 03:24 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
beccatoriaTwo very obvious points to get out of the way first -
1) I missed Laura.
2) I find Gaius Baltar's Church of Skeez very disturbing, and am still keeping my fingers desperately crossed that the writers know this.
Right, that done with - it was a bit obvious this week, wasn't it? Let's go INSANE! Which isn't to say I disliked it, but equally I'm not sure I have that much to say about it. So this is long, like always, cus it's me, but short by comparison. (I think).
I'm a sucker for Kara and Leoben anywhen, so this was like Christmas for me. And Leoben is way crazy, but the fact that I believe him makes it all the more delicious.
For ages now I've been desperate for Kara to end up human but a figure in cylon religion and scripture (or at least Hybridical Babblings) while Laura ought to be the final cylon, but still be a figure in human religion and scripture. I like the juxtaposition and this whole notion of going to see the hybrid is muchos exciting to me on that front.
I also like Kara's flavour of crazy. I'm not sure I can parse it but it feels the right way for her to snap because she has this obsession in her head she can't get rid of, but can't name either.
It's the joy, I think. It wasn't as present last time, which is probably why I find her more compelling in this episode, but I always love it when Kara returns to that vivacious, gleeful, pure state of expression that despite all her repressed screwedupedness has been her hallmarks since the mini series. And sure, sometimes it's half-faked to pretend to herself like she's having a good time with all her drinking and empty affairs. But...there's something undeniably joyful about Kara Thrace at the most unexpected of times.
I suppose again, this is my dragging out that idea I have about how New Caprica really frakked with her ability to function as an adult. But when Helo shows up to see her art projects at the start of the episode she's so...yeah. Joyful for moments. Furtive, frightening moments, yes. Moments that indicate her joy is a sign of her detachment from reality and that's creepy. But to me, fascinating.
I want to say, "Kara's not tortured by this, she's freed by it." But that doesn't quite work, because she is tortured by it too. Because she feels her body's just this alien thing she's still attached to. Because her mind only runs one way. Because this is the thing that gives her feeling and connection. If I view her return as a rebirth following two months of death, then would it be hyperbolic and pretentious to draw a comparison between these moments of connection and feeling and the pure joy expressed by very small children at the simplest of experiences?
Yes, I think it would, so I'll leave it at that because I can't quite work out how to turn that notion into a point other than...I find it interesting because I love Free Kara and how she smashed herself to pieces last season and now she's building herself up from all these broken bits that don't fit right and never will again, but she doesn't care because she's here.
Also, there's something in there about the way this show so often equates violence and torture with epiphany. It's something I'll have to talk about one day. Not a notion I support, certainly, but a notion I've never seen dealt with more beautifully than in this Star Wars media tie-in novel (no really; weird as I know that sounds) and that makes me want to...do a comparison or something.
So yeah. Kara: alternately psychologically tortured and mind-breakingly exuberant. And there's that.
Tyrol, on the other hand, is just...going off the deep end. I feel for him - really. He's in an ugly, ugly place and it's not his fault. But really, he shouldn't ignore his kid. I don't think he's neglecting Nicky, but I think he is somehow...distancing himself from everything including Nicky. I also don't think it's a sign of a terrible parent just because at one point you listen to the radio instead of immediately rushing to the aid of your kid who isn't really even crying at that point, but this is visual fiction and the things they choose to show us and how they choose to frame it are important.
Chief's gone all nihilistic and I'm not sure I can blame him.
Though, while I don't mind him starting to get suspicious of the circumstances surrounding Cally's death, I do think someone should point out to him that anti-depressants aren't a miracle prevention drug if someone's suicidal. They help, but frankly if someone commits suicide and you later discover they were secretly on anti-depressants that probably goes some way towards explaining it, not making it more suspicious. Not all anti-depressants help all people, and even when they do help people, they don't always help people enough. The fact that it seems very out of character for her - that's what he ought to be concentrating on. Not this notion that she shouldn't have been depressed in the first place because she was being medicated.
I've already said that I hate Gaius Baltar's Church of Skeez and I thought it was utterly shameless the way he tried to use Cally to front for his crowd and get Tyrol to be "saved" or whatever. I was totally with Tyrol losing it. I would have lost it.
Gaius going secretly and quietly to Tyrol's quarters and apologising, though, was a brilliant scene. I've believed in some of Baltar's repentance and his slowly beginning to buy into his own myth. But his repentance has always been easy: he's been assured not only of forgiveness from his followers, but of even more adoration for daring to be seen as "flawed". It's an utterly safe form of confession, even if it's sincere.
Going to see Tyrol, I really don't think Baltar did have any motive other than...wanting forgiveness. It was a bizarre inversion of Tigh and Six without the sex and violence. Baltar, the awful, awful human being, asking to be forgiven from this character who is usually alien to his circles. Asking forgiveness from someone who is in no fit state to give attention or forgiveness to anyone. Tigh went because he wanted to apologise. Baltar went and did apologise. I'm not really sure I've seen him apologising to anyone like this before. When he wasn't in a moment of utter panic. Just choosing to go to another person and say, "I shouldn't have done that. I'm sorry."
And I'm not sure Balter gets forgiveness. But he gets mercy which is an act of grace that, by definition, is never deserved.
Chief just lying there, watching him, never was his state of mind clearer. This flat, analytical, detached blankness, punctuated by anger and despair, but really always trying to get back to this state of ahedonic safety.
As to why he did it... I'm not sure. I don't think the Chief wants to be where and who he is. The Chief wants absolution as much as Baltar, though I don't think he wants it from Baltar. His shaved head is penitant. He's paring back, losing his own identity. Tory wants him to embrace an identity he believes killed his wife, Tigh wants him to act like nothing happened and refuse to acknowledge that his identity has changed. In the wake of Cally's death everyone wanted the Chief to be a certain sort of man, to help them all feel better about Cally's death.
In the quiet of his quarters, Baltar is the first person to really pay attention to Galen Tyrol, to give him time and space, and to require nothing of him. It's a bit weird that all of this was because Baltar was actually babbling, self-centeredly, about himself, as usual. But at the same time, I think he was prepared to leave that room without getting anything from Tyrol.
This was maybe the first considered choice he's gotten to make since the Nebula. Space becomes a valuable commodity on a refugee ship.
Again, though, I really hope he doesn't decide to follow Baltar and his crappy messianic message. Based on this episode, I don't think he will, but...I admit to being nervous.
Finally, you killed Matthias! You bastards!
Though I loved the way Kara eulogised her. Hand in hand with her unhinged joy is her unhinged emotion of...every sort, really. It was probably utterly unhelpful, and I certainly don't blame her crew for mutinying on her, but I did love the raw hurt and rage and guilt in Katee Sackhoff's performance.
Since the start of season three, and moreso since Razor, everything I see about this show takes on a nihilistic edge, and seeing that, well, truth, I suppose, about Matthias' death slapped out at the universe like an accusation was awesome.
I think the problem is, Kara meant to be including her crew in her rage. She wanted them to be angry with her, on her side, at the way the whole damn world was betraying them. But it came across as anger at them, for thinking it was her fault. It came across as a slap at them, not at everything except them.
Next week looks AWESOME.
1) I missed Laura.
2) I find Gaius Baltar's Church of Skeez very disturbing, and am still keeping my fingers desperately crossed that the writers know this.
Right, that done with - it was a bit obvious this week, wasn't it? Let's go INSANE! Which isn't to say I disliked it, but equally I'm not sure I have that much to say about it. So this is long, like always, cus it's me, but short by comparison. (I think).
I'm a sucker for Kara and Leoben anywhen, so this was like Christmas for me. And Leoben is way crazy, but the fact that I believe him makes it all the more delicious.
For ages now I've been desperate for Kara to end up human but a figure in cylon religion and scripture (or at least Hybridical Babblings) while Laura ought to be the final cylon, but still be a figure in human religion and scripture. I like the juxtaposition and this whole notion of going to see the hybrid is muchos exciting to me on that front.
I also like Kara's flavour of crazy. I'm not sure I can parse it but it feels the right way for her to snap because she has this obsession in her head she can't get rid of, but can't name either.
It's the joy, I think. It wasn't as present last time, which is probably why I find her more compelling in this episode, but I always love it when Kara returns to that vivacious, gleeful, pure state of expression that despite all her repressed screwedupedness has been her hallmarks since the mini series. And sure, sometimes it's half-faked to pretend to herself like she's having a good time with all her drinking and empty affairs. But...there's something undeniably joyful about Kara Thrace at the most unexpected of times.
I suppose again, this is my dragging out that idea I have about how New Caprica really frakked with her ability to function as an adult. But when Helo shows up to see her art projects at the start of the episode she's so...yeah. Joyful for moments. Furtive, frightening moments, yes. Moments that indicate her joy is a sign of her detachment from reality and that's creepy. But to me, fascinating.
I want to say, "Kara's not tortured by this, she's freed by it." But that doesn't quite work, because she is tortured by it too. Because she feels her body's just this alien thing she's still attached to. Because her mind only runs one way. Because this is the thing that gives her feeling and connection. If I view her return as a rebirth following two months of death, then would it be hyperbolic and pretentious to draw a comparison between these moments of connection and feeling and the pure joy expressed by very small children at the simplest of experiences?
Yes, I think it would, so I'll leave it at that because I can't quite work out how to turn that notion into a point other than...I find it interesting because I love Free Kara and how she smashed herself to pieces last season and now she's building herself up from all these broken bits that don't fit right and never will again, but she doesn't care because she's here.
Also, there's something in there about the way this show so often equates violence and torture with epiphany. It's something I'll have to talk about one day. Not a notion I support, certainly, but a notion I've never seen dealt with more beautifully than in this Star Wars media tie-in novel (no really; weird as I know that sounds) and that makes me want to...do a comparison or something.
So yeah. Kara: alternately psychologically tortured and mind-breakingly exuberant. And there's that.
Tyrol, on the other hand, is just...going off the deep end. I feel for him - really. He's in an ugly, ugly place and it's not his fault. But really, he shouldn't ignore his kid. I don't think he's neglecting Nicky, but I think he is somehow...distancing himself from everything including Nicky. I also don't think it's a sign of a terrible parent just because at one point you listen to the radio instead of immediately rushing to the aid of your kid who isn't really even crying at that point, but this is visual fiction and the things they choose to show us and how they choose to frame it are important.
Chief's gone all nihilistic and I'm not sure I can blame him.
Though, while I don't mind him starting to get suspicious of the circumstances surrounding Cally's death, I do think someone should point out to him that anti-depressants aren't a miracle prevention drug if someone's suicidal. They help, but frankly if someone commits suicide and you later discover they were secretly on anti-depressants that probably goes some way towards explaining it, not making it more suspicious. Not all anti-depressants help all people, and even when they do help people, they don't always help people enough. The fact that it seems very out of character for her - that's what he ought to be concentrating on. Not this notion that she shouldn't have been depressed in the first place because she was being medicated.
I've already said that I hate Gaius Baltar's Church of Skeez and I thought it was utterly shameless the way he tried to use Cally to front for his crowd and get Tyrol to be "saved" or whatever. I was totally with Tyrol losing it. I would have lost it.
Gaius going secretly and quietly to Tyrol's quarters and apologising, though, was a brilliant scene. I've believed in some of Baltar's repentance and his slowly beginning to buy into his own myth. But his repentance has always been easy: he's been assured not only of forgiveness from his followers, but of even more adoration for daring to be seen as "flawed". It's an utterly safe form of confession, even if it's sincere.
Going to see Tyrol, I really don't think Baltar did have any motive other than...wanting forgiveness. It was a bizarre inversion of Tigh and Six without the sex and violence. Baltar, the awful, awful human being, asking to be forgiven from this character who is usually alien to his circles. Asking forgiveness from someone who is in no fit state to give attention or forgiveness to anyone. Tigh went because he wanted to apologise. Baltar went and did apologise. I'm not really sure I've seen him apologising to anyone like this before. When he wasn't in a moment of utter panic. Just choosing to go to another person and say, "I shouldn't have done that. I'm sorry."
And I'm not sure Balter gets forgiveness. But he gets mercy which is an act of grace that, by definition, is never deserved.
Chief just lying there, watching him, never was his state of mind clearer. This flat, analytical, detached blankness, punctuated by anger and despair, but really always trying to get back to this state of ahedonic safety.
As to why he did it... I'm not sure. I don't think the Chief wants to be where and who he is. The Chief wants absolution as much as Baltar, though I don't think he wants it from Baltar. His shaved head is penitant. He's paring back, losing his own identity. Tory wants him to embrace an identity he believes killed his wife, Tigh wants him to act like nothing happened and refuse to acknowledge that his identity has changed. In the wake of Cally's death everyone wanted the Chief to be a certain sort of man, to help them all feel better about Cally's death.
In the quiet of his quarters, Baltar is the first person to really pay attention to Galen Tyrol, to give him time and space, and to require nothing of him. It's a bit weird that all of this was because Baltar was actually babbling, self-centeredly, about himself, as usual. But at the same time, I think he was prepared to leave that room without getting anything from Tyrol.
This was maybe the first considered choice he's gotten to make since the Nebula. Space becomes a valuable commodity on a refugee ship.
Again, though, I really hope he doesn't decide to follow Baltar and his crappy messianic message. Based on this episode, I don't think he will, but...I admit to being nervous.
Finally, you killed Matthias! You bastards!
Though I loved the way Kara eulogised her. Hand in hand with her unhinged joy is her unhinged emotion of...every sort, really. It was probably utterly unhelpful, and I certainly don't blame her crew for mutinying on her, but I did love the raw hurt and rage and guilt in Katee Sackhoff's performance.
Since the start of season three, and moreso since Razor, everything I see about this show takes on a nihilistic edge, and seeing that, well, truth, I suppose, about Matthias' death slapped out at the universe like an accusation was awesome.
I think the problem is, Kara meant to be including her crew in her rage. She wanted them to be angry with her, on her side, at the way the whole damn world was betraying them. But it came across as anger at them, for thinking it was her fault. It came across as a slap at them, not at everything except them.
Next week looks AWESOME.
