BSG: Someone to Watch Over Me

[beccatoria]

Right, I'm gonna start with something of an analysis of the half-season so far versus the first half of the season, trying to work out why I'm responding differently; what I like, what I don't, where the difference is because the more I think about it, the more similarities I see.

Basically I loved the first half of the season and this half I'm...ambivalent about. I don't dislike it. I think I'm frustrated because there's so much good stuff here and I feel I'm missing out on fully enjoying it because...little things keep niggling.

I think the only difference might be that the 80% awesome 20% dodgy ratio in 4.0 kept the 20% dodgy to sections of the show I care less about.

So like, conceptually, I'm fine with 4.5. That's the frustrating thing.

In almost every instance, I'll love half of what they're going for. Which makes it frustrating because I can't just ditch it and move on because half of something awesome is tangled up in it.

So like, the SHAPE of this season, I'm really okay with. It's just...the execution sometimes.

For instance, the mutiny episodes, dudes, I loved the brutality, the senseless violence, the anger behind it. While I'm not as invested in this stuff as I am the magical Cylon stuff they were really good episodes. I believed them, they were painful. In terms of the shape of the show, they really did change the tone to something so much more nihilistic. It was a necessary story to tell and it made it simultaneously believable and utterly joyless that the Galactica was now forced to become a mixed ship and use the Cylon as part of their CAP and deck gang. Not some wonderful moment of acceptance (even though, obviously, were I in charge of Galactica I'd've welcomed them all with a party!) just...exhaustion.

But then, this great middle-ground of punishment - not killing but shipping off the mutineers to the prison ship so there is action, it's not forgotten, and has lasting consequences, is glossed over; and much more than that, we have Laura, in a moment I have been waiting, quite literally, the entire damn show for (screaming bloody vengeance and declaring war on humanity from the helm of a Cylon basestar) and I can't enjoy it because apparently Laura now only cares about her drunken, senile boyfriend. And yes, I can and do retcon it in my head that she's mad at Zarek for daring to suggest her surrender is for the "good of the people" but still. I'm not...happy about that.

Or take No Exit and Deadlock. The former I have only good things to say about. The latter...I'm not sure I'll ever be able to rewatch because it's so painful. But again, it's not an irredeemable piece of crap. In this instance it's not the characterisation but the actual plot that bothers me. Oddly I don't see much of a conflict between the Ellens of recent episodes. She's kind of drunken and she's a social manipulator, it's just that now she's a Cylon she's good at it. She was using it for "good" in No Exit and evil in Deadlock but status and relationship to those involved in both episodes was...entirely different and yeah, I'm kind of okay with her being the kind of petty person who flips out on people at times. There was so much amazing character work and character interaction in Deadlock (Drunkdama notwithstanding) but I do not understand the point of anything that happened. And I still don't.

Perhaps the simple truth of the matter is this: I'm too invested in this damn thing. This whole thing is one long story and I honestly, honestly believe that it'll soar or collapse based on the finale. Everything I dislike is redeemable (okay, perhaps not wholesale, but to a point where it no longer wounds the story as a whole). The question is whether I'll feel it has been redeemed.

The question is how I respond and write-up these episodes when I'm so acutely aware it's like reviewing chapter by chapter and I get more nervous with each one because CRUNCH TIME is coming. Sometimes I want to be horribly optimistic about everything so I don't feel like a depressive jackass when the finale comes and saves it. The other half of me wants to manage expectations so that I don't crash when the finale is a disappointment.

It's always in the last three or four episodes of a season (and the first arc of the next one, though in this instance that's not an issue *sniffle*) that everything starts becoming amazing again. Always.

So like, this episode is the start of the endgame. And they haven't let us down before.

*puts on the Hat of Optimism*

So, the actual episode!

Clearly I was always going to love it because it's a) about cylon mysticism, b) features mystic!Kara which is the Kara I love best and c) has a piano.

I was left very confused about Slick the piano player. The moment at the end with the finger shooting the key was clearly meant as some kind of reveal that he was really a hallucination of her dad or something, but I did have trouble believing that Starbuck wouldn't remember her own father. My Nana died when I was five but I'd recognise her if I saw her, I'm certain. Then again I guess I do have pictures of her, but I don't look at them frequently, but then again again, Kara's dad clearly held a lot of significance to her to the point that his music was what she wanted most out of everything in her bombed out apartment.

Interviews and the podcast, though, confirm that he was indeed meant to be Dreilide Thrace, Kara's father and that she simply didn't recognise him because she was so young, but also because she may have even been repressing that information. Which I guess I can buy; especially since the memories we see of hers focus on his hands and the playing and omit his face, perhaps suggesting that Kara chooses not to remember that because it's so painful.

Basically, I still find it kind of silly but am willing to go with it because I don't want to make the episode less awesome.

One thing I will say, though, is that I wish they'd left out, "Gods, you're just like my father!" because it hangs too much of a lantern on the absurdity of her not recognising him. If not for that line, I could be left with the very lovely, very strange, very sad interpretation that she knew him from the start, and knew he wasn't real, but went through that dance with him anyway, never calling out what he was in case...in case he went away? Because she was so angry? Because she felt there was no point? I'm not sure, but I do know that I thoroughly believe that Kara Thrace at this point in her life, if faced with a hallucinatory person, would shrug, exhausted, and just accept it and move on. And I'd kind of love that. If there'd just been some line at the end where she calls him, "Dad," like she knew all along. But hey.

I'm going to focus on, Dreilide Thrace live at the Helice Opera House.

Basically at this point, I feel kind of like I did about Liam's death, in that this episode raises a lot of questions but doesn't answer them and that there needs to be major Addressing Of This Issue before the end of the series. But I'm not specifically pissed that we didn't get lots of answers Here and Now. As long as we do eventually get them.

I mean, at this point, Dreilide = Daniel is just so blindingly obvious I'm worried that it's too obvious and they'll decide to leave it "open to interpretation" forever. I don't know. Come up with some cylons-cloned-you-from-your-ovary story to explain Starbuck's resurrection and never address her Father ever again, just have it as some weird personal-peace-making character interlude and not really address the fact that her dad taught her magical music.

And while I'd prefer they left it open to interpretation rather than actively shutting down that avenue of interpretation, I also want Starbuck's half-robotness explicated in the text. Badly. If that's what's going on. I think it would be cheap not to do that.

Fortunately, I also think that a lot of my nervousness on this point is just that I'm still kind of freaked out at having "called" this so...completely (with the creepy name coincidence and all) and that has made me so overinvested in it I'm paranoid of declaring victory too early and thus jinxing it.

I will say it still doesn't fit with the Nicky Tyrol retcon. Unless RDM was worried about somehow having to write in Nicky's connection to the music too or something. But dude, he's younger. He could just...slobber and look cute in the background or something.

I was entertained that Starbuck is like, "Guys, my DAD taught me this TWENTY YEARS AGO." And they're all, "You know what, HERA must be really important. Good thing Starbuck's dad could read her musical scribbles TWENTY YEARS BEFORE SHE EVER DREW THEM. We need to go find Hera."

The scene with Kara lying on Anders playing him the music at the end!

*flails*

WAKE UP, ANDERS! WAKE UP.

(Or, you know, let the Eights plug you into the datastream. But that worries me because what if you wake up and you're not Anders anymore. I WOULD BE SO SAD. Unless you were secretly Liam. That would just be funny. Not that I actually want or believe that to be the case.)

For some reason I am absurdly in love with the shot where the Final Five Four Three all hear the starts of the piano music before it really means anything to them and turn their heads ever so slightly. I just love it.

And Ellen Tigh is absurdly gorgeous in that shot. First she steals all of Laura's awesome bitchery and now she's being pretty? NO. I CALL FOUL. I WANT YOU TO BE HOT, ELLEN, BUT I MEAN HOT AS IN AFLAME.

Speaking of...I...liked her in this episode again. I still hate her for what she did to Caprica, and that anger is still mostly tied up in the fact that as I already mentioned, I didn't want to have to be mad at her, I didn't want to dislike that episode the way I did.

But I will give the show this: I was skeptical of Ellen Tigh as the final cylon and of what that would do to Tigh's character arc, etc., etc., etc. But they've mostly sold me on it. They've certainly sold me on Ellen Tigh as awesome (although I also loved her in S3). Though how the rest works out, like everything else, is still kind of up in the air.

TIGH. *hearts* It's so awful to see him off the wagon again, although also...I'm grateful to the writers for showing him as such a mess. I'm even grateful to Ellen for being so defensive of him.

I'm not grateful to the writers for failing to include even a single mention of Caprica and what the hell's going on with her. While I'm grateful that they didn't just make her the baby crazy person who made off with Hera or something, I do want to know, well, anything about where she is and what's going on and whether she's a catatonic mess. Is she still living with Tigh? Did she go back to the baseship? I mean, it would be in keeping with this show - and I wouldn't even be upset with it - if it was still horribly unresolved, with Tigh living with Caprica and in love with Ellen and everyone being an unholy mess. But I would like to see some of that, please.

I like the new Six, Sonja, obviously, because I like Sixes, but dammit, Tricia Helfer is in the weird position of being the only main credited cast member who has no main character. Grace Park had Boomer in S1 and Athena in S2 - S4. But Helfer is in the weird position of playing musical chairs with a number of B - D list characters. Even HeadSix who used to be in basically every episode isn't around much anymore, is probably not even real, and was always restricted to scenes with Baltar in where the same wasn't true for him.

Caprica is like...the main Real Six character we have, but her actual screentime is kind of laughable. Thus I am sad.

That said, I really didn't miss Baltar or Lee this episode, or yet more shots of drunken Adama. Or even Laura that much because I feel, as pellucid has mentioned in the past that at least if she's not around that much they're not screwing her up.

I kind of love that the show is increasingly becoming about these minor members of the ensemble cast. Tigh has probably gotten more play and screentime than most of the credited main cast members so far this season which I think is kind of hilarious and awesome.

I was glad to see them remembering that Laura has a weird tie to Hera and her collapse at Hera's kidnapping. I do wonder what's up with her though. She's not allowed to die before reclaiming her Awesome in the Opera House, dammit!

Speaking of, I dislike Hera 3.0. I know I'm probably going to hell for saying it, but she's nowhere near as cute as either Hera 2.0 or Hera 1.0. What's with all the recasting, guys?!

I have decided that clearly Hera 2.0 knew where this shit was headed and hired an impersonator. Next episode, Hera 2.0 will crawl out of those vents Tyrol was crawling through and resume her crayoning of doom, safe in the knowledge that she has already learned from the best (Laura Roslin) and realised that nearly all of life's problems can be solved with applied baby-snatching.

I also really have to hand it to Grace Park. I'm often ambivalent about her acting; I don't think she's bad but sometimes I have trouble connecting with her. But the bit at the end where Athena screams and starts hitting Helo was really, really painful. And I feel very bad for the people for whom this will be as traumatic as poor Liam's demise was for me.

I just don't know what to make of Boomer and Tyrol. I still...I want to give Chief a huge hug and I feel so hurt for him. But at the same time, dude, I think he killed that other Eight. Not knocked unconscious so that they'd realise later, but killed. Which...DUDE. CHIEF. NO. On the other hand, I'd love to see Chief in this mental state and Tory have a conversation about what happened to Cally. (And no, I'm not baying for Tory's blood. I heart Tory, hilarious cylon supremacy and all.)

And BOOMER. Oh.

On the one hand I'm upset, really upset because I wanted her to actually be forgiving Ellen. It was such a great moment. And I've always liked Boomer best of the Eights. And also I don't...I'm not entirely sure I get it. I don't understand what she still sees in Cavil. I don't understand where her anger at Ellen comes from unless she learned it from Cavil entirely, which I guess she could have, but it's still disappointing.

That said, I'm not ready to dismiss it as bad characterisation.

There's something valuable to this type of story too, especially when you contrast Caprica and Boomer's trajectories from that moment where they clasped hands in Downloaded. It's not actually like we often see stories about people who break so profoundly they can never be fixed on TV.

It's sort of what I've always said I wanted for Tigh albeit not with him going evil, just with him going insane. I still kind of want that but damn him I now also love him so much I just want him to learn to be okay.

The point is, I don't know what to do about Boomer. She certainly isn't helping my feeling that the Eights aren't really so much with the concepts of forgiveness or moving on and are scary, bitter people and the whole sweet and innocent thing is the thinnest of facades. Even if they often don't realise that themselves.

I'm not sure what the hell Cavil wants with Hera though. Unless Boomer's assistance of Ellen's escape was genuine and when she realised it wasn't going to go well she decided to run back to Cavil with something to convince him to take her back.

Or Cavil wants Hera as a bargaining chip for the five to rebuild resurrection.

Or just because he's a pissy, pissy little bitch and he's out for revenge justice.

Final note: OMG, the Cylon have a representative on the Quorum! And they decided to institute capital punishment which is hilarious and sad.

Also, the teaser owned my soul. Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous.

Comments

[callmeonetrack.livejournal.com]

One thing I will say, though, is that I wish they'd left out, "Gods, you're just like my father!" because it hangs too much of a lantern on the absurdity of her not recognising him.

This line is emblematic of my trouble with this episode maybe. It all felt entirely surface and unsubtle to me. I didn't see a lot of processing or emotional depth or reaction. This is the problem I've been having for the past three episodes. Things happen and people emote, but it doesn't feel like it really changes or touches them deeply the way such moments once did on this show.


I mean, at this point, Dreilide = Daniel is just so blindingly obvious I'm worried that it's too obvious and they'll decide to leave it "open to interpretation" forever. I don't know. Come up with some cylons-cloned-you-from-your-ovary story to explain Starbuck's resurrection and never address her Father ever again, just have it as some weird personal-peace-making character interlude and not really address the fact that her dad taught her magical music.

See I think that's it for Starbuck's "identity." I don't think they're ever going to explain how she came back. I really thought this was the episode where they were going to do that and there were no answers at all on that front. If they expect us to connect the dots from "she's half cylon because Drielide might be Daniel" to "obviously because she's half-cylon there's some magical resurrection pod/cloned bodies waiting for her somewhere...well, I can't get on board that.

I felt so mad/sad about this episode because I didn't see any revelations or peace in it for Kara. Yes, she got to have a head!convo with Dad again, but isn't it just like the convo she had with Mom in Maelstrom? It didn't really exist, so she didn't resolve anything!

[beccatoria.livejournal.com]

Hmm, the last few episodes have been kinder to me on that front than you in that I at least did buy the emotional storylines, although as you know, I have major, MAJOR issues with the plot those emotional moments were made to serve in the last episode.

But I do agree with you about this not being the end of Starbuck's story in any meaningful way. As you say, there are a lot of hints about her Dad but nothing that's concrete enough for me to feel comfortable that the show gave me an answer.

You have a good point about this episode and Maelstrom being instances of her finding "peace" with an unknown parent that then lead to an actual mystical revelation (either that she needed to kill herself, or that she knew magical music). In some ways I don't have any problems with her using her own memories of her parents to conjure closure. I guess the difference for me is that I felt like in Maelstrom she was actively lying to herself by making up this wonderful fantasy situation where her mother changed and became a nice person, whereas this felt slightly less self-delusional in terms of who her father really was? But that's...a personal interpretation, definitely.

Bottom line is, I'll feel jerked around if this is all we ever get on why Starbuck's dad knew that music, and I'll feel jerked around if this is the only explaination we ever get about how she came back. I'm pretty confident we'll get actual answers about where her body came from and stuff. It's whether this is the last we ever hear about her dad or how she knew that music that I'm more nervous of.

[callmeonetrack.livejournal.com]

Bottom line is, I'll feel jerked around if this is all we ever get on why Starbuck's dad knew that music, and I'll feel jerked around if this is the only explaination we ever get about how she came back. I'm pretty confident we'll get actual answers about where her body came from and stuff. It's whether this is the last we ever hear about her dad or how she knew that music that I'm more nervous of.

There's just so little time left for any of that, it's making me angsty and cynical. There's so much more plot they have to shove at us too! (Laura hasn't even died yet? They need a new home! Cavill hasn't shown up yet!) And so many characters. And only four hours. Eek.

[nightxade.livejournal.com]

But even if we are expected to accept that Starbuck was resurrected, where oh where is the res ship that also brings her back attached to her Viper?

[callmeonetrack.livejournal.com]

True, and it gets even more confusing if you really think about it because technically she died in the sky when she exploded into little bits right? So no body and no viper, yet she found burned out versions of both on Earth. So what the heck does that mean?

[daybreak777.livejournal.com]

I love your long reviews. It's like rewatching the episode with a snarky angel/demon on my shoulder. :-)

Sometimes I want to be horribly optimistic about everything so I don't feel like a depressive jackass when the finale comes and saves it. The other half of me wants to manage expectations so that I don't crash when the finale is a disappointment.
This is exactly how I feel. Exactly. They haven't really disappointed us before. Except I was kinda disappointed in Crossroads. But I feel the promos spoiled that for me so it wasn't really the writing's fault.

I have decided that clearly Hera 2.0 knew where this shit was headed and hired an impersonator.
Ha! I laughed out loud at this. Because I also had Real!Hera (2.0) and Real!Laura (dying but still a badass mofo) spirited away on the damaged basestar while Laura channeled her abilty to pwn into the child. Yes, while their posers continue on on the Big G. Surprise, Cavil she's not really Hera! Ah. This is the show in my head. But why the hell not?

Or just because he's a pissy, pissy little bitch and he's out for revenge justice.
Yep, and that would be fine and consistent to me. I do want Boomer to totally double-cross him in the end. Because she's a pissy bitch out for revenge as well and two can play at that game.

I'm glad you liked this one. Kara was in it so I was okay. And I'm happy to wait on what secret Head!Daddy was about. Kara seemed like she found a bit of peace for a little while whatever he was. I can only hope for the same for other characters before the end.

[beccatoria.livejournal.com]

You didn't like Crossroads? Aww, that makes me sad; I love Crossroads! But yeah, if you're not a spoiler type person, finding stuff out can affect your enjoyment, I imagine.

I COMPLETELY APPROVE OF YOUR THEORY THAT HERA AND LAURA ARE HANGING OUT IN ON THE BASESTAR.

I choose to combine this with kiki_miserychic's theory that Natalie and Liam are happily living in the upper level of the Opera House and figure that Hera and Laura are planning to move in there imminently and they can be a little quartet of PWNAGE, and eat popcorn and laugh as the ragtag fleet continually screws everything up.

Ahem.

I do quite like the idea of Cavil and Boomer wreaking mutual destruction on each other, though. I mean, on a serious level. Even though I also sort of want Athena to get to kill her slowly. (Would that be fratricide or suicide, one wonders?)

[raincitygirl.livejournal.com]

Speaking of, I dislike Hera 3.0. I know I'm probably going to hell for saying it, but she's nowhere near as cute as either Hera 2.0 or Hera 1.0. What's with all the recasting, guys?!

I have decided that clearly Hera 2.0 knew where this shit was headed and hired an impersonator. Next episode, Hera 2.0 will crawl out of those vents Tyrol was crawling through and resume her crayoning of doom, safe in the knowledge that she has already learned from the best (Laura Roslin) and realised that nearly all of life's problems can be solved with applied baby-snatching.

Bwahahahahahaaaaaa!!!!!!!!

As for Tyrol, if Random!Eight is actually dead as opposed to suffering from mild concussion, I will probably kill him myself.

[beccatoria.livejournal.com]

Hee! Glad I entertain.

I am relieved to say, after having rewatched I think that that Eight might only be unconscious. First time around I was grossed out because I thought that her eyes were half open and rolled back in her head, which I took to be...very, very bad. But on rewatching, I think that was just the lighting reflecting from her bruised face and that her eyes were just closed.

[pellucid.livejournal.com]

I agree completely, except for the part about liking the prominence of the formerly minor characters. I mean, I adore Saul Tigh, be even I'm getting tired of him and would rather have some Space Family bonding instead.

Otherwise, though, yes, absolutely, and perhaps most of all to your opening thoughts. I feel like so much of what has happened in 4.5 has been what I expected and/or wanted, yet NOT LIKE THIS!!!!! The unevenness of the execution is killing me, and yes, it's so hard to know how to feel or what to expect anymore--I don't want to get my hopes up, but I also don't want to get myself in such a bad mood about the whole thing that I won't enjoy it even if it is good. I'm starting to think, though, that they're not going to be able to redeem some of this. Even if the end is awesome, that doesn't take away some of the messes of the what they've done to Laura, or Caprica and Liam, etc.

And I agree with you about Kara not recognizing her dad. There were just a few little tweaks they could have made to that whole scene that would have improved it tremendously without taking anything away from what they were trying to do. But then again, that's exactly how I feel about SO much of this season, so...who knows. *sigh*

[beccatoria.livejournal.com]

I think that the reason I don't miss the Space Family is just tied to my dislike of Adama, honestly. So like, when they give us good and interesting ones then that's great and I realise I like that part of the show, but it's a fifty-fifty chance these days that I'll dislike the entire set up so I'm just...cool with the Space Family interacting with their various second-cousins instead?

I would LOVE to see more of Kara and Laura because they need to talk about RELIGION and stuff and it might signify Laura actually getting a mythological storyline again. But those two have never really had much in the way of Space Family interactions anyway. As to the rest, I'm sad to say it's kind of gone the way of "if there's not much of it, they can't screw it up..." :/

I also worry that they can't possibly make it up to me. I guess that for me, it's not so much that they can make up for the mess, but by giving me an amazing ending, they can give me a tool, that when thinking about the entire show, will give me something to hang on to while thinking about the crappier parts. Like, I'll handle the fact Laura went "funny" for five episodes in S4 a lot better if she's beautiful and redeemed in the finale. I'll handle Liam's death a lot better if Caprica gets an ending that validates her as significant and worthy of love on her own terms and either gives her a replacement goldfish kid or shows her feeling in control of that aspect of her life and decisions regarding that part of her life.

I mean, a dream scenario would be Laura actually realising she's been doing the wrong thing and stepping up. A dream scenario would be Caprica going nuts and taking names and declaring vengeance through the fourth wall and pwning all over the finale, ditching Baltar, decrying everyone who failed to love her and getting made president of the galaxy.

But failing that, I really do think they can at least write a finale good enough that the uncomfortable feelings I have right now are nowhere near as prominent on rewatching. The worst part is...I actually kind of trust them to do it. Which is dangerous.

[callmeonetrack.livejournal.com]

I rewatched this this morning and noticed the shot right before Kara is lying on Sam's chest is of her dad's "album cover" and he has the hat on (from the piano) and super long hippie hair. So maybe she didn't recognize him because of the haircut. Heh.

[beccatoria.livejournal.com]

Hee! I know, I noticed that. I thought maybe it was a nod to Bear McCreary because he has long hair and they worked with him really closely to the point of modelling parts of Slick's character on him and even having him audition for the part?

In the podcast, it's kind of clear that the original intention was to have him look like he hadn't aged since he left which again was supposed to throw off audience's suspicions about him being Kara's father. But the actor they eventually went with (in part because of his physical resemblance to Katee Sackhoff and his ability to play the piano) looks more like mid- or even late-forties to me rather than the thirties kind of vibe I think they were going for.

So maybe, given what we got on screen, yeah, Kara's subconscious aged him and cut his hair to look like what she imagined he's look like now?

Otherwise maybe that's a really, really old recording. I wonder if it's actually a picture of the actor who played her father? I'd guess so at least.

[callmeonetrack.livejournal.com]

Heh I don't know. I used to watch Days of Our Lives when Roark Critchlow played a handsome young doctor on it in the early/mid 90s. It was a shock to see him so grizzled here. But he's probably early-mid 40s.

[frolicndetour.livejournal.com]

Which I guess I can buy; especially since the memories we see of hers focus on his hands and the playing and omit his face, perhaps suggesting that Kara chooses not to remember that because it's so painful.

I can buy that, and podcast aside, I think Kara recognized him from the beginning, she just wouldn't let herself acknowledge it? That's what I got from the way Katee played it. She was so sweet and tentative and little-girl like as soon as they really started to talk, and when she asks him if he ever stopped to consider what he was doing to his kid, her expression goes from furious to pleading (and my heart breaks.) That makes the most sense of their interactions to me.

But dude, he's younger. He could just...slobber and look cute in the background or something.

LOL. And yeah, I really want them to explicate Kara's half-robotness or half-LoK'ness or Auroraness or whatever. But like you with Roslin, I also feel like if they never make it definite they can't screw it up, so I'm willing to put off the final answers.

I was entertained that Starbuck is like, "Guys, my DAD taught me this TWENTY YEARS AGO." And they're all, "You know what, HERA must be really important.

Srsly. Plus, SHE CAME BACK FROM THE DEAD AND LED THEM TO THEIR FORMER HOMELAND. Why will no one figure out how special my girl is??

Anders needs to wake up RFN. :( I'm SO scared they'll make him a Hybrid and he'll never be our Sam again.

I have decided that clearly Hera 2.0 knew where this shit was headed and hired an impersonator.

Heh. Yeah, I liked Hera 2.0 better, but maybe she was getting too big? The new one just had too much makeup on, I think.

Not much to add to your thoughts on Boomer and the Eights or the hilarity of the Cylons and their embrace of capital punishment for war criminals. SIGH.

[beccatoria.livejournal.com]

Yes, I definitely felt like she was at least subconsciously aware of who he was the whole time. (One of the reasons I wish they'd cut the "You sound like my father!" line; it was unnecessary and kind of ruined the subtlety for me.)

I think the reason I'm super-eager for them to make it clear what Kara is, just beyond my own over-investment in the story, is that it's a real loose end otherwise. And I'm actually happy to accept just "it was mystic" a lot of the time. Like before these episodes (like, before No Exit), I would honestly have been willing to accept us never knowing and having it be some magical, mystical event that was never explained. But now that they're teasing us with all this stuff about Daniel and Dreilide and stuff it's gonna feel like a real cop out if they stop short of making it clear.

It's not giving us a mystic set up and saying, "explain it yourself," at that point. It's giving you 80% of the answer and witholding the final 20% of it like a carrot on a stick. *nervous!*

Srsly. Plus, SHE CAME BACK FROM THE DEAD AND LED THEM TO THEIR FORMER HOMELAND. Why will no one figure out how special my girl is??

One thing I totally forgot to mention up there is Kara's tie to the music. And the Final Five. And specialness.

Because yeah, she doesn't just have a destiny, she has one specifically tied to the Cylon Race and the CREATORS of the current Cylon race.

Okay, so maybe Hera magically knew this song on her own while Kara had to be taught it by someone else, but she appeared in the nebula that sang that song to the FF. Yeah they'd been hearing it for a while, but at the crisis point, there's Kara in her beautiful viper, and given that it was the song that made them return to that viper again, and given that, as you point out, the whole thing Kara lead them to, in hindsight, WASN'T the promised land for humans but the former home of the Cylon... Dude, Kara like...is that music.

Heh. Yeah, I liked Hera 2.0 better, but maybe she was getting too big? The new one just had too much makeup on, I think.

I guess due to the break in filming that could be true, but then again, this kid looked older than the last Hera to me.

And yes! The make-up! I couldn't put my finger on what looked wrong with her, but yeah, she looked like she was wearing blusher and stuff and on a three-year old that's kinda creepy. And not in the awesome Hera 2.0 way either...

[nightxade.livejournal.com]

I agree with you on the second half of the season and I think that's because there is still alot of story to tell regarding characters individually, the Galactica herself and the Cylon civil war, the truce with the rebels and the search for a new home -- but there's so little time left that we're just going to have to rely on fanfic writers to tell the story that the writers are failing on (so you better get on it, becca!!)

Do you think Boomer hates Ellen? I was thinking she really just hates Athena THAT DAMN MUCH and jumped on this opportunity which likely did come from Cavil. But I don't think she's that taken by Cavil either. She's just wishing for a place to fit in and has only had her dream house for that. Hm yeah thinking about it, taking Hera would have been enough to hurt Athena, but if that was under Cavil's order, then taking Helo? Well that could be Boomer's tribute to Ellen, because that was definitely an Ellen-worthy display of free well.

Ellen? I feel a little pain for her and understand why she did what she did to Caprica -- well, to Tigh, though I believe she didn't expect it to go that far and probably doesn't actually blame herself as I do for causing Caprica the level of stress that would destory Liam. It must have been a bitch to her to learn that she and Tigh had failed to conceive all this time because Tigh obviously hadn't loved her (according to Cylon thinking.)

Whether or not the Random Eight is dead, Tyrol better go and hide on the Baseship because his actions definitely deserve a reckoning. Poor dear.

I'll go with the simple reasoning that Kara didn't recognize her dad because she wasn't expecting any such thing and has partially blocked things out.

[beccatoria.livejournal.com]

Ha! No sir, I only predict plot with absurd detail-oriented accuracy and rather poor plot-arc accuracy in my stories! ;) Writers can flesh the rest out themselves, lazy gits... :p

To be honest, I don't know what Boomer really thinks. I like your idea that she's not so hot on Cavil either and just...can't find a place to fit. But her violent bitterness is kind of preventing her from ever having even the potential to fit anywhere other than in her head. I think the saddest thing is I don't believe that dream house was entirely a fabrication. But when Boomer does what she does in this episode, she knows that she's turning her back on a guy I believe she genuinely loves and who is completely willing to accept her as she is now, for what? For Cavil? For a chance to beat up Athena?

I really don't know what her endgame is, but at this point my main hope for her is that she has her own agenda of some kind beyond just being Cavil's puppet.

Tyrol better go and hide on the Baseship because his actions definitely deserve a reckoning. Poor dear.

Except with their newfound love of capital punishment, they might just put him on trial for treason instead... o_O

[asta77.livejournal.com]

It was a necessary story to tell and it made it simultaneously believable and utterly joyless that the Galactica was now forced to become a mixed ship and use the Cylon as part of their CAP and deck gang. Not some wonderful moment of acceptance (even though, obviously, were I in charge of Galactica I'd've welcomed them all with a party!) just...exhaustion.

There’s been criticism from fans about the Cylon/Human alliance/quasi-reconciliation. We’ve discussed how, if not certain it was coming, saw it as a distinct possibility. I don’t understand the anger at this turn precisely because it has played out as you described this. No one is happy about this alliance. It’s something both races feel they have to for their survival. The fleet needs the Cylon basestar, firepower, and personnel and the Cylons need the possibility of hooking up with humans and having babies. The alliance has been shown not to be a good thing, but a necessary thing. And I’m OK with that.

This whole thing is one long story and I honestly, honestly believe that it'll soar or collapse based on the finale.

Yeah, it’s hard for me to be too critical right now (accept for ‘Deadlock’, that was just really sloppy writing and editing), because we know that so much of this is set up for the final three hours. I expect the payoff to be good, if not, then I can bitch. :p

It's always in the last three or four episodes of a season (and the first arc of the next one, though in this instance that's not an issue *sniffle*) that everything starts becoming amazing again. Always.

I agree. I was flailing about Lee until ‘The Son Also Rises’ and ‘Crossroads Pt 1 & Pt 2’, then I was given back the Lee Adama I know and love. AND they gave us back Lee/Laura to boot! Overall, I’ve been very happy with Lee’s arc and his relationship with Laura in Season 4 and because and most of the characterization makes sense to me and the plotlines are developing pretty much as I expected so I have a lot of faith that I’ll be pleased with the end of the series. I just can’t believe after giving us so much good stuff they could screw it up that badly!

(Or, you know, let the Eights plug you into the datastream. But that worries me because what if you wake up and you're not Anders anymore. I WOULD BE SO SAD. Unless you were secretly Liam. That would just be funny. Not that I actually want or believe that to be the case.)

And I can envision all the Sam haters saying, “Look! I told you he was just a big baby!” ;p

I like the new Six, Sonja, obviously, because I like Sixes, but dammit, Tricia Helfer is in the weird position of being the only main credited cast member who has no main character.

Before Lee said her name, I thought it was Caprica. Which left me thinking, ‘Oh, she lost the baby but she’s not letting that destroy her. She’s stepping up to lead her people.’ But, sigh, it’s some Six we never met before. And are they just getting lazy about differentiating them? Couldn’t they have made her a brunette or put her in a dress or something???

I have decided that clearly Hera 2.0 knew where this shit was headed and hired an impersonator.

Your entire comment about Hera is HILARIOUS.

It's not actually like we often see stories about people who break so profoundly they can never be fixed on TV.

And I think this is the jist of what happened to Boomer. She’s too broken at this point; too consumed by anger, rage, and revenge. Maybe if Adama hadn’t thrown her in the brig things would have been different, but I doubt it. The look on her face when she was taken away last week told me she knew what was going to happen. And her comment to Tyrol this week about all the betrayals *she* had to endure should have been a red flag. She’s incapable of seeing how her actions are perceived by others. At least Athena understood why she had to work so damn hard to prove herself.

I’m not sure what Cavil’s plan for Hera is either. I don’t know why he needs her as a bargaining chip. He obviously could have tracked the raptor, jumped in with half a dozen basestars, and threatened to destroy them all unless the Five did what he wanted.

[beccatoria.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I'm completely on the same page as you regarding the Cylon Alliance. And for me, that's not so surprising because I love the Cylon and always wanted there to end up being some kind of Alliance/co-mingling, etc. but I also never wanted the actual war to be forgotten. By having a splinter group of Cylon who defected, I kind of get the best of both worlds. But it does reassure me a lot that you feel the same way since I know that you're not quite as full on Team Cylon! as I am... :p

I expect the payoff to be good, if not, then I can bitch. :p

*BITES NAILS*

I agree. I was flailing about Lee until ‘The Son Also Rises’ and ‘Crossroads Pt 1 & Pt 2’, then I was given back the Lee Adama I know and love. AND they gave us back Lee/Laura to boot!

It was the same in seasons one and two as well. In season two the last four episodes were The Captain's Hand which was a real step up in terms of nuanced political military storytelling (since we'd just had to sit through Black Market and Sacrifice) and saw Lee too charge of Pegasus, followed by the MetaType Downloaded (analogous to Maelstrom and STWOM in S3 & S4), and then the big clusterfrak of epic ending.

In season one we got Hand of God, Colonial Day and Kobol's Last Gleaming. This time they mixed the metaphysical up with the military episode rather than the political episode, but we still get two episodes about either political/military or mystical stuff preceeding an Epic Ending, and often, Lee flails around all season until in the last leg they remember he is a) principled and b) political. Here's hoping he gets some good stuff (WITH LAURA) soon.

Although I'm hoping the Canadian promo for next week looks more inspiring than the SciFi one (a common occurence) since it looks like we'll be subjected to YET ANOTHER episode of Adama drunkenly swaggering all over his dying "girl". And by "girl" thank the gods I mean Galactica.

Re: Caprica. Yeah, putting her as the quorum representative could have been really interesting. I'm not terribly upset that they didn't since I do think it'd be in character for her to be too devastated to do much right now, but again I WOULD LIKE TO SEE THAT, PLEASE.

I'm also kind of okay with Sonja being very "standard Six" because it kind of breaks down the idea that only the more visually individual Sixes have personality. But yes, different clothes would have been good.

I'm kind of disappointed we have no idea how Caprica is interacting with her people, if at all. She's always seemed such a reclusive, mythical hero figure to them. She wrenches their society apart in these shocking ways, and they all know her name; she was the first one to be so named, against her will. And yet. She doesn't seem to want the attention. D'anna takes over on New Caprica. She plays second string to her on the basestar. She helps rescue Hera and ends up sat in a prison cell for almost a year. She's finally reunited with her people because they followed her example, essentially, and she just...stays aboard Galactica like she wouldn't know what to say to them if she did meet them. And maybe she wouldn't. It doesn't feel hostile, like Athena's aversion, especially since she's all about the future of her race. But I do get the sense she doesn't know what they want from her or how to give it. Though that could simply be the show's continual and shocking tendency to ignore her character.

[coffeejunkii.livejournal.com]

if they don't explain what happened to starbuck, i'll be pissed. they have to explain it. i refuse to believe otherwise.

Or, you know, let the Eights plug you into the datastream

i was thinking about that, too. it seems like a really good option at this point because he was already babbling like a hybrid and clearly has some brain activity. perhaps this activity needs a different outlet. since i never cared for anders as a person, i wouldn't mind if he transformed into something else.

[beccatoria.livejournal.com]

ME TOO. I WANT TO KNOW.

I'm really torn on the Sam thing. On the one hand, plugging him into the datastream and turning him into a hybrid is all kinds of awesome. On the other hand it also strikes me as permanent and I really want him to, like, get better because I wuv him, and I don't want Kara to lose someone else. :(

[coffeejunkii.livejournal.com]

well, rdm says a few things about anders in the podcast. sort of in passing, but it might still be spoilerish, so look at a podcast recap if you feel like knowing. also, in total wtf!rdm fashion, he honestly said that all the eights share similar traits so you can't totally blame helo for not recognizing boomer. besides, helo really wanted to have sex, you see, and wasn't thinking clearly. erm. sure thing, ron!

[cyborganize.livejournal.com]

I am similarly exhausted by 4.5's peculiar blend of awesomeness that doesn't FEEL awesome BECAUSE GIRLS DON'T TALK TO EACH OTHER. I honestly think that is behind a lot of the sense of emptiness, because the endgame arc is still so clearly about what's going on with the women and yet there are always these men standing between them emoting and being generally irrelevant (Tigh excepted). it's like what grrl_unscripted keeps ranting about re: Laura is DYING and we see the whole thing from ADAMA'S POV. yes, I am a man-hating lesbian. if we don't want to attribute it to the uselessness of the boys in general we could certainly say that the absence of Laura in particular leaves an absence at the show's core.

[beccatoria.livejournal.com]

I am similarly exhausted by 4.5's peculiar blend of awesomeness that doesn't FEEL awesome BECAUSE GIRLS DON'T TALK TO EACH OTHER.

UGH I KNOW. It's like season one all over again. Except in season one we didn't really realise (at least not until Flesh and Bone how much more awesome things would immediately get if the girls were just allowed to talk to each other).

The thing that makes me saddest about Tigh is, while I still love him, and still love that he's relevant in ways Adama is not, I love Tigh best when he's not actually being BFFs with Adama.

The barriers that existed between the two of them and allowed Tigh to develop on his own, that started in season three, crumbled away after 4x12, and crumbled further once Liam died and Saul went running back to Bill's arms. Now they're BFFs again and while I find it hilarious that the OTP of the show, as explicated by Ellen is really the OT3 of Galactica/Bill/Saul, I'm tired of seeing them get drunk together.

I'm miss the angry, bitter, capable Tigh of New Caprica. The broken, insane Tigh of late season three. The brave, honest and lost Tigh of 4.0, who stood in an airlock with no regrets.

I don't want the Tigh who harps on about Bill's friendship meaning more than 2,000 years of marriage and apparently dumps his ex for weeks in the sick bay without so much as a goodbye. I mean...I would love that Tigh too, if the toxic presence of Adama didn't taint him with the same, "Old Man Angst makes Everyone Else Wrong and You Right," brush.

GIVE ME BACK TIGH, YOU BASTARDS.

(Note: I am actually okay with his characterisation; I'm just sad about it.)

Laura is DYING and we see the whole thing from ADAMA'S POV. yes, I am a man-hating lesbian.

UGH YES. I mean, I am 100% sure I'd be coping better with Caprica's character treatment (since it's par for the course) if they'd just LET ME KEEP LAURA.

Can I be an honourary man-hating lesbian in the context of this show, please? I think I would fit in better in your commune. Other people show an alarming tendency to like That Man.

if we don't want to attribute it to the uselessness of the boys in general we could certainly say that the absence of Laura in particular leaves an absence at the show's core.

It's alternate readings like these that basically keep me sane.

I hate that I think the show's asking me to view Laura's backseat role as "happiness" but at least I have the satisfaction of watching the entire fleet fall apart as soon as she "leaves".

And also, I think I can hack this as a fanwanky way to still love bits of it because it's true. Even if the writers didn't realise it, even if they didn't intend it, just look at the damn show. It's hollow when that mythic aspect (which is so tied up with the women) is absent.

I loved Adama's irrelevance in 4.0. I also love it in 4.5; I'm glad the writers didn't try to make him cosmically relevant. I just wish they weren't trying to compensate by showing us a million shots of his toothbrushing, goo-staring angst.