"Is this a social call, or are we on the verge of another coup?"I thought this was a jaw-dropper. And I'm not just talking about Jamie Bamber in a towel.
Having a reporter do a story on the show in order to give us a completely different viewpoint has certainly been done before: there was the famous M*A*S*H episode that won an Emmy, and the excellent ones they did on Babylon 5. But this was still a lot of fun to watch. There were so many interesting scenes:
— The almost surreal interview with Lt. Felix Gaeta, where he smoked, revealed his tattoo, and actually addressed my questions about his character. ("This is all I know: tech manuals, commands, and tactics.") So now we know why he's so rigid.
— Starbuck beating the crap out of a heavy bag in a scene reminiscent of Million Dollar Baby, and talking about needing new recruits who were "crazy enough to follow me into combat."
— The entire scene in the pilot's quarters, not just Jamie Bamber almost out of a towel. (Am I going on a bit too much about the towel, perhaps? My word.)
— That marvelous scene with Kat (full name, Louanne Katraine) when she talked to D'Anna about the pressure that led to her stims addiction.
— The way in which the Galactica marines were perceived, which intentionally (I'm sure) reflected both Vietnam and Iraq.
— The Chief (who to me resembles Scotty on Star Trek more and more with every episode) figuring out that something was wrong with a ship, mostly by feel ("Captain! I canna change the laws o' physics!")
— The exceedingly corny but still moving insertion of the original series music at the climax of the documentary.
The inspiring whitewash job at the end surprised me, because I was still expecting a hatchet job. They must have done that in order to knock us over with the big reveal. Xena a Cylon? Lucy Lawless must have committed to doing future episodes, and how cool is that? On second viewing, I noticed one tiny clue: the way D'Anna almost ignored Gaius not once, but twice. A real reporter would be gaga to interview the civilian vice president, wouldn't she?
As far as the Tigh and Ellen stuff went, I still think she's either a Cylon or a really, really lousy human being; it's too bad the guy didn't off her when he had the chance. Tigh may be a jerk, but he doesn't lack for courage, does he? But what could he have been thinking, accepting a drink from a reporter? Tigh as a character manages to create conflict almost effortlessly, and that's good writing.
Bits and pieces:
— This week's survivor count: 47,853, down two from the last episode. That would be Meier and that other guy who died on Kobol, right?
— The blonde hair and Kiwi accent threw me off; I didn't realize it was Lucy Lawless right away. And this from me, who nearly named her car Xena, Warrior Toyota. (In case you're curious, I ended up naming her Gabrielle, Amazon Toyota, instead.)
— Sharon appears to be having a difficult cross-species pregnancy. Should we be hoping she carries to term, or miscarries?
— There was mention of Freighter 212; Kat's parents are alive. She's luckier than most.
— "Caprican Life." Yes, they should definitely preserve and save any printed matter from the twelve colonies; they cannot be replaced. Surely there must be a librarian and/or archivist among those 47,853 people.
— Dualla now has a first name as pretty as she is: Anastasia.
— Number Six was wearing a black dress this time, although it was still very flimsy.
— Gaius: "That's show biz."
Was this a three or a four? I thought it was excellent. But I think almost every episode of this series is excellent,
Billie
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Billie Doux loves good television and spends way too much time writing about it.
I really loved how the interviews gave us more about the muave shirts (that's TV tropes speak for red shirts that have developed names and personalities, which makes it harder when they die) and secondary characters like Kat, Racetrack (who was seen at the momorial, I wonder if she knew someone that was shot) or Gaeta.
ReplyDeleteOf course right now this reminds me of the 4th and 5th episode of SGU and the Kino interviews. Man I miss SGU even as I discover all the inspirations it took from BSG.
I also miss B5, they did excellent journalist episodes. This one turned out differently, not propaganda but Cylon spying so it's refreshing.
I, too, was reminded of the M*A*S*H episode (it was called 'The Interview'). I tend to like these episodes because we get insight into characters that we don't usually see a lot of.
ReplyDeleteI was shocked at the reveal. Really did not see that coming at all. And I agree that Ellen must be a Cylon -- she is just too awful a human being.
My favourite scene by FAR is the Gaeta interview. Definitely not what I was expecting!
ReplyDeleteThe scenes with Kat missing the track explains how the pilots are coping (or not as the case may be) with the long hours and no relief... That was scary to see.
And Gaius is still a prick.
And now we know Cylon #6 is it? Halfway there!
>>"— The Chief (who to me resembles Scotty on Star Trek more and more with every episode)"
ReplyDeleteThat does make more sense than my inability to not compare him to O'Briney from DS9. They even both have Asian princesses. Actually speaking of DS9 comparisons the reason I find Ellen Tigh easier to tolerate is because Kai Winn exists lol. I mean Winn is without a doubt a much better written character but good lord I just could not deal with her on any level. She's the only one I ever wanted to strangle!
I was surprised/kinda touched to see the guy who was at Gideon didn't have to be stopped but just lost his nerve. It's like the humanizing touch they gave to that one right-hand man of Zarek's whose dying words were about just wanting him to get his dues.