Battlestar Gallactica
Mar. 26th, 2005 03:12 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shipperxI'm not as gah-gah over this series as some. I haven't really formed any emotional connections to it. On the other hand, I've seen some people say that it's kind of boring. I don't think it's boring in the least. I do think it's sort of a story on a slow boil. If you're piddling around the house doing something else, it doesn't grab the attention. But when you sit and watch. . .it's really quite intelligent and fascinating.
I haven't developed any emotional connection to the series yet, but I think it's showing signs of being a realy strong show.
I always think that a good show mythology (and show characters) is a layering process. Shows, good ones, don't come fully formed. It takes presenting a strong premise, then slowly making it more complex (same goes with characters). Battlestar Galactica is doing that. I like the universe that they are creating -- dark, conflicted, and very intelligent. I like the questions the series asks. And, honestly, it's usually the questions that grab me in a series and get my attentions.
I liked BtVS in the early years but thought of it as mostly fluff. I didn't become fascinated until Mutant Enemy accidentally stumbled across the whole set of conflicting views and questions on souls and redemption. Essentially, Buffy the Hero is fluff and while amusing wasn't something that would ever have consumed me. The question of soul and redemption -- what is redeemed? Can one be redeemed? What defines conscience? Is there any such thing as selfless love? THAT is consuming. So, really, ultimately, it wasn't Buffy that got me addicted (I watched from the beginning but only as an occasional viewer). I was addicted to Spike and to some degree Angel (okay, other than in Spive v. Angel debates, I more often than not liked the big guy... or at least found him interesting.) The hard truth is, it was the Vampire in Buffy the Vampire Slayer that made the series of interest to me, never the Buffy of it (which is why I'm one of those viewers at odds with so much of Joss's vision).
I was also consumed by the X-Files. I loved Scully's and Mulder's endless debates on science and belief. And I loved the convoluted mythology that always boiled down to "the search for truth." What made X-Files fascinating for me was never the MotW in themselves. It was the push/pull tension of reason and faith (that and ships. Ships never hurt... until Mutant Enemy rips your heart out and stomps on it, throws it in a shredder, then wonders why you're laying there bleeding...) But, again, it was the questions the show raised that initially ignited my interest.
Battlestar Galactica is beginning to raise some very interesting issues. I've found that I really enjoy the character of Boomer. . . or is that characters since there are two of her? She brings a lot of near Spikean baggage. She is a Cylon. Is she "doomed" to evil because of that? Can she break that programming? I'm pretty sure that at least one of the Boomers will fail in spectacular fashion (I know no spoilers so I don't know if this is tha case coming up soon... or ever). Just from a storytelling standpoint, I believe that at least one of the Boomers must fail spectacularly so that it will weigh heavily on the other Boomer whether or not she is doomed to always be a product of her programming (and I don't know which Boomer that would be). Boomer's suicide attempt this week was as interesting in that she attempted suicide as that she failed. And it was teling that Six called Boomer a "flawed" model, "weak" (Is that anything like "stinking of humanity?" I wonder). Boomer's situation is interesting.
Baltar is skeevy and buggering psychotic! But, boy, is he interesting. His whole sick, sick "relationship" with Six. His rise to political power. His self serving nature just all got so much more... scarey and fascinating now that he's got a thing for Starbuck. His talking Boomer into suicide was just... fascinating. He would be less fascinating if he were deliberately "bad." He doesn't want to be the bad guy... he just is ... because he is weak, selfish, and self serving. Plus the actor does psycho so well.
Starbuck is turning into a compelling hero. (I'm perversely pleased about that. I loved the orginal space cowboy Starbuck so, sex reassignment and all in the updated version, I'm glad that my favorite character from the original has fared well and is now a fascinating, heroic space cowgirl).
I also like Roslin. Dying of cancer and yet pressed by need to lead these people. Her calm resolution and determination reminds me of Scully in the XF ep Memento Mori. I loved that about Scully and it endears President Roslin to me. Roslin's being shifted into the area of religious profit also reminds me of Sisko on Star Trek DS9 (which shouldn't surprise since Ron Moore wrote for DS9). The whole tug of war with politics and the military is interesting. Now, throwing religion into the mix makes it only more interesting. Taking these issues, restaging them, and saying "what if?" is where sci-fi excells.
And, I really like the way they've written the women. Most of the men are, eh. At this point. I like Helo a lot. But I haven't fallen for any of the male characters (other than the "Eee! He's creepy!" fascination with Baltar which is sort of like my feelings for Scorpious. I wouldn't call it "like" but I certainly enjoy his presence because every show needs a creepy, brilliant bastard.) Other than that, most of the guys on the show leave me lukewarm to cold (I'm sorry. I really haven't developed any Apollo love.)
BSG has the makings of a really interesting series and is developing nicely. I'm slow to love series. It usually takes a while for me to warm up. But thus far BSG has shown a good premise and is asking really interesting questions. It's acquiring enough layers to be shaping up as a potentially really interesting series.
I haven't developed any emotional connection to the series yet, but I think it's showing signs of being a realy strong show.
I always think that a good show mythology (and show characters) is a layering process. Shows, good ones, don't come fully formed. It takes presenting a strong premise, then slowly making it more complex (same goes with characters). Battlestar Galactica is doing that. I like the universe that they are creating -- dark, conflicted, and very intelligent. I like the questions the series asks. And, honestly, it's usually the questions that grab me in a series and get my attentions.
I liked BtVS in the early years but thought of it as mostly fluff. I didn't become fascinated until Mutant Enemy accidentally stumbled across the whole set of conflicting views and questions on souls and redemption. Essentially, Buffy the Hero is fluff and while amusing wasn't something that would ever have consumed me. The question of soul and redemption -- what is redeemed? Can one be redeemed? What defines conscience? Is there any such thing as selfless love? THAT is consuming. So, really, ultimately, it wasn't Buffy that got me addicted (I watched from the beginning but only as an occasional viewer). I was addicted to Spike and to some degree Angel (okay, other than in Spive v. Angel debates, I more often than not liked the big guy... or at least found him interesting.) The hard truth is, it was the Vampire in Buffy the Vampire Slayer that made the series of interest to me, never the Buffy of it (which is why I'm one of those viewers at odds with so much of Joss's vision).
I was also consumed by the X-Files. I loved Scully's and Mulder's endless debates on science and belief. And I loved the convoluted mythology that always boiled down to "the search for truth." What made X-Files fascinating for me was never the MotW in themselves. It was the push/pull tension of reason and faith (that and ships. Ships never hurt... until Mutant Enemy rips your heart out and stomps on it, throws it in a shredder, then wonders why you're laying there bleeding...) But, again, it was the questions the show raised that initially ignited my interest.
Battlestar Galactica is beginning to raise some very interesting issues. I've found that I really enjoy the character of Boomer. . . or is that characters since there are two of her? She brings a lot of near Spikean baggage. She is a Cylon. Is she "doomed" to evil because of that? Can she break that programming? I'm pretty sure that at least one of the Boomers will fail in spectacular fashion (I know no spoilers so I don't know if this is tha case coming up soon... or ever). Just from a storytelling standpoint, I believe that at least one of the Boomers must fail spectacularly so that it will weigh heavily on the other Boomer whether or not she is doomed to always be a product of her programming (and I don't know which Boomer that would be). Boomer's suicide attempt this week was as interesting in that she attempted suicide as that she failed. And it was teling that Six called Boomer a "flawed" model, "weak" (Is that anything like "stinking of humanity?" I wonder). Boomer's situation is interesting.
Baltar is skeevy and buggering psychotic! But, boy, is he interesting. His whole sick, sick "relationship" with Six. His rise to political power. His self serving nature just all got so much more... scarey and fascinating now that he's got a thing for Starbuck. His talking Boomer into suicide was just... fascinating. He would be less fascinating if he were deliberately "bad." He doesn't want to be the bad guy... he just is ... because he is weak, selfish, and self serving. Plus the actor does psycho so well.
Starbuck is turning into a compelling hero. (I'm perversely pleased about that. I loved the orginal space cowboy Starbuck so, sex reassignment and all in the updated version, I'm glad that my favorite character from the original has fared well and is now a fascinating, heroic space cowgirl).
I also like Roslin. Dying of cancer and yet pressed by need to lead these people. Her calm resolution and determination reminds me of Scully in the XF ep Memento Mori. I loved that about Scully and it endears President Roslin to me. Roslin's being shifted into the area of religious profit also reminds me of Sisko on Star Trek DS9 (which shouldn't surprise since Ron Moore wrote for DS9). The whole tug of war with politics and the military is interesting. Now, throwing religion into the mix makes it only more interesting. Taking these issues, restaging them, and saying "what if?" is where sci-fi excells.
And, I really like the way they've written the women. Most of the men are, eh. At this point. I like Helo a lot. But I haven't fallen for any of the male characters (other than the "Eee! He's creepy!" fascination with Baltar which is sort of like my feelings for Scorpious. I wouldn't call it "like" but I certainly enjoy his presence because every show needs a creepy, brilliant bastard.) Other than that, most of the guys on the show leave me lukewarm to cold (I'm sorry. I really haven't developed any Apollo love.)
BSG has the makings of a really interesting series and is developing nicely. I'm slow to love series. It usually takes a while for me to warm up. But thus far BSG has shown a good premise and is asking really interesting questions. It's acquiring enough layers to be shaping up as a potentially really interesting series.
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no subject
Date: 2005-03-26 09:29 pm (UTC)And I need to reread your thoughts on BSG later, when my brain is turned on. It's a show I find interesting and enjoyable, but like you, I have no emotional investment in it, and I'm not sure I ever will. As I was just saying in a comment elsewhere, FS is the bar for all sci fi shows for me, and I don't think anything can ever match it, much less raise it.
no subject
Date: 2005-03-28 05:04 pm (UTC)And Farscape is a unique jewel. It's like a beloved novel becuase the whole series works so perfectly as a long series arc. That is very, very, VERY rare. All that plus a great love story. Farscape was special.
no subject
Date: 2005-03-28 05:44 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-03-26 10:15 pm (UTC)bsg generates for me a deep appreciation of the artistry of the acting, filming, editing, writing, music, and lighting. it's really beautifully put together. but i'm not emotionally invested in the characters in the same way i am with farscape's.
and although there's room in my heart and head for many different scifi shows, none of them have impacted me the way farscape does.
as for giaus, yikes, he's like watching a train wreck, i can't turn away. his pathology is astonishing in it's depth and creativity.
i'm appreciating apollo, but he's no daniel jackson or john crichton (here showeth my bias).
and i'm looking forward to seeing ben browder on tv in *any* role. *g*
ps. edited to fix the lj user name. ;)
no subject
Date: 2005-03-29 02:07 am (UTC)That's it, exactly. Farscape worked on the emotions, the relationships, the psychological turmoil. The underlying part of Farscape was visceral and emotional.
BSG is intellectually interesting but on a gut and heart level, I remain almost entirely uninvolved. I have no emotional investment in the characters. I can become fascinated by the issues, but there no character on the show that I would cry for.
I sobbed for Aeryn, Crichton, and D'Argo... and that's the difference.
no subject
Date: 2005-03-27 01:05 am (UTC)I totally agree with you about BSG. It's only recently that I've started to actually like the show. I guess because the original series with it's space cowboy themes was a big part of my formative years. I'm having a hard time adjusting to the deeper themes of this new iteration. That and I hate Six with all the fiery passions of hell. But I do like Boomer and Starbuck so I'm interested in seeing how their stories play out.
And your icon is hysterical.
no subject
Date: 2005-03-29 02:09 am (UTC)I too remember the original BSG from when I was a small kid and I remember it as being fun. Present BSG is intelligent but it's not "fun." It's interesting though. And these days Boomer is the most interesting for me with Baltar being the next. They're just so messed up that they're interesting.
And glad you liked my Harvey/Crichton Easter Bunnies. :)
no subject
Date: 2005-03-27 02:15 am (UTC)See, but that's the problem for me -- I try to watch it, and it doesn't hold my interest. I usually end up reading the paper, or a novel, or turning on the laptop, and when I finally look up again, I have no idea what's going on. I've tried to watch at least five different times, the last time being last night, and my attention has never been sustained once. When I contrast this to Deadwood or Veronica Mars or Farscape or even Lost or (yeah) BtVS, which all engaged my interest almost immediately, I know there's some fundamental thing lacking in BSG for me.
Part of this is the casting -- I out-and-out loathe several of actors and feel pretty "meh" about the rest of them, save the woman who plays Starbuck, who reminds me of Romola Garai -- she's sort of vulnerable/tough in the way Garai's characters always are. Actors are a big draw for me -- it's why I watch Lost (which is full of actors I love) but refuse ever to watch Desperate Housewives (which isn't, although I do love Eva Longoria). And even though I wasn't familiar with any of the actors on Farscape when it began, they were all so obviously terrific I was hooked immediately.
Unfortunately, almost no one on BSG can mitigate the horrors of Olmos, McConnell and that horrible girl who plays Boomer -- I've only seen her a couple of times but every time I have I've wanted to stab her repeatedly (I did see that guy shoot her yesterday, and my only thought was "God! What took you people so long?"), and the Bridget Jones guy is just annoyingly over-the-top.
Yeah, I've been trying to analyze why so many people I admire and respect are over the moon about this show when it leaves me so cold, and all I can say is "different strokes."
no subject
Date: 2005-03-28 05:48 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-03-29 02:13 am (UTC)The show is smart, but it doesn't hit me in the gut. It doesn't tug at my heart strings. I can be interested in the themes on a purely intellectual level but I don't feel a connection. (In some ways that's a relief. If it weren't for TiVO I probably wouldn't watch BSG, but as it is, it collects on TiVo and then when I'm bored and have time I watch. But it's by no means appointment television).
And who is Bridget Jones guy?