Battlestar Galactica: 2003-2009

[devilwrites]

Comments

[revrb]

Two things that contributed to the holes, the missteps, the what-the-frak moments

[devilwrites]

It was my understanding, such as it is, that once they found "Earth," the next season would be the last. So when Starbuck showed up the end of S3 claiming she knew the way to Earth, I always knew that season four would be the last. And from the "Last Frakking Special" they aired, I'm getting the impression it was always meant to take 4-5 years to wrap up, that the actors always knew they were working towards an endgame, even if they never knew what the endgame was

[anonymous]

For me, the show started falling apart an episode or so after the exodus from New Caprica. The stories stopped extrapolating. Until then, just about everything progressed logically: what happens next? if that happened, then what happens? Then what? Given that circumstance, what happens next? After New Caprica, we start getting these out of left field soap opera plots, characters being moved around in service to plots rather than developing organically, etc

interesting comments

[unnamed_horror]

Thanks for your comments about the show. The husband stopped watching at season 3, hence my vote in the poll. I stuck with it. Lots to enjoy in season 4, but definitely lots of misdirection. I concur on some of those favorite moments inthe finale. FYI, Moore has said Kara is not Daniel's daughter. http://www.nj.com/entertainment/tv/index.ssf/2009/03/battlestar_galactica_ronald_d.html

Some other interesting post-BSG: Olmos at the UN. Here's a write-up.
http://sepinwall.blogspot.com/2009/03/battlestar-galactica-admiral-adama-goes.html I love how SF can influence debate on important issues of our time.

Re: interesting comments

[devilwrites]

Thanks for the links, but I want to kick Moore for creating such a red herring. Let's face it, without the theory that Daniel is Kara's father, it REALLY DOESN'T MAKE SENSE. His theory that music exists in the ether and is divine and is something that anyone can pick up on is a nice one, but it's not something that's explained or even proven very well in the show, so unless you read his interviews, it becomes sloppy writing. Heck, I consider it sloppy writing anyway, even though I find the idea in and of itself quaint. :)

[maggiedr]

Thanks for posting this. I've really been looking forward to what you'd have to say. My only disagreement of substance is over your remark about "American Beauty". :)

My highly subjective and personal reaction to BSG, now that it's over, is that I can't seem to make up my own mind about it. I react because you don't like AMERICAN BEAUTY, but I can't seem to find an opinion about BSG, in this blog or any other, that I don't agree with. I guess BSG has never aroused any passion in me although I have been receptive to it, enjoyed it for the most part, and interested in the characters (for the most part.) While it had some riveting episodes, there were too many ponderous and dull shows remaining in my memory that were not erased by any sort of "Golly whiz bang gee!" reaction to the finale.

[devilwrites]

Well, let me explain the throw-away remark to AMERICAN BEAUTY.

I liked that movie just fine until the very end and the voiceover of a certain now-dead character telling me life was beautiful, AFTER HE GOT MURDERED. I didn't believe him, and felt like the writers were trying to cram a message down my throat rather than simply letting the viewers interpret the message.

[maggiedr]

I read an interview with the Director where he said that he'd wanted the final scene to be Kevin Spacey descending with angel's wings, I assume with the same voice-over. I think that would have been a disaster myself.

[devilwrites]

Oh god, that WOULD have been awful! Thank god he didn't go in that direction....

[digitalred93]

Apologies for not seeing this post before but since my brain's too wired tonight -- which means no writing for me -- I'll take a stab at responding BUT

[devilwrites]

A couple of points where we seem to disagree: I liked the New Caprica storyline. I wish we'd spent more time with it, because I found it really compelling. I also didn't mind getting cylon backstory (the "Downloaded" episode you refer I thought was one of the best of its season). I always liked learning more about what was going on, because I felt it brought be closer to answers and I learned more about the characters, but in the end, well, it was all for naught. I truly believe RDM didn't know what he was doing, which is a damn shame, because who would've GUESSED that at the start of the series

[digitalred93]

I can't believe I'm the only one who got the symbology of the Dove. Even I have to admit that that was a brilliant element to the finale. I actually thought it was just enough time - wouldn't have wanted more or less.

The Caprica pilot is great, btw. But RDM didn't write it. Jane Espenson did. And you can sorta tell, there's an element to the scenes with the teens that reminds me of Buffy. Not in lingo or pop culture stuff, more a melancholy projected into the dramatic beats that I rather enjoyed.

I, too, am VERY excited to see SGU. TPTB can write some of the best stuff out there... they can also write clunkers ... so we'll see.

BTW, the first 3 seasons of SG-1 are all on Hulu.com now.

[devilwrites]

I got the symbolism of it at the very end, when we see Lee and Kara try to do each other in a drunken stupor, and then it flashes to the bird and then we see Kara disappear on New Earth. But before that point, I was like, "Come on now..."

I liked the flashbacks and thought they were well-done, but I wish it was something we'd seen more through-out the show rather than shoved in at the end. Oddly, I can't help but wonder if it was a subliminal plug for CAPRICA (look at the pretty planet that got destroyed! Don't you want to learn more?).

But hey, I'm really cynical right now about BSG, and trust me when I say that really disappoints me. I defended that show almost until the very end, damn it.