'You have to die, because... well, because we don't like you very much.'
So 'Rome' is gone. Which, naturally makes me immensely sad. It's good that it ended in its prime, because it left nothing but shiny images in my memories, but there's always a bit of sorrow when good things go away. And 'Rome' was a mightily good thing. It will be sorely missed.
'Battlestar Galactica' 2x20 - 'Crossroads, Part 2'
Season 3 wasn't perfect every step of the way. I was sometimes stunning, sometimes a bit lagging. On the whole, however, it made quite clear, that 'Battlestar Galactica' is still legitimate royalty among American tv shows.
I didn't like 'Crossroads, Part 1' all that much, I'll be the first to admit that. The whole trial felt quite like a farce, with the dreadfully unprepared and incompetent prosecution lady, the lawyer guy that bugged me the whole time because, even after three episodes, he still seemed like he'd been spirited from a completely different fairy tale and Apollo making some pretty bizarre moves. I was earnestly afraid that the whole thing will morph into the same ridiculous law system mockery we saw in, say, 'Veronica Mars' season 2 finale.
It didn't. It was actually pretty much fantastic. First Gaeta lied on the stand, that wonderful, little bugger. Then the lawyer guy, that canny weasel, called Lee to testify against his father. Which he didn't want to. And actually didn't do at all. Instead, however, he poured out all his woes about the system, about the human hypocrisy, the double standards, the flawed justice, the mob mentality. And he was freaking right. I practically cheered. And he got Baltar acquitted, and not because of some smart-assy law tweaking but because it was the only right outcome. Baltar might be a piece of shit (a very entertaining piece of shit, mind you) but executing him would be just abominably unfair. The whole affair around Baltar started to smell suspiciously like a witchhunt weeks ago, and finally, finally someone pointed it out. I'm proud of you, Lee. You redeemed yourself completely.
Ok, the Possibly Cylons, the second major storyline. I think they handled it pretty well. I have an issue with all the Possibly Cylons conveniently being key crew members (or key crew members' spouses, because Anders barely constitutes the 'crew', not to mention 'key'), since that's just gross statistical improbability, but, hey, when you get past that, it's a very decently executed subplot. And the idea with the song being the trigger is just nifty.
I'm not sure how I feel about Roslin, Sharon and Caprica Six having group visions. The storyline is still in the early stage, it might yet turn out to be great, but I have my misgivings. However, I loved seeing Baltar and Six holding Hera in the end because it reminded me how the Imaginary Six always insisted that Hera is mysteriously her and Baltar's child and that theory is so wildly kooky that it never fails to make me smile.
The delightful tidbits:
- Roslin openly calling Adama first thing in the morning to chat and flirt. Which was just sweet all around. There will probably be a bit less flirting now that Adama went and voted in Baltar's favor (which was actually very in character, that Lee's outburst got across to him, I approve) and now she's Displeased, but I hope they'll get over that soon.
- Tigh acting all crazy and reporting to Adama that the Cylons sabotaged the ship with music.
- The moment when Baltar went all red from the indignation that Gaeta had the temerity to lie on the stand, sputtered that Gaeta tried to stab him just a few episodes ago and then called him 'Butterfingers'. It just slayed me.
- Baltar shifting gears momentarily after the trial ended and the ground under his feet finally felt solid again, and converting into the wronged primadonna. And then Lee and Lampkin (I started to genuinely like him in this episode so he earned himself the right not to be referred to as 'the lawyer guy' anymore) unanimously leaving him to fend for his ass himself. Also I loved loved loved this little fearful face Baltar pulls on, when Lee gets dangerously close.
- It turns out that the song haunting all the Possibly Cylons was 'All Along the Watchtower' by Bob Dylan, just prettied up and made more waily. And I loved how first the lyrics were popping up in the dialogs here and now and then, in the wonderfully frantic montage during the power outage, it all started to come together. I'm not a big fan of Bob Dylan. I've never liked how his songs sounded, the melodies were very much not my thing, but I've always, always respected the man for the lyrics. Because, let's be frank, some of them are quite brilliant. 'All Along the Watchtower' included.
- Roslin being consistently, unflinchingly and somewhat bitchily unforgiving. To the very end. And she probably still is.
- Gaeta lying on the stand. Yes, I had to mention this three times because I just can't express enough how much I loved it. He was honest once and got screwed all over because of that. The boy's not playing by the rules anymore.
- The whole final scene done to that great, vaguely ominous tune, building up speed and tension along the way, the music/image resonance done superbly, so that, when the song finally hits the lyrics it's like a minor epiphany and then it only goes up from there.
You did well, BSG. Don't ever stop being great.
It's the Doctor day. At last. I've been buzzed up for weeks now.
.
'Battlestar Galactica' 2x20 - 'Crossroads, Part 2'
Season 3 wasn't perfect every step of the way. I was sometimes stunning, sometimes a bit lagging. On the whole, however, it made quite clear, that 'Battlestar Galactica' is still legitimate royalty among American tv shows.
I didn't like 'Crossroads, Part 1' all that much, I'll be the first to admit that. The whole trial felt quite like a farce, with the dreadfully unprepared and incompetent prosecution lady, the lawyer guy that bugged me the whole time because, even after three episodes, he still seemed like he'd been spirited from a completely different fairy tale and Apollo making some pretty bizarre moves. I was earnestly afraid that the whole thing will morph into the same ridiculous law system mockery we saw in, say, 'Veronica Mars' season 2 finale.
It didn't. It was actually pretty much fantastic. First Gaeta lied on the stand, that wonderful, little bugger. Then the lawyer guy, that canny weasel, called Lee to testify against his father. Which he didn't want to. And actually didn't do at all. Instead, however, he poured out all his woes about the system, about the human hypocrisy, the double standards, the flawed justice, the mob mentality. And he was freaking right. I practically cheered. And he got Baltar acquitted, and not because of some smart-assy law tweaking but because it was the only right outcome. Baltar might be a piece of shit (a very entertaining piece of shit, mind you) but executing him would be just abominably unfair. The whole affair around Baltar started to smell suspiciously like a witchhunt weeks ago, and finally, finally someone pointed it out. I'm proud of you, Lee. You redeemed yourself completely.
Ok, the Possibly Cylons, the second major storyline. I think they handled it pretty well. I have an issue with all the Possibly Cylons conveniently being key crew members (or key crew members' spouses, because Anders barely constitutes the 'crew', not to mention 'key'), since that's just gross statistical improbability, but, hey, when you get past that, it's a very decently executed subplot. And the idea with the song being the trigger is just nifty.
I'm not sure how I feel about Roslin, Sharon and Caprica Six having group visions. The storyline is still in the early stage, it might yet turn out to be great, but I have my misgivings. However, I loved seeing Baltar and Six holding Hera in the end because it reminded me how the Imaginary Six always insisted that Hera is mysteriously her and Baltar's child and that theory is so wildly kooky that it never fails to make me smile.
The delightful tidbits:
- Roslin openly calling Adama first thing in the morning to chat and flirt. Which was just sweet all around. There will probably be a bit less flirting now that Adama went and voted in Baltar's favor (which was actually very in character, that Lee's outburst got across to him, I approve) and now she's Displeased, but I hope they'll get over that soon.
- Tigh acting all crazy and reporting to Adama that the Cylons sabotaged the ship with music.
- The moment when Baltar went all red from the indignation that Gaeta had the temerity to lie on the stand, sputtered that Gaeta tried to stab him just a few episodes ago and then called him 'Butterfingers'. It just slayed me.
- Baltar shifting gears momentarily after the trial ended and the ground under his feet finally felt solid again, and converting into the wronged primadonna. And then Lee and Lampkin (I started to genuinely like him in this episode so he earned himself the right not to be referred to as 'the lawyer guy' anymore) unanimously leaving him to fend for his ass himself. Also I loved loved loved this little fearful face Baltar pulls on, when Lee gets dangerously close.
- It turns out that the song haunting all the Possibly Cylons was 'All Along the Watchtower' by Bob Dylan, just prettied up and made more waily. And I loved how first the lyrics were popping up in the dialogs here and now and then, in the wonderfully frantic montage during the power outage, it all started to come together. I'm not a big fan of Bob Dylan. I've never liked how his songs sounded, the melodies were very much not my thing, but I've always, always respected the man for the lyrics. Because, let's be frank, some of them are quite brilliant. 'All Along the Watchtower' included.
- Roslin being consistently, unflinchingly and somewhat bitchily unforgiving. To the very end. And she probably still is.
- Gaeta lying on the stand. Yes, I had to mention this three times because I just can't express enough how much I loved it. He was honest once and got screwed all over because of that. The boy's not playing by the rules anymore.
- The whole final scene done to that great, vaguely ominous tune, building up speed and tension along the way, the music/image resonance done superbly, so that, when the song finally hits the lyrics it's like a minor epiphany and then it only goes up from there.
You did well, BSG. Don't ever stop being great.
It's the Doctor day. At last. I've been buzzed up for weeks now.
.