Well, last night’s episode of “Battlestar: Galactica” is easily the most hard-hitting of the season…in every regards.
Spoilers below…
I don’t know if the “Military tradition” of “The Dance”–in which anyone of any rank can challenge anyone else to a boxing throwdown in order to blow off steam–is a genuine tradition or something they simply came up with in the episode. But it resulted in one hëll of a show, steeped in drama, and thwarting the notion that an SF series must always be tricked out with high-tech special effects.
We finally learn the reason for Starbuck and Apollo’s anger toward each other, and discover that–as the most monumental hatred typically is–it’s rooted in passion. Boy, *that’s* a storyline that would have been pretty groundbreaking if they’d done it with the original Starbuck and Apollo, huh. It also gives us a rather nifty way to declare your love for your significant other: Stand buck naked and howl to the skies that you love the other individual. The best thing, of course, is that we learn why the two of them ran aground…but we don’t learn *all* of the why. Yes, Kara turned around and got married to someone else after acknowledging her love for Lee, but we don’t really get a *definitive* why. We can speculate. Severa possibilities come to mind. But ultimately her mind remains unknowable, and I think it’s better that way.
Yet despite the episode being flogged for its Apollo/Starbuck smackdown, the high point is still seized by the confrontatio between the Admiral and the chief. Priceless was Tyrol’s expression as he expects it’s only going to be for laughs…only to find himself stunned on the mat ten seconds later while “the old man” stands over him telling him that they’re just getting started. Adama’s bloody-faced speech some minutes later simply underscores the incredible injustice of this series being continually ignored for Emmy consideration: Edward James Olmos, whether acknowledged as such or not, is giving the best primetime performance of a lead actor out there. Plus I like the ambiguity of the did they just?/nah, they’re still fully dressed, but…/did they…? sequence during the flashback of Adama and Laura cuddling under the stars.
Just a wonderful series. I reiterate: Anyone who is ignoring the show because of the title is really screwing themselves.
PAD
• 
It’s funny that both BSG and Heroes had an episode this week where they went back in time and answered some of the questions about how the shows got where they are now. Usually I don’t like those kinds of episodes. Usually they just show us a bunch of stuff I’d already figured out. Both shows did it extremely well this time, and were very enjoyable.
Well, I’m ignoring “Battlestar Galactica” because:
(1) The first episode or two, which I did see, looked like typical Sci Fi Channel stuff – cheap effects and pointless violence and gore. I wasn’t comfortable with the characters I saw in the show, and that still goes.
(2) It’s a relentless MILITARY science fiction story, whose viewpoint says that a military life is the only desireable choice – the “Salute My Boots” philosophy. This conservative mindthink flies in the face of the American tradition that a military is something to be used only in the case of war, and should only be a temporary thing. The uniform-worship branch of science fiction fandom has always irritated me. Anyone who read “Bill, the Galactic Hero” (a criticism of Heinlein’s epaulet-licking book “Starship Troopers”) might understand where I’m coming from with this.
I’m not convinced at all that “BSG” is like “Bablyon 5” where the military people were people, not just insignia. It looks like (holding back the gorge) “Wing Commander.”
3) Assuming that I could get over those two humps, the series is unavailable for rental on DVD. No, I ain’t gonna pony up $60-plus for a season disk set for a series for which I retain those doubts. It’s either rental or nothing.
Thomas, I can’t see how you got point number 2. They *are* at war. Every time they’ve tried to stop the war they’ve gotten attacked by the Cylons again. The very start of the series showed the Galactica being turned into a museum because the people thought they didn’t need it anymore, then their world was destroyed and everyone had no choice but to fight.
This is very much a show about the people, not the uniforms.
Thomas, what rental place are you going to? BSG is available to rent via Netflix and Blockbuster (both online and off).
And one or two episodes is hardly enough to form an opinion about any TV show, let alone one as dramatically complex as this one.
There are constant clashes between the military and the civilian government, both ideologically and physically. The show is not (only) about the military. It’s about survival. It’s about humanity, morality, ethics (this season especially), not solely from a military point of view, but from a human point of view. How far can man go, how much can man endure, before he loses that humanity?
It’s a relentless MILITARY science fiction story, whose viewpoint says that a military life is the only desireable choice
I haven’t watched much of this new BG, but I can tell from your comment here that you haven’t watched it at all, haven’t even given it a chance.
Of course, if you watched last night’s episode, you’d find out that military life is NOT the only desirable choice, that people can choose to some degree how they want to live their lives.
But this is a small group of humans being chased across the galaxy; it’s fight or die, and what do you think is going to happen in that case? Yeah, it’s probably going to end up strong on the military side.
This conservative mindthink flies in the face of the American tradition that a military is something to be used only in the case of war, and should only be a temporary thing.
I don’t know where this comes from, but it’s pretty freakin bunk, because the leaders of this country have often tried their hardest to find or create wars to get ourselves involved in – they’ve got a military, so they MUST use it seems to be the thinking.
This conservative mindthink flies in the face of the American tradition that a military is something to be used only in the case of war, and should only be a temporary thing.
Given the PREMISE of the series, this IS a war and it’s pretty dámņ necessary thing.
I don’t think you’re giving the series any shake at all (let alone a fair one). For example, Adama is a son of what can only be called a civil libertarian, and has bent over backwards (possibly to the point of foolishness) to try to preserve the rule of civilians over the military. That may truly be a conservative mindset, but it certainly isn’t the one you’re thinking of.
I like the original. It was an unique concept for its day, although it stuck more to just the basic concept of refugees on the run looking for shelter/safety than all the other developments and story lines of today.
Whether it is just the progress of the times or the improvements in production values since the 1970s, the current version id definitely better. And while there are some productions that I will not watch because of their more “military” aspects, Battlestar Galactica is not one of them.
As far as Friday night’s episode is concerned, whether or not Adama and Roslin did “it” is not as important as the fact that before the Cylons showed up, they were at the very least finally admitting that they had feelings for each other and were beginning to explore that foriegn territory together.
Now Kara’s reason(s) for her actions aside, a more interesting question is whether or not Bill and Laura were within hearing range of Lee and Starbuck’s shouting?
BTW Peter: What did you think of Friday night’s episode of Doctor Who?
I was glad to finally see some back story on what happened on New Caprica. Even though, I think there may be some math problem with how long they were on NC (the statement on screen saying it was so long on New Caprica, I believe 18 months, and then 8 months before the cylons came back).
I would like to see more about this time. I mean, a lot happened in that time. I thought that is what this season would cover. Hopefully, we will see more soon.
And if you don’t want to rent it, borrow the DVD from someone!!!!
I watched the pilot, the first and second season as soon as they became available – and enjoyed them. But so far, I didn`t find the motivation to watch the start of the third. I have them ready for watching but so far, we preferred it to sit down and watch something else.
The end of the second season (my husband hasn`t even watched that one yet) left me with very mixed feelings. It was interesting but also, it put me off at the same time. BSG has always been dark but still, I had reason to care for what happens to these people and actually liked some of them.
I read quite a few comments in order to rediscover my interest in this series but a lot was about how characters became darker and darker, how this or that character did something under pressure he or she wouldn`t have done under different circumstances. Yes, I agree: A crisis brings out the worst in some people – but sometimes also the best.
Eventually I will return to BSG but it would help to read something encouraging, that the “best” part will also be part of this series.
Conservative mindthink?
That’s hillarious, seeing as rabid conservatives are condemning the show for being too liberal, especially in the beginning of the third season.
Your viewpoint is, pardon any offense, one of extreme ignorance. The stories in this series that relate to the balancing of military and presidential powers are amazing. If this were the true “conservative mindthink” military machine that you seem to believe it is, Adama would have overthrown the president a long time ago and taken over full power and refused to give it up. With the exception of one major conflict, though, Adama has worked with the President, even though many believe that she doesn’t deserve the office since she was something like 43rd in the line of succession.
Anywho… I was sort of dreading this episode, as all I knew was that it would be about Starbuck and Apollo on Caprica. I knew nothing of the little fight club thing they had going on, etc. I ended up feeling that this was one of the strongest episodes in terms of writing and character development. I was hooked from beginning to end, and not once did I find myself wondering when some “real action” like a space battle would be taking place.
“(1) The first episode or two, which I did see, looked like typical Sci Fi Channel stuff – cheap effects and pointless violence and gore. I wasn’t comfortable with the characters I saw in the show, and that still goes.”
The series has evolved 110% since the original movie. I disagree with your assessment of even those, but in trying to describe the series now, you’re just wrong.
“(2) It’s a relentless MILITARY science fiction story, whose viewpoint says that a military life is the only desireable choice – the “Salute My Boots” philosophy.”
And there you’re just flat out wrong again. If nothing else, you are oblivious to the show’s most intriguing flip of perception: That Adama, the military leader, oftentimes opts for a more pacifist approach, while the President, Laura Roslyn, is more hawkish. As a matter of fact, the most interesting demonstration of your wrongness (?) is that there was one episode involving a documentary being made about the command staff of the Galactica, in which the civilians of the fleet possess *exactly your mindset* and discover, through the documentary, that they are off base. As are you.
“This conservative mindthink flies in the face of the American tradition that a military is something to be used only in the case of war, and should only be a temporary thing. The uniform-worship branch of science fiction fandom has always irritated me. Anyone who read “Bill, the Galactic Hero” (a criticism of Heinlein’s epaulet-licking book “Starship Troopers”) might understand where I’m coming from with this.”
Speaking as someone who watches the show, I’ve no freaking idea where you’re coming from with this.
“I’m not convinced at all that “BSG” is like “Bablyon 5” where the military people were people, not just insignia. It looks like (holding back the gorge) “Wing Commander.””
And that’s because you don’t watch it.
PAD
I’m amused that the flashbacks were the first time I can recall seeing New Caprica with weather that wasn’t utterly dismal. 🙂
“The uniform-worship branch of science fiction fandom has always irritated me.”
The many occurences of military-like organizations in sci-fi is an issue worth exploring.
But why condemn a show you have not seen, especially when you apparently enjoyed Babylon 5, which also focused on a military sci-fi?
I have seen only a few chapters, so can’t say anything more. It looked promising.
For that matter, Mr. Reed, it would appear you haven’t read Heinlein’s “Starship Troopers” – perhaps you’ve seen the abortion of a movie Paul Verhoeven produced, that took names and title from the original and then proceeded to crap all over everything the novel had to say about honor and duty; mayhap you’ve read a literary “criticism” of it, like Thomas Disch’s famous rant in which he referred to the Mobile Infantry as “swaggering leatherboys”; but you certainly haven’t read Heinlein’s novel, at least in any meaningful sense.
The Terran Federation in the novel required that anyone aspiring to full citizenship complete two years of federal service – which, for about 90% of those volunteering, means two years in a back office somewhere, filing redundant paperwork. Approximately 10% wind up going into the military, and it’s made pretty plain that for those who wind up there, it’s often because they turned out to have no other talents than a talent for wearing a uniform and carrying a rifle. Most of the backgrounders in the novel (as opposed to those in the M.I., and thus having a vested interest in it) are depicted as despising the military, even in the heights (depths?) of the war with the Klendathu.
Now, admittedly, Heinlein had a point in writing this to help glorify the young man who’s willing to “place [his body] between [his] loved ones and the war’s desolation” – but this hardly makes it the “epaulet-licking” glorification of military life as superior to any other sort you seem to portray it as.
And BSG goes rather far to the other extreme – the Galactica, on the verge of decommissioning, was not staffed with the Fleet’s best and brightest, but with the screwups nobody wanted on other ships. They had the rookie Raptor pilot who couldn’t seem to land her bird without bending the deck; the Chief of the Deck who was carrying on an illicit affair with the above-mentioned pilot; the gifted fighter pilot who couldn’t stay out of the brig; the alcoholic XO; even the ship’s commander, who’d been given this last command as a graceful way of bowing out before retirement. The only reason this ship survived when so many didn’t was because of her commander’s insistence on refusing to allow networked computers on board (when you’re fighting implacable robot enemies, giving them something to hack is a *bad* idea), and the Fleet’s reluctance to update her software with the very latest from the labs of Dr. Gaius Baltar (complete with hidden backdoor he gave to his secretly Cylon girlfriend!). Even after the End of the World, after twenty billion dead in a sneak attack, they’re still screwups. For crying out loud, a convicted terrorist who’d been on his way to prison wound up as Vice-President of the fracking Colonies! (Even made President, for about six weeks…) They’re just the screwups who now have the survival of humanity riding on them, about once a week.
Getting back to the episode itself. When it first started, I thought that it was going to be a filler episode. Instead, the writer did a masterpiece of using a boxing ring to show inner conflict. Definitely not a filler.
I’ve read Starship Troopers, and I have to say that Thomas’s comments on it are pretty accurate. The movie was much better, largely BECAUSE it was more of a parody than an adaptation of the novel. The movie was actually kind of brilliant, because it criticized fascism by actually being a fascist movie.
It’s funny, I saw the previews to the show last week and what I really expected was a fairly ho-hum episode. As things turned out I found it was one of the better episodes of the season because it got back into the minds of some of the characters.
You kind of get the sense the way they are writing Starbuck is as a person given over to very self destructive tendencies – maybe it derives out of guilt from passing Zach through flight training, maybe it goes to an even deeper motivation they will choose to reveal further on down the road. No doubt Kara is one damaged puppy – the thing which is interesting is to contrast the Starbuck character in the new series versus the original. Is the behavior of the characters that much different or is it more a matter of viewing the behavior via the prism of gender? I wonder.
Lee is at the opposite end of the spectrum since he is wrapped so very tight. There were some great moments for Jamie Bamber in the episode. I really loved that moment where Adama is telling Lee about Starbuck getting married and he is working so very hard to hide his disappointment and upset – just great!
The question after this episode is how the characters deal with things going forward. Dualla was acutely aware of the dynamic within the ring and how this impacts on her marriage will be interesting to watch.
Turned out to be a terrific episode just because there was lots of good character development.
Olmos never really surprises me anymore – he has chops and the work he’s been doing in Galactica has been further proof of that, if the emmy people ignore him, it’s out of their own stupidity. I also have to say Mary McDonnell has this amazing ability to always seem to carry around this sadness in her face. It’s in every scene, she really looks like she‘s carrying the weight of humanity upon her shoulders! And if Michael Hogan hasn’t come into his own this season as well!
mister_pj:”if the emmy people ignore him, it’s out of their own stupidity.”
You’ve just summed up why I have no attention span at ALL for awards shows. Or critics, for that matter. For either, you’ve got someone else’s opinion being thrown at you, and it’s being given some kind of merit because they have a title or a column or a byte on a show. I have said for a long time, I don’t NEED someone else to tell me what I think is good.
(BTW, that’s not to say that I’m against criticISM, just the so-called “critics.” You know, the ones who don’t offer anything but blanket statements. Like the one I just did.)
Reading some of the posts here has made me realize why BSG seems so comfortable to me. The crew ISN’T the best of the best. Some of them are screw-ups. But still, they(usually!) rise to the challenge. I’m a screw-up. I hope that I can rise to the challenge, too. And it’s odd, but I never thought of Mary McDonnell’s expression as one of sadness before. Being overwhelmed and not knowing where the strength is going to come from and wishing like anything she was back in her library, yeah. But now I can see the sadness.
Well, yes, Mr. David, I haven’t given the series a fair shake. I am quite willing to, if there is a video store willing to rent the episodes of the thing so I can see it. Obviously, from what other people have said about this thing, character action is involved, and you have to watch from the first episode to find out who the Erica Kane is.
Maybe there are some Blockbusters that carry the series, but the ones near me don’t. They carry nearly every OTHER series, but slowly. (It took them two years after DVD release to start offering “The Shield,” for instance.) Maybe I’ll ask them to carry it, and maybe they’ll tell me that I’m a jerk and that I should buy it myself at their price. There are other reasons why Blockbuster’s business model is failing, but that one is a biggie.
As for the comment about the military, it’s just that I smell right-wing propaganda whenever someone promotes or praises the military. That isn’t the way it always was in fiction or entertainment, but it sure is today. Sci Fi Channel being owned by a right wing company, I expect that kind of propaganda to be slipped into its own productions.
I’m quite willing to look at the series if I can ever find it anywhere. And maybe then I’ll be able to say the show is worthwile. Not until, though, not when I’ve been burned so badly by “Lost” and “Twin Peaks,” two other elaborate dramas that cheated us in the end.
The SciFi channel is owned by NBC. How is that a right wing company? And what’s wrong with praising the military? They sort of put their lives on the line for us.
Posted by: Thomas E. Reed at December 3, 2006 01:44 AM
Well, yes, Mr. David, I haven’t given the series a fair shake.
Then how can you have such strong opinions about it?
Posted by: Thomas E. Reed at December 3, 2006 01:44 AM
As for the comment about the military, it’s just that I smell right-wing propaganda whenever someone promotes or praises the military.
Except that the show does neither. It depicts a fictitious military.
You are projecting your own political biases onto the show, rather than making an informed judgment based on its content.
Anyway, back to the actual episode. I remember an interview during which Ronald Moore declared Apollo and Starbuck would NOT become romantically linked. He said they intended to explore a male-female frienship, period. I wondered how long it would take him to change his mind. The answer? Not long at all. 🙂
Don’t get me wrong — that’s not a criticism. I like the story.
I’m not a boxing fan; two fellas knocking the šhìŧ out of each other doesn’t really appeal to me.
But I love the “look back at how the characters got the way they did” type of episode.
How did this week’s shape up?
Well, this week’s episode could easily have been subtitled “Look Back In Anger”. There’s still a lot unrevealed. (I can’t be the only one wondering whether anything happened between Adama and Roslin beyond that discussion, or whether they followed up on it, and what other stories there are yet to be revealed over the year on New Caprica.)
All told, I loved the episode, and the series goes from strength to strength.
As far as the concentration on the military way of life, yeah, I’d like to see some more of the civilian fleet, but the winning thing for me on this series is not that every single one of the main players has ‘flaws’, but that they’re all – for the most part anyway – believable characters.
As for the comment about the military, it’s just that I smell right-wing propaganda whenever someone promotes or praises the military. That isn’t the way it always was in fiction or entertainment, but it sure is today. Sci Fi Channel being owned by a right wing company, I expect that kind of propaganda to be slipped into its own productions.
How is praising the military “right wing”? You know, there ARE some on the right who like to say that those on the left hate the military and the men and women in it. Statements like yours don’t help correct that attitude.
(I’m not saying that’s how you feel, Thomas, but it’s coming off that way.)
Just to tie in TWO threads, considering the list of factors that are common in a fascist state from Micha’s post in the thread before last, the government of Starship Troopers doesn’t seem to qualify
Best. Episode. Ever.
Thomas E. Reed,
Don’t bother watching the show. At this point I think you’re going to see the things you are looking for, not what’s actually in the show.
Time for some tough love.
Thomas, quit the posturing. If you don’t like BSG, fine, but you don’t have to go around the internet spouting off about it. It makes you look like a pompous idiot.
Sorry to be harsh, but the Internet-hating trend really gets under my skin.
As for the comment about the military, it’s just that I smell right-wing propaganda whenever someone promotes or praises the military. That isn’t the way it always was in fiction or entertainment, but it sure is today. Sci Fi Channel being owned by a right wing company, I expect that kind of propaganda to be slipped into its own produc
This says some ugly things about YOU, whether you know it or not.
How sad.
I can’t remember – was Athena in this episode somewhere in the background? If so, then there were no Cylons in it. How many episodes have been Cylon-free?
I can’t remember – was Athena in this episode somewhere in the background? If so, then there were no Cylons in it. How many episodes have been Cylon-free?
Don,
She was there right at the beginning. She was giving helo water and advice in the corner between rounds. Somebody referred to them as the “Fighting Agathons”
“Just to tie in TWO threads, considering the list of factors that are common in a fascist state from Micha’s post in the thread before last, the government of Starship Troopers doesn’t seem to qualify.”
The government in Starship Troopers was very weird. Basically it was a democracy in which the voting right was limited to people choose to serve in the military, while those who do not serve, willingly choose to give up the vote. I’m not exactly sure if there were political parties, opposition and coalition, or whether it was basically rule by a military organization or junta. Heinlein assumed that:
a. people who choose not to serve in the military will accept the system, and there will be no dissent, so it will feel like a free society with low voting turnout.
b. this system will be accepted by the people without massive propaganda glorifying the rule of the military elite. He in his book does glorify the miiltary, but the non-voting citizens of his society do not. It’s strange.
c. the rule by an oligrachy will not result in abuse, but rather that the voting citizens will vote according to overall national interest and not only their own interests.
Robert Fuller is correct. the movie found a clever way to remain faithful to the book’s image of a militaristic society, while at the same time criticizing it, by using obvious fascist symbolism.
The militaristic attitude of the the book is the reason its called fascist. In everyday speech people, especially from the left, tend to equate militaristic attitudes with fascist. In Starship Troopers the association seems more justified than in other places, even if it is not textbook fascism.
However, the good thing about Heinlein is that he challenges his readers. In “The Moon is a harsh Mistress,”the society is liberterian.
In any case, fromn the few chapters of BG I’ve seen, this show insists very strongly on the oversight of the mililtary by a civilian democratic system. In that regard it is probably better than other sci-fi shows. It also does not seem to glorify the soldiers.
Star Trek Federation is a democracy. But 90% of federation citizens we see are members of a very large military organization — starfleet.
Babylon 5 used to belong to a democratic society, and seceded when it became fascist. But it seems that during its independence from Earth, B5 was a military dictatorship under Sheridan.
Stargate operates under present day democracy, but its heroes are soldiers hostile to civilian oversight.
My memory of the book was that 2 years of some service were required but not necessarily military service.
Would such a stipulation be all that different from Israel or Switzerland?
For that matter, why is Batman always the one tagged with the fascist label? Sure, he’s for law and order but most superheroes are. Wouldn’t fascist be better applied to a hero who has the sanction of nationalist movements, like Captain America or Superman?
“For that matter, why is Batman always the one tagged with the fascist label? Sure, he’s for law and order but most superheroes are. Wouldn’t fascist be better applied to a hero who has the sanction of nationalist movements, like Captain America or Superman?”
Batman is kind of an enforcer. You don’t think of him pulling a cat out of a tree like Superman. You don’t think of Superman throwing someone off of a building and then catching him before he hits the ground so that he’ll snitch on another bad guy.
Batman has the feel of “I’m going to hit you until you don’t want to commit crimes anymore.” So Batman comes across as a personal fascist, even though he’s not a government fascist.
I loved this episode…so much that, for the first time, I listened to the podcast commentary on second viewing. Ron Moore made a good point about Olmos’ performance during the Lee finds out Kara’s married scene…Olmos was so impassive, even casually eating, that it made Bamber’s despair stand out more.
And, to my surprise, though the word isn’t used in the podcast, that was a joint that Adama and Roslyn were sharing.
Superman’s a firefighter, Batman’s secret police.
As for BSG, it was a very good episode, though I think I enjoyed 3×07 a little more.
Oh, and as for the military qualities of BSG…
Comparing it to Starship Troopers is not appropriate. Far and away, the better comparison would be Forever War.
While Starship Troopers glorifies military service as among the noblest accomplishments a person can do, it also rigorously enforces the idea that it’s *voluntary*. The novel is a military point of view but at no time does it pretend that everyone in that fictional universe agrees with the point of view being presented.
Forever War is just as militaristic on the surface, but the characters fight for very different reasons. They serve because they were drafted, because they have to, because life as they knew it has ceased to exist, because the alternative is unthinkable, because maybe if they hang on long enough the whole crazy mess might become sane again.
Still, Battlestar Galactica represents a dynamic of both, I think, and that’s why it’s a great show. Skilled drama is the result of *conflict*, which you don’t have if everyone shares the same point of view or if every episode ends with the same pro or anti-military message. Season 3 especially is presenting *multiple* points of view.
Dismissing BSG because it “glorifies military service” is ignorance, not in a crass way, but ignorance all the same.
Someone more comfortable with presenting spoilers could cite many examples where the military aspect of BSG is much less than glorified or worshipped.
Oddly enough in the course of my forays around the net today I came across this clip from an event at the Museum of Television and Radio here in New York which I think BSG fans and non fans alike will find entertaining.
It’s funny, when I saw the preview last week, I thought that it would be a “light” episode. That it’s a change of pace episode that would not be very good but that’s OK they’ve been so good so often they had an average show due. Well I couldn’t have been more wrong. The whole premise was genius and then to see the back stories, amazing. The only thing missing (in my humble opinion) was after Adama’s speech someone didn’t say “so saw we all” because I found myself saying it outloud. A strong speech and that wasn’t even the climax of the episode!
Greatness and I’ll never doubt them again!
Keep HOpe Alive
Jesse Jackson
I watched seasons 1 & 2 on dvd (whatta month-plus that was…) and LOVED the show, despite some quibbles with season 2. I hemmed and hawed over watching 3 on TV (those dámņ commercials) and now, what ten eps in, it’s too late…or is it?
Somebody mentioned watching new shows (BG was not being spoken of) via iTunes. Anybody done this and if so, how is the quality/cost. etc?
Somebody mentioned watching new shows (BG was not being spoken of) via iTunes. Anybody done this and if so, how is the quality/cost. etc?
Can’t speak to quality, but the cost is $1.99/episode. Also, if you’re Stateside and have Comcast On Demand, it’s in The Cutting Edge. (I understand some Time-Warner cable outlets have something similar, with BSG hiding in there somewhere…)
If either one is too rich for your blood, come on over to http://www.televisionwithoutpity.com and read the insightful recaps by the incomparable, perhaps-overly-educated Jacob!
Superman’s a firefighter, Batman’s secret police.
Yeah but which one would have the harder time fitting into a totalitarian state?
Batman seems much more of an anarchist than a cop. I earlier said he was a law and order guy but that’s not accurate–he choses which laws to enforce and ignores the rest. And if the laws he enforces were overturned…he’d enforce them just the same. Given his disregard for the collective will vs the private will, the term fascist seems particularly ill suited. (As it does for most superheroes, though the term gets tossed around a lot. Maybe it would fit the crazier episodes in the Punisher’s life: “You’re going to prison, Punisher!” “Yippee! There are lots of criminals in prison!”)
The SciFi channel is owned by NBC. How is that a right wing company?
In fairness to Thomas, NBC is owned by GE, which is a major defense contractor. Whether that qualifies as a “right wing company”, I guess is a matter of opinion.
I don’t think “praising the military” by itself qualifies as “right wing propaganda”, unless you feel that any positive depiction of military personnel is right wing propaganda. Certainly, many rightwingers have drawn parallels this season in the opposite direction, saying that the Cylons represented the US occupying forces in Iraq and the humans were the Iraqi insurgents, so I guess you mileage may vary.
But soldiers are people, too and should be treated as such in entertainment. In BSG, considering they’re in the middle of a war, Adama has done just about everything he could to respect Laura’s civilian authority, with the one exception of when they had their big schism last season and that was made worse by Colonel Tighe’s bungling, not the civilian’s.
I’d say that a show like Stargate SG-1 comes a lot closer to what you would see as rightwing propaganda since the air force officers are almost always portrayed as the good guys while the civilian oversight people are portrayed as annoying busy-bodies at best and just plain corrupt on many other occassions. Atlantis, less so, since its cast is titled slightly more in favor of the civilians.
But in any event, I fail see that just because military light is portrayed in a positive light that means its rightwing propaganda. It’s a realistic fact that we need a military and probably always will. And it’s made up of people who are our fellow citizens. There are both good and bad people serving in the military, just as there are in every career path. Showing the good shouldn’t be a matter of politics, but simply part of life as it is.
The writers of every stale, cheesy plot driven episodic show like Lost and The Nine need to pay close attention to this episode of BSG and last week’s Heroes. These are two great examples of how to do a flashback episode yet still move the story forward. Flashbacks are supposed to clear up mysteries and add depth to characters, not fill in for poor plot lines or add in new plot threads that will never be followed or add nothing to the story. Flashbacks should never remind one of Mandelbrot Sets. Cliffhangers work well for Flash Gordan serials but in this day just make me feel manipulated to tune in next week, not for a good story or characters I like but for the “mysterious answers to explain everything” that never appear. It’s all just 42 without the wit.
David, thanks for the reminder about Athena’s role in the episode!
’twas nothing, Don.
I might not have remembered her, but I too noted the lack of any advancement of the Cylon plots this week. It also made me wonder if Athena had been in the episode. As this occurred to me before the thing was even over, it was fresh in my mind.
I think this is hands down the best episode of the season.
The fight between the Chief (who was at the October NY Comic Con) and Adama was fantastic.
I knew that Kara and Lee would end up hugging and whispering love in each others ears at the end.
I do feel sorry for Lee’s wife(Anastasia Dualla), and I hope the writers address the unrequited love between the two. She has already lost a lover in Season One.
Between this series and Doctor Who…I almost don’t miss Farscape.
Regards:
Warren S. Jones III
Mark Verheiden here, co-exec producer of BATTLESTAR… had to chime in. BSG’s been accused of many things, but I haven’t heard the “right wing propaganda” meme much this season. One of the more interesting coincidences this year was the show receiving rave notices from The New Yorker and the National Review the same week. Seems the politics of the show are what you care to make of them…
And I’m glad people enjoyed last week’s ep, it’s one of my all-time favorites (and I didn’t write it, I just “helped”)…
Re: i-tunes versus DVD, I realize there’s a cost differential, but the DVDs pay residuals and i-tunes downloads don’t, so… guess which format *I* prefer?
We’re just finishing shooting on season three, the finale of which will likely cause some… discussion. But that’s a good thing, right?
And everybody remember, the show moves to Sunday starting in January!
Mark V.
Hmm. Must support the guilds! So I guess I’ll have to tough it out and await BSG 3.5’s release. I’d rather pay for the season divided into two than wait for the full s3. I’m off to Amazon to see if there’s any release dates posted…
No s3/s3.5 release dates that I could find. Anybody have an idea? Are you sill there Mark V?
Mark,
Sorry about the shift to Sunday nights, not that there is anything else I would prefer to watch but, I personally like the Friday night block of shows SciFi has managed to put together – perhaps it is the geek’s equivalent of must see tv?
Does NBC have any plans to run episodes in primetime as they did earlier? Kind of would be nice to get it out to a larger audience and perhaps drive more viewers to the first run episodes. If NBC were to second run episodes on their Monday block I bet they would garner ratings.