Battlestar Galactica: still awesome
Nov. 29th, 2006 12:59 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dangermousieI am finally catching up with all of Battlestar Galactica this season.
The show continues to be excellent but it’s getting darker and darker. At this rate, characters will be slitting their wrists while declaiming Camus by the end of season 4.
So here are my thoughts on episodes five and six
I really liked what episode 5 (the one about secret tribunals) had to say about the nature of revenge and justice. I loved that it was, in true BSG fashion, ambiguous. Because yes, it was wrong, wrong, WRONG to mete out summary justice, but OTOH, Zarek is absolutely right that any public trials would have turned into a circus and the atmosphere of denouncing would have been great. And Roslin can proclaim her reconciliation policy in the end only because Zarek already cleared the deck for her, so to speak. Interesting.
The rest of the observations on the eps I will break out by character.
Lee didn’t have much to do. Because apparently he spent all his time in the gym (OK, seriously, how much time has passed since the rescue? Could he really burn off all the weight like that?). I did love that apparently with rediscovering his cheekbones, he rediscovered his ‘tude. I really loved the angry scene between him and Starbuck where he grounded her. He was absolutely right and he acted as a CAG should because she was a danger to everyone, herself included, but that leads me to wonder: he was all CAG. There was no ‘she is my best friend’ (or at least used to be). Or ‘she just got rescued and I miss her.’ Nothing like that. I wonder if whatever happened to cause that rift in the missing year killed their connection for good? I will be sorry if that’s so. I am not a Kara/Lee shipper any more (though I am sure the show could make me be again if it tried) but I always loved their complicated friendship-familial-maybe more relationship. I love the Apollo-Starbuck team. This said, I wouldn’t wish this version of Kara on anyone. And this brings me to:
Kara. Who has completely gone off the rails. She was never the most stable cookie in the jar, but Leoben’s mind-trips and the horribleness of that time, which culminated in her discovering the child was another mind-trip (and considering her abuse issues, one of the worst) has completely derailed her from the path of sanity. How significant that when Anders (who is so refreshingly sane), quits the Circle, they recruit Kara and she becomes the worst fury of them all. There is something very broken in the already damaged woman, and I hope not irretrievably. When she hits Gaeta, yelling at him to beg (for his life), she is venting her former helplessness, her rage, and it’s mesmerizing and repulsive to watch at the same time.
And being Kara, she is going about her issues in the most destructive way possible. She is driving everyone away. She has driven away her father figure (in the scene where Adama told her she was his daughter but no more, I can certainly see his point), her best friend (Lee is now utterly impersonal with her) and her husband (who is awesome, btw).
And that brings me to Kara/Anders. Gosh, that girl is doomed to be alone at this rate. So far, she managed to destroy a relationship with two awesome guys who loved her. First Lee, now Anders. (And we won’t even mention Zack). In a way, Anders fell prey to the same thing that initially sabotaged her potential relationship with Lee. She cannot allow anyone to get too close. In a way, she initially picked Anders and not gone for Lee because Lee was too close, knew her too well, and she didn’t want to be so vulnerable. Anders was safe because he didn’t know her as well. But now, he does. She is very emotionally entangled, he has seen her at her worst, weakest, and (scariest of all for her) he still loves her. And she can’t bear that, being Kara. She wants to push him away before she destroys him.
My favorite scene in the two eps was the Kara/Anders break-up scene. It stomped on my shippy heart with cleated boots, but it was so awesome. Because Kara IS too damaged to be in a relationship right now, and when she tells Anders that every time he even looks at her, she wants to claw his eyes out (if you think about it, what Leoben did to her was an emotional equivalent of rape so yeah…issues) and that she wants to hurt someone and it might as well be him.
Guh.
Seriously, my heart sort of broke. Not just for Anders (because seriously, hearing this from your wife, the woman you love? Awful beyond the telling of it, probably) but really for Kara. Because this is another instance of her pushing away with both hands the one good thing in her life. Quite a pattern. But I love that she clearly still cares for him (mmmm…kiss). Just too messed up to deal with it.
The only person she seems to be able to bond with is Tigh, another lost, unmoored soul, and the two of them are just…it’s kinda scary when the one person you connect with is Tigh.
Her cutting of the hair and putting on the uniform and talking to Kasey does hopefully indicate she is back on track. She looks so hopelessly young there.
Helo and Sharon. Not much scope there, but what was there I liked A LOT. I love that Sharon is now accepted (and got a call sign, yay!) and there was kissing and I love how Helo stands up to Tigh. He might have gone crazy over Sharon but he is not a weak person. Of course, since they are the only ones happy, something horrible is coming. Please don’t let it be terminal.
Adama and Roslin. Not much stuff there, but what was there I liked. Adama is still in charge and will always be. I do find it troubling that it’s so open that he is the one that rules (Zarek is matter of fact in saying that if he kept the presidency for himself, as he is entitled to, Adama won’t let him). OTOH, last time Adama let principles get in the way we got Baltar the President, so I can see why he isn’t keen on that, Mark 2. And I find it interesting that he is more patient with Tigh than with Starbuck. True, Tigh is an old friend, but Kara is his surrogate daughter. So why?
Roslin is her own pragmatic self and is it wrong that I totally adore all her scenes with Zarek?
Gaeta: Felix, I lurve you. Let me repeat that. I LURVE YOU. Seriously. I do hope that they did let everyone know he was the Source, because that last scene in 5? No one still wanted to eat with him except for the Chief.
I love how he won’t beg for his life (Gaeta, you are made of AWESOME) unlike Jammer. Of course, unlike Jammer, he has quite a spine as his being the Source during the Occupation showed. I really love the scene where the Circle realize who he really is and you can tell they are given pause and are actually ashamed (and so just walk off) because they wouldn’t be back except for him. Gosh, Gaeta. Never ever die, OK?
The Chief: And speaking of never dying. I love how the Chief is sort of the Everyman in the Circle. How he is the decent one, the one with doubts. How he is finding it morally repugnant, but somehow, unlike Anders, he cannot walk away (is it better to just wash your hands or to stay on and try to figure it all out? I am more on Anders’ side here, but I certainly see Tyrol’s position). And him and Cally working together in 6? Love it.
Anders. If Kara doesn’t want you, can I have you? Kthanksbye.
No, I do have more to say.
I love that Anders has developed into his own character, not just Kara’s appendage or what not. And I love that he is refreshingly sane and he loves her yet he has quite a spine. Our girl doesn’t go for weaklings, it seems.
Interestingly, it’s the two least damaged by Cylon occupation who are the voice of reason in the Circle. The Chief and Anders did not lose family in the Occupation (unlike the poor man’s Viggo Mortensen who lost his son or Tigh). And I love that he is disgusted and walks away. YAY.
Tigh: He is goooooone. And now he is seeing Ellen. I can’t see a way out for him, I really can’t.
Boring Battlestar of Baltar: Baltar is being his own traitory self. I do find the Cylon world alien in a fascinating way. No wonder they are obsessed with humans. They only defined themselves through them as they have no independent self to be. Which is why Earth, the war, everything.
The show continues to be excellent but it’s getting darker and darker. At this rate, characters will be slitting their wrists while declaiming Camus by the end of season 4.
So here are my thoughts on episodes five and six
I really liked what episode 5 (the one about secret tribunals) had to say about the nature of revenge and justice. I loved that it was, in true BSG fashion, ambiguous. Because yes, it was wrong, wrong, WRONG to mete out summary justice, but OTOH, Zarek is absolutely right that any public trials would have turned into a circus and the atmosphere of denouncing would have been great. And Roslin can proclaim her reconciliation policy in the end only because Zarek already cleared the deck for her, so to speak. Interesting.
The rest of the observations on the eps I will break out by character.
Lee didn’t have much to do. Because apparently he spent all his time in the gym (OK, seriously, how much time has passed since the rescue? Could he really burn off all the weight like that?). I did love that apparently with rediscovering his cheekbones, he rediscovered his ‘tude. I really loved the angry scene between him and Starbuck where he grounded her. He was absolutely right and he acted as a CAG should because she was a danger to everyone, herself included, but that leads me to wonder: he was all CAG. There was no ‘she is my best friend’ (or at least used to be). Or ‘she just got rescued and I miss her.’ Nothing like that. I wonder if whatever happened to cause that rift in the missing year killed their connection for good? I will be sorry if that’s so. I am not a Kara/Lee shipper any more (though I am sure the show could make me be again if it tried) but I always loved their complicated friendship-familial-maybe more relationship. I love the Apollo-Starbuck team. This said, I wouldn’t wish this version of Kara on anyone. And this brings me to:
Kara. Who has completely gone off the rails. She was never the most stable cookie in the jar, but Leoben’s mind-trips and the horribleness of that time, which culminated in her discovering the child was another mind-trip (and considering her abuse issues, one of the worst) has completely derailed her from the path of sanity. How significant that when Anders (who is so refreshingly sane), quits the Circle, they recruit Kara and she becomes the worst fury of them all. There is something very broken in the already damaged woman, and I hope not irretrievably. When she hits Gaeta, yelling at him to beg (for his life), she is venting her former helplessness, her rage, and it’s mesmerizing and repulsive to watch at the same time.
And being Kara, she is going about her issues in the most destructive way possible. She is driving everyone away. She has driven away her father figure (in the scene where Adama told her she was his daughter but no more, I can certainly see his point), her best friend (Lee is now utterly impersonal with her) and her husband (who is awesome, btw).
And that brings me to Kara/Anders. Gosh, that girl is doomed to be alone at this rate. So far, she managed to destroy a relationship with two awesome guys who loved her. First Lee, now Anders. (And we won’t even mention Zack). In a way, Anders fell prey to the same thing that initially sabotaged her potential relationship with Lee. She cannot allow anyone to get too close. In a way, she initially picked Anders and not gone for Lee because Lee was too close, knew her too well, and she didn’t want to be so vulnerable. Anders was safe because he didn’t know her as well. But now, he does. She is very emotionally entangled, he has seen her at her worst, weakest, and (scariest of all for her) he still loves her. And she can’t bear that, being Kara. She wants to push him away before she destroys him.
My favorite scene in the two eps was the Kara/Anders break-up scene. It stomped on my shippy heart with cleated boots, but it was so awesome. Because Kara IS too damaged to be in a relationship right now, and when she tells Anders that every time he even looks at her, she wants to claw his eyes out (if you think about it, what Leoben did to her was an emotional equivalent of rape so yeah…issues) and that she wants to hurt someone and it might as well be him.
Guh.
Seriously, my heart sort of broke. Not just for Anders (because seriously, hearing this from your wife, the woman you love? Awful beyond the telling of it, probably) but really for Kara. Because this is another instance of her pushing away with both hands the one good thing in her life. Quite a pattern. But I love that she clearly still cares for him (mmmm…kiss). Just too messed up to deal with it.
The only person she seems to be able to bond with is Tigh, another lost, unmoored soul, and the two of them are just…it’s kinda scary when the one person you connect with is Tigh.
Her cutting of the hair and putting on the uniform and talking to Kasey does hopefully indicate she is back on track. She looks so hopelessly young there.
Helo and Sharon. Not much scope there, but what was there I liked A LOT. I love that Sharon is now accepted (and got a call sign, yay!) and there was kissing and I love how Helo stands up to Tigh. He might have gone crazy over Sharon but he is not a weak person. Of course, since they are the only ones happy, something horrible is coming. Please don’t let it be terminal.
Adama and Roslin. Not much stuff there, but what was there I liked. Adama is still in charge and will always be. I do find it troubling that it’s so open that he is the one that rules (Zarek is matter of fact in saying that if he kept the presidency for himself, as he is entitled to, Adama won’t let him). OTOH, last time Adama let principles get in the way we got Baltar the President, so I can see why he isn’t keen on that, Mark 2. And I find it interesting that he is more patient with Tigh than with Starbuck. True, Tigh is an old friend, but Kara is his surrogate daughter. So why?
Roslin is her own pragmatic self and is it wrong that I totally adore all her scenes with Zarek?
Gaeta: Felix, I lurve you. Let me repeat that. I LURVE YOU. Seriously. I do hope that they did let everyone know he was the Source, because that last scene in 5? No one still wanted to eat with him except for the Chief.
I love how he won’t beg for his life (Gaeta, you are made of AWESOME) unlike Jammer. Of course, unlike Jammer, he has quite a spine as his being the Source during the Occupation showed. I really love the scene where the Circle realize who he really is and you can tell they are given pause and are actually ashamed (and so just walk off) because they wouldn’t be back except for him. Gosh, Gaeta. Never ever die, OK?
The Chief: And speaking of never dying. I love how the Chief is sort of the Everyman in the Circle. How he is the decent one, the one with doubts. How he is finding it morally repugnant, but somehow, unlike Anders, he cannot walk away (is it better to just wash your hands or to stay on and try to figure it all out? I am more on Anders’ side here, but I certainly see Tyrol’s position). And him and Cally working together in 6? Love it.
Anders. If Kara doesn’t want you, can I have you? Kthanksbye.
No, I do have more to say.
I love that Anders has developed into his own character, not just Kara’s appendage or what not. And I love that he is refreshingly sane and he loves her yet he has quite a spine. Our girl doesn’t go for weaklings, it seems.
Interestingly, it’s the two least damaged by Cylon occupation who are the voice of reason in the Circle. The Chief and Anders did not lose family in the Occupation (unlike the poor man’s Viggo Mortensen who lost his son or Tigh). And I love that he is disgusted and walks away. YAY.
Tigh: He is goooooone. And now he is seeing Ellen. I can’t see a way out for him, I really can’t.
Boring Battlestar of Baltar: Baltar is being his own traitory self. I do find the Cylon world alien in a fascinating way. No wonder they are obsessed with humans. They only defined themselves through them as they have no independent self to be. Which is why Earth, the war, everything.
