Precipice rocked my world
Oct. 9th, 2006 02:55 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dangermousieWow, that was GOOOOOD. You know, I was underwhelmed with Veronica Mars S3 premiere. Don't mistake me, it was enjoyable and I'll continue to watch, but the WOW factor is long gone. But Battlestar oh Battlestar. This is what TV ought to be and seldom is: grab you by the throat and not let go until the last moment. I have to say, out of (so far) 35 episodes, I found only two, The Farm and Black Market, disappointing. And even with that, there were parts of The Farm that were a lot of fun. That's quite a track record (only Farscape and first three seasons of Buffy beat that so far).
But anyway, on to the ep!
I am going to break it down by character.
First off, mad shipper squee. Helo/Boomer!!! My shippy heart can't take the glee. Apparently, in the missing year they got married! And now she is sworn in as an officer. And there is kissing in the hallway. I just love that scene of them embracing, in their uniforms. I want an icon of it. Helo is a such a good guy, he deserves happiness. And hey, C-Sharon gave up her whole world for him so she deserves to at least reap the fruits of her labor :) Interesting that these two episodes are all about relationships interrupted: either falling apart (Dee and Lee don't look like they are happy with each other, Tigh and Ellen love each other but it's clearly doomed to fail, see her sexing Cavil to save Tigh and passing info along. Non romantic 'ships' have fallen apart too: Gaeta is no Baltar admirer any more, but instead is working to subvert him etc etc) or interrupted by the cylons (Anders and Kara, Chief and Cally). How interesting that the most unusual, the least possible relationship is the only really working one right now. Of course, now that they are happy, I am panicking. Happy couples (or happy anything) never last on this show. See Dee and Billy. Quick, someone give Helo and Sharon some non life threatening angst.
Cally, I like you, I really do. This said, YOU ARE A MORON. Honest. When you are in detention and you want to get out and get back to Tyrol and the kid, you talk nice to the toaster who seems vaguely helpful. You don't say 'I wish I had a gun.' I guess 'How to win friends and influence people' was never published in the Colonies.
Gaeta. I never got why people ficced you though I liked you OK. Mea culpa. Mea culpa. You are hot and brave and amazing and super wonderful. I am now also in horrible fear of you dying. Ahhh, the irony of the Chief talking to Jammer (who in reality is one of the secret police) about how they are going to string collaborators like Gaeta once they win and he and Jammer will be tying the nooses. Oh no. Gaeta can't win, can he? If the Cylons continue to rule, sooner or later they will realize he is the humans' inside source. If humans win, he can't prove his inside sourcedness so they will kill him for collaboration. But he is doing all that (he is responsible for breaking through jamming and thus getting contact with Galactica and thus ultimately, since the show is not 'Cylons R Us' getting humanity off the planet) while getting reviled and ohhhhh, Gaeta. I love you. And you run in a hot fashion.
Tigh, Tigh, Tigh. How fitting that you think you are this big secret leader while the only reasons Cylons let you out is they can keep track of you through your wife. Heh.
Lee has a point about survival of humanity and leaving the people on the ground behind. A huge important point and I am glad Adama recognizes it. But the thing is, logical or not, I don't think Lee can face himself because of it (and hence apathy and stuffing of face blah blah). Lee has always (well, almsot always, see Kara rescue) been able to separate personal and important but this is deja vu of the beginning of S1 and I don't think he can cope with it again, but unlike Adama, he isn't capable of saying 'sod it, let's risk all the people and be heroic.' I understand Adama's POV and I think it's brave and noble. But I think he has the luxury of it because he has Lee to do the prosaic realistic thing, to take 2000 people to search for Earth blah blah. Lee has no such escape.
Oh Baltar. You are unquestionably an evil man, if evil is always picking the wrong choice, the easier choice. But you break my heart and I pity you. I don't blame him for signing the death warrants. No court in the world would hold him liable. He has a gun to his head literally and even then he refuses and the only reason he does is head Six finally persuades him. And he gives them the signed paper, and he is crying. Whoa.
The whole thing with Kara and the baby is a mind trip. And is probably making her relive her own abusive childhood. That's all I have to say on that topic. But guuuh, those scenes would be my favorite in any other ep, but not this one because there so much other brilliance here.
Zarek!!! I love Zarek! The scenes with him and Roslin were pricelessly wonderful. How fitting that he is in the same execution car, and has been in detention for months. Say what you will about Zarek, and he is unscrupulous, but he is strong willed and, in an odd contrast, he is an unprincipled man, but he has principles and he sticks by them (if the dichotomy makes sense). And he is certainly willing to suffer anything for what he believes as he's proven before. In some ways, he is ideally suited to always be in opposition, to be a rebel. That bit with his asking Roslin 'Did you try to steal the election' and her nodding and his grinning and saying 'I wish you succeeded' and her wryly saying 'me too' is priceless. And then he pulls her back when the executioners appear.I think I am going to ship them now.
Ahhh, the execution scenes. I am sure RDM and co are going for modern world parallels but I am thinking of WWII and that scene is horrifying and chilling. I am sure they are not offing Roslin (or Zarek, hopefully) yet, but still, the huddled prisoners, Jammer cutting Cally free and her running and tumbling down and hearing gunshots and the pits. It's horrible.
But anyway, on to the ep!
I am going to break it down by character.
First off, mad shipper squee. Helo/Boomer!!! My shippy heart can't take the glee. Apparently, in the missing year they got married! And now she is sworn in as an officer. And there is kissing in the hallway. I just love that scene of them embracing, in their uniforms. I want an icon of it. Helo is a such a good guy, he deserves happiness. And hey, C-Sharon gave up her whole world for him so she deserves to at least reap the fruits of her labor :) Interesting that these two episodes are all about relationships interrupted: either falling apart (Dee and Lee don't look like they are happy with each other, Tigh and Ellen love each other but it's clearly doomed to fail, see her sexing Cavil to save Tigh and passing info along. Non romantic 'ships' have fallen apart too: Gaeta is no Baltar admirer any more, but instead is working to subvert him etc etc) or interrupted by the cylons (Anders and Kara, Chief and Cally). How interesting that the most unusual, the least possible relationship is the only really working one right now. Of course, now that they are happy, I am panicking. Happy couples (or happy anything) never last on this show. See Dee and Billy. Quick, someone give Helo and Sharon some non life threatening angst.
Cally, I like you, I really do. This said, YOU ARE A MORON. Honest. When you are in detention and you want to get out and get back to Tyrol and the kid, you talk nice to the toaster who seems vaguely helpful. You don't say 'I wish I had a gun.' I guess 'How to win friends and influence people' was never published in the Colonies.
Gaeta. I never got why people ficced you though I liked you OK. Mea culpa. Mea culpa. You are hot and brave and amazing and super wonderful. I am now also in horrible fear of you dying. Ahhh, the irony of the Chief talking to Jammer (who in reality is one of the secret police) about how they are going to string collaborators like Gaeta once they win and he and Jammer will be tying the nooses. Oh no. Gaeta can't win, can he? If the Cylons continue to rule, sooner or later they will realize he is the humans' inside source. If humans win, he can't prove his inside sourcedness so they will kill him for collaboration. But he is doing all that (he is responsible for breaking through jamming and thus getting contact with Galactica and thus ultimately, since the show is not 'Cylons R Us' getting humanity off the planet) while getting reviled and ohhhhh, Gaeta. I love you. And you run in a hot fashion.
Tigh, Tigh, Tigh. How fitting that you think you are this big secret leader while the only reasons Cylons let you out is they can keep track of you through your wife. Heh.
Lee has a point about survival of humanity and leaving the people on the ground behind. A huge important point and I am glad Adama recognizes it. But the thing is, logical or not, I don't think Lee can face himself because of it (and hence apathy and stuffing of face blah blah). Lee has always (well, almsot always, see Kara rescue) been able to separate personal and important but this is deja vu of the beginning of S1 and I don't think he can cope with it again, but unlike Adama, he isn't capable of saying 'sod it, let's risk all the people and be heroic.' I understand Adama's POV and I think it's brave and noble. But I think he has the luxury of it because he has Lee to do the prosaic realistic thing, to take 2000 people to search for Earth blah blah. Lee has no such escape.
Oh Baltar. You are unquestionably an evil man, if evil is always picking the wrong choice, the easier choice. But you break my heart and I pity you. I don't blame him for signing the death warrants. No court in the world would hold him liable. He has a gun to his head literally and even then he refuses and the only reason he does is head Six finally persuades him. And he gives them the signed paper, and he is crying. Whoa.
The whole thing with Kara and the baby is a mind trip. And is probably making her relive her own abusive childhood. That's all I have to say on that topic. But guuuh, those scenes would be my favorite in any other ep, but not this one because there so much other brilliance here.
Zarek!!! I love Zarek! The scenes with him and Roslin were pricelessly wonderful. How fitting that he is in the same execution car, and has been in detention for months. Say what you will about Zarek, and he is unscrupulous, but he is strong willed and, in an odd contrast, he is an unprincipled man, but he has principles and he sticks by them (if the dichotomy makes sense). And he is certainly willing to suffer anything for what he believes as he's proven before. In some ways, he is ideally suited to always be in opposition, to be a rebel. That bit with his asking Roslin 'Did you try to steal the election' and her nodding and his grinning and saying 'I wish you succeeded' and her wryly saying 'me too' is priceless. And then he pulls her back when the executioners appear.
Ahhh, the execution scenes. I am sure RDM and co are going for modern world parallels but I am thinking of WWII and that scene is horrifying and chilling. I am sure they are not offing Roslin (or Zarek, hopefully) yet, but still, the huddled prisoners, Jammer cutting Cally free and her running and tumbling down and hearing gunshots and the pits. It's horrible.
