BSG 2.14
Whoah! The Kingpin of Crime! (The Daredevil movie version.)
I quite liked tonight’s episode, thought it a real return to form. How you feel probably depends on how you feel swallow a heapin’ helpin’ of unforeshadowed backstory. I thought they got away with it. And the political economy of it made at least a modicum of sense.
The success of this episode compared to last week’s won’t disprove the claims that Moore’s team is good with the character moments but not so good with the big ideas, and big ideas have been part of the narrative contract of this series from the beginning. And how is any of what’s happened in the last half dozen episodes getting us any closer to Earth?
Nevertheless, some excellent storytelling moments this evening.
Comment by Species 8 —
January 28, 2006 @ 7:50 am
Though better than last week, it was incredibly predictable.
The only thing of interest to me was Gaius’ growing set of cojones in the political realm. Though Roslin still should have died last week.
Why oh why did the writers use the same ”48 hours ealrier” plot device twice w/in as many episodes?
I think Moore and Eick are spending too much time trying to figure out ways to kill their cartoon selves.
Comment by Justin Slotman —
January 28, 2006 @ 10:17 am
Heh. Kingpin.
I just want to get back to figuring out what the fershlugginer Cylons are doing.
The wrapup of the relationship between Lee and his hooker seemed a little too pat. And do we have to have a flashback every week now? If I wanted to watch Lost, I’d watch Lost.
But yeah–storytellingwise, it was better than last week’s. Yet it had no single image as enduring as Sharon bashing her head into the glass in last week’s episode. The Galactica we know and love is a combination of storytelling and freaky moments, so I don’t think we’re quite back to form yet.
Comment by Eric Scharf —
January 28, 2006 @ 12:12 pm
I concur with 8 and Justin about the ”48 hours earlier” device and flashbacks; clever is as clever does.
So, when is Pegasus going to rewrite its SOP manual to include the Commander checking behind the arras before removing his/her tunic? Or howabout just changing the frakkin’ lock?
Seriously, Pegasus has had two COs assassinated in their quarters. I haven’t listened to this week’s podcast yet, but the writers had better give greater acknowledgement to Pegasus’s crew’s disgruntlement than Tigh’s mutterings. The promotion of Pegasus’s new CO ought to be a very politically delicate matter, one around which other plot considerations should flow, not vice versa. Kicking Pegasus’s old CAG, Taylor, upstairs would alleviate some of the rivalry in the Ready Room. One ill-advised (and, therefore, irresistable to desperate writers) option would be to put Gaeta in Pegasus’s CIC.
Speaking of CAGs; does Starbuck still hold the post? Watching this week’s ep, it seemed that the fleet was better off without Apollo assigning flight rotations, but the previews for next week’s ep indicate that it’s going to be the chicks’ turn for existential panic.
It’s clear from last week’s podcast that Moore never intended to kill Roslin before the end of the series, and I’m still trying to decide whether that fatally impairs my ability to enjoy the show. I don’t know what it says about the writers that last week they miraculously spared Roslin only to have Baltar and Lee (and Adama Sr.) stubbornly (and successfully) oppose her for relatively petty reasons. Is she the Kumquat Haagen-Daaz or ain’t she?
Baltar needs to design a holodeck so he can finally sit back and watch Six and Roslin slug it out.
Now that Zarek’s co-opted Apollo, the only power center in the fleet that remains outside his influence is Starbuck. If Hatch plays his cards right, the producers will let him wear a Viper jacket when he puts the moves on her.
Comment by Eric McErlain —
January 28, 2006 @ 2:14 pm
After watching the show, I listened to the podcast, and Ron Moore said at the outset that he felt this episode was disappointing. In particular, he said that the show felt way too conventional, and only a few scenes felt like they really belonged on BSG. BTW: My money is on the terrorists using their atomic device to destroy Pegasus. They have to figure out some way to get rid of it, and that seems as good a way as anything else.
Comment by Derek Copold —
January 28, 2006 @ 3:18 pm
The nuking of the Pegasus seems pretty well telegraphed. Before last week, I would have warned against counting on it.
This episode was better than last week, but that’s not saying too much. There are serious problems with realism. I mean, out of 50,000 people would you really be able to build a black market of that size trading on a limited amount of material? Please. And, on top of that, they have enough NAMBLA members to fund a child prostitution ring. The writers are either really lazy or are showing a lot of contempt for their audience.
Also, there’s still way too much of a tendency to rewrite the premises. Lee’s doomed love on Caprica was entirely too contrived, as was the hooker with the heart of gold. Also, if you’re on a ship with criminals who were just about to pimp out your rugrat, would you turn down your rescuer and give him a dime psychoanalysis while you’re at it? The show is descending towards becoming Battlestargate Atlantis.
Comment by Iron Lungfish —
January 28, 2006 @ 5:27 pm
Listening to the podcasts is an incredibly disillusioning experience. You come to the gradual but unavoidable realization that Moore and company (1) have no real idea what story they’re telling, and (2) are painfully scared of giving this show any viewpoint whatsoever.
Comment by Patrick Nielsen Hayden —
January 28, 2006 @ 6:55 pm
”Hooker with a heart of gold”? Whatever the other defects of this episode, that seems like an almost wilful misreading.
Apollo thinks she’s a hooker with a heart of gold. In fact she’s a very professional sex worker. That’s the point, for cry eye.
Comment by Derek Copold —
January 28, 2006 @ 11:59 pm
””Hooker with a heart of gold”? Whatever the other defects of this episode, that seems like an almost wilful misreading.”
If she was purely mercenary, she would left with and continued leeching off of Lee. Granted this story doesn’t fit in the template, but it’s drifting in that direction.
”You come to the gradual but unavoidable realization that Moore and company (1) have no real idea what story they’re telling, and (2) are painfully scared of giving this show any viewpoint whatsoever.”
I think they have an idea about the general drift, they’re just not sure about the digressions. Unfortunately, I think they even planned the magick blood act with Roslin. I think you’re second point is spot on, though.
Comment by Patrick Nielsen Hayden —
January 29, 2006 @ 12:04 pm
I said ”professional” rather than ”mercenary” for a reason. Her final interaction with Lee is human and emotional, and as you observe, she doesn’t return to him despite the financial benefits that might have entailed.
But what’s happening in that final confrontation is that she, the real woman who takes pride in her work as a performer, can’t do the performance Lee wants any more. He’s been determinedly not thinking of it as a performance, a privilege she’s never had. None of this has anything whatsoever to do with her having, or not having, a ”heart of gold.”
Comment by Hesiod —
January 29, 2006 @ 1:10 pm
What I liked the most was Ron Moore’s ”fuck you” to the growing number of Battlestar OS fans who are bitching about the tone and realism of the new series.
Apparently, they are massively pissed off.
And Moore had none other than Richard Hatch deliver the ”fuck you” line to the OS acolytes. Something along the lines of: ”What did you expect? A futuristic utopia?”
Talk about a middle finger!
Comment by Mr. Obscura —
January 30, 2006 @ 8:52 am
To reiterate, enough already with the flash forwards. As a leitmotif for the show it’s a dumb idea. Used once or twice it’s disconcerting and makes the show different. Used almost every week makes it look like an idea the production staff is enamored with, and bores the audience. The rest of the episode wasn’t too bad, and it’s always great to watch Bill Duke. I share the criticisms voiced above. Last week we did Roslin’s backstory. This week Apollo’s. By the previews next week is Starbuck’s turn. Can we get on with the Cylons and their plan sometime soon? If you only had enough material for a 13 episode season you should have only signed up for a 13 episode season.
Comment by Derek Copold —
January 30, 2006 @ 12:25 pm
”I said ”professional” rather than ”mercenary” for a reason.”
Yeah, because you enjoy splitting hairs for no good reason.
Comment by Camera (aka Mrs.) Obscura —
January 31, 2006 @ 5:50 pm
Y’know the old acronym GLIMTUAHGA? I think we can safely substitute ”RM” for ”GL”.
I enjoyed the various characters’ moral ambiguity (if it could be called that) in this episode. But I do not like the reoccurring flash-forwards, nor the offing of the Pegasus’ commanders in rapid succession, nor the backstories-out-of-the-blue, nor the fact that they blew their FX budget on blowing up the resurrection ship and we’re stuck w/ character development week after week.
Um, Earth? Remember that little thingy?