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ishtar79My Internet is currently dead (posting this from another computer) and it might take a couple of days to fix. GAH! I’m getting withdrawal symptoms already.
I did manage to download the BSG premiere before it died on me.
-Oh, fuck this! Because Dee deserved better. Even I can notice the Flashing Racial Issues with this (with a side helping of gratuitous misogyny). It’s not just that they brought her back (after mostly ignoring her for the last couple of seasons) just to off her, it’s that her death had little more significance than to serve as a catalyst for AdamaAngst. The completely contrived Lee/Dee date did NOT improve matters either-so Lee couldn’t conjure up some real grief for his ex-WIFE without a recent exchange of saliva? The Lee/Kara scene made me laugh, that’s how predictable it was-of COURSE Dee’s inconveniently-timed death would be yet another obstacle to Lee and Kara having A Moment. It’s what her very existence has been of late.
And as icky and gross their choice for character to become the literal embodiment of the fleet’s desperation was, they could have handled it better. Remember Callie’s swansong? Remember Kat’s? They could have given us plausible (within the text) illustration of exactly why it was Dualla, the character who was once a source of calm strength and hope in a dark, cynical show was exactly the one to plunge so deeply into despair. Instead, they showed us glimpses of her through a cluttered episode featuring practically Every Character There Ever Was, and what, we’re supposed to try to decipher the meaning of the random metal trinkets she found? “I guess I’ll never know why she did it.”-Not. Good. Enough. Within the show, it might make sense, but for a viewer, and given the overall treatment of Dee’s character? EPIC fail!
-Poor Gaeta. First his leg, then his hope, now his best friend. Now there’s a character who should be on Suicide Watch. And speaking of poor old Felix, I’ve only recently caught up on the webpisodes, and I only have one thing to say: having a gay character on web ‘extras’ without addressing his sexuality on the main show is a trying to have your cake and eating it, like Rowling outing Dumbledore in an interview after book 7, like Buffy having a bi moment in the comics. It just shows that you may be aware of the representation/visibility issues, but not willing to go out on a limb over them. It’s half-hearted, condescending, and not the cookie-earner you believe it to be, and I am Not Impressed.
-Problematic race/gender/sexuality representations aside, this episode had a whole set of writing/execution issues. First, the everpresent Cloud of Despair. Look, I get that it’s a *dark* show. I’ve always loved it being a dark show. But the last couple of seasons have taken it to a whole new level-you do need to occasionally break up the darkness with some humour, slice-of-life scenes or, hell, a nice battle sequence. Because when you keep piling on the soul-crushing scenes, the hopelessness and general breaking down of characters, it just loses its impact. It crosses the line from ‘tragedy’ into ‘Angst!Porn’.
-Bless the Oblivious Agathons, though. Mind you, the lightheartedness of the scene was somewhat offset by the fact I was expecting Dee to go postal at any moment (her increased screen presence in the episode had me nervous, though I didn’t see the suicide coming-I expected more of a Cally-level freakout).
-Oh, my poor Starbuck. I don’t blame you for being angry/confused, I’m right there with you. I can’t even begin to speculate on what Kara actually is, so I’ll just focus on the pretty of the Leoben scenes, and his horrified reaction/subsequent flight at the big revelation. Shit, does this mean they’re breaking up? :-(
-Jesus, Laura, snap out of it. I want the Roslin Steel back, I want her soft-spoken and terrifying, threatening to airlock people. Please?
-Tigh continues to rock my world. Who knew when we were introduced to that old boozehound in the miniseries he would turn into one of my favourites, verbally bitchslapping Pity Party!Bill, generally being awesome and inexplicably the sanest one left? I totally want to do shots and smoke cigars with Tigh now.
-The 13th tribe were Cylons? Sure, whatever. All will be revealed! They have a plan! All of this has happened before, and will happen again! Screw a plot, we’ve got cool slogans! (I’m still, still holding on to the hope this will somehow come together in the end. Because despite everything, I have a last shred of faith in this show. It couldn’t hurt me so much if I didn’t love it).
-ELLEN! THE FINAL CYLON! TOTALLY UNEXPECTED YET SOMEHOW MAKING UTTER SENSE! Unless, of course, it’s a red herring and ALL humans turn out to be Cylons or something. *massages temples* My brain, it is broken.
I did manage to download the BSG premiere before it died on me.
-Oh, fuck this! Because Dee deserved better. Even I can notice the Flashing Racial Issues with this (with a side helping of gratuitous misogyny). It’s not just that they brought her back (after mostly ignoring her for the last couple of seasons) just to off her, it’s that her death had little more significance than to serve as a catalyst for AdamaAngst. The completely contrived Lee/Dee date did NOT improve matters either-so Lee couldn’t conjure up some real grief for his ex-WIFE without a recent exchange of saliva? The Lee/Kara scene made me laugh, that’s how predictable it was-of COURSE Dee’s inconveniently-timed death would be yet another obstacle to Lee and Kara having A Moment. It’s what her very existence has been of late.
And as icky and gross their choice for character to become the literal embodiment of the fleet’s desperation was, they could have handled it better. Remember Callie’s swansong? Remember Kat’s? They could have given us plausible (within the text) illustration of exactly why it was Dualla, the character who was once a source of calm strength and hope in a dark, cynical show was exactly the one to plunge so deeply into despair. Instead, they showed us glimpses of her through a cluttered episode featuring practically Every Character There Ever Was, and what, we’re supposed to try to decipher the meaning of the random metal trinkets she found? “I guess I’ll never know why she did it.”-Not. Good. Enough. Within the show, it might make sense, but for a viewer, and given the overall treatment of Dee’s character? EPIC fail!
-Poor Gaeta. First his leg, then his hope, now his best friend. Now there’s a character who should be on Suicide Watch. And speaking of poor old Felix, I’ve only recently caught up on the webpisodes, and I only have one thing to say: having a gay character on web ‘extras’ without addressing his sexuality on the main show is a trying to have your cake and eating it, like Rowling outing Dumbledore in an interview after book 7, like Buffy having a bi moment in the comics. It just shows that you may be aware of the representation/visibility issues, but not willing to go out on a limb over them. It’s half-hearted, condescending, and not the cookie-earner you believe it to be, and I am Not Impressed.
-Problematic race/gender/sexuality representations aside, this episode had a whole set of writing/execution issues. First, the everpresent Cloud of Despair. Look, I get that it’s a *dark* show. I’ve always loved it being a dark show. But the last couple of seasons have taken it to a whole new level-you do need to occasionally break up the darkness with some humour, slice-of-life scenes or, hell, a nice battle sequence. Because when you keep piling on the soul-crushing scenes, the hopelessness and general breaking down of characters, it just loses its impact. It crosses the line from ‘tragedy’ into ‘Angst!Porn’.
-Bless the Oblivious Agathons, though. Mind you, the lightheartedness of the scene was somewhat offset by the fact I was expecting Dee to go postal at any moment (her increased screen presence in the episode had me nervous, though I didn’t see the suicide coming-I expected more of a Cally-level freakout).
-Oh, my poor Starbuck. I don’t blame you for being angry/confused, I’m right there with you. I can’t even begin to speculate on what Kara actually is, so I’ll just focus on the pretty of the Leoben scenes, and his horrified reaction/subsequent flight at the big revelation. Shit, does this mean they’re breaking up? :-(
-Jesus, Laura, snap out of it. I want the Roslin Steel back, I want her soft-spoken and terrifying, threatening to airlock people. Please?
-Tigh continues to rock my world. Who knew when we were introduced to that old boozehound in the miniseries he would turn into one of my favourites, verbally bitchslapping Pity Party!Bill, generally being awesome and inexplicably the sanest one left? I totally want to do shots and smoke cigars with Tigh now.
-The 13th tribe were Cylons? Sure, whatever. All will be revealed! They have a plan! All of this has happened before, and will happen again! Screw a plot, we’ve got cool slogans! (I’m still, still holding on to the hope this will somehow come together in the end. Because despite everything, I have a last shred of faith in this show. It couldn’t hurt me so much if I didn’t love it).
-ELLEN! THE FINAL CYLON! TOTALLY UNEXPECTED YET SOMEHOW MAKING UTTER SENSE! Unless, of course, it’s a red herring and ALL humans turn out to be Cylons or something. *massages temples* My brain, it is broken.
