I'm a little out of sorts and hope I remember to list everything I wanted to comment about... so I guess I'll start with issues and than move onto characters.
The Politics
1) Suicide bombing. It's hardly a new target and hardly limited to the kind of conflict we are facing today. It is classically the tactic of a people with nothing else to lose. There are cases of it in the Jewish uprising of the Warsaw Ghetto. It's always been something that makes me feel quezy. Human life is sacred. Killing is a sin. Killing innocents is a sin. Killing yourself is a sin. But were the people who died in suicide bombings inside police graduations or cylon prisons really innocent? They talked about innocents dying, but they didn't show them. Perhaps there is only so much even BSG is willing to go. As with real life though, i have trouble justifying the response of powerful countries with tanks and attack helicopters when faced with 16 year old girls who are willing to strap bombs to their chests.
After all, Duck was not an innocent. Duck was a soldier and he went into it with full understanding. I highly doubt Tigh gave him the speech about how he was going to see Nora in the fields of the gods... that's not his style. Tigh is blunt. Anyway, I knew that was coming way about epsiode eight or so of the webisodes.
2) The new caprica police are idiots. Not for the reasons that the chief said, but because they have to know that any job that requires you to wear a mask to go to work isn't likely one you will ever be proud of. Now what this says about Iraqi police now.... I'm not really sure. I'm an American. I don't believe in the war but I believe that many of them want to help their people. So if I don't hate them, or don't think they are idiots... should I be as judgemental of the New Caprica Police?
3) Force brings a bright future of peace. I think I feel very sorry for Caprica Six and Boomer... they mean well, but really were they ever going to succeed in building a peace based on the force of arms. I've been trying to think of a no-Iraq analogy for this all night, and the best I can come up with is Spanish colonial missionaries. They believed that they were coming to the Americas to Christianize and bring civilization, to help people. Now the implications of if the people needed civilization aside--I'm not about to defend colonialism--good and honest people did exist... but they came in boats full of conquesdors and men looking for their fortunes. Those good and honest and rightious men lead to death and destruction of those people they wanted to save. Boomer has the sweetest intent... and the most blood on her hands in the end of this I think.
The Characters
A) Gaeta surprised me, mostly because I've thought he was a cylon for a while, but I'm pretty sure he isn't now. I'm also pretty sure Jammer isn't... which blows out all my theories about secret cylons.
B) Lee... did you loose your faith in your father or your faith in Roslin? I think I loved you at your best in early season 2 when you stood for something. It feels to me like the writers threw you a bone for having the point about saving humanity.... but it didn't feel geniune to the character. I think they lost you.
C) Tigh... Tigh ... Tigh... I love to hate Tigh but I often understand him. He is inhuman here, but not so different to me than the biggest monsters that we make ourselves in to win a war. Who is worse, Tigh who can admit that he is a bad and evil man sending young men to die... or Roslin who can throw someone out an airlock with little remorse? Or do they need both to survive. Seems to me they both know they do.
D) Speaking of Roslin. I think the most powerful moment I've ever seen on television comes when she pulls that chair towards her with her feet and with the dignity that only Mary McDonnell can pull off just puts on her glasses. There is a powerful dignity to that character, a clarion voice and i'm surprised the Cylons haven't detained her before. After all... don't a lot of them remember her flushing them out airlocks? I would have liked to see cylon interaction with her. Does anyone else wonder if she's not going to end up becoming a semireligious figure again when the Cylons announce she's dead and she's seen lurking around the shadows?
On a second note... I want Mary McDonnell's handwriting. At least I think that was her handwriting. Failing that I want the prop assistant who wrote the pages handwriting.
E) Sharon. I've never much liked Sharon (as opposed to Boomer). I've always found her cold and creepy, but there was something warm and friendly about her now. I'd love to see how that relationship developed. Hopefully in a flashback episode.
F) Dee. For the first time since Home I haven't found you annoying Dee. Too bad the writers misplaced your personality sometime in the middle of the second season.
G) Ellen. I could have lived my entire life... several lifetimes... without the image of Ellen Tigh having sex with anyone. Really. I mean it. The idea squicks me... the visual .... ew....
Critism
Mr. Moore, you needed an editor. I'll be the first to admit that there is almost always a storyline going in BSG that I don't like. On DVDs I fast forward past them. In broadcast I stop paying attention. I know that you love and respect the actress... but the Starbuck storyline did not belong in this episode. It was misplaced and threw off the pacing of the entire episode. Maybe it could have been an episode to itself... but personally I think it's a bad storyline badly executed.
And speaking of pacing. I love Galactica. I love EJO. The Galactica storylines didn't belong in this episode either. This should have been about New Caprica. It would have been much better paced and the editing wouldn't have been shot to hell.
The Politics
1) Suicide bombing. It's hardly a new target and hardly limited to the kind of conflict we are facing today. It is classically the tactic of a people with nothing else to lose. There are cases of it in the Jewish uprising of the Warsaw Ghetto. It's always been something that makes me feel quezy. Human life is sacred. Killing is a sin. Killing innocents is a sin. Killing yourself is a sin. But were the people who died in suicide bombings inside police graduations or cylon prisons really innocent? They talked about innocents dying, but they didn't show them. Perhaps there is only so much even BSG is willing to go. As with real life though, i have trouble justifying the response of powerful countries with tanks and attack helicopters when faced with 16 year old girls who are willing to strap bombs to their chests.
After all, Duck was not an innocent. Duck was a soldier and he went into it with full understanding. I highly doubt Tigh gave him the speech about how he was going to see Nora in the fields of the gods... that's not his style. Tigh is blunt. Anyway, I knew that was coming way about epsiode eight or so of the webisodes.
2) The new caprica police are idiots. Not for the reasons that the chief said, but because they have to know that any job that requires you to wear a mask to go to work isn't likely one you will ever be proud of. Now what this says about Iraqi police now.... I'm not really sure. I'm an American. I don't believe in the war but I believe that many of them want to help their people. So if I don't hate them, or don't think they are idiots... should I be as judgemental of the New Caprica Police?
3) Force brings a bright future of peace. I think I feel very sorry for Caprica Six and Boomer... they mean well, but really were they ever going to succeed in building a peace based on the force of arms. I've been trying to think of a no-Iraq analogy for this all night, and the best I can come up with is Spanish colonial missionaries. They believed that they were coming to the Americas to Christianize and bring civilization, to help people. Now the implications of if the people needed civilization aside--I'm not about to defend colonialism--good and honest people did exist... but they came in boats full of conquesdors and men looking for their fortunes. Those good and honest and rightious men lead to death and destruction of those people they wanted to save. Boomer has the sweetest intent... and the most blood on her hands in the end of this I think.
The Characters
A) Gaeta surprised me, mostly because I've thought he was a cylon for a while, but I'm pretty sure he isn't now. I'm also pretty sure Jammer isn't... which blows out all my theories about secret cylons.
B) Lee... did you loose your faith in your father or your faith in Roslin? I think I loved you at your best in early season 2 when you stood for something. It feels to me like the writers threw you a bone for having the point about saving humanity.... but it didn't feel geniune to the character. I think they lost you.
C) Tigh... Tigh ... Tigh... I love to hate Tigh but I often understand him. He is inhuman here, but not so different to me than the biggest monsters that we make ourselves in to win a war. Who is worse, Tigh who can admit that he is a bad and evil man sending young men to die... or Roslin who can throw someone out an airlock with little remorse? Or do they need both to survive. Seems to me they both know they do.
D) Speaking of Roslin. I think the most powerful moment I've ever seen on television comes when she pulls that chair towards her with her feet and with the dignity that only Mary McDonnell can pull off just puts on her glasses. There is a powerful dignity to that character, a clarion voice and i'm surprised the Cylons haven't detained her before. After all... don't a lot of them remember her flushing them out airlocks? I would have liked to see cylon interaction with her. Does anyone else wonder if she's not going to end up becoming a semireligious figure again when the Cylons announce she's dead and she's seen lurking around the shadows?
On a second note... I want Mary McDonnell's handwriting. At least I think that was her handwriting. Failing that I want the prop assistant who wrote the pages handwriting.
E) Sharon. I've never much liked Sharon (as opposed to Boomer). I've always found her cold and creepy, but there was something warm and friendly about her now. I'd love to see how that relationship developed. Hopefully in a flashback episode.
F) Dee. For the first time since Home I haven't found you annoying Dee. Too bad the writers misplaced your personality sometime in the middle of the second season.
G) Ellen. I could have lived my entire life... several lifetimes... without the image of Ellen Tigh having sex with anyone. Really. I mean it. The idea squicks me... the visual .... ew....
Critism
Mr. Moore, you needed an editor. I'll be the first to admit that there is almost always a storyline going in BSG that I don't like. On DVDs I fast forward past them. In broadcast I stop paying attention. I know that you love and respect the actress... but the Starbuck storyline did not belong in this episode. It was misplaced and threw off the pacing of the entire episode. Maybe it could have been an episode to itself... but personally I think it's a bad storyline badly executed.
And speaking of pacing. I love Galactica. I love EJO. The Galactica storylines didn't belong in this episode either. This should have been about New Caprica. It would have been much better paced and the editing wouldn't have been shot to hell.
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