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I'm rapidly falling in love with the new series Caprica - which next to BSG, may well be the best sci-fi series on television. I'll also most likely get my heartbroken again. Dang it. Because knowing Syfy - it won't get high ratings and we'll get more of the same..episodic monster/sci-fi weirdness of the week shit they love to produce.
Each episode is more layered than the next, and it expands on its cast slowly as opposed to throwing ten new characters at us all at once. We are sticking fairly closely to three points of view - Lacey/Clarice, Adama, Graystone. And there are no good guys or bad guys here. They are all rather complicated. Plus the science-fiction component is rather topical, not to mention well written. It's believable in other words as opposed to fantastical. You can envision this world - which is rather interesting dark mirror of our own.
What I admire the most is the pacing and plot, tight, character driven, and moves quickly.
My attention doesn't waver and I find myself watching in real time. Haven't seen that done in a sci-fi show since well Torchwood:Children of the Earth.
The religion theme appears to be slightly controversial? I've noticed a few of the reviews I've read on lj are struggling with the soliders of the one god - or the fact that the monothesists are a bit of a fanatical cult, which contains terrorists? This doesn't bug me - because I see it as a rather dark reflection of our own world and religious issues. Christianity started out as an apocalyptic cult before it was instutionalized around 323 AD.
The first Christians believed they were the last generations of humans. I don't know if they were into killing people - history tells us they were rather peaceful and I haven't seen any documentation to state otherwise. While the polythesists were rather violent, sordid, decadent, and into excess - or so we are told by the stories that have survived. What Caprica proposes much like BSG before it - is does the religion really change who we are?
We learn in BSG that the differences between the polythesist humans and the monothesist cylons aren't that huge. And in Caprica - we see much the same thing. The two groups are far more similar than they'd like to admit. The question seems to be - does it matter who or what we believe in? And if so why? And most of all - why must everyone else share that belief?
Why are we forcing them to? These questions fascinate me - because I believe they lie at the root of the violent cultural conflicts that continue to shake our world. The fight over gay rights isn't really about gay rights so much as it is about a blatant intolerance for people who do not share our beliefs and values. Who do not believe as we do. Caprica kicks the gender issue to the curb, and focuses on what lies behind it. Focuses on the consequences of having to be right regardless of the cost.
( spoilers for first three episodes of Caprica )
Each episode is more layered than the next, and it expands on its cast slowly as opposed to throwing ten new characters at us all at once. We are sticking fairly closely to three points of view - Lacey/Clarice, Adama, Graystone. And there are no good guys or bad guys here. They are all rather complicated. Plus the science-fiction component is rather topical, not to mention well written. It's believable in other words as opposed to fantastical. You can envision this world - which is rather interesting dark mirror of our own.
What I admire the most is the pacing and plot, tight, character driven, and moves quickly.
My attention doesn't waver and I find myself watching in real time. Haven't seen that done in a sci-fi show since well Torchwood:Children of the Earth.
The religion theme appears to be slightly controversial? I've noticed a few of the reviews I've read on lj are struggling with the soliders of the one god - or the fact that the monothesists are a bit of a fanatical cult, which contains terrorists? This doesn't bug me - because I see it as a rather dark reflection of our own world and religious issues. Christianity started out as an apocalyptic cult before it was instutionalized around 323 AD.
The first Christians believed they were the last generations of humans. I don't know if they were into killing people - history tells us they were rather peaceful and I haven't seen any documentation to state otherwise. While the polythesists were rather violent, sordid, decadent, and into excess - or so we are told by the stories that have survived. What Caprica proposes much like BSG before it - is does the religion really change who we are?
We learn in BSG that the differences between the polythesist humans and the monothesist cylons aren't that huge. And in Caprica - we see much the same thing. The two groups are far more similar than they'd like to admit. The question seems to be - does it matter who or what we believe in? And if so why? And most of all - why must everyone else share that belief?
Why are we forcing them to? These questions fascinate me - because I believe they lie at the root of the violent cultural conflicts that continue to shake our world. The fight over gay rights isn't really about gay rights so much as it is about a blatant intolerance for people who do not share our beliefs and values. Who do not believe as we do. Caprica kicks the gender issue to the curb, and focuses on what lies behind it. Focuses on the consequences of having to be right regardless of the cost.
( spoilers for first three episodes of Caprica )
