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shadowkatJust finished watching tonight's BSG episode Unfinished Business which is hands down the best thing I've seen all week on the telly. Character development, multi-layered, using flashbacks and the gimmick of a boxing match to ground and further character's emotional arcs, and resolving conflicts. Plus not preachy, yet revealing on the human condition and how you can want to kill the person you love. Reminds me of a great Avenue Q number entitled - "You know you really love somebody when you really want to kill them" or something to that effect, I'm lousy at remembering the titles of songs and/or lyrics.
This episode really just blew me away. Going back to rewatch parts of it again now (the repeat showing at 11pm, not alas by DVR or videotape). Everything about it works. Hands down the best episode of this season. (Methinks I prefer the episodes that don't focus too much on the Cylons.) Really took the Starbuck/Apollo relationship to the next level. And reaffirmed why I adore both characters - they are pricky and complicated and screwed up. And I like screwed up characters.
Also, am a character girl. I honestly don't care about logistics, science, plot bunnies, myth details - give me a good character moment, something chewy, and you have me in the palm of your hand. To me? The character's emotional journey is everything. The writers who get this are few and far between. Ron Moore definitely does. So does Joss Whedon.
Ahh...I think one of the reasons I like Starbuck so much is I identify with her. The desire to do a man's job in a man's world, to be accepted on your own terms, to be an equal, yet still be a woman and all that entails. To want a man who gets that - who wants to be your equal, yet also loves you as a woman, who doesn't expect you to be "the little girl" or "the mommy" - but just who you are. It's hard to explain. You either get it or you don't. And I've always adored Apollo - who I also identify with, in a way I couldn't with Angel - Apollo loves his father, wants to be him, yet doesn't. Admires him, but feels like he can't quite connect. He sees his father in himself and it scares him, yet he also wants to see it, hope's it is there. He's the loyal son, not the prodigal, but the loyal one who envied the prodigal's ability to be rebellious to be crazy - the prodigal who seemed to be what everyone wanted. Apollo will always live in the shadow of his dead brother with both Starbuck and Adama. Who wants bother of them to love him, respect him. I get that too. These two characters just speak to me. Even though they are more screwed up than I am. But I think that's the wonder of stories - the power of them, to be able to identify with people worse off than you or who took risks and paths you might have but wisely or unwisely did not? Or who you might have become if you weren't gifted with a loving family. The might have beens. It shows alternatives. Other possibilites. Show's us our human frailities. Exposes them. And in exposing them, makes me feel humble and thankful and proud to be merely human. I love stories. I breath for them. Sometimes I think it's the only thing that keeps me going - the anticipation of a new story.
At any rate, tonight, BSG reaffirmed why it is my favorite tv show on right now. And by far the most innovative and best science fiction series to air in years. Not cheesy. Not campy. Doesn't put science and special effects before characters. In some ways it has redefined what science fiction can be. Taken it to a new place. It's the show we recommend to people who think sci-fi is silly and campy. It's like the Twilight Zone and X-Files in that regard I think. One of the few series outside of BTVS and possibly the first two seasons of Veronica Mars, that I actually would like to own all of on DVD.
This episode really just blew me away. Going back to rewatch parts of it again now (the repeat showing at 11pm, not alas by DVR or videotape). Everything about it works. Hands down the best episode of this season. (Methinks I prefer the episodes that don't focus too much on the Cylons.) Really took the Starbuck/Apollo relationship to the next level. And reaffirmed why I adore both characters - they are pricky and complicated and screwed up. And I like screwed up characters.
Also, am a character girl. I honestly don't care about logistics, science, plot bunnies, myth details - give me a good character moment, something chewy, and you have me in the palm of your hand. To me? The character's emotional journey is everything. The writers who get this are few and far between. Ron Moore definitely does. So does Joss Whedon.
Ahh...I think one of the reasons I like Starbuck so much is I identify with her. The desire to do a man's job in a man's world, to be accepted on your own terms, to be an equal, yet still be a woman and all that entails. To want a man who gets that - who wants to be your equal, yet also loves you as a woman, who doesn't expect you to be "the little girl" or "the mommy" - but just who you are. It's hard to explain. You either get it or you don't. And I've always adored Apollo - who I also identify with, in a way I couldn't with Angel - Apollo loves his father, wants to be him, yet doesn't. Admires him, but feels like he can't quite connect. He sees his father in himself and it scares him, yet he also wants to see it, hope's it is there. He's the loyal son, not the prodigal, but the loyal one who envied the prodigal's ability to be rebellious to be crazy - the prodigal who seemed to be what everyone wanted. Apollo will always live in the shadow of his dead brother with both Starbuck and Adama. Who wants bother of them to love him, respect him. I get that too. These two characters just speak to me. Even though they are more screwed up than I am. But I think that's the wonder of stories - the power of them, to be able to identify with people worse off than you or who took risks and paths you might have but wisely or unwisely did not? Or who you might have become if you weren't gifted with a loving family. The might have beens. It shows alternatives. Other possibilites. Show's us our human frailities. Exposes them. And in exposing them, makes me feel humble and thankful and proud to be merely human. I love stories. I breath for them. Sometimes I think it's the only thing that keeps me going - the anticipation of a new story.
At any rate, tonight, BSG reaffirmed why it is my favorite tv show on right now. And by far the most innovative and best science fiction series to air in years. Not cheesy. Not campy. Doesn't put science and special effects before characters. In some ways it has redefined what science fiction can be. Taken it to a new place. It's the show we recommend to people who think sci-fi is silly and campy. It's like the Twilight Zone and X-Files in that regard I think. One of the few series outside of BTVS and possibly the first two seasons of Veronica Mars, that I actually would like to own all of on DVD.
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Date: 2006-12-03 07:10 pm (UTC)Too much about these characters is left to our imaginations. The writers haven't developed them beyond what is necessary. Listening to the podcast - this decision was brought up, "we had a lot more of Anders and Dualla that was cut", but realized it worked better to keep them in the background. So of course you like Anders. All you've seen of Anders is his good side - the stalwart hero, the guy fighting the good fight on Caprica, the guy who wouldn't kill Gaeta and was done with it. Be hard not to like him. They haven't told us yet why he fell in love with Starbuck, why he didn't spend every waking hour hunting her when she disappeared, why he does what he does. He remains, a "stock" character.
Lee, however, we've been told quite a bit about, quite a bit of it ugly. We know who his Daddy is, we know who his brother was, what life he lead on Caprica, why he married Dualla, why he loves Starbuck, why he struggled with himself. He's harder to like because we know more. And from what I've read? We're about to find out even more about Lee - stuff that will further define his relationships, explain why he does what he does.
Same with Kara - we are about to get more information on her. Why she reacted the way she did initially with Kacey. Why what Leoben did to her was the worste kind of torture possible - worse than putting her in a cell or dunking her head in water. Why she became a pilot. Why she can't let herself love. Another fully defined character.
And I think the Chief did have some resentment, you see it in earlier episodes - when they first get back, with the tribunal, how they reacte to the people on the Galatica initially. It's there. Granted it's not major and you can push it aside, because they intellectually understand what you put so well above.
That said - I do agree with your assessment on Adama. I honestly think that's what Adama was thinking and in that segment we are in Adama's pov not the Chief's. Adama and Tigh's. In an odd way, the battle is between Tigh and Adama.
For a really good analysis of Kara and this episode, see