Battlestar Galactica 4.06 Faith

[bop_radar]

I haven't been talking about it. I've been afraid to do so. But I've been really struggling with Battlestar this season. If you're feeling the love, you probably want to skip by this post.

Comments

[latteaddict]

You poor thing! I hate it when the show squashes my enjoyment and things happen that can't unhappen and you know that even if you stick with it it'll never be the same - been there done that. You know if we didn't love it so much it would never disappoint so drastically.

Even though I don't feel the same about a lot of what you said, I can totally understand what you're talking about and why it bothers you so much. The show seemed to promise certain things in the beginning and as a result expectations were raised (mine were, anyway). And yet everything is so upside down and sideways this season it's just crazy. Nothing has gone as I had hoped it would and I find to continue enjoying the show I've had to minimise my expectations (and I'm talking way back in s2). These days I just hope for great Kara moments. And just her smile and laughter totally made this episode for me. I'm obviously easily pleased. That's not to say I don't have a wish-list for BSG, I totally do, but as each episode passes I realise my wish-list is less and less likely to be filled.

I do think you're onto something with your theory about Ron & co hoping a good portion of the audience would be invested in at least one of the final four to sway them to a more sympathetic eye towards the Cylons (not counting those already pre-existing hardcore Cylon-fans). It totally worked with me. I've been loving Sam's journey so far. He's made so many mistakes but I've never seen him be malicious. I love how he is swept along in the moment by whatever he's feeling. I totally bought his angst over Jean's death and his compassion for the Sharon. I thought he was like a priest tending to her soul or something. I did have a worry moment when he allowed Leoben to assist him with tending to a wounded Kara. I feel it's Sam's duty to keep Leoben away from her, you know?

As for how Kara might react now that she's heard the doom prophecy (I don't know anything at all, so this is just spec) but I think Kara might retreat within herself. If she thinks she'll be leading her family to its doom she'll fight it. I suppose the pull of her destiny could sway her to disregard the Hybrid, but if she accepts it then I expect Kara to step back, no matter how painful it is.

It's all NO GOOD. Woe is Bop.

*hugs* I'm glad you're not giving up the show, though. There's still a chance it might not be as bad as you suspect. I bet Ron manages to pull a few fast ones on us yet.

(I'll use my sweetest Lee icon to help cheer you up) (oh, and no Lee two weeks in a row is ridiculous. It's bad enough pilots aren't together or even pilots anymore, but now they don't even have their stories told in the same eps *grumbles*)(That wasn't very cheery was it *hangs head* just look at the icon!)

[bop_radar]

you know that even if you stick with it it'll never be the same - been there done that. You know if we didn't love it so much it would never disappoint so drastically.
Yup. :( It can't be undone, it's true. I know you know what that's like. Like you, I had high hopes for the show, but though I've modified my hopes several times since the beginning it's only been in these past weeks that I've realised there's no possibility of a satisfactory ending for me. Before I always held out hope that the end could redeem things.

These days I just hope for great Kara moments. And just her smile and laughter totally made this episode for me. I'm obviously easily pleased.
I think that's what I need to do too. I need to pull back from the show as a whole and just become a shallow Lee fangirl. He makes me happy, if he's on screen being great, I *will* be happy (and I'm sure the timing of my malaise has a lot to do with him NOT being on screen). I feel sad that I can't enjoy the show as a whole, but if I can hang on tight to Lee, I might enjoy the eps on some level.

your theory about Ron & co hoping a good portion of the audience would be invested in at least one of the final four to sway them to a more sympathetic eye towards the Cylons (not counting those already pre-existing hardcore Cylon-fans).
Right! Once I realised it ALL MADE SENSE. And looking around fandom I think it's working for most fans. I see how the show would rock if you were a Sam fan right now. He's getting lots of screentime, lots of character exploration, and there's lots of tension in his scenes.

I could argue with you about Sam (I think his actions were selfish and incredibly dangerous to Kara in this episode) but my heart's not in it... if you're enjoying the show, then I'm happy for you.

I did have a worry moment when he allowed Leoben to assist him with tending to a wounded Kara. I feel it's Sam's duty to keep Leoben away from her, you know?
I know, but he won't. He's too conflicted about his own identity and he connected with Leoben last episode--he's let Leoben slip under his skin. He doesn't see the danger he poses.

If she thinks she'll be leading her family to its doom she'll fight it. I suppose the pull of her destiny could sway her to disregard the Hybrid, but if she accepts it then I expect Kara to step back, no matter how painful it is.
I think she'll fight it too, and I saw her fighting it. But that just made it all the clearer to me that this is going to be about an emotional journey for Kara--from rejecting the prophecy to embracing it--not a debunking of the prophecy.

no Lee two weeks in a row is ridiculous. It's bad enough pilots aren't together or even pilots anymore, but now they don't even have their stories told in the same eps *grumbles
Well, there's no place for Lee in Ron's Grand Plan. I see that now. I see now why he never knew what the hell to do with his character. It's because there's no part for Lee in the final unfolding story. Before I had this realisation, I thought Lee would be critical to the endgame and that let me believe in/hope in pilots. That's gone now. I don't actually expect we'll see them together again. NOW I know why Jamie talked about their last scene as being played with 'finality' (even though it didn't read that way to me).

That wasn't very cheery was it *hangs head* just look at the icon!
Sorry, I'm no good at cheery either. Don't let me bring you down. Go enjoy Sam!

[latteaddict]

hey Bop, I just finished listening to Ron's podcast for Escape Velocity http://www.scifi.com/battlestar/downloads/podcast.php and Ron talks quite a bit about monotheism/polytheism throughout the whole thing. He also mentions quite a few things about Lee too and some scenes that were supposed to take place. If you haven't already listened, maybe it will help answer some of your questions about the religion in BSG.

[bop_radar]

Thank you! That's so kind of you to think of me. It does sound intriguing and I haven't listened to it yet.

quite a few things about Lee too and some scenes that were supposed to take place
Heh, that'd be right... *grumbles* One of the things I find hard to stomach about the podcasts is how RDM's always 'oh we had this great plan' (or great scene or whatever) and then we changed it/didn't have time.

I'll steel myself and give it a go!

[bop_radar]

*nods*
At the moment it seems like it's about embracing your inner Cylon. Therefore: no Lee.

I'm perkier today so I'm hoping somehow things will improve in the second half of Season 4. Like when they suddenly remembered that Lee was awesome during the trial in Season 3. ;) I do need to lower my expectations about the show, but I'll hope that they give us some more good human stuff with Lee before steamrolling ahead with the Cylon Express.

[bop_radar]

I hope so, I really really do... but when Jamie first said he wasn't in the show much in S4 I didn't really think it would be as little as two consecutive episodes without him. :(( I'm going to lower my expectations of seeing him any time soon right down and just hope that some time in the distant future there will be a cool Lee scene again (as he seems to indicate, you say).

[bop_radar]

I don't know what he did to piss them off either, but then I remember he was VERY vocal about how he felt they'd mishandled Katee's non-departure from the show in Season 3. And I started worrying when he was all snarky in interviews when they turned down his script and when other actors from the show were getting picked up in the albeit-craptastic-thank-god-Jamie's-not-in-it Bionic Woman. But I'd like to think better of TPTB than that. It shouldn't affect their writing of Lee as a character.

I'm to the point where I kind of wish Lee WERE a Cylon, just so we'd get to see him more!
Yuh! And then I'd have a sympathetic Cylon character to get 'into' which is exactly what I need to ride out this plot...