in having NO dialogue at all between the authorities and those concerned about a Cylon Alliance, by simply saying 'you're wrong', they have lost my sympathy forever. Just a personal thing, I guess.
No, I do see what you are saying. I was thinking this evening as I was driving home just about how much actually *talking* to the people would have helped. But Laura and Bill are still stuck in the way things used to be, much as they would deny this. Before the Colonies were destroyed, there was an immense distance between the president and the admiral of the fleet from the people (as there is here in our modern world)...and this was okay; anything less wouldn't have made sense then, really. But now, as Lee has said, they are a gang. The rules have changed, but these two haven't. I guess I both admire them for sticking to their guns and doing what they feel is right even when it's unpopular and even when others don't approve of how they're getting it done (leadership is hard, and BSG has done a great job of demonstrating just how hard, I think) but I also see where there is anger that Roslin and Adama seem so superior and unwilling to really *listen* to the civilians... Idk. They are certainly not perfect leaders, but isn't that the whole point? They've broken down here, and maybe justice has broken down a bit too on their watch, but as Roslin has said, as long as there are people around to judge them in the future, they will have succeeded in what they set out to do. Maybe Adama and Roslin don't deserve our sympathy...but I have to say that I do sympathize with them and respect what they've had to do over the course of the series. Nothing they've done was with malicious intent and they've always wanted what's best for the people, whether they always did a stellar job of articulating this to the people or not.
(Sorry, I'm rambling! Will stop now. I so enjoy discussing our different POVs--BSG does provide some great topics of conversation, I must say. :) )
how much actually *talking* to the people would have helped. I honestly do believe it would have made an immense difference. And maybe I'm naive, but I expected the mutiny to result in some dialogue. I expected there to be some horrible consequences, and probably for Gaeta to lose his life, but also for it to be a wake-up call for Adama or Roslin. Or if not for them, then for Lee to step in and realise that if he didn't take over, then things would really get out of control. I guess I'm just really disappointed that there was no sign of it causing any kind of change in approach for any of the authorities.
I guess I both admire them for sticking to their guns and doing what they feel is right even when it's unpopular and even when others don't approve of how they're getting it done I felt like that for a long time, but now there are two things which have caused me to lose faith in them. The first is that I don't really believe that the Cylon alliance IS in the humans' best interests--it still hasn't been clearly explained to me, let alone the rest of the Fleet. And secondly, maybe even more importantly, both Adama and Roslin have expressed an unwillingness to keep leading, an exhaustion and lack of emotional connection with the people they're leading--they freely admit it. They're all WILL now, and no heart. For me, that's the point at which a leader should know to step down. But they won't relinquish the reins.
I find the discussion very interesting too--thank you! I've been thinking further about it and I realise that even since 4.5 started I have shifted in my opinion and in terms of what I want to see happen.
Adama and Roslin were good people once--for me this is a story about how good people get corrupted by power, how acting like a dictator, even with good intentions, turns you into one. Gaeta's story was like that in miniature--in being driven to extremity, even doing it all for the 'best' intentions, it resulted in horrible actions and in turning into a bit of a 'monster' (Zarek is more of one, but in dealing with him Gaeta has to take some responsibility). Both stories are moving to me--but unfortunately the show frames A and R as 'right' and Gaeta as 'wrong'. I believe that's reductive. If the show were allowing both parties to appear more ambiguously I would still be emotionally engaged and I'd feel freer to feel compassionately for A and R. But being forced to view them as 'heroes' makes me choke and feel resentful. Does that make any sense?
Sure it makes sense, yeah. I think I'm just not to that point yet... I want to see where they go from here--I have to hope that A and R *will* make changes and/or that Lee *will* step up. It's the optimistic part of me! :)
I expected there to be some horrible consequences, and probably for Gaeta to lose his life, but also for it to be a wake-up call for Adama or Roslin. Or if not for them, then for Lee to step in and realise that if he didn't take over, then things would really get out of control.
Whether it will be a wake up call for Adama and Roslin we'll see right in the next episode, they didn't have time to show it in this one. And while I don't harbor much hope for Adama, I can't quite give up on Laura yet, I think she'll definitely draw some conclusions and learn from mistakes. They can't continue to ignore that so many people in the fleet (basically 25 ships out of 35) resent trusting cylons. And it's time for Lee to defend his position on this issue, not just put it in Tigh's face in the heat of a battle.
For me, it's long past the time when Lee needed to make his position clear: I couldn't believe how silent and acquiescent he was in that meeting with Helo, Tyrol, Tigh et al. To me he feels totally out of character, except for that one call to Tigh. I guess I'm scared I'll find out next week that Lee is not the Lee I love any more.
No, I do see what you are saying. I was thinking this evening as I was driving home just about how much actually *talking* to the people would have helped. But Laura and Bill are still stuck in the way things used to be, much as they would deny this. Before the Colonies were destroyed, there was an immense distance between the president and the admiral of the fleet from the people (as there is here in our modern world)...and this was okay; anything less wouldn't have made sense then, really. But now, as Lee has said, they are a gang. The rules have changed, but these two haven't. I guess I both admire them for sticking to their guns and doing what they feel is right even when it's unpopular and even when others don't approve of how they're getting it done (leadership is hard, and BSG has done a great job of demonstrating just how hard, I think) but I also see where there is anger that Roslin and Adama seem so superior and unwilling to really *listen* to the civilians... Idk. They are certainly not perfect leaders, but isn't that the whole point? They've broken down here, and maybe justice has broken down a bit too on their watch, but as Roslin has said, as long as there are people around to judge them in the future, they will have succeeded in what they set out to do. Maybe Adama and Roslin don't deserve our sympathy...but I have to say that I do sympathize with them and respect what they've had to do over the course of the series. Nothing they've done was with malicious intent and they've always wanted what's best for the people, whether they always did a stellar job of articulating this to the people or not.
(Sorry, I'm rambling! Will stop now. I so enjoy discussing our different POVs--BSG does provide some great topics of conversation, I must say. :) )
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I honestly do believe it would have made an immense difference. And maybe I'm naive, but I expected the mutiny to result in some dialogue. I expected there to be some horrible consequences, and probably for Gaeta to lose his life, but also for it to be a wake-up call for Adama or Roslin. Or if not for them, then for Lee to step in and realise that if he didn't take over, then things would really get out of control. I guess I'm just really disappointed that there was no sign of it causing any kind of change in approach for any of the authorities.
I guess I both admire them for sticking to their guns and doing what they feel is right even when it's unpopular and even when others don't approve of how they're getting it done
I felt like that for a long time, but now there are two things which have caused me to lose faith in them. The first is that I don't really believe that the Cylon alliance IS in the humans' best interests--it still hasn't been clearly explained to me, let alone the rest of the Fleet. And secondly, maybe even more importantly, both Adama and Roslin have expressed an unwillingness to keep leading, an exhaustion and lack of emotional connection with the people they're leading--they freely admit it. They're all WILL now, and no heart. For me, that's the point at which a leader should know to step down. But they won't relinquish the reins.
I find the discussion very interesting too--thank you! I've been thinking further about it and I realise that even since 4.5 started I have shifted in my opinion and in terms of what I want to see happen.
Adama and Roslin were good people once--for me this is a story about how good people get corrupted by power, how acting like a dictator, even with good intentions, turns you into one. Gaeta's story was like that in miniature--in being driven to extremity, even doing it all for the 'best' intentions, it resulted in horrible actions and in turning into a bit of a 'monster' (Zarek is more of one, but in dealing with him Gaeta has to take some responsibility). Both stories are moving to me--but unfortunately the show frames A and R as 'right' and Gaeta as 'wrong'. I believe that's reductive. If the show were allowing both parties to appear more ambiguously I would still be emotionally engaged and I'd feel freer to feel compassionately for A and R. But being forced to view them as 'heroes' makes me choke and feel resentful. Does that make any sense?
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Whether it will be a wake up call for Adama and Roslin we'll see right in the next episode, they didn't have time to show it in this one. And while I don't harbor much hope for Adama, I can't quite give up on Laura yet, I think she'll definitely draw some conclusions and learn from mistakes. They can't continue to ignore that so many people in the fleet (basically 25 ships out of 35) resent trusting cylons. And it's time for Lee to defend his position on this issue, not just put it in Tigh's face in the heat of a battle.
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For me, it's long past the time when Lee needed to make his position clear: I couldn't believe how silent and acquiescent he was in that meeting with Helo, Tyrol, Tigh et al. To me he feels totally out of character, except for that one call to Tigh. I guess I'm scared I'll find out next week that Lee is not the Lee I love any more.
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