BSG Review (mini-season + eps 1-7 of S1)
Phew! I've been having a bit of a BSG marthon over the past week. First of all let me say a big thanks to jelly, lune, pace, etc who have been pushing me to watch it for ages. I'm just sorry I took so long for me to get into the loop! So last night I watched through to 'Six degrees of Seperation' which was probably my favourite ep so far. So it's time for a little review/discussion!
The Story
I was told the mini-season is a little like bootcamp and I have to agree, it was heavy going. The show has quite a complicated set up and, with most of the human race being wiped out, it is also seriously depressing. A lot of fans have spoken about the agonising choices that the crew are forced to make, when they must do things like leave members of their team to die or nuke a civilian ship that's been taken over by cylons. Jesus, I wouldn't like to make those calls! You can see the characters are burdened too, but still - I understand the stakes. The future of the human race is something they have to fight for at all costs. So they have my sympathy. Oh and I love that they are searching for a mythical planet known as 'Earth'. That's just a cute touch. I love it.
I found myself enjoying the show much more since I got into the thick of S1. The episode length is much more disgestible and the show has become very pacey and focused. I tend to switch off during the space battles (I get battle fatigue real quick!) but the action sequences and character drama onboard the ship is really engaging. I'm not really liking the shipper element - Lee/Kara, Chief/Boomer, etc - these couplings don't really do much for me. Maybe I'm just too anti-shipper these days. But there are plenty of non-romantic relationships that I am enjoying and some characters who are interesting all on their own.
The Characters
I've been liking most of the characters so far, but there are three that are especially holding my attention...
Roslin: It is just great to have a character with so much strength and intergrity, who isn't afraid to suck it up and make tough decisions. She has her mission clear in her mind (ensuring a future for the human race) and she is fiercely determined to see it through. But she isn't without her softer side. Her little heart-to-hearts with Lee have been very moving and her cancer gives her a sense of vulnerability. God I hope she survives her illness because I think everyone would quickly lose their heads without her.
Baltar: I suppose I have weakness for pathetic weasely characters. I just can't help loving this guy. Maybe loving is the wrong term, because I do enjoy seeing him squirm and suffer. But at the same time I can't bring myself to hate him. Something you notice early on about Baltar is he's motivated purely by self-preservation, which is admittedly a very human traint. He doesn't strike me as cruel or malicious; he is simply desperate to save his own neck. But I also feel certain that they'll come a time when he'll stop making excuses for his failings and atone for his mistakes by using his intelligence to help others. He could become quite heroic in the end. But for now, I'm enjoying his neurotic despicable side. He's very entertaining. I often get sick of Six stradling him or chewing on his ear every two seconds, but I'm loving the little Baltar/Felix team, especially with their secret toilet chat in ep 7.
Starbuck: I get the feeling she's a character people either love or hate in the BSG fandom, sometimes lurching between the two. She is tough and spunky on the surface with sense of wounded vulnerability underneath, which is a balance that the writers have Lost have tried achieve with several of their female characters, but they have never done so as successfully as BSG have done with Kara. She is magnetic viewing. She has a wildness in her eyes, a hunger in her smile and a very engaging charisma. At the moment I'm loving her. I've heard that later on she'll be the focus of some love triangles so I might become sour on her then. But the Starbuck solo show with her organic spaceship/cylon pet was very enjoyable.
Aside from these three I'm also loving some of the cute supporting characters such as Felix, Billy, Cally and the Chief. I'm not into Apollo though. Often I find Lee too stoic and uptight, which gets in the way of his warmer side. I don't really know how to feel about either of the Boomers at the moment. Six is currently annoying the hell out of me with her constant sleazing. But overall it is a great cast of characters and whoa, it is refreshing to see some strong female roles!
Overall
I like it. I really like it. However, I don't feel religious about it and I don't think that I want to. I think that I'll commit to watching S1 through to the end. After that I'm not sure that I'm up for three more lengthy seasons. However it seems the standard of BSG remains pretty high and the show delevops in interesting ways. I was hoping BSG fans could recommend some powerful standout episodes from S2/S3/S4 for me to sample. Don't worry about spoiling me, because I've been floating around BSG fan discussions for so long, I've already absorbed a hefty amount of spoilerage. But I'd still like to check out the best eps the following seasons have to offer (no filler or love triangles please!) I'd particularly like to see good episodes focusing on Roslin, Baltar or Starbuck, or eps where the underdog characters get some attention.
Additional: On a separate note, I just wanted to say a quick YAY! My girl Jessie got through to the Nancy finals! She was in the top 2 with Jodie. That's one in the eye for Captain Jack who is getting nasty in his comments about her. The judge's darling Sam got the lowest votes, but the Lord sent poor Rachel home (aw!). Anyway, I think Jodie will win and deservedly so since she is the most suited to the Nancy part. I hope Jess comes second!
The Story
I was told the mini-season is a little like bootcamp and I have to agree, it was heavy going. The show has quite a complicated set up and, with most of the human race being wiped out, it is also seriously depressing. A lot of fans have spoken about the agonising choices that the crew are forced to make, when they must do things like leave members of their team to die or nuke a civilian ship that's been taken over by cylons. Jesus, I wouldn't like to make those calls! You can see the characters are burdened too, but still - I understand the stakes. The future of the human race is something they have to fight for at all costs. So they have my sympathy. Oh and I love that they are searching for a mythical planet known as 'Earth'. That's just a cute touch. I love it.
I found myself enjoying the show much more since I got into the thick of S1. The episode length is much more disgestible and the show has become very pacey and focused. I tend to switch off during the space battles (I get battle fatigue real quick!) but the action sequences and character drama onboard the ship is really engaging. I'm not really liking the shipper element - Lee/Kara, Chief/Boomer, etc - these couplings don't really do much for me. Maybe I'm just too anti-shipper these days. But there are plenty of non-romantic relationships that I am enjoying and some characters who are interesting all on their own.
The Characters
I've been liking most of the characters so far, but there are three that are especially holding my attention...
Roslin: It is just great to have a character with so much strength and intergrity, who isn't afraid to suck it up and make tough decisions. She has her mission clear in her mind (ensuring a future for the human race) and she is fiercely determined to see it through. But she isn't without her softer side. Her little heart-to-hearts with Lee have been very moving and her cancer gives her a sense of vulnerability. God I hope she survives her illness because I think everyone would quickly lose their heads without her.
Baltar: I suppose I have weakness for pathetic weasely characters. I just can't help loving this guy. Maybe loving is the wrong term, because I do enjoy seeing him squirm and suffer. But at the same time I can't bring myself to hate him. Something you notice early on about Baltar is he's motivated purely by self-preservation, which is admittedly a very human traint. He doesn't strike me as cruel or malicious; he is simply desperate to save his own neck. But I also feel certain that they'll come a time when he'll stop making excuses for his failings and atone for his mistakes by using his intelligence to help others. He could become quite heroic in the end. But for now, I'm enjoying his neurotic despicable side. He's very entertaining. I often get sick of Six stradling him or chewing on his ear every two seconds, but I'm loving the little Baltar/Felix team, especially with their secret toilet chat in ep 7.
Starbuck: I get the feeling she's a character people either love or hate in the BSG fandom, sometimes lurching between the two. She is tough and spunky on the surface with sense of wounded vulnerability underneath, which is a balance that the writers have Lost have tried achieve with several of their female characters, but they have never done so as successfully as BSG have done with Kara. She is magnetic viewing. She has a wildness in her eyes, a hunger in her smile and a very engaging charisma. At the moment I'm loving her. I've heard that later on she'll be the focus of some love triangles so I might become sour on her then. But the Starbuck solo show with her organic spaceship/cylon pet was very enjoyable.
Aside from these three I'm also loving some of the cute supporting characters such as Felix, Billy, Cally and the Chief. I'm not into Apollo though. Often I find Lee too stoic and uptight, which gets in the way of his warmer side. I don't really know how to feel about either of the Boomers at the moment. Six is currently annoying the hell out of me with her constant sleazing. But overall it is a great cast of characters and whoa, it is refreshing to see some strong female roles!
Overall
I like it. I really like it. However, I don't feel religious about it and I don't think that I want to. I think that I'll commit to watching S1 through to the end. After that I'm not sure that I'm up for three more lengthy seasons. However it seems the standard of BSG remains pretty high and the show delevops in interesting ways. I was hoping BSG fans could recommend some powerful standout episodes from S2/S3/S4 for me to sample. Don't worry about spoiling me, because I've been floating around BSG fan discussions for so long, I've already absorbed a hefty amount of spoilerage. But I'd still like to check out the best eps the following seasons have to offer (no filler or love triangles please!) I'd particularly like to see good episodes focusing on Roslin, Baltar or Starbuck, or eps where the underdog characters get some attention.
Additional: On a separate note, I just wanted to say a quick YAY! My girl Jessie got through to the Nancy finals! She was in the top 2 with Jodie. That's one in the eye for Captain Jack who is getting nasty in his comments about her. The judge's darling Sam got the lowest votes, but the Lord sent poor Rachel home (aw!). Anyway, I think Jodie will win and deservedly so since she is the most suited to the Nancy part. I hope Jess comes second!