[301, 302] "Occupation," "Precipice" and the fangirls' tour of DC
Finally pulling my thoughts together enough to comment on THE RETURN OF MY SHOW! (Sorry, got excited there.) I’ve been a little distracted by prepping for premiere night (we had our own teeny little frak party) and wisteria_’s visit. First, an aside on the weekend:
Finally got to meet Alanna - yay! Seems like we’ve been planning this for forever. Despite the dreary,blustery weather on Friday and Saturday, we were able to squeeze in a little shopping expedition and some sightseeing by moonlight. And the weather gods relented today and served up perfect fall weather - 70 degrees, blue skies and sunlight straight out of a Hockney collage. We scouted mansions for Alanna to live in walked around Embassy Row and did a little tour of the Textile Museum, housed in the former residence of the heir to the Bristol-Myers fortune. Then we had lunch in Dupont Circle and soaked up the sunshine by the eponymous fountain. It’s nice to see my city through the eyes of a visitor - otherwise I don’t remember to get out and appreciate it!
The premiere in general:
My show is back!! Even though I’d seen the first act online, it was gorgeous watching it again on a “big” (bigger than my laptop, anyway) screen. The cinematography is just stunning - I want to say creamy, painterly, the way they lay the lights and darks down in thick strokes - and somebody loves Mary McDonnell, she looks lovely in every shot, whether she’s praying by candlelight or shrinking from the interrogation high-beam.
And I adore the return to ensemble storytelling. When he gets it right, RDM is fantastic at simultaneously achieving the broad sweep and the tight character vignette. I liked the real-world allusions and didn’t think they were too heavy-handed, since he’s careful to mix it up so it’s not always Cylons = the U.S. Sometimes they’re Afghanistan, or Iraq, or… you know, whatever. I mean, a TV show will probably not convert anyone from a conservative to a liberal, or cause them to modify their stance on US foreign policy, especially if they're unsophisticated political observers like me. But I have to believe there's some value in producing thoughtful TV. *g* (Anyone? What is thoughtful TV good for? Besides fandom discussions, that is.)
ETA: I miss Duck!! I've always loved him, even though he's just had little bits to do. Hmm. Maybe I can still eke out some backstory fic for Duck. RIP, buddy. (Did we ever even know your full name?)
As for Lee... I don't know if people abruptly change the way they grieve, or go into depression. So, let me get this straight: TPTB go to the trouble of establishing that this character responds to a lack of something to believe in (faith in Roslin/Adama as principled leaders) by withdrawing, becoming aloof. Then they turn around and have him respond to a lack of something to work toward (a fleet to protect, an authority figure to rebel against, a peer to compete with) by PIGGING OUT??!
It just doesn't make sense to me. Lee has always been portrayed as a very driven character. Despite his issues with his father, he's become a Viper pilot. He's overcome the challenge of breaking into a tight-knit community, twice (as Galactica's CAG, and as the Pegasus commander), because it was his duty and because he was the most qualified person around. Even after his space walk, when he pulled away from Kara, Dee, Roslin, his father, he was still idealistic enough to go on a mission to protect the Fleet from the likes of Phelan. He’s always been able to find a focal point for his intensity and attention to detail. So no, I don’t believe that a year of inaction - inaction, mind you, not another betrayal, not a crisis of faith, and what’s more, inactivity along with a marriage to someone who has chosen him over another man - would fundamentally change Lee’s personality.
Okay, I don't own this show, I am neither a writer nor (obviously) the actor, with privileged insight into what makes Lee tick. Nor am I ready to ditch this show just because they have tortured my poor Lee. But I really don't buy the direction of his character development. I think what happened was that, after deciding on the year leap, (a) RDM and co. ran out of ideas when they came to Lee and (b) Jamie said, "ooh! new costume!" and decided to have fun with the whole suit-and-flounder concept. Maybe Jamie was just consoling himself, given how the writers have failed him, but I fear his portrayal is veering into caricature - he's all but brought his own recliner and beernuts to the set. Ah well, Jamie's said this will only last four eps or so - so, soon we can put it behind us, like LiteBrite and Shevon.
I gather someone on LJ commented that these next few days will seem like eternity, even though we made it through a seven-month hiatus. I'm going to take the hopscotch approach: Wednesday is "Lost," Thursday is Jacob's recap on TwoP and "Ugly Betty," and then it's Friday again!! I think I'll make it till then. ;0)
Finally got to meet Alanna - yay! Seems like we’ve been planning this for forever. Despite the dreary,blustery weather on Friday and Saturday, we were able to squeeze in a little shopping expedition and some sightseeing by moonlight. And the weather gods relented today and served up perfect fall weather - 70 degrees, blue skies and sunlight straight out of a Hockney collage. We scouted mansions for Alanna to live in walked around Embassy Row and did a little tour of the Textile Museum, housed in the former residence of the heir to the Bristol-Myers fortune. Then we had lunch in Dupont Circle and soaked up the sunshine by the eponymous fountain. It’s nice to see my city through the eyes of a visitor - otherwise I don’t remember to get out and appreciate it!
The premiere in general:
My show is back!! Even though I’d seen the first act online, it was gorgeous watching it again on a “big” (bigger than my laptop, anyway) screen. The cinematography is just stunning - I want to say creamy, painterly, the way they lay the lights and darks down in thick strokes - and somebody loves Mary McDonnell, she looks lovely in every shot, whether she’s praying by candlelight or shrinking from the interrogation high-beam.
And I adore the return to ensemble storytelling. When he gets it right, RDM is fantastic at simultaneously achieving the broad sweep and the tight character vignette. I liked the real-world allusions and didn’t think they were too heavy-handed, since he’s careful to mix it up so it’s not always Cylons = the U.S. Sometimes they’re Afghanistan, or Iraq, or… you know, whatever. I mean, a TV show will probably not convert anyone from a conservative to a liberal, or cause them to modify their stance on US foreign policy, especially if they're unsophisticated political observers like me. But I have to believe there's some value in producing thoughtful TV. *g* (Anyone? What is thoughtful TV good for? Besides fandom discussions, that is.)
ETA: I miss Duck!! I've always loved him, even though he's just had little bits to do. Hmm. Maybe I can still eke out some backstory fic for Duck. RIP, buddy. (Did we ever even know your full name?)
As for Lee... I don't know if people abruptly change the way they grieve, or go into depression. So, let me get this straight: TPTB go to the trouble of establishing that this character responds to a lack of something to believe in (faith in Roslin/Adama as principled leaders) by withdrawing, becoming aloof. Then they turn around and have him respond to a lack of something to work toward (a fleet to protect, an authority figure to rebel against, a peer to compete with) by PIGGING OUT??!
It just doesn't make sense to me. Lee has always been portrayed as a very driven character. Despite his issues with his father, he's become a Viper pilot. He's overcome the challenge of breaking into a tight-knit community, twice (as Galactica's CAG, and as the Pegasus commander), because it was his duty and because he was the most qualified person around. Even after his space walk, when he pulled away from Kara, Dee, Roslin, his father, he was still idealistic enough to go on a mission to protect the Fleet from the likes of Phelan. He’s always been able to find a focal point for his intensity and attention to detail. So no, I don’t believe that a year of inaction - inaction, mind you, not another betrayal, not a crisis of faith, and what’s more, inactivity along with a marriage to someone who has chosen him over another man - would fundamentally change Lee’s personality.
Okay, I don't own this show, I am neither a writer nor (obviously) the actor, with privileged insight into what makes Lee tick. Nor am I ready to ditch this show just because they have tortured my poor Lee. But I really don't buy the direction of his character development. I think what happened was that, after deciding on the year leap, (a) RDM and co. ran out of ideas when they came to Lee and (b) Jamie said, "ooh! new costume!" and decided to have fun with the whole suit-and-flounder concept. Maybe Jamie was just consoling himself, given how the writers have failed him, but I fear his portrayal is veering into caricature - he's all but brought his own recliner and beernuts to the set. Ah well, Jamie's said this will only last four eps or so - so, soon we can put it behind us, like LiteBrite and Shevon.
I gather someone on LJ commented that these next few days will seem like eternity, even though we made it through a seven-month hiatus. I'm going to take the hopscotch approach: Wednesday is "Lost," Thursday is Jacob's recap on TwoP and "Ugly Betty," and then it's Friday again!! I think I'll make it till then. ;0)