Battlestar Galactica Season 4.0 Review (Major Spoilers)
Also reviews for the latest episodes of The Simpsons and American Dad.
The Simpsons "Lisa the Drama Queen"
I'll get it out of the way right at the start of the review: yes, the ending of this episode was weak. But with the set in stone format of the show there was really no way they could have written themselves out of Lisa having a best friend. I think they did the best they could with the concept.
I love that there is something seriously WRONG with the episode the entire way through. You can't exactly put your finger on it right away but Juliet seems EXTREMELY disturbed and you don't exactly know why or even if she actually is. It's just uncomfortable and you are given small clues throughout (like her "cultured" father being an expert on John Grisham novels) that make you laugh nervously but never really fully accept the Bridge to Terabithia type fantasy that the episode puts forth.
I don't know. The episode is uncomfortable but outside of the ending it's EXTREMELY well-written and funny. I expect the majority of Simpsons fans to hate it as subtley has never been our (I mean Simpsons geeks) strong suit. ****1/2.
American Dad "Chimdale"
A lotta fun ESPECIALLY seeing Forest Whitaker return as the parody from his detective from The Shield. I loved Steve in his back brace and Stan being bald was great especially the revelation that everyone else in the family knew so it completely took the wind out of Steve's sails. I liked this episode a lot. ****.
Battlestar Galactica Season 4.0
Battlestar Galactica: Razor:
Broadcast version:
HUGE disappointment. Admiral Cain is my least favorite character EVER and it's quite galling that the producers of BSG liked her character so much they designed an entire movie around her. EXTREMELY unpleasant to watch as we see the indefensible actions she took on the Pegasus in play on-screen and they are just as horrific when you see them. You know, I MIGHT have been able to live with this movie had they not had Lee and Adama at the end saying that Cain made tough decisions but they may not have been the wrong ones. Bullpoop. Cain is a monster and nothing justifies the crap she pulled. I notice that for all her calls for sacrifice from the crew that SHE never had to sacrifice anything. Murdering people for the greater good and expecting her crew to accept that is fine as long as she personally doesn't have to give up anything. She's a monster and a coward. The very definition of a chickenhawk. If you actually HAD to do the things she did to "survive" then maybe the Cylons are right and humanity isn't worth saving.
I also "loved" how they centered the movie around a character who was SO unimportant she wasn't even MENTIONED on the series even though she was Lee's first Ex-O. Retcon much? Were we supposed to be impressed that she sacrificed herself for the crew after she shot a young girl in the face?
The flashbacks were confusing too. I oftentimes couldn't get straight which time-period we were actually in. Lost handles flashbacks much better.
Any things I liked about the movie? Yes, the flashbacks to Adama's youth at the Cylon base at the end of the first war kicked butt. I loved every second of that mission and wish they had spent more time there. The two and a half stars I give the movie is soley for that brief part. The rest of the movie sucked. **1/2.
Razor: Unrated and Extended Version:
Oooh, more blood and guts and more reasons to hate Cain (she left her sister to die; are we supposed to think she is less of a monster for having guilt issues?). Color me unimpressed. On the plus side we got even more of Adama's mission. **1/2.
Razor Minisodes:
I loved this. We got to see Adama's WHOLE mission as a kid without having to actually see the rest of the movie. Normally I'd complain that most of these episodes are actually IN the extended version but honestly, being able to see the whole mission in a cool framing structure wthout being in a movie that sucks is gratifying. ****1/2.
Deleted Scenes: Razor: This were kind of interesting but since they didn't really tie into the main plot I could see why they were cut. ***.
Season 4 Trailer: Pretty neat. ****.
Razor DVD Menus: Pretty cool and easy to navigate. ***1/2.
Season 4.0 Episodes:
He That Believeth in Me: Decent premiere that doesn't quite match the promise of season three's finale. I feel that the series is spinning it's wheels somewhat until Revelations. Baltar's hippie commune subplot is quite enjoyable however. ***1/2.
Six of One: I am officially sick to death of Starbuck. This episode is boneheaded for taking the best twist of the fourth season (the Cylon Civil War) and relegating it to a B plot. We don't actually SEE all that much warring. What is this, The X-Files? ***.
The Ties That Bind: I hated this one just because Cally deserved a better fate and I find Tory completely insufferable. *.
Escape Velocity: Great Baltar stuff, REALLY poor Chief Tyrol and Adama stuff. It's like the series WANTS me to hate every single character I've previously liked. **.
The Road Less Traveled: Picking up a bit but that's probably because the creepy Leoben rocks so hard. And yeah, I would have mutinied too. Kara acts extra banana and pickle sandwiches crazy and pushes everyone away and is actually SUPRISED that people don't trust her. ***.
Faith: Deep Space Nine's Nana Visitor! And she's made up to look REALLY horribly sick! I could take or leave the Roslin stuff but the stuff on the Cylon Base ship kicked butt. ***1/2.
Guess What's Coming to Dinner: In which anything that CAN go wrong WILL go wrong. Sharon picks the EXACT wrong moment to go nuts (I KNOW it's Caprica Six and NOT Natalie who will eventually try to take Hera, who by the way, is an excellent, if exceedingly creepy artist of numbers and blondes). Felix was great this episode too and I loved the cliffhanger. ****.
Sine Qua Non: Romo Lampkin is EASILY my favorite character on the show (Mark Sheppard is just SO awesome in everything he does) and I completely understood why he wanted to shoot Lee. Lee was REALLY quite manipluative this episode and I love that Lampkin was the one who saw through his b.s. pretenses. ***1/2.
The Hub: D'Anna's back! About frakkin' time! Loved her and Laura's talk at the end and the fake-out of Laura being one of the Final Five. Hilarious. And who didn't get the sniffles when Laura admitted she loved Adama and his Han Soloish reply? I REALLY hope they didn't kill off Cavil and Boomer for good though. ****1/2.
Revelations: I liked everything about this episode and the thing I could take or leave (the cliffhanger) was a disappointment simply because the media built it up as the most shocking twist ever when in reality it was simply one of MANY possible scenarios I and other fans of the show had theorized about and not a REAL surprise. I love Tigh's plan to have himself (and Tyrol and Anders) thrown out of an airlock to stop the stand-off because he is loyal to humanity and the Fleet one hundred percent over the Cylons. The fact that he is STILL a good man was a relief after what Tory put us through in episode three. But as we've gotten to know Tory this season she's seemed like an extreme sociopath while Anders, Tyrol, and Tigh have always had it pretty together. Pretty smart of the show to make us worry about the other three after we realized Tory was evil. ****.
Deleted Scenes: He That Believeth in Me: These were pretty good (I LOVED Kara's talk with Sharon) but they should have included the special effects shot featuring Anders and the Cylon Raider that Ronald D. Moore talked about in his Podcast for the episode. ****.
Deleted Scenes: Six of One: The Kara in jail stuff was tiresome but I was really intruiged by Boomer trying to smooth things over with the Six, Leoben, and an Eight. VERY interesting. ***1/2.
Deleted Scene: The Ties That Bind: VERY unsettling scene of the Chief contemplating killing Cally. ***.
Deleted Scene: Escape Velocity: This extended scene featuring Tigh, Tory and Tyrol in the Chief's quarters was very interesting since Tory is so loathsome and Tigh keeps looking at her and Galen in horror. ****1/2.
Deleted Scenes: The Road Less Travelled: Love the scene between Sharon and Helo but it's the cut scene of Head Six leaving Baltar that dropped my jaw. In Farscape Harvey leaving John Chricton was a mixed blessing but this could have completely screwed up a great dynamic on this show ESPECIALLY since Baltar and Caprica Six haven't had any scenes together this season. Weird and a REALLY good idea to delete this scene. ****.
Deleted Scenes: Faith: I didn't really find the scenes between Helo and Athena or Adama and Roslin all that interesting. **1/2.
Deleted Scenes: Guess What's Coming to Dinner: I didn't care for the extended scene between Baltar and Tory but I REALLY liked the scene between Kara, Helo, Athena and Adama and wish they hadn't cut it. ***1/2.
Deleted Scenes: Sine Qua Non: I REALLY loved the scenes of Lampkin trying to undermine Lee (who scoffs at an actor for President) and the extended scene between Adama and Tigh was great too. ****1/2.
Deleted Scenes: The Hub: Some REALLY great ones in here. I especially loved seeing Deanna play mind-games with Helo while catastrophe is raining down on all of them. *****.
Deleted Scenes: Revelations: Some keepers here including Dualla giving Tigh the idea to sacrifice himself and the revelation that it was TORY who first suggested the Cylons killing the hostages. ****1/2.
Battlestar Galactica Season 4.5 Trailer: NO idea what is going on in this trailer but now I REALLY wanna find out. ****.
Caprica Sneak Peek: I hate prequels but this looks sort of interesting. Still, we'll have to see how the original series ends before I commit to investing myself in another series. ***1/2.
Season 4.0 DVD Menus: I liked the still pictures of the cast on the screen. ****.
The Simpsons "Lisa the Drama Queen"
I'll get it out of the way right at the start of the review: yes, the ending of this episode was weak. But with the set in stone format of the show there was really no way they could have written themselves out of Lisa having a best friend. I think they did the best they could with the concept.
I love that there is something seriously WRONG with the episode the entire way through. You can't exactly put your finger on it right away but Juliet seems EXTREMELY disturbed and you don't exactly know why or even if she actually is. It's just uncomfortable and you are given small clues throughout (like her "cultured" father being an expert on John Grisham novels) that make you laugh nervously but never really fully accept the Bridge to Terabithia type fantasy that the episode puts forth.
I don't know. The episode is uncomfortable but outside of the ending it's EXTREMELY well-written and funny. I expect the majority of Simpsons fans to hate it as subtley has never been our (I mean Simpsons geeks) strong suit. ****1/2.
American Dad "Chimdale"
A lotta fun ESPECIALLY seeing Forest Whitaker return as the parody from his detective from The Shield. I loved Steve in his back brace and Stan being bald was great especially the revelation that everyone else in the family knew so it completely took the wind out of Steve's sails. I liked this episode a lot. ****.
Battlestar Galactica Season 4.0
Battlestar Galactica: Razor:
Broadcast version:
HUGE disappointment. Admiral Cain is my least favorite character EVER and it's quite galling that the producers of BSG liked her character so much they designed an entire movie around her. EXTREMELY unpleasant to watch as we see the indefensible actions she took on the Pegasus in play on-screen and they are just as horrific when you see them. You know, I MIGHT have been able to live with this movie had they not had Lee and Adama at the end saying that Cain made tough decisions but they may not have been the wrong ones. Bullpoop. Cain is a monster and nothing justifies the crap she pulled. I notice that for all her calls for sacrifice from the crew that SHE never had to sacrifice anything. Murdering people for the greater good and expecting her crew to accept that is fine as long as she personally doesn't have to give up anything. She's a monster and a coward. The very definition of a chickenhawk. If you actually HAD to do the things she did to "survive" then maybe the Cylons are right and humanity isn't worth saving.
I also "loved" how they centered the movie around a character who was SO unimportant she wasn't even MENTIONED on the series even though she was Lee's first Ex-O. Retcon much? Were we supposed to be impressed that she sacrificed herself for the crew after she shot a young girl in the face?
The flashbacks were confusing too. I oftentimes couldn't get straight which time-period we were actually in. Lost handles flashbacks much better.
Any things I liked about the movie? Yes, the flashbacks to Adama's youth at the Cylon base at the end of the first war kicked butt. I loved every second of that mission and wish they had spent more time there. The two and a half stars I give the movie is soley for that brief part. The rest of the movie sucked. **1/2.
Razor: Unrated and Extended Version:
Oooh, more blood and guts and more reasons to hate Cain (she left her sister to die; are we supposed to think she is less of a monster for having guilt issues?). Color me unimpressed. On the plus side we got even more of Adama's mission. **1/2.
Razor Minisodes:
I loved this. We got to see Adama's WHOLE mission as a kid without having to actually see the rest of the movie. Normally I'd complain that most of these episodes are actually IN the extended version but honestly, being able to see the whole mission in a cool framing structure wthout being in a movie that sucks is gratifying. ****1/2.
Deleted Scenes: Razor: This were kind of interesting but since they didn't really tie into the main plot I could see why they were cut. ***.
Season 4 Trailer: Pretty neat. ****.
Razor DVD Menus: Pretty cool and easy to navigate. ***1/2.
Season 4.0 Episodes:
He That Believeth in Me: Decent premiere that doesn't quite match the promise of season three's finale. I feel that the series is spinning it's wheels somewhat until Revelations. Baltar's hippie commune subplot is quite enjoyable however. ***1/2.
Six of One: I am officially sick to death of Starbuck. This episode is boneheaded for taking the best twist of the fourth season (the Cylon Civil War) and relegating it to a B plot. We don't actually SEE all that much warring. What is this, The X-Files? ***.
The Ties That Bind: I hated this one just because Cally deserved a better fate and I find Tory completely insufferable. *.
Escape Velocity: Great Baltar stuff, REALLY poor Chief Tyrol and Adama stuff. It's like the series WANTS me to hate every single character I've previously liked. **.
The Road Less Traveled: Picking up a bit but that's probably because the creepy Leoben rocks so hard. And yeah, I would have mutinied too. Kara acts extra banana and pickle sandwiches crazy and pushes everyone away and is actually SUPRISED that people don't trust her. ***.
Faith: Deep Space Nine's Nana Visitor! And she's made up to look REALLY horribly sick! I could take or leave the Roslin stuff but the stuff on the Cylon Base ship kicked butt. ***1/2.
Guess What's Coming to Dinner: In which anything that CAN go wrong WILL go wrong. Sharon picks the EXACT wrong moment to go nuts (I KNOW it's Caprica Six and NOT Natalie who will eventually try to take Hera, who by the way, is an excellent, if exceedingly creepy artist of numbers and blondes). Felix was great this episode too and I loved the cliffhanger. ****.
Sine Qua Non: Romo Lampkin is EASILY my favorite character on the show (Mark Sheppard is just SO awesome in everything he does) and I completely understood why he wanted to shoot Lee. Lee was REALLY quite manipluative this episode and I love that Lampkin was the one who saw through his b.s. pretenses. ***1/2.
The Hub: D'Anna's back! About frakkin' time! Loved her and Laura's talk at the end and the fake-out of Laura being one of the Final Five. Hilarious. And who didn't get the sniffles when Laura admitted she loved Adama and his Han Soloish reply? I REALLY hope they didn't kill off Cavil and Boomer for good though. ****1/2.
Revelations: I liked everything about this episode and the thing I could take or leave (the cliffhanger) was a disappointment simply because the media built it up as the most shocking twist ever when in reality it was simply one of MANY possible scenarios I and other fans of the show had theorized about and not a REAL surprise. I love Tigh's plan to have himself (and Tyrol and Anders) thrown out of an airlock to stop the stand-off because he is loyal to humanity and the Fleet one hundred percent over the Cylons. The fact that he is STILL a good man was a relief after what Tory put us through in episode three. But as we've gotten to know Tory this season she's seemed like an extreme sociopath while Anders, Tyrol, and Tigh have always had it pretty together. Pretty smart of the show to make us worry about the other three after we realized Tory was evil. ****.
Deleted Scenes: He That Believeth in Me: These were pretty good (I LOVED Kara's talk with Sharon) but they should have included the special effects shot featuring Anders and the Cylon Raider that Ronald D. Moore talked about in his Podcast for the episode. ****.
Deleted Scenes: Six of One: The Kara in jail stuff was tiresome but I was really intruiged by Boomer trying to smooth things over with the Six, Leoben, and an Eight. VERY interesting. ***1/2.
Deleted Scene: The Ties That Bind: VERY unsettling scene of the Chief contemplating killing Cally. ***.
Deleted Scene: Escape Velocity: This extended scene featuring Tigh, Tory and Tyrol in the Chief's quarters was very interesting since Tory is so loathsome and Tigh keeps looking at her and Galen in horror. ****1/2.
Deleted Scenes: The Road Less Travelled: Love the scene between Sharon and Helo but it's the cut scene of Head Six leaving Baltar that dropped my jaw. In Farscape Harvey leaving John Chricton was a mixed blessing but this could have completely screwed up a great dynamic on this show ESPECIALLY since Baltar and Caprica Six haven't had any scenes together this season. Weird and a REALLY good idea to delete this scene. ****.
Deleted Scenes: Faith: I didn't really find the scenes between Helo and Athena or Adama and Roslin all that interesting. **1/2.
Deleted Scenes: Guess What's Coming to Dinner: I didn't care for the extended scene between Baltar and Tory but I REALLY liked the scene between Kara, Helo, Athena and Adama and wish they hadn't cut it. ***1/2.
Deleted Scenes: Sine Qua Non: I REALLY loved the scenes of Lampkin trying to undermine Lee (who scoffs at an actor for President) and the extended scene between Adama and Tigh was great too. ****1/2.
Deleted Scenes: The Hub: Some REALLY great ones in here. I especially loved seeing Deanna play mind-games with Helo while catastrophe is raining down on all of them. *****.
Deleted Scenes: Revelations: Some keepers here including Dualla giving Tigh the idea to sacrifice himself and the revelation that it was TORY who first suggested the Cylons killing the hostages. ****1/2.
Battlestar Galactica Season 4.5 Trailer: NO idea what is going on in this trailer but now I REALLY wanna find out. ****.
Caprica Sneak Peek: I hate prequels but this looks sort of interesting. Still, we'll have to see how the original series ends before I commit to investing myself in another series. ***1/2.
Season 4.0 DVD Menus: I liked the still pictures of the cast on the screen. ****.