cross-posting from tumblr, because I hate writing meta there
I hate Tumblr as a format for meta. However, this rant! about the fail of Caprica-Six/Tigh is pretty epic. I disagree with a lot of her thoughts on S4 (I think Baltar as a very fake cult leader and very real conduit of God = FLAWLESS CONTINUATION OF HIS FLAWLESS ARC for example) but I can't argue with this one.
And it pains me too, because the thing is I ship the hell out of Caprica/Tigh in theory. I do! They're two of my favorite characters on the show and I was on that lonely train since "Crossroads" pretty much. (Side note: It was entirely Tricia Helfer's idea to punch him back. TRICIA.) I'm always telling this story about how I was biased to defend Caprica/Tigh because I "accidentally willed it into existence", back when the only spoiler was like "she gets a love interest" and I was like NO HEAR ME OUT GUYS, I WANT HER AND TIGH TOGETHER, BECAUSE ELLEN/TIGH & SIX/GAIUS PARALLELS FOREVER, I'M DEAD SERIOUS.
So it's like, I think there's something fascinating trapped in there, plus I find it really difficult to dislike anything that puts a smile on Caprica-Six's face, just on principle. Therefore I will ship them FOREVER as a concept, a theory, and in moments like the cartoon-birdies-fly-around-their-heads scene in "No Exit" without any context at all. But in execution it was a mess, for exactly this reason.
This storyline from beginning to end was Saul Tigh's storyline, and quickly made Caprica into a character who basically never existed onscreen except in relation to him. Keep in mind it's not even the only thing Tigh was doing this season -- he had, like, an entire crazy Cylon XO life going on apart from her, and she ONLY HAD THIS. In fact once Natalie died (PRIOR to the pregnancy stuff) this is Tricia Helfer's main character we're talking about. She's treated like a forgotten secondary character, an accessory to Tigh and his angst whose own feelings are largely glossed over. That's a role I still can't even comprehend assigning to Caprica-Six, or any Six for that matter. And it culminated in literally making her pregnancy and miscarriage more about him than her, which is something I can't comprehend doing to ANY CHARACTER EVER ON ANY SHOW IN THE UNIVERSE, let alone Caprica-Six, most dynamic and primary character of a woman who outranks him in the opening freaking credits of the show.
Seriously, let's review: We learn she is pregnant when Tigh finds out from Adama in episode 8 -- we see his reaction, not hers. In fact (apart from a wordless glimpse of her in "Revelations") we don't see her again until episode 12, which is the first time she even gets to talk about the baby she's carrying. I mean, she's predictably thrilled, but how could it take so many episodes to SHOW us that? Why is this always framed around him and not her?
And then leaving aside "Deadlock" entirely -- there are some parts of that episode I find very effective, and some problematic as hell, let's not even because it would take too long -- how do they deal with the fallout AFTER the pregnancy? Tigh gets the dramatic moment toward the end of the episode where he breaks down crying and Adama hugs him. Tigh is shown directly grieving over his unborn son multiple times in the following episodes, encompassing an actual mini-character-arc that ends with him coming to a better understanding of being the 'parents' of the other Cylons. And those scenes are fine ones for Tigh to have -- really, they're a good example of ALL IT TAKES to show the emotional fallout and resolution you need to give someone. I just want the same consideration given to the woman who *actually had the damn miscarriage*.
Just: SOMEONE HUG CAPRICA. ANYBODY. No one ever does, she pretty much vanishes again for a couple of episodes and is never shown coping with the aftermath at all. Literally the only time ANYONE mentions it to her again is the scene with Gaius in "Islanded in a Stream of Stars" where he alludes to her miscarriage without saying the words. (Side note: I am currently tearing up thinking about my babies in that scene in "Islanded". That's normal, right?) We can *assume* she's gone through something important, it lives in Tricia Helfer's eyes, and we can infer things about it -- that without that pain she wouldn't have walked across that line for the Hera-saving mission, for example -- but they don't explore it at all. And they did for Tigh. And that's so WEIRD.
P.S. I've said this before about "Deadlock" but (in spite of having trouble rewatching the scene because Tricia Helfer + emotions = me not being able to deal) I was never that upset/ragey about Liam for two reasons: (A) I saw it coming, and (B) I swear to God, there was a moment in that episode when she told Cottle to cut the baby out, started desperately sobbing to give him a chance to live even if it killed her and... I honestly panicked in that instant they were gonna pull a Darla and let her sacrifice herself to give the Tighs a baby. With how much the show had already diminished her, I really thought they might go there as icing on the cake. I want to stress both how much that would've been the absolute worst thing to happen to a character I love, and also that this is how little faith I had in the show/episode/treatment of her at that point. That was how low my Caprica/Tigh bar was set. Cottle telling her to shut the fuck up was the most Earth-shaking moment of relief I ever felt while watching BSG, I'm not joking. That's how low the bar was, and they cleared it and I was like "Well thank god for that!"
This may be more incoherent and rambly than usual, because I posted it originally on Tumblr and I think I'm forming a different "style" there than here? Or maybe I'm just imagining it.
I used the following as my hashtags on the post and I'm not sorry: #WE COULD HAVE HAD IT ALLLLLL #WHEN CAPRICA/TIGH WAS A THIIIIING #BUT WHY THE FUCK WASN'T IT CAPRICA'S STORYYYYYLINE? #YOU GUYS ARE BAD AT YOUR JOBS