BSG - 3x20 - Crossroads Part II
I don't know if this happens to anybody else, but there are times when I watch something and love it so much that I can't watch anything else for awhile. I am completely hung up on Crossroads Part II (as much as I was on Unfinished Business) so am finally going to post some thoughts on it. Ahem. *clears throat*
I thought it was a strong finale-very emotional and thrilling with a lot left at stake. And it had to be. It has to resonate with people for 9 months.
-The four revealed Cylons: I have no idea how RDM is going to take them, but this what I’d like to see:
1. It stays a secret between the four through much of the season. The tension from Baltar’s acquittal might make reactions to 4 revealed Cylons (who are friends and crucial members on the fleet) even more vicious. Also, we’ve already seen how Galactica reacts to discovered Cylons or traitors-instantly lock them in the brig, beat them up a bit, threaten to throw them out the airlock and blah blah blah-that it would be interesting to try something a little different. From a psychological standpoint, it’d be fascinating to see them keep it a secret. Maybe Tyrol can say what he really is pointblank, but would it be so easy to tell his overtly anti-Cylon wife (and in doing so, also reveal that her son is half-Cylon)? How is it going to affect Tigh and Tory as right-hands to Adama and Roslin? I think that while they’re aware of who they are, they’re still shell-shocked-acting on autopilot-so it will be interesting to see how they deal with it as it sinks in on their own and with each other before involving everyone else.
2. There are no other copies of them* (or the other copies are on Earth or unable to download into…something like that). There has to be something that makes them different from the other models. Maybe they were the first? Maybe their copies were discontinued? Maybe both? If they only have their own bodies to depend on, it makes them more human. I might come back to this later.
*Although I wouldn’t mind seeing Sam download. Nope. Not at all. *whistles innocently*
3. They are sleeper agents, but with a twist! Their purpose is to help the humans survive and find Earth. Again, there’s something special about the final Cylons other than that the other seven don’t know about them. I think this could go back to the idea of them being the first models-maybe they were made in the hope that Cylons could integrate into human society rather than replace it (e.g. Pinocchio complex).
4. Mainly, I hope that they don’t turn on what they have always known as their people, their lives, and their home. Maybe one will, but if their initial reactions are any indication (Tight went back to the CIC and reaffirmed his support for Adama rather than, you know, shooting the man like Boomer did.), they’ll stick with the humans whether or not that is their intended destiny.
I loved the way they were revealed though. I wouldn’t have suspected any of them before the first part of Crossroads (when I started to have suspicions about Tory, Tigh, and particularly Anders), but at the same time, it’s not impossible to swallow. Tigh’s reveal is the most exciting because of his coarse, violent, and completely intolerant view of the Cylons, but I’m also fascinated that Tyrol is a Cylon because he always struck me as a man of the people (blue collar common man and union leader).
-The trial, or more importantly, Lee’s speech:
What Lee said was rather obvious, but that’s exactly why I loved it. Obviously no one else saw it as clearly as he did, or at least they weren’t speaking out about it. (I think it’s obvious that hating and killing someone because they’re somehow different than you is wrong, but hey, it happens in our world every day.) He went up to that stand not knowing what was coming or what he was going to say, but he managed to not squeal out his father, gave a beautiful, eloquent speech, and is ultimately responsible for saving Baltar’s life.
And Lee? Oh Lee. How I love thee (let me count the ways…). During that scene, I was thinking, “TAKE ME NOW LEE!” I admit it. I’m an unabashed fangirl. *twirls* The man is not perfect, but no one can doubt his integrity, his sense of morality, his education, or his ability to look at something like Baltar’s trial with his head and his heart. I think he’s a bit too hard on himself, but his (very in character) guilt and self-deprecation displayed in that scene just made me love him all the more. Guh. I want to memorize that speech or better yet, carry it around with me. ♥
Also, he is just so damn good with words-they’re important to him and the man really knows how to express himself. Lee tends to repeat certain lines when he believes in them deeply that resonates so well. He did that three times during his speech (“That’s not justice. Not to me. Not to me.”), and as I was watching Unfinished Business (again) the other day, I noted that he repeated the “I missed you too” line twice at the end. I wonder if he does that in other episodes and if it is scripted or an actor’s choice.
Was Adama biased in his vote? Umm, yeah. But then again, he went in that trial furious at and feeling betrayed by his son and more than ready to vote against Lee’s “side”. But Adama is a fair man-he was finally forced to listen to his son, and I think he was persuaded more by Lee’s logic than by the fact that it was his son speaking. I’m disappointed in Laura’s response though because during Lee’s monologue, I really thought she was finally seeing the situation through Lee’s perspective. Alas, not so much. Now her personal issues with Gauis has put a gap in her relationship with the Adamas. It’ll be interesting to see how all of their relationships will pan out next season.
As for Lampkin, I hope we will see more of him in the future. His minor, 3-episode character was as mysterious and captivating as regulars on the show (if not more so). Please bring the klepto and his kitty back BSG, please and thank you!
-Gauis Baltar: Arrogant, weak, not exactly innocent, but still lovable as far as I am concerned.
The Butterfingers comment (which was improvised by James Callis, according to Wiki) to Gaeta still has me giggling. If anything, they have to keep Baltar around as the somewhat twisted comic relief. Hilarity ensues imagining how he’s going to be worshipped by a clique of fangirls. He’s probably going to eat it right up!
I loved the Lampkin, Lee, and Baltar scene after the trial. Poor lost and lonely Baltar. What is he to do? Where is he to go? He thought he had made new friends to braid each other’s hair travel around with and protect him. Oh. Snap. He may be a genius, but it’s his childishness that makes me sympathetic with Baltar. Without that insight as a viewer, I’d probably find his arrogance annoying as hell like most of the other characters do.
-The music at the end (and its tie to the four Cylons) is so trippy…but it works perfectly because it was that kind of finale. I had no idea that they were speaking the lyrics until the end, and I had no idea those were lyrics written by Bob Dylan until I looked it up. I’m listening to the Jimi Hendrix version now (there are tons of versions), but I loved the show’s variation of it and hope that it’s on the soundtrack.
I don’t know how significant the lyrics are to the show, but I’m particularly interested in this line: “Two riders were approaching.” Kara and the Cylons? Kara and Lee? Hmm.
Speaking of Kara…
-STARBUCK!!!!! WEEEE!!!!!! Don’t you ever leave us again!
I didn’t believe she was really dead (as in gone from the show forever), and I had a feeling her absence had something to do with Earth, but I also thought that they wouldn’t possibly show Starbuck again on the show until at least the middle of the fourth season. But they did! They showed her just at the very end, and hey, that’s more than enough for me to want to kiss the ground the good people at BSG walk on. I also loved that it was Lee she snuck up on.
How is Lee going to react to this (once he stops going through his many faces of shock and perhaps another double take)? How is the rest of the fleet going to react to her resurrection? They’re going to think she’s a Cylon, huh? Or maybe the religious connection she has with Roslin and the fact that she kinda claims she knows the way to Earth will come to her aid. Is she the dying leader from the prophecy (she looked rather like a ghost to me)?
Is Kara the last Cylon? Evidence points towards yes, but I refuse to think it’s so. It just seems too obvious like it was too obvious that she died for good in Maelstrom-there has to be more to it. Maybe it’s just wishful thinking on my part though.
(And pssst…Kara! Your husband is a toaster and Lee’s wife left him! Now you two can have hot pilot!sex without teh guilt! Huzzah!)
-I have a feeling that the fourth is going to be the last with the final Cylon revealed and them making it to Earth. But who is the last Cylon? It could be anyone. I would prefer it to be someone we haven’t been introduced to yet, but I’m going to bet it is someone we already know and care about (or purpose someone they care about, hmm). They revealed four Cylons at once of people we’ve already come to know and it was big; the last reveal has to be even bigger.
Is it Lee? Adama? Either of those would be a huge shocker, but other than that, I think not. Roslin? That one is up for grabs-she was high up in the resistance on New Caprica like the other four and she’s being linked to Sharon and Caprica. Then again, she has Hera’s blood running through her and it could just be a red herring/something completely different. Gaeta and Dee both always appeared Cylon-ish to me, but I don’t think the revelation of either of them as Cylons would strike much of a chord in the fleet and to the audience.
How about Zak Adama? This is an idea I’ve been toying around with for awhile because it would certainly leave an impression on Adama, Kara, and Lee. …Or maybe I’ve watched too much Ugly Betty and am stuck on the idea of a brother coming back from the dead as something else. ;)
OR
Could it possibly be a Thrace? One of Kara’s parents? What’s the impact of that? It would mean Kara is actually the first hybrid. It could explain why her mother was so adamant that her daughter has a special destiny, why Kara has always drawn the Eye of Jupiter, and even why Kara died without actually dying. Her “Special Destiny” is to connect the humans and the Cylons (at least the final five) and to guide them to Earth. \o/
That would be like two reveals and one-more interesting, complex, and oh, so much more dramatic. I’m going to cross my fingers for the last possibility.
Overall, this has to be one of the most exciting season finales (and strongest episodes) I’ve ever seen. Srsly. I was talking to my friend right after we both finished watching the episode, and I’m sure our brains exploding could be heard ‘round the world. I could quote everything she said because she has the ability to simultaneously crack me up and say exactly what I’m thinking/feeling, but for the sake of this thing on the brink of being five pages long, I’ll end it with:
“Oh my god do I pity the ignorant fool who knows not what glory this show truly is. It’s masterful. I am in love ohmygod am I ever. Lee, Baltar, Starbuck, Six... Attorney guy… Sleep next to me tonight all of you!”
Nine more months and counting! The only thing I can say positively about the break is that if the fourth is the last season, at least this long as hell wait prolongs the joy that is BSG. :D
On another note, I’ve already made 63 icons, 50 of which are of Lee. *facepalm* Obsessive? Moi?
I thought it was a strong finale-very emotional and thrilling with a lot left at stake. And it had to be. It has to resonate with people for 9 months.
-The four revealed Cylons: I have no idea how RDM is going to take them, but this what I’d like to see:
1. It stays a secret between the four through much of the season. The tension from Baltar’s acquittal might make reactions to 4 revealed Cylons (who are friends and crucial members on the fleet) even more vicious. Also, we’ve already seen how Galactica reacts to discovered Cylons or traitors-instantly lock them in the brig, beat them up a bit, threaten to throw them out the airlock and blah blah blah-that it would be interesting to try something a little different. From a psychological standpoint, it’d be fascinating to see them keep it a secret. Maybe Tyrol can say what he really is pointblank, but would it be so easy to tell his overtly anti-Cylon wife (and in doing so, also reveal that her son is half-Cylon)? How is it going to affect Tigh and Tory as right-hands to Adama and Roslin? I think that while they’re aware of who they are, they’re still shell-shocked-acting on autopilot-so it will be interesting to see how they deal with it as it sinks in on their own and with each other before involving everyone else.
2. There are no other copies of them* (or the other copies are on Earth or unable to download into…something like that). There has to be something that makes them different from the other models. Maybe they were the first? Maybe their copies were discontinued? Maybe both? If they only have their own bodies to depend on, it makes them more human. I might come back to this later.
*Although I wouldn’t mind seeing Sam download. Nope. Not at all. *whistles innocently*
3. They are sleeper agents, but with a twist! Their purpose is to help the humans survive and find Earth. Again, there’s something special about the final Cylons other than that the other seven don’t know about them. I think this could go back to the idea of them being the first models-maybe they were made in the hope that Cylons could integrate into human society rather than replace it (e.g. Pinocchio complex).
4. Mainly, I hope that they don’t turn on what they have always known as their people, their lives, and their home. Maybe one will, but if their initial reactions are any indication (Tight went back to the CIC and reaffirmed his support for Adama rather than, you know, shooting the man like Boomer did.), they’ll stick with the humans whether or not that is their intended destiny.
I loved the way they were revealed though. I wouldn’t have suspected any of them before the first part of Crossroads (when I started to have suspicions about Tory, Tigh, and particularly Anders), but at the same time, it’s not impossible to swallow. Tigh’s reveal is the most exciting because of his coarse, violent, and completely intolerant view of the Cylons, but I’m also fascinated that Tyrol is a Cylon because he always struck me as a man of the people (blue collar common man and union leader).
-The trial, or more importantly, Lee’s speech:
What Lee said was rather obvious, but that’s exactly why I loved it. Obviously no one else saw it as clearly as he did, or at least they weren’t speaking out about it. (I think it’s obvious that hating and killing someone because they’re somehow different than you is wrong, but hey, it happens in our world every day.) He went up to that stand not knowing what was coming or what he was going to say, but he managed to not squeal out his father, gave a beautiful, eloquent speech, and is ultimately responsible for saving Baltar’s life.
And Lee? Oh Lee. How I love thee (let me count the ways…). During that scene, I was thinking, “TAKE ME NOW LEE!” I admit it. I’m an unabashed fangirl. *twirls* The man is not perfect, but no one can doubt his integrity, his sense of morality, his education, or his ability to look at something like Baltar’s trial with his head and his heart. I think he’s a bit too hard on himself, but his (very in character) guilt and self-deprecation displayed in that scene just made me love him all the more. Guh. I want to memorize that speech or better yet, carry it around with me. ♥
Also, he is just so damn good with words-they’re important to him and the man really knows how to express himself. Lee tends to repeat certain lines when he believes in them deeply that resonates so well. He did that three times during his speech (“That’s not justice. Not to me. Not to me.”), and as I was watching Unfinished Business (again) the other day, I noted that he repeated the “I missed you too” line twice at the end. I wonder if he does that in other episodes and if it is scripted or an actor’s choice.
Was Adama biased in his vote? Umm, yeah. But then again, he went in that trial furious at and feeling betrayed by his son and more than ready to vote against Lee’s “side”. But Adama is a fair man-he was finally forced to listen to his son, and I think he was persuaded more by Lee’s logic than by the fact that it was his son speaking. I’m disappointed in Laura’s response though because during Lee’s monologue, I really thought she was finally seeing the situation through Lee’s perspective. Alas, not so much. Now her personal issues with Gauis has put a gap in her relationship with the Adamas. It’ll be interesting to see how all of their relationships will pan out next season.
As for Lampkin, I hope we will see more of him in the future. His minor, 3-episode character was as mysterious and captivating as regulars on the show (if not more so). Please bring the klepto and his kitty back BSG, please and thank you!
-Gauis Baltar: Arrogant, weak, not exactly innocent, but still lovable as far as I am concerned.
The Butterfingers comment (which was improvised by James Callis, according to Wiki) to Gaeta still has me giggling. If anything, they have to keep Baltar around as the somewhat twisted comic relief. Hilarity ensues imagining how he’s going to be worshipped by a clique of fangirls. He’s probably going to eat it right up!
I loved the Lampkin, Lee, and Baltar scene after the trial. Poor lost and lonely Baltar. What is he to do? Where is he to go? He thought he had made new friends to braid each other’s hair travel around with and protect him. Oh. Snap. He may be a genius, but it’s his childishness that makes me sympathetic with Baltar. Without that insight as a viewer, I’d probably find his arrogance annoying as hell like most of the other characters do.
-The music at the end (and its tie to the four Cylons) is so trippy…but it works perfectly because it was that kind of finale. I had no idea that they were speaking the lyrics until the end, and I had no idea those were lyrics written by Bob Dylan until I looked it up. I’m listening to the Jimi Hendrix version now (there are tons of versions), but I loved the show’s variation of it and hope that it’s on the soundtrack.
I don’t know how significant the lyrics are to the show, but I’m particularly interested in this line: “Two riders were approaching.” Kara and the Cylons? Kara and Lee? Hmm.
Speaking of Kara…
-STARBUCK!!!!! WEEEE!!!!!! Don’t you ever leave us again!
I didn’t believe she was really dead (as in gone from the show forever), and I had a feeling her absence had something to do with Earth, but I also thought that they wouldn’t possibly show Starbuck again on the show until at least the middle of the fourth season. But they did! They showed her just at the very end, and hey, that’s more than enough for me to want to kiss the ground the good people at BSG walk on. I also loved that it was Lee she snuck up on.
How is Lee going to react to this (once he stops going through his many faces of shock and perhaps another double take)? How is the rest of the fleet going to react to her resurrection? They’re going to think she’s a Cylon, huh? Or maybe the religious connection she has with Roslin and the fact that she kinda claims she knows the way to Earth will come to her aid. Is she the dying leader from the prophecy (she looked rather like a ghost to me)?
Is Kara the last Cylon? Evidence points towards yes, but I refuse to think it’s so. It just seems too obvious like it was too obvious that she died for good in Maelstrom-there has to be more to it. Maybe it’s just wishful thinking on my part though.
(And pssst…Kara! Your husband is a toaster and Lee’s wife left him! Now you two can have hot pilot!sex without teh guilt! Huzzah!)
-I have a feeling that the fourth is going to be the last with the final Cylon revealed and them making it to Earth. But who is the last Cylon? It could be anyone. I would prefer it to be someone we haven’t been introduced to yet, but I’m going to bet it is someone we already know and care about (or purpose someone they care about, hmm). They revealed four Cylons at once of people we’ve already come to know and it was big; the last reveal has to be even bigger.
Is it Lee? Adama? Either of those would be a huge shocker, but other than that, I think not. Roslin? That one is up for grabs-she was high up in the resistance on New Caprica like the other four and she’s being linked to Sharon and Caprica. Then again, she has Hera’s blood running through her and it could just be a red herring/something completely different. Gaeta and Dee both always appeared Cylon-ish to me, but I don’t think the revelation of either of them as Cylons would strike much of a chord in the fleet and to the audience.
How about Zak Adama? This is an idea I’ve been toying around with for awhile because it would certainly leave an impression on Adama, Kara, and Lee. …Or maybe I’ve watched too much Ugly Betty and am stuck on the idea of a brother coming back from the dead as something else. ;)
OR
Could it possibly be a Thrace? One of Kara’s parents? What’s the impact of that? It would mean Kara is actually the first hybrid. It could explain why her mother was so adamant that her daughter has a special destiny, why Kara has always drawn the Eye of Jupiter, and even why Kara died without actually dying. Her “Special Destiny” is to connect the humans and the Cylons (at least the final five) and to guide them to Earth. \o/
That would be like two reveals and one-more interesting, complex, and oh, so much more dramatic. I’m going to cross my fingers for the last possibility.
Overall, this has to be one of the most exciting season finales (and strongest episodes) I’ve ever seen. Srsly. I was talking to my friend right after we both finished watching the episode, and I’m sure our brains exploding could be heard ‘round the world. I could quote everything she said because she has the ability to simultaneously crack me up and say exactly what I’m thinking/feeling, but for the sake of this thing on the brink of being five pages long, I’ll end it with:
“Oh my god do I pity the ignorant fool who knows not what glory this show truly is. It’s masterful. I am in love ohmygod am I ever. Lee, Baltar, Starbuck, Six... Attorney guy… Sleep next to me tonight all of you!”
Nine more months and counting! The only thing I can say positively about the break is that if the fourth is the last season, at least this long as hell wait prolongs the joy that is BSG. :D
On another note, I’ve already made 63 icons, 50 of which are of Lee. *facepalm* Obsessive? Moi?