BSG is another show that has been pretty formative for me, though unlike AtS, I have kind of been able to process and mostly have good feelings toward it.
One influence that BSG has had on how I watch shows is that I apply the Laura Roslin Test to fictional 'verses now to see how much credibility I give the major conflict. The Laura Roslin test is
(
Read more... )
Reply
I was surprised not to have any season finales on that list either. But there's always so much that has to happen, and then the last fifteen minutes are long, looooong setup for cliffhangers, that it's tough to think of them as self-contained episodes.
Boomer is a character that might make the top 10 on some days because I really feel for her. But yeah, I think about her a little bit and start going ".....why. Just, why."
it's funny how few Cylons make it -- or, like, at least of the not-a-secret main set of models.hahahaha, I'M SUCH A TOASTER-HATER. But yeah, I feel like the show had a tendency to wildly misjudge (a) if and when we would feel sympathy for the Cylons and (b) how much that sympathy would affect our judgment of their actions. And so it ended up hitting the wrong notes so much of the time. Like, early on I was assuming they had some sort of feelings (because otherwise, why bother?) and so I didn't need the ( ... )
Reply
Reply
Reply
Though seriously, Booooooooomer. *sobs*
Reply
Reply
Definitely awkwardly balanced, but I do feel like it was an attempt. I just think it happened too late to counteract so much of the Cylons! have! feelings! too! SO DON'T BE A MEAN HATER AND CRITICIZE THEM FOR MURDERING EVERYONE
Also it was one of those cool storylines that pits all of my favorites against each other and nobody's right and everybody's miserable and that is my FAVORITE THING EVER, so.
Which I think is a shame, and really awkward for the series to have done. I feel something of the show, it's characters, it's realness, and it's complexity was all lost for not acknowledging these issues.
It was still very, very good, and more ambitious on this front than anything else I've ever seen, but...it had a bit more potential, for sure, and this was part of why I was left thinking it wasn't quite fulfilled.
Reply
To be sure this is something I get into one-way arguments with TVD over too, and in that regard BSG was at least more aware that nobody was right in the conflict than TVD acknowledges the vampires are a legitimate threat (but then I'm in the very small Bill Forbes Appreciation Society and think the Founders' Council is usually perfectly justified in the things they do, so...yeah).
Reply
Reply
I could rail against Measure of Salvation for a while because yeah the show was pussyfooting out of making a commitment, but I wouldn't protest Helo's characterization surrounding it (I don't think, it's been a while since I watched it). On one hand I feel like the show did properly frame the question of whether this was a proper response on the humans' part, but on the other the end made it clear the writers weren't willing to take the risk that the audience wouldn't agree with them going through with it. It was going for morally grey but couldn't commit to it.
Reply
On one hand I feel like the show did properly frame the question of whether this was a proper response on the humans' part, but on the other the end made it clear the writers weren't willing to take the risk that the audience wouldn't agree with them going through with it. It was going for morally grey but couldn't commit to it.
Past that, even. I feel like it did the false equivocation of "a small sample of humans versus ACTUALLY EVERY SINGLE CYLON"? I mean, I hate the "worthy of survival" garbage as applied to anyone, but it especially galls me that it becomes a thing here. Really, ALL OF HUMANITY would have retroactively had it coming if they defended themselves? Little Kacey could stop being WORTHY OF SURVIVAL because of a decision tens of thousands of civilians never even found out was being made? And if that would make the humans not WORTHY OF SURVIVAL, then what ( ... )
Reply
Though, Special Snowflake Of Morality aside, I do kind of support Helo on this, given (and what a given!) that the situation had gotten to the point where literally the only options for him to act were to end the possibility of using that as a weapon or to let every single Cylon besides his wife die. Which -- those Cylons had it coming more than, er, any human we ever saw basically (well, maybe not any one, but you know what I mean), but still not enough. However, the One Righteous Man Special Snowflake where Helo and Only Helo is able to act blah blah does grate.
Reply
Reply
I don't have a problem with Helo's characterization in that ep -- I was mostly saying that I think it's bizarre that someone would criticize the characterization that someone could object to genocide. I think the biggest problem I have is that the episode feels rushed and there isn't time for the issues to breathe -- to the point where I wish they hadn't done it at all. Within those limits, though, it is possible that the episode does frame the question well -- it's been a whiiiiile since I watched it.
Reply
My feelings on the show definitely went down over time too, though I think I held out hope longer than some. I wouldn't say I've very negative, but I usually find I agree more with people who are than people who liked the show all the way through, I saw most of the same flaws but only a few of them actually pissed me off as much.
he biggest problem I have is that the episode feels rushed and there isn't time for the issues to breathe
I'm pretty sure I completely agree with that. It's been a while since I watched it too, but yeah the way the two-parter was structured...was not the way it should have been. It ramped up way too quickly and then rushed to a conclusion that was set not to actually matter to the larger story. A lot of things in s3 were rushed through as I recall.
Reply
Leave a comment