Frak!
Now that's the way to end a series - with some frakking incredible storytelling. Ron Moore said he was stressing over how to write the ending to BSG, getting all caught up in the plot, and it wasn't working. Then he had an epiphany: 'It's the characters, stupid.'
Likes:
1. The way they used the Opera House dream was very well done. [And the subtext of it - that you need not only the two typical protectors, the mother (Athena) and the leader of your people (Laura), but also other, non-traditional protectors like Caprica and Gaius to come together to protect Hera and the future of humanity. Also it's all even steven - 2 humans, 2 cylons.]
2. The fact that Gaius and Caprica both having versions of each other in their heads was real.
3. Starbuck and Apollo got really drunk the first night they met and almost got it on! I swear I hadn't heard this as a spoiler when I wrote ' Ship Wars' - really.
And yet they weren't ever really able to be together - there was always an obstacle. Then we come to an end where it seems everything else has been swept aside (including having both of their other love interests conveniently dead) and bam - still no go. That was something I'd felt (Maria in 'Ship Wars,') but the Andrew in me had still hoped for some happiness.
4. And what was Starbuck? An 'angel.' Hmmm. Glad there's still some mystery about it.
5. Starbuck jumping them to our Earth - the song coming together.
6. Oh, Laura. How sad and beautiful her passing and Bill staying with her to his end.
7. Caprica finally respecting Gaius, allowing their love to finally be true.
8. Athena forgiving Helo.
9. Hera as mitochondrial Eve - we've all got a bit of Cylon in us. Interesting as well to realize that the people put down on the other continents didn't 'make it' in the long run (aren't our ancestors).
Dislikes/concerns:
1. I wanted a bit of closure for Leoben and Starbuck - not sexual, but something. He had been such an important part of her journey (and underscored once again that it takes both humans and cylons) that I felt it needed something more.
2. I have a few concerns about it devolving into a pastoral, that return to primitive nobility that will make everything better. Oh, well - it's a genre for a reason, I guess.
3. The last few minutes. They tell us Hera is mitochondrial Eve, and that's important to the human/cylon message. It also saves it a bit from the pastoral thingy.
But ... but ... it just felt too heavy handed. Yes, this is our Earth (showing Africa as the ship flies over Luna kinda nailed that). But flashing forward to now and going, 'Will they repeat the same mistakes again?' Literally. Out loud. Too, too much. [No wait - let me open my mouth wider so you can use a bigger spoon.] And all the video of the robots we've made - it went on for too long.
4. If they wanted to really work the missing link thingy, they should have had the primitives on earth be more like a neanderthal instead of so tall and gangly.
5. I know the show has had a mystical/spiritual element from the start, but 'angels' and 'god' and all that still get on my nerves. At least Gaius said that the higher power didn't like to be called 'god,' so that we can see we shouldn't be layering Christianity over it, but it was just one tiny line, and I fear not enough to really say that we still don't know what the higher power is.
6. Update: This did strike me. I know it served the story, and there was never any doubt that Laura would lose her battle with cancer, but ... But we're left with an ending about four different couples. All the men are human. For the two couples with human women, both women 'die.' For the two couples with cylon women, they live. The subtext is a little like 'the men get their walking sex-toys.' Only a little, because we come to see both Caprica and Athena as much more than that, but ... I'm bothered nonetheless.
Still, it was excellent. And I only came out with one major gripe. I'm also a little amazed that Moore seems to imply that he didn't have this laid out for seasons. It really feels like it.
Bye, BSG - you've been one of the very best TV shows I've ever, ever seen. They can't show 'The Plan' frakking soon enough (no, fall isn't soon enough!).
And now I have to watch Dollhouse.
Likes:
1. The way they used the Opera House dream was very well done. [And the subtext of it - that you need not only the two typical protectors, the mother (Athena) and the leader of your people (Laura), but also other, non-traditional protectors like Caprica and Gaius to come together to protect Hera and the future of humanity. Also it's all even steven - 2 humans, 2 cylons.]
2. The fact that Gaius and Caprica both having versions of each other in their heads was real.
3. Starbuck and Apollo got really drunk the first night they met and almost got it on! I swear I hadn't heard this as a spoiler when I wrote ' Ship Wars' - really.
And yet they weren't ever really able to be together - there was always an obstacle. Then we come to an end where it seems everything else has been swept aside (including having both of their other love interests conveniently dead) and bam - still no go. That was something I'd felt (Maria in 'Ship Wars,') but the Andrew in me had still hoped for some happiness.
4. And what was Starbuck? An 'angel.' Hmmm. Glad there's still some mystery about it.
5. Starbuck jumping them to our Earth - the song coming together.
6. Oh, Laura. How sad and beautiful her passing and Bill staying with her to his end.
7. Caprica finally respecting Gaius, allowing their love to finally be true.
8. Athena forgiving Helo.
9. Hera as mitochondrial Eve - we've all got a bit of Cylon in us. Interesting as well to realize that the people put down on the other continents didn't 'make it' in the long run (aren't our ancestors).
Dislikes/concerns:
1. I wanted a bit of closure for Leoben and Starbuck - not sexual, but something. He had been such an important part of her journey (and underscored once again that it takes both humans and cylons) that I felt it needed something more.
2. I have a few concerns about it devolving into a pastoral, that return to primitive nobility that will make everything better. Oh, well - it's a genre for a reason, I guess.
3. The last few minutes. They tell us Hera is mitochondrial Eve, and that's important to the human/cylon message. It also saves it a bit from the pastoral thingy.
But ... but ... it just felt too heavy handed. Yes, this is our Earth (showing Africa as the ship flies over Luna kinda nailed that). But flashing forward to now and going, 'Will they repeat the same mistakes again?' Literally. Out loud. Too, too much. [No wait - let me open my mouth wider so you can use a bigger spoon.] And all the video of the robots we've made - it went on for too long.
4. If they wanted to really work the missing link thingy, they should have had the primitives on earth be more like a neanderthal instead of so tall and gangly.
5. I know the show has had a mystical/spiritual element from the start, but 'angels' and 'god' and all that still get on my nerves. At least Gaius said that the higher power didn't like to be called 'god,' so that we can see we shouldn't be layering Christianity over it, but it was just one tiny line, and I fear not enough to really say that we still don't know what the higher power is.
6. Update: This did strike me. I know it served the story, and there was never any doubt that Laura would lose her battle with cancer, but ... But we're left with an ending about four different couples. All the men are human. For the two couples with human women, both women 'die.' For the two couples with cylon women, they live. The subtext is a little like 'the men get their walking sex-toys.' Only a little, because we come to see both Caprica and Athena as much more than that, but ... I'm bothered nonetheless.
Still, it was excellent. And I only came out with one major gripe. I'm also a little amazed that Moore seems to imply that he didn't have this laid out for seasons. It really feels like it.
Bye, BSG - you've been one of the very best TV shows I've ever, ever seen. They can't show 'The Plan' frakking soon enough (no, fall isn't soon enough!).
And now I have to watch Dollhouse.