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I managed to stay up just long enough for Kami no Shizuku to finally show up at d-a, so by morning all I had to do was convert the episode for my iPod - it's a pity I only managed to get through 25 minutes during my commute, and I like what I saw, despite the lack of subtitles, enough that I was VERY sorry I had to turn it off when I got to work. The low ratings are disappointing, but not unexpected. >.<
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Last night I dived into the BSG DVD that was waiting for me when I got home. Since I'd already seen those first two episodes, I'm afraid my attention wandered a bit - and then the fat suit and what happened to Lee's character nearly killed my resolve to keep watching. UGH! I hated it when I first saw it, and I still hate it. But there were many other things to love - I really enjoyed the filming and editing, and there were moments that popped out at me, such as Gaeta racing to leave a message for Tyrol (to abort the suicide bombing), the scene when the cylons force Baltar to sign the execution orders, and later the scene where Gaeta confronts Baltar about it. I also loved Roslin slapping Tigh, and Sharon being sent to liaise with humans on New Caprica to the disbelief of Lee and Tigh. :)
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N had missed the last two episodes of Sarah Connor, so I had the chance to rewatch over the last couple days, something I'd been wanting to do in an effort to make some more sense of the eps. Taken in conjunction with the Cameron-centric "Self-made Man," these last three eps really struck me with the new information, backstory, and new questions. I came away from "Earthlings Welcome Here" with a few main questions: first, why is Weaver so intent on having Ellison interact with her AI, and really, why does she care so much about its moral development? I'm really looking forward to learning more about her motivations and purpose - she seems so fascinated by humans, and it seems as though she wants to build a more nuanced machine than the machines of her time, but if so, why is that important to her, and how does that intersect with the goals of the machines of the future?
And my second question: is Sarah losing her mind/already crazy with her three-dot-obsession? I'm not sure if the final moments with the space ship are meant to be a hallucination or real, and while I'm inclined to believe that she's on to something in pursuing the three dots (and clearly, her pursuit has led her down some intriguing and troubling avenues - and it's so frustrating that Eileen/Abraham is killed before providing any more information - I want to know what his secret was, because it can't be as simple as that he wanted to live as a woman, right?), it's still possible that she's lost it, and in which case, how will that affect John and the mission to stop Skynet?
There were so many good moments in both these episodes - in "Alpine Fields," I loved the Derek backstory (and the first time he meets Jessie! Goodness, she's so tough and worldly-wise while Derek, who usually comes across as the hardened character, is instead so vulnerable here), I loved Derek's connection to Lauren and Sydney, I loved how frail, squabbling, and human Lauren's family was, and how Lauren grew up so fast in such a short time. The conversation between Sarah and Lauren in the house was nicely done, too - also, I'm still boggling over Lena's portrayal of Sarah here and how good she is and how different it is from Lena's Kaisa in Aberdeen (which I saw recently).
I like "Earthlings Welcome Here" a bit less than "Alpine Fields" but perhaps that's because it seemed a little more inscrutable to me. I did like the sense I got of Sarah's desperation to find a connection with the three dots, and how she's willing to pursue a lead, but also walk away from it - she goes from being the seeker in this ep to being desperately pursued by Eileen/Abraham who seems so anxious to talk to someone about what's happened to him. And obviously there is something to what Eileen/Abraham tells her - and that ending! I'm dying to know what happens next! Regarding the B story, Jessie is a scary woman, and I'm really wondering at her logic in placing someone who seems as damaged as Riley is (and who wouldn't be damaged?), into such a critical position and expect her to pull it off without cracking. Jessie appears to be hard enough to insulate herself and not let any emotions interfere with her mission, but Riley was never a soldier, so how did Jessie think Riley would cope? Riley so desperately wants and needs some normalcy, to be nurtured - and she needs it from someone who understands her past, the miserable existence she came from (one thing that struck me all over again in this episode is how impossibly clean and shiny and beautiful and innocent this world must be to all of them who've traveled back in time - they must resent so much the obliviousness of what is coming) - and Riley is obviously not going to get any of that, not if she sticks around with either Jessie or even with John (she's more likely to wind up dead) - and I imagine it's going to be so ugly when John learns of Riley's real identity.
Very thought-provoking episodes!