BSG 4.06 - "Faith"
Tonight I get to see Jon Stewart... and it's only 5 minutes from my home! I totally forgot he was coming until an hour ago, so I checked the theater's website. The seats were nearly $50+fees. Too rich for me. Then I noticed that Marketa Irglova and Glen Hansard are playing here Tuesday! I actually flailed until I learned that it was sold out. Since the theater's so close, I drove over there to see if there were still some single seats. Nope, but she did say that they might release some day-of. For the heck of it, I asked about tonight's 10pm show, and they had a great seat for $47 and no service charge... so I got out my credit card. Hey, Jon Stewart -- the guy whose show I've watched religiously for eight years -- is doing a show five minutes from me, during an election year? Totally worth the cost. I'll just call it my early birthday present to myself. Ooooh, and Eddie Izzard will be here in late June.
Anyway! I'm still squeeful about last night's BSG.
Though I wish it hadn't taken so long, things are finally starting to fit together - well, to an extent. If the first half of the season is about setting up the chess pieces, then I really wish the writers had had one of those little timers that the players hit after each move, because things have been dragging way too much. But this episode was so marvelous that I'm more than happy to let go of some of my earlier frustrations. (Some of them.) At least things happened this week! Okay, yes, things have been happening all along, but so many of them have been internalized, all about character over plot. While I usually prefer character to plot, this season has felt far too much like marking time. They're still having a hard time balancing the large cast, which is why we keep getting episodes with main characters missing (Hi, Lee! What are you up to these days?). Still, it wasn't quite as bad as the last two weeks.
Kara
Oh, Kara. I've been saying that more and more these days, huh? Why didn't she offer that raptor plan in the first place? *sigh* Though Bear McCreary did say that the first couple of scenes of this episode were meant to be at the end of TRLT, so I'll let it slide. At least it was a fairly decent plan.
As they approach, Kara says, "This is the place. I can hear it." So many questions there, but more on that later. Yes, the Demetrius arc has been Bad-with-a-capital-B for my girl, but oh, it was so worth it just to see that smile on her face and that truly joyful laugh. It's catharsis, her validation after all those weeks of searching, of believing that she'd failed and was crazy, a Cylon, or worse. And then, as things often go on this show, it twists in a scary direction in the end. "The harbinger of death." I won't begin to parse what the Hybrid's words meant, though I'm sure they'll be fodder for months of speculation and analysis. I fear for Kara, but not as much as I did before. I don't think the Hybrid's prophecy is necessarily awful, but she might see them that way. While in her mind it's terrifying, at least now she has answers. She needed that. Now she has to figure out what to do with this, and with her life in general.
I've also reassessed some of my beliefs about Kara and relationships this season. While I can't remember the original quote or source, I think Katee said several months ago that Kara isn't really about romance anymore. I can definitely see that now. I do believe she loves both Lee and Sam, but right now love is irrelevant to her. It's not a negative thing - she's not trying to push either man away because of a lack of self-worth or fears of intimacy. Granted, she did lash out at Sam, but I think that was born of frustration rather than what she actually believed. And when she frakked him, it was intended to release tension, yet it didn't release anything. She just doesn't care about relationships now, though she might in the future. That's not necessarily good news for us 'shipper types, but I think it's really important for Kara. If she does eventually become romantically involved with Lee or Sam again, she needs to come at it from a healthier place. Letting go of her hang-ups about relationships is a first step.
This reminds me of something that Mo Ryan said in her post about TRLT:
What struck me during her chat with Leoben was the realization that hit her - that giving up her past life and accepting her destiny as a visionary or even angel was difficult because it is hard for her to think of herself as good. Kara’s excelled at hating herself all her life; the possibility that she can leave that baggage behind and be an agent of positive change - well, she was thunderstruck by the idea. It’d almost be easier to accept being a Cylon than thinking well of herself.
I think Ryan's overstating Kara's thought processes, because I don't believe Kara has enough insight to see things in those terms. But it did make me stop and think, and I like the way it ties into "Maelstrom".
When Barolay volunteered, my first reaction was relief that Kara had someone on her side - well, someone who wasn't already in love with her. ;) Then I remembered that this is BSG, and I thought, "Oh, no! Watch your back, Kara!" Poor Barolay. I can easily believe that she would believe in Kara. Their first meeting was on Caprica, and while that was a bit of a clusterfrak, Kara did keep her promise to save them. So when Kara disappears and returns years later, Jean would see it as another reason to have faith in this woman. As she says, "You've been kicking ass since day one." Damn right.
The Basestar
Last week I speculated that despite her and Helo ditching their toddler, Sharon was on the Demetrius for a specific reason, most likely related to the basestar. Makes me wonder how differently things would've played out if the SciFi suits hadn't insisted Helo come along. I'd also been intrigued by how she might react if faced with all the other Eights - not that I doubt her loyalty, but I'd like to see her questioning it and thinking about how much has changed for her. Perhaps I missed some subtext, but I didn't see as much of that as I would've liked, beyond some shifty, troubled glances and her conversation with the other Eights. I can buy that she has chosen to side with the humans - even so far as subconsciously(?) convincing herself that she is one of them - but I still want to see more of that ongoing thought process and what must be her constant internal struggle to overcome the programming. Not to mention WHY she sides with the humans beyond the love of her family and the people she cares about on the ship. (I'm not used to talking about Sharon, much less thinking about her, so I'm sure I've missed some stuff here!)
One of the Eights says, "You were the first to say 'No'.... We don't have to be slaves to our programming." That does seem to be one of the secondary themes this season - a corollary to the big flashing "FAITH!" theme. Not just with the Final Five, but also with humans shifting their allegiances and beliefs away from what humanity has felt/done up to this point in time. It certainly also appears in Roslin's scenes.
While I can understand Drowned!Six's angst about her death at Barolay's hands on New Caprica, I'm not all that sympathetic. Granted, Barolay's method there was harsh and cruel, but it was self-defense according to New Caprica's twisted, muddied moral code. Plus, that Six could download and resurrect. Barolay did not have that option, a fact that can't be mitigated by spurious "blood for blood" justifications. That said, "We were trying to help these people" was quite sad, and I liked the callback to the Cylons' frakked-up altruism on New Caprica. Season of Death, indeed.
Ah, Sam. I'm sure I'm not the only one who wishes he'd stuck his hand in the water, just to see what would happen! I also would've liked to see more of him trying to suss out what this place means to him, in light of his new knowledge. But I understand why he's so guarded and, well, terrified. He needs to work on his poker face, though, because that boy is one well-timed push away from outing himself. He's searching so hard for validation, both on the basestar and from those around him. He has nearly convinced himself that Kara is a Cylon, and I think he volunteered for the mission both to protect her and to see if he felt a connection when he was there among "his people". Remember, the Four know almost nothing about their origins, beyond that the main seven models don't recognize them. For all they know, they might be just like the others. Of course, we're learning that's not necessarily the case.
The Hybrid says that the Five came from the Thirteenth Colony, which makes me wonder whether Earth really is the Thirteenth. The big revelations in this episode almost feel like coincidences. Kara did claim to have been to Earth, a blue planet with oceans and fluffy clouds. That sounds like our planet, and we'd speculated that the paintings were of Jupiter or Saturn. Except it turns out she didn't pain those two after all - instead, she painted the scene of one Cylon civil war battle. So, are the painting and "Earth" connected, or are they two separate things? The site of the battle seems to be unconnected to prophecies - it's just where they happened to be at the time. That would suggest her painting was simply a vision of the immediate future... yet when she'd talked about the path to Earth back in the premiere, she mentioned that comet and the three stars. Plus, she said that the planet felt like it was calling her home. If the planet in question is the Earth from which the Five came, is SHE one of the Five? I seriously doubt it, but the writers are too careful with these threads they give us. Hmm! I can't begin to figure out what's going on with all this.
Back to Sam.... I did like his expression after the discussion of the Five being from Earth. "Huh? Don't ask me. I don't know how to get there!" ;) The Demetrius is probably the best thing that could've happened to him right now, even if it's making him lose his sanity. Would he have been any better off back on the Galactica? I doubt it. And maybe this is my own bias talking, but right now he feels like the most truly sympathetic of the Four. Tigh's pretty much just as he's always been (so far), Tory's getting a wee bit evil, and Tyrol's a big ol' mess. I think the sympathy is due to Trucco's performance. Sam's so confused, like a puppy. His search for answers comes across as genuine fear, and he wants so badly to believe that he's still good, that things will be okay in the end. Yeah, he keeps making royally stupid decisions such as shooting Gaeta, but to use an old cliché, his heart's in the right place. Well, mostly.
Roslin
"Those are the Gods you worship: capricious, vindictive."
"I don't need metaphors. I need answers."
As usual, I don't have much to say about Roslin; others always explain her so much better than I could! But I was really intrigued by her shifting attitudes toward her faith, which she admits isn't as strong as she'd have others believe. It reminded me of my first impression of Lee as he listened to Baltar's speech: disgust mixed with a tiny voice whispering, "What if?" There's a very strong element of Baltar saying what people want to hear; he's always been very adept at manipulation both for sport and to serve his own needs. Baltar almost certainly doesn't believe a word he's saying, but he's playing it in such a way that he's able to overcome centuries' worth of a society's faith. While she's obviously far from conversion, even Roslin's reluctantly starting to listen.
I can understand why his (Shakespeare-influenced) speeches have caught on. It's an extension of the age-old theological debates about belief without proof, and how a benevolent God(s) can allow tragedy to happen. For three years, the Gods have failed them time after time. Maybe they were the wrong Gods. Maybe they don't exist. Maybe Baltar's words are the answer.
I was also struck by Emily's comment, "All this just to keep me alive for a few more days." It reminded me of something that has been on my mind throughout the series. Perhaps I'm being nihilistic, but WHY go to such lengths to keep yourself alive under these circumstances, especially when the chances of full recovery are so low? Hell, the outlook's bleak even if you recover. Roslin has always had a reason to live, both as President and as part of her overall hopeful outlook on life. What about the rest of the civilians in the fleet? Why do they keep hanging on? (Not that I think they should go jump out an airlock, but I do wonder about their reasons in light of the absence of hope and an Earth that feels farther away each day.
Random thoughts
-- Makes sense that Kara (and presumably the others) has training on how to dress a gunshot wound. "Blood stopper" is quite convenient; pity that it looked like cat litter. And I really didn't need to see that closeup of Gaeta's wound. Blech.
-- Yeah, that first shot of Roslin's bald head was a shock, but it felt a bit too heavy-handed.
-- The FX of the photorealism of the planet melting into Kara's painting was gorgeous.
-- Roslin's IV looked like it was filled with cherry Kool-Aid.
-- When Emily gave Laura the scarf, she said, "A woman on Aurora makes them." EEK. They're certainly namedropping Aurora quite often this season. Granted, I think we heard of a ship with that name in S2/3, but I still prefer to think that it means something.
-- I never watched DS9, but years ago I saw Nana Visitor at a con. While the name clicked for me, I didn't recognize her at all until those shots of her standing on the ship with the curly black hair.
-- I'm looking forward to D'Anna's (apparent) unboxing, though obviously it won't come for a long time... because then we'd know the identity of the last Cylon. RDM's gonna save that one as long as he can.
-- With Roslin's speech about her mother, BSG celebrates Teacher Appreciation Week (which ends today.) Thanks for that, folks!
-- At first, I thought she was coming to visit Baltar, as I didn't recognize the back of EJO's head. Oops.
-- indigo419 pointed out all the close-ups of hands, which have always been a symbol of connection.
-- While I love the idea of a basestar joining the rag-tag fleet, I have a feeling the rest of humanity won't quite see it the same way when they look outside their portholes. ;)
-- How did Kara get all cleaned up in that last shot of her? Now I want to write mini-crackfic in which she and the others take a nice hot shower in the basestar. I can't even imagine what their en-suite facilities would be like.
-- From the preview: Wow, that kid does look a hell of a lot like a combination of Sharon and Helo. And Kara apparently found her old stash of ponytail elastics. I'm not all that thrilled, because she just looks so different with her hair tightly pulled back. More severe, like poor Kara of S2.5.
So. Must go get ready for Jon Stewart now, and I look forward to finally reading all the other LJ posts about this episode once I get home!
Anyway! I'm still squeeful about last night's BSG.
Though I wish it hadn't taken so long, things are finally starting to fit together - well, to an extent. If the first half of the season is about setting up the chess pieces, then I really wish the writers had had one of those little timers that the players hit after each move, because things have been dragging way too much. But this episode was so marvelous that I'm more than happy to let go of some of my earlier frustrations. (Some of them.) At least things happened this week! Okay, yes, things have been happening all along, but so many of them have been internalized, all about character over plot. While I usually prefer character to plot, this season has felt far too much like marking time. They're still having a hard time balancing the large cast, which is why we keep getting episodes with main characters missing (Hi, Lee! What are you up to these days?). Still, it wasn't quite as bad as the last two weeks.
Kara
Oh, Kara. I've been saying that more and more these days, huh? Why didn't she offer that raptor plan in the first place? *sigh* Though Bear McCreary did say that the first couple of scenes of this episode were meant to be at the end of TRLT, so I'll let it slide. At least it was a fairly decent plan.
As they approach, Kara says, "This is the place. I can hear it." So many questions there, but more on that later. Yes, the Demetrius arc has been Bad-with-a-capital-B for my girl, but oh, it was so worth it just to see that smile on her face and that truly joyful laugh. It's catharsis, her validation after all those weeks of searching, of believing that she'd failed and was crazy, a Cylon, or worse. And then, as things often go on this show, it twists in a scary direction in the end. "The harbinger of death." I won't begin to parse what the Hybrid's words meant, though I'm sure they'll be fodder for months of speculation and analysis. I fear for Kara, but not as much as I did before. I don't think the Hybrid's prophecy is necessarily awful, but she might see them that way. While in her mind it's terrifying, at least now she has answers. She needed that. Now she has to figure out what to do with this, and with her life in general.
I've also reassessed some of my beliefs about Kara and relationships this season. While I can't remember the original quote or source, I think Katee said several months ago that Kara isn't really about romance anymore. I can definitely see that now. I do believe she loves both Lee and Sam, but right now love is irrelevant to her. It's not a negative thing - she's not trying to push either man away because of a lack of self-worth or fears of intimacy. Granted, she did lash out at Sam, but I think that was born of frustration rather than what she actually believed. And when she frakked him, it was intended to release tension, yet it didn't release anything. She just doesn't care about relationships now, though she might in the future. That's not necessarily good news for us 'shipper types, but I think it's really important for Kara. If she does eventually become romantically involved with Lee or Sam again, she needs to come at it from a healthier place. Letting go of her hang-ups about relationships is a first step.
This reminds me of something that Mo Ryan said in her post about TRLT:
What struck me during her chat with Leoben was the realization that hit her - that giving up her past life and accepting her destiny as a visionary or even angel was difficult because it is hard for her to think of herself as good. Kara’s excelled at hating herself all her life; the possibility that she can leave that baggage behind and be an agent of positive change - well, she was thunderstruck by the idea. It’d almost be easier to accept being a Cylon than thinking well of herself.
I think Ryan's overstating Kara's thought processes, because I don't believe Kara has enough insight to see things in those terms. But it did make me stop and think, and I like the way it ties into "Maelstrom".
When Barolay volunteered, my first reaction was relief that Kara had someone on her side - well, someone who wasn't already in love with her. ;) Then I remembered that this is BSG, and I thought, "Oh, no! Watch your back, Kara!" Poor Barolay. I can easily believe that she would believe in Kara. Their first meeting was on Caprica, and while that was a bit of a clusterfrak, Kara did keep her promise to save them. So when Kara disappears and returns years later, Jean would see it as another reason to have faith in this woman. As she says, "You've been kicking ass since day one." Damn right.
The Basestar
Last week I speculated that despite her and Helo ditching their toddler, Sharon was on the Demetrius for a specific reason, most likely related to the basestar. Makes me wonder how differently things would've played out if the SciFi suits hadn't insisted Helo come along. I'd also been intrigued by how she might react if faced with all the other Eights - not that I doubt her loyalty, but I'd like to see her questioning it and thinking about how much has changed for her. Perhaps I missed some subtext, but I didn't see as much of that as I would've liked, beyond some shifty, troubled glances and her conversation with the other Eights. I can buy that she has chosen to side with the humans - even so far as subconsciously(?) convincing herself that she is one of them - but I still want to see more of that ongoing thought process and what must be her constant internal struggle to overcome the programming. Not to mention WHY she sides with the humans beyond the love of her family and the people she cares about on the ship. (I'm not used to talking about Sharon, much less thinking about her, so I'm sure I've missed some stuff here!)
One of the Eights says, "You were the first to say 'No'.... We don't have to be slaves to our programming." That does seem to be one of the secondary themes this season - a corollary to the big flashing "FAITH!" theme. Not just with the Final Five, but also with humans shifting their allegiances and beliefs away from what humanity has felt/done up to this point in time. It certainly also appears in Roslin's scenes.
While I can understand Drowned!Six's angst about her death at Barolay's hands on New Caprica, I'm not all that sympathetic. Granted, Barolay's method there was harsh and cruel, but it was self-defense according to New Caprica's twisted, muddied moral code. Plus, that Six could download and resurrect. Barolay did not have that option, a fact that can't be mitigated by spurious "blood for blood" justifications. That said, "We were trying to help these people" was quite sad, and I liked the callback to the Cylons' frakked-up altruism on New Caprica. Season of Death, indeed.
Ah, Sam. I'm sure I'm not the only one who wishes he'd stuck his hand in the water, just to see what would happen! I also would've liked to see more of him trying to suss out what this place means to him, in light of his new knowledge. But I understand why he's so guarded and, well, terrified. He needs to work on his poker face, though, because that boy is one well-timed push away from outing himself. He's searching so hard for validation, both on the basestar and from those around him. He has nearly convinced himself that Kara is a Cylon, and I think he volunteered for the mission both to protect her and to see if he felt a connection when he was there among "his people". Remember, the Four know almost nothing about their origins, beyond that the main seven models don't recognize them. For all they know, they might be just like the others. Of course, we're learning that's not necessarily the case.
The Hybrid says that the Five came from the Thirteenth Colony, which makes me wonder whether Earth really is the Thirteenth. The big revelations in this episode almost feel like coincidences. Kara did claim to have been to Earth, a blue planet with oceans and fluffy clouds. That sounds like our planet, and we'd speculated that the paintings were of Jupiter or Saturn. Except it turns out she didn't pain those two after all - instead, she painted the scene of one Cylon civil war battle. So, are the painting and "Earth" connected, or are they two separate things? The site of the battle seems to be unconnected to prophecies - it's just where they happened to be at the time. That would suggest her painting was simply a vision of the immediate future... yet when she'd talked about the path to Earth back in the premiere, she mentioned that comet and the three stars. Plus, she said that the planet felt like it was calling her home. If the planet in question is the Earth from which the Five came, is SHE one of the Five? I seriously doubt it, but the writers are too careful with these threads they give us. Hmm! I can't begin to figure out what's going on with all this.
Back to Sam.... I did like his expression after the discussion of the Five being from Earth. "Huh? Don't ask me. I don't know how to get there!" ;) The Demetrius is probably the best thing that could've happened to him right now, even if it's making him lose his sanity. Would he have been any better off back on the Galactica? I doubt it. And maybe this is my own bias talking, but right now he feels like the most truly sympathetic of the Four. Tigh's pretty much just as he's always been (so far), Tory's getting a wee bit evil, and Tyrol's a big ol' mess. I think the sympathy is due to Trucco's performance. Sam's so confused, like a puppy. His search for answers comes across as genuine fear, and he wants so badly to believe that he's still good, that things will be okay in the end. Yeah, he keeps making royally stupid decisions such as shooting Gaeta, but to use an old cliché, his heart's in the right place. Well, mostly.
Roslin
"Those are the Gods you worship: capricious, vindictive."
"I don't need metaphors. I need answers."
As usual, I don't have much to say about Roslin; others always explain her so much better than I could! But I was really intrigued by her shifting attitudes toward her faith, which she admits isn't as strong as she'd have others believe. It reminded me of my first impression of Lee as he listened to Baltar's speech: disgust mixed with a tiny voice whispering, "What if?" There's a very strong element of Baltar saying what people want to hear; he's always been very adept at manipulation both for sport and to serve his own needs. Baltar almost certainly doesn't believe a word he's saying, but he's playing it in such a way that he's able to overcome centuries' worth of a society's faith. While she's obviously far from conversion, even Roslin's reluctantly starting to listen.
I can understand why his (Shakespeare-influenced) speeches have caught on. It's an extension of the age-old theological debates about belief without proof, and how a benevolent God(s) can allow tragedy to happen. For three years, the Gods have failed them time after time. Maybe they were the wrong Gods. Maybe they don't exist. Maybe Baltar's words are the answer.
I was also struck by Emily's comment, "All this just to keep me alive for a few more days." It reminded me of something that has been on my mind throughout the series. Perhaps I'm being nihilistic, but WHY go to such lengths to keep yourself alive under these circumstances, especially when the chances of full recovery are so low? Hell, the outlook's bleak even if you recover. Roslin has always had a reason to live, both as President and as part of her overall hopeful outlook on life. What about the rest of the civilians in the fleet? Why do they keep hanging on? (Not that I think they should go jump out an airlock, but I do wonder about their reasons in light of the absence of hope and an Earth that feels farther away each day.
Random thoughts
-- Makes sense that Kara (and presumably the others) has training on how to dress a gunshot wound. "Blood stopper" is quite convenient; pity that it looked like cat litter. And I really didn't need to see that closeup of Gaeta's wound. Blech.
-- Yeah, that first shot of Roslin's bald head was a shock, but it felt a bit too heavy-handed.
-- The FX of the photorealism of the planet melting into Kara's painting was gorgeous.
-- Roslin's IV looked like it was filled with cherry Kool-Aid.
-- When Emily gave Laura the scarf, she said, "A woman on Aurora makes them." EEK. They're certainly namedropping Aurora quite often this season. Granted, I think we heard of a ship with that name in S2/3, but I still prefer to think that it means something.
-- I never watched DS9, but years ago I saw Nana Visitor at a con. While the name clicked for me, I didn't recognize her at all until those shots of her standing on the ship with the curly black hair.
-- I'm looking forward to D'Anna's (apparent) unboxing, though obviously it won't come for a long time... because then we'd know the identity of the last Cylon. RDM's gonna save that one as long as he can.
-- With Roslin's speech about her mother, BSG celebrates Teacher Appreciation Week (which ends today.) Thanks for that, folks!
-- At first, I thought she was coming to visit Baltar, as I didn't recognize the back of EJO's head. Oops.
-- indigo419 pointed out all the close-ups of hands, which have always been a symbol of connection.
-- While I love the idea of a basestar joining the rag-tag fleet, I have a feeling the rest of humanity won't quite see it the same way when they look outside their portholes. ;)
-- How did Kara get all cleaned up in that last shot of her? Now I want to write mini-crackfic in which she and the others take a nice hot shower in the basestar. I can't even imagine what their en-suite facilities would be like.
-- From the preview: Wow, that kid does look a hell of a lot like a combination of Sharon and Helo. And Kara apparently found her old stash of ponytail elastics. I'm not all that thrilled, because she just looks so different with her hair tightly pulled back. More severe, like poor Kara of S2.5.
So. Must go get ready for Jon Stewart now, and I look forward to finally reading all the other LJ posts about this episode once I get home!