I was surprised by this episode. After the last four, and especially the SFX heavy Exodus Part Two, you know they have to do a low-budget episode. Personally, from the previews, I was expecting something along the quality level of Spock's Brain. Jeez, by the end of the first act I was riveted and away from my computer watching the episode from the couch instead.
A couple of thoughts:
Zarek, I don't like him, but I do respect him. He does what he believes is right, and when confronted he doesn't try to prevaricate, he doesn't deny being involved, he takes ownership of his actions, right or wrong, and he explains his reasons for doing what he did. I don't agree with his 'circles' and their trials, but I can respect his reasons for creating them. That is why I feel satisfied Zarek is still going to be the VP...maybe he'll continue to grow as a character and become a good successor for Roslyn. (A side note to all those other actors from the original BSG...eat your frakking hearts out! You too could have had a kick-ass role like Richard Hatch's if you'd only swallowed your Pride a bit and accepted that something could be better than the original.)
Chief Tyrol: I especially liked the conflict in this character during this episode, especially his unease about Jammer, who was one of his men before New Caprica, and if you watched the webisodes, was heavily involved in the Resistance from the beginning. Even after joining the NCP, Jammer had to have largely kept his mouth shut or Chief Tyrol and Anders would have been in detention along with Colonel Tigh. Then, when the dog bowl came out with Gaeda, the expressions on his face all the way up to the fade out were absolutely wonderful.
Starbuck: They established from the beginning of the mini-series just how self-destructive Starbuck is as a person. Unless she's in the cockpit of a Viper, she's a frak-up and she shows it here. It should be interesting as she continues down the slope of self-destruction.
Apollo - Yay! The fat suit will be gone and I'll get my eye-candy back. The lines between him and his father about jumping rope, and Admiral Adama's beat about "You need more" or something like that was another classic Adama quote. Loved it!
Saul TIgh - Yeah, you killed your traitorous bitch of a wife...so what? Most people on the planet lost someone they cared about, and it's your own damn fault because YOU were the one that ordered suicide bombers, and set up a policy of zero tolerance for collaborators. I personally look for Tight to self-destruct very quickly, and for Adama to try bringing him in line, but failing and cutting him off before he does more damage. Frankly, I think Helo has spoiled Adama. In Helo he has a competent X.O. without the alcoholism, and Adama's been spoiled by that. Hell, Helo's damn near the perfect X.O. with his only drawback being his wife is a CYLON.
Baltar - We finally got to see Baltar on the basestar, and I just LOVED the symmetry of it all...from the austere but high-tech/sleek quarters, to the roman lounge for a bed, the beautiful decanter of water on a side table, the white robe, and two lovely female models of Cylons totally fracking with his brain, along with a metal centurion just staring at him (that alone would freak me out!).
If this is what they do for low-budget episodes, I vote for slashing their budget in half and requiring them to write these episodes all the time!
I think the thing that disturbs me most, about this season, is that IF pushed as hard as that crew has been, I could see me making desisions that Tigh has made. IT's not that I justify it, But I can understand where he's coming from on alot of those issues.
I still think he's an insufferable prick, and has done as much bad as good, but I can relate to what he has done at times. That scares the hell out of me.
Stephen
Buddy, that's what the first five episodes of this season have done to me. I can see the capacity to make the same decisions as Tigh did inside of me, but I do think I would reject some of them.
I would order suicide bombers off targets like the New Caprica Police and President Baltar
I would NOT order suicide bombings of the market place or civilian targets unless there's an overriding reason (a temple being used as a police headquarters would get bombed, a temple being used as a temple would not).
I would kill my partner if they betrayed humanity to the Cylons...and I'd use the poisoned cup too. It's the nice, easy way to make it easier for me to live with.
I wouldn't blame anyone but me for making that decision either.
I'd side with Adama and Roslyn as well...the best way to deal with the collaborators once they got back to the fleet would have been to pardon them. It makes it less easy for the cylons to use former collaborators as tools afterwards (cylons threaten to reveal secret collaboration unless they do x,y, or z). The internal conflict is over at that point...and humanity should focus on healing their rifts and moving on towards the goal of Earth.
I'd also keep Zarek close by for the dirty deeds I didn't want to dirty my hands with...
Topic: BSG season 3.0 spoilers thread. (Read 43986 times)