Battlestar Galactica (spoilers/speculation)

[Margalis]

I wasn't a fan of the directing this episode, too much jumping from scene to scene. That sort of technique can work but it was overused.

The episode itself was pretty decent. Not sure what to make of engineer-dude's meltdown. Any ep with lots of Tigh is a good ep for me.

[Abagadro]

Olmos directed this one.  I thought it was pretty good. I liked Tyrel's meltdown because he said basically what I thought about Cally.  I also liked Roslyn's confrontation with Baltar and I am really starting to like Lee.

I don't think the writers hate the characters. I just think they are setting up some resolutions based upon arcs of fallibility/redemption which seems to be a running theme.

EDIT: Superfluous drunken apostrophe removed.

[Velorath]

It was a plot device to advance Torie's craziness. No more no less.

It didn't advance it so much as throw up a big neon sign that said "SHE"S TURNED EEEEEEEEVIL!!!!!!!".  Tory is one of the weakest links on the show right now because she went from practically being a non-character (I can't for the life of me remember anything of note she said or did on the show before being revealed as a cylon) to being part of the dramatic cylon reveal at the end of last season and then quickly turning bad within the span of a couple episodes this season.  The writers made her into a plot device rather than a character.

[Margalis]

Yeah I agree with that. The obvious idea is to show how different people are coping the revelation that they are Cylons and also to make us wonder how much of it is programming but her transformation seemed rushed.

[NowhereMan]

I get the feeling she's been deeply affected by the Cylon thing and also by Baltar's cult thing. The problem is that explanation has only really been hinted at on the show, a couple of scenes prior to the air lock and hitting on the chief where she expresses concerns about "what we've become," or at least spouts some foreshadowing, "I get to make my own rules," stuff with Baltar's cult would have actually provided us with a character change rather than the seemingly new personality she has now.

Eh maybe we'll luck out and they'll actually delve into some of that soon so at least in retrospect we can look at the episode and see more than a needed threat among the new Cylons.

[MrHat]

I think she's going to be killed and then we get to find out what happens when one of the 5 die.

[Tale]

This week's episode set up what will become flashbacks and paths people are on for the endgame.

1. Saul Tighe is going to have to walk into a fire to save humanity/find Earth. He just spent a whole episode learning to embrace and learn from pain.
2. Tory has gone clinically insane as a response to "lol we're cylons". She's psychopathic or a megalomaniac or both. The bursts of strength are part of that.
3. Baltar's cult is central to the endgame, probably the cause of whatever big plot twist is going to happen.
4. The Chief is going to be needed off Galactica to do something that saves humanity/finds Earth.
5. Roslyn's death will either crush Adama or turn him into a Saul Tighe to walk through fire to save humanity/find Earth.

P.S. I still think my theory that they are being written as deluded humans, not cylons, could be valid :)

[Evil Elvis]

So that's what a good episode of BSG looks like.  I'd forgotten what they were like.

[MrHat]

Ya, I loved last nights episode.

[Triforcer]

Roslin is being set up as George Bush in a red wig.  Lee will be President sooner rather than later.

[Margalis]

P.S. I still think my theory that they are being written as deluded humans, not cylons, could be valid :)

I could believe that but even the voiceovers and promotional material refer to them as definitively Cylons. I watched the special that aired before this season and they were very matter-of-fact about it. It would be too big of a middle finger to the audience to say "no, even in the out-of-character 'making of' we were lying."

[Abagadro]

Moore has specifically said that there are no shenanigans like that. Everyone who has been identified as a cylon is definitely a cylon.

[sidereal]

It's not like it'd be hard to show a cargo bay full of frozen Tighs, and that'd put an end to the endless speculation.  Or are there only one each of the super5?  I forget.

I like the new turn Saul's taking.  He went from gruff, drunk cool guy to irritating, whiny gruff dick over the last couple of seasons.  His coping with being a Cylon by getting the shit beat out of him is good cinema.

Also, I found Adama busting the chief down for having an outburst a day after his fucking wife spaced herself a little unbelievable.  He'd knock him to the floor and tell him to sleep it off.

[Lantyssa]

Or it might be a way of letting the Chief continue to do something to take his mind off things while keeping him out of the hanger bay.

Tori is trying to be the machine she thinks Cylons are.  Baltar told her they don't feel so she desperately wants to believe it.  That would make the situation easier for her, no?  Eventually she'll realize she cannot shut the pain off, which we just spent an episode going over.

Roslin is all "I know best even if it's wrong".  Her righteousness is getting annoying.  It's making me like Lee though, since he'll do the right thing even if it is the tough choice.

[Rishathra]

Baltar told her they don't feel so she desperately wants to believe it.

Actually he told her they do feel.  I don't remember the exact words but it went something like -

"You seem to suffer from an excess of feeling."

"I suppose it could be worse.  I could be a Cylon."

"Actually, Cylons definitely are capable of feeling, and just as strongly as you or I.  I know this from the time I spent with them on that basestar."

"Really?"

"Yup."

"Cool."

"Let's have more sex."

[Lantyssa]

Huh.  My hearing must be off.  I thought he said they weren't.  (Heard the same in the flashback.)

It didn't make sense, but I was going with it.

[HaemishM]

He definitely said Cylons can feel.

Roslin is REALLY pissing me off. The whole self-righteous leader thing as a really hamfisted allegory to Bush is annoying. Matter of fact, I don't think there's one character on BSG that isn't pissing me off right now.

[Oban]

Matter of fact, I don't think there's one character on BSG that isn't pissing me off right now.

Athena

[Nevermore]

Matter of fact, I don't think there's one character on BSG that isn't pissing me off right now.

Athena

She'll do that on Friday since she'll be one of the Find Earth mission volunteers who'll be whining about Kara.

[Venkman]

Roslin is REALLY pissing me off. The whole self-righteous leader thing as a really hamfisted allegory to Bush is annoying. Matter of fact, I don't think there's one character on BSG that isn't pissing me off right now.

Agree. It took me until an hour ago to watch last week's episode, and only because I still have a half-assed interest in maybe watching tonights.

It was ok. As usual, it's taking too long to make points. Lee Adama seeing Baltar in speech-mode was a good "my gods, what have I done" wakeup moment for him. But otherwise the whole episode was just as weak as the season's been.

[tazelbain]

*face palm*  What is happening to my favorite show?    Maybe we can spice things up and have another trial.   

[Margalis]

BSG has always had pacing problems, with too many long shots while dramatic music plays, but this episode was ridiculous. It had 15 minutes of content.

[rattran]

There was more content in the 'next week' bit than the episode.

I need to stop watching the 'next week' bit. It made this week seem... weak.

[Chenghiz]

It's wierd, things are happening in the show that are pretty important but it feels like nothing is happening.

[Tale]

So now we potentially have Tori and the Chief on Baltar's one God path. That's a cylon belief. Tigh's bestest friend is a six. Anders has a Leoben and maybe an allied cylon base ship. It seems like all the sekret cylons are being set up for an education in what cylons believe, so they will do whatever the plot is ultimately going to make them do.

[Venkman]

Haven't watched last night's yet, but with the busting down of the Chief, and the sidelined-advisory status of the assistant to a dying not-so-beloved nor trusted President, I'm not sure they can do much at all.

My one hope for this series is that these four turn around and instead teach the Cylons. While laborious, the dialog between Tigh and Six was actually pretty interesting. Not the "how to shut it off part" as much as the "do you actually realize what you've done to us part".

I'm blindly hoping that's a foreshadow of a final resolution that makes sense. No way they can do clean "ok truce, universe is big enough for both of us" ending. There's been way too much overlap. And no way they can wipe out either side. 30,000 humans versus X*millions of Cylons and neither by themselves is strong enough to seed a new race.

I'm with someone else here who at one point said both sides are actually the same, it's just one them knows themselves better than the others do. It would certainly explain the Tigh paradox (him being around since early days with Adama).

[Venkman]

Geezus, this episode felt like the last three: advertisements for the coming attractions.

At least Kara finally hears what we all knew last season: she being the Harbinger and all. Too bad she had to bring a whole bunch of people with her to figure it out.

Also, boo on there being no Adama in this episode.

[Raguel]

I've been mainly watching this season just to see how it's all going to end, but now I see that the series ended a couple of years ago, with one episode specials every few months. 

[Jain Zar]

It's wierd, things are happening in the show that are pretty important but it feels like nothing is happening.

Not really quoting you, but your avatar is the bestest thing ever.

As to BSG?  I'm enjoying the hell out of it the way I have enjoyed the hell out of almost every episode ever except for the one where they introduced Tigh's wife which kinda sucked.
I actually like the slow build up and the development of the characters.

Besides, if I want to hate a show, I have the ENTIRE creative output of Joss Whedon I can happily loathe.

[Triforcer]

Besides, if I want to hate a show, I have the ENTIRE creative output of Joss Whedon I can happily loathe.

This is the most wrong statement concerning entertainment I've ever read on this site... and that's AFTER reading Schild's opinions on various shows, movies, and games. 

[Venkman]

Not really quoting you, but your avatar is the bestest thing ever.

As to BSG?  I'm enjoying the hell out of it the way I have enjoyed the hell out of almost every episode ever except for the one where they introduced Tigh's wife which kinda sucked.
I actually like the slow build up and the development of the characters.

Besides, if I want to hate a show, I have the ENTIRE creative output of Joss Whedon I can happily loathe.

Ah, so you're my polar opposite then!

[HaemishM]

It's wierd, things are happening in the show that are pretty important but it feels like nothing is happening.

Welcome to the whole goddamn season. Having a 22 episode season is killing this show, I think. The pacing has been terrible, and the "character development" has been anything but. The characters aren't developing, they are fitting into the slots the writer wants them to fit into whether that makes any sense or not.

All will be revealed, my ass.

[Lantyssa]

It was slow episode, but I liked this last one.

[Venkman]

All will be revealed, my ass.

Damn, thanks for reminding me! I hate that stupid tag line. I didn't believe it at the end of the first episode this season, and I didn't believe it on Friday. I agree, this show needed to not be constrained by the usual sicophant-driven committee-based business model of usual TV where everyone gets X cut of Y hours of work. It's probably a real weakness for Moore to be constrained by someone else's clock. Look what he was able to do on the "off time" with Razor. I have no idea if that made any money back, but I'd say that created renewed interest in the show... certainly a lot more than the weak-ass ending of the last season.

[El Gallo]

The problem with bringing minor characters to the foreground is that minor characters are often played by weaker actors. I'm not feeling it from Chief, even though I like the character. Sometimes they step up, like Tory who has been pretty good even though I don't like her character.  The current Starbuck storyline is painful imo.

I think they are setting up the 5 new cylons to take sides in the cylon civil war with Tory (at least) as a hardliner. I'm cool with that.

I miss the days of gritty economic/social conflict with Baltar's manifesto and the general strike. That was an interesting conflict. The debate between believers in Zeus and believers in "I'm OK, you're OK, we're all OK" psychobabble makes me hope a cylon base ship jumps in and nukes them all to Hell.

They really, really need to stop being so over-the-top with the Baltar-as-Jesus imagery. We get it. I thought the guards were going to cast lots for his clothing after he was knocked down three times while carrying that enormous cross. 

Anyway, I am still enjoying the show.