TV (series endings)
Oct. 31st, 2020 11:11 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shallownessGhosts 2.6 Perfect Day
Both beautifully constructed and the twenty-first century winning an argument with past marital mores because it was written by twenty-first century writers. Of course, the series had to conclude with the wedding, and everything going wrong – the wedding planner in a car crash, terrible weather meaning many guests couldn’t come and Button House becoming the venue for everything, with Alison becoming the default wedding planner and the Captain morphing into one too.
Genuine poignancy among the laughs (the sled, ‘This is happening’ from a resigned Humphrey as Lady Fanny got set to rant, Robin vs the pronunciation of ‘monogamy’) in the Mike/Alison stuff underpinning the wedding jitters, and Pat…facing his killer. I was reminded that he’s one of the younger ghosts. For a bit, I was terrified he’d move on, but then I remembered how stroppy he was until the scene in the field.
Good switches from Alison’s POV to one where there were no ghosts around throughout the episode.
I understand a third series was commissioned, but I have no idea what the situation is in terms of writing it or how it could be filmed.
BSG - end of season 1
I binged on Colonial Day, Kobol’s Last Gleaming (parts 1 and 2)
The first of which was all about the politics, which pleased me. I got riled up by yet another man being snide about being led by a schoolteacher, with all the misogyny underneath. Grr. She’s actually been pretty competent. Although Roslin was very much on the backfoot politically at the beginning of the episode, having been too busy governing (and being sick) to prepare for Mr Your Freedom Fighter is My Terrorist AKA Zarek (I had to check his name because I hadn’t taken it in.)
We got proof as to why Adama was right that the military shouldn’t be the police. But beneath that security in the Fleet continued to be TERRIBLE. Okay, a ceramic gun isn’t going to be picked up by a metal detector, but my general opinion of their security stands. But Lee versus the thug was just machismo, and it looked terrible. Kara was a bit more competent once she saw the gun.
Zarek made fair points about succession and the economy, but the whole succession thing would put Roslin in danger. When he wasn’t being chivvied by Six, Gaius pulled out a wonderful speech (still the only one with an English accent on the fleet which is BIZARRE, or to put it another way, the only one with a non-North American accent, which is BIZARRE) and made Roslin pick him as Veep in a ‘better the devil you know’ (but you don’t know) way.
More of the Western world/terrorists parallel as Lee and Kara interrogated Vallance. Definite loose strand with his death. Zarek could have been lying about not having killed him or using the loophole that it was someone acting on his nod, but I think we’re meant to take most of these declarations as true, which suggests a third party/Cylons. Anyway, Zarek was willing to play a longer game. Ellen tried to manoeuvre Tigh and of course herself, into a better position (without seemingly any recognition of the scale of what humanity is facing).
And after the childish monkeying around in the fake garden, we had a priceless Lee realises Kara is a gurl moment at the party. I loved the colour of her dress. And I may have snarked ‘how old are you, Lee?’ because other than the sophisticated political analysis, he just seemed to be about 14 in general this episode. And 14 year old boys shouldn’t be policing much. I also enjoyed Adama asking Roslin to dance.
Meanwhile, on Caprica, Helo shot Fake!Sharon because she was a toaster and he was hurt.
The next episode remembered it was the penultimate episode of the season, and although a lot of things had been set up beautifully, in some cases, there were FTL jumps for the plot’s sake, exemplified by the montage at the beginning, really. Like, they’d set up something brewing between Gaius and Kara, but for her to moan out another man’s name shifted matters quite a distance. The potential Kata/Lee has been brewing in their interactions, but I don’t think she’d let herself admit it consciously before. But they played out the ramifications for Baltar, Six, Kara and Lee beeyootifully. Roslin’s terminal diagnosis made her open to admitting to the priestess lady that she was wasting. But finding Kobol, just like that? That was ‘it’s the end of the season,’ that was.
Six was fuming and that led to a spectacular breakdown from Gaius in front of Roslin and Billy. (Cue the obvious ‘stable genius’ joke.) Lee picked up on the Gaius/Kara – that bit was very subtly done – and was furious about it. A very professional punching match ensued (interesting in how the physical violence between a male and female character came across. It felt like both were giving as good as they got, rather than an uncomfortable demonstration of male physical superiority, although obviously not the most functional response). Were there two separate fights about her coming up with another very Starbuck plan behind everyone’s backs or just the one combining his FEELINGS about her and Baltar and her feelings about that and fancying her dead fiancé’s brother and superior officer?
Helo couldn’t pull off a killing shot on his ex-lover, even if he was determined to dehumanise her. As she looked like being his best chance of getting off Caprica because Roslin’s plan hadn’t been revealed yet (although how they were going to find the Galactica after remained to be seen) that seemed wisest. Plus a source of more angst.
Meanwhile actual!Sharon was suicidal, Gaius wasn’t much help, and then both Sharons were suffering from GSWs.
The action after the three ships’ jump to Kobol was good. Well, it took me a while to realise what was going on with Baltar, but we’ll let that slide.
Roslin went full-on prophecy girl (sorry, ma’m, grown woman), but in a very Roslin way, going behind Adama’s back, and the pay-off of things like Kara finding out he’d lied about Earth, all the tensions between Adama and Roslin because of their personalities and roles, the Tigh-Kara conflicts was strong there.
Adama chose Sharon to nuke the big Cylon ship (because his daughter figure and best pilot had disappointed). And the question of her loyalties and will to live made that super tense. I was very worried for her co-pilot.
And then Sharon encountered all the other Sharons. The Cylons seemed a bit extravagant even if Kobol was of strategic importance. Or are there so many copies (I’d thought there might be 12) that they’re expendable? I think the decision to have so many there was more about the visual, because the effect on Sharon of seeing just one copy of herself would have been sufficient, although perhaps it would have demanded ine more one-on-one fight.
On Caprica, Fake!Sharon suddenly knowing that Apollo’s arrow was important now – well, let’s just go for her knowing God’s plan as well as Six does, even if some aspects of this plan seem really confusing. How does it work with the recurring pattern?
A Not!Six guarding it made more sense. The fight between her and Starbuck was BRUTAL (although we knew that there should be cavalry turning up for Kara, but she didn’t.)
On one level, I don’t even know what to make of Gaius’s vision – getting to see the opera house as was. I presume the first of the children of God was a vision of Fake!Sharon and Helo’s baby – my first response to her announcement that she’s pregnant was COVNENIENT. And knowing so soon after the sex must be a Cylon thing.
(Interesting that Six was wearing less revealing clothes in this and the last episode. White seemed very fitting for her on Kobol.)
Kara’s response to the news of the baby and her not being allowed to kill Fake!Sharon was understandably EMOTIONAL.
But there was also little stuff that made it all the richer, like Dee(?) and Billy being pulled into the conflict between Adama and Roslin – and I was mostly on her side, he was attempting a coup because she wouldn’t do what he wanted, but in fairness, was enacting a plan that seemed crazy on the face of it. So both their reasons were understandable. But both leaders were hoping the best of each other and not wanting bloodshed, although Apollo trusting his instincts (on his dad’s advice) and her was a spanner in the works for Adama, but echoed all that had come before beautifully.
Did I expect the final twist? No. Like Gaius, I thought that Six’s warning was about things going kablooey on the Galactica, and Sharon’s mission to blow up the corresponding Cylon ship fed into that. What motivated her? Anger that he’d made her destroy the Cylon ships? She seemed to be rejecting that side of herself in her decision to free the nuke ad go. Did the consciousness of all the other versions of her join hers after she killed them? Or was it programming? Because Six knew it was coming. Anyway, both Roslin and Adama are out of commission.
That was a lot of blood. I don’t remember if he survives. I’m torn, with that much blood, he shouldn’t. Although I find the character of Adama fascinating so I’m torn. Despite the religious elements of the show, he hasn’t had a huge part in them, apart from fathering ‘Apollo’ and being at least a nominal believer in the gods. I’d accept a more medically assisted survival over a miraculous recovery – because there would be stories to tell then, even if a part of me would yield to the purity of tragedy, which serial TV usually dodges because they want to keep good actors playing beloved characters to the detriment of the story. But I have a high level of trust in these writers, so we’ll see where they go with it.
I’d told myself I was just going to watch the remaining episodes of the series that night, so I resisted finding out what happened next immediately and am savouring thinking things through. Some of the opinions stated above may have changed before I start watching season 2.
[Edited for typos on 15/01/23.]
Both beautifully constructed and the twenty-first century winning an argument with past marital mores because it was written by twenty-first century writers. Of course, the series had to conclude with the wedding, and everything going wrong – the wedding planner in a car crash, terrible weather meaning many guests couldn’t come and Button House becoming the venue for everything, with Alison becoming the default wedding planner and the Captain morphing into one too.
Genuine poignancy among the laughs (the sled, ‘This is happening’ from a resigned Humphrey as Lady Fanny got set to rant, Robin vs the pronunciation of ‘monogamy’) in the Mike/Alison stuff underpinning the wedding jitters, and Pat…facing his killer. I was reminded that he’s one of the younger ghosts. For a bit, I was terrified he’d move on, but then I remembered how stroppy he was until the scene in the field.
Good switches from Alison’s POV to one where there were no ghosts around throughout the episode.
I understand a third series was commissioned, but I have no idea what the situation is in terms of writing it or how it could be filmed.
BSG - end of season 1
I binged on Colonial Day, Kobol’s Last Gleaming (parts 1 and 2)
The first of which was all about the politics, which pleased me. I got riled up by yet another man being snide about being led by a schoolteacher, with all the misogyny underneath. Grr. She’s actually been pretty competent. Although Roslin was very much on the backfoot politically at the beginning of the episode, having been too busy governing (and being sick) to prepare for Mr Your Freedom Fighter is My Terrorist AKA Zarek (I had to check his name because I hadn’t taken it in.)
We got proof as to why Adama was right that the military shouldn’t be the police. But beneath that security in the Fleet continued to be TERRIBLE. Okay, a ceramic gun isn’t going to be picked up by a metal detector, but my general opinion of their security stands. But Lee versus the thug was just machismo, and it looked terrible. Kara was a bit more competent once she saw the gun.
Zarek made fair points about succession and the economy, but the whole succession thing would put Roslin in danger. When he wasn’t being chivvied by Six, Gaius pulled out a wonderful speech (still the only one with an English accent on the fleet which is BIZARRE, or to put it another way, the only one with a non-North American accent, which is BIZARRE) and made Roslin pick him as Veep in a ‘better the devil you know’ (but you don’t know) way.
More of the Western world/terrorists parallel as Lee and Kara interrogated Vallance. Definite loose strand with his death. Zarek could have been lying about not having killed him or using the loophole that it was someone acting on his nod, but I think we’re meant to take most of these declarations as true, which suggests a third party/Cylons. Anyway, Zarek was willing to play a longer game. Ellen tried to manoeuvre Tigh and of course herself, into a better position (without seemingly any recognition of the scale of what humanity is facing).
And after the childish monkeying around in the fake garden, we had a priceless Lee realises Kara is a gurl moment at the party. I loved the colour of her dress. And I may have snarked ‘how old are you, Lee?’ because other than the sophisticated political analysis, he just seemed to be about 14 in general this episode. And 14 year old boys shouldn’t be policing much. I also enjoyed Adama asking Roslin to dance.
Meanwhile, on Caprica, Helo shot Fake!Sharon because she was a toaster and he was hurt.
The next episode remembered it was the penultimate episode of the season, and although a lot of things had been set up beautifully, in some cases, there were FTL jumps for the plot’s sake, exemplified by the montage at the beginning, really. Like, they’d set up something brewing between Gaius and Kara, but for her to moan out another man’s name shifted matters quite a distance. The potential Kata/Lee has been brewing in their interactions, but I don’t think she’d let herself admit it consciously before. But they played out the ramifications for Baltar, Six, Kara and Lee beeyootifully. Roslin’s terminal diagnosis made her open to admitting to the priestess lady that she was wasting. But finding Kobol, just like that? That was ‘it’s the end of the season,’ that was.
Six was fuming and that led to a spectacular breakdown from Gaius in front of Roslin and Billy. (Cue the obvious ‘stable genius’ joke.) Lee picked up on the Gaius/Kara – that bit was very subtly done – and was furious about it. A very professional punching match ensued (interesting in how the physical violence between a male and female character came across. It felt like both were giving as good as they got, rather than an uncomfortable demonstration of male physical superiority, although obviously not the most functional response). Were there two separate fights about her coming up with another very Starbuck plan behind everyone’s backs or just the one combining his FEELINGS about her and Baltar and her feelings about that and fancying her dead fiancé’s brother and superior officer?
Helo couldn’t pull off a killing shot on his ex-lover, even if he was determined to dehumanise her. As she looked like being his best chance of getting off Caprica because Roslin’s plan hadn’t been revealed yet (although how they were going to find the Galactica after remained to be seen) that seemed wisest. Plus a source of more angst.
Meanwhile actual!Sharon was suicidal, Gaius wasn’t much help, and then both Sharons were suffering from GSWs.
The action after the three ships’ jump to Kobol was good. Well, it took me a while to realise what was going on with Baltar, but we’ll let that slide.
Roslin went full-on prophecy girl (sorry, ma’m, grown woman), but in a very Roslin way, going behind Adama’s back, and the pay-off of things like Kara finding out he’d lied about Earth, all the tensions between Adama and Roslin because of their personalities and roles, the Tigh-Kara conflicts was strong there.
Adama chose Sharon to nuke the big Cylon ship (because his daughter figure and best pilot had disappointed). And the question of her loyalties and will to live made that super tense. I was very worried for her co-pilot.
And then Sharon encountered all the other Sharons. The Cylons seemed a bit extravagant even if Kobol was of strategic importance. Or are there so many copies (I’d thought there might be 12) that they’re expendable? I think the decision to have so many there was more about the visual, because the effect on Sharon of seeing just one copy of herself would have been sufficient, although perhaps it would have demanded ine more one-on-one fight.
On Caprica, Fake!Sharon suddenly knowing that Apollo’s arrow was important now – well, let’s just go for her knowing God’s plan as well as Six does, even if some aspects of this plan seem really confusing. How does it work with the recurring pattern?
A Not!Six guarding it made more sense. The fight between her and Starbuck was BRUTAL (although we knew that there should be cavalry turning up for Kara, but she didn’t.)
On one level, I don’t even know what to make of Gaius’s vision – getting to see the opera house as was. I presume the first of the children of God was a vision of Fake!Sharon and Helo’s baby – my first response to her announcement that she’s pregnant was COVNENIENT. And knowing so soon after the sex must be a Cylon thing.
(Interesting that Six was wearing less revealing clothes in this and the last episode. White seemed very fitting for her on Kobol.)
Kara’s response to the news of the baby and her not being allowed to kill Fake!Sharon was understandably EMOTIONAL.
But there was also little stuff that made it all the richer, like Dee(?) and Billy being pulled into the conflict between Adama and Roslin – and I was mostly on her side, he was attempting a coup because she wouldn’t do what he wanted, but in fairness, was enacting a plan that seemed crazy on the face of it. So both their reasons were understandable. But both leaders were hoping the best of each other and not wanting bloodshed, although Apollo trusting his instincts (on his dad’s advice) and her was a spanner in the works for Adama, but echoed all that had come before beautifully.
Did I expect the final twist? No. Like Gaius, I thought that Six’s warning was about things going kablooey on the Galactica, and Sharon’s mission to blow up the corresponding Cylon ship fed into that. What motivated her? Anger that he’d made her destroy the Cylon ships? She seemed to be rejecting that side of herself in her decision to free the nuke ad go. Did the consciousness of all the other versions of her join hers after she killed them? Or was it programming? Because Six knew it was coming. Anyway, both Roslin and Adama are out of commission.
That was a lot of blood. I don’t remember if he survives. I’m torn, with that much blood, he shouldn’t. Although I find the character of Adama fascinating so I’m torn. Despite the religious elements of the show, he hasn’t had a huge part in them, apart from fathering ‘Apollo’ and being at least a nominal believer in the gods. I’d accept a more medically assisted survival over a miraculous recovery – because there would be stories to tell then, even if a part of me would yield to the purity of tragedy, which serial TV usually dodges because they want to keep good actors playing beloved characters to the detriment of the story. But I have a high level of trust in these writers, so we’ll see where they go with it.
I’d told myself I was just going to watch the remaining episodes of the series that night, so I resisted finding out what happened next immediately and am savouring thinking things through. Some of the opinions stated above may have changed before I start watching season 2.
[Edited for typos on 15/01/23.]
