Battlestar Galactica

[altariel]

I watched the season 2 finale over lunch: It's a mark of how far my enthusiasm for the show has declined that when I realized it was a 90 minute episode, I groaned and nearly deleted it unwatched. But I didn't get where I am today by not frustrating myself with immensely disappointing television, so I stuck with it.

My big problem with this season is that it's been dull (there's hardly been an episode I haven't fastforwarded through at some point) and that the storylines have been well below par (flashy SFX don't prop a show up, particularly once I'm fastforwarding through them). And the less said about the truly appalling abortion plotline the better.

So when the narrative, well, fast-forwarded a year, and my interest suddenly soared, I realized what the problem with BSG is: it should have stuck to the miniseries format. It's trying to be a fast and punchy show in a way that lumbers and grinds the story down. The characters and the performances are terrific, and yet the whole thing somehow manages to stink. But not last night's episode, which made me dimly remember why I'd started watching in the first place.

Will I watch next season? I honestly can't say. I won't stick to the end of another season like the one we've just had.

Comments

[iainjcoleman.livejournal.com]

I've only caught the odd little snippet of BSG, never a full episode. I happened to watch the last ten minutes or so of last night's episode - hey, I started watching B7 with "Star One", this is not unusual practice for me. I was most impressed by the very real look of the production. All the clothes and tents and furniture were genuine, practical items. The baby was in a wolly hat, not some kind of silver foil thingy. And the Cylon ship flying overhead really looked like part of the environment. Doing CGI spacecraft that look credible flying through an atmosphere is something that seems to have been cracked quite recently - I first saw it in Firefly - and it gives a sense of solidity and reality that flying around in the blank and sterile space environment just doesn't afford. The muted, naturalistic colours and the verite-style camerawork enhance the tangibility and believability of the fictional world.

Boy, those US viewers really did get a shock when DW took over the BSG timeslot, didn't they?

[altariel.livejournal.com]

If you ever decide to watch BSG, watch the miniseries and then skip straight to this final episode. You really won't miss anything.


those US viewers really did get a shock when DW took over the BSG timeslot, didn't they?

It has been bizarre watching the two programmes together. Edgy, bitter cynical drama from the US; hopeful, life-affirming, even sentimental drama from the UK. What's the world coming to?

[iainjcoleman.livejournal.com]

BSG is easier to explain: The US has entered its post-imperial phase. DW is somewhat harder: is this what post-post-imperialism feels like?

[altariel.livejournal.com]

It's the end of the world and we know it.