BSG 3.05: "Torn" (Belated)
Nov. 8th, 2006 10:32 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
annathepiperAnother belated BSG post, which as I suspected got delayed by Nanowrimo kicking in. But I wanted to get this out before the next one airs!
Another excellent episode but in a low-key sort of way, rather than an "OMG BATTLESTAR JUMPING INTO THE ATMOSPHERE" one. ;) I really liked both plotlines a lot, and especially how they wound up ending.
And here we have another episode that neatly answers an earlier question of mine; what, do the writers have a direct line into my brain or something? I'd been wondering if they were going to give Helo!Sharon a new callsign of her own to distinguish her from Boomer!Sharon, and lo and behold, they did! I liked how they played that out, too. Was that Racetrack who unthinkingly called her Boomer? Regardless, it was exactly right, and a nice sign of how the other pilots on the ship are starting to accept her presence. And her response that that was someone else, also right. Helo's calling out a general request to the room for suggestions was neat--and I especially liked the final choice of Athena. ^_^ Now we have good solid different labels for both of the major Sharons we've had on camera. Prior Galactica!Sharon, Boomer. Current Galactica!Sharon, Athena. Yay! Also, it's cool to have an Athena on the Galactica in this version now, since we had one in the old version and it's too cool a name not to use.
Which leads right into the immediate followup, which was Tigh and Starbuck coming in and making asses of themselves in the lounge. Even though I cringed at both of their attitudes, it was fabulous characterization--and Adama's response? BEAUTIFUL. I loved how he came down there, yanked out Starbuck's sidearm, and point blank ordered one of them to shoot him with it. I loved that he never came out and actually said that their stirring up discontent amounted to the same thing, because he didn't need to, and I really, really appreciate that the writers realized that they didn't need to have him say that. Because we got it. And more importantly, so did Starbuck and Tigh.
And their individual responses to his challenge were riveting--Starbuck's stricken grimace and Tigh's steely resentment. I couldn't quite tell what was going through Starbuck's mind even while we saw her in the loo cutting her hair; not until we then saw her back in her uniform and seeking out little Kacey and her mother did I realize "... RIGHT. She gets it." Which means that it took Adama to kick Starbuck back towards herself. Given their prior relationship, I like that. I like that immensely. And I hope that they won't kill off Kacey's mother too quickly and go the convenient route of Kara having to adopt the kid for real--I'd be happy to see her just getting used to the little spud and being another comforting adult figure. Also, I gotta admit, her holding up her little hands to be picked up and saying "KARA!" was just too cute for words.
Meanwhile, we got Tigh giving Adama a "fuck you" dismissal and shutting himself up in his quarters to drink. Absolutely wrenching to watch. Especially given his early bit in the episode where he flips out and thinks he sees Ellen going by outside in the hall. Maaan. Sniff. And we know now that Helo's definitely become XO, too. That's really got to stick in Tigh's craw, this young kid--with a Cylon wife, of all things--is now in his spot at Adama's side. He's being a total asshole about it, and yet, he's still absolutely wrenching.
And how about that Baltar over on the Cylon base ship, meanwhile?
Very, very interesting little bit there where Six tells him about "projection" and Baltar immediately wonders if this is what he's experiencing with Hallucination!Six. Equally interesting: her response to his asking her what she is. "An angel sent by God." I wonder more and more if that's actually a form of the truth and if we're getting more forerunners of the mystical side of things that we saw in the latter episodes of the original BSG. No sign yet of whether Caprica!Six is still seeing her Hallucination!Baltar, though!
Did anybody besides me think of Minority Report when we saw the Hybrid who was controlling the ship? She was pretty darned cool, and every time she was on camera I kept trying to figure out if she was an altered form of one of the established humaniform Cylons. She looked kind of like a Six, but I couldn't quite tell. I liked the constant low murmur of data she kept babbling, and how she got this look of piercing joy when she whispered "Jump" and the base ship went to light speed. Clearly, she digs that FTL!
Who all noticed that the Six that Baltar had to kill on the infected ship was black-haired? Wasn't that an interesting little detail? Most of the Sixes we've seen so far have been platinum-haired, with the one exception of Gina, the one who had been tortured on the Pegasus. And holy crap, the look on Baltar's face when he goes apeshit and kills her, too. He looked deeply scary and crazy right then, more so than at any point we've seen before, I think.
And the closer, Athena and (that was Racetrack again in the raptor, wasn't it?) going out to investigate the nebula... yeep! I hope Athena doesn't come down with the virus.
And the scenes for the next episode... yeep! Yeep! Yeep! More signs of the Fleet having to confront the issue of "exterminate the Cylons" vs. "can't kill helpless dying beings". This should be tense.
Another excellent episode but in a low-key sort of way, rather than an "OMG BATTLESTAR JUMPING INTO THE ATMOSPHERE" one. ;) I really liked both plotlines a lot, and especially how they wound up ending.
And here we have another episode that neatly answers an earlier question of mine; what, do the writers have a direct line into my brain or something? I'd been wondering if they were going to give Helo!Sharon a new callsign of her own to distinguish her from Boomer!Sharon, and lo and behold, they did! I liked how they played that out, too. Was that Racetrack who unthinkingly called her Boomer? Regardless, it was exactly right, and a nice sign of how the other pilots on the ship are starting to accept her presence. And her response that that was someone else, also right. Helo's calling out a general request to the room for suggestions was neat--and I especially liked the final choice of Athena. ^_^ Now we have good solid different labels for both of the major Sharons we've had on camera. Prior Galactica!Sharon, Boomer. Current Galactica!Sharon, Athena. Yay! Also, it's cool to have an Athena on the Galactica in this version now, since we had one in the old version and it's too cool a name not to use.
Which leads right into the immediate followup, which was Tigh and Starbuck coming in and making asses of themselves in the lounge. Even though I cringed at both of their attitudes, it was fabulous characterization--and Adama's response? BEAUTIFUL. I loved how he came down there, yanked out Starbuck's sidearm, and point blank ordered one of them to shoot him with it. I loved that he never came out and actually said that their stirring up discontent amounted to the same thing, because he didn't need to, and I really, really appreciate that the writers realized that they didn't need to have him say that. Because we got it. And more importantly, so did Starbuck and Tigh.
And their individual responses to his challenge were riveting--Starbuck's stricken grimace and Tigh's steely resentment. I couldn't quite tell what was going through Starbuck's mind even while we saw her in the loo cutting her hair; not until we then saw her back in her uniform and seeking out little Kacey and her mother did I realize "... RIGHT. She gets it." Which means that it took Adama to kick Starbuck back towards herself. Given their prior relationship, I like that. I like that immensely. And I hope that they won't kill off Kacey's mother too quickly and go the convenient route of Kara having to adopt the kid for real--I'd be happy to see her just getting used to the little spud and being another comforting adult figure. Also, I gotta admit, her holding up her little hands to be picked up and saying "KARA!" was just too cute for words.
Meanwhile, we got Tigh giving Adama a "fuck you" dismissal and shutting himself up in his quarters to drink. Absolutely wrenching to watch. Especially given his early bit in the episode where he flips out and thinks he sees Ellen going by outside in the hall. Maaan. Sniff. And we know now that Helo's definitely become XO, too. That's really got to stick in Tigh's craw, this young kid--with a Cylon wife, of all things--is now in his spot at Adama's side. He's being a total asshole about it, and yet, he's still absolutely wrenching.
And how about that Baltar over on the Cylon base ship, meanwhile?
Very, very interesting little bit there where Six tells him about "projection" and Baltar immediately wonders if this is what he's experiencing with Hallucination!Six. Equally interesting: her response to his asking her what she is. "An angel sent by God." I wonder more and more if that's actually a form of the truth and if we're getting more forerunners of the mystical side of things that we saw in the latter episodes of the original BSG. No sign yet of whether Caprica!Six is still seeing her Hallucination!Baltar, though!
Did anybody besides me think of Minority Report when we saw the Hybrid who was controlling the ship? She was pretty darned cool, and every time she was on camera I kept trying to figure out if she was an altered form of one of the established humaniform Cylons. She looked kind of like a Six, but I couldn't quite tell. I liked the constant low murmur of data she kept babbling, and how she got this look of piercing joy when she whispered "Jump" and the base ship went to light speed. Clearly, she digs that FTL!
Who all noticed that the Six that Baltar had to kill on the infected ship was black-haired? Wasn't that an interesting little detail? Most of the Sixes we've seen so far have been platinum-haired, with the one exception of Gina, the one who had been tortured on the Pegasus. And holy crap, the look on Baltar's face when he goes apeshit and kills her, too. He looked deeply scary and crazy right then, more so than at any point we've seen before, I think.
And the closer, Athena and (that was Racetrack again in the raptor, wasn't it?) going out to investigate the nebula... yeep! I hope Athena doesn't come down with the virus.
And the scenes for the next episode... yeep! Yeep! Yeep! More signs of the Fleet having to confront the issue of "exterminate the Cylons" vs. "can't kill helpless dying beings". This should be tense.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2006-11-09 06:47 am (UTC)Yeah, because it always does. Every time. Good of the writers to remember that! And that's why Kara/Lee would never work, because Dee likes Lee for everything of Adama she sees in him, and Kara would resent him for everything she didn't. Just my shot.
And I can't say how much I approve of the cutting her hair. She always was so much hotter with the bob than the long straggly mess. Symbolic chopping much! It's just like watching anime!
I adore the Tigh/Kara parallels. They have so much in common, despite Kara despising Tigh the way she did, and now it all comes out....
Did anybody besides me think of Minority Report when we saw the Hybrid who was controlling the ship?
That was the first thing I said - someone's been watching too many Tom Cruise films XD
The Balthar/Six thing on the crippled Base Star was fantastic, as is his ongoing dilemma on what to reveal and what to hide. Somehow, whenever that guy tries to do the right thing, it all goes wrong for him....
I suspect Athena's going to get the virus, and it's going to come down to a choice between saving the one Cylon or letting them all die.
no subject
Date: 2006-11-09 07:27 am (UTC)Adama's got neutronium cojones, knowing he's got to be such a hardass with Kara and Tigh to get them to start acting like humans again, and manages 50% there. Did you see the looks Kara was getting when she pulled out the combat knife? XD I think it was great while it lasted, Kara and Tigh who were always at each others throats finally find something in common. It will probably be Kara pulling Tigh out of the bottle this time.
Looks like the Galactica is still sorting things out from the evacuation, though Apollo's back in fighting trim (and back to wearing the rank pins of a Major.. I guess losing the fleet's most powerful ship does come with a price, even if you're the Admiral's son). Just how much time has passed now? Two warships worth of officers crammed in to one ship, I think that's still sorting out.
Athena's spooked.. quoting scripture.. she knows what's going on with that dead basestar and wants no part of it. Might be too predictable for her to get the virus. She still needs to go postal about Hera at some point.
no subject
Date: 2006-11-20 06:00 am (UTC)I haven't quite worked out the flow of time in these most recent episodes yet.
no subject
Date: 2006-11-09 08:12 am (UTC)The secret? Human "hybrids" (head and hand) that run the ships. The book was set before the series (20 years or so after the first human/Cylon war).
no subject
Date: 2006-11-20 05:58 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-11-20 07:30 pm (UTC)That's why I use the library for books like this. I get the enjoyment or annoyance FOR FREE, and then if the book is teh awesome, I can always go out and buy it later.
no subject
Date: 2006-11-21 03:14 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-11-21 04:29 pm (UTC)Then, once I return them to the library, all is forgiven... by them, anyway.
no subject
Date: 2006-11-21 06:24 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-11-21 08:21 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-11-24 03:22 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-11-26 08:45 pm (UTC)http://www.kcls.org/libcards/fines.cfm
You should uproot the house and move it north a wee bit so you can use our library system.
no subject
Date: 2006-11-26 09:39 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-11-26 09:43 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-11-09 02:40 pm (UTC)Looked like an orgasm to me, all right. They must've wired her pleasure center into the jump drive. I like how she refused to go anywhere near the infected ship and it took all of them to override her and take control of the ship. She reminded me of McCaffrey's The Ship Who Sang.
IMDB lists the hybrid as Tiffany Knight, who's apparently done a lot of bit parts in sci-fi shows.
no subject
Date: 2006-11-20 03:22 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-11-09 02:50 pm (UTC)!?! I have yet to see the second half of season 2, but between websurfing, conversations, and the highlight show, I thought I was pretty well up to speed. But boy howdy did I miss something there. When did Caprica!Six hallucinate herself a Baltar? What did he say/do?
no subject
Date: 2006-11-11 08:56 pm (UTC)Re: great ep, yesh
Date: 2006-11-10 03:10 am (UTC)I mean it could be Pioneer 10 and the virus is some kind of natural thing or something the "angels" seeded Earth with to keep the Cylons away (and either not caring about or specifically wanting the other colonies to get destroyed for who-knows-what reason).
Or the Earthfolk themselves are way more advanced and have known for some time that the Cylons are coming.
no subject
Date: 2006-11-10 03:03 am (UTC)And so these callsigns just keep whacking me in the face; and I'm not sure that's the effect they were intending.
no subject
Date: 2006-11-10 03:08 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-11-10 03:13 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-11-10 04:07 am (UTC)I'll have to mull this. Clearly in Colonial society, some people are very blase about their worship and some people aren't--even among the viper pilots, as evidenced by the storyline in the Resistance webisodes. You've got your blase pilots and you've also got your very devout ones. It'll be interesting to see if we get that 'callsign swiped from the gods == hubris' thing at any point.
no subject
Date: 2006-11-10 06:17 am (UTC)though, of course, now I'll have to rewatch the entire series to find it...