BSG 3.17: "Maelstrom"

[annathepiper]

........

Holy crap. Well now, that was interesting, now wasn't it?


Buh. Buh? BUH?!

Here Starbuck takes a hard swing back into likeable land, and what do they do but blow her up. I mean, BUH? Lots of intriguing rumors flying around about whether she's a Cylon--one of the Final Five--and whether Katee Sackhoff is leaving the show or what. I hear rumors tonight's episode has crashed the BSG forums on scifi.com.

Some very interesting mileage here with Kara's background, too. Quite a fucked-up relationship she had with her mother, too--though I was kind of surprised and pleased that she didn't actually wind up killing her mother. A couple nice scenes with her and Lee, too, which were a relief after the false-feeling romantic tension earlier this season.

Very creepy visit to that Oracle there, and interesting how her prophesying put quite the evil little spin on the coming of "Leoben"--and how the "Leoben" we got didn't seem to be the actual Cylon at all. A lot more like the hallucinatory Six and Baltar.

And if they're doing this with a few more episodes to go, I wonder what we're getting for a season closer.

Comments

[fleurdelista.livejournal.com]

It's like Lost when they kill someone off -- they make 'em more human then pull the rug out from under us.

I have to say, EJO pwned the ending there. He just totally owned it.

[annathepiper]

Yeah, that ending was absolutely wrenching. Sniff.

[fleurdelista.livejournal.com]

I seriously wanted to cry.

[annathepiper]

Yeah, me too--at that and at the looks on everybody's faces in C&C as Lee's strained voice came over the comm and told his dad that sending out rescue ships was useless. Sniff.

[annathepiper]

Bringing her back as a Cylon would, I think, be too easy. I'm wondering if her father--of whom we know NOTHING--was maybe one of the Final Five, though.

And I'm also wondering whether he was something else entirely. Like oh, say, one of whatever Hallucination!Six and Hallucination!Baltar are.

[annathepiper]

That would be kind of cool, though I kinda doubt that'll be what we'll get. We've already had too many hints about Hallucination!Six and Hallucination!Baltar being mystery beings. ;) And besides, Baltar, Caprica!Six, and Starbuck all going bonkers in the same way--i.e., seeing visionary persons with whom they interact--is way too coincidental for them to all just be crazy.

[risu.livejournal.com]

Maybe it's like Luke Skywalker. If you die in the presence of a mandala of just the right colors, you become a blue ghost! Or a yellow ghost, to be in theme with Caprica.

[annathepiper]

Well, Starbuck is blonde!

[kieri.livejournal.com]

I heard a theory that Ron Moore is really fond of the original "Lords of Light" story arc from TOS. It wouldn't surprise me if they went somewhere mythic with Kara...but it wouldn't surprise me if they didn't, too. The whole "ascended being" thing has been done a lot in the genre, and it's not as edgy as some seem to think.

I heard someone else say that it looked remarkably like a set-up to them -- she was lured in by an elusive bogey, they shot her windscreen so she couldn't go back up into orbit, and her options were either eject or go down with her ship. With a sole Heavy Raider around to potentially pick her up. They could go there, but I'd need explanation.

They _have_ foreshadowed the "space in between" as being the place where the Final 5 Cylons are. Someone posted a theory that the Final 5 aren't actually Cylons as we know them, but are something more ephemeral or divine.

Anyway. Lots of options. I'm not pleased, but I don't think she's entirely gone...I have to admit, though. I didn't even watch the last two episodes. I wouldn't say the show has lost its way, but it's not as _fun_ to watch as it used to be. I enjoy Dresden Files and Heroes a lot more, possibly because I've got the feeling that the writers on BSG don't really know where they're going. Just like the writers on 'Lost', actually.

[wrog]

I heard a theory that Ron Moore is really fond of the original "Lords of Light" story arc from TOS.

I figure we should be seeing the Bleached-out Ships real soon now.

[annathepiper]

Me too. Not entirely convinced yet that Kara's physically dead, but if she's joining the ranks of the ethereals, I expect she'll be popping in on Lee and/or Sam and/or Adama next season. ;)

[annathepiper]

Yeah, I too am expecting some Ship of Lights stuff to be going on any time now--and that Kara may wind up appearing to oh, say, Lee and Sam. ;)

There are rumblings going on on 13th_colony about Katee Sackhoff wanting to spend more time on a film career, which could explain a plotline requiring Starbuck just not be around so much. If she has just gone all shiny and sparkly, that'd be one way of doing it.

On the other hand, I noted that Lee did spot that raider finally and that they made a point of showing Kara reaching for the eject mechanism. If she does eject, that'll mean she'll either get crushed by the atmosphere without her ship around her--in which case she's still dead--or else she'll have to get picked up.

I'm with you that the show just hasn't been as fun lately. You didn't miss much with last week's "Dirty Hands" episode, nor "Taking a Break From All Your Worries". Dresden has indeed been a lot more fun. But I must also admit, this new plot development does certainly have me intrigued!

I've got their hard six right here

[firni.livejournal.com]

So... pissed...

Re: I've got their hard six right here

[annathepiper]

There are rumors going around 13th_colony that Katee Sackhoff is eying a film career... in which case I'm not sure what they could do except kill Starbuck off or do something involving her going all ethereal, in which case her presence in episodes will likely be quite reduced.

That's what my intellectual brain is telling me, anyway. The other part of it is whining, "But, but, but, Starbuck!"

Re: I've got their hard six right here

[firni.livejournal.com]

It seems to me that the writers are making this shit up as they go along.

They need to take a page from JMS' book, for pity's sake.

Re: I've got their hard six right here

[annathepiper]

Eh, JMS was a rarity and a treasure in TV-writer land. I have encountered very, very few TV shows that had a clearly laid out plan and who weren't making it up as they went along, at least to some degree. That includes Joss Whedon!

[wrog]

Oh, I dunno. I could see it turning into a Wash/Zoë kind of thing eventually -- even if it would take a while to get there.

Guess we're not going see that, then. Oh, well.

"Not quite so pretty now that she's all corpsified and gross..."

[annathepiper]

Yeah, this is very much more a "I'm a leaf on the wind" thing. ;)

[rmd.livejournal.com]

it looked a bit like she was slamming her own hand in the doorjamb.

[annathepiper]

Huh, I didn't parse it that way at the time, but thinking back on it, it didn't look exactly clear.

[peregrine-ek.livejournal.com]

I was shocked! Never did I expect something like that.

I hope she's a Cylon.

As for the Lee/Kara scenes, very nice. And it was quite obvious (at least to me), that he still loves her as much as ever. Yes, I am ever the hopeful shipper. How very trite of me.

[annathepiper]

I definitely didn't expect her to go splody, that's for sure, though it's not like it wasn't telegraphed. But I hope she's not a Cylon--that seems too easy, even if she's one of the Final Five. (Which she'd have to be, since all the other seven models are accounted for.)

I'm hoping for Ethereal!Starbuck in a shiny white uniform to be showing up next season. ;)

And yeah, I did get a little gooey at the Lee/Kara scenes. :) That was the best I could see happening between them given the way this season has gone, not only with Starbuck's storyline, but also with Lee being married to Dee.

[ceallaighgirl.livejournal.com]

Eeek. I finally got to watch it tonight (it takes until Tuesday for them to get the episodes up on iTunes).

Holy cow! No way, she can't be dead. I mean really, you can't just go running around killing off people like Starbuck.

My hopes are that she ejected and someone picked her up (even if it was a Cylon).

aaaaaaaaaaaugh!

[ceallaighgirl.livejournal.com]

I just checked the IMDB message board and one person mentioned they were pretty sure all the main cast signed a 7-year contract, and someone else confirmed that Katee Sackhoff just signed the season four contract. Whew!

[annathepiper]

That's a comfort. :) I can deal with a reduced Starbuck presence if it comes to that, but I would be quite unhappy if she left the show entirely!

[ceallaighgirl.livejournal.com]

Yeah, and apparently in an interview, Sackhoff said "it's the end of Starbuck as we know her" or something like that, but "as we know her" kind of leaves it WIDE open. Anyway, you don't totally build up a character to have some destiny to have her just not have one and die in a very mediocre sort of way (not even rescuing anybody or doing anything grand).

[annathepiper]

Totally. And while BSG has had its share of shaky spots over its three seasons so far, I'm confident in saying that they're way better than to do that!

[annathepiper]

Yeah, that bit with her reaching for the eject button toys with us, doesn't it? Those bastard teasing writer bastards! ;) "Ejected and picked up by the mystery raider" is my second guess scenario after "Starbuck's about to go all glowy next season".