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annathepiperI didn't post about BSG last week, but that's kind of okay given that we've just had ourselves a big ol' explosive two-parter. So it's more or less appropriate that I'm covering them both in one big post.
Picothoughts: No overall surprises with how this plot played out, but one or two very specific surprises along the way. Also, one big moment of "oh for frak's sake".
RIGHT THEN, let's get down to it.
Overall I was not at all dissatisfied with how Gaeta developed all throughout this mutiny plot. He remained a strong and tragic character for me the whole time, willing to fight for his convictions, and also willing to go against Zarek when the situation got too horrific for him. I feel for the poor guy; as I've said before, it pretty much sucks to be almost everybody in the Fleet at this point, but it sucked extra special hard to be Felix Gaeta.
However, I'm not sure that last little bit with his leg stump abruptly ceasing to hurt really worked for me. I mean, I get the point--it's symbolic--but it didn't seem to me like it worked as a symbol. What's it supposed to have symbolized? "OH HAI FELIX you're about to be executed so here's one last little bit of mercy to let you know you did what you thought was right"?
But anyway. Zarek. DUDE. Richard Hatch went out with a bang, I have to say. Zarek's always been a gray figure from day one, but I totally did not expect him to outright murder most of the Quorum of Twelve. That was especially effective on the immediate heels of the Quorum telling him to fuck off. "Wait, what?" I said. "When did the Quorum get a spine?" Bad timing on their part, unfortunately. ;)
I have got to hand it to Mr. Hatch for a hell of a performance all throughout the series. He managed to make a gray character like Zarek reprehensible and sympathetic at the same time--and for the longest time, he had us going, acting as if he had the best interests of the Fleet at heart. Here he finally showed his true colors, and the thing of it is, I think that by his terms he still did have what he thought were the best interests of the Fleet at heart. It's just that he is a ruthless and reprehensible bastard, and not afraid to shed blood to secure those interests. Damn. Hatch was never this impressive in old BSG, and I say that as an original!Apollo fangirl.
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solarbird pointed out quite correctly meanwhile though that the Quorum was not completely wiped out; Lee Adama, representative of Caprica, is still alive and kicking. Ha. Speaking of whom, I admit to a bit of fangirly glee at watching Lee and Kara in stealth mode all over the ship. And also at Kara smooching Lee and telling him she felt more alive than she had in weeks. <3 Gods only know what the hell Kara actually is now, but hey, her smooching Lee? I'm FOR it.
Which of course naturally leads me into what happened to Sam. Sniff. Poor Sam. He hardly got much to do in this plot at all except get his ass kicked and then get it shot for good measure. And Kara refusing to leave him felt Right. Sure, she's got feelings for Lee and all, but she's also got feelings for Sam, and even if he is a Cylon, she married the guy. So now it'll remain to be seen if he survives to the end of the series or not. Or, if he does, whether he'll stay paired up with Kara. Or whether we'll get Kara/Lee instead.
Relatedly, I am relieved that the prisoners in the brig actually didn't have anything more serious than getting roughed up happen to them. Especially given the presence of Hera in the cell. So, one little bright spot in this huge span of grimness that is this final stretch of the saga.
Other bright spots:
* He may also be a Cylon, but nobody, I mean nobody, knows Galactica like the Chief. Sneaking through the air ducts FTW, baby! Captain Crane would be proud, Galen. Seriously. ;)
* Yay for the dude who caught the Chief coming up out of the vent--and then let him go!
* Yay for Adama not being about to go quietly, and commencing to kick ass and take back his own ship. You DO NOT frak with the Old Man. You just don't. And sorry, Felix, don't even think about facing him down on his CIC. This is the man who pulls off things like taking battlestars into an atmosphere to launch an attack. You can only dream of matching his cajones. (Although I will grant, he gave it a good college try!)
* Yay for Adama and Tigh's last stand in the airlock!
* Yay for Roslin being able to convince the Cylons to not only not flee, but also not go on the offensive themselves, which would have been disastrous. (That said, I'm not entirely sure how the hell she thought she'd make good on her threat to go after Zarek when she thought Adama had actually really been executed; what was she going to go after him with? She's always had a firm Pro-Throwing-Out-Airlocks policy, but first she'd have had to actually get him to that airlock. And if the Cylons were busy looking as innocuous as possible, well.)
Yay also though for her getting the message out to the Fleet, and some of the ships reacting in a suitable DA HELL?! fashion, helping to signal to Gaeta and Zarek that NO YOU CANNOT HAS FLEET NOT YOURS.
* Yay for Baltar getting at least a bit of a conscience finally and deciding he had to return to his flock on Galactica. Also, that last scene with him and Gaeta, very effective.
* Yay for Lawyer Guy Played By Badger's Actor making another appearance, and for both him and Adama being well aware that Gaeta and Zarek were only putting on a show of trying Adama. And Adama having none of it. See previous commentary re: cajones. I have no canon proof of this, but I'm pretty sure the Old Man's were forged in the heart of Kobol's sun.
Lastly, that one "oh for frak's sake" moment--the psych-out of Baltar dreaming about Adama's execution. DIRTY POOL, BSG WRITERS! Bah! (Okay yeah fine, we knew they weren't going to have Adama killed off during the mutiny, so it ain't like that was a surprise, but still.)
Overall... I could have liked this two-parter getting tightened up a bit in places, but I'm glad it ended with relatively little bloodshed and the Fleet not yet disintegrating into absolute chaos. Here's hoping that Adama and Roslin can manage to keep the shards of it together until the series closer.
And I guess we've got proof now that Ellen wasn't a red herring after all, huh? AND! AND! We know now that the Final Five do actually resurrect, if she's about to wake up in a resurrection ship. Hands up, all y'all who think she's going to be waking up in the loving care of Cavil's forces.
Next week we find out.
Picothoughts: No overall surprises with how this plot played out, but one or two very specific surprises along the way. Also, one big moment of "oh for frak's sake".
RIGHT THEN, let's get down to it.
Overall I was not at all dissatisfied with how Gaeta developed all throughout this mutiny plot. He remained a strong and tragic character for me the whole time, willing to fight for his convictions, and also willing to go against Zarek when the situation got too horrific for him. I feel for the poor guy; as I've said before, it pretty much sucks to be almost everybody in the Fleet at this point, but it sucked extra special hard to be Felix Gaeta.
However, I'm not sure that last little bit with his leg stump abruptly ceasing to hurt really worked for me. I mean, I get the point--it's symbolic--but it didn't seem to me like it worked as a symbol. What's it supposed to have symbolized? "OH HAI FELIX you're about to be executed so here's one last little bit of mercy to let you know you did what you thought was right"?
But anyway. Zarek. DUDE. Richard Hatch went out with a bang, I have to say. Zarek's always been a gray figure from day one, but I totally did not expect him to outright murder most of the Quorum of Twelve. That was especially effective on the immediate heels of the Quorum telling him to fuck off. "Wait, what?" I said. "When did the Quorum get a spine?" Bad timing on their part, unfortunately. ;)
I have got to hand it to Mr. Hatch for a hell of a performance all throughout the series. He managed to make a gray character like Zarek reprehensible and sympathetic at the same time--and for the longest time, he had us going, acting as if he had the best interests of the Fleet at heart. Here he finally showed his true colors, and the thing of it is, I think that by his terms he still did have what he thought were the best interests of the Fleet at heart. It's just that he is a ruthless and reprehensible bastard, and not afraid to shed blood to secure those interests. Damn. Hatch was never this impressive in old BSG, and I say that as an original!Apollo fangirl.
solarbird pointed out quite correctly meanwhile though that the Quorum was not completely wiped out; Lee Adama, representative of Caprica, is still alive and kicking. Ha. Speaking of whom, I admit to a bit of fangirly glee at watching Lee and Kara in stealth mode all over the ship. And also at Kara smooching Lee and telling him she felt more alive than she had in weeks. <3 Gods only know what the hell Kara actually is now, but hey, her smooching Lee? I'm FOR it.Which of course naturally leads me into what happened to Sam. Sniff. Poor Sam. He hardly got much to do in this plot at all except get his ass kicked and then get it shot for good measure. And Kara refusing to leave him felt Right. Sure, she's got feelings for Lee and all, but she's also got feelings for Sam, and even if he is a Cylon, she married the guy. So now it'll remain to be seen if he survives to the end of the series or not. Or, if he does, whether he'll stay paired up with Kara. Or whether we'll get Kara/Lee instead.
Relatedly, I am relieved that the prisoners in the brig actually didn't have anything more serious than getting roughed up happen to them. Especially given the presence of Hera in the cell. So, one little bright spot in this huge span of grimness that is this final stretch of the saga.
Other bright spots:
* He may also be a Cylon, but nobody, I mean nobody, knows Galactica like the Chief. Sneaking through the air ducts FTW, baby! Captain Crane would be proud, Galen. Seriously. ;)
* Yay for the dude who caught the Chief coming up out of the vent--and then let him go!
* Yay for Adama not being about to go quietly, and commencing to kick ass and take back his own ship. You DO NOT frak with the Old Man. You just don't. And sorry, Felix, don't even think about facing him down on his CIC. This is the man who pulls off things like taking battlestars into an atmosphere to launch an attack. You can only dream of matching his cajones. (Although I will grant, he gave it a good college try!)
* Yay for Adama and Tigh's last stand in the airlock!
* Yay for Roslin being able to convince the Cylons to not only not flee, but also not go on the offensive themselves, which would have been disastrous. (That said, I'm not entirely sure how the hell she thought she'd make good on her threat to go after Zarek when she thought Adama had actually really been executed; what was she going to go after him with? She's always had a firm Pro-Throwing-Out-Airlocks policy, but first she'd have had to actually get him to that airlock. And if the Cylons were busy looking as innocuous as possible, well.)
Yay also though for her getting the message out to the Fleet, and some of the ships reacting in a suitable DA HELL?! fashion, helping to signal to Gaeta and Zarek that NO YOU CANNOT HAS FLEET NOT YOURS.
* Yay for Baltar getting at least a bit of a conscience finally and deciding he had to return to his flock on Galactica. Also, that last scene with him and Gaeta, very effective.
* Yay for Lawyer Guy Played By Badger's Actor making another appearance, and for both him and Adama being well aware that Gaeta and Zarek were only putting on a show of trying Adama. And Adama having none of it. See previous commentary re: cajones. I have no canon proof of this, but I'm pretty sure the Old Man's were forged in the heart of Kobol's sun.
Lastly, that one "oh for frak's sake" moment--the psych-out of Baltar dreaming about Adama's execution. DIRTY POOL, BSG WRITERS! Bah! (Okay yeah fine, we knew they weren't going to have Adama killed off during the mutiny, so it ain't like that was a surprise, but still.)
Overall... I could have liked this two-parter getting tightened up a bit in places, but I'm glad it ended with relatively little bloodshed and the Fleet not yet disintegrating into absolute chaos. Here's hoping that Adama and Roslin can manage to keep the shards of it together until the series closer.
And I guess we've got proof now that Ellen wasn't a red herring after all, huh? AND! AND! We know now that the Final Five do actually resurrect, if she's about to wake up in a resurrection ship. Hands up, all y'all who think she's going to be waking up in the loving care of Cavil's forces.
Next week we find out.