Battlestar Galactica season 3 [mit spoilers]

Brendocon · Post by **Brendocon** » Tue Oct 10, 2006 6:10 pm

Ho.
Lee.
Frak.

I thought that the Stockwell model was all magnanimous and atheistic and "what we did was a mistake" and stuff? Not with the "need to put the fear of god into people" malark?

And show us new Cylon models, dammit! Surely all the infiltration units within the fleet would have risen to the top and stuff now!

Fat Lee. Hilarious.

Leoben is perhaps the creepiest bastard since Henry Gale first turned up in Lost.

Good thing we've got a year's worth of flashback stories to tell, otherwise Mary McDonnell might need to get a new job.

Unless they bottled it. Which would be unlike the show.

Can't believe I need to wait till Monday to be able to get the next episode.

On the even more plus side, Veronica Mars is off to a good start, too. Complete with gratuitously cringeworthy Galactica reference!

Hound · Post by **Hound** » Tue Oct 10, 2006 6:27 pm

Where did you get it from? (PM me if need be)

Post by **spiderfrommars** » Tue Oct 10, 2006 9:23 pm

Very enjoyable.

Brendocon · Post by **Brendocon** » Tue Oct 10, 2006 9:38 pm

spiderfrommars wrote:Very enjoyable.

"Very enjoyable"?!

Very enjoyable.

The greatest sci fi series since Firefly returns... in spectacular style... and all he can say is "very enjoyable."

I guess we know now why he's in charge of writing reviews, eh?

Post by **spiderfrommars** » Tue Oct 10, 2006 10:10 pm

Weirdly, when I went to type more, it was only criticisms, but I'll see what I can do.

Some good bits:

Starbuck killing Cylon guy, then finishing her meal.
Caprica Six getting shot.
The "fat ass" thing.

And... er...

Its just kinda gripping, even though, maybe, it shouldn't be. Some clunky dialogue and some odd motivations throughout. Kara's baby comes out of nowhere. Tigh blowing up markets. What is the Cylons plan exactly?

I don't really care about any of the characters like I do in, say, Firefly, or even DW.

It kind of feels like its gone down a blind alley, and in 5 episodes time they'll be back in space searching for Earth again.

But still very enjoyable! Like I said, weird.

Brendocon · Post by **Brendocon** » Wed Oct 11, 2006 8:01 am

spiderfrommars wrote:Kara's baby comes out of nowhere.

I've been expecting it since the end of The Farm.

What is the Cylons plan exactly?

Ostensibly to make up for the genocide of the human race by living together in peaceful harmony. Though it's apparant that the Cylon element who believe humanity to be worthless cattle still carry most of the influence.

Exactly what their long term aim is = teh mystery.

I'm hoping they don't fall into the trap of, as you say, being back to the search for Earth within another few episodes. Maybe Lee going off in Pegasus is their way of keeping the search going, whilst still getting a full season out of the occupation scenario.

Post by **spiderfrommars** » Wed Oct 11, 2006 10:07 am

Brendocon wrote:
I've been expecting it since the end of The Farm.

Yeah. But the way he just popped out the front door for a second then brought her in was a bit WTF.

Btw, do you think Starbuck's cracked (the holding hands thing) or just playing along?

Brendocon wrote: Ostensibly to make up for the genocide of the human race by living together in peaceful harmony.

They've got a funny way of showing it. Threatening to kill Baltar if he didn't sign 100 death warrants. They can nuke the humes and be done with it! Or just stick them all in farms.

The Occupation/Iraq allegory is a resonant one but in the scheme of things does it make sense?

Brendocon · Post by **Brendocon** » Wed Oct 11, 2006 10:28 am

spiderfrommars wrote:Yeah. But the way he just popped out the front door for a second then brought her in was a bit WTF.

To be fair, I had seen the season 3 trailer and picked up the bit of dialogue where Leoben said "this is Kara, your mother", so I had been mildly spoilered.

Though it does blow the whole "love is the missing ingredient" thing out of the water.

Btw, do you think Starbuck's cracked (the holding hands thing) or just playing along?

I'd lean towards the latter... possible she just got a bit caught up in the moment, but I'd more likely suspect she's being of teh sneaky.

Brendocon wrote: Ostensibly to make up for the genocide of the human race by living together in peaceful harmony.
They've got a funny way of showing it. Threatening to kill Baltar if he didn't sign 100 death warrants. They can nuke the humes and be done with it! Or just stick them all in farms.

I was going for the "pretending" definition of ostensibly. The speech that Cavil(s) gave at the end of season 2, plus Boomer and C6's comments give the impression that they've learnt their lesson and they're there for peaceful and benevolant means... obviously their behaviour inside Colonial 1 so far this season completely belies all of that.

It's apparant from their attitude towards the graduation bombing (a few Cylons needed resurrecting > lots of humans dead) that the bulk of them haven't changed their attitudes in the slightest.

The Occupation/Iraq allegory is a resonant one but in the scheme of things does it make sense?

I think it'll make a bit more sense once their proper motives are revealed. If there are any proper motives, that is, and not just a mess of conflicted motives vying for superiority... Seems that Boomer and C6 are the only ones that are really into the peaceful co-operation thing; whilst the others are happily playing along so that they've got a nice easy method of slowly continuing the genocide. It's easier to commit a holocaust when the victims don't realise they're in a concentration camp. The ones who try and resist are shot to quell insurgency. "We only want to help." Then calmly lead the others into a gas chamber.

Intrigued by the notion that they need a death warrant signed by the Prez to stop it being murder in God's eyes. Though it does make sense from a history-of-the-death-sentence perspective. Once they're officially stamped as criminals, they stop being people... not that the Cylons think much of people anyway. They've just moved onto morally/legally justifying their genocidal tendencies.

That said, killing Baltar would be a mortal sin. Though, as Cylons don't actually pass onto an afterlife, I don't really get why they'd be bothered. Is religion really all that important to a race of what are effectively immortals?

I love tv that gets me thinking!

Post by **spiderfrommars** » Wed Oct 11, 2006 10:40 am

Brendocon wrote:
I love tv that gets me thinking!

Me too.

And there's no question about it... I'm definitely hooked!

Apparently a major character is going to die this season. I'm thinking Tigh.

Brendocon · Post by **Brendocon** » Wed Oct 11, 2006 10:46 am

Bit of me thinks that a major character just has died... though I'm reserving judgement until I know that gunfire wasn't Mrs Helo and Friends crashing the party...

[/physically cannot wait]

Post by **spiderfrommars** » Wed Oct 11, 2006 10:55 am

Lots of lively and flame-ridden chat here:

http://mboard.scifi.com/postlist.php?Ca ... rGalactica

Brendocon · Post by **Brendocon** » Wed Oct 11, 2006 10:58 am

I have this aversion to discussing things on forums designed for them. People tend to be obsessive and take things far too seriously.

*glances in direction of TFs*

Post by **spiderfrommars** » Wed Oct 11, 2006 11:45 am

Brendocon wrote:I have this aversion to discussing things on forums designed for them. People tend to be obsessive and take things far too seriously.

Without a doubt.

General hardcore fan consensus seems to be BSG jumped the shark mid season 2. The new eps seem to have offended the odd republican or two as well.

Brendocon · Post by **Brendocon** » Wed Oct 11, 2006 12:03 pm

I thought there were a few dodgy episodes mid season 2, but I felt it picked up again afterwards.

Problem with a lot of programs is that the fans have this preconceived notion about what the show "is" - any change to the structure, premise or setting and they shout blasphemy. Regardless of whether the change coincides with a dip in quality or enjoyment or not.

Far as I'm concerned, if a program can completely shift one of its main concepts and still keep the quality, then all the better. Stops it getting stale. Season 5 of Angel is a good example of a program made all the better by embracing change.

But no, apparantly some things have to remain exactly the same all the way through, otherwise they've jumped the shark and become rubbish. Some folks just can't draw a distinction between "change for the sake of plausibility" and "desperation in an attempt to counter the fact that it's gone stale."

[/end mini rant]

Then again, I still see people who claim the entire new series is an affront to god because they dared make Starbuck a chick. And make the Cylons able to mimic human form. If we listened to these people, we never would have gotten Beast Wars. And Buffy would be in her 10th? 11th? year of high school. And that would be far more rubbish than daring to change things.

[/end mini rant supplement]

Post by **spiderfrommars** » Wed Oct 11, 2006 12:20 pm

Brendocon wrote:
Problem with a lot of programs is that the fans have this preconceived notion about what the show "is" - any change to the structure, premise or setting and they shout blasphemy.

Completely. The reimagined BSG was Ronald D Moore's vision and continues to be. He knows what the show "is" better than anyone.

I get the impression Firefly fans are some of the nicest out there. But in general sci-fi fanboys are just dicks, TF fans no exception!

Brendocon · Post by **Brendocon** » Wed Oct 11, 2006 12:40 pm

spiderfrommars wrote:Completely. The reimagined BSG was Ronald D Moore's vision and continues to be. He knows what the show "is" better than anyone.

Yep. Any "jump the shark" accusation is pretty silly, really. I mean do they really want "... we still haven't found Earth... we're looking for Earth... oh my gods, it's a Cylon fleet!" every week for seven years?

I get the impression Firefly fans are some of the nicest out there.

Possibly something to do with the series being finished by the time most of us realised it was even on. There wasn't really the chance to build up that notion of what the show was "meant" to be, let alone have that subverted... Serenity may not have been exactly what some fanboy fantasists wanted it to be, but I think most were too grateful to complain.

Buffy fans scare the crap out of me. They look for sexual subtext in everything. Or launch into vehement rants about how something doesn't make sense, when it's usually down to them not paying attention to the actual dialogue. I saw an awesome example a while ago, but I think I've repressed it... it was based around the "how can this be true when so and so said X" principle, despite X being a wildly bastardised version of Y, with Y being what so and so actually said... thus rendering the entire complaint null and void.

Love people who find out what a word means before ranting about it...

... ooh... ranty again...

Post by **spiderfrommars** » Wed Oct 11, 2006 1:27 pm

I'm in the middle of Season 2 of Buffy. I wish I was going through the episodes faster but blockbusteronline seem set on posting me anything but my Buffy fix. But midway through this season it suddenly jumped from 'good' to 'bloody excellent' - I'm looking forward to seeing more.

Metal Vendetta · Post by **Metal Vendetta** » Wed Oct 11, 2006 1:31 pm

Gah, my dl has been on 99.9% for the past 2 hours.

*tears hair*

Hound · Post by **Hound** » Wed Oct 11, 2006 5:07 pm

same here

Getaway · Post by **Getaway** » Wed Oct 11, 2006 11:00 pm

Poor Duck:( First Tigh sets up his wife to be killed then this.

There are several character deaths this season. ( I'm fully spoiled up to episode 14 so if anyone wants to know owt just pm me, I won't put it on here in case others don't want to see).

There is going to be a substantial arc of this seaosn set on a Cylon basestar and yes all the female sixes and eights still don't wear clothes, joy!

Brendocon · Post by **Brendocon** » Wed Oct 11, 2006 11:16 pm

Getaway wrote:Poor Duck:( First Tigh sets up his wife to be killed then this.

I was proper confused at the start of the second ep, as I'd presumed Jammer bought it in the explosion.

There is going to be a substantial arc of this seaosn set on a Cylon basestar and yes all the female sixes and eights still don't wear clothes, joy!

I'm sold.

Metal Vendetta · Post by **Metal Vendetta** » Thu Oct 12, 2006 1:18 pm

Bloody hell...this is top notch stuff. Does sci-fi get any darker?

Getaway · Post by **Getaway** » Thu Oct 12, 2006 9:56 pm

Apparantly ratings are way down with this seasons premiere compared to last year despite it winning several mainstream awards between seasons and being a major topic of conversation on just about every board I've visited over the last few months.

Post by **spiderfrommars** » Thu Oct 12, 2006 9:59 pm

And yet no US board members have joined this thread yet...

Brendocon · Post by **Brendocon** » Fri Oct 13, 2006 11:27 am

Maybe it's too intelligent for them.

Metal Vendetta · Post by **Metal Vendetta** » Fri Oct 13, 2006 12:24 pm

Insurgency? Suicide bombings? By the heroes?

That's unpossible! It makes no sense! Only terrorists and evil people do these things!

Post by **spiderfrommars** » Wed Oct 18, 2006 9:39 am

So Exodus Pt 1 was more of the same.

Pity the cliffhanger had such a predictable resolution. Plus Cylons that disappeared into thin air.

The cast seems a bit large at the moment. Apollo, Adama, Roslin, Baltar, Six and Starbuck are hardly in it. Wouldn't mind, but not many of the newer characters do it for me.

I wonder what Tigh will do with Ellen. He's pretty unpredictable at the mo.

Brendocon · Post by **Brendocon** » Wed Oct 18, 2006 10:27 am

Yeah, thought that episode was fairly generic filler... setting up for the next one.

Not really sure how well the Chief/Cally rescue tallies up with the cliffhanger. Fairly certain it doesn't, as... well... as in one they're firing whilst Cally's running and in the other, the Chief grabs her as the shots are taken.

Ah well.

Getaway · Post by **Getaway** » Wed Oct 18, 2006 8:05 pm

That was because of a filming error each episode had a different director and they asked the actors to do different things. Its like last season there would be parts where they go previously on Battlestar Galactica and then show you something that you've never seen.

Brendocon · Post by **Brendocon** » Wed Oct 18, 2006 9:08 pm

I actually liked that thing. Though I think it only happens the once if you watch the extended version of Pegasus.

I'd rather stuff happen "between episodes" and crop up in a previously than try and sandwich it into an episode where it blatantly doesn't belong.

[EDIT] Isn't it the job of the producers to make sure there's something resembling continuity between the episodes, though? Surely an actor would have noticed it... or, y'know... whoever wrote the pick-up in the script? Or the person who edited the sequence together, considering they included the entire last scene of the previous episode as the beginning of this one?