BSG 4.18: "Deadlock"
Feb. 21st, 2009 06:18 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
icepixieWell, of all the things I might've expected from this episode, the Cylon baby dying was definitely not one of them. (And I am chosing to believe that it was simply too genetically/mechanically screwed up to continue developing and so it spontaneously aborted, rather than that it died because its parents stopped loving each other for a moment. Because no.)
Speaking of its parents...okay, you know, perhaps I am not very understanding of other cultures or whatnot, but the fact that Six is Tigh's "child" and they are having a child together is creepy. IT WILL NEVER NOT BE CREEPY, WRITERS, SO STOP TRYING TO MAKE IT NOT CREEPY. Although Ellen was a giant bitch for much of the episode, at least she, you know, pointed that out a couple times.
Anyway. The theme of this episode, children, was that Cylons and humans must blend together to survive. Did you get that? I'm not sure those in the back managed to get bonked over the head with the club yet.
I kid, I kid. Mostly. Maybe it felt overwhelming because most of us figured that out somewhere in season one. But I'm glad the Cylons have gotten the clue! Now we just need those recalcitrant humans to get onboard with it, which, if that scene with Gaius and everyone in charge ("this is the last human solution") is any indication, will take at least until the finale.
Sidenote: Roslin & co.? YOU GAVE GAIUS BALTAR GUNS? SERIOUSLY? Is the Cylontar ship-goop giving off fumes that are clouding your judgment? Because in case you missed it, YOU GAVE GAIUS BALTAR GUNS. Enjoy the oncoming revolution.
Speaking of Baltar--two things. One, yay for Head!Six returning. And in a really pretty dress, too. Baltar, on the other hand, got a cowl-like thing that makes me think they are reeeally pushing the Jesus angle. I'm surprised he wasn't handing out bread and tuna and wine-from-water in his big Feed the Children scene. I have to say, Baltar being generous made me do a double-take. Every week, I think there's more and more hope for him. (Heh, and his "and guns! Really big guns!" addition to the speech he was being prompted in cracked me up. The delivery was great.) Although he still manages to be creepy around women. Poor Naia.
Further thoughts:
- Six kicks ass again! Woot!
- "I don't trust that machine." Thank you, Jane Espenson, for having Tigh point out the irony there in the next line.
- Yay, people are flying! In space!
- Ellen: "Where's the booze?"
Me: "You are still Ellen Tigh."
- Tight's wonderful, wonderful speech about how he shouldn't have to say the words because "isn't it enough that I feel it?" felt very contemporary Irish drama to me. I don't know why, but it totally did. It's reminding me of something specific, something I've seen onstage, but I can't place it. Dancing at Lughnasa, maybe?
- I'm very curious to see how the Tyrol/Boomer thing is going to play out, because you know something's going to happen there.
- Aw, Adama/Tigh bromance!
- Even more aww at the arm-in-arm, hand-in-hand stroll Roslin and Adama were taking at the end. And then, because we didn't get it before, we get hit with the cluestick of human/Cylon integration one more time. Although that was an especially nice version of the cluestick. So now we have some of the Cylons--all except probably Tory, it sounds like, although Tyrol is hard to read--and the command staff/politicals leaders of the humans for integration, and...everyone else against it. This should be fun.
*
And, because I may have watched the first episode of Babylon 5 last night as a reward for finishing that stupid abstract, some thoughts on that:
- So I watched several episodes of this back when it was originally airing, but never really got into it at the time (hey, I was twelve; also, it was like season three, so I was totally lost). I remember some things, but not a whole lot; mostly character stuff. Although I just recently read that it's revealed late in the series that Ivanova is a latent telepath, and now I'm looking at her in a whoooole new way.
- Speaking of Ivanova and telepathy, I was going along being not as impressed with the episode as I felt I should be, given its seminal status in SF TV, but then there was that scene at the end with Ivanova and Talia where Ivanova is talking about her mother, and DAMN. That was chilling and awesome. I hadn't realized the telepathy angle was introduced so early in the series. NOR HOW AWESOMELY THEY WILL BE DEALING WITH IT. (Nor, for that matter, how gorgeous Claudia Christian is with her hair down. Wow.)
- Still on Ivanova here: one of the other things I remember from my first go-round with this series is shipping her and Garibaldi. I'm not sure if there's any kind of canon justification for that, but I'll have to watch and see...
- Moving away from Ivanova... (It's hard; she was my favorite character thirteen years ago, and she's still my favorite character.) Apparently the Centauri are, accentwise, the lovechildren of Irish people and Transylvanian vampires. (And hairwise they are direct descendants of the Bride of Frankenstein.) Are Londo and Vir acutally wearing fake fangs, or do both actors just have exceptionally pointy eyeteeth?
- I know it was 1994, and they had no budget, but those computer graphics are just painful. Ow, ow, ow. (Michael O'Hare's overacting is also somewhat painful to watch.) Oh, and the introductory narrative is godawful. Last scene is still promising, though!
Speaking of its parents...okay, you know, perhaps I am not very understanding of other cultures or whatnot, but the fact that Six is Tigh's "child" and they are having a child together is creepy. IT WILL NEVER NOT BE CREEPY, WRITERS, SO STOP TRYING TO MAKE IT NOT CREEPY. Although Ellen was a giant bitch for much of the episode, at least she, you know, pointed that out a couple times.
Anyway. The theme of this episode, children, was that Cylons and humans must blend together to survive. Did you get that? I'm not sure those in the back managed to get bonked over the head with the club yet.
I kid, I kid. Mostly. Maybe it felt overwhelming because most of us figured that out somewhere in season one. But I'm glad the Cylons have gotten the clue! Now we just need those recalcitrant humans to get onboard with it, which, if that scene with Gaius and everyone in charge ("this is the last human solution") is any indication, will take at least until the finale.
Sidenote: Roslin & co.? YOU GAVE GAIUS BALTAR GUNS? SERIOUSLY? Is the Cylon
Speaking of Baltar--two things. One, yay for Head!Six returning. And in a really pretty dress, too. Baltar, on the other hand, got a cowl-like thing that makes me think they are reeeally pushing the Jesus angle. I'm surprised he wasn't handing out bread and tuna and wine-from-water in his big Feed the Children scene. I have to say, Baltar being generous made me do a double-take. Every week, I think there's more and more hope for him. (Heh, and his "and guns! Really big guns!" addition to the speech he was being prompted in cracked me up. The delivery was great.) Although he still manages to be creepy around women. Poor Naia.
Further thoughts:
- Six kicks ass again! Woot!
- "I don't trust that machine." Thank you, Jane Espenson, for having Tigh point out the irony there in the next line.
- Yay, people are flying! In space!
- Ellen: "Where's the booze?"
Me: "You are still Ellen Tigh."
- Tight's wonderful, wonderful speech about how he shouldn't have to say the words because "isn't it enough that I feel it?" felt very contemporary Irish drama to me. I don't know why, but it totally did. It's reminding me of something specific, something I've seen onstage, but I can't place it. Dancing at Lughnasa, maybe?
- I'm very curious to see how the Tyrol/Boomer thing is going to play out, because you know something's going to happen there.
- Aw, Adama/Tigh bromance!
- Even more aww at the arm-in-arm, hand-in-hand stroll Roslin and Adama were taking at the end. And then, because we didn't get it before, we get hit with the cluestick of human/Cylon integration one more time. Although that was an especially nice version of the cluestick. So now we have some of the Cylons--all except probably Tory, it sounds like, although Tyrol is hard to read--and the command staff/politicals leaders of the humans for integration, and...everyone else against it. This should be fun.
*
And, because I may have watched the first episode of Babylon 5 last night as a reward for finishing that stupid abstract, some thoughts on that:
- So I watched several episodes of this back when it was originally airing, but never really got into it at the time (hey, I was twelve; also, it was like season three, so I was totally lost). I remember some things, but not a whole lot; mostly character stuff. Although I just recently read that it's revealed late in the series that Ivanova is a latent telepath, and now I'm looking at her in a whoooole new way.
- Speaking of Ivanova and telepathy, I was going along being not as impressed with the episode as I felt I should be, given its seminal status in SF TV, but then there was that scene at the end with Ivanova and Talia where Ivanova is talking about her mother, and DAMN. That was chilling and awesome. I hadn't realized the telepathy angle was introduced so early in the series. NOR HOW AWESOMELY THEY WILL BE DEALING WITH IT. (Nor, for that matter, how gorgeous Claudia Christian is with her hair down. Wow.)
- Still on Ivanova here: one of the other things I remember from my first go-round with this series is shipping her and Garibaldi. I'm not sure if there's any kind of canon justification for that, but I'll have to watch and see...
- Moving away from Ivanova... (It's hard; she was my favorite character thirteen years ago, and she's still my favorite character.) Apparently the Centauri are, accentwise, the lovechildren of Irish people and Transylvanian vampires. (And hairwise they are direct descendants of the Bride of Frankenstein.) Are Londo and Vir acutally wearing fake fangs, or do both actors just have exceptionally pointy eyeteeth?
- I know it was 1994, and they had no budget, but those computer graphics are just painful. Ow, ow, ow. (Michael O'Hare's overacting is also somewhat painful to watch.) Oh, and the introductory narrative is godawful. Last scene is still promising, though!
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no subject
Date: 2009-02-22 01:52 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-02-22 05:03 am (UTC)This show is going to be such fun to mock. :D (Assuming I ever have time to watch another episode, anyway...damn you, grad school!)
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Date: 2009-02-22 02:19 am (UTC)Still on Ivanova here: one of the other things I remember from my first go-round with this series is shipping her and Garibaldi. I'm not sure if there's any kind of canon justification for that, but I'll have to watch and see...
Huh, I think I shipped them at some point too, but don't remember any big moments or anything.
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Date: 2009-02-22 05:04 am (UTC)Yay, I'm not insane! I'm betting my shipping them was borne of my propensity for shipping buddies. And they do seem very buddyish.
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Date: 2009-02-22 02:22 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-02-22 05:05 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-02-22 11:06 pm (UTC)Well, that can happen with inbreeding.
I think the Tigh speech was my favorite part of the whole episode. Not sure why, exactly, but I think it really did serve the whole "all you need is love!!!111!!eleventy!" theme rather well.
I noticed that when Adama and Tigh were boozing Adama took his pills - um, why didn't Tigh think to ask about that?
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Date: 2009-02-23 01:44 am (UTC)SO IT CAN.
I think the Tigh speech was my favorite part of the whole episode. Not sure why, exactly, but I think it really did serve the whole "all you need is love!!!111!!eleventy!" theme rather well.
Tigh's speech was wonderful. Plus ten for all the crusty old guys of fandom who can't put into words what they feel, but know that they feel it.
I noticed that when Adama and Tigh were boozing Adama took his pills - um, why didn't Tigh think to ask about that?
I really, really want to know what the pills are all about. They've only got four episodes left to tell us.
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Date: 2009-02-23 12:51 am (UTC)What I've discovered is that Ivanova is awesome (which of course you already knew ::g::), I want to be Lennier when I grow up, G'Kar is funny as hell, and Delenn is my idea of a perfect high priestess.
(I have a few other observations, but will refrain until I know how unspoiled you are or want to remain.)
And I completely ignore the effects, and am pained by the 80s/90s film and directorial/acting stylistic choices they made (or used without even thinking about it because that is how it was done at the time). I really quite wish that they were making it now instead, because I like the slightly grittier, more immersive style that's been dominant the last 10 years or so.
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Date: 2009-02-23 01:54 am (UTC)Again, yay, I'm not insane! :) I think maybe we all just picked up on some very covert flirting? So covert it's almost not there? My excuse was probably that I really like buddies-to-lovers 'ships, and they're totally buddies.
What I've discovered is that Ivanova is awesome (which of course you already knew ::g::)
I think Ivanova's going to end up near Laura Roslin in my pantheon of FRAKKING AWESOME FEMALE CHARACTERS. :D
I want to be Lennier when I grow up
Lennier, huh? I don't really remember him very much, aside from the fact that the actor was Will Robinson once upon a time. I'll have to keep an eye on him.
(I have a few other observations, but will refrain until I know how unspoiled you are or want to remain.)
I have a vague idea of the arc--the Shadows are big and bad, Sheridan has something to do with defeating them and apparently will die twenty years from the end of the series, and I think maybe there's a civil war between the Earthers and some of the aliens? And something bad happens because of the PsiCorp and
CheckhovBester? Oh, and Marcus sacrifices his life for Ivanova's, and she promptly leaves the show. I'm not really actively reading up on spoilers, but I'm not trying to avoid them either, so spoil away if you feel the desire.And I completely ignore the effects, and am pained by the 80s/90s film and directorial/acting stylistic choices they made (or used without even thinking about it because that is how it was done at the time). I really quite wish that they were making it now instead, because I like the slightly grittier, more immersive style that's been dominant the last 10 years or so.
God, YES. I read that JMS and co. intentionally used stage-style blocking and photography for the show because he had some kind of hardon for making it like a real opera, only without singing (apparently this is supposed to explain the painfully bright color schemes/costumes and some of the overwrought dialogue, which is bugging the hell out of me). It kind of pisses me off that he didn't take advantage of the fact that he was making a TV show. DS9, for example, looks a lot better, and it's not just because of an increased budget. Oh, well.
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Date: 2009-02-23 03:34 am (UTC)I love buddies-to-lovers 'ships as well, but in the rewatch, I hardly ever even saw the two of them together. I mean, they're certainly friends, and friendly, etc - but I didn't even see enough of a buddy aspect for me to go "oh yes, that's why I went there." Your mileage may vary, of course. ;) I still love them to pieces individually though, but this time I wasn't upset or disappointed or going "lalala" about the people they do get set up with.
I didn't realize that anyone but Bill Mumy had played him. The appeal for me is that what my "skill" in life is, is being a handmaiden/admin assistant type person, and he is that to the nth degree. So in him I see someone in what I perceive as my "niche" doing that job as well as it can possibly be done. I'm not sure I like where season 5 is going with him, though.
That's a pretty good broad-strokes version of things. Bab5 secedes from the Earth Alliance during the civil war, and watching that whole arc makes me really want to see Stargate Atlantis fic where for some reason Atlantis decides to secede from Earth. I'm not sure why, but there you go - revolution story lines make me happy.
I am very, very glad to know that I'm not just seeing things. I don't like it (I think the only part that it really works on is the G'Kar and Londo storyline - because the Centauri are just that way... and I do think they're fake fangs, btw) but it is good to know that it was in fact on purpose and not just "the hell?"
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Date: 2009-02-23 04:22 am (UTC)Huh. Did you read the novels? I remember reading them, so maybe that's where I got it from. Or possibly there was fanfic? (There isn't much now. I've been checking. Far as I can tell, there are exactly eleven fics out there pairing them, and all of them are varying levels of awful.)
I didn't realize that anyone but Bill Mumy had played him.
Bill Mumy was Will Robinson. :)
That's a pretty good broad-strokes version of things. Bab5 secedes from the Earth Alliance during the civil war, and watching that whole arc makes me really want to see Stargate Atlantis fic where for some reason Atlantis decides to secede from Earth. I'm not sure why, but there you go - revolution story lines make me happy.
Huh! That sounds like it'll be fun!
I am very, very glad to know that I'm not just seeing things. I don't like it (I think the only part that it really works on is the G'Kar and Londo storyline - because the Centauri are just that way... and I do think they're fake fangs, btw) but it is good to know that it was in fact on purpose and not just "the hell?"
It's reminding me somewhat of Old Doctor Who--they had that stagey feel as well. Grrr. (So glad someone else thinks the fangs are fake!)
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Date: 2009-02-23 06:05 am (UTC)The difference with Doctor Who, though, is that a. at that time period people were still treating video acting and theatre acting as the same craft (or were only just beginning to realize that film didn't require the same sweeping gestures to translate to the audience and b. the BBC did most of their work on the kind of live-film that didn't allow for a lot of retakes and editing. But to use it on purpose? No thank you. ::shudder:: And it's such a powerful story, I just hate to see it done that way sometimes. I still really do like it though, but it's in spite of the filming not because of it.
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Date: 2009-02-23 03:34 pm (UTC)Hmm. I'll have to watch for it in the show, then. (I did watch the second episode last night, and there was a scene where they were both sitting at a table, and Garibaldi had his arm resting on Ivanova's chair for a while! ...Surely there had to be more than that to set me off, even at age twelve?)
Yeah, DW had its reasons for the stage acting. I was just commenting on the similarity. Maybe JMS got it from watching the old eps? But all he managed to recreate was the low-budget look of it...
I still really do like it though, but it's in spite of the filming not because of it.
From the little I've seen so far, I think I'll be liking it for the ideas (soul hunters! cool!) rather than the execution--the dialogue sucks sometimes, some of the acting really sucks (Michael O'Hare, I'm looking at you! Although Claudia Christian is wonderful), and of course the blocking and photography is awful. I seem to recall Crusade as being rather the same--the technomages and the Plague were cool, and I enjoyed the character stuff, but beyond that...
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Date: 2009-02-23 05:57 pm (UTC)Wait'll you see how they incorporate Jack the Ripper...
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Date: 2009-02-23 11:41 pm (UTC)Holy crap, that sounds awesome.
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Date: 2009-02-24 02:51 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-02-24 11:39 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-02-25 03:50 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-02-25 05:56 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-02-23 03:29 am (UTC)::bites tongue, hard::
Michael O'Hare's overacting is also somewhat painful to watch.
Oh gods yes. Honestly? Skip to the last few episodes of S1. You won't miss much and you'll spare yourself the Sinclair agony. Also? Skip S5. All Telepaths, All The Time and with one or two exceptions, it just feels pasted on. S2-4 are where it's at.
Apparently the Centauri are, accentwise, the lovechildren of Irish people and Transylvanian vampires
I'm...pretty sure that's just Londo. The rest of them don't talk like he does.
hairwise they are direct descendants of the Bride of Frankenstein
It's been a while since I heard/read this, but I am pretty sure that started as a joke Peter Jurasik came up with to play on JMS, and JMS didn't realize it, couldn't figure out how to say no politely, and thus it landed in the show.
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Date: 2009-02-23 04:17 am (UTC)I know what happens--Ivanova has some kind of implied thing with Talia, and then Marcus comes along and worships her, and there's something about Garibaldi and his ex getting back together. I am still stubbornly shipping I/G for now, though. *points to icon*
Oh gods yes. Honestly? Skip to the last few episodes of S1. You won't miss much and you'll spare yourself the Sinclair agony. Also? Skip S5. All Telepaths, All The Time and with one or two exceptions, it just feels pasted on. S2-4 are where it's at.
I've heard that it's better to watch 2-4, then go back and catch up on 1 and 5, but that seems like missing a lot of exposition. (And I did actually like Lochley on Crusade, so maybe S5 won't suck so much for me if I ever manage to get there?)
I'm...pretty sure that's just Londo. The rest of them don't talk like he does.
Vir has a very similar accent. Dunno about any others.
It's been a while since I heard/read this, but I am pretty sure that started as a joke Peter Jurasik came up with to play on JMS, and JMS didn't realize it, couldn't figure out how to say no politely, and thus it landed in the show.
Oh, dear.
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Date: 2009-02-23 06:08 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-02-23 12:10 pm (UTC)Most of which you either don't need, or will be repeated for you in S2. Like I said, JMS was very aware of the need to help people coming in late. Aside from the last few eps of S1, you wouldn't be missing much. A lot of S1 is strictly episodic, with only occasional references to the actual plot arc.
I did actually like Lochley on Crusade, so maybe S5 won't suck so much for me if I ever manage to get there?
Nope. It's got nothing to do with Lochley and everything to do with the fact that they didn't think they'd get a fifth year, so JMS crammed the plot for the fifth year into the fourth, and then they got the fifth year, and said, "Um...now what?" There's some good G'Kar stuff, but otherwise? You could skip it and not miss out on a damn thing.
Vir has a very similar accent
Umm...maybe at the very beginning, but he's really got a pretty standard American accent, as I recall. Londo is the only one who speaks like Londo.
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Date: 2009-02-23 04:02 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-02-23 04:22 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-02-23 11:40 pm (UTC)