BSG 4.18: "Deadlock"

[icepixie]

Well, 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 Cylon tar 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!

Comments

[wildtiger7.livejournal.com]

I love B5, but more for the character stuff and overall story arc (which is my favorite in scifi) than for some of the actual episodes and acting, which can be... not great. I still adore it, though.

[tarzanic.livejournal.com]

Hmmm, now I'm debating breaking open my season 1 B5 dvds. I remember little of season 1, other than Sinclair was in charge. And possibly the "fasten then zip or zip then fasten?" thing. In fact, I haven't watched much of B5 in ages. I hope "War without End" is as awesome as I remember.

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.

[magsyb.livejournal.com]

*hugs her B5* Ivanova is and was my favorite character, and then Marcus came along... oh Marcus... my shippy heart... *tear*

[orangetango.livejournal.com]

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.

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?

[cybermathwitch.livejournal.com]

I've actually just rewatched/watched the series over myself (well, we're finishing up season 5 as the Netflix arrives). I also 'shipped Ivanova/Garibaldi when I watched it occasionally in the before-times, but personally haven't gotten even a hint of that from the rewatch. I think it was entirely me going "I like her, and I like him, and so I want them to be my 'ship."

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.

[alto2.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure if there's any kind of canon justification for that, but I'll have to watch and see...

::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.