i'm thinking mid-season slump
Oct. 6th, 2010 02:23 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rivendellroseSo, middle of S2. Or S2.5 if you prefer (not having been there when it happened, I can only assume that the series got sold to another network or something to occasion this bizarre season arrangement). And... I'm pretty sure someone told me somewhere that the middle bit of S2 is a bit weak? Whoever they were, I'm thinking they were right. I hope it picks up again soon.
Pegasus and Resurrection Ship
I've already had my little whine about how dark and disturbing I found these episodes, and there is a certain element of "least said, soonest mended" about my attitude toward them. Did I think they were interesting and well-written, acted, and directed? Yes, very much so. Do I think I shall be watching them again any time soon (or ever)? Not so much. My greatest concern over the course of this series has been the extent to which I get attached to characters and get upset on their behalf, and... yes, lots of buttons pushed in this little set of episodes. Alas, it does not end here.
On the good side, Michelle Forbes is adorably evil, vicious, and nasty. The rest of her crew, with exception of the civilian aeronautics engineer, were pretty much just irreedemable asshats... more of which later.
Ephiphanies
In which, after taking a day off to recover from the previous three, I have a thirty-minute panic about what they're going to do with Sharon and Helo's baby. I tell you, I was briefly convinced that they were going to abort the baby in order to use its blood to save Roslin, and... there are limits to the amount of "edgy" that I can handle. Of course they didn't (thank god) and they're holding off killing it in order to do more studying or something, which is good, because I was not especially ready to see Sharon beat herself against broken glass anymore, or to watch Helo get gunned down by the guards for refusing to let them go through with the abortion.
On the whole, the whole thing seemed a bit too pat for my taste. Cylon-Human hybrid blood just happens to not only cure cancer, but absolutely wipe it out completely... and apparently cure cardiac arrest caused by cancer, as well? And the whole situation with the Cylon sympathizers just happens to perfectly parallel the situation with President Adar and the teachers' union strikes in Roslin's flashback dreams, and she just happens to remember seeing Gaius and Six snogging, and... I recognize the dramatic need for a few coincidences, but in this episode they got a bit labored.
And of course Roslin was having an affair with Adar. Of course she was. Whatever.
Also, out of perverse curiosity, why the hell did it surprise Doc Whatshisname that the first-ever-known Cylon-Human hybrid would have "some anomalies" in its biology? I grant you, if the thing was growing venom glands and the ability to shoot electricity from its fingers, I might be right there with Roslin with my finger on the airlock controls (...probably not, but I'd at least understand her reaction), but it's a hybrid. It's going to be a little bit "anomalous." That's kind of the whole idea.
...Also, it occurs to me - most hybrids are sterile. From the wikipedia entry on biological hybrids: "The offspring of an interspecific cross are very often sterile; thus, hybrid sterility prevents the movement of genes from one species to the other, keeping both species distinct." I'm sure the Cylons have a clever way around this, but it would amuse the heck out of me if they followed "God's plan" and got all crazy about this whole being fruitful thing... and then discovered that they still can't reproduce without humans, even when they have a big population. It probably wouldn't change their plan much, but the thought still amuses me.
Good things: I like how, when he's doing something he considers morally suspect or objectionable, Daddy!Adama is careful to be there, be a witness, and be visible doing so. He takes responsibility. I approve of that.
Black Market
Have you ever seen an episode of TV that just makes you think "wow, these guys are trying way too hard?" Yeah. That was this episode, for me.
Lee is angsting over the girl he left behind under some circumstances that I honestly didn't catch because I was too busy rolling my eyes and bitching at The Boy about how we never heard word one of this girl until now, so she couldn't have been that big a deal for him. Lee is also being a whiny twerp about his near-death-experience back in "Resurrection Ship." Call me unsympathetic if you like, but I am finding this character arc more than a bit tiring. GTF over it, Lee. You're alive. Deal. When Tom Zarek looks like a sensible human being next to you, you know you're doing it wrong.
Also, apparently everyone aboard the Pegasus was evil. There was, it seems, not a single decent human being aboard that ship. Okey-dokey, then. Does every captain of a battlestar hand-pick their entire crew, or what? Fortunately, I got my wish as far as Caine's first officer (whose name I cannot be assed to remember) went - at the beginning of the episode I made a nasty remark about him, and The Boy said "his heart's in the right place, he's just a moron." I replied, "His heart's in the right place, I just wish it would stop beating." Two minutes later, I got my wish! So that was nice.
Actually, that happened twice in this episode. Later, Zarek gave Lee the name of the head of the black market, and it was something like "Failen" or something like that, but it sounded awfully close to Valen. "Gosh," said I, "I hope he dies in this episode, because if he sticks around that could get a little confusing." And what do you know, he was dead by the end, too. Maybe I need to just start announcing the death of every character I don't like.
...Now if only I could figure out a way for this to work to avert harm to the characters I like. Of course, I'm beginning to think that would defeat the purpose of this show. See, I can't help being a little jaded at the moment, because it's starting to look an awful lot like "HORRIBLE THINGS FOR THE SAKE OF HORRIBLE THINGS!!!" We're going to rape Sharon! This version of Six has already been raped and tortured a lot! And now we'll threaten to abort her baby, and have her bang her head against broken glass a few times, and then use the kid's blood to cure cancer, because that can't possibly lead to more moral issues in the future, not to mention being a ham-handed allegory for stem-cell research! Now we're going to garotte people right in front of you! And then we'll almost do it to Lee! And then we'll beat up his random prostitute girlfriend! And then we'll lock up her kid with a bunch of other kids and talk about how they've been sold for sex! Aren't we EDGY?! EDGE EDGE EDGE!!!
If I sound a little frustrated, it's only because I am.
For god's sake, people, this stuff does get a little over-the-top sometimes, and one does eventually become bored of it. I am thinking right now of ER, which I used to like quite a bit, but eventually got tired of because it wasn't enough that there was an outbreak of something horrible in the hospital and someone else was dying and someone else was dealing with a drinking problem or whatever, we also had to have the last person who wasn't dealing with all of that go up to the helicopter pad and get his freaking arm cut off by the blades! At some point, it all just becomes tiring, and not interesting at all.
Now, in fairness, I don't think we're there yet, and I really really hope we won't get there on this show. But they seriously need to back the hell off the angst-overload for a few episodes, or I'm going to get really cranky. At the moment, I'm just chalking it up to the usual second-season "what the hell are we DOING?" thing and a typical mid-season slump. No problem. I'm fine with that.
...But seriously, lay off the rape, guys. Once was more than enough. Right about now, I figure you've hit your quota for at least another season.
Random points that have nothing to do with my flailing reactions to all the angst:
Why the hell do we even still have fresh fruit? Hasn't it been about a year since the fleet set out? Was one of those freighters the delivery-ship for the Fruit Basket of the Month company, or what?
This has been bugging me for a while - they have almost 50,000 people in the fleet. Are we really meant to believe that there's only one doctor in the whole fricking fleet? None of the other ships had a doctor on-board, even one traveling on vacation? Statistically speaking, I find this a little hard to believe. And yes, I know Doc Whatshisname is the only guy we can trust on the Galactica. Fine. But he seems to also be the only doctor working in the whole fleet, and that... seems strange. Although I'm sure the Pegasus has one - he's probably Hannibal Lecter or something.
The guy running the black market... Did anybody else think he looked an awful lot like Marlon Brando? I mean, really. I kept expecting him to offer Lee a deal he couldn't refuse in a thick Italian accent. Or maybe start getting people to worship him in some little jungle village. It was very strange.
Pegasus and Resurrection Ship
I've already had my little whine about how dark and disturbing I found these episodes, and there is a certain element of "least said, soonest mended" about my attitude toward them. Did I think they were interesting and well-written, acted, and directed? Yes, very much so. Do I think I shall be watching them again any time soon (or ever)? Not so much. My greatest concern over the course of this series has been the extent to which I get attached to characters and get upset on their behalf, and... yes, lots of buttons pushed in this little set of episodes. Alas, it does not end here.
On the good side, Michelle Forbes is adorably evil, vicious, and nasty. The rest of her crew, with exception of the civilian aeronautics engineer, were pretty much just irreedemable asshats... more of which later.
Ephiphanies
In which, after taking a day off to recover from the previous three, I have a thirty-minute panic about what they're going to do with Sharon and Helo's baby. I tell you, I was briefly convinced that they were going to abort the baby in order to use its blood to save Roslin, and... there are limits to the amount of "edgy" that I can handle. Of course they didn't (thank god) and they're holding off killing it in order to do more studying or something, which is good, because I was not especially ready to see Sharon beat herself against broken glass anymore, or to watch Helo get gunned down by the guards for refusing to let them go through with the abortion.
On the whole, the whole thing seemed a bit too pat for my taste. Cylon-Human hybrid blood just happens to not only cure cancer, but absolutely wipe it out completely... and apparently cure cardiac arrest caused by cancer, as well? And the whole situation with the Cylon sympathizers just happens to perfectly parallel the situation with President Adar and the teachers' union strikes in Roslin's flashback dreams, and she just happens to remember seeing Gaius and Six snogging, and... I recognize the dramatic need for a few coincidences, but in this episode they got a bit labored.
And of course Roslin was having an affair with Adar. Of course she was. Whatever.
Also, out of perverse curiosity, why the hell did it surprise Doc Whatshisname that the first-ever-known Cylon-Human hybrid would have "some anomalies" in its biology? I grant you, if the thing was growing venom glands and the ability to shoot electricity from its fingers, I might be right there with Roslin with my finger on the airlock controls (...probably not, but I'd at least understand her reaction), but it's a hybrid. It's going to be a little bit "anomalous." That's kind of the whole idea.
...Also, it occurs to me - most hybrids are sterile. From the wikipedia entry on biological hybrids: "The offspring of an interspecific cross are very often sterile; thus, hybrid sterility prevents the movement of genes from one species to the other, keeping both species distinct." I'm sure the Cylons have a clever way around this, but it would amuse the heck out of me if they followed "God's plan" and got all crazy about this whole being fruitful thing... and then discovered that they still can't reproduce without humans, even when they have a big population. It probably wouldn't change their plan much, but the thought still amuses me.
Good things: I like how, when he's doing something he considers morally suspect or objectionable, Daddy!Adama is careful to be there, be a witness, and be visible doing so. He takes responsibility. I approve of that.
Black Market
Have you ever seen an episode of TV that just makes you think "wow, these guys are trying way too hard?" Yeah. That was this episode, for me.
Lee is angsting over the girl he left behind under some circumstances that I honestly didn't catch because I was too busy rolling my eyes and bitching at The Boy about how we never heard word one of this girl until now, so she couldn't have been that big a deal for him. Lee is also being a whiny twerp about his near-death-experience back in "Resurrection Ship." Call me unsympathetic if you like, but I am finding this character arc more than a bit tiring. GTF over it, Lee. You're alive. Deal. When Tom Zarek looks like a sensible human being next to you, you know you're doing it wrong.
Also, apparently everyone aboard the Pegasus was evil. There was, it seems, not a single decent human being aboard that ship. Okey-dokey, then. Does every captain of a battlestar hand-pick their entire crew, or what? Fortunately, I got my wish as far as Caine's first officer (whose name I cannot be assed to remember) went - at the beginning of the episode I made a nasty remark about him, and The Boy said "his heart's in the right place, he's just a moron." I replied, "His heart's in the right place, I just wish it would stop beating." Two minutes later, I got my wish! So that was nice.
Actually, that happened twice in this episode. Later, Zarek gave Lee the name of the head of the black market, and it was something like "Failen" or something like that, but it sounded awfully close to Valen. "Gosh," said I, "I hope he dies in this episode, because if he sticks around that could get a little confusing." And what do you know, he was dead by the end, too. Maybe I need to just start announcing the death of every character I don't like.
...Now if only I could figure out a way for this to work to avert harm to the characters I like. Of course, I'm beginning to think that would defeat the purpose of this show. See, I can't help being a little jaded at the moment, because it's starting to look an awful lot like "HORRIBLE THINGS FOR THE SAKE OF HORRIBLE THINGS!!!" We're going to rape Sharon! This version of Six has already been raped and tortured a lot! And now we'll threaten to abort her baby, and have her bang her head against broken glass a few times, and then use the kid's blood to cure cancer, because that can't possibly lead to more moral issues in the future, not to mention being a ham-handed allegory for stem-cell research! Now we're going to garotte people right in front of you! And then we'll almost do it to Lee! And then we'll beat up his random prostitute girlfriend! And then we'll lock up her kid with a bunch of other kids and talk about how they've been sold for sex! Aren't we EDGY?! EDGE EDGE EDGE!!!
If I sound a little frustrated, it's only because I am.
For god's sake, people, this stuff does get a little over-the-top sometimes, and one does eventually become bored of it. I am thinking right now of ER, which I used to like quite a bit, but eventually got tired of because it wasn't enough that there was an outbreak of something horrible in the hospital and someone else was dying and someone else was dealing with a drinking problem or whatever, we also had to have the last person who wasn't dealing with all of that go up to the helicopter pad and get his freaking arm cut off by the blades! At some point, it all just becomes tiring, and not interesting at all.
Now, in fairness, I don't think we're there yet, and I really really hope we won't get there on this show. But they seriously need to back the hell off the angst-overload for a few episodes, or I'm going to get really cranky. At the moment, I'm just chalking it up to the usual second-season "what the hell are we DOING?" thing and a typical mid-season slump. No problem. I'm fine with that.
...But seriously, lay off the rape, guys. Once was more than enough. Right about now, I figure you've hit your quota for at least another season.
Random points that have nothing to do with my flailing reactions to all the angst:
Why the hell do we even still have fresh fruit? Hasn't it been about a year since the fleet set out? Was one of those freighters the delivery-ship for the Fruit Basket of the Month company, or what?
This has been bugging me for a while - they have almost 50,000 people in the fleet. Are we really meant to believe that there's only one doctor in the whole fricking fleet? None of the other ships had a doctor on-board, even one traveling on vacation? Statistically speaking, I find this a little hard to believe. And yes, I know Doc Whatshisname is the only guy we can trust on the Galactica. Fine. But he seems to also be the only doctor working in the whole fleet, and that... seems strange. Although I'm sure the Pegasus has one - he's probably Hannibal Lecter or something.
The guy running the black market... Did anybody else think he looked an awful lot like Marlon Brando? I mean, really. I kept expecting him to offer Lee a deal he couldn't refuse in a thick Italian accent. Or maybe start getting people to worship him in some little jungle village. It was very strange.
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no subject
Date: 2010-10-06 10:08 pm (UTC)I remember watching "Epiphanies" with some of my friends in college, and we all burst out laughing at Laura's "YOU...!", complete with finger-pointing at Baltar. I mean, I love that she remembers seeing him, because I had been waiting TWO YEARS for someone to figure out that he was in large part responsible for the colonies going bye-bye, but it was super dramatic, in an episode filled with dramatic coincidences.
Similarly...yeah, there's no way Cylon/Human baby blood should cure cancer, but I can't deny how very, VERY relieved I was that it did. Not that one should assume anyone's condition as a healthy human member of the fleet is permanent, but I had some peace of mind, anyway...
But trust me when I say that you really, really aren't going to like it when they start trying to explain Cylon/Human hybrid genetics. It does not go well. I still reflexively want to spit when I think about it. (They haven't offered an explanation for why this particular mating works yet, have they? I know the..."methodology," to be charitable, gets a lot of play later, but there may have been an earlier reference to the really, really stupid theory they choose.)
Also, one of your comments on the fetus is perhaps the most ironic thing EVER, just FYI. *g*
Agreed that sometimes the show got edgy for the sake of being edgy. I think the Pegasus arc for me was mostly a long string of OMG IS LAURA GOING TO BE OKAY?????, so I wasn't paying as much attention to Six and the rapes and whatnot as I could've been, but I definitely noticed.
Why the hell do we even still have fresh fruit?
I think possibly one of the ships has a hydroponics bay--Cloud 9, maybe? Let's just say that after a while, they don't have much fresh fruit anymore.
There are other doctors in the fleet--there are at least two episodes which mention them. But I think the Galactica's sickbay is supposed to be the most well-equipped, perhaps, and people who need more than just a band-aid shuttle over.
no subject
Date: 2010-10-07 05:26 am (UTC)And Lee...he and Starbuck tie for my least favorite character. Sometime they're both equally annoying; others, they toss the trophy back and forth. Though there are a few points where I actually respect them both at the same time. I think they're later.
The thing that's pissing me off about Lee is a) his whole "I wish I'd DIED!!" thing, and b) his whole "Everyone LOVES me and I don't love them except I'm going to totally mess with all of them and I MIGHT love Starbuck but I didn't when it counted because that'd be to EASY." Or whatever it is this week. This is how sick to death I am of Lee Adama's sex life. Any day he wants to pick someone and make at least an effort at being happy, that'd be great. Until then, I'm done hearing about it.
They haven't offered an explanation for why this particular mating works yet, have they? I know the..."methodology," to be charitable, gets a lot of play later, but there may have been an earlier reference to the really, really stupid theory they choose.
... ..... .......Wait, there's something special about it? Oh, great. I mean... Boomer was trying to go for Tyrol, and I suppose the fact that they hadn't got pregnant together yet might indicate there's something more to it, but... oh for god's sake, it's going to be something "special" about Helo, isn't it? So not what I actually like about him. I like the guy because he's not special, he's just awesome. Gah. Gah, gah, gah. And no, if they did hint at something I totally freaking missed it.
Also, the use of "methodology" in this context seriously had me reading that paragraph three or four times thinking "I... had been under the impression... that they had sex? Was I wrong?" o_O
Not that one should assume anyone's condition as a healthy human member of the fleet is permanent, but I had some peace of mind, anyway...
Yeah, don't get me wrong - EXTREMELY happy that Roslin's sticking around longer. Very very very happy. It was just kind of "I BEG YOUR WHAT?" about the... shall we say, derivation of the cure.
Laura's "YOU...!", complete with finger-pointing at Baltar.
♥ I loved that scene.
The hydroponics and doctor explanations both make sense. I'm glad to hear they cover the doctor thing, in particular, 'cause... yeah, that's been niggling at me for a while.
no subject
Date: 2010-10-07 06:50 am (UTC)Wait, there's something special about it? Oh, great. I mean... Boomer was trying to go for Tyrol, and I suppose the fact that they hadn't got pregnant together yet might indicate there's something more to it, but...
I thought they covered (the bigger part of) this briefly in S2, but maybe I'm thinking of somewhere else. It definitely comes to the fore in S4, not necessarily with whom you're thinking. Um, anyway, yes, there is a reason Helo and Sharon could conceive where Boomer and Tyrol could not. There are technically two, but one of them is a bigger reason than the other.
oh for god's sake, it's going to be something "special" about Helo, isn't it?
Actually, no!
*checks Battlestar Wiki* Okay, they did cover this in "The Farm"--the Cylons theorize that where genetics and science fails at creating Cylon/Human hybrids, love succeeds. Because God is love, dontchaknow.
Really.
I'm pretty sure I blocked it out the first time I saw it too. Uuuuugh.
So not what I actually like about him. I like the guy because he's not special, he's just awesome. Gah. Gah, gah, gah.
I loved that about him as well! He isn't special, he's just a standup, moral kinda guy.
Also, the use of "methodology" in this context seriously had me reading that paragraph three or four times thinking "I... had been under the impression... that they had sex? Was I wrong?" o_O
Bwahaha! Sorry, probably not the best term. I was referring to the "all you need is love" thing.
no subject
Date: 2010-10-07 04:54 pm (UTC)That explains why I didn't remember this revelation - I have a habit of just sort of completely disregarding the Cylons' whole "IT'S GOD'S PLAN!!!" thing. The individual Cylons clearly believe it all to a certain extent, but the very fact that Six, for example, keeps going on these big "Gaius, you need to do x, y, and z for me because it's GOD'S PLAN FOR YOU, and conveniently leads directly into my whims and my plans and helps the Cylon cause!" jaunts convinces me that, like everyone everywhere, their idea of "God's plan" pretty much translates to "I want."
And really, the thing with Tyrol didn't work because it wasn't real love? Somebody probably ought to tell Tyrol that. :P ...And by "somebody" I mean "not Sharon or Helo." Preferably Ellen. Ellen can tell him that. And I will make popcorn for the smackdown that follows directly thereafter.
Bwahaha! Sorry, probably not the best term. I was referring to the "all you need is love" thing.
I figured it out. ;) It was just such a bizarre moment that I had to share.
no subject
Date: 2010-10-07 06:53 pm (UTC)I was always way more interested in the polytheistic quasi-Greek religion of the Colonials. I would've loved some kind of tie-in book about Colonial history and religion.
And really, the thing with Tyrol didn't work because it wasn't real love? Somebody probably ought to tell Tyrol that.
*snerk* I remember his and Boomer's thing as more of a dalliance or maybe a really extended fling--was there more to it that I'm forgetting?
no subject
Date: 2010-10-07 07:01 pm (UTC)Exactly the problem I'm having. I mean, okay, yes, I get that the monotheism thing is important, and I find it interesting that we're getting that from the Cylon perspective, and their take on the whole thing is definitely intriguing, but... really, I'm a fan of polytheism from way back, and I adore the Greek gods, and I love the idea of this... different-but-the-same version of that whole system. It tweaks all my classical studies buttons, and starts making me want to write fic that would surely turn out to be utterly non-canonical centered around altered and "grown up" versions of all the crazy stuff I learned back in classes about ancient Greek religious practices, because there's some awesome stuff in all that. ♥
...And instead it looks like we're meant to be rooting for them all to be converting to the Cylon God, and I'm kind of left staring blankly at the screen thinking "but why?"
was there more to it that I'm forgetting?
Oh, probably not, in the end. He was willing to give it up and all that, so... *shrugs* I'd got the impression that he was more emotionally tied up in her than that, but I tend to ascribe more emotional quality to fictional characters' affairs (assuming I like the characters involved) than is probably intended.
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Date: 2010-10-08 12:17 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-10-08 12:18 am (UTC)(And seriously? I'm shocked no one else did something like that!)
no subject
Date: 2010-10-06 10:15 pm (UTC)Black Market was the worst episode of the show until The Woman King next season. Both episodes were written by the same guy. And then, inexplicably, he picks up an Emmy nomination for an episode he writes in S4. I have no idea.
BSG had a slump in the same string of four episodes or so in seasons two, three, and four. After the mid-season premiere, before the run up to the finale. I think they had a really hard time pacing the longer seasons.
I think my favorite part of the whole "baby blood cures cancer" thing was Baltar drawing hexagons or whatever. It was so absurd, I can't even. Whatever, it kept Laura from dying, so I don't worry about it too much.
Seriously though, it's best to get the next four or five episodes just out of the way and not try to think. They're just...bad. By the time you get to Downloaded you'll be right as rain.
no subject
Date: 2010-10-06 10:36 pm (UTC)"Blood on the Scales" is one of my favorite episodes of the entire show. I was BLOWN AWAY by the fact that it was an Angelli episode.
Seriously though, it's best to get the next four or five episodes just out of the way and not try to think. They're just...bad.
I tend to agree, although there's part of "Sacrifice" that I love..in a gut-wrenching kind of way, and I did walk around randomly crying a character's name for a few days afterward. The rest of the episode makes me want to beat my head against a wall, though, so...yeah.
no subject
Date: 2010-10-06 10:38 pm (UTC)Oh, goodie. Well, that's something to look forward to, then... *Shudders*
no subject
Date: 2010-10-06 10:41 pm (UTC)Yes, Sacrifice is pretty good. It ends up looking like a gem amidst the other episodes there, heh. Dana Delaney's performance in that episode is ridic - I think for me that's a large part of what made the episode succeed.
no subject
Date: 2010-10-07 05:27 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-10-07 06:41 am (UTC)Billy was totally one of my favorites. I was all, "But--but--but--BILLY!" for days after I saw that episode. And I kind of hated Dee for what she did in that episode, though she couldn't have known he was on the chopping block.
no subject
Date: 2010-10-07 09:23 pm (UTC)When Apollo got shot, The Boy was like "well, that must've been what your friend was talking about" (because I'd mentioned the thing about something bad happening to someone in this episode) and I thought "No... first off,
It's like the guy at the beginning of a war movie who brings out the picture of his wife and kids. You just know something terrible is going to happen to him at that point.
no subject
Date: 2010-10-08 12:18 am (UTC)Hahahahahahaha!! So true!
And second, Billy is here, and Dee just turned down his proposal. That does not look good for Billy.
Yep. Plus, he was fairly minor, so his death wouldn't cause an a paradigm shift for the entire show, but he was still involved enough for it to be affecting.
no subject
Date: 2010-10-07 01:28 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-10-07 09:21 pm (UTC)I shall temporarily resist looking up Paul Campbell on IMDB because, frankly, I don't want to know whether or not he'll turn up again in some context or capacity (what? it's totally possible on this show! Billy could so be a Cylon!), but from the description of the pilot that didn't get picked up, I figure he got bit by that curse as well. Very sad. I liked him as Billy.
no subject
Date: 2010-10-07 05:32 am (UTC)Damn it! I'd been telling myself there had to be a better reason than that!
And then, inexplicably, he picks up an Emmy nomination for an episode he writes in S4. I have no idea.
I guess that old adage about everyone having a good book inside them, and it just taking writing through the 300,000 or so words of crap before you get down to the good stuff really is true, then... :P
I think my favorite part of the whole "baby blood cures cancer" thing was Baltar drawing hexagons or whatever. It was so absurd, I can't even. Whatever, it kept Laura from dying, so I don't worry about it too much.
Totally! That was so random and out of nowhere! "Here, look, if Human blood cells are hexagons like THIS, then Cylon blood cells are hexagons like THIS, and... er... something!" I honestly think it didn't mean a damned thing even in Gaius' head. He just made something up that was just complicated enough to confuse Adama and everyone, and then showed them that, tada! The Cylon baby blood kills cancer! He doesn't know why, but isn't that NEAT?! The hexagons were just him doodling. And then he thought "wow, that looks cool. I bet I could use that...."
And thus was a genius idea born. :P
By the time you get to Downloaded you'll be right as rain.
I look forward to it. We saw "Scar" and "Sacrifice" tonight, and... they were okay. I kind of liked the ghost-story / old-sailor's tale elements of "Scar," and the guest star in "Sacrifice" (Dana Delaney, I'm guessing from your comment below?) was really awesome, but but it was certainly nothing compared to the stuff last season.
no subject
Date: 2010-10-07 01:31 pm (UTC)Yeah, that's probably it. Something about the way that scene was played - one of Callis's few missteps, I think - made it seem more like Gaius really was working it out with polygons.
That whole episode kind of felt like they worked out the thematic aspects of saving Roslin first (the blood of her enemy, the blood of a mixture of the two species, some mythic hag/mother/daughter thing) and then tried to figure out how to turn that into plot.
no subject
Date: 2010-10-07 09:18 pm (UTC)Oh, in some fairness to the director, I think we were meant to believe he was working it out with the polygons. But that idea, to my mind, is jut too damned silly, so I have fixed it in my head with the previously-explained excuse.
That whole episode kind of felt like they worked out the thematic aspects of saving Roslin first (the blood of her enemy, the blood of a mixture of the two species, some mythic hag/mother/daughter thing) and then tried to figure out how to turn that into plot.
It does, yes. And while the thematic aspects are interesting, the rest... just sort of doesn't live up to it.