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Can't sleep, that's what happens after a nice restful weekend at home (one of the few recently). So here are my thoughts on the BSG finale.
We just saw it this afternoon so I'm still processing. In general I was happy with it. I went in expecting the worst (everyone will die in a big holocaust as a morality lesson about cycles of violence). We still got the morality play aspect, more on that later. But in general I liked how it ended up.
Thoughts in no particular order:
-I liked how we ended with a big space battle after beginning with one, and spending so long running and hiding and skirmishing. When Galactica hit the colony it was visceral and I wondered if the special effects guys were sad when they had to add the effects of all the firepower leveled at her.
-The visuals really emphasized the blending of the cylons and humans, fighting with the centurions, Sam as the hybrid-analogue. (And wasn't Starbuck leading the assault team the hottest thing ever!)
-Why are we all freaking out about Hera again? I thought this was a little weak, the cylons had a better case for needing her, the humans' case wasn't really made toward the end. Eh, I don't know. I did like how all our guys had to come together for one big final thing though, so worked for me emotionally if not logically (that could be the short answer for how I felt about the whole thing). Oh, and also I really felt the absence of Gaeta in those final CIC scenes.
-I did love how they intercut the opera house scenes with the hallway scenes. Yay for reminding us/returning to previously discussed stuff in a visually effective scene. Yay for underscoring the theatricality of the final standoff.
-I'm conflicted about the murders. Chief killing Tory (was her murder of Cally really just saved up for narrative effect?, I guess they gave it some other possible motivation as deep in her cylon brain she was jealous because she and Chief were a cylon couple back in the day? Tory: character without enough backstory or development.). But as other have pointed out the condoned violence against woman is problematic. (It also seemed weird to me that Chief effectively gave up his son once he discovered it wasn't his. No connection with the boy after that episode. Really?)
-Why no discussion about Athena killing Boomer? I would have liked to see something else on that as well.
-Finally, Cavil offing himself seemed rather convenient and anti-climatic. I didn't really buy him as the cylon-Adama, but thought he deserved more than what they gave him. Cylon loose ends: would have liked to see Diana come back, more on Cavil, and a little more on Daniel.
-I had really hoped the crayon drawings were stars (like they originally said) instead of FTL coordinates, but whatever.
-yay they actually found "earth"! Five seasons of build up and they found it and didn't all die, and didn't all die just as they drifted into view of it. Also they had a way of contacting the rest of the fleet (I freaked out for a minute thinking just Galactica would be stuck there).
-I had hoped that there would the continuation of the sense of community that had been created in some new improved form and I was sad when that didn't happen with the new "back to the land plan". But it does speak to how damaged everyone was after this journey.
-Which leads into the flashbacks. I freakin loved the flashbacks both in the penultimate episode and in the finale. I thought it spoke to everyone's character arcs, reminded us how this all started (Adama as a sad, drunk old man, wow), and provided important moments of contrast. In the second to last episode it really pointed out to me how much they had given up in terms of environment. We (and presumably the characters) were used to the cramped, industrial hallways of the ship. In the flashbacks there was so much air, space, and light. (Something that was underscored when they landed on the planet, I adored the shot of the men in the grass looking out with the binoculars). So much more life, more connections, more opportunities. Loss of a few people, of a family was devastating, loss that seems in some ways trivial compared with the loss of the entire human race. I thought they did a good job putting that pain into perspective. It also showed character arc, in that these people had sacrificed themselves during this journey.
-The plan. Okay, so the spread out among the world thing was a little weird. I get that they wanted some solution that would disrupt the cycle of violence, but I mourned the loss of community and (in my mind resulting) loss of history. If we're going to burn up the ships (which made a fantastic visual), then there should be monuments, or at least books (written in clear prose, not exclusively poetry or prophecy, people, you have literacy), otherwise how will those lessons be passed on? Also I have some problems with moral purity through farming, teaching stuff to the native populations (no one sees any serious issues there?), and dividing people up (while perhaps good for resources) can also lead to war, right, when people think of themselves of members of one community, group, spaceship, etc. rather than part of a larger whole? Is abandoning all our technology, even the communication parts really wise?
-Kara Thrace. Oh I heart her, perhaps my favorite character. (Although how is she going to be remembered if we're spread out all over the place and don't write things down? I would have found the coda more moving if we didn't just hear about Hera/Eve, but also some poem or myth about Kara, that would have delighted me.) The blinking away thing startled me, and I'm still not sure how I feel about it. I'm thrilled they didn't kill her off. I'm a little disappointed, but understanding as to why they didn't have her hook up with Lee (and thanks to the flashbacks for elaboration on that point). (I mourned the loss of a Bill and Laura living down the way from Kara and Lee in their little cottages with a baby who played with Hera, but anyway). If the show is really insisting on the moral and epistemological limits of science, then for me the Kara thing worked. I liked how they proved within the limits of vision and science that she died. I liked the suggestion that her father was the mysterious artistic 7th cylon. I'm glad they didn't make her a figment of Lee's imagination, although the idea that she was some kind of mass hallucination by humanity would be kind of off-putting. Not a fan of a "angel" but that might be the word more than the idea (not an SPN angel that's for sure, wouldn't that be a screwed up cross-over, Kara and Castiel?) But I did like her dialogue about not being afraid of death, and the idea that Kara's journey, and, in some ways, her flawed personality transcended death. I liked that she found purpose, although I wish she didn't have to die to do that, and I wish that she could have enjoyed some of the time after that purpose had been fulfilled (although would she really have been happy, perhaps just stir crazy?, so maybe blinking away (or running to hide behind a hill to avoid any more goodbyes) was just fine.
-Bill and Laura. I cried. They got their cabin (well, almost). I really didn't think the writers would let her see earth. The idea of him living alone mourning her is really sad (without even Lee to take care of him in his old age, that seems wrong). But the idea of him released from the responsibility to take care of all these thousands of people, and to retain his dignity, there's something nice in that.
-Lee. Wow, you're hairs getting kind of pouffy there. You deserved more. At least a 10 years later after all your explorations. One of the few who didn't seem beaten down by the whole experience. You grew instead of being ravaged, and retained some joy in life so there's something in that.
-Helo, Athena, and Hera. Yay Helo didn't die. It was good to see one happy family unit intact. Other problems re: Hera, but the hunting discussion was sweet.
-Galen. I don't know. In some ways going off to be an Irish hermit seems fitting (and weren't his parents priests or monks or something too?), but you needed more penance, or at least more punishment. You were perhaps my biggest disappointment.
-Gaius and Caprica Six, Tigh and Ellen. I liked that some of the less likeable/more problematic characters survived. In some ways it would have been especially odd if Tigh and Ellen had died, given their newly discovered roles as the couple for all time (who made the strip club romantic, I thought that scene was a great encapsulation of them). Gaius and Caprica Six's "you can see them too" was pretty awesome. I also liked the backstory with Gaius's dad.
-I don't know about the coda. I did want some sort of peek into the future. Hera as Eve was okay (I was really expecting her, when she was wondering on the plain to meet up with some native boy and for them to smile at each other or something, and I was glad when that didn't happen). The shift in POV from the humans to the "angel" (hate that word) was odd. I am glad they addressed the imaginary people though, as one of the recurring mysteries in the series. They made them real although left what they represent god? but what kind? god as a force of nature? cyclical god? this god seems to be related to the Matrix movies' god in any case. I am glad they didn't make them strictly good and/or evil, but rather human and manipulative (even if we're not quite sure for what ends). So, not a huge fan but glad they made a stab at a thematically coherent ending to a large messy story.
-I'm sure in a few months or year I'll want to do a rewatch to see how it hangs together or doesn't. Still in love with the characters the most and would enjoy them a second time. Still right up there with The Wire as one of my favorites.
We just saw it this afternoon so I'm still processing. In general I was happy with it. I went in expecting the worst (everyone will die in a big holocaust as a morality lesson about cycles of violence). We still got the morality play aspect, more on that later. But in general I liked how it ended up.
Thoughts in no particular order:
-I liked how we ended with a big space battle after beginning with one, and spending so long running and hiding and skirmishing. When Galactica hit the colony it was visceral and I wondered if the special effects guys were sad when they had to add the effects of all the firepower leveled at her.
-The visuals really emphasized the blending of the cylons and humans, fighting with the centurions, Sam as the hybrid-analogue. (And wasn't Starbuck leading the assault team the hottest thing ever!)
-Why are we all freaking out about Hera again? I thought this was a little weak, the cylons had a better case for needing her, the humans' case wasn't really made toward the end. Eh, I don't know. I did like how all our guys had to come together for one big final thing though, so worked for me emotionally if not logically (that could be the short answer for how I felt about the whole thing). Oh, and also I really felt the absence of Gaeta in those final CIC scenes.
-I did love how they intercut the opera house scenes with the hallway scenes. Yay for reminding us/returning to previously discussed stuff in a visually effective scene. Yay for underscoring the theatricality of the final standoff.
-I'm conflicted about the murders. Chief killing Tory (was her murder of Cally really just saved up for narrative effect?, I guess they gave it some other possible motivation as deep in her cylon brain she was jealous because she and Chief were a cylon couple back in the day? Tory: character without enough backstory or development.). But as other have pointed out the condoned violence against woman is problematic. (It also seemed weird to me that Chief effectively gave up his son once he discovered it wasn't his. No connection with the boy after that episode. Really?)
-Why no discussion about Athena killing Boomer? I would have liked to see something else on that as well.
-Finally, Cavil offing himself seemed rather convenient and anti-climatic. I didn't really buy him as the cylon-Adama, but thought he deserved more than what they gave him. Cylon loose ends: would have liked to see Diana come back, more on Cavil, and a little more on Daniel.
-I had really hoped the crayon drawings were stars (like they originally said) instead of FTL coordinates, but whatever.
-yay they actually found "earth"! Five seasons of build up and they found it and didn't all die, and didn't all die just as they drifted into view of it. Also they had a way of contacting the rest of the fleet (I freaked out for a minute thinking just Galactica would be stuck there).
-I had hoped that there would the continuation of the sense of community that had been created in some new improved form and I was sad when that didn't happen with the new "back to the land plan". But it does speak to how damaged everyone was after this journey.
-Which leads into the flashbacks. I freakin loved the flashbacks both in the penultimate episode and in the finale. I thought it spoke to everyone's character arcs, reminded us how this all started (Adama as a sad, drunk old man, wow), and provided important moments of contrast. In the second to last episode it really pointed out to me how much they had given up in terms of environment. We (and presumably the characters) were used to the cramped, industrial hallways of the ship. In the flashbacks there was so much air, space, and light. (Something that was underscored when they landed on the planet, I adored the shot of the men in the grass looking out with the binoculars). So much more life, more connections, more opportunities. Loss of a few people, of a family was devastating, loss that seems in some ways trivial compared with the loss of the entire human race. I thought they did a good job putting that pain into perspective. It also showed character arc, in that these people had sacrificed themselves during this journey.
-The plan. Okay, so the spread out among the world thing was a little weird. I get that they wanted some solution that would disrupt the cycle of violence, but I mourned the loss of community and (in my mind resulting) loss of history. If we're going to burn up the ships (which made a fantastic visual), then there should be monuments, or at least books (written in clear prose, not exclusively poetry or prophecy, people, you have literacy), otherwise how will those lessons be passed on? Also I have some problems with moral purity through farming, teaching stuff to the native populations (no one sees any serious issues there?), and dividing people up (while perhaps good for resources) can also lead to war, right, when people think of themselves of members of one community, group, spaceship, etc. rather than part of a larger whole? Is abandoning all our technology, even the communication parts really wise?
-Kara Thrace. Oh I heart her, perhaps my favorite character. (Although how is she going to be remembered if we're spread out all over the place and don't write things down? I would have found the coda more moving if we didn't just hear about Hera/Eve, but also some poem or myth about Kara, that would have delighted me.) The blinking away thing startled me, and I'm still not sure how I feel about it. I'm thrilled they didn't kill her off. I'm a little disappointed, but understanding as to why they didn't have her hook up with Lee (and thanks to the flashbacks for elaboration on that point). (I mourned the loss of a Bill and Laura living down the way from Kara and Lee in their little cottages with a baby who played with Hera, but anyway). If the show is really insisting on the moral and epistemological limits of science, then for me the Kara thing worked. I liked how they proved within the limits of vision and science that she died. I liked the suggestion that her father was the mysterious artistic 7th cylon. I'm glad they didn't make her a figment of Lee's imagination, although the idea that she was some kind of mass hallucination by humanity would be kind of off-putting. Not a fan of a "angel" but that might be the word more than the idea (not an SPN angel that's for sure, wouldn't that be a screwed up cross-over, Kara and Castiel?) But I did like her dialogue about not being afraid of death, and the idea that Kara's journey, and, in some ways, her flawed personality transcended death. I liked that she found purpose, although I wish she didn't have to die to do that, and I wish that she could have enjoyed some of the time after that purpose had been fulfilled (although would she really have been happy, perhaps just stir crazy?, so maybe blinking away (or running to hide behind a hill to avoid any more goodbyes) was just fine.
-Bill and Laura. I cried. They got their cabin (well, almost). I really didn't think the writers would let her see earth. The idea of him living alone mourning her is really sad (without even Lee to take care of him in his old age, that seems wrong). But the idea of him released from the responsibility to take care of all these thousands of people, and to retain his dignity, there's something nice in that.
-Lee. Wow, you're hairs getting kind of pouffy there. You deserved more. At least a 10 years later after all your explorations. One of the few who didn't seem beaten down by the whole experience. You grew instead of being ravaged, and retained some joy in life so there's something in that.
-Helo, Athena, and Hera. Yay Helo didn't die. It was good to see one happy family unit intact. Other problems re: Hera, but the hunting discussion was sweet.
-Galen. I don't know. In some ways going off to be an Irish hermit seems fitting (and weren't his parents priests or monks or something too?), but you needed more penance, or at least more punishment. You were perhaps my biggest disappointment.
-Gaius and Caprica Six, Tigh and Ellen. I liked that some of the less likeable/more problematic characters survived. In some ways it would have been especially odd if Tigh and Ellen had died, given their newly discovered roles as the couple for all time (who made the strip club romantic, I thought that scene was a great encapsulation of them). Gaius and Caprica Six's "you can see them too" was pretty awesome. I also liked the backstory with Gaius's dad.
-I don't know about the coda. I did want some sort of peek into the future. Hera as Eve was okay (I was really expecting her, when she was wondering on the plain to meet up with some native boy and for them to smile at each other or something, and I was glad when that didn't happen). The shift in POV from the humans to the "angel" (hate that word) was odd. I am glad they addressed the imaginary people though, as one of the recurring mysteries in the series. They made them real although left what they represent god? but what kind? god as a force of nature? cyclical god? this god seems to be related to the Matrix movies' god in any case. I am glad they didn't make them strictly good and/or evil, but rather human and manipulative (even if we're not quite sure for what ends). So, not a huge fan but glad they made a stab at a thematically coherent ending to a large messy story.
-I'm sure in a few months or year I'll want to do a rewatch to see how it hangs together or doesn't. Still in love with the characters the most and would enjoy them a second time. Still right up there with The Wire as one of my favorites.
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