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BSG, listening to season four.
I made it all the way through, though I had to listen to Revelations here at home. And I survived. the season works better, shoved together all at once, though it's not the "OMG THEY GOT THAT TO WORK?!?" threaded tapestry that season four of Farscape is when viewed over one weekend.
However, I do find that the narrative and acting falls flat in some cases. I don't know if it's lazy acting or people being complacent about their own Awesomeness. (everyone talks up EJO, MM, JB, etc, etc, but the ones who stood out for me were GP, CKR and, oddly, Nana Visitor)
1. Six of One. This episode is unfortunately bad in that they chose a bad bad tact for Katee Sackhoff to take to show how Emotional she was. It sounds horrible, and is actually worse than Grace Park's Shouty Anger. It's just kind of heart-breaking, because prior to this, KS's performances had been awesome. I think we can blame the writing for at least this part of the episode combined with the directing.
2. Grace Park, otoh, pulls out all the stops and is superb as each different Eight. There's differences in their vocal sounds and (iirc) in the way they move, as well. The Eight in the conference and Boomer are distinct.
3. In fact, the Kara and Adama stuff is really painfully awful. It's sort of sad. (I mentioned this at least twice in my notes, sigh). I think a large part of my problem is that Kara is not stupid. She's going to UNDERSTAND why they're not going to trust her if they think she's a Cylon. She's not going to constantly freak out like a ten year-old going, "But I'm telling the truth, why won't you believe me?????" Srsly. I just kept muttering "whine moar." (I think the capper is when she goes after Roslin and the marines come in and Kara's all, "But Mathias, I'm your best friend??????" Because, no. She's going to get it. The marines are not exactly friendly to Cylons, even if they're friends).
4. The Cylon stuff, otoh, is awesome. The conferences, the arguments, the blood-bath at the end. MWAH.
5. HAHAH. head!Gaius is fucking hilarious. (also, it was during this scene that I realized the audio might be a bit off for the lower registers, as Gaius sounded far too gravelly--it's balanced by Sine Qua Non where all the women are high-pitched!) (also, Mathias was in the cafeteria, because someone's joking with her about the awful food in the beginning of the scene)
6. The Roslin and Adama scene is... ok? It was better with the visuals, I think. Though it's still decent emotions. However, one thing I noticed (and something I should write meta on, at some point) is that Roslin, like large portions of the fleet is stuck in the past. She hates the Cylons unreservedly, and that makes her stagnant. In this new world of survival measured in tens of thousands, there has to be change or no one will survive.
7. NATALIE. <3 <3 <3 <3
8. You know. (Ties That Bind, by now) Kara has always been 'fight or frak' when it comes to personal issues. So her daring Sam wasn't unexpected, especially since, well, she couldn't push him into fighting her.
9. 'Central' resurrection hub--does that imply there are more hubs out there? Later on, it's mentioned that without it, the resurrection ships can't function. Hrm.
10. Lee and Politics while being their own little OTP are boring the second listen through. Sigh. Yes, even Zarek.
11. You know who does believable shouty hysteria? Cally. She actually sounds like a real person cracking up and freaking out (I love KS, but she really really doesn't. She sounds forced and fake).
12. Cally might have divorced him, but I think she wouldn't have killed Galen or Nicky--after all, Tory was able to talk her down. And there's a bit where she's sobbing where it seems like it will all seem all right. Killing Cally was pointless.
13. (Escape Velocity) Callandra Henderson Tyrol. Did she have no middle name? I know one of the early things listed her as Jane Cally. And oddly, Callandra Jane Henderson rolls off the tongue well.
14. MOM. STOP PLANNING YOUR OWN FUNERAL, WOMAN.
15. So, Tigh is all yelling at Tyrol a lot about being wiggy and slacking, and how that will make people suspicious and think he's a Cylon and--really, Tigh, that's not going to cause suspicions. But your cute little Sekrit Meetings will.
16. Tigh, however, equals the awesomest babysitter ever.
17. Tory's little BDSM game with Gaius is funny.
18. 'Perfect just as we are' - Tory really likes that idea. It justifies everything she's ever done.
19. If the old Gods don't exist, as Baltar and head!Six claim, how can they fight back?
20. Galen isn't too bad with the shouty anger, though he's still a little strained.
21. Caprica is <3 <3 <3
22. Mom = big fluffy sweater wrapped around a large gold brick (in re: the brig scene with her and Gaius in EV).
23. Damn. Chief's speech is still repugnant and so pointless! He could have gotten the same result by punching the Old Man. This speech is just another tally on season four's ruthless destruction of the women on the show.
24. Caprica, you are awesome. ALSO. Caprica = Tigh's Leoben.
25. Why does Lee hurry over to Galactica to save Gaius after the emergency quorum meeting? Did he know his preachy boyfriend was in danger?
26. Jeeze. Mom/Dad flirting. O.o
27. (Road Less Traveled) Leoben was looking for the fleet to offer an alliance, Kara was just a happy coincidence.
28. If the Demetrius had jumped away, they would have left Sam behind, as he was running a scout. Does this mean there should be AU Sam and Leoben Find Each Other and Bond fic?
29. Sam, btw, also has some good (if vague) reason to believe Cylons can change--see Downloaded, and the conversation he overheard and his confusion at the end. On top of that, of course, he is a Special FF Cylon, so he wants Cylons to be good.
30. Thought on the deaths this season: a) Mathias held a gun on Sam; b) Jean murdered the Six in cold blood; c) Cally shot Boomer; d) Natalie is Cylon on Cylon violence, which has a long history already. Pike is an anomaly, of course, but Pike is male and a jackass. But my theory? People who have wronged Cylons are dying--Natalie allowed the 'deaths' of her brethren Ones, Fours and Fives when she led her coup.
31. (Faith) Sam isn't just protecting Kara, backing her to the hilt. He actually believes that she's right and can find Earth. And also that a human-Cylon alliance is a good thing. I also wonder if he thinks his program made him shoot Sparky? ("this wasn't--" he says, I wonder if he was going to say "this wasn't what I wanted"?)
32. Athena to Leoben, "Bitch, you were annoying before I got Helo. God. D'you ever change? Shut up!"
33. The Cylons don't understand the failure of New Caprica--and they won't, not until they face anihilation like the humans did. Because they don't understand how hard it is to forgive the destruction of the colonies. But with the Cylon civil war, they are beginning to understand, in some ways. Not in others, though. Not just yet (conversely, humanity doesn't know how to forgive).
34. Gods. Nana Visitor is frakking awesome. So is Mom. They sound like real people when emoting (I wonder if this is attributable to the director or the actors?) Oddly, Sam sounds like a real person when upset, too (beginning of Faith, you can hear him freaking the fuck out after he shoots Sparky).
35. Randomly, was D'Anna threatening to out them the catalyst to the viper's signals?
36. Is Natalie the dying leader who discovers the truth of the Opera House? Athena shot her, assuming she would steal Hera, but it's Caprica in the vision with Gaius (or was, once upon a time).
37. I think Caprica knew she was pregnant. Pity we don't get to know the answer to that. (Athena knew she was pregnant, too)
38. I refuse to believe Natalie is not alive somewhere, having been sucked up by the hybrid as she died and then transfered to the hub where she climbed out of a vat and jumped ship fast.
39. Saul and Dad having their argument in SQN is a little like listening Sam and Leoben having an argument. HAHAHAHAHAHAH.
40. Sine Qua Non and The Hub should have been woven together into two integrated episodes. They should have dropped Lampkin, as his part was utterly pointless (people bitched about Kendra in Razor, but, seriously? There is not a damned reason to have Lampkin around other than to let him be a Superior Annoyance. Either that, or they couldn't figure out how to get Lee to be PRESIDENT any other way, which is lazy writing). It's annoying and frustrating they wasted screen-time on him and not on other things (LIKE CYLON PILOTS).
41. LEMON/RED WING OTP.
42. Sine Qua Non does sort of improve whilst listening to it, though. Sort of. And it's mostly the non-Lampkin moments that are interesting. Zarek (sigh), Sharon, Tigh, Kara (for her two second appearance, HI, KARA)...
43. OMG. Gaius/Roslin/Hybrid = COMEDY GOLD.
44. I just want to reiterate how fabulous I think Grace Park is for the Eights. I hearts them lots. And Caprica is love, too. Also, also, Fangirl is so totally Punchline's even more bitter partner in crime somewhere.
45. Natalie is <3 <3 <3 <3 <3, in case anyone missed me shouting it from work earlier.
46. D'Anna's accent is missing. Having mainlined Eye of Rapture a lot, it really is noticeable that she's toned it down. I don't know if it's on purpose or not.
However, I do find that the narrative and acting falls flat in some cases. I don't know if it's lazy acting or people being complacent about their own Awesomeness. (everyone talks up EJO, MM, JB, etc, etc, but the ones who stood out for me were GP, CKR and, oddly, Nana Visitor)
1. Six of One. This episode is unfortunately bad in that they chose a bad bad tact for Katee Sackhoff to take to show how Emotional she was. It sounds horrible, and is actually worse than Grace Park's Shouty Anger. It's just kind of heart-breaking, because prior to this, KS's performances had been awesome. I think we can blame the writing for at least this part of the episode combined with the directing.
2. Grace Park, otoh, pulls out all the stops and is superb as each different Eight. There's differences in their vocal sounds and (iirc) in the way they move, as well. The Eight in the conference and Boomer are distinct.
3. In fact, the Kara and Adama stuff is really painfully awful. It's sort of sad. (I mentioned this at least twice in my notes, sigh). I think a large part of my problem is that Kara is not stupid. She's going to UNDERSTAND why they're not going to trust her if they think she's a Cylon. She's not going to constantly freak out like a ten year-old going, "But I'm telling the truth, why won't you believe me?????" Srsly. I just kept muttering "whine moar." (I think the capper is when she goes after Roslin and the marines come in and Kara's all, "But Mathias, I'm your best friend??????" Because, no. She's going to get it. The marines are not exactly friendly to Cylons, even if they're friends).
4. The Cylon stuff, otoh, is awesome. The conferences, the arguments, the blood-bath at the end. MWAH.
5. HAHAH. head!Gaius is fucking hilarious. (also, it was during this scene that I realized the audio might be a bit off for the lower registers, as Gaius sounded far too gravelly--it's balanced by Sine Qua Non where all the women are high-pitched!) (also, Mathias was in the cafeteria, because someone's joking with her about the awful food in the beginning of the scene)
6. The Roslin and Adama scene is... ok? It was better with the visuals, I think. Though it's still decent emotions. However, one thing I noticed (and something I should write meta on, at some point) is that Roslin, like large portions of the fleet is stuck in the past. She hates the Cylons unreservedly, and that makes her stagnant. In this new world of survival measured in tens of thousands, there has to be change or no one will survive.
7. NATALIE. <3 <3 <3 <3
8. You know. (Ties That Bind, by now) Kara has always been 'fight or frak' when it comes to personal issues. So her daring Sam wasn't unexpected, especially since, well, she couldn't push him into fighting her.
9. 'Central' resurrection hub--does that imply there are more hubs out there? Later on, it's mentioned that without it, the resurrection ships can't function. Hrm.
10. Lee and Politics while being their own little OTP are boring the second listen through. Sigh. Yes, even Zarek.
11. You know who does believable shouty hysteria? Cally. She actually sounds like a real person cracking up and freaking out (I love KS, but she really really doesn't. She sounds forced and fake).
12. Cally might have divorced him, but I think she wouldn't have killed Galen or Nicky--after all, Tory was able to talk her down. And there's a bit where she's sobbing where it seems like it will all seem all right. Killing Cally was pointless.
13. (Escape Velocity) Callandra Henderson Tyrol. Did she have no middle name? I know one of the early things listed her as Jane Cally. And oddly, Callandra Jane Henderson rolls off the tongue well.
14. MOM. STOP PLANNING YOUR OWN FUNERAL, WOMAN.
15. So, Tigh is all yelling at Tyrol a lot about being wiggy and slacking, and how that will make people suspicious and think he's a Cylon and--really, Tigh, that's not going to cause suspicions. But your cute little Sekrit Meetings will.
16. Tigh, however, equals the awesomest babysitter ever.
17. Tory's little BDSM game with Gaius is funny.
18. 'Perfect just as we are' - Tory really likes that idea. It justifies everything she's ever done.
19. If the old Gods don't exist, as Baltar and head!Six claim, how can they fight back?
20. Galen isn't too bad with the shouty anger, though he's still a little strained.
21. Caprica is <3 <3 <3
22. Mom = big fluffy sweater wrapped around a large gold brick (in re: the brig scene with her and Gaius in EV).
23. Damn. Chief's speech is still repugnant and so pointless! He could have gotten the same result by punching the Old Man. This speech is just another tally on season four's ruthless destruction of the women on the show.
24. Caprica, you are awesome. ALSO. Caprica = Tigh's Leoben.
25. Why does Lee hurry over to Galactica to save Gaius after the emergency quorum meeting? Did he know his preachy boyfriend was in danger?
26. Jeeze. Mom/Dad flirting. O.o
27. (Road Less Traveled) Leoben was looking for the fleet to offer an alliance, Kara was just a happy coincidence.
28. If the Demetrius had jumped away, they would have left Sam behind, as he was running a scout. Does this mean there should be AU Sam and Leoben Find Each Other and Bond fic?
29. Sam, btw, also has some good (if vague) reason to believe Cylons can change--see Downloaded, and the conversation he overheard and his confusion at the end. On top of that, of course, he is a Special FF Cylon, so he wants Cylons to be good.
30. Thought on the deaths this season: a) Mathias held a gun on Sam; b) Jean murdered the Six in cold blood; c) Cally shot Boomer; d) Natalie is Cylon on Cylon violence, which has a long history already. Pike is an anomaly, of course, but Pike is male and a jackass. But my theory? People who have wronged Cylons are dying--Natalie allowed the 'deaths' of her brethren Ones, Fours and Fives when she led her coup.
31. (Faith) Sam isn't just protecting Kara, backing her to the hilt. He actually believes that she's right and can find Earth. And also that a human-Cylon alliance is a good thing. I also wonder if he thinks his program made him shoot Sparky? ("this wasn't--" he says, I wonder if he was going to say "this wasn't what I wanted"?)
32. Athena to Leoben, "Bitch, you were annoying before I got Helo. God. D'you ever change? Shut up!"
33. The Cylons don't understand the failure of New Caprica--and they won't, not until they face anihilation like the humans did. Because they don't understand how hard it is to forgive the destruction of the colonies. But with the Cylon civil war, they are beginning to understand, in some ways. Not in others, though. Not just yet (conversely, humanity doesn't know how to forgive).
34. Gods. Nana Visitor is frakking awesome. So is Mom. They sound like real people when emoting (I wonder if this is attributable to the director or the actors?) Oddly, Sam sounds like a real person when upset, too (beginning of Faith, you can hear him freaking the fuck out after he shoots Sparky).
35. Randomly, was D'Anna threatening to out them the catalyst to the viper's signals?
36. Is Natalie the dying leader who discovers the truth of the Opera House? Athena shot her, assuming she would steal Hera, but it's Caprica in the vision with Gaius (or was, once upon a time).
37. I think Caprica knew she was pregnant. Pity we don't get to know the answer to that. (Athena knew she was pregnant, too)
38. I refuse to believe Natalie is not alive somewhere, having been sucked up by the hybrid as she died and then transfered to the hub where she climbed out of a vat and jumped ship fast.
39. Saul and Dad having their argument in SQN is a little like listening Sam and Leoben having an argument. HAHAHAHAHAHAH.
40. Sine Qua Non and The Hub should have been woven together into two integrated episodes. They should have dropped Lampkin, as his part was utterly pointless (people bitched about Kendra in Razor, but, seriously? There is not a damned reason to have Lampkin around other than to let him be a Superior Annoyance. Either that, or they couldn't figure out how to get Lee to be PRESIDENT any other way, which is lazy writing). It's annoying and frustrating they wasted screen-time on him and not on other things (LIKE CYLON PILOTS).
41. LEMON/RED WING OTP.
42. Sine Qua Non does sort of improve whilst listening to it, though. Sort of. And it's mostly the non-Lampkin moments that are interesting. Zarek (sigh), Sharon, Tigh, Kara (for her two second appearance, HI, KARA)...
43. OMG. Gaius/Roslin/Hybrid = COMEDY GOLD.
44. I just want to reiterate how fabulous I think Grace Park is for the Eights. I hearts them lots. And Caprica is love, too. Also, also, Fangirl is so totally Punchline's even more bitter partner in crime somewhere.
45. Natalie is <3 <3 <3 <3 <3, in case anyone missed me shouting it from work earlier.
46. D'Anna's accent is missing. Having mainlined Eye of Rapture a lot, it really is noticeable that she's toned it down. I don't know if it's on purpose or not.
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8). For all that people insist that Sam is 'weak,' I do think he handles Kara's manipulations a lot better than, um, certain other people do. I do love that she can't get him to fight her, which might have been less complicated, and also sort of love that she herself isn't all that violent towards him. Yeah, she pushes him a lot, and that probably wasn't comfortable, but still. The gun to the head doesn't really count because it was for a Higher Purpose.
9. 'Central' resurrection hub--does that imply there are more hubs out there?
9). It totally does. Five of them, to be exact, one for each model of the Final Five. So, you know, there's a Hub out there producing just the Sam line, and there are millions of Sams there. And if the Cylon God really does exist, Kara shall find that hub before the finale. :)
10). I'm convinced that it was the Lee/Politics OTP in season four that killed the last bit of my Lee love, which really sucks.
12). Yeah, killing her was totally pointless, especially in retrospect. Initially, I was excited by the plot arc it was going to lead Tory down on (even though I was annoyed by her death), which would've been fun because that was an interesting direction to take the character. Except. All we got out of it was Tory having sex with Baltar, and she didn't even get her own arc outside of Baltar, so yeah, it really does feel completely pointless now. But, you know, BSG: All about the big gestures and not so much about what goes into the finer bits of those gestures.
19). This has been sort of the thread that's been bugging me the most because it shows lazy writing and lack of continuity in a way that makes me want to scream. It was never up for debate whether the Lords of Kobol existed or not. Whether they were false or actual gods, yes, but not their existence. When Athena!Sharon talks about them in the Kobol arc, she clearly believes that Athena existed. Roslin believes that they existed, too, at one point, but now she apparently always thought that they were metaphors. She sent Kara to possibly get killed on a death mission to retrieve an arrow left by a metaphor?
23). That speech bugs me, not just on a "whoa, that's sexist" level, but also a narrative one? Because I'm still not sure how we're supposed to read that. Like, is he deluding himself or actually means it? I would go with the first one (and generally, that's my interpretation of the relationship), but some of the stuff he says really bugs me.
33). I sort of have a hard time forgiving the Cylons (and so get the lack of human forgiveness for them). I can like and forgive many of them, but as a species? They planned the genocide of another race, and that's not exactly forgivable. Humans do need to forgive them for various reasons, yes, but the Cylons need to understand their mistakes first, and I'm not yet convinced that all of them do.
45). I'm so sad that we had to lose Natalie. She was such an interesting character and so distinctly different from most other Cylons, and she brought a new perspective that made the Cylon narrative more interesting. I...don't get what purpose her death served at all. They could've totally made the statement they were making about Athena without killing Natalie permanently.
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12. Yes. Just. Fuck. Yes.
13. Apparently the book that called her Jane Cally isn't actually canon. Or something. It was on the wiki too.
23. Tyrol...ugh. Between the "baby, I'm sorry I hit you!" shit and his tantrum in the bar...you know, I'm not sure I ever liked Tyrol.
38. I find your ideas intriguing and wish to subscribe to your newsletter. By which I mean, I loved Natalie too and I so don't want her to be dead.
I think I like the Cylons better than the humans sometimes.
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12. It was so pointless! And if you're watching it too, she actually handed Tory the baby, so she was completely talked down. But I suppose Tory didn't want to risk having anyone alive who could give them away.
13. It really annoyed me when they retconned Cally as her first name, so they could change her last name when she married Tyrol and not have to start calling her something else. It's just impossible to believe she'd be addressed by her first name while on duty in the military. It's one of those things, like Kara's flowing hair, that shouldn't annoy me nearly as much as it does.
15. Saul Tigh, master of subtlety. ;)
27. You think? I remember getting the impression that he'd "known" he'd find her. Or no, wait, she knew that she'd find him. So something of a reversal.
30. Well, I don't really think Jean killed the Six in cold blood - the Six was part of an occupying force. But then, Pike was hard-core anti-Cylon. But then again, haven't almost all the humans wronged at least some Cylons, and vice-versa?
31. *nod nod* Yeah, he was fervently hoping that some sort of reconciliation was possible, and he does genuinely believe in Kara, as opposed to just blindly following her because she's his wife.
34. A few people on my flist really hate Trucco as an actor, but I agree -I find him very genuine, which I guess they interpret as underacting. *shrug*
37. I'm not even a huge Six fan, and I hate that we've had no reaction from her to her own pregnancy.
40. Cylon pilots and maybe some transition between everyone wanting to put Kara out an airlock and her back to being the respected CAG? I hate that fandom latched on to frakking Romo. He's such a lazy writer's crutch.
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3. I think its not about the fact that Kara doesn't understand them not trusting her its that she can't cope with it emotionally. Kara has no emotional tools to deal with something like this her constant has deserted her its not about why so much it about how it makes her feel. In torn she was able to prove herself here she can't so she starts to lose it a little.
5. I noticed that too, but I think its more a deliberate choice by the actor. I noticed in a lot of his scenes this season his accent is subtly different its closer to the Aerolon accent he used in Dirty Hands. I think its part of Baltar's whole transformation he's not trying so hard to please anymore.
9. I just totally give in to suspension of disbelief on the whole Hub idea it has so many holes its easier to just say okay its magic, and move on.
11. You know its funny but in some ways Cally is one of the most real character's on the show everyone knows someone like her. I have always loved her for that and for the fact that she can kick ass when she needs to.
12. I am just holding out hope her death results in some major Karma for Tory down the line.
14. You know the thing that stuck in my mind during that scene was if that's what Kara's funeral was like? I can just see Lee throwing a fit about Sam leading a service and wanting a military one just so he can be in charge. I think Kara would have actually wanted the religous ceremony because being right with the gods meant a lot to her. Sorry if I'm rambling its just one of those thoughts that needs to get out of my head but its too depressing to write fic about right now.
25. Gaius/Lee is actually a pair I could ship their both so self involved there actually kind of perfect for one another.'
27. unless there is no such thing as coincidences.
30. My personal theory is that their killing off the characters that can't live alongside the cylons because the show is going to end in a humans and cylons settling down somewhere together for survival.
31. I think in Sam is probably just as religious as Kara is he's just quieter about it.