What’s Up With Battlestar Galactica?
I promised long ago that I wouldn’t write incessantly about BSG. And, I haven’t. Okay, it wasn’t all that long ago. But, that’s not the point.
The point is, what the frak is up with Battlestar going into the second half of season three? It used to be that the shows led from one to the next. Each episode got you psyched up for the next, and you couldn’t wait until next week.
For the past three shows, though, they’ve been wrapped up neatly at the end of each hour. We’re wondering what’s happened to at least a couple of story lines — for instance, what’s up with Six, rotting away in her cell? Oh, sure. We saw Baltar this week, who’s been writing a propaganda piece in an attempt to stir discontent among the working class members of the fleet.
In the meantime, what’s going to happen with his trial? Or, did the writers forget about that. President Roslin says he’ll get his trial. In fact, that scene was in the teaser for this past episode.
There was rumor that BSG was going to move from SciFi to its parent-network, NBC. And, it seems that this new approach to the show would be positioning it to be better packaged for commercial network television. However, according to this page on the SciFi site, that’s not going to happen.
So, again, what’s the deal? I know that Donna and I aren’t the only ones disappointed in the new format. The BSG forums on the SciFi site are also a-buzz with discontent. I know the show has been given the go-ahead for at least 13 episodes in season four, but, if the writers don’t turn things around, that may be all they get!
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There were similar moments in Season 2, but these seem to have gone on longer, even though I don’t think they have. I think we’re seeing the “character development” episodes a la “Black Market”, “The Final Cut”, “Scar”, “Sacrifice”, and to some extent “The Captain’s Hand.”
There seem to be two/three involved arcs per season, with these interstitial character-centered episodes mixed in for breather space. The first half of season three was all very tightly woven and contiguous, from “Occupation”/”Precipice” through “Eye of Jupiter”, with “Hero” perhaps being the only outlier (though it did serve to help bring Tigh back out of self-pity). So now it seems we get served up our 4-5 stories that are a little outside the big arc.
BTW - they better get things right for Season Four. It’s the longest season gap they’ve had - 9 months between the end of 3.5 and 4.0. The finale of this season is 3/25 and the new episodes don’t premier until 1/08!
I guess it just seems out of character to come back from the mid-season break, with most of season 3.0 being serial, to three consecutive “complete” shows in season 3.5.
And yes, the break between season 3 and season 4 is huge! What’s up with that?!?
I haven’t said anyhting about it, but I too am part of the unhappy legion. The episode with the doctor of death was just as worhtless as Blackmarket with muttering Bill Duke (he is NOT an actor). Adama and the ghost of marriage past should have occured much earlier in the show or not at all. That episode really put on the brakes. And now we have Baltar writing the communist manifesto or mein kamph and another Tyrol/Callie centered story.
Here’s another forgotten story arc. Kara Thrace the viper pilot/part time abstract artist, who painted the eye of Jupiter on her apartment wall is suppossed to be some sort of ‘chosen’ or ’special’ person. We haven’t heard jack about that since the end of an episode four or more weeks ago.
I really don’t like what they are doing and they aren’t giving me a good enough reason to sit up late on Sunday nights. Moore and crew better get the frack back on track.
SO SAY WE ALL!
it’s my fault. as soon as I got DirecTV and am able to follow it from week to week the whole thing went to hell. (!)
That’s it! We’re taking your TV away again!
I think the problem is that they’ve lumped all the non-serialized episodes together rather than distributing them more evenly. Although, in the context of this season’s story line, it can and should be argued whether or not any of the episodic side stories were necessary or even desirable.
BTW, Tea - how’s the DTV thing working out? I’m almost ready to run screaming from Comcast, and don’t know whether to wait for the FiOS buildout or go satellite.
From what people have told me, Rob, FiOS is really, really worth the wait.