Warning: Spoilers galore if you haven't seen Daybreak, the final episode of the final season of Battlestar Galactica.
"I don't mean to rush you, but you're keeping two civilisations waiting!"
They promised it would all wrap up. And it did. Somehow, out of all the doom and gloom, death, destruction and nihilism we've had, Battlestar Galactica finished with something approaching a happy ending. Most of the major questions were dealt with in some form or another. Most of the character arcs were resolved – along with some plot points that seemed to have been left floating through the universe.
There's so much to get through in this two-hour finale, so do pick up anything I miss. Overall, it was a pretty satisfying conclusion. Even given the Lord of the Rings style endless ending(s), the promise of getting another 20 minutes or so on the DVD still sounds tempting.
Bringing back the Tory killing Cally story at this late stage was a brilliant last twist. They'd let Tory get away with it for so long that we'd almost forgotten about it. Just as it seemed like the humans and Cylons could finally work things out between them after the showdown in the Cylon Colony – boom! - unfettered chaos breaks out. No one's fault exactly. Nobody to pin the whole blame on. Just a series of long-established storylines converging at the most inopportune moment possible, leaving us with one final, heartbreaking "nooooooooooo!!!"
After Baltar's moving and convincing speech about belief to Cavil (the first time he's ever really believed what he's saying?) the Final Five agreed to upload the secrets of resurrection to the Cylon mainframe in exchange for Hera. A good deal all round.
The Final Five plunged their hands into the shared Cylon memory pool (aka Sam's bath, now wired into the Galactica's bridge – what a weird sight). But not without misgivings. They all knew that this connection would let the other four know everything about their lives. Everything. But even so, it was a shock to watch that most basic of emotions – revenge – unfold and undo the fragile peace, as Galen learned how his wife had died: shot out of an airlock by Tory. He pulls his hands out of Sam's Hybrid bath. The Cylons think the humans are pulling a fast one by suddenly stopping the Resurrection Hub info upload. Everyone starts shooting.
Then with just enough juice for one last escape, Starbuck plays her last hand: typing Hera's Watchtower notes into Galactica's FTL drive as jump coordinates. And there it is. Earth at last. Maybe not a total surprise in the grand scheme of the show, but it still packed enough of a punch, especially after the double-bluff of landing on a burnt-out planet at the start of this section.
So now we can look back at the entire series as a whole, what do you think? Did it hold up? Was it worth waiting for? Are you glad you stuck with it to the end? Is it the greatest sci-fi ever? The greatest TV show ever? (Do we even have to rate it instead of just really enjoying it?!) Ultimately, looking back at the journey, it feels like Battlestar's been a show about the nature of civilisation, about the rise and fall of societies, courage under fire, democracy v military, church v state. That, and some pretty cool robots. Roll on the DVD extras!
Frak-watch and other sitrep notes"Frak!" Brother Cavil's last word before blowing his Cylon brains out.
If you're curious about how Caprica's going to look, Ain't It Cool has posted seven clips today – will it fill the BSG hole?
"I know about farming." Redemption at last for Gaius Baltar. That one line said so much about his journey – and really justified the flashbacks to his testy relationship with his father last week. He's accepted who he is, his past, atoned for some of his sins, and is finally going to be able to put his scientific knowledge and childhood on a farm past to good use. And after getting the full blast of Lee's character assassination, there was a proper lump-in-throat pay-off watching Caprica fall for him again - "I'm proud of you Gaius" - after he decided to leave his flock and join the battle.
"Poetic justice"Nice to see Romo get one last laugh as President Lampkin.
Anders sets the controls for the heart of the sun; Hendrix plays out on the final scene – is Battlestar Galactica full of hippies?
"You can see them?"For once, Gaius and Caprica get to share their visions with someone else.
Kara disappearing. So was she an angel after all? Or did she just get into super-stealth ninja mode so she didn't have to deal with a teary goodbye with Lee? Were the wing tattoos on her arms a clue all along?
"I'm going to build our cabin right there."Adama and Roslin get their little house on the prairie after all.
The robots at the end. I could buy – even enjoy – the sight of Head/Angel/Demon Baltar and Six wandering through Times Square and checking in on humanity 150,000 years later, but the sight of those Sony Aibo robots (or whatever they were) clunking around modern shop windows just didn't do it for me. Too jarring, too much of the real world, and the now all of a sudden. And as for Ron Moore's cameo at the news stand, well, that really felt like a rare blunder – one of those things that probably sounded quite amusing in the writing room, but played out as totally distracting if you know what he looks like. He was way too prominent in the shot, almost winking at the audience right at the very end – he might as well have had a big T-shirt on saying "I wrote this!", or "Mwah ha ha! I'm the real God of Kobol!!
"I don't mean to rush you, but you're keeping two civilisations waiting!"
They promised it would all wrap up. And it did. Somehow, out of all the doom and gloom, death, destruction and nihilism we've had, Battlestar Galactica finished with something approaching a happy ending. Most of the major questions were dealt with in some form or another. Most of the character arcs were resolved – along with some plot points that seemed to have been left floating through the universe.
There's so much to get through in this two-hour finale, so do pick up anything I miss. Overall, it was a pretty satisfying conclusion. Even given the Lord of the Rings style endless ending(s), the promise of getting another 20 minutes or so on the DVD still sounds tempting.
Bringing back the Tory killing Cally story at this late stage was a brilliant last twist. They'd let Tory get away with it for so long that we'd almost forgotten about it. Just as it seemed like the humans and Cylons could finally work things out between them after the showdown in the Cylon Colony – boom! - unfettered chaos breaks out. No one's fault exactly. Nobody to pin the whole blame on. Just a series of long-established storylines converging at the most inopportune moment possible, leaving us with one final, heartbreaking "nooooooooooo!!!"
After Baltar's moving and convincing speech about belief to Cavil (the first time he's ever really believed what he's saying?) the Final Five agreed to upload the secrets of resurrection to the Cylon mainframe in exchange for Hera. A good deal all round.
The Final Five plunged their hands into the shared Cylon memory pool (aka Sam's bath, now wired into the Galactica's bridge – what a weird sight). But not without misgivings. They all knew that this connection would let the other four know everything about their lives. Everything. But even so, it was a shock to watch that most basic of emotions – revenge – unfold and undo the fragile peace, as Galen learned how his wife had died: shot out of an airlock by Tory. He pulls his hands out of Sam's Hybrid bath. The Cylons think the humans are pulling a fast one by suddenly stopping the Resurrection Hub info upload. Everyone starts shooting.
Then with just enough juice for one last escape, Starbuck plays her last hand: typing Hera's Watchtower notes into Galactica's FTL drive as jump coordinates. And there it is. Earth at last. Maybe not a total surprise in the grand scheme of the show, but it still packed enough of a punch, especially after the double-bluff of landing on a burnt-out planet at the start of this section.
So now we can look back at the entire series as a whole, what do you think? Did it hold up? Was it worth waiting for? Are you glad you stuck with it to the end? Is it the greatest sci-fi ever? The greatest TV show ever? (Do we even have to rate it instead of just really enjoying it?!) Ultimately, looking back at the journey, it feels like Battlestar's been a show about the nature of civilisation, about the rise and fall of societies, courage under fire, democracy v military, church v state. That, and some pretty cool robots. Roll on the DVD extras!
Frak-watch and other sitrep notes"Frak!" Brother Cavil's last word before blowing his Cylon brains out.
If you're curious about how Caprica's going to look, Ain't It Cool has posted seven clips today – will it fill the BSG hole?
"I know about farming." Redemption at last for Gaius Baltar. That one line said so much about his journey – and really justified the flashbacks to his testy relationship with his father last week. He's accepted who he is, his past, atoned for some of his sins, and is finally going to be able to put his scientific knowledge and childhood on a farm past to good use. And after getting the full blast of Lee's character assassination, there was a proper lump-in-throat pay-off watching Caprica fall for him again - "I'm proud of you Gaius" - after he decided to leave his flock and join the battle.
"Poetic justice"Nice to see Romo get one last laugh as President Lampkin.
Anders sets the controls for the heart of the sun; Hendrix plays out on the final scene – is Battlestar Galactica full of hippies?
"You can see them?"For once, Gaius and Caprica get to share their visions with someone else.
Kara disappearing. So was she an angel after all? Or did she just get into super-stealth ninja mode so she didn't have to deal with a teary goodbye with Lee? Were the wing tattoos on her arms a clue all along?
"I'm going to build our cabin right there."Adama and Roslin get their little house on the prairie after all.
The robots at the end. I could buy – even enjoy – the sight of Head/Angel/Demon Baltar and Six wandering through Times Square and checking in on humanity 150,000 years later, but the sight of those Sony Aibo robots (or whatever they were) clunking around modern shop windows just didn't do it for me. Too jarring, too much of the real world, and the now all of a sudden. And as for Ron Moore's cameo at the news stand, well, that really felt like a rare blunder – one of those things that probably sounded quite amusing in the writing room, but played out as totally distracting if you know what he looks like. He was way too prominent in the shot, almost winking at the audience right at the very end – he might as well have had a big T-shirt on saying "I wrote this!", or "Mwah ha ha! I'm the real God of Kobol!!
Supernatural seasons 1-4 dvd box set $43.99~!
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