At this point I’m starting to wish that the series had been called anything BUT “Battlestar Galactica,” because ANYTHING that prevents people watching this–possibly one of the finest SF series ever–is truly unfortunate. And Doctor Who ain’t no slouch either. Spoilers below:
I thought last week’s episode featuring the wrenching scene of Tigh dispatching his wife was a highlight of emotional agony. Apparently, though, they were just getting warmed up for this week’s episode as a Star Chamber of Galactica regulars kidnaps, judges, and executes anyone who cooperated with the Cylons during the occupation of New Caprica. Watching Jammer futilely beg for his life was just heartbreaking, especially when we’re watching such heroic characters as the chief turning a deaf ear. And, of course, the real kicker is that we have a situation where hidden tribunals, torture and death are sanctioned by the head of a Democratic government. That could NEVER happen in the real world.
The best SF comments on the real world using science fiction trappings. BSG does more than comment: It lances all perceptions, taking the people we sympathize with, casting them in the most unsympathetic roles imaginable, and practically daring us to remain on their side. Long-time friendships are shattered, alliances are formed between former enemies. Everything remains fluid, and yet nothing (aside from the occasional seer) feels contrived. Plus Richard Hatch’s role looks to be expanded, which is great as far as I’m concerned, and I’d love to see him expanded to full-time regular status.
DOCTOR WHO: Okay, this is kinda killing me, because as fantastic as the launch of the two-parter re-introducing the Cybermen was, I gotta say…without spoiling anything…that they’re just getting warmed up. See, I’ve seen all the episodes through to the season ender, and that’s what I’d REALLY like to be talking about, but it’s too unfair. So I’ll simply say to all of you who are seeing it for the first time on the Sci-Fi Channel–just wait. The return of Pete and the alternate world, and the return of the Cybermen–more formidable than ever–is just the first act in a superb season that will increasingly feel like a rollercoaster ride. Enjoy it.
PAD
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They’ve shown movies like Species, although I don’t know what kind of edits they made to those movies.
They chopped them up pretty good, IIRC.
Well there’s been some “graphic” sex scenes between Baltar and 6 on Sci-Fi… Is it any worse than those? I’ve seen far far worse on regular network TV than those. But then this is the age of censorship here in the US.
I’d forgotten about some of the Baltar/Six scenes. I think this scene was a tad more intense, but considering the precedent maybe it would pass muster after all.
I had a blast today watching the Halloween HEX marathon on BBC America. What a terrific show!
It’s fairly explicit, too. Has anyone else this great series?
BBC America would be the place for Torchwood, if SciFi balks.They’ll be showing Doctor Who starting Nov. 21. I just love the promo they’ve been running with Christopher Eccleston.
“PLEASE tell me The Doctor and Lumic have at least ONE scene together in the second part!”
If not , you can always rent “Goblet of Fire”. 🙂
If not , you can always rent “Goblet of Fire”. 🙂
Wow. I never made that connection.
But then, all the Harry Potter movies have had such impressive casts that it’s easy to forget who played some of the smaller roles (such as Barty Crouch).
Although it was fun watching Casanova on PBS just a couple of weeks ago – not only because the show itself was excellent, but Russell Davies has reused several of the actors for guest spots on Who in these first two seasons. 🙂
Anyone else agree that Gaeta should have died in last week’s BSG? I think it would have been a much more powerful ending if this extrajudicial Circle had executed him, only to discover that he was the hero responsible for their rescue. THAT would have been an ending that stayed with you!
But now all the Circle jerks have to see Gaeta every day, and remember whenever they see him that because of their little kangaroo court, they almost killed one of the greatest heroes of the Resistance.
And maybe wonder if one or two of the other victims of their little foray into vigilantism might have been a secret hero, too…
The update of the Cybermen’s look is impressive, they remind me quite a bit of Marvel’s Ultron in their current incarnation.
I believe that’s because their new design was created by fan-favorite Bryan Hitch.
[B]I can’t disagree with you on anything about Battlestar Galactica. My only request is they get Apollo out of the fat suit as quick as possible because he looks like, well, an athletic guy wearing a fat suit.[/B]
I saw an interview where he said it wasn’t a fat suit. He really did gain the weight (and then lose it again) for the show. I also found out he’s has a strong English accent when not using his “American” accent.
I saw an interview where he said it wasn’t a fat suit. He really did gain the weight (and then lose it again) for the show. I also found out he’s has a strong English accent when not using his “American” accent.
Yikes. I always have thought endangering your health for your art is perhaps taking it too far. At least he didn’t go as far as Christian Bale did for The Machinist.
I believe that’s because their new design was created by fan-favorite Bryan Hitch.
I’ve seen it mentioned that Hitch’s new Cybermen have more in common with Iron Man than Ultron; I think Hitch also worked on Iron Man in the last couple of years.
There was a photoshop floating around of the Cyberman pic the BBC released, but painted in Iron Man’s red & yellow. It looked great. 🙂
I gather Sci-Fi cut the scene where the homeless guys are converted to Cybermen.
I have often suspected I that scenes were being abbreviated between commercial breaks. Are the dvd episodes uncut? I’ve pre-ordered the single disc version that contains my favorite season 1 episodes (“The Empty Child” and “The Doctor Dances”) and I so hate having even the tiniest bit cut from something. (I’m sure I’ll collect the rest of the series this way, the boxed set is a bit much for me to part with at once, but seeing restored cut scened would be a good motivator for me to keep collecting.)
I agree that names mean a lot. I could not watch BG until recently as I remembered Battlestar Galaxative all too well.
“Firefly” was a bad name, but nowhere as bad as “Serenity,” which sounded like a lame John Cusack movie.
I almost decided to give up on BG as I was starting to not like anyone!
Incidentally, I gather Sci-Fi cut the scene where the homeless guys are converted to Cybermen.
Watched the link. Shame they cut the scene out of the broadcast. It’s rather creepy.
The update of the Cybermen’s look is impressive, they remind me quite a bit of Marvel’s Ultron in their current incarnation.
I believe that’s because their new design was created by fan-favorite Bryan Hitch.
Sorry, but Bryan didn’t do any concept/design work after the initial launch of the show.
>>I gather Sci-Fi cut the scene where the >>homeless guys are converted to Cybermen.
>I have often suspected I that scenes were being >abbreviated between commercial breaks. Are the >dvd episodes uncut?
Dunno. I copied the shows for re-viewing directly to DVD off air here in the UK where they aired without ad breaks and, obviously, uncut. I’ve never viewed the commercial DVDs.
In re the Cybermen, I see that a fully functioning Cyber-conversion unit turns up in the fourth ep of Torchwood. Knew this was coming from the previews, but it looks good and will presumably tie-in to stuff in Dr Who.
((What would happen to the Doctor’s head if he had to live a plain and simple life for awhile? No alien invasions, no murderous cyborgs, just a day job and a girl. What if he actually had to face his fear of watching the people around him grow old and die?))
We’d get Giacomo Casanova!
“I saw an interview where he said it wasn’t a fat suit. He really did gain the weight (and then lose it again) for the show. I also found out he’s has a strong English accent when not using his “American” accent.”
“Yikes. I always have thought endangering your health for your art is perhaps taking it too far. At least he didn’t go as far as Christian Bale did for The Machinist.”
I think yopu may have misunderstood something he said. He did a TV Guide interview where he stated that the extra weight was a fat suit and there was a vid clip on Sci-Fi’s website showing him getting put in the suit and make up before shooting. Plus, if you pay close attention, the only two or three times they show him without a shirt on they framed the shot from the neck down.
The misunderstanding may be from what got me the first time I saw him talk about it. He keeps saying that he doesn’t stay fat this season as they let him “Jenny-Grieg” his way back down to fighting shape. It wasn’t until the third interview I saw him in where he actually said that that meant ditching the fat suit and how glad he was to be out of the thing.
Here’s another link with him talking about it.
http://www.visimag.com/tvzone/t205_feat01.htm
I sympathize with PAD, as I’ve seen all of the second season of the new Doctor Who, and can’t wait for “The Runaway Bride.” You guys watching the Sci-Fi run ain’t seen nothing yet! (Might want to stock up on Kleenex for the season ender.)
Torchwood is starting to grow on me. Most of the Doctor Who references are oblique, at best, so you can jump right in without knowing anything of the original series. (Of course, if you’re in the know about the Doctor, there are a few nods and winks.)
Except: Rose’s resurrection of Captain Jack in the first season ender had more repercussions than one might have thought, and they do actually use the “c” word: Cyberman. (What else did you think I meant?) Matter of fact, the working title for episode four is “Cyberwoman.”
Can’t wait!
Mr. David,
We already have a well written good science fiction show, It’s called Star Trek. Too bad you turned your back on it for trash like this.
My one complaint about the new Cybermen? They don’t talk in the creepy sing-song voice anymore.
Shame really.
To Joe Sargent:
YIKES! Are you in for a rebuttal!
To Everyone Else:
Anyone now wanna make the argument that Baltar is at least in some way is a Cylon. (I mean now that he’s questioning himself in the previews to the 11/3 episode.) I don’t think he’s a top-of-the-line model mind you. But isn’t it reasonable that he might be a “custom” make used exclusively to trick Caprica into giving up its computer codes?
–Captain Naraht
Whew, finally got to watch them both. (God bless DVR) I think I’m just going to have to stop watching BSG before going to bed.
One of the things that’s been rattling around in my head since the previous season of Dr. Who that was finally driven home for me this episode (Note, I hadn’t seen a lick of Who before the Eccleston season) is how much it impresses me that they can take things that, in any other context, would just look goofy (Daleks and Cybermen) and make us actually buy them as menacing. I think it has a lot to do with the acting. The characters actually look genuinely concerned.
Or maybe the secret is just picking a single word and repeating it over and over in a mechanical voice. “Exterminate! Exterminate!” “Delete! Delete!”
-Rex Hondo-
1I just had a thought. We have been assuming since the first episode that the Cheerleader’s dad and his team are the bad guys. We have been lead to believe that they killed Mustafa (sp wrong)’s father. But that’s not yet been proven, yet has it? He just showed up searching his house.
Yes, he kidnapped the cop, but he put him back, no worse for wear, when he was done. And we don’t know what would have happened with the senator-canadate. All they’ve been shown to be doing is researching.
And then there is that little point that he didn’t kill his daughter’s would be rapist.
Suppose that he and his team are actually the good guys, or perhaps the gov’t investigating these new beings or an para-gov’t group like the Watchers on Buffy or Highlander.
We already have a well written good science fiction show, It’s called Star Trek. Too bad you turned your back on it for trash like this.
Yeah, we should only have one well written sci-fi show ever. All you other sci-fi writers just stop trying.
“As a final side note, I’ve read that the actors playing the Doctor and Madame are romantically involved in real life.”
He’s hooking up with a puppet? And people think I’m weird!
Joe, Joe, Joe….reactions like that, as large a Trek geek as I am(wait, you guys didn’t know I’m the biggest one in Pennsylvania?) they just reinforce the stereotypes some people have. There is a whole world of entertainment outside Trek. Although, with my schedule I don’t get to see ANY of it! (First one to mention either DVR or VCRs get whipped with a wet tribble.)
Rex, sorry, Secretary Hondo, if you think repeating stuff doesn’t work, next time you’re in McDonald’s, just keep repeating “Big MAC big MAC big MAC big MAC SHAKE SHAKE SHAKE Big MAC big MAC” and see if the people don’t move away from you. Far away.
Sean, it certainly bears some consideration, especially when nursing is really being a pain at work. I may have to go back to a classic, though. I’ve always been fond of NOMAD’s “Sterilize,” and it fits well in a healthcare setting.
Of course, it only becomes menacing instead of annoying in the long term if people learn fairly quickly that every five or six robotic shouts of “Sterilize!” are punctuated by somebody getting a cattle prod enema.
-Rex Hondo-
Having the series close with the two iconic foes fighting was spoilt due to so much air time given to the soppy love story finale. The fight scenec was given a petty few minutes and the ending which was overly drawn out and quite embarrassing to watch was over ten minutes.
Looking forward to the return of the Rani next year though.
Torchwood, if you expect Doctor Who then don’t watch it. It is not spectacular. If you was a new Sci-Fi conspiricy show then this one is for you.