Battlestar Galactica - BEST TV SHOW EVER!!!!111
WARNING - SPOILERS FOLLOW…
A controversial finale for season two gave me some trepidation when I sat down to watch the first four episodes of Battlestar Galactica Season 3. I needn’t have worried - Ron Moore and the rest of the writers have proven themselves with some of the best television I’ve ever seen. Season 2 saw the survivors of the Cylon genocide settle down to life on New Caprica, unfortunately their respite lasted just one year and the Cylons returned and occupied the planet. Season 3 opened with parallels to the current war in Iraq - a strong occupying force and insurgent attacks taking the lives of both the occupiers and innocent civilians made the comparison obvious. It was handled well and what could have been an ‘in-your-face’ political statement instead made gripping and emotional television.
However, this isn’t the reason for this blog entry. Instead I have to rave about the latest two-parter - Exodus - a gripping, moving and jaw-dropping closure to the New Caprica arc. Amazing performances from every member of the cast, coupled with some stunning special effects made these two episodes a joy to behold. The opening moments of the second part see Colonel Tigh kill his wife in response to her treachery - a truly heartbreaking moment as he takes the life of the woman he loves, despite everything she did. Shortly afterwards we see Galactica appear over New Caprica and plummet through the atmosphere as the vipers launch - only to jump away before slamming into the planet below; this has to be one of the most breathtaking effects sequences ever seen in a television programme.
Battlestar Galactica could have jumped the shark at the end of last year, but now I have more faith in the writers and producers than ever before and I only hope that they’re given the chance to continue telling the story of the search for Earth for many, many years. It’s just a shame more people don’t watch what is probably the best show on television purely because it’s science fiction…
Agree 100% with everything you say, Colin. The season 2 cliffhanger had me really worried about the show’s future direction, but not only has it recovered its former brilliance - it’s gone from strength to strength (and I thought season 2 was the best it could get!). The “Exodus” 2-parter is one of the most gripping pieces of TV I’ve ever seen. This show deserves proper recognition; it’s far, far too good to be just ignored by some because of the ’sci-fi’ label.
October 24th, 2006 at 12:36 pm
On the contrary, because it’s a sci-fi (the commander said in an interview) but not that scientific to my standard, I only took several 1st season episodes before I quit. Sci-fi in my domain is closer to Star Trek series while Battlestar is closer to Starship Troopers series which I enjoy very much but not as a sci-fi but as a fantasy movie. Battlestar is more like highly politically-burdened Star Wars without the opening “long long time ago…”. That’s my first impression before the Cylon’s evolution of intelligence and appearance insults my sci-fi standard–compared to HAL of 2001: Space Odyssey. And sadly Battlestar is not of the same league with Starship for the thrill it generates. At least, it’s less bloody though outerspace battle is unique, like fireworks.
Anyway, do people really ignore it because it’s ‘too’ sci-fi? Or is it too high expectation of mine from a tv show? Or simply because Iraq issues don’t affect me that much; I’m no American. Zap zap!
October 29th, 2006 at 6:53 pm