Daybreak

[prog]

At first I was rolling my eyes in disappointment; it's one thing to go with a "Chariots of the Gods?" ending, but I couldn't rationally buy all the survivors unanimously deciding to go devo rather than found a city - it strikes me as fundamentally against human nature. As the episode continued, though, I made my peace with it; it certainly wasn't the first time BSG took a WTF turn like this (honestly, they tend to do it at least once an episode - see also Cavil's random suicide), and it was making the most of the direction that it headed in.

I wept quietly as things wrapped up, as I knew I would. But after the final shot of Hera in the wilderness, when the camera moved off her to pan through space and time and up onto a modern city, I totally lost my shit, sobbing loudly like a baby, straight through to the closing credits. I don't think I've really cried at the end of anything since The Empire Strikes Back, when I was seven years old. Then, I cried simply because the magic wonderful thing, like nothing I'd ever seen before, had suddenly stopped. This time, I thought I was prepared for it to happen again, but something about the exact note (ahem) that it ended on just floored me. I'm not sure I can express it yet; maybe I'll come back to it alter after I've had time to think about it.

I do like the nature of the thread they explicitly left without a clear resolution ("You know he doesn't like to be called that"), and state now that anyone who disagrees is a weenie. OK! Manly veneer re-applied. I'm ready for the commentary track now.

Comments

[keimel.livejournal.com]

I don't think Cavil's suicide was completely random. I believe it helped set off the counter-attack. Although, well, I could also see the more "Oh Gods damn you all... " and him just ending his fight like that. *shrug*

I chortled loudly once Caprica's 'angel' version of Baltar appeared. This is somehow not entirely surprising, but it is funny - that they were both following their own angels (PYL (pick your label)) through the whole thing but we only saw Baltar's 6 angel. Funny.

You have to wonder just what could happen with them, founding a new world, what story lines could be found with the rest of them. Gotta wonder if cylon skin jobs die of natural causes or old age and whether Galen's little solo colony remains solo.

And let's put in a quick WTF for the "Lawyer as president of the new Earth - we're totally fscked" and laugh ourselves together into litigation... har har...

Was a little worried with the shots of Hera running from her parents, not knowing what time it was, how much time was left in the episode, so I had some angst about that, but was pleased to see how they used her that way. Interesting.

Certainly there are plenty of threads on which they can exploit the franchise, hopefully not cheapening it, but certainly, there are places to go with it.

the whole disappearing Kara left us with a "So, WTF _IS_ she? " and totally unanswered, IMHO. She's realized her destiny so she magically goes "poof" ? Erm... not feeling a warm fuzzy on that.

I'm pleased, but a little let down. It's obvious that they could spin off another way, but heck, they could start the entire Pern series from where they are right now! (not that I'm hoping they will).

Mostly, I'm sad to see it end, but at least they went out with a positive note... sort of ;)

[prog.livejournal.com]

Caprica Six's "Head Baltar" had shown up several times before! Not nearly as often as "Head Six", but he had a reveal sometime in Season Two, I believe, and he had an appearance near the start of this season as well. We never saw the two "Head" characters together like this before, though.

It had been implied recently that the skin-jobs don't age, but it's ultimately left unclear, and I think deliberately so. I approve of this.

My interpretation of the posthumous Starbuck is that she originated from wherever the "Head" beings are from, but is not allowed to be fully cognizant of this.

More

[keimel.livejournal.com]

From:
http://www.nj.com/entertainment/tv/index.ssf/2009/03/battlestar_galactica_ronald_d.html


"(On whether Head Six and Head Baltar are angels or demons)

Moore: I think they're both. We never tried to name exactly what the head characters were, we never looked at them as angels or demons. They seemed to periodically say good things or evil things, to save people or to damn people. There was a sense that they worked in the service of something else... that was guiding and helping, sometimes obstructing, sometimes tempting. The idea at the end was that whatever they're in service of is eternal and continues, and whatever they are, they too are still around, with all of us who are the children of Hera. They continue to walk among us and watch."

Good Q&A... worth the read, I think.

[roboknee.livejournal.com]

One of my friends called me right s the show ended so we could discuss the show. He had similar reactions to you about Cavil and everybody choosing to go devo. We both thought, "shit, they're going to found Atlantis." But no, they didn't. It was still a rewarding ending and left some things up to the viewer to decide as to the final fate of humanity and whatever happened to the Cylons.

Of course, we also wondered, what about the base ships that were still out there? Like the ones referenced in part one? After that we wondered about survivors on the colonies that Galactica didn't rescue. We know they saved Anders on Caprica, but, were there survivors on any of the other colonies? I can't remember them saying anything about them. For me, it made my RPG geek mind go racing on ideas for campaigns.

[mrmorse.livejournal.com]

This is not actually relevant to this post, but the icon and cut-text reminded me. Edward James Olmos's comments on race at the UN panel on BSG are available on YouTube.

[prog.livejournal.com]

Thanks!

[cramerica.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I lost it at the 150K years later too... (similarly touching as FF7 ending). Loved the Mitochondria Eve tie-in-- is that how Hera saved Roslin!? I was a bit huh? at the spider-form Colony but decided it worked with the ensuing "ram the battlestar down its throat" action. Opera house dream into reality seemed like an anticlimax, like maybe they had other plans for it (or no plan at all) but felt it needed a quick wrapup. Also, clearly God is Jimi Hendrix.

[radiotelescope.livejournal.com]

I liked it! In all its crack-addled, large-parts-make-no-sense-at-all glory.

(I'm still trying to figure out if they could have time-travelled without knowing it.)

[prog.livejournal.com]

Because of the black hole? Because otherwise that plot detail was totally a big ol' feint. (One friend predicted that they'd end up zhooping back to pre-settlement Kobol.)

[mmcirvin.livejournal.com]

Maybe it was because I found NewBSG frustrating enough that I never got that emotionally sucked into the show, but the finale mostly annoyed me. Choosing to go devo, yeah, that's part of it--I didn't really believe any of these people would survive the week, let alone give rise to modern humanity.

And even if you grant the notion of Earth-primate-compatible ancient astronauts (which I guess we can handwave away with "God did it", since it's such a venerable if crackbrained tradition in SF and was part of the premise of BSG classic), there's a lot more to swallow. There's the presence of anatomically modern humans who completely lack language, and the weird and kind of patronizing idea that space people similar to 21st century Americans who deliberately ditched all their tech would have more effect on Earth natives than a fart in a windstorm, and the stupidity about "Mitochondrial Eve" (there's nothing special about Mitochondrial Eve except that she was the last one of our ancestors who happened to be in everyone's direct all-female line; other people living at the same time would have similar mitochondria, so how would you identify her skeleton?)

[mmcirvin.livejournal.com]

would have more effect on Earth natives than a fart in a windstorm

...apart from giving them exotic diseases, of course.

(Maybe it's just that Sam and I recently read Sarah Vowell's The Wordy Shipmates, about the Puritan settlers of New England. I'm reminded of the first seal of Massachusetts Bay Colony, with an Indian emitting a cartoon talk balloon that says "Come over and help us").

Seal

[prog.livejournal.com]

That is literally what it is, too. That's fantastic - I did not know this!

Thank you for the indirect book rec, too...

Re: Seal

[mmcirvin.livejournal.com]

I'm no expert on the subject but it was an engaging popular treatment. I don't suppose it's much of a spoiler to say that parts of it are very sad/disturbing, in ways that NewBSG fans would probably find relevant.

[mmcirvin.livejournal.com]

other people living at the same time would have similar mitochondria

Hmm, I guess maybe they wouldn't if she was really a space person, but how would anyone today know that?

[radtea.livejournal.com]

I was so frustrated by the first season that I didn't get any further into it. I didn't buy into most of the characters and didn't much like the ones (like Adama) who were remotely believable, and found the plot generally implausible and the pacing frustrating, with the whole thing clearly constructed for emotional effect rather than what for want of a better term I'll call narrative proficiency.

I started it expecting a grand portrait, and what it delivered was a series of miniatures, each quite cleverly crafted, but too much at odds with what I was expecting for me to get over the disconnect.

[ahkond.livejournal.com]

I was very annoyed with it. The mysteries were not explained: "it's all part of the Plan" is not an explanation. I did not get emotional about it - I was enjoying the goodbyes and the acting while at the same time feeling let down by the plot.

However, I did completely lose my shit at the ending of Six Feet Under. Now that was some sobbing and weeping right there.

raped in the face

[taskboy3000.livejournal.com]

F Ron Moore. The series started fine, but he and the writers could not pay any of the plot debts incurred over 3 years. Season 4 was a complete waste of time and answer nothing well.

Re: raped in the face

[taskboy3000.livejournal.com]

Also, the God hypothesis was completely stupid. The show had a chance to explore the meaning of humanity in a world were machines were their equal. EPIC FAIL.

The 150K end was stupid. Angels are stupid. The "all this has happened before" crap does not explain Bob Dylan's muse.

Dumbest. Show. Ever.