DaBeast on 31/3/2008 at 20:38
Quote Posted by ZylonBane
Going crappy? BSG already turned to crap in the last half of season 3. I'd like to think that over the looooooong break Moore would have had time to pull his head out of his ass and return to what made seasons 1-2 great, but from everything I've seen he's completely unapologetic about the idiotic season 3 finale.
Fair points I think. There are quite a few things that annoyed the hell out of me.
Settling on new caprica, I didn't like that arc at all. Hera (the fake abortion thing), Treating human-like cylons like talking computers , like when Ros wanted to chuck what's her name out the airlock. It just feels like some half assed racial tension, too forced imo.
The Pegasus was a wasted storyline. Having the rape thing just felt too black and white. "Look here he's trying to rape her they must be evil".
Mainly the things that annoy me on the show, and in all tv shows these days, are the sudden plot twists that make no sense ruin the story arc. (Lost seems made up entirely of these, I don't believe it has a true plot, just series of cliffhangers that make no fucking sense and serve only to test how gullible an audience is)
Malygris on 1/4/2008 at 00:23
Gotta roll with ZB on this one. The wheels have come off and I think it's generous to say it took until the midpoint of season three for it to happen. I felt like I watched the entire season almost solely to see if it could get back to being a decent show again. The weak stories, the bullshit finale and the fact that it's been well over a year since the last new episode was aired (what the hell is that all about, anyway?) has left my interest level dangerously near zero. I'll be watching, but it'll take something close to a small miracle for Moore and co. to pull this one out of the shitter.
icemann on 1/4/2008 at 07:11
Forget there was the strike and all until recently?
Thirith on 1/4/2008 at 08:41
To give a somewhat different perspective: I loved the season 3 ending. It gave me chills - the good kind. It may still end up being utter crap, depending on how they continue from here, but I found the last 10 minutes (the reveal of the four, the use of "All Along the Watchtower", the return of You-Know-Who and the camera zoom out and back in to focus on Earth) utterly riveting. I've never minded the metaphysical element of the storyline, since that's been there from the beginning; for instance, I greatly enjoyed the Leoben/Starbuck episode in season 1.
I did think there were a couple of eps that were decidedly weaker in season 3, for instance "Dirty Hands", "The Woman King" or "Hero", but you had bad episodes in earlier seasons too. I don't think anything in S3 was as bad as the episode that introduced Ellen Tigh, for instance. And I thought that all of the weaker S3 episodes had moments that were worthwhile.
I'm undecided about Razor, though; I thought some of the writing was weaker, and I thought that some of the Young Bill Adama sequence was way too cartoony. The return of the old-school Cylons struck me as ill-advised fan service, at least the aerial battle with Babyface Adama and their "By your command". I shouldn't really be thinking of Cylon and Garfunkel's rendition of "Scarborough Fare" in a tense action sequence...
Sulphur on 1/4/2008 at 18:20
Season 3 was a bit weak, especially the latter half with some rather questionable episodes and developments (the boxing match, the episode about Adama's wedding anniversary - both seemed to try and flesh out Adama's character, but did pretty much the reverse. And there was
the sequence of events leading to Kara's sudden marriage to Anders, which was quite the wtf!? moment).
And the finale, I'm sure, ruined it for quite a few people. BSG's first season roped people in because it dropped most of the sci-fantasy fantastical horseshit for sci-fi with intelligent, believable characters.
The second season, however, brought in more overtly fantasy overtones to the table, which raised some questions about the direction of the series. And the latter half of Season 3 answered those by taking it pretty far into the twilight zone.
But y'know, I think the finale actually ups the ante. Forgetting the questionable plot decisions (which I know is pretty hard for a lot of folks), it's the implication of what's to come that intrigues me.
Because, well, BSG's always had a somewhat religious angle. While I realise the whole Bob Dylan in Space angle is patently ridiculous, it's fitting because All Along the Watchtower references chapter 21 of the Book of Isaiah. (http://www.sacred-texts.com/bib/kjv/isa021.htm) Link.
There's no denying the ominous portent of the song. Verse 9 of Chapter 21 talks about the fall of Babylon and its gods... which could parallel events in the BSG universe, considering the multitheistic beliefs of the colonists and the monotheistic religion that the Cylons seems to have. It's heady stuff with tons of possibilities if this is indeed the direction the finale's pointing to.
Also, I know the big wtf!? reveal with the 4 of the final 5 Cylons doesn't make much sense, but the implications are huge. These people aren't exactly from the lower echelons of the crew; what they're going to do now is anyone's guess. Hopefully, the writers haven't taken the easy, audience-friendly route with where this could go.Banksie on 1/4/2008 at 23:32
Quote Posted by Thirith
The return of the old-school Cylons struck me as ill-advised fan service, at least the aerial battle with Babyface Adama and their "By your command". I shouldn't really be thinking of Cylon and Garfunkel's rendition of "Scarborough Fare" in a tense action sequence...
If they are showing scenes from the first Cylon war then they have to show the older style Cylons as the mini-series established that they looked like the Cylons from the first series. That level of fan service has been present in the series from the get go - including using the old theme music as well.
fett on 2/4/2008 at 00:35
I thought the Dylan reference was spot on actually. All Along the Watchtower has been embraced by the Christian (monotheist) church since the 60's as an anthem of perseverance and the return of Christ. Very appropriate IMO as a theme song for the Cylons who are seeking a singular God of some sort, and looking for a coming paradise (earth). Maybe I only get that because of my experience w/in a monotheistic theological mindset, but as soon as they started humming the melody, I knew exactly where it was going. :erg:
ZylonBane on 2/4/2008 at 02:06
Quote Posted by fett
I thought the Dylan reference was spot on actually.
Except, you know, for the whole
that song doesn't exist in the BSG universe thing.
Fafhrd on 2/4/2008 at 03:20
Clearly it DOES, else this argument wouldn't exist.
ZylonBane on 2/4/2008 at 03:49
And whether or not they are able to adequately explain that... or even *try* to explain it, is how we will know whether or not Season 4 will be utter Twin Peaks-grade shit.
