Quick Writing Update and Thoughts on Season 2.0 of BSG

[amberfocus]

So yesterday I wrote 1,115 words on the original fiction, bringing the total to 4,152.  I also wrote 512 words on Leap of Faith.  I intend to do some work on both today.

I finished watching season 2.0 and the first two episodes of season 2.5 of Battlestar Galactica.  Not sure what that labelling is all about.  Did they take a massive break in the middle or something?  Because 2.0 ended with a major cliffhanger and then 2.5 starts with a major two parter, so that's what I'm guessing, particularly based on how shows on Sci-Fi channel tended to go.

I liked quite a bit of what I saw in the storyline where Starbuck goes against Adama and heads back to Caprica to find the arrow of Apollo, the icon that will lead the fleet to Earth.  She does this at the request of the president, proving to me that as much as she loves Adama, her loyalites are not always with him.  Running into Helo on Caprica and the second Sharon had her freaking the hell out, which was good to see.  Starbuck tends to keep actual emotion tucked deeply inside.  Yes, she reacts on her base instincts a lot, but to see her actually feeling things is more rare.  Running into the pyramid team was...kind of weird.  I mean, yes, they are athletes in good condition and all that, but when I compare it to one of our pampered, spoiled basketball teams here, I have a hard time believing they would have survived the cylons.  Maybe I should be comparing them to a hockey or football team instead, but that's not where my mind goes.  To me pyramid ball has always been more like basketball combined with twister.

I did not particularly care for the sudden romance that sprang up between Starbuck and the leader of the resistance/pyramid team.  It felt rushed, though not as forced as her one night stand with Baltar.  Here, I think she actually cared about the guy.  Her subsequent capture and placement into the cylon run hospital was downright creepy.  It was clear to me, and it should have been clear to her, that the second surgery scar was over her ovary, especially when she'd been told their was a cyst on it.  Do not tell me she's not clever enough to put two and two together and realize that they extracted an ovary so they could use her eggs.  It felt obvious to me.  The whole human women hooked into machines to be baby factories was horrific, but I don't get why she couldn't rescue them.  She had time.  No one was looking for her yet, she could have unhooked everyone and got them free.  Just destroying it all and watching them die seemed stupid and wasteful.  Maybe I missed something.  I don't know.

At least she found the arrow and got it back to Laura.

I did find it a little odd that Helo went from "You're a cylon and I hate you," to "You're carrying my child and I love you," with Sharon within the space of an episode or two.  It felt like it should have taken a bit longer for him to come to terms with that, but then I suppose the rest of the storyline with the Chief wouldn't have worked if he was still denying his feelings.

Finding the tomb of Athena and the path to Earth was nice.  I figured it was going to be longer and more drawn out for them than that.  Sharon proving herself to Adama was good and I think very necessary to explain why she was brought back onboard the ship and not left behind on Kobol with Helo (I can't imagine he would have gone without her).

The arrival of Pegasus and Admiral Kane was unexpected.  I took an instant dislike to the woman.  Usually I like women in head positions on space ships.  I loved Katherine Janeway on Star Trek Voyager.  I adore Herris Serano, Esmay Suiza, and Kylara Vatta from Elizabeth Moon's books.  Admiral Kane made me feel sick to my stomach.  Instinctively I didn't trust her and as things slowly began to unfold I realized I was right.  The things she did, the things she allowed on her ship made me sick to my stomach.  Allowing rape as an interogation method, as a form of sport, when you are a female in charge of things?  There is clearly something wrong with your head.  I don't care that it was a cylon prisoner.  Sharon's terror and horror when she was attacked, showed yet again why her character is my favorite.  Helo and the Chief getting there just in time to rescue her, cut it far closer than I liked.  And then when one of the attackers died during the rescue and they were sentenced to death by Kane...That just put the last nail in the coffin for the Admiral.

Finding the cylon prisoner version of Six on the Pegasus was even more horrifying.  What they had done to that woman, how they had so viciously abused her turned my stomach and made my heart sick.  Baltar, upon being left with her, showed major character growth as he tried to pull her back from the brink of insanity.  His tears and heartbreak that this could be done to a woman nearly identical to the one he had loved (and you finally realize he did love her, wasn't just using her for sex) humanized him so much.  I am glad he was able to help her escape and exact revenge.  When Adama ordered Starbuck to kill Kane, I thought she'd have to go through with it, and I was relieved when Six did it instead.  In Six's case it was justice and her motivation was pure.  In Starbuck's case it would have been assasination and I think she would have had a hard time living with it.

Laura was...sick a lot.  Other than her bit on Kobol she seemed to spend most of the time laying down or in a chair.  Her telling Adama he needed to kill Kane was a real shift in her character.  I can see how she got to that point, but it makes me think she's forgotten who she is a little bit.  Usually on this show that means she'll come back to it with a vengeance, though, so I'm not terribly worried about that.  She still impresses me as someone who has balls of steel, despite being on her death bed.

Duella/Billy continue to be sweet (though I don't particularly like Duella's wandering eye in Apollo's direction).

The kiss between Starbuck and Apollo was a bit strange and unexpected, though I suppose in his relief that she wasn't dead it can be explained.

I don't think I've talked about Tigh before.  I have a real love/hate relationship with him.  His declaration of martial law while Adama was unconscious really messed things up.  He acts before he thinks, a lot.  He's drunk half the time.  His wife is no good for him.  He makes these huge statements but backing them up is often dangerous and stupid.  Still, I like having him around.  He keeps things interesting.

I spent a good while willing Adama to wake up.  I wasn't sure I liked most of his decisions to start with, but as he got his stride back and mended his relationship with Laura it got better.  I think I was horrified when he ordered the assasination of Kane, though I saw the necessity of removing her from power.  It was ironic that while he was plotting her death, she was plotting his.

All in all it's been very enjoyable.  The show is never boring and it always makes me think and want to move on to the next episode.

Comments

[qtrhorserider.livejournal.com]

I loved this show from the start. I found it to be intelligent and thought provoking and not just entertaining. They certainly didn't pull any punches. All I can say is just wait til you see what happens next.

[maniacalshen.livejournal.com]

SHE'S CARRYING MY CHILD.

My friends and I got a lot of mileage out of that phrase. Someone actually announced his wife's pregnancy with it on Facebook.

[moose13.livejournal.com]

Glad you are still hanging in there! I think the 2.5 had something to do with a "virtual season", which I took to mean that 2.5 was online instead of aired on the SyFy (or Sci-Fi as it was known at the time) channel itself. I'm sure it was on in reruns later. No clue why they would do it that way, though. Anyone else know?

In any case, I'm delighted to see you are blowing through the eps as quickly as I did...good to know I'm not the only completely crazy one! ;-) I'm going to have to go back and rewatch the series at some point, at a slower pace, now that I won't be racing to see how it turns out. I feel like I miss details sometimes.