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alexiscartwheelI've read a variety of reactions to the Battlestar Galactica finale, but I wholeheartedly loved it. Sure, there were a few moments that made me go "huh?", but overall it was an amazing finish to one of the best shows on television. I can't believe it's all over now! :(
Daybreak, Part 1 set things up really well, and definitely ratcheted up my anticipation level. Last week, in addition to being spring break, really became Battlestar Galactica week. The character flashbacks inspired me to go back to the beginning and rewatch the miniseries, and on Friday I watched a good bit of Sci-Fi's all day BSG marathon. (I admit, it was a struggle pulling myself away.) Having just rewatched some older episodes, I was really impressed with how many old plot and character elements were brought back into Daybreak, Part 2.
To me, Daybreak was all about characters, where they've come from and where they're going. The characters are what I love best about BSG. Most of them are deeply flawed, yet they're portrayed in such a way that even when they make terrible choices, you understand their reasoning and still care about their fate. Kara Thrace and Laura Roslin, my two favorite characters are prime examples. Kara is often reckless and self-destructive, and Laura can be ruthless and cold. But I still love them anyway.
The first half was the action-packed last hurrah for the Galactica. The human-cylon alliance's showdown with the cylon Colony already had epic potential, but it went way beyond my expectations. The opera house dream played out really well. Weaving the dream in with the characters wandering through Galactica's halls was really well done. The dream always had this unexplained sense of urgency and danger, and now we know why. (Who wouldn't be panicked about a three year old child running around alone in the middle of a space battle, even if the future of two races didn't dpend on said child?) Everyone had their great moments during the fight: Lee, Kara, Helo, Athena, Adama, even Gaius Baltar!
About Baltar: he's been a character that I've long loved to hate, but this season I found myself liking him more and more. I wasn't crazy about his harem, but the increasing suggestions that he was finally developing some sense of responsibility for his actions and some real religious convictions interested me. I was happy to see him step off the Raider to stay and fight, and loved his scenes with Caprica. They're "You can see them" moment with Head Baltar and Six was priceless. I was surprisingly quite pleased to see Baltar and Caprica end up happy together, and Baltar's "I know about farming" line was genuinely touching.
Look at me, praising Gauis Baltar instead of fangirling Kara incessantly! That will happen soon, though, after this moment for Helo and Athena. I was always a bit "meh" about Helo, but began warming to him after time, especially in season 4. He sometimes seems too good and a bit self-righteous, but he's also level-headed and capable, and he cares deeply about his family and friends. I was so happy when he walked back on screen with Athena and Hera; I was so sure he died trying to rescue his daughter. The Athena-Boomer standoff was a showcase of the power of choices. Athena has consistently proven her loyalty to her family and her crew, in contrast to Boomer, who has lacked the conviction to stand by her choices. (Grace Park and Tricia Helfer have been amazing. They've both brought distinct personalities to the Eights and Sixes.)
STARBUCK!! She kicked ass in the attack, cause that's what she does, led the fleet to Earth through Dylan, and... suddenly vanished. For me, that was the most surprising thing about the finale. It's not the ending for her that I'd have preferred, but I can see how it works. Kara questioned herself and her "special destiny" a lot this season, especially after discovering her body on Earth, but even without gaining any real answers, she started to do some healing. Her visions of her father in particular helped her resolve some past demons. When she says she completed her journey, I think she’s talking just as much about all those things from her past as about finally reaching Earth.
Lee's a big part of that past, too, and there's been tension between the two of them since the mini. The Lee/Kara flashbacks provided some anvilicious illumination of that tension. Here's two people, both with a lot of pain in their lives, who've been crashing into each other for years, but never at the right moment. The drunken attraction in the flashbacks grew over time into a deeper love and respect for each other, but they still can't get it together. In season 4 I feel like they've both had an unspoken acknowledge of their love for each other, but they've got duties that keep them apart, with Kara focused on Earth and Lee on leading the government. They're still there to support each other though, during the mutiny or at Kara's "outing."
I wanted Kara and Lee to get what Saul and Ellen did: the opportunity to have all the pressures and responsibilities lifted so they could just be together in peace. However, when Ellen died she was resurrected; when Kara died, she stayed dead but came back as some sort of angel. (Baltar was actually right?!) It's sad, but also good in a way. Even though she died at the nebula, her family still needed her, the fleet still needed her, and she needed them, so she was given more time. She fulfilled her destiny, and she "fixed" herself along the way. I've never liked Kara/Sam, but I've liked the way she came to accept his death and deal with her guilt about their marriage. It's also good to see that Lee's finally come to a place where he can let Kara go and not be destroyed by it, but it's sad to see him alone. He's so excited and energetic, then loses Bill, Laura, and Kara in one fell swoop. And then... nothing.
And finally the big one: Bill and Laura. OMG. Over several years they turned a comforting lie into a reality. They did so much for other people, but in the end finally learned to do something good for themselves. Edward James Olmos and Mary McDonnell have been fabulous as Bill Adama and Laura Roslin from the start, consistently delivering nuanced performances of two very complex characters. Yet another reason to love BSG: the central romantic relationship in the show is between the middle aged military commander and the female president. Awesome.
I’ve been preparing for and dreading Laura’s death all season; there was no way she’d miraculously be cured twice. But oh how I wanted her to live, so we could have one big happy Adama family, with PapAdama, MamaRoslin, and the kids. From Adama and Roslin’s goodbye onward, it was a tearfest. It’s tragic that Laura isn’t able to enjoy Earth, but I’m so glad she made it there, and Bill is so adorably devoted to making the most of their remaining time together. His goodbye to Lee and Kara… guh. (“Nothing but the rain.” I think that’s the very first conversation the Adama and Kara had in the miniseries, and it’s also there last. The symmetry! God, I love this show.) And Roslin waving. It makes me so sad.
I absolutely love the final Adama/Roslin scene in a “that’s so horribly sad but also beautiful” way. He’s building her cabin!! That scene was so powerful I thought the episode would end there, and it would have been a good stopping place. Just wow.
The actual ending is where I get into my only big issues with the episode. (I don’t like Kara’s exit, but I can accept it, especially since a bright shiny future didn’t seem to be in the cards for Lee/Kara, and it could have been so much worse.) I guess they did need to explain why Hera was so important, but the Ron Moore cameo was extremely jarring, and the robots on TV seemed off as well. However, I did Hendrix, and I did like having Head Six and Head Baltar walking off into the “sunset” together, because it seemed like they had come full circle. (But why are they still around and Kara is gone forever? Whhhyy?)
Daybreak, as a whole, was really about characters letting go of all this baggage that they've carried from even before the destruction of the Colonies. Whether it was Baltar accepting his low-class heritage, Kara finding--and forgiving--herself, Lee letting go of his family and all the accompanying guilt, or Saul and Ellen finally reaching a place where they can just be together, everyone was able to shed pressures that have been holding them down. I don't think there was anyone who didn't grow during the journey to Earth, which just goes to show how great the BSG writers are. Even with it’s flaws, it was a great sendoff to a favorite show and it’s amazing cast of characters.
Would that I could write responses to my archives reading as easily as I can write about BSG…
Daybreak, Part 1 set things up really well, and definitely ratcheted up my anticipation level. Last week, in addition to being spring break, really became Battlestar Galactica week. The character flashbacks inspired me to go back to the beginning and rewatch the miniseries, and on Friday I watched a good bit of Sci-Fi's all day BSG marathon. (I admit, it was a struggle pulling myself away.) Having just rewatched some older episodes, I was really impressed with how many old plot and character elements were brought back into Daybreak, Part 2.
To me, Daybreak was all about characters, where they've come from and where they're going. The characters are what I love best about BSG. Most of them are deeply flawed, yet they're portrayed in such a way that even when they make terrible choices, you understand their reasoning and still care about their fate. Kara Thrace and Laura Roslin, my two favorite characters are prime examples. Kara is often reckless and self-destructive, and Laura can be ruthless and cold. But I still love them anyway.
The first half was the action-packed last hurrah for the Galactica. The human-cylon alliance's showdown with the cylon Colony already had epic potential, but it went way beyond my expectations. The opera house dream played out really well. Weaving the dream in with the characters wandering through Galactica's halls was really well done. The dream always had this unexplained sense of urgency and danger, and now we know why. (Who wouldn't be panicked about a three year old child running around alone in the middle of a space battle, even if the future of two races didn't dpend on said child?) Everyone had their great moments during the fight: Lee, Kara, Helo, Athena, Adama, even Gaius Baltar!
About Baltar: he's been a character that I've long loved to hate, but this season I found myself liking him more and more. I wasn't crazy about his harem, but the increasing suggestions that he was finally developing some sense of responsibility for his actions and some real religious convictions interested me. I was happy to see him step off the Raider to stay and fight, and loved his scenes with Caprica. They're "You can see them" moment with Head Baltar and Six was priceless. I was surprisingly quite pleased to see Baltar and Caprica end up happy together, and Baltar's "I know about farming" line was genuinely touching.
Look at me, praising Gauis Baltar instead of fangirling Kara incessantly! That will happen soon, though, after this moment for Helo and Athena. I was always a bit "meh" about Helo, but began warming to him after time, especially in season 4. He sometimes seems too good and a bit self-righteous, but he's also level-headed and capable, and he cares deeply about his family and friends. I was so happy when he walked back on screen with Athena and Hera; I was so sure he died trying to rescue his daughter. The Athena-Boomer standoff was a showcase of the power of choices. Athena has consistently proven her loyalty to her family and her crew, in contrast to Boomer, who has lacked the conviction to stand by her choices. (Grace Park and Tricia Helfer have been amazing. They've both brought distinct personalities to the Eights and Sixes.)
STARBUCK!! She kicked ass in the attack, cause that's what she does, led the fleet to Earth through Dylan, and... suddenly vanished. For me, that was the most surprising thing about the finale. It's not the ending for her that I'd have preferred, but I can see how it works. Kara questioned herself and her "special destiny" a lot this season, especially after discovering her body on Earth, but even without gaining any real answers, she started to do some healing. Her visions of her father in particular helped her resolve some past demons. When she says she completed her journey, I think she’s talking just as much about all those things from her past as about finally reaching Earth.
Lee's a big part of that past, too, and there's been tension between the two of them since the mini. The Lee/Kara flashbacks provided some anvilicious illumination of that tension. Here's two people, both with a lot of pain in their lives, who've been crashing into each other for years, but never at the right moment. The drunken attraction in the flashbacks grew over time into a deeper love and respect for each other, but they still can't get it together. In season 4 I feel like they've both had an unspoken acknowledge of their love for each other, but they've got duties that keep them apart, with Kara focused on Earth and Lee on leading the government. They're still there to support each other though, during the mutiny or at Kara's "outing."
I wanted Kara and Lee to get what Saul and Ellen did: the opportunity to have all the pressures and responsibilities lifted so they could just be together in peace. However, when Ellen died she was resurrected; when Kara died, she stayed dead but came back as some sort of angel. (Baltar was actually right?!) It's sad, but also good in a way. Even though she died at the nebula, her family still needed her, the fleet still needed her, and she needed them, so she was given more time. She fulfilled her destiny, and she "fixed" herself along the way. I've never liked Kara/Sam, but I've liked the way she came to accept his death and deal with her guilt about their marriage. It's also good to see that Lee's finally come to a place where he can let Kara go and not be destroyed by it, but it's sad to see him alone. He's so excited and energetic, then loses Bill, Laura, and Kara in one fell swoop. And then... nothing.
And finally the big one: Bill and Laura. OMG. Over several years they turned a comforting lie into a reality. They did so much for other people, but in the end finally learned to do something good for themselves. Edward James Olmos and Mary McDonnell have been fabulous as Bill Adama and Laura Roslin from the start, consistently delivering nuanced performances of two very complex characters. Yet another reason to love BSG: the central romantic relationship in the show is between the middle aged military commander and the female president. Awesome.
I’ve been preparing for and dreading Laura’s death all season; there was no way she’d miraculously be cured twice. But oh how I wanted her to live, so we could have one big happy Adama family, with PapAdama, MamaRoslin, and the kids. From Adama and Roslin’s goodbye onward, it was a tearfest. It’s tragic that Laura isn’t able to enjoy Earth, but I’m so glad she made it there, and Bill is so adorably devoted to making the most of their remaining time together. His goodbye to Lee and Kara… guh. (“Nothing but the rain.” I think that’s the very first conversation the Adama and Kara had in the miniseries, and it’s also there last. The symmetry! God, I love this show.) And Roslin waving. It makes me so sad.
I absolutely love the final Adama/Roslin scene in a “that’s so horribly sad but also beautiful” way. He’s building her cabin!! That scene was so powerful I thought the episode would end there, and it would have been a good stopping place. Just wow.
The actual ending is where I get into my only big issues with the episode. (I don’t like Kara’s exit, but I can accept it, especially since a bright shiny future didn’t seem to be in the cards for Lee/Kara, and it could have been so much worse.) I guess they did need to explain why Hera was so important, but the Ron Moore cameo was extremely jarring, and the robots on TV seemed off as well. However, I did Hendrix, and I did like having Head Six and Head Baltar walking off into the “sunset” together, because it seemed like they had come full circle. (But why are they still around and Kara is gone forever? Whhhyy?)
Daybreak, as a whole, was really about characters letting go of all this baggage that they've carried from even before the destruction of the Colonies. Whether it was Baltar accepting his low-class heritage, Kara finding--and forgiving--herself, Lee letting go of his family and all the accompanying guilt, or Saul and Ellen finally reaching a place where they can just be together, everyone was able to shed pressures that have been holding them down. I don't think there was anyone who didn't grow during the journey to Earth, which just goes to show how great the BSG writers are. Even with it’s flaws, it was a great sendoff to a favorite show and it’s amazing cast of characters.
Would that I could write responses to my archives reading as easily as I can write about BSG…
