Friday, March 20, 2009

TwoCents Editorial - Battlestar Galactica Jumps To An End

TwoCents Editorial
Battlestar Galactica Jumps To An End

Brittany – Associate Staff Writer

brittany@thetwocentscorp.com

We are coming to the end of what have been for me, the greatest four seasons of my television viewing career. Battlestar Galactica, though snubbed by the Emmys (for shame) was the most critically acclaimed television show on the air and will easily go down as one of the most relevant TV shows in television history. The secret to making a show great the way BSG is, is by having a definitive beginning, middle, and end with little straying from core concepts. (Hello, Heroes writers? I’m looking at you.) Of course, not every episode can be great, as proven by the six or seven (out of 80) episodes that have little to do with anything. A solid shock factor – as in ‘I can’t believe they just did that!’ – is also necessary. How many of us knew that the show was going to be different as soon as Six snapped an infant’s neck?

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[photo: SCIFI]

3 comments:

  1. Brittany – Associate Staff Writer
    brittany@thetwocentscorp.com

    We are coming to the end of what have been for me, the greatest four seasons of my television viewing career. Battlestar Galactica, though snubbed by the Emmys (for shame) was the most critically acclaimed television show on the air and will easily go down as one of the most relevant TV shows in television history. The secret to making a show great the way BSG is, is by having a definitive beginning, middle, and end with little straying from core concepts. (Hello, Heroes writers? I’m looking at you.) Of course, not every episode can be great, as proven by the six or seven (out of 80) episodes that have little to do with anything. A solid shock factor – as in ‘I can’t believe they just did that!’ – is also necessary. How many of us knew that the show was going to be different as soon as Six snapped an infant’s neck?

    There are certain moments of this show that will always stick out to me. Hell, the entire first season episode ‘33’ keeps me on the edge of my seat every time I watch it, and I’ve seen it at least 12 times. The scene when Boomer shoots Adama; the scene where Gina shoots Admiral Cain; it’s all phenomenal. Watching the show and recapping it has made me realize that this show is about as happy as killing a basket of kittens, but still, we had our happy moments too! Adama and Laura sharing a dance after her re-election, when Dee and Lee reconciled after their marriage fell apart and…well…wait, that ended in suicide. Okay, so that one kiss between Laura and Bill…no, he was facing death. I have it: When Hera was so happy to see her mother after day care…oh wait. That wasn’t even Athena, that was Boomer. I’ll say it again; most depressing show ever. Yet, for as morose as the show could be (Thought of one: Laura and Bill getting stoned on New Caprica!) it shadowed 9/11 perfectly and continued to be an allegory for happenings around the world. The show had an honesty that is rare. Nothing about it was sugar coated; this was war and it was human struggle. It was real.

    Galactica is not a show that will fade into oblivion. It will live on in top 10 lists or forum boards one way or another, and it won’t just live on because of the story and writing. It will live because of Edward James Olmos, Mary McDonnell, Tricia Helfer, and the rest of the cast who brought to life amazing characters. From Cavil to Cottle, somehow each character remained relevant. It takes extreme talent to never feel the need to thin out the cast due to fan pressure or being too overwhelmed. Really, I could go on forever about why this show worked and why it deserved to win award after award, but that would easily turn into a ten page post.

    I’d like to end this by saying thank you to the Two Cents staff for allowing me to recap such a fantastic show. And thank you to the readers for trusting me to guide you through each episode. I’ve gotten quite a few emails asking if I’ll be disappearing. For now, I’ll still be recapping Heroes, and when the BSG movie, ‘The Plan’ airs, I’ll recap that too. And I’ll definitely be here for ‘Caprica’ when it finally happens. You’ll even see me this summer recapping Mad Men. It has been a pleasure and an honor serving you.

    So say we all.

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  2. So say we all.

    I, too, have loved this show... and knew as soon as Caprica killed that poor baby, this wasn't gonna be my momma's Battlestar. Sure, Most Depressing Show Ever (Oh! I just thought of a happy moment: any time Helo didn't have a shirt on!), but the little moments of hope in between all that awfulness make everything worthwhile. (Sounds kinda like life.)

    "Nothin' but the rain."

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