That's a good lighter.

[ebonlock]

*blinks blearily* Is it Monday? I think it has to be, I cannot imagine any other reason I'd be up at this hour of the morning.

I am so glad Rakkasah is this coming weekend 'cause if I had to deal with more than another week of these kinds of rehearsals I think I'd drop. As it is I'm perilously close. Still, I can't complain about the condition my body is currently in. I'm stronger than I've ever been (muscle-wise), I'm losing weight (Alyne commented that she was down 3 pounds from all the dancing), and I think I can do the routines in my sleep at this point.

For those who might be interested, we're performing Saturday night at 9 pm at the Richmond Auditorium on the main stage. It's about an hour drive from the peninsula and admission appears to be $15. If you come later, though, you may be able to sneak in for free, but no guarantees.


First, Stargate used to be so good at the multi-part episodes. I mean sure, every once in a while you'd get some dumb ass last ten minutes of the episode wrap up, but this week's really took the cake. Guys, you had plenty of time to write yourselves into and out of a corner and you blew it. So instead of figuring out a viable plot you chose to spend all kinds of time with that stalker asshole Pete (who, I admit, I felt kinda bad for at the end, despite myself) and Oma babbling at Daniel in limbo. And gah, just gah for the renewed Sam/Jack (cue piano theme) romance bullshit. Also thanks a lot for taking out Jacob and Selmak (who'd grown on me) while having Oma take out Anubis as she should've done ages ago (the entire universe was like "OMGWTF, glad you could finally take it upon yourself to destroy this great evil you created, thanks"). On the other hand, you did have the Ascended return Daniel...naked again...so you threw me a slight bone. You get a couple of points for that.

As for Battlestar Galactica, I want to send the writers a bouquet of roses, longstem, red, to show them just how very much I love them. Have I mentioned lately how wonderful it is to have a fictional character who's just plain smarter than I'll ever be? Not gimmicky smart, not Sherlock Holmes "I saw something you didn't and I'm not going to tell you so I seem smarter" smart, no just flat out fiendishly clever. Love you, Starbuck, so very, very much.

I also loved the visuals in this one too (props to the director), where you can have so much information given to you as a viewer just by the positioning of characters in a shot. The briefing room sequence where Starbuck listens to the plan that Lee's come up with is just so beautifully done. Just by watching it I could see that Adama was planning to groom Kara for command of the Galactica rather than Lee, and it made all the Lee angsting (talk about some serious daddy issues) much more poignant. And the little wink that Kara gives Tigh just to be a complete shit made me curl up fetal laughing. Not to mention the end with Gaius being convinced he's an "instrument of God" and assuming a stance that beautifully echoed the crucifixion. My inner art historian was practically weeping.

I really enjoyed the antagonism between Kara and Lee as their usual roles are reversed and neither one liked it very much. The by-play between Adama and both characters was just so damn good, particularly the scene with him and Lee in the hanger before the big mission. The lighter and exchange, "I'll bring it back." then "You'd better, or I'll kick your ass. That's a good lighter." was just beautifully handled, hats off to EJO and JB for doing such an amazing job of it.

And did y'all hear me squee when the Pythia was mentioned? The fact that there's a prophecy that both the Cylons and the humans are working from and interpreting in their own ways just kicks ass. The president as an oracle, hot damn! I really should've realized there'd be a Delphic oracle somewhere in this whole thing, I mean their religion is based on classical Greece, so there had to be, still it totally floored me. This leaves me even hungrier for more info on their religion, I mean pagan Greece religious practices in a space faring society, that is just too cool.

Though I am wondering now if "Cylon-occupied Caprica" Sharon is pregnant, if she is it brings into play all kinds of mind boggling possibilities. If cylons can mate with humans...damn, well our species is well and truly done.

I want this series on DVD now, now, NOW! I want to rewatch every single episode slowly and carefully so I can catch any little clues I might have missed so far. And I need to make a new icon, oh yes I do.

Edit:
Whoops, pushed the send button too quickly and totally forgot to mention that the great mallen wedding day festivities were wonderful and a great time was had by all. It was so nice to see everyone again, and ceremony was beautiful, the church gorgeous, and the reception a lot of fun. The DJ left a bit to be desired, dude have you ever heard of a fade before, jeez :)

I'm not sure who was glowing more that day, mallen or his gorgeous new bride. By the time we left my face was positively sore from grinning so much. It was just that kind of a day. Perfect.

Comments

[ebongreen.livejournal.com]

Having now caught up with BSG - Friday nights are usually occupied otherwise, and I just watched HoG yesterday - I continue to enjoy this show. It's always good to have writers who can write; having actors who can pull off the stuff is a bonus, but neither one can make a show without the other.

Personally, I'm a little off-put by Gaius' transformation from bat-shit paranoid fucktard to bat-shit baby-Savior-complex. It works dramatically, but it'll take careful ensemble work to pull off a good transition from I'm-a-complete-fuckup-and-I-know-it-deep-down to I'm-a-sociopath-with-delusions-of-grandeur-(again). If it works, it'll probably be the biggest dramatic coup in the genre since Faith went around the bend on Buffy lo these many seasons ago. Plus there's the whole "What is Number Six anyway?" question - is she a Harvey a la Farscape, a Cylon ego-feeder like the One-Ring-in-a-chip, is she just his growing divorce from reality, what?

Gaius Baltar, scarily enough, makes this show go in a big way - if they have him break "wrong", it'll be a huge disappointment to me. He's already done Judas Iscariot once as a secular sex-addict - having him lead some kind of Six-inspired Koresh-y cult would be a "wow", but it would seriously test my personal suspension of belief.

[ebonlock.livejournal.com]

Personally, I'm a little off-put by Gaius' transformation from bat-shit paranoid fucktard to bat-shit baby-Savior-complex. It works dramatically, but it'll take careful ensemble work to pull off a good transition from I'm-a-complete-fuckup-and-I-know-it-deep-down to I'm-a-sociopath-with-delusions-of-grandeur-(again). If it works, it'll probably be the biggest dramatic coup in the genre since Faith went around the bend on Buffy lo these many seasons ago. Plus there's the whole "What is Number Six anyway?" question - is she a Harvey a la Farscape, a Cylon ego-feeder like the One-Ring-in-a-chip, is she just his growing divorce from reality, what?

I'm of the opinion that it would be way cooler if Six was just a figment of his imagination. I'd love to think he was just that utterly fucked up and bat-shit crazy, I really would. But I do see his slide into meglomania as perfectly in keeping with his ego. I mean before the cylons rebelled he viewed himself as rather infallible, a genius, the top man in his field. Being tricked by the cylons into helping destroy the human race is what fractured him. He's like fine china with this huge hairline break, a little too much pressure and he'll fall to pieces. But seeing himself as an "instrument of god" is a great way of shoring up his ego, he's always believed everything that's happened as been because of him (and to some degree he's right) but now it's been "proven" to him.

Gaius Baltar, scarily enough, makes this show go in a big way - if they have him break "wrong", it'll be a huge disappointment to me. He's already done Judas Iscariot once as a secular sex-addict - having him lead some kind of Six-inspired Koresh-y cult would be a "wow", but it would seriously test my personal suspension of belief.

I think he will end up making a bid for power and a leadership role, particularly when the president starts to falter. In the meantime he's already established himself as a major player, he's in on the big plans and is turned to by both the president and Adama. And in a way he's now got the power of life and death, if he says someone's a cylon he'll be believed. Imagine a narcissist like him, now with a god complex, wielding that kind of power.

[ebongreen.livejournal.com]

Oh, agreed on all counts. It makes sense with his character, but something still rubs me wrong. I'm not even sure I can put my finger on why - it works with his character, but is it necessary? There's so much that can be done with Baltar without diverting him down this path, natural on some level though it is. I dunno... something rings false, somehow. Too easy a turn, maybe?

He is a nice foil for Laura Roslin though - dueling visionaries, as it were. Speaking of whom, in retrospect it was a wonderful ending of Laura's scene with the priestess that we didn't see her answer to the priestess' question about her state of health. That's a nice touch. We don't need to know whether she told her the truth, lied, or just said, "I gotta go." Just that the question was asked is sufficient, and that's good writing.

[ebonlock.livejournal.com]

He is a nice foil for Laura Roslin though - dueling visionaries, as it were. Speaking of whom, in retrospect it was a wonderful ending of Laura's scene with the priestess that we didn't see her answer to the priestess' question about her state of health. That's a nice touch. We don't need to know whether she told her the truth, lied, or just said, "I gotta go." Just that the question was asked is sufficient, and that's good writing.

Absolutely. She's getting very good at that "strained smile" expression, isn't she? :)

[ebonlock.livejournal.com]

Ooh, speaking of the priestess, was it clear who she was a priestess of? I noted she was wearing a necklace but couldn't make out what was on it. Being so knowledgeable about the Pythia makes me wonder if she might not have been a priestess of Apollo, but I couldn't tell for sure.

[elo-sf.livejournal.com]

thinking I need to give the new BSG a try...

[ebonlock.livejournal.com]

thinking I need to give the new BSG a try...

Yes you do, I can supply you with episodes if you're interested ;)

[elo-sf.livejournal.com]

yes please, you are my favorite crack|tv show dealer

:)

[ebonlock.livejournal.com]

yes please, you are my favorite crack|tv show dealer

:)

First one's free...

[elo-sf.livejournal.com]

always is

[ebonlock.livejournal.com]

Hey, your DVD player can handle vcd's, right?

[elo-sf.livejournal.com]

99% sure it can in the bedroom

[ebonlock.livejournal.com]

99% sure it can in the bedroom

Sweet. I have to finish converting the ones I've got from avi to mpg, then throw them all on a disc for ya.

[elo-sf.livejournal.com]

Sweet!

[senatorhatty.livejournal.com]

BSG...

Yeah, I like the show.

I guessed that they had another plan because I was thinking, "that plan depends on the Cylons sending their entire defensive force after a couple of decoy ships that aren't even war ships." So when fighters started to get blown up, I was all nervous and stuff.

Regarding Adama grooming Kara... not sure. I mean, it's clear that was his motivation for saying some of the stuff he said. But at the same time, Adama seems to be a big believer in the inherent value of people in his family.

Speaking of bloodlines, I think trying to breed the human/cylons (who are, I suspect, genetically engineered bio-organisms, rather than bio-mechs in the way the ships are) to humans is much of the point of their exercise with HELO. I think they want move diverse genes than artificial creation of people gives them.

I have some concerns with the prophecy stuff, and I will have them as long as it's still within the realm of possibility that the Cylons are manipulating EVERYTHING, including the President's visions. That would be a little too much. But I also have this wacky theory, based on some stuff Susannah suggested, that maybe the Cylons want the human race to survive, but to accept them as gods. (12 human/cylons. 12 Olympians. Coincidence? OK I know 12 is a significant number in a lot of places. Nevermind.)

Gaius, by the way, must have already been pretty unhinged to attribute what could have been a) a lucky guess or b) Six subliminally telling him what was vulnerable (WHY?!) to him being the HAND OF THE ALMIGHTY!

[ebonlock.livejournal.com]

Regarding Adama grooming Kara... not sure. I mean, it's clear that was his motivation for saying some of the stuff he said. But at the same time, Adama seems to be a big believer in the inherent value of people in his family.

I think as much as he loves and believes in Lee that he knows his son isn't really cut out for the job in the end. Lee would make a great bureaucrat, a wonderful politician, but I don't believe he's really got it in him to be a great commander. Look at the visuals in the planning scene again, Kara and Adama in dress uniforms on one side of the table, Tigh and Lee in more relaxed underthings on the other. I really think that was a big tip off.

Speaking of bloodlines, I think trying to breed the human/cylons (who are, I suspect, genetically engineered bio-organisms, rather than bio-mechs in the way the ships are) to humans is much of the point of their exercise with HELO. I think they want move diverse genes than artificial creation of people gives them.

Absolutely, the thing is if both species can interbreed they've found a great way to dominate the humans. I can see the human race going the way of the Neanderthals at this rate.

I have some concerns with the prophecy stuff, and I will have them as long as it's still within the realm of possibility that the Cylons are manipulating EVERYTHING, including the President's visions. That would be a little too much. But I also have this wacky theory, based on some stuff Susannah suggested, that maybe the Cylons want the human race to survive, but to accept them as gods. (12 human/cylons. 12 Olympians. Coincidence? OK I know 12 is a significant number in a lot of places. Nevermind.)

I think it's certainly a possibility, but more likely that the cylons simply want to replace the pantheism of the humans with their own monotheism. They seem very committed to the "There is only one god and you must obey him" party line. I was seeing the 12 cylons more in light of the Apostles, myself, but then their brand of religious fervor makes me think back to early Christianity so I'm biased.

Gaius, by the way, must have already been pretty unhinged to attribute what could have been a) a lucky guess or b) Six subliminally telling him what was vulnerable (WHY?!) to him being the HAND OF THE ALMIGHTY!

Oh I think it'd be superb if everything that has happened since the cylons took over has been some huge coincidence and that it's all chance. On the other hand I've been wondering lately if Gaius himself might not be a cylon and he doesn't even know it...

[ebongreen.livejournal.com]

I think as much as he loves and believes in Lee that he knows his son isn't really cut out for the job in the end. Lee would make a great bureaucrat, a wonderful politician, but I don't believe he's really got it in him to be a great commander. Look at the visuals in the planning scene again, Kara and Adama in dress uniforms on one side of the table, Tigh and Lee in more relaxed underthings on the other. I really think that was a big tip off.

Oh, I don't know about that. First, he's telling been telling Lee for days/weeks now what it sounds like Lee has always both wanted and needed to hear: "I have confidence in you, and I'm proud of you, son." I don't think it's an act either; I think he absolutely is proud of Lee and loves him fiercely.

I think in many ways Kara and Lee are opposite sides of Bill; Kara is his wild-child pilot side and a surrogate daughter, while Lee is his calculating commander side. I don't think either Kara or Lee is amazingly fit for command, and won't be until they learn the other's tricks and talents and a tenth of Bill's store of gravitas, which this episode starts to display. I can just as easily see Kara becoming Lee's XO as I can Lee being Kara's.

Kara's charismatic but not particularly thoughtful or wise about people, including herself; she's Achilles as a girl. Lee comes close to playing Telemachus to Bill's Odysseus. Any other people you'd like to characterize from Greek legend, since we're busy mining the vein?

[ebonlock.livejournal.com]

I think in many ways Kara and Lee are opposite sides of Bill; Kara is his wild-child pilot side and a surrogate daughter, while Lee is his calculating commander side. I don't think either Kara or Lee is amazingly fit for command, and won't be until they learn the other's tricks and talents and a tenth of Bill's store of gravitas, which this episode starts to display. I can just as easily see Kara becoming Lee's XO as I can Lee being Kara's.

Again I do agree that he loves and has a great deal of faith in his son, but I also think he understands the strengths and weaknesses of both of the kids. Kara lacks discipline and self control, no question, but she's the one he turns to time and time again when there's a serious job to be done. Who did he choose to take out the leader of the inmates on that prison ship? Who did he pick to interrogate that cylon and get the info they needed by whatever means necessary? And finally, whose idea does he go with when they're facing an end game situation against a cylon base? As much as I hated the line (and oh boy did I ever), when Kara says she lives outside the box it's quite true. She thinks strategically and in military terms in much the same way as Lee. And I think putting her back in charge of the fledgling pilots was another way for Adama to put her on a command track. This situation was just the next logical step.


Kara's charismatic but not particularly thoughtful or wise about people, including herself; she's Achilles as a girl. Lee comes close to playing Telemachus to Bill's Odysseus. Any other people you'd like to characterize from Greek legend, since we're busy mining the vein?

I would agree that she fulfills the role of Achilles at present, but with time and experience she'll gain the necessary wisdom. I'd also like to point out that in the original series (or at least the follow up books written by Hatch) Adama opts for Athena as the next commander, not Apollo, so there really is precedent here.

I just think that while Starbuck can learn to be more patient, thoughtful and wise Apollo is never going to really become the kind of inspired, imaginative leader that is going to be required to save the human race. His mind just doesn't work that way, he doesn't know how to take the necessary risks.

Remember when they were first presented with the idea of the cylon base sitting on a vast reserve of the fuel they needed? Adama actually looks to Lee first in the hope that his son will suggest attacking. Only when Lee fails to do so does he say that they're taking out the base and then, again, after Lee and Tigh present their plan, he turns to Kara. Lee's almost always going to choose the safest path, not that that's a bad thing, and he does beautifully balance out Kara's recklessness. But given the precariousness of their position now they need to make some big rolls of the dice, and Kara's a way better gambler than Lee will ever be.

[aelfsciene.livejournal.com]

On the other hand I've been wondering lately if Gaius himself might not be a cylon and he doesn't even know it...

I'd kinda wondered if they were going in that direction with the "look, it's Gaius in the tape planing a bomb!" episode.

And I really can't decide what I think about the whole prophecy/Cylons controlling everything/whatever deal. It could go in so very many directions at this point, I just don't know.

[moonlightnrain.livejournal.com]

Ahhhh... there's the squeeing about Pythia I was waiting for. :) And glad I wasn't the only one to catch the Christ-pose Gaius.

[ebonlock.livejournal.com]

Ahhhh... there's the squeeing about Pythia I was waiting for. :) And glad I wasn't the only one to catch the Christ-pose Gaius.

When Gaius started moving towards the railing I was already chanting, "Do it, do it." Aelf looked at me like I was losing it. Then he assumed the position and I bounced in my chair like a little girl. Just too damn perfect for words.

[moonlightnrain.livejournal.com]

I think I need a Gaius-as-Christ icon....

[ebonlock.livejournal.com]

I think I need a Gaius-as-Christ icon....

Mmm, reading "Instrument of God"? :)

[moonlightnrain.livejournal.com]

That would do, although I was thinking more along the lines of "Christ-pose Gaius!"

[ebongreen.livejournal.com]

A scary thing: though I've never met you, I can totally see you doing that. Of course, that was the point where I was saying, "Oh no, not that..." to my empty room.

[ophidiae.livejournal.com]

As soon as the priestess said "Pythia", I about went 'round the bend with glee.

Still dislike Baltar & his invisible friend, and the idea of Sharon #2 being pregnant gives me hives for a wide variety of reasons, but otherwise loved loved LOVED this episode, and not just because I have a mad crush on Starbuck.

[tyee.livejournal.com]

just flat out fiendishly clever

Plus, the hotness. OMFG, the hotness.

the end with Gaius being convinced he's an "instrument of God"

I made husband almost fall off the couch laughing at then end when Gaius said "I'm an instrument of God" and I was all "No, you are Mister Crazypants."

Though I am wondering now if "Cylon-occupied Caprica" Sharon is pregnant

Yes! We are wondering that too. OMG. That would explain quite a lot about the Caprica crazyness. Oooooooh my.

[ebonlock.livejournal.com]

Plus, the hotness. OMFG, the hotness.

Oh indeed, I find myself wondering sometimes how my life might have turned out had I had her as a role model growing up instead of Charlie's Angels and Wonder Woman.

I made husband almost fall off the couch laughing at then end when Gaius said "I'm an instrument of God" and I was all "No, you are Mister Crazypants."

But then, aren't all religious zealots when it comes right down to it? I'm wondering now how long it's going to take him to start actively interpreting the will of god and giving orders instead of just taking them.