Copyright 2009, Universal PicturesIt took a long time, much longer than I predicted, for me to realize exactly how great Battlestar Galactica is. Yeah, I know, I made a massive mistake in missing the show to begin with (but can you forgive me? That miniseries is awfully slow and exposition-heavy). However, with most shows that hook me in completely, it doesn't take until the end of the second season to make me drop my jaw, to understand how cool a show can be. For Lost, it came in the fourth episode, when we all found out that John Locke was in a wheelchair before crashing on the mysterius island. For Veronica Mars, it came around midseason, when we found out that Logan, the resident jackass on the show, was living with a truly horrible father. For The Wire, it came when Kima got shot and everyone rallied around to find out who brought her down.
But, for this show, it came not with that glorious, shocking caption--"One Year Later"--but with the realization that the show was not going to end with that. Ronald D. Moore, the show's new executive producer, took the show to a new level. At least, I finally grasped how much these characters felt real to me, from my shock that Chief Tyrol is now a union organizer and is married/engaged/sleeping with Cally, who's pregnant (and this is all after Tyrol beats her face to a pulp because of a heated nightmare); that Apollo is still commander of the Pegasus, with Dualla at his side, while he gains a lot of weight; that Starbuck is married to Anders and has had a major rift with Apollo; that Baltar's president, but with as many hookers as possible.
OK, yes, the two-part finale of season 2 is what's really getting me going here (why isn't season 3 on Netflix's Instant Play? Why?). Still, the entire season was stronger, and felt more complete than season 1. My only real problem with season 1 was the inclusion of a character who felt like he was just there to cause trouble without having a solid, organic reason for existing. Yes, that character pops up plenty in season 2, the ex-terrorist Tom Zarek (Richard Hatch), but he feels more ingrained with the show. It could help that his first line of the season, a sarcastic jibe about democracy aimed at Col. Tigh (the great, gruff Michael Hogan), made me laugh, or it could help that his shady backdoor dealings made a lot more sense this time.
Yeah, there weren't perfect episodes, but the show is overall incredibly entertaining and fascinating. Shows like Battlestar Galactica don't come along a lot, but I'm glad that the show's been able to last through as long as its creators feel necessary. I'm even gladder about the fact that a prequel, Caprica, is on its way next year. This is one show I'll watch from the beginning; here's hoping it's worth it, but my guess is I have nothing to worry about. With regards to the big show, though, I'm willing to say that, with its layered characters, strong acting (as weaselly as Gaius Baltar is, James Callis does everything possible to make the character human, believable, and even funny), especially from the two biggest names (Edward James Olmos and Mary McDonnell, both fantastic), action setpieces, and big twists (I mean, Cally's pregnant!), Battlestar Galactica may be as good as Lost, which remains the best show on television. As long as the conclusion to this big finale (Baltar surrendered to the Cylons!) doesn't screw the pooch, I expect the show to be a classic in my book.
No comments:
Post a Comment