In May of last year, I wrote an entry about how much I loved Season 1 of Battlestar Galactica. How the ending was so incredible, and had definitely sucked me in, and snagged me for Season 2.
Promptly after the entry, I popped in Season 2, and watched hungrily. I was ready for more Cylons, more Starbuck and Six, what was going to happen to Adama, and Sharon’s baby. I was READY.
And I watched it. And thrilled. And tweeted, and screeched, and gasped, and cried. My friend Joey gave me the entire series on DVD, mostly because he got a set free, but also because he rocks.
And then nothing happened for over a year. I became distracted by other TV shows, other movies, other life. The DVDs stared at me, accusingly. Jamie Bamber started on Law and Order: UK, and I had constant reminders of how great the show was, and how much I was not watching it.
So, out of nowhere a couple of weeks back, I decided it was time to jump back in, feet first. I set up with my work phone and knitting, and was determined to finish a Season 2 rewatch, in preparation for Season 3.
Took over a week, then even longer to finish this entry. But wheeeeeeeee, BSG.
I reviewed my entry from before, and was highly amused. A few points I was planning on mentioning in this entry were already there. Most especially that Crashdown looks exactly like a young Henry Rollins.
My opinion of all of the characters is pretty much exactly the same. Starbuck is most definitely still my favorite, and she got all of the best storylines this season. Not only was she a complete BAMF, she actually got to show vulnerability, and fear, and outright pain.
The Farm storyline was horrifying. Going through the screenshots for it wigged me out. It’s a horrible thought that would make sense in this world, and I am beyond intrigued to know what they did with that second surgery.
One of the things I complained about last season was that there was never enough focus on the background characters. They definitely took care of that this season. I absolutely loved Dualla. Her storylines were great this season, and the actress who plays her is just lovely. Even during her small moments, the emotion is just resonating from those gorgeous eyes of hers. I was sad that she broke up with Billy, but the introduction of her storyline with Apollo was well done. I look forward to seeing how they break up, because I know that’s going to happen.
When I re-read my Season 1 entry, I saw my complaints about the pushing of Apollo and Starbuck together. I’m still of the opinion that their sexual tension is better unrequited, but I have to admit I didn’t mind as much this season. I don’t want them together, but seeing it played out was amazing. Between the kiss when they first saw each other again, and then the damaged almost-sex, it was so well done. I think what helps is that this season really fleshed both of them out more, and I got to see more of their personalities.
I do repeat, though. I don’t want them together.
In Season 1, they got me really good with the shooting of Adama. There’s no other way to say it. Shock and awe and horror. But each time they replayed it this season, it horrified me more and more. This is more about the amazing acting of Edward James Olmos than anything else. The scene is played as a proud man congratulating his crew, and not seeing the gun coming at all. My heart broke every time they replayed the scene, because he looks joyful and proud. He had real affection for Sharon, and she shot him. You see this throughout Season 2, his torn feelings about her being a Cylon. When he wept beside her body, I teared up. When he had his hands around her throat, you felt every ounce of emotion.
And when she said, “And you ask ‘Why’”, my blood ran cold. It was chilling and creepy and perfect.
The storylines were really good this season, though a few episodes let me down. I was absolutely fascinated by the Sharon storyline. Even before “Downloaded”, which is my favorite episode of the season, it gave us a real view of the Cylons. Her turncoat manner was fascinating, though it seemed obvious (to me?) that she was focused solely on protecting her baby. Even her affection for Helo struck me as disingenuous. The moment the baby was “dead”, he meant nothing to her. Knowing how awful the Cylons and Centurians are, I understand the Cylon hate, but it was awful when they told her the baby was going to be killed. Her reaction in her cell, slamming her head into the glass and screaming, completely sucked me in. I am beyond fascinated to see how the storyline involving the baby plays out.
I can’t help but be fascinated by the human Cylons. Hulons. Cymans. Whichever. So having an episode actually about them, from their perspective, was amazing. I love the idea of Baltar haunting Six the way she haunts him. It’s amazing that they aren’t carbon copies of each other, and that they retain mannerisms that were part of them before they “died”.
Based on Six and Sharon’s conversation at the end of the episode, I did not in any way see the end of the season coming. Seriously? Did anyone?
The appearance of Gina was amazing. As incredible as Tricia Helfer is as Six, the extreme difference between the two identical cylons is wonderful. This really shows she is more than just a sexy seductress. She’s a very real actress, and I want to see other things she’s been in.
I still don’t get her role in the final moments. She blew up Cloud 9, which drew the attention of the Cylons and brought them to New Caprica one year later. Now, that seems like a normal Cylon kamikaze mission. But why? It took them the full year to get back from their home planet, but they had “decided” to leave the fleet alone. So…why would…I’m so freakin’ confused by this.
I absolutely loved the Starbuck/Anders storyline. I don’t think this is going to make it through even half of Season 3, especially considering the pneumonia. But the relationship between the two of them was sweet, and fun. The Pyramid game was hot and spicy, and I love stuff like that. It’s similar to my affection for the training scene between Dualla and Lee.
When she had to return without him, and we saw her slow collapse, especially in “Scar”, it was intense and painful, and Katee Sackhoff broke my heart about 100 times over. Just incredible. The reunion was also tear-worthy, but for all the right reasons. I’m going to hate whatever ends up happening to him, I feel it coming.
As much as I like Lady President, there was an awful lot of not liking her this season. I don’t much like that, though, because she’s a BAMF, and deserves her props. Maybe it’s just that her storylines were boring to me. The search for Earth didn’t do much for me, and in no way did I believe she was going to die from cancer. That was an amazing twist, though.
It was a shock for me to realize she knew about the cheating scandal. I truly thought this was going on behind her back. But I love that she would’ve let it lie, and would’ve taken the victory. And that Adama was the reason she didn’t.
It took me a criminally long time to write this entry. I refused to start Season 3 until I finished this blog entry, because I didn’t want my thoughts cheated by knowing what’s to come.
I’ve been spoiled for one of the Cylons, thanks to the New Orleans Comic Con. I walked into a panel, during the fan Q&A portion, and though the fan at the mic did give a spoiler warning, I didn’t run out of the room fast enough. I don’t know where it’s revealed, though, so hopefully I still get a bit of a surprise.
And as with the last entry, here are some images of my favorite moments. Easier than trying to describe each scene that I loved.
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