The greatest show on Earth
Jun. 14th, 2008 05:38 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
chaniYesterday I watched The Greatest Show on Earth on dvd. It was my comfort movie after the tooth debacle. How beautiful was Charlton Heston then ! Braden was that good guy who knew how to treat animals, who could make Myniak raise his foot, a true American hero (years before he started believing he was some kind of Prophet and became a political nutter). I loved that film when I was a kid and later I've always enjoyed the reruns on tv. But for the first time I saw it in its orginal language and realised that The Great Sebastian was supposed to be French! Trust me it was less than obvious in the dubbed version in which they changed many things including a few characters' name (for some reason Brad became Mark, Angel became Ariel...).
But this post isn't about an old Cecil B. De Mille's movie. It's about Battlestar Galactica, because it's currently the greatest tv show on !
I've just seen the mid season finale, "Revelations", and I have to post now because when I postpone my tv review of BSG I end up not posting any.
But this post isn't about an old Cecil B. De Mille's movie. It's about Battlestar Galactica, because it's currently the greatest tv show on !
I've just seen the mid season finale, "Revelations", and I have to post now because when I postpone my tv review of BSG I end up not posting any.
I've had mixed feelings about the last 4 episodes. I loved "Guess What's Coming to Dinner" but wasn't really thrilled by "Sine Qua Non" and "The hub".
"Guess What's Coming To Dinner" was intense from the opening scene to the ending. Gaeta's lament was a nice and sad leitmotiv through the episode. Hera turned out to be a creepy little girl...and Athena rocked my world when she shot Nathalie. Hera's drawings featured 6(especially in that sexy red dress), Nathalie was a Six and all Sixes were potentially dangerous for Athena because of being Sixes. It's fascinating if you think of how much she wanted Adama to believe that she wasn't Boomer...double standard? This raised the issue of individuality, and issue that Nathalie mentioned when she told Leoben that his model was obsessed with Kara and that "The Hub" addressed again through the Eight/Helo scenes and Laura's cruel line about Helo not being married to the entire production line.
My favourite scene in "Guess What's Coming to Dinner" was Baltar watching poor Felix from afar...
"Sine Qua Non" disappointed me a little because I think they changed the character of Romo. They brought him back to please the fans but he stopped being that mischievous Puck who knew so well how to push Lee's buttons. This time they used him to make a point, to fits in the plot, as an allegory of the hopeless fleet and as an echo of missing beloved ones. Too many things were telegraphed from the beginning of the episode(President Lee...)and I am not sure I like the idea of a pregnant Caprica. But I enjoyed the cat ghost haunting Romo just like Baltar used to be haunted by Caprica Six or like Saul seeing Ellen...and I loved the close-ups on the ghost cat and how they kept giving clues that the cat was actually not there anymore. Also I liked the Saul/Bill fight and the metaphor of the broken ship.
I wasn't moved by Adama leaving and waiting alone because he couldn't live without Laura...I don't know it seemed forced...but I liked the fact he put Tigh in charge, and that Saul told him how much it was a disaster the last time he ruled. Also Grace Park crying in front of Adama was amazing.
"The Hub" had its moments but I couldn't help feeling that it was too easy. The jump-induced visions that made Laura's journey, the destruction of the hub, the final reunion...Besides I am not a big fan of Laura/Bill, it looks cheap and cliché. I was moved to tears by Saul/Ellen but Laura/Bill doesn't work for me. I found Bill's waiting for Laura, alone in space, less convincing than Leoben doing exactly the same thing for Kara, a few weeks ago.
However I loved the Baltar/Roslin scenes from the beginning to the end. They work wonderfully together. I enjoyed the fact that after the last vision in which Laura had her "love someone" epiphany, she genuinely wanted to save Baltar and called him "Gaius". I think that the Laura/Gaius dialectics is much more interesting than the Laura/Bill romance. And Baltar sounded, more than ever, like the hybrid: "don't do it, don't do it".
But my favourite scene ever was the Baltar/Centurion one. Priceless! I just love the Centurions.
"The Hub" was mostly about Laura's journey and now that I have seen "Revelations" I like it better because it did set things up. In a way Elosha was Laura's First Slayer providing the "death is your gift" message...and it worked, she gave, she loved...she forgave.
Her wrapping Baltar's torso in "Revelations" was a nice follow-up. I really liked the first shot of the scene.*g*
Laura's journey was the first step towards the situation that brought Cylons and humans together in "Revelations". D'Anna thought that the humans would never forgive the Cylons for what they did to the twelve colonies...freshly-forgiven Gaius had another point of view. Lee granted the Final Four an amnesty and was ready to make peace with D'Anna and her siblings.
Now about "Revelations"...what a terrific way to end the mid season! I loved the fact they all got to Earth that early...to find it ruined. Kara did lead them to the destruction of humanity ! Adama said it was a frakking joke and he was right.
But above all, I couldn't love Saul Tigh more than I do now. He stole the show yesterday. When he left Tyrol and Sam and went to talk to Bill, he was simply magnificent. And his face when he told his old friend that he was the way out.
Bill's breakdown broke my heart. BTW the Bill/Lee scene was really nice, and I loved how the Lee/Kara scene kinda forshadowed it...I guess Leland is really a grown-up now he has seen his old man in a true moment if weakness and helplessness(well, maybe not so much if you think of the jacket scene in the CIC...).
And is it me or did they hint at the Jossverse at least twice? First there was Kara mentioning the Dollhouse on New Caprica...and later Lee asking "where do we go from here ?"
Well, they went to Earth but of course it wasn't the end of the journey. Not really the lost paradise, the promised land they expected. The irony wasn't lost on Tyrol. Adama looked angry. Laura's face was blank, D'Anna looked confused. I loved how Sharon and Helo were walking together as a true pairing, how Sam refused Tory's touch, how Caprica tried to comfort Saul, how alone Baltar was on his rock...
And in the mean time where are the other Cylons? Where is Boomer? Where was Zarek during the crisis? Why did D'Anna said that there were Four Cylons in the fleet, implying that the Fifth wasn't there? Of course it could have meant that she knew the Fifth was currently on the basestar...but it doesn't really make any sense.
I don't think that any further revelation about the Fifth can beat the intensity of Bill finding out the truth about his old mate so I hope that Ron Moore didn't lie about the picture of The Last Supper and that the Fifth isn't one of the main characters.
What if the Fifth used to be in the fleet but no longer is and had been switched on a long time before the Final Four? What if Saul gave us a clue when he compared his awakening to Boomer's. What if the missing Eight was actually the Fifth?
And Hera still had a creepy look in that shot where Athena and Helo were kissing, as if she were foreseeing something...
"Guess What's Coming To Dinner" was intense from the opening scene to the ending. Gaeta's lament was a nice and sad leitmotiv through the episode. Hera turned out to be a creepy little girl...and Athena rocked my world when she shot Nathalie. Hera's drawings featured 6(especially in that sexy red dress), Nathalie was a Six and all Sixes were potentially dangerous for Athena because of being Sixes. It's fascinating if you think of how much she wanted Adama to believe that she wasn't Boomer...double standard? This raised the issue of individuality, and issue that Nathalie mentioned when she told Leoben that his model was obsessed with Kara and that "The Hub" addressed again through the Eight/Helo scenes and Laura's cruel line about Helo not being married to the entire production line.
My favourite scene in "Guess What's Coming to Dinner" was Baltar watching poor Felix from afar...
"Sine Qua Non" disappointed me a little because I think they changed the character of Romo. They brought him back to please the fans but he stopped being that mischievous Puck who knew so well how to push Lee's buttons. This time they used him to make a point, to fits in the plot, as an allegory of the hopeless fleet and as an echo of missing beloved ones. Too many things were telegraphed from the beginning of the episode(President Lee...)and I am not sure I like the idea of a pregnant Caprica. But I enjoyed the cat ghost haunting Romo just like Baltar used to be haunted by Caprica Six or like Saul seeing Ellen...and I loved the close-ups on the ghost cat and how they kept giving clues that the cat was actually not there anymore. Also I liked the Saul/Bill fight and the metaphor of the broken ship.
I wasn't moved by Adama leaving and waiting alone because he couldn't live without Laura...I don't know it seemed forced...but I liked the fact he put Tigh in charge, and that Saul told him how much it was a disaster the last time he ruled. Also Grace Park crying in front of Adama was amazing.
"The Hub" had its moments but I couldn't help feeling that it was too easy. The jump-induced visions that made Laura's journey, the destruction of the hub, the final reunion...Besides I am not a big fan of Laura/Bill, it looks cheap and cliché. I was moved to tears by Saul/Ellen but Laura/Bill doesn't work for me. I found Bill's waiting for Laura, alone in space, less convincing than Leoben doing exactly the same thing for Kara, a few weeks ago.
However I loved the Baltar/Roslin scenes from the beginning to the end. They work wonderfully together. I enjoyed the fact that after the last vision in which Laura had her "love someone" epiphany, she genuinely wanted to save Baltar and called him "Gaius". I think that the Laura/Gaius dialectics is much more interesting than the Laura/Bill romance. And Baltar sounded, more than ever, like the hybrid: "don't do it, don't do it".
But my favourite scene ever was the Baltar/Centurion one. Priceless! I just love the Centurions.
"The Hub" was mostly about Laura's journey and now that I have seen "Revelations" I like it better because it did set things up. In a way Elosha was Laura's First Slayer providing the "death is your gift" message...and it worked, she gave, she loved...she forgave.
Her wrapping Baltar's torso in "Revelations" was a nice follow-up. I really liked the first shot of the scene.*g*
Laura's journey was the first step towards the situation that brought Cylons and humans together in "Revelations". D'Anna thought that the humans would never forgive the Cylons for what they did to the twelve colonies...freshly-forgiven Gaius had another point of view. Lee granted the Final Four an amnesty and was ready to make peace with D'Anna and her siblings.
Now about "Revelations"...what a terrific way to end the mid season! I loved the fact they all got to Earth that early...to find it ruined. Kara did lead them to the destruction of humanity ! Adama said it was a frakking joke and he was right.
But above all, I couldn't love Saul Tigh more than I do now. He stole the show yesterday. When he left Tyrol and Sam and went to talk to Bill, he was simply magnificent. And his face when he told his old friend that he was the way out.
Bill's breakdown broke my heart. BTW the Bill/Lee scene was really nice, and I loved how the Lee/Kara scene kinda forshadowed it...I guess Leland is really a grown-up now he has seen his old man in a true moment if weakness and helplessness(well, maybe not so much if you think of the jacket scene in the CIC...).
And is it me or did they hint at the Jossverse at least twice? First there was Kara mentioning the Dollhouse on New Caprica...and later Lee asking "where do we go from here ?"
Well, they went to Earth but of course it wasn't the end of the journey. Not really the lost paradise, the promised land they expected. The irony wasn't lost on Tyrol. Adama looked angry. Laura's face was blank, D'Anna looked confused. I loved how Sharon and Helo were walking together as a true pairing, how Sam refused Tory's touch, how Caprica tried to comfort Saul, how alone Baltar was on his rock...
And in the mean time where are the other Cylons? Where is Boomer? Where was Zarek during the crisis? Why did D'Anna said that there were Four Cylons in the fleet, implying that the Fifth wasn't there? Of course it could have meant that she knew the Fifth was currently on the basestar...but it doesn't really make any sense.
I don't think that any further revelation about the Fifth can beat the intensity of Bill finding out the truth about his old mate so I hope that Ron Moore didn't lie about the picture of The Last Supper and that the Fifth isn't one of the main characters.
What if the Fifth used to be in the fleet but no longer is and had been switched on a long time before the Final Four? What if Saul gave us a clue when he compared his awakening to Boomer's. What if the missing Eight was actually the Fifth?
And Hera still had a creepy look in that shot where Athena and Helo were kissing, as if she were foreseeing something...