Entries in the Category "TV"
Battlestar Galactica
With the finale of Battlestar Galactica I felt like sharing my opinions on the show. I was a late comer, having watched seasons 1-3 on DVD during the hiatus between seasons 3 and 4. Ultimately I feel that BSG is a disappointment. For me the first two seasons were incredibly strong because I really enjoyed the action-adventure aspect of the show. Following the Galactica's journey as it fought for survival in spite of infighting and political intrigue was fantastic. I couldn't wait to watch the next episode.
Season 3, however, was for me a turning point. By planting the characters in one place on New Caprica the show's narrative contracted so much that it eliminated most of the adventure aspect that I loved so much. That combined with the increased presence of the Baltar character really took me out of the show.
The politics and mysticism present in the show always worked best as a background element, but as the plot progressed these elements took center stage. For this reason I liken BSG to another great scifi series, The X-Files. Both series had a fantastic start but were eventually overtaken by their respective mythologies. When I think back to some of the best episodes I think about how great of a space adventure BSG was, not the endless mythology that it became. For example the first episode of season 1, 33, where the Cylons follow the fleet's jump every 33 minutes is just great entertainment. It didn't need a thousand layers of gods, or angels, or visions, or prophecies, it worked purely as a human drama. That is where BSG's strength lied and that is why the show was worth watching in spite of it's over-the-top mythology.
The show's finale was a decent wrap-up as series finales go. The battle sequence felt rushed to fit in the rather drawn out denouement, but I was pleased to see some of the more annoying characters get their comeuppance. Some of the plot resolutions, however, were weak at best. In the end I like BSG a lot, but its slow decline has been hard to watch at times.