Jan
20
Having already put Battlestar Galactica’s epic miniseries behind me, I am soldiering on with my viewing marathon and have recently enjoyed a brace of season one episodes. Things are certainly looking promising.
Where I had a few issues with said miniseries – it was basically overlong in relation to the content/set-up it provided – season one’s opening episode, ‘33’, was definitely imbued by this extended event. I was immediately accustomed to the characters, their various tics and where they all stood in the BSG pecking order. Furthermore, I was also aware of Boomer’s big secret. But back to ‘33’. I loved the hook of this episode, where Adama and his team, in order to stay ahead of the Cylons, have to constantly coordinate FTL leaps every 33 minutes. I found this gave the episode a unique tempo and kept me gripped throughout. As various crewmembers made mistakes, due to a lack of sleep, I really sympathised and was dying to find out how Adama would find a way of giving the Cylons the slip. The payoff was also very satisfying without being too contrived.
Next up was ‘Water’ and like a recent Stargate Universe episode, this focused on the Battlestar crew scouring the galaxy for a water source. But what made this so special was the way in which Boomer’s dilemma was fully integrated into this narrative thread. Needless to say I’m very curious as to how this will pan out. Another neat touch in this episode is the subtle power play occurring between Adama and Laura – I sense romance.
Well, that’s two episodes in and I’m still thoroughly enjoying myself. Come back next week to hear further thoughts on Battlerstar’s opening season.
To read my previous entry in this blog series, hit the link.
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Glad you are enjoying Battlestar, Shaun, and I am a little envious as you have so many excellent seasons and episodes still to come! Reading these diaries brings back many a happy memory watching this show – it may even give me the urge to dig out my DVD boxsets and watch it all again! I just hope you manage to finish before Caprica comes out – are you looking forward to that too?
I’ve actually watched just finished watching the first two seasons myself, and I gotta admit, I don’t know why I held out so long. 33 has to one of the best episodes to a series ever, and still has time for all the nice little character moments. I especially loved the dilemmna with the Olympic Carrier, that was gripping stuff.
Well I’m glad you guys are enjoying it so far. I have to admit the first couple of seasons were some of the best programming I’ve seen in a while.
Little footnote to the “33″ episode. After reading the script, Ed Olmos approached the director, Michael Rymer, with the idea that the principal cast should stay awake for a few days prior to filming, it would lend the episode a great deal of realism.
Rymer was a little wary of having to contend with a cast of sleep deprived zombies mumbling their lines and missing their cues, so he politely declined. Olmos was made of tougher stuff though and went ahead with his plan, when you see him on screen in “33″ he’d been awake for 72 hours straight and still managed to turn in a damn fine performance. You’ve gotta admire a man like that.