We watched a few more episodes of season 2 Friday night (just two more to go, then on to season 3! I wish I'd caught on to this show earlier so that I'd be caught up to the episodes that are currently airing. I'd probably go a little crazy waiting a week between episodes, but at least I wouldn't have to be so diligent in avoiding any news about BSG. But, clearly, I digress.).
Anyway, the show had been kinda lackluster for me since Black Market, which was horrible. I actually like that BSG addresses the fact that the fact there are only 50,000 humans left doesn't mean that suddenly we can all just get along. When faced with sudden, unexpected genocide, you don't get to hand-pick 50,000 saints to bring with you on a mission for the survival of the species. I just thought this episode addressed the issue in a heavy-handed, awkward way that didn't fit with the flow of the show at all. It was a totally stand-alone episode that did nothing to advance the overall story arcs and mythology of the show. Unless you count the fact that suddenly Lee has a troubled past and a relationship with a prostitute. Because the end of the human race, a dead brother, feelings for the dead brother's fiancée, a difficult relationship with his father, and being used as the rope in tug o' war between the Admiral and the President isn't angsty enough.
The episodes between Black Market and Downloaded were certainly up to par with BSG's usual writing and acting standards, but I just didn't love where the plot was going. Scar was a good episode, but I hate Kat; I hate Lee and Dee (the fact that their names rhyme makes me hate them more!); and I hate that they killed Billy. Mind you, I don't hate Lee and Dee because I loved Dee and Billy (and definitely not because I want Starbuck and Lee to get together, more on that later). I just think that a) it totally came out of nowhere and b) they have no chemistry.
But, with Downloaded, they reeled me back in, hook, line, and sinker. This episode was made of awesomeness. Here are the highlights:
- The return of The Hotness. Uh, I mean Anders. The return of Anders. While I must admit that after the one episode (or was it two?) they had together, I had a hard time buying the mind-frakking lurve Starbuck has for Anders, there is no denying that they do have boatloads of chemistry. Yum! I'm looking forward to their reunion and I'm guessing that eventually I will buy into the deeper layers of their relationship. (So you see I am not a Lee/Starbuck shipper. In fact, I think a Lee/Starbuck pairing is icky. She was engaged to his brother and his dad clearly thinks of her as a daughter. Furthermore, I like the depiction of their friendship and I appreciate when men and women have non-sexual relationships on television. Because in real life we actually are capable of that, folks.)
- The return of Caprica as a setting. The return of Anders also means a return to some of the storylines I found most fascinating in the first season regarding life on Caprica after the attacks. I think the human resistance and the Cylon colonization are great stories to tell and add more dimensions to the "Colonial Fleet versus the Cylons" narrative.
- The revelation that, just as the "good guys" aren't all good, the "bad guys" aren't all bad.
- The return of Sharon 1. I find Sharon 1 to be a really sympathetic character. Imagine living your whole life as one of the good guys only to find out you don't really have "a whole life" (most of your memories are fake) and you are one of the bad guys. One of the bad guys you actually hate. Talk about inner conflict and self-loathing. I had wondered what happened to her after she got shot, whether she was close enough to download and if the process of downloading triggered a part of her programming that made her go, "sweet, I'm a cylon and I totally shot Adama" or if she woke up like "frak, I'm surrounded by cylons. I frakking hate cylons! Dammit, I am a cylon. This sucks." Thank you BSG showrunners for addressing my concerns!
- The demonstration that Tricia Helfer can act. Head Six just totally sucks.
- Head Gaius!!
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