Friday, March 20, 2009
Grab Your Gun and Bring in the Cat
Nothing ever comes easy. No joy is bought without sacrifice... especially on this show. For the grand finale to the monumental series, this is a Running Diary of the three hour conclusion to one of the best 
shows on television today. I hope you all appreciate the fact that I'll be suffering through commercials for you people so the timestamps match up... in the age of the DVR Gods that's a big sacrifice.We'll be starting with the rerun of last week's "Daybreak: Part 1" at 8pm through the conclusion of everything just after 11pm. I'll be recording "The Last Frakking Special" and watching it tomorrow, unwilling to risk any spoiler this late in the game.
DO NOT READ THIS IF YOU HAVEN'T WATCHED THE SERIES!!!! HAVEN'T SEEN IT? GO BUY IT RIGHT THE FRAK NOW!
Now since you're all reasonably intelligent individuals, obviously everything gets spoiled since... ya know... it's a frakking diary of what's happening... a witty frakking diary, excuse me.
7:59pm - Here we go with Part 1. Written by series creator Ron D. Moore and directed by Michael Rymer, it was originally shown last week, but Moore has come out saying he meant it as a single piece. As far as series finale titles, I like "Daybreak" it is evocative of a conclusion without being corny. I mean if you care about a show the title of the finale means something for you years later. I mean my personal favorites titles include "The Judgment," "Goodbye, Farewell and Amen," "Made in America," "The Truth," "One More For the Road" and "What You Leave Behind." On another note, catching the end of the special and I gotta say, LOVE that sad music.
8:00pm - Here we go, strap in Raptor jocks.
8:02pm - So the finale survivor count starts at 39,516. That's 10,482 down from the start of 33... I'm going out on a limb and guessing that number goes down a bit in the next two hours... and one of them will be Adama. That's my guess at least.
8:06pm - Apparently we're starting with a flashback to Caprica before the Cylon attack. My big problem with this is was it necessary? After everything we've been through the original disaster has been humanized enough. It's the resolution of the new world that matters... the world and life that we've been living since the midpoint of the miniseries.
8:11pm - And the Caprica City police show up to give Roslin some bad news. How about a LIfe on Mars style spin-off with someone in current continuity waking up back here and everyone thinks they're crazy... Life on Caprica... huh? Nah? Yeah, I figured.
8:14pm - And we're finally to the present. All I can say about that is at least we didn't spend the first half of the finale in a mental hospital with Hawkeye and Sydney just to find out a woman killed her baby. Sorry, can you spoil a 25 year old series finale that 106 million Americans watched live and has been show in syndication about 3,000 times? I'm going with no.
8:20pm - Five minutes of commercials... thanks for the chance to finish the last paragraph in peace SciFi Channel.
8:21pm - Watching Adama pack up his office, looking around and living the pain of it with that beautiful morose soundtrack. No way this man ever commands from a Cylon Basestar.
8:21pm - Another freaking flashback? Not loving that.
8:25pm - I understand he probably turned himself in, but did I miss a scene. I couldn't remember why Tyrol was in the brig.
8:28pm - As a promo for the Wanted videogame comes up, is this the wrong time to go off on an extended rant about how much that movie sucked compared to the book? Probably.
8:32pm - Watching Adama going back for the picture of Hera is a great little scene. Edward James Olmos is putting on a show tonight.
8:35 pm - Hey I know what you are. You're my daughter. Don't forget it.
8:36pm - I have to say the flashback to Anders' going all Buddha athlete is the first that really adds something to background of the characters.
8:43pm - As Baltar makes his argument for his faith having a place on the new council. I have to call B-S. Things are crazy, but not so much that this group has infiltrated into every ship for the majority. I mean, shouldn't the foundation of a religion that makes up a majority of the fleet have more than one male member? Thank the Gods that Lee isn't a moron here and shoots down the selfish bastard. Good call, Mr. Not The President But Basically Running Things Guy.
8:45pm - What's up with the frakking bird? Is this supposed to be when Lee realizes he loves his brother's fiance? When Zak dies? These flashbacks just seem mostly unneeded and confusing.
8:46pm - Not out of left field, but I love Adama's decision regarding Hera. His world is absolutely and finally falling apart. The loves of his life are both dying and he has no more control. But he has the control to not let this stand. Not this girl. Not on my frakking watch does this pass. And it's a great decision by Moore and Rymer to have the entire crew explain the basics of the plan. It gives more actors a chance to have a moment and hint at their motivations. Besides that, it's too early in the night for a big solo speech yet. A nice decision to pace things. It even includes a scene with my favorite couple (Helo/Athena) at their most heartbreaking.
8:54pm - There's a bit of the big speech. It sets up a great "Everyone with me over here" scene. The first person to move in these things is always important. So it's fitting that Lee is just ahead of Ellen and Tigh. I love Mary McDonnell selling the pain and desperation of Roslin as she marches in last of all. And though I often rag on the character, I have to say that James Callis' Baltar is another excellent performance. I love his reaction to Caprica Six crossing the line, his own stuttering before ultimately not moving and reaction to Roslin.
8:55pm - And above all I love how most of the crew don't cross the line.
8:59pm - Okay, so the Cylon Colony ship is located around a black hole (a.k.a. the accretion disc of a naked singularity) with only one point of entry that has every gun pointed at it? That's pretty cool there. How do you plan around or survive that? Alright... let's get to work. Great ending to hour one.
9:00pm - And now we're off with the two-hour Part 2. It's also by Rymer and Moore, so I suppose that'll make it easier to think of it as a single event.
9:09pm - Now those were some better flashbacks. Maybe I just like them because it had a lot more Adama, including a scene in a bar with Tigh... AND Ellen! But gotta love slutty Roslin, drinking and pissed Adama, lightweight Zak, flirty Kara and even puking Adama. Plus it's a very cool transition out of the flashbacks with a pan up to a night sky becoming outer space above the fleet. I'm Jim and I approve this opening.
9:10pm - A great line from Baltar - End of what?
9:16pm - It's a nice few farewells coming up including this one with Roslin and Cottle Just light a cigar and go and grumble. It's fast and furious bits of fun with Helo addressing the Raptor pilots, Lee discussing the insertion, the Final Five Cylons planning to disrupt the enemy, but most of all Adama on the bridge. Then I want them to throw rocks.
9:20pm - So it's President Romo Lampkin and Admiral Hoshi... guys, you will probably not be seeing Adama at the rendezvous. And Baltar deciding to stay at the last minute is nice, but unexpected... See: The Dream. Hey, Galactica Centurions... nice.
9:28pm - The standard trip around the horn shows us where everybody is. Just leading to the big speech. This is the Admiral. Just so they'll be no misunderstandings later, Galactica's seen a lot of history. Gone through a lot of battles. This will be her last. She will not fail us if we do not fail her. If we succeed in our mission, Galactica will bring us home. If we don't, it doesn't matter anyway. Action Stations!
9:31pm - After getting pounded, Anders shows us a bit of that perfection he talked about to give them a chance.
9:32pm - BRACE FOR IMPACT?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?! HOLY FRAK!! Um... they... with the ship... Did... Did... did they just equal the atmo-jump?
9:34pm - I love watching Lee lead the assault team of Centurions and humans. We're in this together guys.
9:36pm - It's about time, Boomer.
9:42pm - Glad the lead bad guy Dean Stockwell got a chance to shine here. The Married to the Mob vet digs into his biggest, smirk-worthy bit of the night. Really, you think? Please continue stating the perfectly obvious. It fills me with confidence.
9:46pm - It's great to see the kid at least make it back to Mom and Dad... I don't think they'll make it through with her. Gods damn it. And Boomer finally gets hers from a pissed off Athena which culminates in the first Great-with-a-capital-G flashback of the night with the execution and origin of the Tell the Old Man I owed him one line.
9:49pm - They'll be back to the ship in 5 minutes. I now have no idea what's happening in the last hour. I stopped caring because the ride is on.
9:55pm - Helo got shot! My second favorite character! But Hera runs off to start what looks to be the Opera House sequence we've been waiting years for.
10:00pm - I have to give it up to Moore and Rymer right now. I never, ever, nerver imagined the scene would be pulled off that magnificently. Well done.
10:01pm - Kicking off another hour with Adama wasting a Simon hardcore. Very nice.
10:05pm - And Baltar's great speech revels the mystery behind Head Six and Head Baltar. I see angels. Angels in this very room. Now I may be mad, but that doesn't mean that I'm not right, because there's another force at work here. There always has been. I'm coming down on the side of that being poetic and not corny.
10:09pm - Redemption technology? So that can't be everything right? Right?
10:10pm - I love both Adama's grunt explanation of Cylon Final Five information exchange and Cavil's line You're only keeping two civilizations waiting! Not sure which I like more.
10:11pm - Cally finally gets justice courtesy of her great love, Tyrol... Of course it does end intergalactic peace. Holy crap, Cavil pulled a Cobain!
10:12pm - So Racetrack destroys the Cylons and Kara needs to make the jump. And Galactica is the Dying Leader! Cue the Song The Changes the Universe.
10:16pm - As Galactica finishes the jump and breaks her back like a giant metallic Batman, I can't help but think about what a great job throughout the series and especially these last half dozen at establishing the ship as a character in its own right.
10:18pm - Where we are is where we're gonna stay. You know, I do miss the rains down in Africa! Earth Again!
10:19pm - Sorry to break up the Galactica-a-thon, but Cyclops in the Wolverine movie???? Cool.
10:22pm - As we start talking about settlement, I love the entry point being Africa, the cradle of life, as opposed to the more Hollywood approach of North America. I approve. It's also a wonderfully light scene to break the tension with Cottle, Baltar, Adama and LT. Hoshi.
10:25pm - This scene where Lee suggests really breaking the cycle is just wonderfully written and maybe my favorite Lee Adama scene ever. A clean slate for humanity and the humanish Cylons and a Basestar and freedom for the Centurions.
10:27pm - So Anders will be piloting the fleet into the sun... I have to say getting shot and going brain dead was the most powerful dramatic advancement of his time on the show.
10:33pm - Of course, Adama is the last one off and my favorite flashback involves him choosing Galactica over what's comfortable and easy. Of course seeing Galactica/Anders riding off into the sun(set) is like something out of a western.
10:42pm - I like that Adama gets to name the planet. But... he wasn't meant for this world. His farewells really make the room dusty. Whattya hear Starbuck? Nothing but the rain. Grab your gun and bring in the cat.
10:48pm - Kara, gone too? Was she ever real just disappearing while standing next to Lee in a empty field? One last mind frak, huh Moore? At this point even the bird can't annoy me with a great flashback from these two saying Hello and Good-
10:55pm - A farewell for Laura and Bill. The bit with the ring is just lovely and the strings they add to his already excellent theme take it to another level altogether.
11:01pm - HELO LIVES!!!!!! Thank you, Ron Moore! You're a big softy, you are!
11:05pm - A nice little farewell for Adama (and man are they ever taking the Return of the King approach to endings upon endings) and one last (little) big speech. It almost heavenly. Reminds me of you.
11:09pm - From Hera to 150,000 years later, Head Six, Head Baltar and Ron Moore????? This I don't know how I feel about. They freaking had me until here but.... I just don't know.
11:10pm - So it's Cylon toys, a practical warning for our future and the Song That Changed the Universe - Hendrix style... somewhere Bob Dylan shakes his head and lights up a cigarette.
11:19pm - I've just been thinking about it... and going back to type in Adama's big pre-jump speech... and all I can say is... can't wait for tomorrow's podcast!
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