“So say we all”
I must admit that I was one of those people that heard the title “Battlestar Galactica” and rolled my eyes or laughed at the idea that I would ever become intrinsically immersed in a Sci-fi show so beyond my wildest imagination. A friend at work came in on a weekly basis, telling me about her weekend and her hour of TV dedicated to BSG, constantly trying to get me into the show, and my reaction was always the same – “Um, sure, I’ll get right on that”, but I never took the time to get invested.
And then, and please forgive me for how shallow this might sound, then Jamie Bamber entered my life. Or rather, a pretty much next-to-naked picture of Apollo from the first D’Anna Biers episode entered my life and my interest was piqued. Luckily, I was also addicted to Netflix at the time so I was able to get the miniseries and the first disc of the first season one weekend. I recruited my father as my BSG watching partner, and from minute one of the miniseries, I immediately felt bad for making fun of all of the BSG fans.
Cut to me, Seasons 1, 2, and 2.5 later, ridiculously obsessed with the show, and counting down the days until October 6 (a side note – October 6 also happens to be my birthday AND a payday and my best friends Corinne and Andrew are taking me out to dinner, so it’s going to be an awesome Friday).
In the spirit of the upcoming Season 3, I want to share with everyone my 16 favorite things about BSG (with a show like this, you can’t just stop at 15).
1. Chief Tyrol. I love him. He is scruffy, and angry, and disturbed, and brooding, and just incredibly all around awesome. Aaron Douglas gives such depth to this severely fractured character, and his intensity is truly electrifying – the webisodes are chock full of Tyrol, and I’m loving each and every 2.5 minute venture into the world on New Caprica.
2. The acting, period. Every single person on this show can act. Whether it’s a minor character, hired only to provide filler in a flight training room, or a series regular, dealing with such raw emotion that they make me cry every single episode, every person on the show is amazing. The reason I’ve watched each episode more than one time – every time, I see something new, and am blown away by it.
3. Felix Gaeta. Is there anyone else out there that believes that Mr. Gaeta could be a Cylon? Or that he’s more than a little bit in love with Gaius Baltar? I don’t know what I believe, but I do know that there’s something strangely unique about this guy, and each episode I watch, hoping that we’ll learn something more about him.
4. The Special Effects. I’m not sure I really need to go into too much explanation there, because it’s self-explanatory, but there are not many shows that have special effects that I am fully interested in.
5. Laura Roslin and Mary McDonnell. The President of the Colonies and one of the greatest actresses in the entire universe. Is there anyone else on the planet than play a character who at times is so weak she can barely stand, but still manages to command the room? Mary Mac was one of my favorite things about one of my favorite movies (Donnie Darko), and she is absolutely one of my favorite things about this amazing show. With a word, or a slight facial expression, she can change everything she’s trying to convey. And Roslin? Sure, she’s flawed, but she’s phenomenal. Not to mention her chemistry with my television father figure Bill Adama aka EJO.
6. Flawed characters. Is there a person on this show that doesn’t have a huge flaw in their character? Adama and Lee can’t tell each other they love each other because they are such proud people. Roslin steals babies, and threatens to abort Cylon hybrids. Gaius? He handed the colonies over to the Cylons. Kara likes to drink, and Tigh? So does he. Helo loves a robot, and Tyrol beats up on a girl who is truly in love with him, because he is so despondent over having loved said robot. Flawed, all of them. But I love them, and connect with them on every level of their despair.
7. Will They / Won’t They. Normally, I don’t like a storyline that relies solely on the “will they / won’t they” storyline; however, the BSG writers do it so well, that it’s not the most important thing per each episode, but I’m still drawn in to the mix. Kara and Lee. Yes, they’re both old marrieds (to two other people), and yes, they both hate each other at times, but the constant give and take they give each other? It’s a romance as old as times, and it’s something to root for. EJO and Mary Mac (Adama and Laura). They are so great together. I cannot wait to see their inevitable reunion when Bill and Lee return to New Caprica to save the day.
8. Dualla and Anders. This ties in with the “will they / won’t they” point. Kara and Anders are married and in love. Lee and Dualla are married and in love. Or are they? I am normally one of those people that supports one ‘ship and doesn’t approve of the third party (of note: I’m a staunch Lorelai/Luke supporter so Christopher is not my favorite person really.), but in this situation? I feel so bad for Dualla and Anders because their mates are inevitably drawn to each other, and are, dare I say it, soul mates. But I love Dualla. I think she’s a strong character, another Bill Adama daughter-figure. And though I don’t like his Uncle Cooper on One Tree Hill, I love Michael Trucco’s Anders character.
9. Number Six. I love her. Strong, confident, damaged, tortured, gorgeous, strong, weak, you name it, Tricia Helfer plays it as Gaius’ Chip-lady. She is one of the symbols of evil on the show, as most of Cylons represent the end of the human beings, but she is so breathtaking, that it’s hard to disagree with whatever she says!
10. Helo. A Cylon sympathizer of sorts, his love for Sharon, and his poor unfortunate long-thought-dead daughter makes Helo this adorable loving character that I can’t help but fall for!
11. Unpredictability. I can honestly say that I don’t see most of the storylines coming. Sharon’s a cylon? Nope, didn’t see that coming. D’Anna Biers is the leader of the cylons? Nope, that either. Did I know that Gina would kill Cain, and that Kara wouldn‘t have to? No. Did I see the one-year jump in time coming? Not at all. I love watching a show when I don’t know what’s going to happen, so when the writers want me to be shocked, I am truly shocked.
12. Comic relief. At the most inappropriate times, Gaius is hilarious. Twitchy, and weird. Nervous, and misguided. Sometimes, just seeing him on the screen makes me laugh. Times when he’s supposed to be calm, and composed, times when he’s supposed to be expressing his love. I just find myself laughing at him, and his inability to be a serious grownup in the most grownup times.
13. The boys of BSG. Jamie Bamber, Tahmoh Penikott, Aaron Douglas, Michael Trucco. Can they be any hotter? My love of the boys of the Battlestar has led me to even go out and buy the Maxim magazine in which they appeared.
14. Fastest hour on TV. Some shows, I can’t wait until they’re over. Battlestar Galactica? I hate when the hour is up, because I’m always looking for more. I hate when the credits start rolling. I hate when the story isn’t wrapped up at the end of hour. I hate when this show is over.
15. The Cylons. I love how they keep me guessing. I am never sure how they’ll react to something. I’m not sure if I feel sorry for them, I’m not sure if I would be considered a Cylon sympathizer, but I do understand their plight. Plus! I cannot wait to find out who the remaining 5 Cylons are!! I’m sure we’ve met one or two of them. Then again, I’m not sure we have. But I know I am so excited about finding out!
16. Edward James Olmos. Did you honestly think I would let this “What I love about BSG” go by without including EJO? He is amazing. He is my favorite actor currently working on TV (don’t worry, My Kiefer, I still love you, too). I love him as Bill Adama. If the world was coming to an end, I’d want EJO around me, keeping me safe.
What are you favorite things about Battlestar Galactica? What has you on the edge of your seat waiting for the season premiere next Friday?
In Other News….
How much did you love Heroes? Because I did. I hope that they stay true to the awesome pilot that they presented. I hope it continues to be awesome. I have faith that it will, and I can’t wait to follow it throughout the year!
Brothers and Sisters? Yes, I like it. I thought that Balthazar Getty was a bit stale, and Ron Rifkin’s evil-doer character is a bit cliché, but I really do think that it’s going to be a show that keeps me interested. I mean, come on…Sally Field on TV on a weekly basis? It’s can’t-miss-TV!
Best Music Moment on TV This Week
This week’s favorite moment?
Definitely the Backstreet Boys’ “I Want It That Way” karaoke in Japan on this week’s Heroes pilot. It was the perfectly placed comic relief.
That’s it for this week – check back next week for more of My Take!
Drop me a line at mytakeontv@thetvaddict.com
-Amrie