I don't love the title
May. 19th, 2008 11:16 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
trinityvixenThis past Friday's episode, "Guess What's Coming to Dinner" was just full of stuff happening. Plot-advancing stuff, which is great, but it's so packed that I'm still wrapping my head around it. As the subject line says, I resent the cutesy title being slapped onto an otherwise rather awe-filling episode.
Two incidents stand out as being turning points for the season and the series so far. One is minor, the other is explosively huge.
The first: Tyrol being completely nonchalant about being discovered as a Cylon if the known Cylon-human alliance succeeds. I get so frustrated with the characterization on this show swinging wildly from mood to mood with regards to some characters. Starbuck and Tyrol are often the worst offenders. When they're the center of the story, they're usually going nuts. The next week they're not, and they're just working in the background like they weren't manic freakjobs ever.
I'm actually thrilled to have even-keeled Tyrol back, I just wish we hadn't spent three-four episodes of his being completely nutsoid to get there. Why did we have to go through the nonsense motions of murdering Cally only to have him come right back to where he was at the end of last season and the beginning of this one? Why couldn't he have been as practical as he seemed to be the whole time? Why the torture?
Anyway, the fact that Tory and Tigh are bugging out and Tyrol's like, "Well, at least we find out who we're missing when this is all over" got to me. Because he is definitely post-traumatic about this, but it's part and parcel of his whole disgust for the SEKRET meetings. He doesn't want to harp on this big thing, it's just something that they are. "After all this time, a switch goes off." He doesn't care! (That's what bugged me about the "I look in the mirror, I don't know who I am" shit in the Cally episode because it was so out-of-nowhere and contradictory.) He's working on some engine part or another at the table while the others whine! I loved it. I would love it better if what he was working on eventually was important, but I'm sure it's not. Whatever, I found that hilarious.
The other clinching scene was Natalie's realization that there is a big problem with the way both sides are approaching this alliance. She doesn't have to wait for the humans to screw them over because the Cylons are already screwing themselves. As awesome as her speeches before Adama and Roslin and then the Quorum were, I find her awareness of the larger implications in her little meeting with Leoben and the Eight much more important. Because she's recognizing that she can't recapitulate the alliance with Cain and escape. She's not human, and the humans won't respect her enough to give her the benefit of the doubt. If the Cylons start acting as they always have, everything will implode.
More than that, she's the first to consider that maybe the Final Five really are different. All along, the 2-6-8 faction has been totally squealing with delight imagining that the Five are playing hide-and-go-seek and when they are found there will be a giant pillowfight or something. Natalie has started to figure out that the group hug is not in the offing. I doubt she's gone as far as to realize that the Final Five actually would prefer to stay in their human roles, but she's recognized that they are judging her by standards heretofore unlike those any Cylon has ever used. Not even Caprica, not even Boomer.
And a lot of that ties into her speech about death and how important it is in order to live a meaningful life, but she can't see that yet, can't see that their assumption of mortality in all that they've ever done completely perverts the machine logic just as it has done for Natalie and the 2-6-8 faction. Now that there are no do-overs, it's really, really important to get things just right. Natalie finally gets to that point, but the logical jump that the Five are already and have always been there hasn't had time to germenate in her head, what with her running to stall the humans so the Leobens and Eights can deprogram the Centurions from taking hostages and her getting shot and all. But it is coming.
I believe she will survive the shooting. I doubt that, even in her terror of losing her child again, Athena has killed her. I think it serves a better point about getting shit right the first time--before the consequences of getting it wrong catch up to you--if Natalie lives, if Athena shot her so she came close to but did not, in fact, die. Natalie will experience the mortality, the dread fear of it as something more than an abstract; she will know what it's like to look at someone you should, given your backgrounds, understand and sympathize with, and be completely stymied by them, their decisions, their thought processes. That will bring her even closer to understanding the Final Five, and maybe they'll be able to make a go of the alliance for reals.
Unless Anders screws it up. I'm more sure than ever that he's going to out himself. I'm surprised it didn't happen this episode, only there wasn't time with omg every other goddamn thing happening. I've an idea in my head, ficcish idea, that Gaeta would get a note anonymously saying that Anders is a Cylon. It would look like sour grapes from someone who'd just experienced trauma, but he'd get someone to listen, maybe Adama even, and find a way to parlay his fervent belief that this information is true. Adama, being a big softie, would test it out, and Anders would totally not even attempt to pretend otherwise. It would turn out, Gaeta would realize (once he figured out that making the guy who took his leg into the ultimate bad guy didn't make him feel any better about it) that Sam had actually given him the note, knowing that Gaeta wouldn't possibly ignore it in his current state of non-recovery and hoping that, somehow, it made them even.
It fits, character-wise but it won't happen because there's no time for it. Galactica needs to catch up with the rebel basestar and get to the D'Annas before Cavil and the others catch wise. No time for emo. Although, looking at the preview, there might be. I live in fear of what, exactly, Cottle was checking up on that he found evidence of Saul Tigh on Caprica Six. Please be skin under her fingernails. Please?
Two incidents stand out as being turning points for the season and the series so far. One is minor, the other is explosively huge.
The first: Tyrol being completely nonchalant about being discovered as a Cylon if the known Cylon-human alliance succeeds. I get so frustrated with the characterization on this show swinging wildly from mood to mood with regards to some characters. Starbuck and Tyrol are often the worst offenders. When they're the center of the story, they're usually going nuts. The next week they're not, and they're just working in the background like they weren't manic freakjobs ever.
I'm actually thrilled to have even-keeled Tyrol back, I just wish we hadn't spent three-four episodes of his being completely nutsoid to get there. Why did we have to go through the nonsense motions of murdering Cally only to have him come right back to where he was at the end of last season and the beginning of this one? Why couldn't he have been as practical as he seemed to be the whole time? Why the torture?
Anyway, the fact that Tory and Tigh are bugging out and Tyrol's like, "Well, at least we find out who we're missing when this is all over" got to me. Because he is definitely post-traumatic about this, but it's part and parcel of his whole disgust for the SEKRET meetings. He doesn't want to harp on this big thing, it's just something that they are. "After all this time, a switch goes off." He doesn't care! (That's what bugged me about the "I look in the mirror, I don't know who I am" shit in the Cally episode because it was so out-of-nowhere and contradictory.) He's working on some engine part or another at the table while the others whine! I loved it. I would love it better if what he was working on eventually was important, but I'm sure it's not. Whatever, I found that hilarious.
The other clinching scene was Natalie's realization that there is a big problem with the way both sides are approaching this alliance. She doesn't have to wait for the humans to screw them over because the Cylons are already screwing themselves. As awesome as her speeches before Adama and Roslin and then the Quorum were, I find her awareness of the larger implications in her little meeting with Leoben and the Eight much more important. Because she's recognizing that she can't recapitulate the alliance with Cain and escape. She's not human, and the humans won't respect her enough to give her the benefit of the doubt. If the Cylons start acting as they always have, everything will implode.
More than that, she's the first to consider that maybe the Final Five really are different. All along, the 2-6-8 faction has been totally squealing with delight imagining that the Five are playing hide-and-go-seek and when they are found there will be a giant pillowfight or something. Natalie has started to figure out that the group hug is not in the offing. I doubt she's gone as far as to realize that the Final Five actually would prefer to stay in their human roles, but she's recognized that they are judging her by standards heretofore unlike those any Cylon has ever used. Not even Caprica, not even Boomer.
And a lot of that ties into her speech about death and how important it is in order to live a meaningful life, but she can't see that yet, can't see that their assumption of mortality in all that they've ever done completely perverts the machine logic just as it has done for Natalie and the 2-6-8 faction. Now that there are no do-overs, it's really, really important to get things just right. Natalie finally gets to that point, but the logical jump that the Five are already and have always been there hasn't had time to germenate in her head, what with her running to stall the humans so the Leobens and Eights can deprogram the Centurions from taking hostages and her getting shot and all. But it is coming.
I believe she will survive the shooting. I doubt that, even in her terror of losing her child again, Athena has killed her. I think it serves a better point about getting shit right the first time--before the consequences of getting it wrong catch up to you--if Natalie lives, if Athena shot her so she came close to but did not, in fact, die. Natalie will experience the mortality, the dread fear of it as something more than an abstract; she will know what it's like to look at someone you should, given your backgrounds, understand and sympathize with, and be completely stymied by them, their decisions, their thought processes. That will bring her even closer to understanding the Final Five, and maybe they'll be able to make a go of the alliance for reals.
Unless Anders screws it up. I'm more sure than ever that he's going to out himself. I'm surprised it didn't happen this episode, only there wasn't time with omg every other goddamn thing happening. I've an idea in my head, ficcish idea, that Gaeta would get a note anonymously saying that Anders is a Cylon. It would look like sour grapes from someone who'd just experienced trauma, but he'd get someone to listen, maybe Adama even, and find a way to parlay his fervent belief that this information is true. Adama, being a big softie, would test it out, and Anders would totally not even attempt to pretend otherwise. It would turn out, Gaeta would realize (once he figured out that making the guy who took his leg into the ultimate bad guy didn't make him feel any better about it) that Sam had actually given him the note, knowing that Gaeta wouldn't possibly ignore it in his current state of non-recovery and hoping that, somehow, it made them even.
It fits, character-wise but it won't happen because there's no time for it. Galactica needs to catch up with the rebel basestar and get to the D'Annas before Cavil and the others catch wise. No time for emo. Although, looking at the preview, there might be. I live in fear of what, exactly, Cottle was checking up on that he found evidence of Saul Tigh on Caprica Six. Please be skin under her fingernails. Please?
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no subject
Date: 2008-05-19 03:48 pm (UTC)Oh come now, you know they've been fraking. They've been fraking since he saw her as his late wife and she saw him and said "this isn't want you need". The only question then is the nature of the sample...... or....... if somehow Sol's line has the magic for a Cylon-Cylon pregnancy to occur ^_^
Before reading you post I was firm in my belief that Natalie was dead. However you did put an idea in my head that would be a good reason for her to have survived..... She hears Gaeta, looks at him, he looks at her, and they both say "oh FRAK!!!"........ yes I'm sticking to my guns about Gaeta being the last of the five. In my mind the singing boosts that chance by a whole lot IMO. Other than that reason though I would think Athena would have made damn well sure that Natalie wouldn't be coming back (esp with that finish shot when Natalie was already down on the ground). Got to love the look on the Chef's face when he was walking over for Hera thinking (nice to know I'm not the only Cylon that's frakked in the head these days).
I have more thoughts but I need to get to something so consider this a "to be continued".
no subject
Date: 2008-05-19 04:02 pm (UTC)Plus, as with Starbuck being the last, I'd feel it cheated the human drama. Making Gaeta a Cylon won't make up for his suffering, but it will seem to have done. If he suffered after the reveal, as the Chief did, you'd have drama, but not if it's before and you can wipe it away (or pretend to) by making him a robot.
Anyway, Natalie will survive. Athena's finishing shot seemed more a spiteful mean thing than a true intention to do harm. It goes to my point about the shooting teaching Natalie what mortality is all about. "You want to know what meaning is? Here's some pain." That's how you learn, if you're a Six, and surely all the Cylons know that. It's the pause in the shooting that makes me think Athena wasn't going for a kill but a lesson. If she'd wanted her dead, she'd have shot the second Hera was gone. Instead, she spoke to Natalie and warned her off Hera. You don't warn someone who isn't going to be around to make use of that instruction. She paused, long enough to burn off the insane fear and get it under control. Then she shot Natalie. She waited to watch her suffer, then she shot her again.
Athena is not crazy. Athena is more sane than any other person on the show. I trust that she knows what she's doing. And I think she knew only too well.
As for Col. Tigh and Caprica...I just don't know why he'd go that far. Caprica doesn't love him, and he doesn't love her, and meaningless sex isn't going to fix either of them. And it would be meaningless when they're not in love. Also, it just doesn't make sense for Tigh's character, but that didn't stop them from turning the Chief inside out for the purposes of melodrama, did it? Also, the writer of this and the next episode is the same one who made Tigh into a sexist asshole who whored Tory out (and then wrote the scene of Tory whoring herself out), so I wouldn't be surprised at anything he does.
no subject
Date: 2008-05-19 04:17 pm (UTC)Up until 2-3 eps ago I didn't think it was Gaeta. I would have pinned it on someone else. But then I started seeing things, and Gaeta started glowing in the dark as the last of the five. Part of it is just the setup; being on the waste-ship, getting shot threw the leg in just the wrong/right way, and now the singing. Oh lord the singing alone was enough for me to go "he's a Cylon". Now Gaeta is an influence of the 3 big human movers and shakers (Roslin, Adama, & Baltar), not to mention he's the only one who could reunite the 4 of 5. It also helps that with his leg gone he's gone fraking nuts already. I hate to say it, but the Doc is too level headed to be a Cylon (since you know all Cylons are fraking nuts).
no subject
Date: 2008-05-19 08:15 pm (UTC)As for the basestar jumping away at the same time: if Natalie, with her insight about why the Five haven't flown into their arms is not able to lead the 2-6-8 faction, the alliance is doomed. While that might be the case, it would mean Earth is never getting reached, and that would completely destroy the narrative established from the miniseries where Earth has always been the last goal.
The last Cylon will be someone important but innocuous. It won't be anyone who is personally involved with or important to one of the already known Final Five. So it won't be Adama (because he's important to Saul Tigh), Roslin (Tory), Starbuck (Anders), and, well, um, I dunno who the Chief has left, but it wouldn't be them. So, like I said, Gaeta is a possibility, but his exposure level is not high, and he is just too bleeding obvious. As for the singing, I like to think that it's a way to demonstrate the mutability of what we've drawn as human or Cylon traits. The specialness of music is not exclusively a Cylon trait. Humans pray and sing, too.
Doc Cottle always seemed a good candidate by virtue of his interaction on New Caprica with D'Anna. She came upon him after he'd walked out of a surgery on a Doral. He didn't seem to care that he was fixing up a Cylon; he just did his job as he was able (sound familiar?). His contempt for all people who are being babies in the sick bay is great, too. And, my personal theory is that the missing Cylon will be #7 and the leader of the Five who originally took them all away from the others. Going with the zodiac assignation, 7 is Libra. I doubt you have a better judge or weigher of all things than Cottle.
Also, plenty of Cylons are sane! In fact, if you think about it, the Cylon Civil War split down the crazy/not-crazy line: 2-6-8s on the crazy, 1-4-5s on the not-crazy. And, okay, Boomer, but she's crazy for being sane these days because it gives her a line she can draw and keep all the hurt away with.
no subject
Date: 2008-05-20 12:37 am (UTC)