(S03E20) First of all I want to thank everyone who attended the chat tonight during the episode. The room's still open for anyone who wants to hop in and discuss what went on (if I'm there, I go by 'TVSKeith'). I'm pretty sure there's plenty to talk about.
As I was watching the show tonight, and having read so many comments on this show here at TV Squad throughout the season, I realized there are going to be two main schools of thought here. One one side we'll have those who felt the trial was the most important piece of the episode, while the other will find it to be the haunting music, those who were driven by it and surprise ending. But of course if you've got any sense about you, you'll realize they're all important pieces to the puzzle.
I'll admit that I read the spoilers going into this episode, and sure enough they turned out to be right. I'm rather desensitized to spoilers these days, as it was part of my job here for years. Though I will say that as the spoilers were written, I'm not so sure I agree with the assumptions made in their presentation.
For example, the members of the crew affected by the music immediately assume they are Cylons because what's happening to them cannot be explained. Yet are we really supposed to believe they are Cylons, too? I certainly don't think so, and in fact I'm thinking quite the opposite. In case you didn't know yet (and live under a rock), the music heard is Bob Dylan's 'All Along the Watchtower', though the version we hear is sung by someone I couldn't place. I'm thinking that these crew members are somehow related or connected to Earthlings, and perhaps only they are able to hear it as part of a safety measure for finding Earth.
(Ron Moore has said that the song choice was very important, so fire away with thoughts on why that would be the case. Is it the year it was written? The lyrics? Is Dylan a Cylon?)
It's actually reminiscent of a witch hunt, isn't it? Something that can't be explained or seems so completely out of place is automatically assumed to be witchcraft. I'd believe they were Cylons only if it was obvious that Six or Sharon also heard the music, but as far as I know they didn't.
As for the trial, I now wonder what effect Lee's speech will have on how others perceive him as a leader. He outwardly admitted to everyone that he wanted to leave everyone to die on New Caprica with the Cylons. Does that make him a fit leader in their eyes now?
Why did Gaeta lie on the stand like he did besides just not liking Baltar? Was he just looking to make himself seem better off or was he just looking for revenge for what Baltar whispered to him in an earlier episode and missed stabbing him with a pen over it ("butterfingers!")
There are too many ways one could explain how Starbuck came back from what seemed like death from a few episodes ago. One of my favorite theories mentioned in the chat (and one I believe mentioned in comments in a previous post) was that Kara was now in Lee's head much like Six and Baltar are in each other's, and that she is a Cylon, though not necessarily part of their "plan." I'd only say there's no coincidence that Starbuck shows up just as the Cylons show up and just as the music gets clearer for who we're supposed to believe are part of the final five Cylons.
While it's great to know we can look forward to a new full, geenlit season of this show, it's going to feel like a long wait. If rumors of the theme for the gap-bridging two-hour movie this summer are true, we're in for a great treat to help make that wait less painful.
I can't wait to read everyone's theories and thoughts on what went down in this episode. Until next season (or my next show review, if you read them)...
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 5)
3-25-2007 @ 11:09PM
Haunt said...
*faint*
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3-25-2007 @ 11:11PM
Kyle Beasley said...
Oh WOW! That was really, really good. I can not wait to see next season.
http://kylebeabo.blogspot.com/
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3-25-2007 @ 11:11PM
David said...
The chat was giving me a headache.
Lee on the stand was great, and I like how they brought back topics from the first episode.
Six not being on the stand was odd, wasn't that the whole point to keep her alive?
And the final five cylons are obviously special, so everyone needs to rethink the fact that they are just like the other 7, they obviously are not. There are no clones of them so if they die they might really die.
The pullback was AMAZING!!!!
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3-25-2007 @ 11:12PM
Borat said...
Damn just one more cylon we need to find out. Hot damn!!
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3-25-2007 @ 11:26PM
Haunt said...
Yeah, Lee has never been my favorite character on this show. But after tonight, at least during that scene of him on the stand, he just might be.
Were I unwed, I'd take him in a manly fashion. I want to have Lee Adama's baby...
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3-25-2007 @ 11:29PM
Chris said...
I assumed the fifth was Kara, that's why she was still alive.
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3-25-2007 @ 11:25PM
Lars said...
It's obvious ,the fifth is starbuck.
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3-26-2007 @ 8:43AM
RK Bentley said...
Anyone know the band that did the song?
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3-25-2007 @ 11:31PM
boxlight said...
In case you hadn't figured it out already, it's official, BSG -- once the best show on television -- has officially reached the status of crap.
The entire 3rd season was wasted on irrelevant soap-opera subplots about love triangles, babies, union strikes, and a silly and ultimately anti-climactic trial. All of which added up to ... ziltch. The series has become a non-sensical series of contrived one-shots with no overall direction or coherence.
Now after a season of mish-mash throw in a contrived last two minutes intended to make fan-boys drool as though there really is some brilliant master plan at play. "I know where earth is." This is a sad, sad display. You writers should be ashamed at the work you did on season three -- I'm surprised you still attach you name to this pig's garbage.
It's sad that this series has devolved into such tripe. I'm especially sad for Tricia Helfer, once the heartbeat of this series, and who has been delegated to irrelevant camoes.
Bad, bad work, fellows. The addicted fanboys don't notice it, but this series is in the toilet. "And they have a plan" -- don't make me laugh.
boxlight@gmail.com
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3-25-2007 @ 11:34PM
Ro said...
That was awesome...So many questions and so much time until next season...perhaps we'll get some webisodes in the interim? Doubtful...
So I definitely don't think Tyril, Anders, and that group are Cylons, it's just to easy...The music is odd and makes you think they must be machines/Cylons, but why would they be triggered by Bob Dylan's and actually singing the words of "All Along the Watchtower..?"
If you didn't catch what they was saying...
Tyril: There must be some way out of here
Tigh: said the joker to the thief
Anders: there's too much confusion
Tori: I can't get no relief.
I guess somehow they have some implants picking up old radio waves emitting from Earth, like the movie Contact.
I can't wait for the final 22 episodes...then hopefully movies...gonna be sad to see this show go...
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3-25-2007 @ 11:38PM
Bill said...
Yeah I'm with Ro. Just because they think they're Cylons doesn't make it so. And what I think they're wanting us to believe about Starbuck is that the vortex thingy she flew down into was a wormhole or something. But who knows.
Awesome, awesome episode. The wait to see more will be excruciating.
http://popculturejunk.blogspot.com/
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3-25-2007 @ 11:43PM
Ro said...
Wow boxlight, relax. Most people don't like the filler eps, we all pretty much like the one with archs, but in television we just have to accept the filler eps...that's how they onboard new watchers...
"Fan-boys?" premptively attacking anyone who disagrees with you?
And "pig's garbage," I mean, who they hell says that anyways.
I do agree with the Tricia Helfer comment, the 2nd half of this season was very light on her, and we given Starpollo, Dee, Tyril, and Helo crap to chew on...
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3-25-2007 @ 11:47PM
Borat said...
C'mon boxlight, sure there was quite a bit of crap in season 3 (the love triangle, mediocre filler), but it was pretty good overall, especially the finale. It's not as good as season 1 was, but still, it's great.
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3-25-2007 @ 11:53PM
David said...
I think a lot of season 3 was a waste, virus,"Hero", love shit, killer doctor, but the season finale was amazing and if you can't enjoy that then stop watching.
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3-26-2007 @ 12:00AM
Admiral Yamamoto said...
I have been a fan of the show from the beginning. When it is good, it is good; when it is not so good ("Black Market") I think it is still OK.
Could we have done w/o 'Star-Pollo' > yeah, having them get on w/ their lives with no romantic entanglements would have been fine for me.
Could we have done with a little less drama surrounding the trial? I don't think so; in fact I rather liked it. Lee's commentary was actually quite fitting and it was entirely within context.
Could we have seen more Cylons? Actually we saw a lot of them, including the inside of their base ship. That worked for me.
Would "Dirty Hands" have worked in the earlier part of the season? Yes, but I liked it nonetheless.
Would the boxing match episode been better placed later in the season? Yes.
And what the hell is the drama w/ Starbuck's return? I mean, dead characters should remain dead, unless there's a damn good reason for them not to be. And waiting 9 months for the answer does not thrill me.
Anyway, the show could have been better; in fact, I hope that next season is a bit better than this one; but I'd rather have a less-than-stellar BG season than none at all...
Admiral Yamamoto
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3-26-2007 @ 12:02AM
Chris said...
Wow, Boxlight, you had one hell of a bug crawl up your ass. Calm down there boy.
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3-26-2007 @ 12:09AM
David said...
"I'm thinking that these crew members are somehow related or connected to Earthlings, and perhaps only they are able to hear it as part of a safety measure for finding Earth."
What stops them from being Cylons and Earthlings? They are Cylons, that's clue from Moore himself, they are special.
And what rumours are you reading, the move deals with the Peggie, Moore confirmed that.
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3-26-2007 @ 12:09AM
Joel said...
HOLY SH!T
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3-26-2007 @ 12:21AM
Usama said...
The cover of Bob Dylan's song is by "Bt4" who is the brother of series composer Bear McCreary ... this is according to Wikipedia though so I'm sorry that I can't verify it any futher.
Hopefully they'll release this on the third season's soundtrack because it, combined with the visuals from the show, proved to be a hauntingly beautiful piece of music.
I love BSG, and it pains me that I have to be away from it for so long. AAH!
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3-26-2007 @ 12:20AM
Ryan said...
Really fraktastic episode.
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