Bye Bye BSG || Flight of the Conchords Finale

For many the love affair with Sci-Fi’s (arguably) best drama BATTLESTAR GALACTICA has spanned years. For me, it’s been all of 3 months. My man was persistent prior to last December that I would enjoy the series but the netflix rental of the 1st disc of the 1st series sat untouched for a couple weeks before we finally threw it in the Xbox and pressed play. I can’t give the exact moment that I fell head over heels in love with the show but I remember marathon watching the 1st disc which contained the full original mini-series. And voraciously wanting more.

We ended up buying the entire 1st season and borrowing the others from a friend. I was watching upwards of 4 episodes per day. I was certain that Lieutenant Gaeda was a cylon. We affectionately nicknamed the XO “Colonel Tigh One On” due to his drinking habits. I both loved and loathed Gaius Baltar and mocked Lee “Apollo” Adama when he packed on the pounds. Even though my relationship with BSG was shorter than most people I do feel that it was more intense at times. I went through a major crash course in anticipation of watching the final episodes in “real time.” I was only 1 week behind when I finally caught up.

The series was great because while the story was science fiction in nature, the drama was the real driving force in the show. Character relations were key; the underlying aspect of “is he a cylon” kept the viewer keen on clues and verbal or physical tells. I think this alone produced a more adept fan than your normal show would render. BSG spawned it’s own frakin’ language too which would immediately gain acceptance in fellow BSG company…so say we all! I don’t think I could personally side with the humanoids or the cylons because they were both fallible. When the final cylon was revealed I was let-down mostly because it was my least favorite character (and I wanted it to be Gaeda!!) but also because it was the beginning of the end of a well-written, well executed, exciting and interesting series. And it was consistently so.

But when the end arrived and all truths were revealed the feeling of being let-down did not subside. I was not blown away nor happy with the resolution of the remaining characters…I even felt anger about certain things. I have some MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD if you haven’t seen the end. But if you haven’t seen it yet, either you’re not a fan or a very lazy one!

++ Starbuck’s end was a major disappointment. The idea of nothing being explained does leave an awful lot to interpretation but it also screams “cop-out” to me. In some cases, especially when the character herself is questioning her existence, then a resolution is preferable. A disappearance almost literally in front of Apollo’s eyes just confused me – was she ever really real? I’ve heard talk of Starbuck’s father being a secret cylon – but where does this idea come from?

++ Colonel Tigh and Admiral Adama never say goodbye to each other. Their dynamic in the show was one of the most captivating and for that reason they deserved to have a final farewell.

++ I did enjoy the idea that cylon/humanoids are the fathers and mothers of the present earth inhabitants. “The Chief” Gaelin is hinted at heading towards Ireland (A true “Man of Gael” huh?) gives an extra treat to the audience.

++Great dramas do not always end joyfully, they often they end in tragedy with a multitude of death. I'm thinking of things like Romeo and Juliet or MacBeth here kittlings, I'm thinking of tales that resonate for ages on end. The BSG series ending crashes smack dab in the center of pandering to the audience; backpedaling from drama into a form of escapism that happily "tighs" up the plot lines at what felt like a breakneck pace. It lacks all the punch and promise of that very brilliant opening mini-series where the very existence of the humanity was counted down every episode and every death brought us one step closer to these characters and ourselves. Instead of making one final stand for human and cylon kind, we are told to believe that this small, closely woven space family just disbands-- walking to the far corners of our globe... and even evaporates into thin air? I may be be just a writing machine, but I choose to believe that our BSG heroes didn't abandon the fight, but clearly their creators did.

BATTLESTAR GALACTICA began as a cheesy sci-fi series in the late 70’s that inexplicably used inferior technology and had an abundance of clunky metal robots. The new BSG transformed the idea of inferior technology into a positive (robots can’t control analog!) and disguised the enemy as ourselves. Add in a perfect cast and you have possibly the best series to hit TV in the last 10 years. And it was on the Sci-Fi channel of all places! Good on ya Sci-Fi and BSG…and fare thee well!
====================
It should be noted another series came to an end this past weekend with HBO’s folk comedy FLIGHT OF THE CONCHORDS. A slightly shorter season than the prior, this time around it was a slow burn into brilliance. A similar ending takes Bret, Jemaine and manager Murray back to their home country of New Zealand. While I felt the songs took a back seat this season I seemed to enjoy each episode more than the last. For FotC withdrawal, I highly recommend the BBC RADIO SERIES that aired before the HBO series but is basically the same plot line with a few differences in names, characters and situations. A great addition to any Ipod!