Battlestar Galactica Is Too Depressing

[Cardinal Braxiatel]

I guess I just need a push. You see, I agree Battlestar Galactica is one of the best acted, directed, and written series on the air right now. It's just I still have last week's ep on my DVR unseen and I still have no will to watch it. Why? It's just so damn dark. Even the humor is dark and I find myself in a depressed funk right after watching it. The push I need? I need encouragement to keep on watching. Last week's ep, for example. Were there any lighter moments at all? If not and there are none tonight, I think I've seen my last ep of BSG ever.

[ramtower]

Um.

I really liked last week's episode, but it's hard to call it uplifting. I considered it the epilogue to the second exodus. You see what impact the events of those episodes has had on the characters, and you see them attempting to find ways to cope. The end seems...hopeful, but not supremely so.

I understand how you're feeling on this -- I really like the bleak stuff, and watching BSG gives me a lot to chew on, but it's been pretty heavy lately. The unseen episode will set some things right and set up other things for the rest of the season.

So I guess I'm saying, keep your fingers crossed for tonight.

[bennymatthewtaylor]

Um? isn't BattleStar a cartoon reflection of the ballsup in the Iraq at the moment? Shouldn't you all be tempered to this sort of custer fuckery? I laugh my ass off whenever the Cylons talk about how they don't know what they're doing and the don't understand why the humans ain't happy being occupied because it's exactly how I imagine Bush's inner circle opperates wondering how it's all gone so wrong.

I mean hell, in the beginning, and in the webisodes, they were successfully justifying suiside bombing which is the only effective device the Arabs have to push Bush's Coalition out of Iraq. not that it's working. Though the Cylons have less patience and less resources.

This is worse than grim, it's humiliating to every American out there that are being villified by their own media entertainment. Selfloathing ain't pretty.

[ramtower]

isn't BattleStar a cartoon reflection of the ballsup in the Iraq at the moment?

It's a lot of things. It's also a character drama.

Shouldn't you all be tempered to this sort of custer fuckery?

November 7th.

This is worse than grim, it's humiliating to every American out there that are being villified by their own media entertainment.

I don't feel particularly humiliated. I also don't feel vilified. I do feel like I'm watching a work of fiction that attempts to recast contemporary concerns into new perspectives in order to guide its audience to different conclusions than their initial perspectives might have done. I also feel like I'm watching a well-written, if tragic, character drama.

Selfloathing ain't pretty.

Neither is pointing and laughing.

I would argue that Battlestar did NOT successfully justify suicide bombings and that this was never its intent. It did shine a light on the kind of desperation that could make people feel suicide bombings were an acceptable measure, but the show justified nothing. If you look at what happens because of the bombing, you see harsher and harsher measures enforced until the cylon's hold on the camp becomes untenable. You see ever-escalating degrees of action and response from both sides. And, of course, you see that the cylons were wrong ever to have been there, regardless of their intent in being there. But you do not see that suicide bombings are justified.

[ramtower]

(not that I disagree one bit about Iraq, by the way -- this isn't a discussion of world politics, though. it's a discussion of a TV show that contains many real-world analogues. I disagree only with the idea that BSG -justified- suicide bombings. And also with the laughing, the vilification, and the humiliation.)

[bennymatthewtaylor]

Sorry, Tigh's point of view briefly seemed justified until Laura gave her polarizing opinion, afterwhich Colonel Tigh seemed like a fanatic. But given the unrealistic immortal indomitable enemy they are facing such an extreme response is imaginable considering at a whim humanity might be exterminated rather then be transformed into a herd species grazing at the Cylons leisure over the next thousand years with no concept of freedom...

I did say it was a cartoon.

"Pointing and laughing"?

Ye gods. What I foubnd amusing was I saw an interview with Bob Woodward, the Watergate guy, on 60 minutes talking in depth about the indecision and conflict in the Bush administration over Iraq, which was interchangable form some of the Cylon Skits. Other than that it's all very very sad and tragic and has been fro a very long time.

[Cardinal Braxiatel]

I have to say for me any use of the suicide bombers as some kind of allegory to tactics employed in the real world fails. It's a very Western take on what it would take to drive a character to such extremes and doesn't contain many parallels to Islamic extremists. Not surprising that. The writer would have had little insight into Islamic culture, which would have been needed to make valid comparison points. It's disturbing and part of the way the series refuses to have any character be happy but not equal to what's going on in the real world at all.

[ramtower]

real-world allegories do fall short rather quickly of what the series does in-show. But it is tempting to draw correlations, innit?

And Woodward's position with regard has been a very interesting one -- check out the link in Ian's (mewelke's) thread about middle politics.

[Cardinal Braxiatel]

Okay, that's it. I just watched the opening of the October 27th episode and they've gone too far for me. I deleted the ep and the one from last night as soon as the Chief's group murdered Jammer. I wish the series well but I'm done. When the Chief becomes party to secret executions they've gone too far for me to keep watching.

[Brian Reed]

Okay, that's it. I just watched the opening of the October 27th episode and they've gone too far for me. I deleted the ep and the one from last night as soon as the Chief's group murdered Jammer. I wish the series well but I'm done. When the Chief becomes party to secret executions they've gone too far for me to keep watching.


You missed a wonderful episode that built up to every character involved in that tribunal having to face up (not pay for, mind you -- but face it all the same) to what they were doing. Starbuck and Tigh are in the middle of incredibly deep and complex character arcs. Chief is actually a character for the first time since his affair with Sharon. Starbuck's hubby has been given something to do that doesn't involve sitting on a planet waiting to be rescued.

And Baltar... wow.

The show is in a VERY, VERY, VERY deep dark place right now, but every step of the way it justifies the dark turns and rewards you with some absolutely amazing character development and revelations.

[Cardinal Braxiatel]

Sorry. Just can't justify watching a show I find I absolutely dread watching. It's dark enough in my head without my 'entertainment' almost equalling it. I'll stick with the story idea me and my brother are developing when it comes to dark and ugly and stick with things on TV that don't make me cringe.

And how many people actually enjoy BSG? I was told at work today you're not supposed to enjoy what's being shown but if you don't enjoy a book, movie, or TV show, why deal with it?

[Brian Reed]

Sorry. Just can't justify watching a show I find I absolutely dread watching. It's dark enough in my head without my 'entertainment' almost equalling it. I'll stick with the story idea me and my brother are developing when it comes to dark and ugly and stick with things on TV that don't make me cringe.

And how many people actually enjoy BSG? I was told at work today you're not supposed to enjoy what's being shown but if you don't enjoy a book, movie, or TV show, why deal with it?

I suppose I can understand bailing with those conditions. I think it was Busse's wife who walked out on The Shield when it started to go into the dark end of the street.

As for "not supposed to enjoy what's being shown" I think I understand the sentiment, but not the statement. I imagine what they were trying to say is "you're not supposed to take joy in what the characters are doing but you should take joy from the well-crafted story." At least that's what i hope they meant. If you're supposed to watch shitty TV, I have a lot of "Friends" and "Will & Grace" re-runs to catch up on.

[ramtower]

Oh, I absolutely enjoy BSG. It's bleak, but watching the characters grow, watching the decisions they find themselves making, it absolutely fascinates me.

[Thomas Mauer]

BSG wasn't my number one show last season but they've ratcheted it up for this one and now it is even with all the new and returning quality programming. It's a punch in the gut every time, but that's what brain food is supposed to do. The show is definitely not a disposable entertainment snack.

[ramtower]

I hadn't thought about it in terms of favorite shows, but...yeah, now that you mention it, this season is starting to climb to the heights (or sink to the depths) of The Shield last season, which was some of the best TV I've endured.

[Brian Reed]

I hadn't thought about it in terms of favorite shows, but...yeah, now that you mention it, this season is starting to climb to the heights (or sink to the depths) of The Shield last season, which was some of the best TV I've endured.

When The Shield ended last season, I just felt emotionally raw. I think I was actually sort of depressed and angry for a day or two. And remember the tone of the conversation during Emerald City when we were at the pizza joint discussing it? Everybody there felt like they'd been through the wringer.

BSG hasn't done that to me yet. I get excited by the action and all, but BSG has that comicbook escape clause where you know anybody with their name in the opening credits isn't in any real danger.

[Cardinal Braxiatel]

I guess my biggest problem is that I was sold this series as the triumph of the human spirit when faced with near extinction. What I'm getting is the degradation of the human spirit and a journey to see how far every single one of the characters can fall into the depths. There's not even any uplifting plots to counter-point the darkness.

[Brian Reed]

I guess my biggest problem is that I was sold this series as the triumph of the human spirit when faced with near extinction. What I'm getting is the degradation of the human spirit and a journey to see how far every single one of the characters can fall into the depths. There's not even any uplifting plots to counter-point the darkness.

Ahh, see, you didn't watch this last week.

Part of the joy of triumph is understanding how deep despair can be. And ever since Pegasus arrived, we've been in some hardcore despair.

But the end of last week, as we watched one character lift themselves up and shove themselves back into action was just as exciting and happy-making as watching another character descend into the depths was heartbreaking.

There was also a fair deal of pressing the reset button this last week and returning things to a mid-season 1 status quo. In the process, we saw some "good" for the first time in a long while of "man, life sucks."

[GelfXIII]

I just wish I could drop 40 pounds and get rock hard abs in one week. That'd be nice. :D

[Thomas Mauer]

I just wish I could drop 40 pounds and get rock hard abs in one week. That'd be nice. :D

Better get on that Stairmaster 4000 then. Chop, chop!