This article talks about culture during the Bush era and for Television focuses on the show that most accurately and honestly addressed the issues.
http://www.newsweek.com/id/174268
Monday, January 26, 2009
"Battlestar Galactica" Season 4 Episode 11: "Sometimes a Great Notion"
"Sometimes a Great Notion"
Grade: A+
To people who write off this show. I scoff at you. Must I once again point out all of these comments:
"Throughout its run, the series was often reviewed as "the best show on television". It has earned critical acclaim from Time Magazine, The National Review, Rolling Stone,[27] Newsday, The New York Times, The New Yorker, The San Francisco Chronicle, The Chicago Tribune, Entertainment Weekly[28] and many others.[citation needed] The series drew critical acclaim from its first season. Diane Werts of Newsday wrote: "You can look at this saga any way you want - as political drama, religious debate, psychological suspenser, sci-fi adventure, deep metaphor or just plain fun - and it's scintillating from every angle."[29] Robert Bianco of USA Today commented: "Driven by violence and rage, Galactica is perhaps the darkest space opera American TV has ever produced. In Galactica's future, humans are on the run, and if external enemies don't get us, internal divisions will... You'll understand them [the characters], their conflicts and their desires, because they're recognizable humans in all their glorious complexity. And that's what makes Galactica a great TV series."[30] Peter Suderman of National Review stated that the series is "arguably the most potent, dramatically vibrant series on television. ...[I]t packs the power of a gut punch on screen. For that, much credit is due to the immensely compelling cast of characters... Battlestar Galactica burns with a combustive mixture of political turmoil and human drama that is as achingly real and relevant as anything on television.[31]
Mary McNamara of The Los Angeles Times praises the show's ability to "anchor fantasy with vivid and recognizable human psychology" and declares that the series is "not just a cult hit but a significant piece of television."[32] Maureen Ryan of the Chicago Tribune describes it as a "sprawling, enthralling tale of human survival"[33] that is "full of political allegories and fascinating, multifaceted characters."[34] She finds, "Like Deadwood, Battlestar Galactica is interested in exploring how a society on the edge decides to govern itself. What rights and actions are sacrosanct, which are outlawed, when most of the human race is eliminated? ... Thanks to a stellar cast and brave writing, Battlestar soars."[35] Throughout its run, the series has often surprised reviewers with its many twists and turns. Ryan comments: "There’s nothing like a good Battlestar plot twist to make your head spin, but the “holy cow” moments aren’t the main point (though they’re one heck of a tasty side dish). The show and its twists and turns are grounded in deep curiosity about human nature, and how contradictory and confounding it can be."[36]
Matt Soergel of The Florida Times-Union states: "Its propulsive and complex storytelling is matched by, at best, just a handful of theatrical movies a year."[37] Tim Goodman of The San Francisco Chronicle opines, "Battlestar Galactica transcends the sci-fi genre; it competes, creatively, on the same level as any other top-tier drama."[38] Mark Perigard of The Boston Herald states: "A drama this gripping comes ’round rarely."[39] James Poniewozik of Time Magazine has named it one of the 100 best TV shows of all time.[40] Television Without Pity describes Battlestar Galactica as "one of the finest, most beautifully written, expertly acted shows on television."[41] Alan Sepinwall of The Star-Ledger writes: "[W]hat makes Galactica so gripping is its emphasis on character over hardware. The explosions and the killer robots are cool, but they don't stack up to seeing fully-drawn people - brought to life by a great writing staff led by producer Ron Moore and an astonishing cast led by Edward James Olmos and Mary McDonnell - grapple with these life-or-death, genocide-level decisions."[42] Joshua Alston of Newsweek declares that the show "captures better than any other TV drama of the past eight years the fear, uncertainty and moral ambiguity of the post-9/11 world" and "always finds ways to challenge the audience's beliefs."[43] The series also draws praise for having many strong and complex female characters.[44][45][46] Seattle Post-Intelligencer's Melanie McFarland notes, "[Starbuck], played with a tomboyish swagger by Katee Sackhoff, is fast becoming the latest in a long line of feminist television icons."[47]
The series has also received favorable reviews from other writers. Stephen King wrote: "This is a beautifully written show, driven by character rather than effects...but the effects are damn good. And there's not a better acting troupe at work on television."[48] Joss Whedon commented: "I think it's so passionate, textured, complex, subversive and challenging that it dwarfs everything on TV."[49][50][51]"
Mary McNamara of The Los Angeles Times praises the show's ability to "anchor fantasy with vivid and recognizable human psychology" and declares that the series is "not just a cult hit but a significant piece of television."[32] Maureen Ryan of the Chicago Tribune describes it as a "sprawling, enthralling tale of human survival"[33] that is "full of political allegories and fascinating, multifaceted characters."[34] She finds, "Like Deadwood, Battlestar Galactica is interested in exploring how a society on the edge decides to govern itself. What rights and actions are sacrosanct, which are outlawed, when most of the human race is eliminated? ... Thanks to a stellar cast and brave writing, Battlestar soars."[35] Throughout its run, the series has often surprised reviewers with its many twists and turns. Ryan comments: "There’s nothing like a good Battlestar plot twist to make your head spin, but the “holy cow” moments aren’t the main point (though they’re one heck of a tasty side dish). The show and its twists and turns are grounded in deep curiosity about human nature, and how contradictory and confounding it can be."[36]
Matt Soergel of The Florida Times-Union states: "Its propulsive and complex storytelling is matched by, at best, just a handful of theatrical movies a year."[37] Tim Goodman of The San Francisco Chronicle opines, "Battlestar Galactica transcends the sci-fi genre; it competes, creatively, on the same level as any other top-tier drama."[38] Mark Perigard of The Boston Herald states: "A drama this gripping comes ’round rarely."[39] James Poniewozik of Time Magazine has named it one of the 100 best TV shows of all time.[40] Television Without Pity describes Battlestar Galactica as "one of the finest, most beautifully written, expertly acted shows on television."[41] Alan Sepinwall of The Star-Ledger writes: "[W]hat makes Galactica so gripping is its emphasis on character over hardware. The explosions and the killer robots are cool, but they don't stack up to seeing fully-drawn people - brought to life by a great writing staff led by producer Ron Moore and an astonishing cast led by Edward James Olmos and Mary McDonnell - grapple with these life-or-death, genocide-level decisions."[42] Joshua Alston of Newsweek declares that the show "captures better than any other TV drama of the past eight years the fear, uncertainty and moral ambiguity of the post-9/11 world" and "always finds ways to challenge the audience's beliefs."[43] The series also draws praise for having many strong and complex female characters.[44][45][46] Seattle Post-Intelligencer's Melanie McFarland notes, "[Starbuck], played with a tomboyish swagger by Katee Sackhoff, is fast becoming the latest in a long line of feminist television icons."[47]
The series has also received favorable reviews from other writers. Stephen King wrote: "This is a beautifully written show, driven by character rather than effects...but the effects are damn good. And there's not a better acting troupe at work on television."[48] Joss Whedon commented: "I think it's so passionate, textured, complex, subversive and challenging that it dwarfs everything on TV."[49][50][51]"
The Season opener for "Battlestar Galactica" Season 4.5, "Sometimes a Great Notion", was better that the vast majority of films that came out in 2008. That is not to say it was a bad year for film, that is to say that this episode simply blew my mind. If I started writing about it I could write a book (like many already have on the series). There were no battle scenes in this episode. But the aftermath of finally finding Earth only to discover it is an uninhabitable wasteland, each character goes off into some extreme reaction as we see the little population of people erupt with the beginnings of what looks to be revolt, chaos and disaster. The entire series led upto this point; it is what (and only what) has kept the survivors going all this time. What is the point anymore when it was all a waste? We found out so many things. Starbuck can hardly function after not even understading what she is. Roslin decides to step down as President and also to stop taking her medication for her cancer resigning herself to a slow death. Adama goes to Tigh's room and insults him in the hopes that he can get Tigh to shoot him because he now wants to die but does not have the guts to do it himself. Nobody cares about anything anymore and perhaps the most shocking moment of the episode occured when Dualla treated herself to a nice evening with little Adama, her ex husband, went into her room, looked in the mirror with a smile on her face and shot herself in the head. This entire episode went a step further in establishing the very plausible course of events than it needed to and by doing this has proved once again why it is the most ambitious show on TV. Instead of it being, "oh this sucks, what do we do now" the creators of the show understand what this means for the survivors. Billions die, everyone they know, they spend 4 years searching for Earth, they finally find it and...its all a lie. Nobody has anything to live for anymore and furthermore they are going to revolt against the people who have wasted their time; mainly Adama and Roslin. Plus they are going to revolt against the Cylons living in the Fleet because...wel they are repsonsible for killing everyone they knew. Everything done in this and the episode after that which will get a short review in a bit was pitch perfect. This show has made some missteps, I am the first to admit that, but its missteps have never been in the department of addressing political issues. If they keep on track with the work they are doing here, any mistakes they have made will be completely erased as far as I am concerned. This could completely reinvent the standards of what a television show can accomplish.
I could go into Starbuck, everything we learned, Tigh and all of the rest of it but I cannot due to work and having to catch up with other reviews. However, this episode left me with such a genuinely creepy feeling, one that has only been matched by one episode of "Lost" and 2 episodes of "Twin Peaks".
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