"The Oath"
Grade: A+
I just don't know how to review this show without fully being able to get across the significance of what this show is doing. I am going to try to regularly update TV Reviews for this, "Lost", "24" "The Office" and the other shows I will watch but honestly this and "Lost" are very hard to review without going into all sorts of shit that I do not have the time for. But I will try because these shows are the reason I was so excited to start this blog.
So some general observations. I cannot believe what this show is doing. If it keeps this up in its last 7 episodes then it will have accomplished something so remarkable. This episode tracks the revolutionary event of the series that is the mutiny against Adama, Roslin, the administration and the Cylons whose alliance with the humans were becoming such a strong possibility that all hell broke loose and for the first time our main characters are in the midst of revolt that will decide everything.
The employment of the constant time tracker every few minutes was brilliant as it made us feel like the event we were seeing was so important that it has been documented with great precision.
All of the characters we know and love are on the likely to lose side. My mother and I (well actually my mom but really I want to take some credit for the brilliance) have coined the phrase "Hate the Gate". As in we hate Gaeta, or Gaetass as we now call him. (okay so my mom and I can be ridiculous sometimes). Ugh I hate him so much. He is the most infuriating character on anything I am watching right now. Even more than Pam folks, even more than Pam. The slow build up of everything falling into place and the revolt begins in the various different parts was nothing short of masterful. After watching this whole serises, the events in these episodes hold an indescribable and unbeatable amount of weight to them. I shall go through the characters:
-Adama has emerged as a Top 5 favorite character as we start to end the series. I felt so bad for him as him and Tigh were being fooled throughout a majority of the episode. His kiss with Roslin was perfection and I hate that they will not end happily ever after (there is no way that will happen). Again as we come to the end of the series, Adama and Tigh's relationship has emerged as my favorite interaction on the show and the one I care the most deeply about. God I feel like I have been through so much with these characters. So as you can imagine, the last scene held particular power for me.
-Roslin - I knew it would be Adama's life being threatened that would get her back into Presidential mode. "I"M COMING FOR ALL OF YOU!!!!" Holy crap next week will be....I dont even know what. She is a character I am always conflicted by because she pisses me off so much but I really do care about her.
-Starbuck - it is so nice to see her back in kick ass mode. Hell yes. We have not seen that in the longest time and it is refreshing and very much a throwback to earlier episodes.
-Gaius is the character that I am perhaps most interested in and I feel like lately they have dropped the ball with him. SO imagine my excitement when in this episode he finally breaks away from his flock, has a conversation with Gaeta, and another with Roslin. I really hope this means we will get back in these final episodes with establishing his place in this story.
-Oh god please get the Pegasus people away. They all rape people, I swear its ridiculous. And they have "Athena" and Caprica Six? Wow fantastic. I'm excited. Except not.
Tigh was killing me in this episode between the forest fire comment and "You son of a bitch!"
This all makes the show sound ridiculous. It's not. This week's episode is something the entire series has basically led upto and once again, between this and the premiere, the show has already offered two of the best hours of television I have ever seen almost reaching the artistic heights of the best of "Twin Peaks".
Until next week...
I just don't know how to review this show without fully being able to get across the significance of what this show is doing. I am going to try to regularly update TV Reviews for this, "Lost", "24" "The Office" and the other shows I will watch but honestly this and "Lost" are very hard to review without going into all sorts of shit that I do not have the time for. But I will try because these shows are the reason I was so excited to start this blog.
So some general observations. I cannot believe what this show is doing. If it keeps this up in its last 7 episodes then it will have accomplished something so remarkable. This episode tracks the revolutionary event of the series that is the mutiny against Adama, Roslin, the administration and the Cylons whose alliance with the humans were becoming such a strong possibility that all hell broke loose and for the first time our main characters are in the midst of revolt that will decide everything.
The employment of the constant time tracker every few minutes was brilliant as it made us feel like the event we were seeing was so important that it has been documented with great precision.
All of the characters we know and love are on the likely to lose side. My mother and I (well actually my mom but really I want to take some credit for the brilliance) have coined the phrase "Hate the Gate". As in we hate Gaeta, or Gaetass as we now call him. (okay so my mom and I can be ridiculous sometimes). Ugh I hate him so much. He is the most infuriating character on anything I am watching right now. Even more than Pam folks, even more than Pam. The slow build up of everything falling into place and the revolt begins in the various different parts was nothing short of masterful. After watching this whole serises, the events in these episodes hold an indescribable and unbeatable amount of weight to them. I shall go through the characters:
-Adama has emerged as a Top 5 favorite character as we start to end the series. I felt so bad for him as him and Tigh were being fooled throughout a majority of the episode. His kiss with Roslin was perfection and I hate that they will not end happily ever after (there is no way that will happen). Again as we come to the end of the series, Adama and Tigh's relationship has emerged as my favorite interaction on the show and the one I care the most deeply about. God I feel like I have been through so much with these characters. So as you can imagine, the last scene held particular power for me.
-Roslin - I knew it would be Adama's life being threatened that would get her back into Presidential mode. "I"M COMING FOR ALL OF YOU!!!!" Holy crap next week will be....I dont even know what. She is a character I am always conflicted by because she pisses me off so much but I really do care about her.
-Starbuck - it is so nice to see her back in kick ass mode. Hell yes. We have not seen that in the longest time and it is refreshing and very much a throwback to earlier episodes.
-Gaius is the character that I am perhaps most interested in and I feel like lately they have dropped the ball with him. SO imagine my excitement when in this episode he finally breaks away from his flock, has a conversation with Gaeta, and another with Roslin. I really hope this means we will get back in these final episodes with establishing his place in this story.
-Oh god please get the Pegasus people away. They all rape people, I swear its ridiculous. And they have "Athena" and Caprica Six? Wow fantastic. I'm excited. Except not.
Tigh was killing me in this episode between the forest fire comment and "You son of a bitch!"
This all makes the show sound ridiculous. It's not. This week's episode is something the entire series has basically led upto and once again, between this and the premiere, the show has already offered two of the best hours of television I have ever seen almost reaching the artistic heights of the best of "Twin Peaks".
Until next week...
2 comments:
"-Oh god please get the Pegasus people away. They all rape people, I swear its ridiculous."
Peter Laird never raped anyone (that we know of), but he was the first to die in this episode.
Louis Hoshi has never been anything but a sweetie and he was from Pegasus as well.
So it's not really ALL the Pegasus people. But it is pretty disturbing how much of what that crew went through shaped them into a group of mostly monsters, or at least those creeps that we've been allowed to see.
And while I don't want Gaeta to get away with what he's doing, I can totally understand his reasoning. This does not mean I want him to survive this; he made his bed here and he should be put to bed. His methods are crap, but his intentions are noble - and he made sure Hoshi wouldn't get hurt, which is something. I feel less sympathy for Zarek, or Connor, or Gage - as they all kind of scare me. Gaeta seems to actually want to do what's right, while those guys feel like they've got a score to settle. The same for Diana Seelix, who I had no idea was so vindictive. I was a bit surprised by Racetrack and Skulls. Especially after what Skulls said about Laird. I cheered when Starbuck shot him. I'll probably cheer if she shoots Gaeta. But the writing for this show is incredible, and I find it impressive that while I'm cheering for the ones shooting the mutineers, in the back of my mind I feel that the mutineers have a point.
yeah yeah i know not all of the Pegasus people rape women, the comment was much more of a sarcastic generalization than stating a fact. I love Hoshi! But I agree, that the monstrosity of that particular crew is extremely disturbing.
Also, I completely agree about Gaeta. Here's the thing. Yes I understand completely where he is coming from. What I love so much about the show is how the audience never gets an easy way out. We are constantly being challenged. Which is why it is hard to deal with the fact that the revolt that is threatening all the characters we have come to know is somewhat valid. The thing is that I have always hated Gaeta even when we were supposed to like him. So for me these events are extremely frustrating in that I sincerely hope he gets thrown out of the airlock. And it was really frightening seeing Racetrack and Seelix become so adamantly on the other side since we have seen them for so long and to see them turn like that is just scary as I had no idea either were capable of that.
Yes Starbuck shooting Skulls was friggin awesome. I hope she is the one to kill Gaeta.
And yes again that is the reason I love this show too; while I am rooting for the people opposite the mutineers, I can completely understand where they are coming from and it makes it much more challenging and interesting as a viewer having to grapple with that.
I do not know if I can wait until next Friday!
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