tv thoughts: Daybreak
Mar. 22nd, 2009 08:13 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
orangerfulOkay, going to try to post my thoughts on the finale now...mostly because I want to read what everyone else posted! Not quite a super-mega-happy ending but a lot more upbeat than I had expected!
I felt that Daybreak was a cross between the Angel series finale and last last 30 minutes of Return of the King. The writers did a great job of creating a climactic battle for the survival of the people aboard Galactica and then taking us through how everything turned out for each of our favorite characters. I think every fan got a little something to make them feel their favorite [living] crew member got some love.
As I said in my mini-post right afterwards, I don't think a show has ever caught me so off guard with the finale. After RDM debunked the Daniel/Starbuck theory, I was at a loss to where it was all going. So I was glued to me seat for the show (it was actually the first battlestar I watched in real time..., every other episode I've DVR'd and waited at least 20 minutes into the airing so I could fast forward through commercials).
Once again I find myself amused that another one of my favorite television shows has turned out to be so spiritual in nature. I'm not a religious person, but I have no problem with the idea of a connection to all things. Battlestar ended with a note that the entire universe is connected, not just humans but every living thing.
So, reactions while watching the show:
I made it through the first chunk in relatively good condition. That is, until Helo was shot. That was the scene that turned on the water works. As I've said in all my previous posts, I felt the Agathons had to survive. But when Helo took that bullet and Athena said "You're bleeding out!", I thought it was all over. I literally screamed at the TV "NOOOOO!! NOT HELO!!!!!". Of course, then Moore goes and brings him back at the very end in a sort of "SURPRISE!" and then I felt silly for crying but at the same time, I was so happy to see them together again. It's ironic since I didn't like Helo at all during the miniseries...I can't even remember why now...
Actually, they didn't bump off as many people as I thought. I knew Boomer couldn't survive the end, it was just a question of who would kill her. I was surprised that she was just sort of executed in the hallway, but I guess the only alternative would have been to leave her on the Colony and then people would be trying to decide if she was really dead or not. Perhaps a bullet (or 2) to the chest was the best way to put her character to rest.
This whole episode was all about coming full circle. The flashbacks were confusing during Daybreak, Part I because that was really just the first hour of a 3 hour show. Watching them all together on Friday made it flow a lot better. Seeing the young, innocent Sam and Boomer was a nice touch that gave character we hadn't seen in awhile a good bit of closure.
I was such a mess that by the time they got to the "We'll give you ressurection!" moment and Tori was all "so, we've all done stuff we're not proud of" that I was not even registering what she was talking about. It wasn't until they all had their hands in the goo and Chief started to experience her memories of murdering Callie that I was like "holy frak, I forgot that NO ONE knows she did that". Again, I knew Tori wasn't going to survive the show, but I wasn't sure how she would go. This made the most sense. Too bad it pretty much royally frakked Chief. Poor guy.
I think one of the best decisions they made was not to have Hera be a little actress. I mean, kids are great and all and sometimes you'll stumble upon one that is brilliant, but really Hera just looked adorable all the time and got carried along by her parents/kidnappers. I'm really happy they did this because I think I liked her more because of it. She's a bit of a mystery.
I also did not see Earth coming. I just didn't, I had given up on that whole dream. It was a surprise when they showed the little blue planet outside and even more a surprise to see they were hanging out with the cavemen! (Of course, my mind went to the Gulgafrinchims*)
Other scenes that made me cry:
- Adama saying goodbye to Lee after Roslin showed signs of fading away (I was bawling and saying "WTF IS GOING ON? WHERE IS HE GOING?")
- Gaius telling Six that he knew something about farming and then screwing up his face to cry
- Lee turning around and finding Starbuck gone. Even though you knew she was gone as soon as the camera angle changed, it made me cry to see his face)
- Kara's final goodbye to Sam
- Sam flying the fleet of ships into the sun while they played the original BSG theme
- Seeing the Happy!Agathons wandering through the field together.
And then we started with the final ending to the series, 150,000 years in toe future - today. At first, I felt this was cheesy but the more I think about it, the more I like it, sort of for the same reason I liked that Boomer was shot down in front of us. It ends the show. No "Galactica 2010" or reunion show, the program is over, they are all part of us, we are part of them, all of this has happened before, but maybe it doesn't have to happen again, don't buy dancing robots because they will eventually kill you in your sleep.
Yeah, definitely one of the best series finales. I'm so happy it went out well, I won't deny that I was worried it would all fall apart near the end. I'm curious to see the DVD cuts, as news has been circulating that several of the episodes will be extended versions, including the finale. Also excited to listen to the podcast.
SO SAY WE ALL!
*The Golgafrinchams decided it was time to rid themselves of an entire useless third of their population, and so the descendants of the Circling Poets concocted a story that their planet would shortly be destroyed in a great catastrophe. (It was apparently under threat from a "mutant star goat"). The useless third of the population (consisting of hairdressers, tired TV producers, insurance salesmen, personnel officers, security guards, management consultants, telephone sanitizers and the like) were packed into the B-Ark, one of three giant Ark spaceships, and told that everyone else would follow shortly in the other two. The other two thirds of the population, of course, did not follow and "led full, rich and happy lives until they were all suddenly wiped out by a virulent disease contracted from a dirty telephone".
The B-Ark was programmed to crash-land on a suitably remote planet on one of the outer spiral arms of the galaxy, which happened to be Earth, and the Golgafrinchan rejects gradually mingled with and usurped the native cavemen, becoming the ancestors of humanity and thereby altering the course of the great experiment to find the question for the Answer to Life, the Universe, and Everything
I felt that Daybreak was a cross between the Angel series finale and last last 30 minutes of Return of the King. The writers did a great job of creating a climactic battle for the survival of the people aboard Galactica and then taking us through how everything turned out for each of our favorite characters. I think every fan got a little something to make them feel their favorite [living] crew member got some love.
As I said in my mini-post right afterwards, I don't think a show has ever caught me so off guard with the finale. After RDM debunked the Daniel/Starbuck theory, I was at a loss to where it was all going. So I was glued to me seat for the show (it was actually the first battlestar I watched in real time..., every other episode I've DVR'd and waited at least 20 minutes into the airing so I could fast forward through commercials).
Once again I find myself amused that another one of my favorite television shows has turned out to be so spiritual in nature. I'm not a religious person, but I have no problem with the idea of a connection to all things. Battlestar ended with a note that the entire universe is connected, not just humans but every living thing.
So, reactions while watching the show:
I made it through the first chunk in relatively good condition. That is, until Helo was shot. That was the scene that turned on the water works. As I've said in all my previous posts, I felt the Agathons had to survive. But when Helo took that bullet and Athena said "You're bleeding out!", I thought it was all over. I literally screamed at the TV "NOOOOO!! NOT HELO!!!!!". Of course, then Moore goes and brings him back at the very end in a sort of "SURPRISE!" and then I felt silly for crying but at the same time, I was so happy to see them together again. It's ironic since I didn't like Helo at all during the miniseries...I can't even remember why now...
Actually, they didn't bump off as many people as I thought. I knew Boomer couldn't survive the end, it was just a question of who would kill her. I was surprised that she was just sort of executed in the hallway, but I guess the only alternative would have been to leave her on the Colony and then people would be trying to decide if she was really dead or not. Perhaps a bullet (or 2) to the chest was the best way to put her character to rest.
This whole episode was all about coming full circle. The flashbacks were confusing during Daybreak, Part I because that was really just the first hour of a 3 hour show. Watching them all together on Friday made it flow a lot better. Seeing the young, innocent Sam and Boomer was a nice touch that gave character we hadn't seen in awhile a good bit of closure.
I was such a mess that by the time they got to the "We'll give you ressurection!" moment and Tori was all "so, we've all done stuff we're not proud of" that I was not even registering what she was talking about. It wasn't until they all had their hands in the goo and Chief started to experience her memories of murdering Callie that I was like "holy frak, I forgot that NO ONE knows she did that". Again, I knew Tori wasn't going to survive the show, but I wasn't sure how she would go. This made the most sense. Too bad it pretty much royally frakked Chief. Poor guy.
I think one of the best decisions they made was not to have Hera be a little actress. I mean, kids are great and all and sometimes you'll stumble upon one that is brilliant, but really Hera just looked adorable all the time and got carried along by her parents/kidnappers. I'm really happy they did this because I think I liked her more because of it. She's a bit of a mystery.
I also did not see Earth coming. I just didn't, I had given up on that whole dream. It was a surprise when they showed the little blue planet outside and even more a surprise to see they were hanging out with the cavemen! (Of course, my mind went to the Gulgafrinchims*)
Other scenes that made me cry:
- Adama saying goodbye to Lee after Roslin showed signs of fading away (I was bawling and saying "WTF IS GOING ON? WHERE IS HE GOING?")
- Gaius telling Six that he knew something about farming and then screwing up his face to cry
- Lee turning around and finding Starbuck gone. Even though you knew she was gone as soon as the camera angle changed, it made me cry to see his face)
- Kara's final goodbye to Sam
- Sam flying the fleet of ships into the sun while they played the original BSG theme
- Seeing the Happy!Agathons wandering through the field together.
And then we started with the final ending to the series, 150,000 years in toe future - today. At first, I felt this was cheesy but the more I think about it, the more I like it, sort of for the same reason I liked that Boomer was shot down in front of us. It ends the show. No "Galactica 2010" or reunion show, the program is over, they are all part of us, we are part of them, all of this has happened before, but maybe it doesn't have to happen again, don't buy dancing robots because they will eventually kill you in your sleep.
Yeah, definitely one of the best series finales. I'm so happy it went out well, I won't deny that I was worried it would all fall apart near the end. I'm curious to see the DVD cuts, as news has been circulating that several of the episodes will be extended versions, including the finale. Also excited to listen to the podcast.
SO SAY WE ALL!
*The Golgafrinchams decided it was time to rid themselves of an entire useless third of their population, and so the descendants of the Circling Poets concocted a story that their planet would shortly be destroyed in a great catastrophe. (It was apparently under threat from a "mutant star goat"). The useless third of the population (consisting of hairdressers, tired TV producers, insurance salesmen, personnel officers, security guards, management consultants, telephone sanitizers and the like) were packed into the B-Ark, one of three giant Ark spaceships, and told that everyone else would follow shortly in the other two. The other two thirds of the population, of course, did not follow and "led full, rich and happy lives until they were all suddenly wiped out by a virulent disease contracted from a dirty telephone".
The B-Ark was programmed to crash-land on a suitably remote planet on one of the outer spiral arms of the galaxy, which happened to be Earth, and the Golgafrinchan rejects gradually mingled with and usurped the native cavemen, becoming the ancestors of humanity and thereby altering the course of the great experiment to find the question for the Answer to Life, the Universe, and Everything
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spoilery comments
Date: 2009-03-23 02:53 pm (UTC)Good times, good times.