seriousfic

The biggest news, from a character standpoint and a general "HO SHIT!" standpoint, is of course Zarek ordering the Quorum executed. And right after they stopped being something of a plot device too. To quote Xanatos, "It's my first real stab at cliched villain. How am I doing?"

(To answer your question, Zarek, you lose points for not being asked what happened to the Quorum by Gaeta and then replying "I am the Quorum!")

I think how you'll take it is dependent on whether you see Zarek as a power-hungry terrorist or as a political idealist. And I think he's a bit of both. When it looks like he's going to lose, he's prepared to shred some of his principles to survive and get what he wants.

How glad am I that Athena's plot this episode was holding an assault rifle and helping take back the ship rather than getting raped? A lot. I was worried after last week, but in hindsight I think that was arguably a scene to show that some of the basis for the mutiny was deep-rooted (albeit justified) hatred for the Cylons. Now I have to write Athena/Caprica fic about how Athena was forgiven for shooting Natalie and how Athena made peace with Caprica holding Hera. What else was there to talk about in that brig, "my, Sam's bruises are turning a lovely shade of yellow"?

In a lot of cases, final seasons and their character deaths ring hollow because... well... it's clear their sudden mortality isn't because of the event and the narrative, but just because of outside factors (see every event comic ever made, in which suddenly Lex Luthor can't sneeze without knocking off five C-listers). Why, hello there Joss Whedon. And this is also why 24 isn't the show it could be: A lot of the likable, interesting characters have bitten the dust for shock value.

But here, it worked (and a lot better than Dee's death did) because while the prospect of three more seasons without Zarek or Gaeta is frightening (but hey, it just means more screentime can go to Lana!), knowing that there are only a couple episodes to go makes this feel like we'll getting some closure.

As a tragedy, it works splendidly because as sympathetic as Gaeta and even Zarek are, good men have still died because of their actions and there's no excuse for that, even though Roslin and Adama don't have clean hands in this either. To quote Gargoyles again, "I cannot wage war on an entire world!" That's been a theme in this series, that you have to adapt to survive, that you can't stay in the Twelve Colonies and fight, you can't keep seeing the Cylons as "toasters" (although this point hasn't come across that well. Rape farms. That's all I'm saying). And the great tragedy is that sometimes, sticking to your guns and trying to do the right thing means that good people die. Even yourself.

Oh, and Baltar realizes that he's been a douche and he needs to mend his wicked ways. Hasn't he had this exact same revelation about twenty times? I'm so tired of this character.

Adama's foe-tossing charge of reclaiming the ~~throne~~ command chair? MADE OF WIN. Power of the people, motherfuckers.

Hey, Sam, how's that intact neck... oh, never mind. Man, that fic I wrote where Sam is comforted by a Kara who (SPOILER) apologizes and says she loves him now seems a lot more cruel. I love it.

We don't get to see Doc Cottle? C'mon, I wanna see his irascible, curmudgeonly reaction to the insurrection.

So, in the same way that BSG effortlessly ate Voyager's lunch with the Pegasus arc versus the Equinox arc, is this Ron Moore going "see, this is how you fucking do a Maquis subplot, B&B"? Although Voyager's lesbian captain was slightly less psycho than BSG's lesbian captain :)

And I suppose that would make Kara into Tom Paris. Fuck-up/frak-up, parental issues, hotshot pilot, starts off with one love interest but ends up with... wait, does that make Lee Adama into Kes? This train of thought has become way too disturbing.

Did anyone else think we were going to get a final scene of Tyrol busting out of a crawlspace to the bridge, two Uzis at the ready, only to find that the rebellion ended two hours ago?

Chief: Oh. Finally that bastard Adama will pay for his crimes, eh, eh comrades?
Adama: Mr. Tyrol, we won.