1.22.2006

Battlestar Galactica “Resurrection Ship, Part 2”

Cool: Starbuck’s pony tail. If you have to ask, you’ll never understand.
Cooler: The completely plausible turmoil and angst created by Adama’s plot to kill Cain. None of the principals involved – Adama, Starbuck, Apollo – had an easy time with the ugly reality of this kind of cold-blooded murder.
Coolest: Gina kills Admiral Cain with the assistance of Baltar, who remains completely inscrutable a character. But the show will miss Cain and the conflict her scorched-earth approach created.
Huh?: Why wouldn’t a Colonial flight suit have a built-in transponder to allow for easy search-and-rescue? It seems that the only reason is to allow an externalization for Apollo’s distaste for the assassination plot – he’s so distraught that he’s willing to die out there and commit galactic suicide, choosing to keep quiet when Galactica hails him.
Best Line: “I’ve been thinking about what we talked about before. It’s not enough to survive. One has to be worthy of surviving. That’s all.” – Adama to Starbuck, abruptly aborting their plot to assassinate Admiral Cain. Presumably this is the result of his talk with Caprica-Boomer, who quoted a prior speech of Adama's in which he wondered if humanity deserved to survive.
Rising: Cain – A little too late, yes. But it was a great moment when she ordered Fisk to stand down from her plot to assassinate Adama. One wonders if she not only knew of Adama’s plot to kill her but suspected that Starbuck would be the assassin – when Adama aborted his plot, she aborted hers. Surely, though, this wouldn't have signalled a kinder, gentler Cain, would it? We'll never know.

Lost “The 23rd Psalm”

Cool: Michael, who’s growing increasingly wild-eyed (did you see his serial-killer expression after Locke taugt him how to shoot a jar of mayo?), almost getting caught by Jack using the Apple II-C to talk to Walt.
Cooler: Eko as a dead-eyed Nigerian gangster, killing two men with one knife swing and coercing his priest brother to help him smuggle drugs. Whoa. The writers get big props for the Eko flashback subplot which was more compelling than most feature films. Clearly, Eko’s ultimate redemption will stem in part from the military mistaking him as a priest.
Coolest: The unexpected religious subtext to the story, drawling parallels between Eko and Charlie’s brother complexes and the Biblical figure Aaron, who always had to live up to Moses.
Huh?: We won’t comment yet on the weirdo smoke monster that seemed to “scan” Eko’s past like an alien lifeform out of a 1967 episode of Star Trek. Why didn’t it kill him? Because Eko is redeemed and therefore undeserving of punishment? Didn’t the Others try to snatch Eko on the first night and he fought back? Remember Goodwin said only the good people are taken.
Best Line: “You did not find the statue here. Take me to the plane.” – Mr. Eko to Charlie, who didn’t realize he was trying to lie to a cold-blooded ex-Nigerian gang lord. Points added for someone finally smacking weasely Charlie around (he also got kicked out of Claire’s tent). Points deducted from The Cheese Fry for not connecting the dots sooner between last season’s Nigerian plane-in-the-tree that killed Boone and this season’s addition Eko.
Rising: Mr. Eko, who at this point should probably have his own show.
Falling: Charlie, who is growing increasingly weasely. Last shot of the episode cements it – he’s got a whole stash of Virgin Mary heroin statues. What a wanker.

1.21.2006

Don't Ya Think the Golden Globes Have Lost Their Mind?

From The Hot Blog comes an invaluable transcription of the incomprehensibly inane lyrics to last Monday's opening theme song to the Golden Globes. Who okayed this?

I know it’s Globe time
I know it’s Globe time
Here’s how I know
Here’s how I know
I know we won’t see this many stars at any other show
Desperate Housewives…
These Desperate Housewives……are matched pearl to pearl
Here is Capote and Johnny Cash
And his name is Earl
Don’t ya think that Jaime looks hot tonight?
Don’t ya think that Reese has a shot tonight?
Don’t ya?
Don’t ya?
Don’t ya love that Russell can throw left hooks?
Don’t ya love the cowboy with his good looks?
Don’t ya?
Don’t ya?
Gwyneth the baby
She’s a baby
George could win three
He could win three
Hannibal Lecter is licking his lips to taste the Cecil B
This guy’s a riot
He’s a riot
Funny worldwide
Funny worldwide
I hope that this cast that’s known as Lost can find their seats inside
Don’t ya dig the bling on the robes tonight?
Don’t ya want to come to the Globes tonight?
Don’t ya?
Don’t ya?!?

1.12.2006

Battlestar Galactica: “Resurrection Ship”

Cool: That must be some grade-A moonshine Tigh’s using. Every time he shares a secret drink with the Pegasus XO Fisk, another nasty revelation about Admiral Cain comes tumbling out. One of which is...
Cooler: Cain’s dark side gets darker when Adama and Tigh realize she stripped civilian ships of parts and crew, then left behind the crippled, half-empty ships to fend for themselves. Points are further deducted with the revelation that she also had some of the civilian families shot in cold blood to enforce this commandeering of parts and crew.

Coolest: The episode ends with a fantastic pulse-pounding sequence that cuts back and forth between Adama and Cain as they each separately plot the assassination of the other. Dig the blanched look at Starbuck’s face when Adama asks her to be his hitman.

Huh?: Remember that huge cliffhanger moment at the end of last season? The one where Galactica’s and Pegasus’ vipers are screaming towards each other to seemingly fight to the death? Yeah, that big fight sort of just fizzled out. Something about Starbuck coming back with her spy photos or something made everyone stand down and allow cooler heads to prevail. How exactly that happened is a little unclear. It’s hard to fault the writers too much, though, since they’d more or less written themselves into a corner with the cliffhanger.

Best Line: “I’m afraid this can only end one way... You’ve got to kill her.” – Roslin calmly suggesting the premeditated murder of Admiral Cain, shocking just about everyone, both Adama and viewers at home on the couch.

1.06.2006

Extra Large Super Bowl

An interesting look at the visual evolution of the Super Bowl logo. Dig that Super Bowl XIII font. Groovy.