Dominatio Per Malum

From Deviant Art, via Reelizer

Just as i was despairing in the wasteland of mediocre TV shows, i have found the glimmer of home. My So-Called Life (MSCL), an underrated gem from the 90s is one of my recent revelations and it is one of the most compelling teen dramas ever created. It is one of the most compelling shows on teenage life that i have ever seen and MSCL is packed with a superb cast, sharp writing and realistic situations. 3 episodes in and i am already a convert. This has got to be one of the best shows ever created. No wonder TIME picks MSCL as one of the 100 Best TV Shows of ALL TIME. It is so good that lead actress Claire Danes won a Golden Globes for Best Actress for her role as Angela Chase. And i must say this is a truly deserving win because Danes is phenomenal. When she first starred in the pilot she was only 13 but displayed tremendous talent and i really wonder why she isn’t an A-list actress yet.

Unfortunately, this critically acclaimed drama which ran from 1994-1995 lasted only one season, which to me is a great tragedy because MSCL really is one of the best TV shows i have had the pleasure to watch. Claire Danes gives a superlative performance, and was the smart conflicted kid years before Ellen Page did Juno.

So, if you are in the mood for a good TV series then i highly recommend MSCL, easily one of the best shows of the 90s.

I watched Heroes recently. The plotline is going nowhere. It has become a sprawling, uninteresting mess. I realise i no longer care about the characters and the series is this close from being dropped off my viewing list. I think i shall stop watching Heroes after this season.

I started watching The Wire recently. Caught a few episcodes of season 1. I felt that the tempo of the series was very slow and the very first episode nearly made me want to stop watching because i was bored. Luckily the show gets better the more time you invest in it. Still, despite the critical acclaim, i can safely say that The Wire isn’t remotely close to the quality of Battlestar Galactica. At least not from what i’ve seen.

Lost is really, really good this season. The time travel and the stuck in the 70s bit. Plus, young Benjamin Linus is tres creepy. But what makes me despair is that even though Lost is firmly in No2 slot after Battlestar Galactica and is having a strong season, it is still nowhere as good as BSG.

Reaper gets my vote as the series with the best improvement. So far season 2 has been funny, engaging and less about ghost of the week. There are several new cast members and while it does seem that there may be too many new additions, i really enjoy the second season as it goes from strength to strength. However, still not as good as BSG.

After a lacklustre early half, the second half of House season 5 is getting progressively better. I would still like to see Chase and Cameron get more screen time and it is increasingly obvious that Season 4 replacements of Taub, 13 and Kutner lack the chemistry of House’s original diagnostic team. Season 5 has so far been quite uneven for me, and decidedly weaker than Season 4. Still, House is one of the most consistently enjoyable series and Hugh Laurie makes it all worth watching.

Unfortunately, none of these shows are remotely as good as BSG, with the exception of Lost and even then Lost has to play a consistent second fiddle. I fear that i will never watch a series as good as BSG again. Sigh, now i am just waiting for the final BSG telemovie before i truly, and finally bid goodbye to the best series ever shown to TV. I need to start checking out replacements for BSG.

My expectations for the Battlestar Galactica finale was so high that whatever they did with the final episode, I was going to be disappointed. Even with a 3 hour finale split over 2 parts, there was no way that the final farewell could possibly eclipse BSG’s finest episodes. So yes, I was disappointed, but also satisfied because while “Daybreak” was at times predictable and left some loose ends hanging, it was also a fond farewell to a beloved series and has many of those little scenes that make BSG the best show on TV.

While i do not, as a general rule review specific episodes of TV shows, Daybreak is the final episode of favorite show so i think of this as a final sendoff. To me the flashback sequences were a mixed bag, and i felt Roslin’s sequence to be the weakest. Several things bugged me, including the non-resolution of Kara’s plotline, although a part of me was happy that they left it ambiguous because there was no way they could possibly explain Kara’s rebirth without resorting to convoluted logic.

The final hour of the show was an extended epilogue and while Moore gets a tad heavy handed in the end and the overlong epilogue has much the same flaws of Return of the King, I did not want it to end. It has been such a long journey that it feels fitting that we get more time with the memorable cast if only to give closure.

In many ways, the themes of science v faith was at hand in this episodes and BSG suggests a divine hand guiding us to our destiny. But it is not a God which we may understand by a Judeo-Christian faith, nor one who wants to be called god. It is more of a spiritual force, a force of nature as Gaius Balthar might say.

I was happy with the final episode of Battlestar Galactica. It did not meet my expectations, but i did not expect it to. It was a satisfactory farewell that tied up most of the loose ends even as it left some questions unanswered. Much like the flawed nature of humans, the final episode of BSG while flawed retained many of the elements that made it the most thought-provoking, challenging and morally ambiguous show today. Well done, Battlestar Galactica. I’ll miss you.

So Say We All!

I don’t normally review specific episodes of Tv series, but i just have to give a shout out to Episode 4.13, The Oath from my favouritest show of all time Battlestar Galactica which is one of the most omg frakking amazing episodes of the season. Tightly plotted and intense. Now that’s what BSG should be all about. With 7 more episodes to the end of the show, BSG still shows that it has many more tricks up its sleeve.

Battlestar Galactica Returns for its final season Jan. 16.

In the meantime, there is a trailer for the last 10 episodes, a new poster and also a new webisode to tide rabid fans over. Excuse me while i geek out.

Season 1 was good. Season 2 nearly jumped the shark. Season 3 is getting back its mojo, but it also starts to annoy me because of several flaws. Heroes is still highly entertaining but i feel it is quickly spiraling out of control. The main reason for this is 1) NOBODY EVER DIES. Even if they do die, they get clones (nikki) or get resurrected from magical blood. This really robs it of any dramatic tension. 2) The cast is expanding and expanding. Every season they add more and more characters. This is related to point 1. Unless they kill off the weaker characters, the series is just bursting with too many characters and subplots, not all of which is compelling. 3) Characters who conveniently change sides. Seriously, Sylar was a badass in season 1. Now you have made him a wimpy goody two shoes. 4) Time Travel. There is more than enough for you to handle in the present timeline. You do not need to do all the time travelling gimmicks. Time travel should be used sparingly. Having Characters go back and forth in time every few episodes is too gimmicky.

Damages is my new TV addiction. Great Acting, especially Glenn Close who chews the scenery and steals the scene whenever she is onscreen. The plot is tight and tautly crafted, although it does sag abit in the middle of the season. Still, as far as shows go, Damages is a gripping legal drama with all the elements that make it worth watching.

There is nothing worth watching anymore.

Not since Battlestar Galactica goes for its midseason break, teasing us with the frakking awesome OMG OMG OMG episode 410, aptly titled “Revelations”. Ok, so there won’t be new episodes of BSG until 2009, which is downright disturbing. Having said that, season 4 has been a blast so far. It started abit slowly, but definately began to regain momentum around Ep 406. In fact, Ep 407 “Guess What’s Coming To Dinner” gets my vote for the best episode this season for a tautly directed episode which pushed all the right buttons. From then on it was sheer awesomeness culminating in the jaw-dropping midseason finale that poses more questions than it answers.

But now, there is nothing left to watch. House, Lost, Dexter , Heroes do not have any more new episodes so right now we stand in the wasteland of TV boringness.

So i give other series a try… with mixed results.

First up is Torchwood, a critically acclaimed sci-fi spin-off of Dr Who. I survived 7 episodes which ranged from passably mediocre to downright cheesy before giving up the show. Verdict: Totally overrated. Some episodes were downright lousy.

So next we progress to Sex and the City, that highly rated HBO drama. It did not start well, with a pilot episode that was really, really bad and features way too much voice over narrations and breaking the fourth wall. But upon the advice of a friend that “it gets better”, i have persevered until Season 2. Well yes, it does get better and as the characters become more developed the show does become more engaging. But, it doesn’t make the cut. The episodes become generally repetitive, almost predictable and most damning of all the characters are such slim caricatures that they feel one-dimensional even after 2 seasons. For a show that feature 4 leading female characters, the leads were bland and were saved only by the sharp writing and sometimes risque dialogue. Even Battlestar Galactica’s female cast is more interesting, and BSG is an ensemble show. To me SATC represents entertainment of the 90s, capturing a world where the most interesting thing that captures the American attention is Lewinsky-gate. BSG is a reflection of a post 9/11 world of darker realities and moral dilemmas. In fact, the most poignant sequences of SATC are the shots which reflect a different America, where people carry clunky handphones and the camera pans over the World Trade Center. Overall, SATC caters to the audience of the 90s who might be entertained by such lightweight female angst. But the world has moved on, and SATC just doesn’t cut it.

The last show i tried was The Office (US version) and it was mildly amusing. By that i mean i didn’t laugh at all during the whole show. In other words, a failure. I’d very much rather watch Monty Python reruns than a middling comedy routine. Such as for example this classic MP sketch:

So now, i despair in the wasteland of mediocre television. Is that any TV series that is so frakking awesome that i should watch?

What New Battlestar Galactica character are you? created with QuizFarm.com

You scored as Capt. Lee Adama (Apollo) You have spent your life trying to life up to and impress your Dad, shame he never seemed to notice. You are a stickler for the rules. But in matters of loyalty and honour you know when they have to be broken. Capt. Lee Adama (Apollo) 75% President Laura Roslin 69% Commander William Adama 69% Dr Gaius Baltar 56% Lt. Sharon Valerii (Boomer) 50% CPO Galen Tyrol 44% Number 6 44% Col. Saul Tigh 44% Lt. Kara Thrace (Starbuck) 38% Tom Zarek 31%

Quiz here

Ok, so you don’t want to download Battlestar Galactica, and you don’t watch to catch it on a free to air channel. A last-ditch method is to catch a streaming version, which by the way is perfectly legit. Its not a recommended method because the quality is Youtube level, but if all else fails, you owe it to yourself to catch the entire series of Battlestar Galactica online. Its the Best Show available and well worth your time. Start With the Miniseries (note the miniseries is divided into pt 1 and pt 2), before proceeding on to Season 1. Don’t watch any of the special episodes until after Season 3. So now you really have no excuse not to watch BSG.

Battlestar Galactica will be shown on Arts Central

Arts Central screens BSG from 13th May (Tuesday) from 11pm onwards. Now you have no reason not to watch the best show on TV. Seriously, go watch it: you won’t regret this.

TIME MAGAZINE: The 100 Best TV Shows of All-TIME

TIME MAGAZINE: Best Series of 2005

BSG season 4, the last and final season is coming soon. If you, for some reason, have yet to watch the most awesome show on TV, now’s the time to join the bandwagon. Seriously, it is the best show on TV now, and it will be remembered as one of the best shows ever made because its that good.

And, as part of the continuing BSG Propaganda Programme, here is another vid extolling the awesomeness of this series.

Low-rated ‘Jericho’ axed by CBS - Yahoo! News

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!

First up, the excellent teaser for the final season of Battlestar Galactica. I must say that those guys at Sci-fi really know how to make good trailers. This is a teaser for fans of BSG- those who have never watched a single episode won’t get it:

And now that TV season is over, with episodes of LOST and BSG not expected until 2008, here are some thoughts on this season’s TV series:

Heroes Season 2: sophomore slump. Season 2 was truncated by the WGA strike, but even then, the story arc was disappointing. Annoying new characters, and poorly developed plotlines. When one of the most beloved characters, Hiro becomes boring because of the extended jaunt through ancient Japan, you know that Season 3 had better buck up. Biggest disappointment with Heroes? They didn’t kill off the twins. I was so happy when Sylar killed the last of the annoying twins but they had to resurrect her?!?!

House Season 4: Awesome. By boldly firing the staff and adding new blood, Season 4 of House is one of its strongest yet. It brings new ideas to a predictable formula and the series just rocks. However, now that the 8 episode recruitment arc has ended, i wonder if they will be able to keep things fresh?

Dexter Season 2: Goes from strength to strength. One of the best shows available, Michael C Hall has once again been nominated for Golden Globes Best Actor in a Drama series. I hope he wins (either that, or Hugh Laurie for House.)

Pushing Daisies Season 1: A nice, quirky series. I love the Amelie visuals, but the series lacks the high points and the really good episodes to hook audience. Still for a new series, its very promising.

Reaper Season 1: The first 2 episodes were absolutely brilliant, and laugh out funny! But after the novelty of the premise wears off, the series becomes somewhat formulaic. Still, the series has alot of potential and i hope it gets better.

Journeyman: One of the positive side effects of the WGA strike is that i am checking out new series i wouldn’t normally have time for, and Journeyman is one of those interesting new shows. I am halfway through Journeyman, and i am intrigued by the characters and love the soundtrack. Too bad that Journeyman will not be renewed for a second season, but this is definitely worth a look.