[TV] Battlestar Galactica

[rickfc]

After much delay, my wife and I finally watched the miniseries that kicked off the show over the course of the last 3 nights. While the story and plot were great, the acting (with a handful of exceptions) and visual effects were pretty bad. Bad to the point that my wife is very hesitant to start the series, and I'm on the fence.

Question for you guys - does the series fix any of these issues, or does it continue the same way as the miniseries?

[ATB]

WTF are you talking about?

You better be talking about the 1970's series because the rebooted BSG is the best television show in the history of the world.

Stick with it. Or don't.


YOU DON'T DESERVE THAT SHOW!   

[Bullwinkle]

I haven't been in the Pixar Dory thread yet today, so I'm not as riled up by ATB as I should be, but, yeah, he's right.

What the hell were you watching?

Honestly, the only complaint I can see about the launching mini-series is that it is really, really dark.  Oppressively so.  And that can make getting excited to see the rest of the series hard to gear up for.  But it's exceptionally well made.

[hepcat]

I'm with the above two jokers.  BSG had some of the best damn acting on a sci fi show ever.  And the special effects were pretty damn impressive for the budget they had.  You must have been watching the original Battlestar Galactica.  That's the only explanation for that immense disconnect from reality I'm seeing.

[ATB]

LIES

[rickfc]

I'm with the above two jokers.  BSG had some of the best damn acting on a sci fi show ever.  And the special effects were pretty damn impressive for the budget they had.  You must have been watching the original Battlestar Galactica.  That's the only explanation for that immense disconnect from reality I'm seeing.

Man, you guys are one butthurtable group. Thanks for being so levelheaded about the whole damn thing.

[ATB]

I'm with the above two jokers.  BSG had some of the best damn acting on a sci fi show ever.  And the special effects were pretty damn impressive for the budget they had.  You must have been watching the original Battlestar Galactica.  That's the only explanation for that immense disconnect from reality I'm seeing.

Man, you guys are one butthurtable group. Thanks for being so levelheaded about the whole damn thing.

[hepcat]

I'm with the above two jokers.  BSG had some of the best damn acting on a sci fi show ever.  And the special effects were pretty damn impressive for the budget they had.  You must have been watching the original Battlestar Galactica.  That's the only explanation for that immense disconnect from reality I'm seeing.

Man, you guys are one butthurtable group. Thanks for being so levelheaded about the whole damn thing.

Calm down.  My intent wasn't to insult you. I was just disagreeing with your belief that it was badly acted and what not.  I then posted a link to all the awards the show's won to show that I wasn't alone in that disagreement.  I then questioned whether or not you actually were watching the original BSG...which is also available on Netflix I believe. 

My "disconnect with reality" line was meant to be a harmless jibe, not an attempt to hurt your feelings.  I'm sorry if you took it to heart.

[Scraper]

I'm with the above two jokers.  BSG had some of the best damn acting on a sci fi show ever.  And the special effects were pretty damn impressive for the budget they had.  You must have been watching the original Battlestar Galactica.  That's the only explanation for that immense disconnect from reality I'm seeing.

Man, you guys are one butthurtable group. Thanks for being so levelheaded about the whole damn thing.

I think Rick got overly butthurt by the butthurt responses. And yes Rick clearly wasn't watching the new series and if he was he must have been high or something.

[Roguetad]

I watched most of BSG in 2 weeks of marathon back to back viewing wtih my wife.  Minus losing jobs and not writing a new script, this was pretty much exactly our experience:  http://www.ifc.com/portlandia/videos/portlandia-battlestar-galactica

"Sooooo good!"

[ATB]

I watched most of BSG in 2 weeks of marathon back to back viewing wtih my wife.  Minus losing jobs and not writing a new script, this was pretty much exactly our experience:  http://www.ifc.com/portlandia/videos/portlandia-battlestar-galactica

"Sooooo good!"

Lol at 2:56.

[rickfc]

Nope, not butthurt, insulted, or otherwise rustled.

And yes, we watched the new miniseries and regardless of the accolades, word-of-mouth, or cult following, the acting in my opinion, was not all that great safe for a few performances.

Back on point, does the series pick up much after the end of the miniseries? That was the original question, which has been ignored.

[Bullwinkle]

Nope, not butthurt, insulted, or otherwise rustled.

And yes, we watched the new miniseries and regardless of the accolades, word-of-mouth, or cult following, the acting in my opinion, was not all that great safe for a few performances.

Back on point, does the series pick up much after the end of the miniseries? That was the original question, which has been ignored.

It's hard to respond to the question when everyone thinks it picked up from the beginning.  It does get less oppressively dark, at least.

[hepcat]

It's hard to respond to the question when everyone thinks it picked up from the beginning.  It does get less oppressively dark, at least.

This.  I'm guessing that if you thought the miniseries was awful, it's probably just not a show you're ever going to enjoy.  I would say move on.  I'm not going to attempt to convince you you're wrong (something I think I've done too much recently, methinks).  I'm just going to say I disagree with you a great deal.   

[th'FOOL]

It's hard to respond to the question when everyone thinks it picked up from the beginning.  It does get less oppressively dark, at least.

This.  I'm guessing that if you thought the miniseries was awful, it's probably just not a show you're ever going to enjoy.  I would say move on.  I'm not going to attempt to convince you you're wrong (something I think I've done too much recently, methinks).  I'm just going to say I disagree with you a great deal.   

[McNutt]

I wasn't a fan of Starbuck's acting, but other than that I thought the acting talent was amazing.   This show is just not for you.  The series is not going to be a major change from the miniseries, so I wouldn't expect to enjoy it more. 

[Soulchilde]

If you didn’t like the mini series then you probably won’t enjoy the series.  I will say I wasn’t a fan of Starbuck, being made into a woman, but it grew on me as the series went along.   

I really like the show, but grew weary towards the end especially when it went all

Spoiler for Hiden:

meta-physical and quasi-religious

towards the end

[hepcat]

Yeah, the overwhelming majority of complaints about BSG seem focused on the last two seasons and the religious aspects, not the beginning.  Personally, I'm not as vehemently opposed to it as some.  I thought it had its good moments as well as its bad.

[rickfc]

Did some of you guys even read the original post before going off on your comments? I said, "...the story and plot were great..."

I listed the acting and some of the visual effects as what I saw as shortcomings and asked if the series saw improvement with these two things.

[McNutt]

Did some of you guys even read the original post before going off on your comments? I said, "...the story and plot were great..."

I listed the acting and some of the visual effects as what I saw as shortcomings and asked if the series saw improvement with these two things.

The story actually went downhill towards the end while the acting and the effects stayed the same, so I'd stay away.  In my opinion the religious elements and

Spoiler for Hiden:

sleepers

were the equivalents of introducing a baby into a sitcom. 

[CeeKay]

just wait until the boxing episode.  best.episode.ever. 


now that all the BSG fans are twitching, I'd say stick with it for a bit.  sometimes shows with a rough start can grow on you.

[ATB]

just wait until the boxing episode.  best.episode.ever. 

As I've said before, it's actually very strong episode.  Quite underrated (by you in particular).

Maybe you shouldn't be the one to teach Rick how to love.

[Ænima]

It's a great show, but I would stop after the fourth episode of the third season (Do not stop before those four episodes though, they may be the best of the entire series). Make up your own ending as if the show was cancelled (it's a good spot). The series then falls off a massive cliff. No one has ever taken this advice, but everyone who I've given it to tells me after that they wish they did .

[Teggy]

I'll answer your question. Acting stays the same, special effects stay the same.

[Bullwinkle]

I, too, was put out by the idea of Starbuck being a woman, but Katee Sackhoff changed my mind immediately.  Jamie Bamber is the weakest on the show, IMO, but that doesn't become apparent until later, IIRC.  Grace Park and Tricia Helfer are okay, but the same holds true for them (and I'm on the fence about James Callis, but the character is so interesting that I think the guy from The Room could have done a good job with it).  However, with the rest of that cast, I don't see how anyone could find the acting so-so, let alone bad.  

And the special effects were very good for their time, and that time wasn't so long ago that I can imagine they've gotten to the level of bad.  

[ATB]

It's a great show, but I would stop after the fourth episode of the third season (Do not stop before those four episodes though, they may be the best of the entire series). Make up your own ending as if the show was cancelled (it's a good spot). The series then falls off a massive cliff. No one has ever taken this advice, but everyone who I've given it to tells me after that they wish they did .

Have you gone back and rewatched the show lately. Whole last season is much better than I remembered.

And the acting is great. Special effects are great. Everything is great. GREAT, FRAK YOU, GREAT!

[hepcat]

Did some of you guys even read the original post before going off on your comments? I said, "...the story and plot were great..."

I listed the acting and some of the visual effects as what I saw as shortcomings and asked if the series saw improvement with these two things.

We've actually moved beyond your original post at this point and just discussing BSG in general.  

It's a great show, but I would stop after the fourth episode of the third season (Do not stop before those four episodes though, they may be the best of the entire series). Make up your own ending as if the show was cancelled (it's a good spot). The series then falls off a massive cliff. No one has ever taken this advice, but everyone who I've given it to tells me after that they wish they did Tongue.

I don't think it's as bad as you seem to believe.  There were some missteps, sure.  But I think just stopping in the third season is a bit of an overreaction.  It had some very strong episodes in the last two seasons...and I rather liked the conclusion.  Maybe not LOVED, but certainly enjoyed.

However, with the rest of that cast, I don't see how anyone could find the acting so-so, let alone bad. 

That Tahmoh Penikett hasn't become a huge action star is something I still don't understand.  They guy is built like a friggin' tank AND can act. 

[rickfc]

I'll answer your question. Acting stays the same, special effects stay the same.

thank you, Teggy

20+ frakking replies before I got an answer!  

[hepcat]

I'll answer your question. Acting stays the same, special effects stay the same.

thank you, Teggy

20+ frakking replies before I got an answer!  

Folks answered you a while back with the exact same thing.   

That they disagreed with your assessment was just an aside.

[Teggy]

StraightTalkinTeggy - OK, maybe not.

Related, did anyone watch Caprica all the way through? I watched the first couple of episodes on Netflix and thought, "this is pretty cool". And then the daughter got turned into a Cylon and I thought, "this is pretty dumb".

[naednek]

StraightTalkinTeggy - OK, maybe not.

Related, did anyone watch Caprica all the way through? I watched the first couple of episodes on Netflix and thought, "this is pretty cool". And then the daughter got turned into a Cylon and I thought, "this is pretty dumb".

no the special effects and acting were pretty bad...

[Ironrod]

OK, this is a real tangent and I don't know if it will translate or not, but it's a funny story so here goes.

I'm watching Eureka on DVD. There's a story arc that includes the actor who played Gaius Baltar, playing a completely unrelated character. There's an episode wherein all of the major characters hallucinate a person from their past with whom they have unresolved personal issues; the only way to dispel the illusion is to confront the old conflict. "Baltar" can't disclose the person that he's hallucinating to the others so when they ask him who he's seeing, he says "A leggy blonde in a slinky red dress."

Spoiler for Hiden:

I just about peed myself. Eureka has had a couple of other BSG references (like mentioning Cylons), but that one was over the top.

[hepcat]

StraightTalkinTeggy - OK, maybe not.

Related, did anyone watch Caprica all the way through? I watched the first couple of episodes on Netflix and thought, "this is pretty cool". And then the daughter got turned into a Cylon and I thought, "this is pretty dumb".

no the special effects and acting were pretty bad...

 

[pr0ner]

StraightTalkinTeggy - OK, maybe not.

Related, did anyone watch Caprica all the way through? I watched the first couple of episodes on Netflix and thought, "this is pretty cool". And then the daughter got turned into a Cylon and I thought, "this is pretty dumb".

Yep, I did, and was getting excited for what they were going to do for Season 2 (which they hint at the end of the season/series finale) before the rug got pulled out from under it.

You can stream it all now in HD and 5.1 on Netflix.

[hepcat]

Caprica started off kind of weak, got weaker...then started to recover.  It wasn't as big a turnaround as the Sarah Connor Chronicles, but it seemed like it was going to head into some interesting territory.