The Best Show on TV

The lack of posting has not been due to packing, or getting ready to move, or sewing, or quilting. The lack of posting has been due to the best show on TV ever – Battlestar Galactica. Now, I know I’ve lost some of you, and I’m not a fan of sci-fi, but allow me to explain.

The premise of BSG is that humans created Cylons (think robots) and then there was a war between the humans and cylons. The cylons were banished. Forty years later, the cylons reappear intent on destroying humans. Less than 50,000 humans survive the initial attack and they are now in search of a mythical place called earth. And some of the cylons look like humans; some of them think they are human.

Yes, the premise is very sci-fi. But the show isn’t. The show is about politics, ethics, and the place of the military in everyday life. The characters are very real – each of them is someone you know or knew or read about in the news. In the mini-series (the prelude to the series), some ships are left behind because they do not have the technology to make a fast escape. People are left behind, and the president (the former Secretary of Education) grapples with this decision, it haunts her. The show deals with water, fuel, and material shortages – who decides who gets the rations and why is that decision the right one? The show deals with human rights and terrorism – how best to deal with these people we think of as enemies when less than 50,000 humans are left? It’s easy to sit back and say “that’s not our problem” but what the show does is makes me think about where my values are, what I really believe, and why I believe what I do.

BSG forgoes the trappings of traditional sci-fi. The clothing is something that any of us would wear – I’ve even sketched some of the civilian costumes for ideas to sew. The layout of the ship is reminiscent of the Navy ships I’ve seen. The technology is on par with where we are today – bullets, missiles, nuclear weapons, telephones, radar, etc. Every character is fallible. BSG is more drama/action/soap opera than it is sci-fi.

I’m 3/4 of the way through the 2nd season; I’ll finish the 2nd season today and start on the 3rd. I’ll probably have the 3rd season and the made-for-TV-movie (Razor) finished by Wednesday. I’ve been told, and made to promise, that I’ll watch the 4th season with 2 friends before I leave! I only hope that they’re free this weekend, as I want to see how it all plays out.

There are only 2 other TV shows that I’ve watched the entire series – The Twilight Zone and Rome. Everyone knows The Twilight Zone, so I’m not going to explain that one. Rome is a hidden gem co-produced by HBO and the BBC. At a cost of $100 million a season, Rome was beautiful with great characters and awesome actors. The first season of Rome follows the rise and fall of Cesar. The second season follows the power struggle between Mark Antony and Octavian. The series is best summed up as violence, sex, war, sex, forged alliances that are broken, sex, and violence. Who knew history could be so awesome? Unfortunately, Rome is one of those shows you have to watch from beginning to end as the story evolves through the characters and a missed episode will have you scratching your head as to what is going on. It is well worth renting, but it’s not great for marathon viewing as it can be a bit slow. I watched the 2nd season while sewing, and because of the distraction found myself having to rewind several times to get what was going on.

Parting shot – Lily sleeping in the window.