The hour is getting late

The most recent season of Battlestar Galactica has just ended, and I'm completely blown away. Yeah, I know there have been a couple of missteps in the second half of the season, but really, a weak episode of BSG is still stronger than most other hourlong T.V. dramas. There's just so much to talk about (what happened? what does it all mean? what's going to happen next?), and I don't want to spoil too much for those who have not caught up or those who have yet to be converted, so I'll address this in bits and pieces.

The effects. Before I started watching the show, I just assumed the effects would be bad. Like Next Gen bad. Firefly's got a little better, but there's some really obvious CGI. Some of the best effects I've ever seen on television is on the fourth episode of this season (Exodus II, which may be my favorite episode).

Adama Sr. and Roslin. I was watching a scene from the finale, in which Adama tells Roslin that she needs to move on, in a nutshell. And I realized that these two have reversed roles somewhat since the Cylon invasion. At some point during the miniseries, Roslin tells Adama that "The war is over. We lost. If we are even going to survive as a species, we need to get the hell out of here and start having babies." As Adama has gotten less militant, Roslin has gotten more so. Interesting, eh?

Apollo. Oh, Lee. So cute. So dumb. So whiny. So easily riled by Starbuck. And yet such a goody-goody, which is why I liked your character in the first place. But you surprised me with your rather accurate analysis of what's happened to the fleet since the Cylons invaded, and the acknowledgment of personal accountability. Will you stay this observant and self-aware next season? I hope so. Because I missed Captain Apollo and his faux-hawk this season. Just don't get fat, 'cause nobody wants to see that.

Starbuck. The fan favorite who's gone to a really dark place in the last season and a half. Hmm, what can I say about her? Don't get me wrong, I adore her, but I don't want to give too much away. Why don't I just say that she's very complicated, and she brings a certain necessary energy to the show and it seems noticeably empty when she's not around. Given the finale, I'm not sure what her role will encompass in the next season, but I'm *really* looking forward to finding out.

Colonel Tigh. Can I just say that Tigh is my favorite character? Who doesn't love a one-eyed drunk? They could make a show just about Adama Sr. and Colonel Tigh and call it Grizzled and Grizzlier (or Doc Cottle and Tigh, for that matter), and I would totally watch it. Gruff yet ultimately loyal to Adama Sr. and the fleet, it makes his displays of pathos all the more affecting. But with this season's finale, his is another role that is completely up in the air.

Oh, and I loved the very last shot of the season, in which the camera pulls away from the fleet and goes all Google Earth. Gotta love Google Earth. Who doesn't?

Soooooo... bring on the fourth season! January 2008 is way too long to wait. I could (literally) conceive and carry a pregnancy to full term by then!

Pet Peeves

or stuff I'm beginning to, if not already, hate (in no particular order):

Banker's boxes full of documents that need to be audited/reviewed/indexed.

Automated voicemail system trees.

Hold music. Office Depot's is especially atrocious. "Whoa-oh Office Depot, Whoa-oh Office Depot, Stayin' ahead of the game, Can I lend you a hand?" Over and over again. This is coming from people who apparently don't know the difference between a laptop car charger and a laptop battery.

Agencies that request personal information (like social security numbers) but cannot send a written letter. I'm not targeting a paperless office, because this one does not use email either.

lame, lame, LAME!!!

Okay, now that we've learned their story, are we supposed to sympathize with Nicki and Paolo? What-ever. 'Cause they killed that perfectly nice old guy in cold blood. Unapologetically. For diamonds. Yeah, I know they're not the only murderers on the island, but the only character that has done worse things is Eko. And it would be pretty difficult to top him. Plus there was the failure to move the storyarc forward, the retconning and the giant plot holes.

Last week's episode notwithstanding (in which we learn how Locke got into the wheelchair), I'm beginning to accept that Lost has jumped the shark.

Nothing but the rain.

So say we all.

Sniff.