From: owner-chakram-refugees-digest@smoe.org (chakram-refugees-digest) To: chakram-refugees-digest@smoe.org Subject: chakram-refugees-digest V5 #251 Reply-To: chakram-refugees@smoe.org Sender: owner-chakram-refugees-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-chakram-refugees-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk chakram-refugees-digest Tuesday, October 11 2005 Volume 05 : Number 251 Today's Subjects: ----------------- [chakram-refugees] Lucy news.. ["Mark B." ] Re: [chakram-refugees] Battlestar Galactica ["S. Wilson" Subject: [chakram-refugees] Lucy news.. My local paper had a blurb about Lucy and 'Vampire Bats'. It listed mixed contributors; AP, Marilyn Beck and TVGuide.com. "Lucy Lawless completed her CBS Oct 30 "Vampire Bats" movie in Nova Scotia -- after the production fled New Orleans ahead of Hurricane Katrina. "Vampire Bats" has Lawless returning in her role as scientist Maddie Rierdon, previously seen on the network's highly rated movie "Locusts". Will there be more? "I don't know," says Lawless, who lived in New Orleans with her husband and two young sons during the productions. "I've told them if they get to frogs, I'm out. I really like the producers -- we've become great friends." ========================================================= This has been a message to the chakram-refugees list. To unsubscribe, send a message to majordomo@smoe.org with "unsubscribe chakram-refugees" in the message body. Contact meth@smoe.org with any questions or problems. ========================================================= ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 10 Oct 2005 15:13:50 -0500 From: "S. Wilson" Subject: Re: [chakram-refugees] Battlestar Galactica What a great review, KT. At 01:35 AM 10/10/2005 -0800, KTL wrote: >By the gods, I'd forgotten what an excellent actress Lucy is. Seeing her >in this new, complex, broad-ranging role-damn, that grrl is just sooooo >good! What a joy it was to watch her in action again. Really was. Just like old times! Just getting to see her in any hour-long drama is a treat. >And what an excellent show! Good writing, beautiful character definition, >excellent themes of human conflict and really good actors working the >scripts. Also outstanding camera work and editing. A+ all around. That's awesome! I'm glad you like the show - more Xena fans should try it out, they'd probably find it to be above par with the right amount of flawed characters and realism. It isn't your typical sci-fi venture - there are no species-of-the-week storylines, no fantastical, unbelievable technology (like Star Trek's holodecks and replicators), and it's a very gritty, human drama on the level of Blade Runner with which it shares many themes, with enough tongue-in-cheek-ness on the level of Starship Troopers, and the hard, emotional edges of a war drama like China Beach. The one story, the only story, is many versus machine - a machine he created and that has turned on him, which has always been a very common, compelling theme in literature and movies and mirrors our own fears about what we are creating with our technology and where it will lead us. >I've never watched any eps of this show. I intended to while I had access >to cable this summer but I never got around to it. So the first time >watching this ep, I wasn't sure what was going on at all. But even if I >had had some idea of the story so far of the series, about all I did on >the first run through was watch Luce at work. Just like in the old Xena >glory days. I've watched from the beginning - the mini-series, a few years ago - so if you have any questions, let me know. >The opening scene, the tape of the massacre ends in a very Xenaic style-a >low angle tilt-up skewed sideways shot of a child caught in the carnage, >running around looking for his parents. It immediately reminded me of the >beginning of "Callisto". Me too! Although I'm sure it wasn't intentional, I thought "how cool". >All through the show, Lucy does some real nice little facial expressions, >gestures and mannerisms to define her character. Here in the very >beginning, when the soldiers first come to take her to Adama, we find out >that she's a little bit of a playful punk. They ask her to come with >them. And her answer is, "What if I refuse to go?" said in a challenging, >"What >are you gonna do then, huh?" smart a$$ way. Grinning provocatively at >them and bobbing her head, jokingly arrogant, testing to see how far she can >go, just what she can get away with. Of course she does go with them. (Or >else we would have had the shortest guest shot ever. And wouldn't that >have been maddening?) D'Anna could have been any one of a dozen paper-thin reporter stereotypes, but the fact that she had a bit of a 'tude lended well to her nosey reporter nature and also gave her a bit of a bravado - something which many of the crewpersons on the Galactica are well known for. *s* It gave her a level, even if opposing, playing field right off the bat. >We see this attitude immediately again when she is first brought before >the president and Commander Adama. After making nice with Madam President Quick rundown on the major players: Laura Roslin - Madame President. Commander Bill Adama - Commander of the Galactica and the civilian rag-tag-along fleet, and father to Lee Adama Lee Adama - CAG (Commander of the Air Group) whose call sign is "Apollo" Kara Thrace - Lieutenant, top fighter pilot, call sign "Starbuck" (no 's' on the end) Sharon Valerii - Junior Lieutenant, Raptor pilot, call sign "Boomer" (a Raptor is like a small scout/transport ship). - she's the human cylon in the sick bay in this ep. :) >But when Adama quietly, with just a touch of reproof in his voice, >replies, "Funny", she responds to that little verbal slap with somewhat >of an apology. She demurs just a bit to him. "Just something to break the >ice." But then she follows that up with the gesture of literally tucking >her tongue into her cheek. Adama is such a tough nut to crack, always a level tone of voice, rarely ever has his feathers ruffled, but he's a man with a great deal of responsibility on his shoulders and a little excitement now and then keeps him on his toes. :> >Later after we see how good a manipulator she >is, it makes me wonder if she didn't immediately decide that this is what >he would respond to best. That he appreciates someone who accepts a >little chastisement with an acknowledgement of it but without letting it get >them down. Adama does appreciate candor and he thrives on solving problems and reading people and situations. He's very good at all of it and he has the natural good instincts for his task. >She is somewhat stunned to find out that they don't want to muzzle her, >but rather they sent for her to film them at work. Me too. :) It was unprecedented that Adama would give her carte-blanche. A reporter of all things - someone who would be all over, into everything, and then broadcast a report for the whole fleet to see. But then, he was in an awkward position from a tumultuous couple of months that saw people's trust in the military hit the deck, so letting her in to do what she'd do best was his way of saying we have no secrets to hide. Except for the cylon we're harboring on board. :) >I loved the bunk room scene. Gender equal near nudity. And such nice >buff, tight bodies. Something for everyone! Hee! I wish Starbuck was out of her pants more often. Second time this season! heh, heh, heh. >Adama the younger is HOT. Nice to see him mostly naked. The chemistry >between him and Starbucks is way high. Very much so - there is a great deal of tension between them from a backstory that is spoilerrific, but there is also a side to their relationship that is very playground-ish - boy meets girl, boy does/says stupid things to impress girl, girl throws rocks at him and pushes him in a ditch - except that Starbuck is the most aggressive of the two. Lee is just as brash as she is, though, and like her he stands up for/says what he feels is right even if it gets him in hot water. The difference is that he's a commander that's the son of a commander, and he's better at controlling his mouth and his fists than she is. In fact, Starbuck reminds me a lot of Xena. I recently wrote on another mailing list because someone was considering buying some Xena DVDs to introduce themselves to the character they'd heard so much about over the years. I replied by talking about the really good eps - and closed by talking about how Xena and Starbuck were alike: "I'm reminded of Xena the character a lot in Starbuck. Both had a brutal childhood, both went off to war, and both have fiery tempers and are prone to fits of rage and both can scarcely be controlled. Both have bleak outlooks, and feel isolated and broken beyond repair. Both are aware that the one thing they really do well is fight, and both lost someone they really loved to a terrible mistake. Both really seem complex, flawed, and human, and full of depth that's just begging to be explored by the writers and audience." >I really enjoyed the banter between Starbucks and Apollo (is the >character's name REALLY Apollo?) Starbucks makes fun of the attempt on >Tigh's life. "Can I be a suspect again?" He laughs. She teases out a >short, quick, "Please." Hilarious and typical Starbuck. I'm only surprised she didn't say it directly to Tigh. >Very nice dialogue that shows an intense, close relationship between >people who know each other extremely well. What's their respective ranks, >I wonder. Adama may be higher than her, I think, (boy's got a title), but >she appears to be the classic uncontrollable "rebel" warrior-the cool >hand Luke, the Top Gun, the All American John Crichton. He's the commander of the air group on Galactica, and she's one of the junior officer fighter pilots. She is also one of the top pilots in the whole fleet. >The scene shifts to D'Anna chafing at the bit over being given the canned >tour by a droning though pleasant tour guide who is pointing out >refrigeration equipment and fascinating stuff like that. Suddenly a young >woman wrapped in a towel runs by, chasing a guy, whipping his butt with >another towel. D'Anna grabs Bill's arm and they break away from the tour >to follow the action. This scene reminded me a lot of a similar scene in Starship Troopers. >It took me a few viewings, but I think (can't check it, since I furken >taped OVER the ep, GROWL!) that this is Kat, the brash young officer who >later moons the camera, later fights with the mechanic and later takes >drugs when she goes out on missions. Yes. She was taking amphetamines, which are given to all the pilots to stay awake. The first episode in the first season tackles this issue head-on. But now she had taken so many that she was overdosed. >I loved Lucy showing D'Anna's perky interest in Adama's dangling towel. I >bet this was a Lucy suggestion since it's the second time she's had a >character she's playing do that-she also checked out Brutus' equipment >when she had the chance. I love the highly amused look she gives him when >the towel slips, the little waggle of her eyebrows-grrl be enjoying >herself! Grin. Hehe. He was totally trying to taunt her, to make her leave. She was totally standing her ground and giving him a once-over. That was a bit of a stalemate that you saw. Lee was trying to protect his pilots, as well as keep himself in check when telling her to get out. If Starbuck had told her, she'd have just shoved the camera and told 'em to frack off. >And she MAY just be starting to lick her lips too as she watches the >wardrobe malfunction occur. LOL wardrobe malfunction. Ah, the good ol' days when TV was innocent. >Making an involuntary response to something >delightful appearing before her. (There is a cut away here so I'm not >totally sure of that.) I grinned when she peeked down at his towel again >after he ordered her to leave. I gotta admit I had a second look, too. LOL >So we see resistance from the ranks to the "total access" concept. And we >see D'Anna's resistance to the resistance. Yes. Lots of egos and testosterone flying around the Galactica! Everybody in the main cast has a hard head, so D'Anna fit in there nicely. >People cooperate on the formal interviews, especially Dualla, young Adama >and Kat. They really bare their souls to not necessarily just D'Anna, but >to the people who might see the tape. How can I say this... I liked that they were giving private interviews, but at the same time it felt sort of reality-tv to me. I dunno. But I liked it. But I didn't. :) >"Three weeks later the cylons attacked"), we find out that fate came >along and really bit her in the butt. She is extraordinarily open and honest, >yet very matter of fact. She's looking neither for pity nor comfort, >she's just answering the questions D'Anna throws at her. That's what I enjoy the most about this show, that these people are regular people, not some stereotypical gung-ho military types with no more than 2 dimensions. A few eps ago we learned why a few others joined - one wanted the money to go to school and be a dentist. Another joined after her parents were killed. One joined when her career in sports ended with an injury and she had nothing else. They joined for the same reasons many people join the military today. Some join for the college money, some join for the paycheck and the steady job, some join to travel, some join because they want to fight. >Adama talks about the people he commands. Sticks up for them-not in >relation to the massacre, but in terms of them bearing as much pain as >the rest of the invaded society, yet also having to continue to do a job for >the sake of the rest of their society. The lives of everyone else depends >upon them doing their job well while under huge stress. Yes. He has never made excuses for them. Everyone has their own foul-ups to fix, including him. Everybody on the ship is responsible for owning up to their own actions. At the same time, he treats everyone like a family, even the ones that screw up. It's in part because he's a diligent commander who cares for his crew, and in part because they're at war and if everybody's in the brig then they're defenseless. >D'Anna and Bill also cover the day to day interactions among the crew. >And in doing so, D'Anna gets in people's faces. She not only intrudes with >her camera, she also sometimes tries to get under their skin. She flays them >as much as she can to try to see inside them to the truth. (To >paraphrase, "The truth is in there".) Annoying reporter behavior, but I was kind of curious too. I think Lucy did a great job acting the part, because the character was very nuanced. Sometimes challenging, sometimes playful, sometimes defiant. She knew just how to act to noodle her way in to everything and get the story she was after. >She becomes a real irritant to some of the crew. Certainly to Tigh, (who >I imagine is very guilty) You don't know the half of it yet! :) >and to Starbucks (don't get enough clues in this >one ep to guess where her lack of cooperation comes from), D'Anna's lack of cooperation, or Starbuck's lack of cooperation? If you're talking about Starbuck, she's just that way. In fact, I'd say she was very well-behaved in this episode! >Tigh's formal interview ends in disaster. And even when D'Anna tracks >Starbucks down with a "pass" from Captain Adama to speak with her, >Starbucks talks to her yes, but she's not exactly cooperative. It's one >of the few times in the ep that the tables are turned on D'Anna-where D'Anna >is not controlling the environment, the interview nor the interviewee. >Not at all. In every scene that Starbuck is in, unless it's with Commander Adama (the Sr.), or she's deliberately in the background, she sort of controls the scene. She commands it. Even when she's around Apollo, and he's barking orders at her, she still bends him. She laughs when she's in trouble, and says snarky things when she's got a bone to pick. She's one who needs absolute control over her life, which is completely out of control and terrifying to her. As such, she's frequently losing control and ending up in the brig and whatnot. >Alone of all the crew, poppa Adama totally ignores the camera. He is >deadly calm, never reacts to being filmed, never disconcerted by the lens >being pushed in his face. The reporter therefore loses an advantage in >the war of wills, loses the chance to trick a flustered someone into saying >something they shouldn't. In fact, the only time Adama loses his cool at >all is when the cylon raiders are destroyed. And he indulges in a >shouted, "YES!" Heh. He's an excellent commander. He's almost Zen-like. hehe >Once they knew she had footage of the pregnant cylon, they held her there >in sick bay. Did they get this order specifically from Adama at that >moment? Or had Adama been prepared for this, issuing standing orders to >stop her if she found and recorded the cylon? I imagine it's pretty much a standing order that defiant reporters with snooping video cameras are not allowed to film the secret cylon on board the ship. :) >I realized only on the third viewing that this was a clue-that it's >D'Anna who figures out who's been threatening Tigh and presumably "sends >in the >marines". She solves the problem. How Xenaic also! She's on top of the problem post haste! Yes, I enjoyed that too. >It cracked me up though-at the end there's a very >Spielbergian overblown, manipulative moment-where the troops are kind of >marching down the corridor and then down the short flight of stairs as >grand music plays. I'm fairly certain (since this show is so good) that >this was done with a just a slight touch of their tongue in cheek. I read >in the spoilers though that the grand music was the theme song from the >original Battlestar Galactica series. And once again we hear Lucy's >"documentary" style accent on the voice over. Another small nod to Starship Troopers, which ends pretty much the same way - - full of grand music, patriotic soldiers, and voice overs saying how courageous they all are to get up and fight for freedom every day. Very tongue-in-cheek in ST, but played a little more for the drama in BSG, after you know what all this crew has been through. >And I thought the D'Anna on the ship was the only D'Anna-I didn't know >that some cylons were replicated humans. As far as we know - they're not. They are copies, not clones. They are the originals - of themselves. They're human cylons. Important emphasis on both words. :) >I found out that most people didn't >think that D'Anna in the theater was the same D'Anna that got the >footage. It wasn't. Caprica, where the theater is, is some eleventeen squizillion miles away from the Galactica. There are no magical forms of transportation available in this series like there were in Star Trek and other series. The only thing they have is the Faster Than Light drive, which is nothing more than a revved up super engine that allows the ships to travel, you guessed it, faster than light. :) >And they talked about multi-possibilites. Like, is the D'Anna we saw on >Galactica the human original? After I wondered if she was human, I quickly deduced that she wasn't, for a variety of reasons that are a tad spoilery. But suffice it to say that I now am sure that she's a cylon. Galactica D'Anna may not know she's a cylon, while Caprica D'Anna certainly knows. >Was the D'Anna in the cylon theater the >same cylon or yet another one? Different. See above. >There were discussions about exactly how >many cylon replicants exist and if D'Anna is a totally new one or is one >of the ones that were already enumerated sometime in the past. No replicants. That was Blade Runner. :) She was the latest human cylon to be revealed. We are told in the very beginning of the show exactly how many cylon models exist in total. There are a few more to go. >It also intrigued me how much emotion the cylons show when they see that >both the pregnant cylon AND her baby are alive. Who would have expected >such feeling robots? And that's just the problem - are they just robots? It's fast becoming the central theme, of whether or not these creations are sentient life forms, who should have rights and protections, or if they are simply programmed machines - they derogatively call 'em "toasters" on board the Galactica. The cylons are very religious, too - another oddity you wouldn't expect. >I am absolutely DELIGHTED that Lucy will be back for at least two more >shows in this series. Me too! I wouldn't even mind if they made her a permanent fixture like they have with the other female human cylons. >And will Lucy get to pursue her idea of a romantic attraction between >Commander Adama and D'Anna? Oh boy. :) That would surely put Starbuck's flight suit in a twist. I wonder how many people she'd punch out in that episode! :P >If so, will it be one way or will it be >reciprocal? And if so, will the reciprocal involve some replicants? (I >just enjoy the alliteration of that line-grin.) LOL "The more the merrier"? :P >I've always liked >watching Lucy portray her characters in interest/lust/heat. She's just so >good at >showing that. I loved to watch her flirting with all those folks on XWP >who caught Xena's eye. I think she's got a good grasp on the right volume of sexuality/sensuality to put into the characters that have to show it. And I got a lot of that vibe in D'Anna. She certainly wasn't swaggering around making googly eyes at all the pilots, but she had a certain oomph to her - just enough of an oomph - to get under Apollo's skin, eh? >The last shot was a big ol' close-up of Lucy's face. And again, how >Xenaic-she gets the big ending image. Yes! > >KT LOL Too true! Excellent review. You simply must watch the whole series now, starting with the mini-series. It is too good to pass up! S. ========================================================= This has been a message to the chakram-refugees list. To unsubscribe, send a message to majordomo@smoe.org with "unsubscribe chakram-refugees" in the message body. 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