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Review

iTunes TV Review - Battlestar Galactica 3.14: "A Day In the Life"

Tuesday, February 20th, 2007 at 4:10 PM - by

Battlestar Galactica 3.14: "A Day In the Life"
Airdate: Sunday, February 18th, 2007

Ya know, I would normally be all for a slice o' life type of episode -- a small, quiet thing dealing with our Galactican's various dilemmas during this Cylon-free period. But this one feels stitched together from discarded B-plots, rightfully deleted scenes and Adama's old mustache hairs. It also boasts one of my least favorite stock storytelling devices ever, but we'll get to that in a sec.

So first of all, Chief and Cally are having issues, which means it's the perfect time to trap them in a leaky airlock together! Sadly, hilarity does not ensue. Instead, they are released into open space and saved by Sharon, who does a bang-up job with the ol' raptor. The rescue part is pretty cool, actually -- go, Athena!

I guess the marital strife sort of explains Chief's sudden metamorphosis into a drunken asshole these last few weeks, but it's hard to get too invested when we haven't really seen them fighting prior to this episode. Chief slurrily confiding in Lee does not count. I may have teared up a little when Chief pressed their baby's tiny hand to the ailing Cally's, but this storyline needed more attention if it was expected to have true impact.

Meanwhile, Adama celebrates his wedding anniversary by having pseudo-psychological chats with his ex-wife, who I guess was kind of a jerk. Never say the admiral doesn't know how to party! This little twist prompted my viewing companion to grumble, "So does everyone on this show have an imaginary friend?"

This is, in fact, the least favorite stock storytelling device I was referring to earlier -- when a character works out Their Issues via a little help from either an unlikely ally or a hallucino version of a loved one. It's the reason why I will never believe Buffy's "Conversations with Dead People" is the frakkin' masterpiece some fans think it is -- sending The Slayer to therapy with a vampire was all tell, tell, tell.

"Show" is much more powerful. The hallucino thing works with Baltar and Six because it actually illuminates the overall storyline. It doesn't work here because it's basically just a bunch of psychobabble, and it makes the Adama plotline feel completely disconnected from the rest of the Galactican world.

The one positive thing is it leads to some actual forward motion in the Bill/Roslin lurve and you know I am all about that. It's good to know that they both still think about the halcyon days of smoking pot and wearing red on New Caprica.

Oh, there's also some business about Lee being involved in the upcoming Baltar trial. Eh? Oh, and one of the pilots has a particularly pervasive crotch itch. Eh?! Will this be Important Later? Did I doze off and miss how it was Important Later?

In order to show you the crotch itch part, they cut a decent little scene involving Gaeta and Dualla talking about how much time Adama and Roslin are spending together, wink wink. The look of pure disgust on Dualla's face makes the whole thing kind of awesome and I wish they'd left it in.

Anyway. This second batch of eppies isn't quite blowing me away the way I want it to, but I'm clinging to hope. After all, we've still got the big trial and some Starbuck-heavy stuff and maybe an explanation of that one guy's crotch itch! I'm ready to be wowed, OK?

iTunes Links

Battlestar Galactica - Series
Battlestar Galactica - Season 3
"A Day In the Life"

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Sarah Kuhn is an L.A.-dwelling writer with a weakness for block-style action figures, spandex-clad superheroes, and the collected works of Joss Whedon. Her work has appeared in such fine publications as Back Stage, IGN.com, Creative Screenwriting Weekly, and StarTrek.com. You can catch her geekblogging at Alert Nerd and Great Hera!.

Battlestar Galactica Archives.

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DaiMac said:

member since 29 Jun 2001 with 952 posts, unranked, send him a message or view his profile

Tue Feb 20, 2007 5:30 pm

While I know it probably has nothing to do with any previous criticisms of your reviews, I just wanted to let you know that I think this review is a big step forward, simply in terms of readability and usefulness, from those I've previously read. It may just be because you found the episode less enticing and therefore adopted a slightly less effusive tone here, but either way good work IMO.

Three quick little thoughts:

I think Tyrol being featured in a labor movement next week (and wait, wasn't that where we found the chief in the last ep of season 2, just before the cylons landed?) will help with your concerns about Callie and Tyrol's storyline. Personally I don't care for Callie, as evil as it sounds I was almost hoping that she wouldn't make it at the end of the episode. Although there is absolutely no rational reason, I'm still pissed at her for shooting Boomer, forever ruining both her hair and her personality.

I may have missed it, but has any other show ever shown what are essentially previews for their DVD extras immediately following the show's original airing? I may be missing something, but I think that's what the "bonus scene" at the end of the last few episodes might be.

Also, because of the scene getting cut short I wondered if Dee's facial expression was based on a mental image of Adama and Roslin playing hide-the-sausage or just disgust with Gaeda for immediately leaping to that conclusion.

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mchampag said:

member since 28 Jul 2006 with 13 posts, unranked, send him a message or view his profile

Tue Feb 20, 2007 6:59 pm

I think that this episode's bonus scene was absolutely moronic. Why the sudden middle-school behavior among bridge officers? Are they that stupid all the time?

As for the rest of the episode, someone should remind the producers that--hello--we need to see Baltar and Caprica Six. And Cylons in general. I don't care how much wining we get to hear from Helo, Lee, and Tigh, without Cylons, there's no show.

Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter.

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Bosco said:

member since 03 Jun 2002 with 1002 posts, unranked, send him a message or view his profile

Tue Feb 20, 2007 7:35 pm

Yes, of course the crotch itch will be in a future "previously, on Battlestar Galactica..." Helo will end up with it, and Athena will think he's been tapping something else, and Ty will say something bad about Cylons, and Athena will go batshit. Meanwhile, the doctor will figure out that it's something in Galactica's water (a recurring problem), so it will just be a big misunderstanding. Unfortunately, this won't be an episode of Friends so there will be no comedic value to the misunderstanding (like in every episode of Friends). No, this will threaten to bring down the whole fleet and probably sacrifice at least one prominent character on the show.

Meanwhile, Nathan Fillion's new series on Fox (I think it's called Cannonball Run or something like that) will achieve cult status after just two episodes and be unceremoniously canceled after the fourth epi, leaving him available to join the cast as the first of the Final Five. Nike will unveil a new Air Force One shoe in his honor, and he will be the fiercest Cylon yet!

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A guest said: (hide)

Tue Feb 20, 2007 7:46 pm

Sarah, I usually agree with you, but regarding the 'Conversations with Dead People' Buffy episode...

... it IS a masterpiece, regardless of whether its central plot device was your particular cup of tea. And it was the last good Buffy eppy EVAR. End of story, do not pass 'Go', do not collect $200.

Some things are just settled issues in fandom, Sarah.

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A guest said: (hide)

Tue Feb 20, 2007 10:22 pm

Oh, Sara. I so completely and utterly disagree with your points every single time. It is amazing to me that different people can watch the same show and come away with such different perceptions and interpretations. I think the writing has been pretty stinky all season so far this year; it's almost as if the mirror image of real world events was coincidental before, then came the peabody and now everything is contrived. I disagree about the Buffy episode too. I didn't think that was a masterpiece per se, but it was clever all the same. I felt this week was pretty weak too, though compared to certain other episodes, the one where Kat dies for example, it was writing par excellance. Not trying to be overly critical, it says something I suppose that we are having this conversation about the show at all, and I enjoy reading other's viewpoints and reactions.

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A guest said: (hide)

Tue Feb 20, 2007 10:58 pm

oh morons, review the FILMAKING of BSG not the I don't x story arc, y plot device, z scripting.

WHY because your not reviewing anything substantial your nitpicking PERSONAL pet peeves.

Did the episode work did it enlighten you to:

A anything about the main characters you did not know before?

B setup a conflict or drama point that was not previously evident

C further any prior plot points, conflicts or character development that was intiated before?

Too bad reviews these days seem to think they are the ONLY ones watching the work they are reviewing instead of realizing they are reporting their on viewing. They also forget that other viewers opinions may differ.

BYE BYE

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boric*acid said:

member since 13 Jun 2006 with 28 posts, unranked, send him a message or view his profile

Wed Feb 21, 2007 1:47 am

Umm . . . hold on there guest. All of the things on your list are parts of the script and/or plot devices that pertain to the story (i.e. writing), not film making per se. The content of your post nullifies your own opening statement. Morons, indeed.

If a review is essentially an advertisement, I feel that word of mouth is the best form of advertising. She is stating her opinion based upon her own knowledge and personal tastes, and hoping to help those who are interested and enthusiastic about the show to spend their money wisely (this is the iPod observer after all). I appreciate the honesty, though I agree that it is silly to let a review sway one completely, and you are certainly entitled to your opinion.

Having said that, I do think that Season three has been kind of weak, but in retrospect, having recently watched all of the episode in sequence, there are really only a few that stand out as total travesties. Nobody bats a thousand all the time. I enjoyed this week's episode. And for the record, I enjoyed 'Conversations With Dead People' as well.

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A guest said: (hide)

Wed Feb 21, 2007 1:50 am

They took a 20 second sequence from 2001: A Space Oddessy and turned it into an hour of boring TV. By the time this tedious BSG episode was over, I wanted to throw everyone out the airlock.

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A guest said: (hide)

Wed Feb 21, 2007 1:29 pm

Guest wrote:
oh morons, review the FILMAKING of BSG not the I don't x story arc, y plot device, z scripting.

Oh, STFU. When you start a comment with an insult, everyone just tunes you out.

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A guest said: (hide)

Wed Feb 21, 2007 1:34 pm

At the risk of turning this into more of a Buffy conversation than a BSG one... one more thing about 'Conversations with Dead People': yes, it was indeed "tell, tell, tell", as Sarah says. But, guess what? With excellent casting (the vamp Buffy confides in was very well played) and strong writing and dialogue, you can break some rules and get away with it- such as the one about "tell tell tell" always being boring/inferior to showing.

Those 'rules' are in place for a reason, because 98 times out of 100 they are right, but rules are also meant to be broken, and Buffy successfully broke that one in that eppy.

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Sarah said:

member since 13 Nov 2006 with 2 posts, iPO Staff, send him a message or view his profile

Wed Feb 21, 2007 2:44 pm

DaiMac, I totally thought Dee's expression was due to the unfortunate images popping into her head.

And to address some of the general stuff in this thread: a review really is just one person's opinion and shouldn't be given any more or less weight than that. (With all due respect, boric, I don't think of them as advertisements -- they're commentary, reactions, etc.) I certainly never "forget" that others may have different opinions and that's why I don't say things like, "And by the way, if you disagree with me at all, you are stupid and I hate you." Everyone has a right to their own opinion and reaction. Even though no one will ever convince me that "Conversations" is a good -- rather than merely gimmicky -- episode, I can still respect someone who liked it and acknowledge that they have a right to like it. (Now, if you hate both Buffy and BSG and can't find ANY good episodes in either series, *then* I might not respect you. At all. )

Last guest, that is a great point about how get away with breaking the rules if you sort of surpass or transcend them -- I just don't think that particular Buffy did. But certainly, great shows like Buffy and BSG are able to do stuff like that successfully.

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boric*acid said:

member since 13 Jun 2006 with 28 posts, unranked, send him a message or view his profile

Wed Feb 21, 2007 6:03 pm

Sarah wrote:
Now, if you hate both Buffy and BSG and can't find ANY good episodes in either series, *then* I might not respect you. At all. )

Damn straight! Overall, I would say that both are pretty exceptional. I think the occasional misstep is inevitable with any open ended series. I still think it's one of the best shows around right now.

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A guest said: (hide)

Thu Feb 22, 2007 1:52 pm

boric*acid wrote:
Sarah wrote:
Now, if you hate both Buffy and BSG and can't find ANY good episodes in either series, *then* I might not respect you. At all. )

Damn straight! Overall, I would say that both are pretty exceptional. I think the occasional misstep is inevitable with any open ended series. I still think it's one of the best shows around right now.

Battlestar is still GOOD, its just nowhere near as good as it WAS in Season 1 and the first half of Season 2.

THANK GOD they are scaling back to 13 episodes for Season 4... they'll be able to spend more time on each one now, and hopefully the quality will return to what it was.

.

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