BSG: Thoughts on No Exit

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Now that I've seen it twice and had a couple of days to think about it: I hated this episode. Deeply. If I had made a list of the sort of thing I never wanted to see on this show, half of this episode would have been on it. And the list would still have been better than No Exit, because I'd never even have imagined some of this crap.

Case in point: The basis for Cavil's character is Mommy issues? Seriously? He goes from a self-assured, snarky, and somewhat bemused sense of rational atheism ("the Gods can't help you, you're on your own", "it can't be proven either way", etc) to being pissed off at God because he's unloved? And the one Cylon who spent the entire series joking about the others' holy war is secretly the one who created it... because all of a sudden the writers love monotheism?

Wow. This is definitely a Retcon Too Far for me. They just re-wrote the entire series six episodes before the end... into what looks suspiciously like a Judeo-Christian morality play. Surprise, it turns out the Cylons aren't violent monotheists, after all: their religion is peaceful and kind, and they've just been fooled by a mean ol' atheist!

I can't say I didn't see this coming -- the writers have been leaning in a less-morally-ambiguous direction since the beginning of season 4.0 -- but the extent to which they went for it is really disappointing. "Want an apple, Boomer?" The Centurions are nicey-nice because they believe in a "loving God", and Cavil is meany-mean because he "rejected mercy and had a twisted morality"? The skinjob backstory is Cain and goddamn Abel? Are you shitting me, show? What happened to the ambiguity? What happened to the shades of gray?

Two days ago, I was really happy that Ellen and Cavil were coming back before the end, because both characters were so proud and snarky and joyous and funny. Then the episode started with their Sturm Und Drang Retcon Reunion, and it just got worse and worse for an hour. Frak it, I'm not sure this show remembers what "pride", "humor", and "joy" even are.

On top of that, Starbuck is back to being weepy again (and is given a lovely setup for more YOU'RE GOING THE WRONG WAAAAAAAAAY Special Destiny bullshit with the Final Five); they're leaning on the Boomer/Chief ship (which I loved in Season One... but it's not Season One anymore, and without enough time left to develop a new relationship between them, it's just gonna seem like a backwards-looking rebound for both characters); Adama randomly flip-flopped on the Cylon technology idea, and then randomly flip-flopped back again; the writers entirely forgot about every single minor character involved in the mutiny, except for Mr. Sideburns from the Quorum; and #7 is probably Starbuck's Dad. Or maybe the guy from Caprica.

I love BSG, but the writers on this show have never been willing to allow the plot to grow organically from the characters... and now it looks like the ending will probably be a Grand Sweeping Gesture that deals with the backstory they just made up this week, rather than a natural resolution to the deep and complex conflicts they've been building since the miniseries.

That said, I'm more than willing to see where they go with this -- who knows, maybe the next six episodes will be amazing and morally ambiguous and beautiful, and I'll eat my words with algae sauce -- but boy, was I frakkin' disappointed this week.

Comments

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Seems like some self-acceptance issues are at hand on both sides; each being constantly envious of the other only breeds jealousy and resentment that probably contributes to the cycle of violence.

Yeah. But with Cavil, it seems like there's more to it than "jealousy and resentment", though that's clearly part of it. His "gelatinous orbs" speech makes it seem like he's truly suffering over this, all the time, like it's a full-on "I was born in the wrong body, I am not this thing I appear to be, I cannot stand my own flesh" psychological issue for him. Almost like somebody who longs for a sex change, or someone with a bad case of body dysmorphic disorder or BIID (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Body_Integrity_Identity_Disorder).

The 2/6/8s are like this in the other direction -- they want to be human so much that they're willing to go to almost any lengths to accomplish it. I mean, they destroyed the Hub! Athena lived in a cell for years! And what's Leoben's dollhouse, if not a bizarre attempt to emulate what he thinks humanity is? It was as if by arranging "a human life" perfectly around him, he hoped to transform.

And the Centurions, too, wanted human bodies so much they carved people up in a desperate attempt to cobble something together. Then they ended the war as soon as the Five offered this to them, even though they were winning. Perhaps because the Cylons are sort of halfway between machines and humans, it's hard for any of them to strike a balance, and they end up desperately seeking to become one or the other.

This would be spectacular on so many levels. Can we get some more Simon and Aaron?! Please, writers? Please?

Oh, I bet their body doubles will be in the background of one -- or possibly two -- episodes before the end. :P

Seriously, when they weren't in No Exit (which seems likely to end up being The Cylon Episode for 4.5, though I hope I'm wrong), I took that as a real bad sign. Which sucks, because I love them both, and wanted them to get a bit of actual characterization before the end. I hope they'll be in The Plan.

edit: And one more thing I just thought of: Simon is now the only one who doesn't have (at least) two names. I hope we'll get to at least learn his full name before the end.

[exploding-candy.livejournal.com]

Body dysmorphic disorder is a good analogy for Cavil. He definitely doesn't feel his body reflects his true identity or is best suited to meeting his goals. Looking at it from that perspective it's an issue completely removed from self-worth.
For the centurions, though, their interest in having flesh bodies is probably a by-product of being forced into subservience to humans for so long, as opposed to an independently formed desire. Even though they resent the humans' self-imposed "superiority", that idea is deeply ingrained in them and hurts their collective self-image. They are, of course, perfectly lovable in their machine bodies!

Cylons are sort of halfway between machines and humans, it's hard for any of them to strike a balance, and they end up desperately seeking to become one or the other.

I completely agree. With the exception of the F5, they're so young as a species they haven't yet established an identity that they're comfortable with, or allowed for any sort of "grey areas". The cylons on the show have, for the most part, taken a very either/or black/white mentality about things. "You want to be more human OR more machine-like", "you want to unconditionally ally with the humans OR annihilate them completely", "you can perform the functions I intended for you and be loved OR you can follow a different path and be scorned", etc. They're not very good at finding middle ground.

Poor Aaron and especially poor Simon-- they get zero love :( I looked up The Plan on IMDB and the guy who plays Aaron is listed in the "rumored" cast, but no Simon. That settles it; this weekend I'm going to assemble a gigantic cylon picspam! Cylon love all around.

[grey-sw.livejournal.com]

I completely agree. With the exception of the F5, they're so young as a species they haven't yet established an identity that they're comfortable with, or allowed for any sort of "grey areas".

Yes. They're very binary (heh, I said it!) in their thinking. Which makes sense, because young humans are, too. But in a lot of ways, that's the saddest part: what's happened on the show has wrecked their society before it even got started.

That settles it; this weekend I'm going to assemble a gigantic cylon picspam! Cylon love all around.

Cylon picspam, hurrah! <3