Battlestar Galactica 4x11: "Sometimes a Great Notion" - Page 6

Nobody · January 17 2009, 05:54 AM

JNG wrote:

I voted "below average." Basically an episode of filler.

This episode was about character moments. Watching the fallout of our heroes after their entire worldview is frakked. Not necessarily about moving the plot along. I wouldn't call it filler, they just shifted gears from a plot beat to a character beat. A whole episode devoted to the fallout makes sense considering the scale of this recent defeat.

I believe the episode would've fared better if aired directly after Revelations (and I loved this episode). Since they weren't designed to air as a cliffhanger/resolution the parts about what happened to Earth and Starbuck wouldn't have felt as repetitive. Having the 6-7 months to dwell on this really upped the ante in our expectations and allowed us to pick everything apart. A lot of the plot developments would've had a bigger 'oomph' factor.

-nobody

Evil_Admiral · January 17 2009, 05:55 AM

So... FTW?

I mean this was an episode of shockers. Kara is dead in the Viper.... But she's there. Leoben was right to back the fuck away from her, he practically was running away. But what the hell is she exactly, and how did she get a shiny new viper back to the fleet?

Then the whole cylons-on-Earth thing. I kind of knew that was coming based off of Aaron Douglas spoilers (and boy, doesn't he just keep packing it on?). But it was still done well imo.

The performances by Hogan, Olmos, Sackoff, and McDonnell were just powerful and amazing. As someone else just said, they need to dig up some emmys for these guys in the rubble of Earth.

Finally, the Ellen thing was kind of left-field. I mean the scene its self was powerful, as were the consequences to Tigh's life, but she was an unimportant character in the series largely (at least until New Caprica). What really matters is how they deal with it going forward.

Peacemaker · January 17 2009, 05:59 AM

Dee's suicide ranks as the most dramatic moment for me. Adama going nuts just struck me as out of character. The end scene was anticlimatic and unnecessary. Okay, so D'anna decided to stay behind. After the last two episodes, Lawless' character goes out with a whimper...and why not just tell Tigh that Ellen is the final Cylon? The whole "going out to sea" bit was simply unnecessary. Still...overall, excellent...but I'm now skeptical about the rest of the season...sorta "Meh."

boushh · January 17 2009, 06:02 AM

I gave it above average. I would have given it an excellent if it weren't for the ending. It felt a bit anti-climactic. I'll wait and see where they go with it, but at the moment I'm wondering if she's going to come back at all or if she's dead... or if she isn't really the fifth...

I knew Dee was either going to die or be the final cylon and I was hoping for the first option. I totally did not expect it to happen like that though. Holy cow. That was pretty intense.

Starbuck finding herself and making a funeral pyre was pretty freaky. I'm wondering if she's some other entity and not really any version of Starbuck, or if she's be reborn kind of like the four cylons are saying. I'm also getting a time travel vibe here, and I'm not sure how I feel about that. I don't know if I'd mind it really, but I know a lot of people won't like that idea. I wonder if she talked to Apollo about what she found out or if she stopped once she found out about Dee... I'm not sure Lee could have handled it at that moment, but I hope she does tell him in the future...

I did think it was really interesting to see both the cylons and the humans reacting to this situation in similar ways. All of their hopes were dashed.

There are still a ton of unanswered questions, and I suppose they'll all start to get worked on as we work towards the end. Next week's doesn't look particularly new though... Zarek causing some sort of revolt again and all...

Oh, one thing that was really great was to see Baltar in the scientist role again. I've missed that...

Brent · January 17 2009, 06:03 AM

Peacemaker wrote:

The whole "going out to sea" bit was simply unnecessary.

No, it made sense, the final 5 were drawn to objects that made them have flashbacks or project to relive past moments. Tyrol was driven to touch the wall where he died, and had the flashback, Sam was driven to touch the guitar and he had his revelation about playing that song, and Tigh had his moment by being drawn out to sea where there was part of the metal door to the mail box and had his flashback, that piece of metal was under the water.

Lindley · January 17 2009, 06:08 AM

I rather liked it when Adama asked if the Cylons wanted to "come along". Sort of a recognition that the universe is a lot more empty than they were hoping, and they should probably be at least somewhat friendly with anyone not actively trying to kill them....

Brent · January 17 2009, 06:14 AM

I like how Adama is still working with Tigh, letting him be the CO of the ship and all even though he is a Cylon. We are starting to see a real integration of Cylons and Humans now.

sidious618 · January 17 2009, 06:20 AM

I loved it up until the ending. I give it an excellent but Ellen? WTF? Kind of a boring choice. I'm willing to wait and see where it goes, though.

DarthPipes · January 17 2009, 06:22 AM

Agent Richard07 wrote:

WeAreTheBorg wrote:

Footnote: It was nice to see Baltar in Dr. mode ala season 1 again.

I was just thinking that too. He's right back where he was in season 1. This whole crisis really made everyone set aside their differences.

Agreed. It felt very natural for the character.

BTW...isn't Tigh going to have problems since he basically took a bath in radioactive water?

boushh · January 17 2009, 06:23 AM

Lindley wrote:

I rather liked it when Adama asked if the Cylons wanted to "come along". Sort of a recognition that the universe is a lot more empty than they were hoping, and they should probably be at least somewhat friendly with anyone not actively trying to kill them....

I thought this was great too and kind of a step forward for Adama extending that offer pretty much all on his own. Mixing the cylons and the humans makes for an interesting dynamic too.

Kaijufan · January 17 2009, 06:28 AM

DarthPipes wrote:

Agent Richard07 wrote:

WeAreTheBorg wrote:

Footnote: It was nice to see Baltar in Dr. mode ala season 1 again.

I was just thinking that too. He's right back where he was in season 1. This whole crisis really made everyone set aside their differences.

Agreed. It felt very natural for the character.

BTW...isn't Tigh going to have problems since he basically took a bath in radioactive water?

I would think that he will be okay. After all the planet was nuked 2000 years ago, enough of the radiation was gone that they didn't immediately pack up and return to the ships.
He wouldn't want to take bath in the ocean every day, but I doubt doing it once is going to hurt him very much.

bryce · January 17 2009, 06:29 AM

Brent wrote:

Peacemaker wrote:

The whole "going out to sea" bit was simply unnecessary.

No, it made sense, the final 5 were drawn to objects that made them have flashbacks or project to relive past moments. Tyrol was driven to touch the wall where he died, and had the flashback, Sam was driven to touch the guitar and he had his revelation about playing that song, and Tigh had his moment by being drawn out to sea where there was part of the metal door to the mail box and had his flashback, that piece of metal was under the water.

Not to mention that when he held his hands flat over the water like that, it echoed teh way that the nuCylons put there hands in those pools of liquid in the Basestar's command center and it channels information straigth into their brains.

It may also be that the Earth-Cylons infused there entire planet with some sort of...maybe nanomachines of something, something that means that Cylons everywhere on thier world can instantly access the...Cylon overmind or the Cylon internet...just by touching something and openng up to it.

If that's true, it kinda echos the idea some futurists (like Douglas Adams) have talked about of "totally ubiquitous computing", or "smart dust"....that at some point the near future* trend of computers getting smaller and smaller (Moore's Law and all that) and the trend of putting computer processors in more and more manufactured objects (TVs, toasters, fridges, cell phones, "smart" TV's the double as PC's, washers & driers, etc, etc...and even greeting cards - it's sometimes called "ubiquitous computing") will reach their ultimate point and computers will become so tiny (microscopically tiny) that we will just (as Adams postulated) "sprinkle" them everywhere and *everything* will become connected and part of the "World Wide Mind".

Brent · January 17 2009, 06:31 AM

DarthPipes wrote:

Agent Richard07 wrote:

WeAreTheBorg wrote:

Footnote: It was nice to see Baltar in Dr. mode ala season 1 again.

I was just thinking that too. He's right back where he was in season 1. This whole crisis really made everyone set aside their differences.

Agreed. It felt very natural for the character.

BTW...isn't Tigh going to have problems since he basically took a bath in radioactive water?

well, he is a Cylon

MeanJoePhaser · January 17 2009, 06:33 AM

They missed a chance to reference an X-Files episode by including the line "this is the field where I died".

The Adama-Tigh part was almost funny...GRRRR KILL ME, OR I'LL HAVE TO!! We know they'll pull it together, their "bro-mance" will go on!

I wish there was someone around at the end to tell D'anna "if anyone derserves to stay and rot in this lifeless tomb, it's you."

Loved Leoben getting freaked out. Not so chatty now, shithead?

For the radiation talk...is there nothing useful on Earth. Not even edible fish? Trees to make into toilet paper? (Radiation burns on yer bum!)

They can't go back to New Caprica? Sure it was kinda icky, but...

Brent · January 17 2009, 06:35 AM

MeanJoePhaser wrote:

They missed a chance to reference an X-Files episode by including the line "this is the field where I died".

The Adama-Tigh part was almost funny...GRRRR KILL ME, OR I'LL HAVE TO!! We know they'll pull it together, their "bro-mance" will go on!

I wish there was someone around at the end to tell D'anna "if anyone derserves to stay and rot in this lifeless tomb, it's you."

Loved Leoben getting freaked out. Not so chatty now, shithead?

For the radiation talk...is there nothing useful on Earth. Not even edible fish? Trees to make into toilet paper? (Radiation burns on yer bum!)

They can't go back to New Caprica? Sure it was kinda icky, but...

The other Cylons would find them if they went back to New Caprica

View Poll Results: Grade the episode...
Excellent	197	71.38%
Above Average	53	19.20%
Average	16	5.80%
Below Average	7	2.54%
Poor	3	1.09%
Voters: 276. You may not vote on this poll

January 17 2009, 05:55 AM	#77
Evil_Admiral Commodore Location: Near but never in Atlanta	Re: Battlestar Galactica 4x11: "Sometimes a Great Notion" So... FTW? I mean this was an episode of shockers. Kara is dead in the Viper.... But she's there. Leoben was right to back the fuck away from her, he practically was running away. But what the hell is she exactly, and how did she get a shiny new viper back to the fleet? Then the whole cylons-on-Earth thing. I kind of knew that was coming based off of Aaron Douglas spoilers (and boy, doesn't he just keep packing it on?). But it was still done well imo. The performances by Hogan, Olmos, Sackoff, and McDonnell were just powerful and amazing. As someone else just said, they need to dig up some emmys for these guys in the rubble of Earth. Finally, the Ellen thing was kind of left-field. I mean the scene its self was powerful, as were the consequences to Tigh's life, but she was an unimportant character in the series largely (at least until New Caprica). What really matters is how they deal with it going forward. __________________ Amy: Please tell me you have a plan. The Doctor: No, I have a thing. It's like a plan, but with more greatness.

January 17 2009, 05:59 AM	#78
Peacemaker Vice Admiral Location: Time Vortex	Re: Battlestar Galactica 4x11: "Sometimes a Great Notion" Dee's suicide ranks as the most dramatic moment for me. Adama going nuts just struck me as out of character. The end scene was anticlimatic and unnecessary. Okay, so D'anna decided to stay behind. After the last two episodes, Lawless' character goes out with a whimper...and why not just tell Tigh that Ellen is the final Cylon? The whole "going out to sea" bit was simply unnecessary. Still...overall, excellent...but I'm now skeptical about the rest of the season...sorta "Meh."

January 17 2009, 06:02 AM	#79
boushh Rear Admiral Location: The City of Blinding Lights	Re: Battlestar Galactica 4x11: "Sometimes a Great Notion" I gave it above average. I would have given it an excellent if it weren't for the ending. It felt a bit anti-climactic. I'll wait and see where they go with it, but at the moment I'm wondering if she's going to come back at all or if she's dead... or if she isn't really the fifth... I knew Dee was either going to die or be the final cylon and I was hoping for the first option. I totally did not expect it to happen like that though. Holy cow. That was pretty intense. Starbuck finding herself and making a funeral pyre was pretty freaky. I'm wondering if she's some other entity and not really any version of Starbuck, or if she's be reborn kind of like the four cylons are saying. I'm also getting a time travel vibe here, and I'm not sure how I feel about that. I don't know if I'd mind it really, but I know a lot of people won't like that idea. I wonder if she talked to Apollo about what she found out or if she stopped once she found out about Dee... I'm not sure Lee could have handled it at that moment, but I hope she does tell him in the future... I did think it was really interesting to see both the cylons and the humans reacting to this situation in similar ways. All of their hopes were dashed. There are still a ton of unanswered questions, and I suppose they'll all start to get worked on as we work towards the end. Next week's doesn't look particularly new though... Zarek causing some sort of revolt again and all... Oh, one thing that was really great was to see Baltar in the scientist role again. I've missed that... __________________ Avatar by madzilla_icons on LJ.

January 17 2009, 06:08 AM	#81
Lindley Moderator with a Soul Location: Fairfax, VA	Re: Battlestar Galactica 4x11: "Sometimes a Great Notion" I rather liked it when Adama asked if the Cylons wanted to "come along". Sort of a recognition that the universe is a lot more empty than they were hoping, and they should probably be at least somewhat friendly with anyone not actively trying to kill them.... __________________ Lead Organizer for EVN: Firefly. "So apparently the really smart zombies have automatic weapons!" -Torg, Sluggy Freelance

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January 17 2009, 06:14 AM	#82
Brent Admiral Location: TARDIS	Re: Battlestar Galactica 4x11: "Sometimes a Great Notion" I like how Adama is still working with Tigh, letting him be the CO of the ship and all even though he is a Cylon. We are starting to see a real integration of Cylons and Humans now. __________________ "Would you mind not standing on my chest? My hat's on fire." - The Doctor My Let's Play Series of STO - http://www.youtube.com/user/JustGaming4Us

January 17 2009, 06:20 AM	#83
sidious618 Admiral Location: New York, US	Re: Battlestar Galactica 4x11: "Sometimes a Great Notion" I loved it up until the ending. I give it an excellent but Ellen? WTF? Kind of a boring choice. I'm willing to wait and see where it goes, though. __________________ We've met before, haven't we?

January 17 2009, 06:33 AM	#89
MeanJoePhaser Admiral Location: Missile Command	Re: Battlestar Galactica 4x11: "Sometimes a Great Notion" They missed a chance to reference an X-Files episode by including the line "this is the field where I died". The Adama-Tigh part was almost funny...GRRRR KILL ME, OR I'LL HAVE TO!! We know they'll pull it together, their "bro-mance" will go on! I wish there was someone around at the end to tell D'anna "if anyone derserves to stay and rot in this lifeless tomb, it's you." Loved Leoben getting freaked out. Not so chatty now, shithead? For the radiation talk...is there nothing useful on Earth. Not even edible fish? Trees to make into toilet paper? (Radiation burns on yer bum!) They can't go back to New Caprica? Sure it was kinda icky, but...