The second-half of BSG's second season began on Sky One on Tuesday 21 March, with the two-part episode Resurrection Ship - that concluded the events of Pegasus last week. Fortunately, I realized part 1 began at 8pm, with part 2 at 9pm (just in time), as I thought Sky would be repeating Pegasus at 8pm as a recap. I wonder how many people tuned in at 9pm and realized they'd missed part 1!
Anyway... scheduling issues aside, I'm glad to see BSG firing with all cylinders again. I used to enjoy the original series, but wasn't really old enough to appreciate it for anything other than its special-effects. I was pleased BSG was being remade by Ronald D. Moore (one of the brilliant writers behind Star Trek Deep Space Nine -- still the best Trek, imo), as it's always best to remake films and TV shows that never did justice to their premises.
I caught the original BSG mini-series on DVD after word-of-mouth about season 1 began to build. I think season 1 had finished on Sky by the time I had (ahem) got a copy by "other means", and watched those episodes with relish.
BSG is a great show because it treats audiences with respect. It's more adult in content than most sci-fi shows - almost as if Moore freed himself of the Star Trek morality shackles and breathed new life into a show he could mould into something entirely new. I'm sure there are plenty of BSG "purists" who hate some of the changes (I, myself, didn't initially understand the thinking behind Cylons looking human -- beyond cost-cutting), but they're in the minority now.
Season 2 continued things competently, but it definitely dipped in quality. Interesting that the show really suffered without the presence of Edward James Olmos (Commander Adama) in the lead role as the Galactica's figurehead. Other episodes were still of high quality, but nothing fresh really happened to shake up the mix. It was sort of coasting on the momentum of season 1. Oh, and the revelation that Xena Warrior Princess (er, I mean, Lucy Lawless' character) was a Cylon just struck me as old-hat. It's no longer a shocking revelation when someone turns out to be a "tin can", is it.
But everything worked a treat with Resurrection Ship 1 and 2. I'm not going to spoil anything, but there were moments of excruciating tension and tough decisions that most sci-fi shows would shy away from. Such moral dilemmas are the domain of 24, not a silly space show... surely?
Well, BSG is quite unlike other shows of its ilk. Brave storytelling, believable characters, gutsy plots, simply amazing effects, and - finally - a sense that the latter half of BSG's second season will meet expectations...
