Post by koenigrules on Jan 31, 2005 20:15:33 GMT -5
Here is my Best Scenes Review of 'Act of Contrition'.
I will post just the first few paragraphs here:
Ordinarily I do not like flashback stories, especially ones that have so many of them in a single teleplay. It usually reminds me of a Star Trek time distortion storyline in which the characters have to relive a scene over and over again (something Tom Baker as Dr. Who referred to as a ‘chronic historisis’ effect in the final Keys to Time segment). But Galactica’s fourth episode, ‘Act of Contrition,’ works very effectively as we really do not know too much of the history of Kara Thrace (aka Starbuck), or for that matter, many of the other principal characters before the nuclear holocaust consumed their world. It’s not that I did not care what was happening to Kara as her damaged Viper was engulfed in flames upon entering the planet’s atmosphere. But I really wanted to know what was going on in her head as she faced a possible death scenario. Once again, Ron Moore did not disappoint me.
Some of the best moments in AoC involved Commander Adama and Kara. Three encounters between them are of relevance in this review, with each one showing more emotion than the last. The first scene is when Adama takes Kara’s hand in his own during the funeral for his son Zak. This simple gesture is a testament that Adama really cares for Kara and knows how much Zak meant to her. The second encounter is in Adama’s cabin when he asks Kara to train a new batch of ‘nuggets’ to replace those Viper pilots who were lost in a tragic accident. He tells her in a fatherly way that she is not to blame for Zak’s death and hugs her like a daughter. Again, the viewer is greeted by another, even stronger, display of affection that Adama gives Kara. Typically in sci-fi shows commanders do not evidence feelings of warmth or affection as these emotions might impact on their judgment. But Battlestar: Galactica is a different breed of sci-fi. Here we have a commander who is not afraid to express feelings when it is appropriate. And we see a much more human side to Adama as a result. I recall a similar embrace he gave his son Apollo when he was overjoyed to see him alive and kicking in the miniseries, and this moment reminded me of that one.
The final and most dramatic moment between the two is when Kara confesses her ‘sin’ to Adama: namely, passing Zak in flight school because she was engaged to him. The look of rage on Adama’s face is priceless. It is in sharp contrast to what the commander has told her several minutes earlier when he confessed his love for her like a father to a daughter. The now transformed Adama can barely get his words out as he tells her to “walk out of this cabin while you still can.” The usually confident Kara sees her world come crashing down over her; she feels she has lost respect in the eyes of Adama and perhaps in herself as well. That she continues to train the nuggets in flight school and then take on 8 Cylon raiders all alone are ways Kara tries to cover up the hurt she is experiencing. Is it any wonder these moments flash in her head as she ejects herself from her flaming cockpit and heads towards the planet below. She needs a resolution to this conflict and has not found it yet. And as the ‘To be Continued’ text appears on the screen, the viewers realize they will have to wait for this resolution to hopefully occur in the next episode.
You can read the rest at the Review link on the galacticastation home page.
KR
I will post just the first few paragraphs here:
Ordinarily I do not like flashback stories, especially ones that have so many of them in a single teleplay. It usually reminds me of a Star Trek time distortion storyline in which the characters have to relive a scene over and over again (something Tom Baker as Dr. Who referred to as a ‘chronic historisis’ effect in the final Keys to Time segment). But Galactica’s fourth episode, ‘Act of Contrition,’ works very effectively as we really do not know too much of the history of Kara Thrace (aka Starbuck), or for that matter, many of the other principal characters before the nuclear holocaust consumed their world. It’s not that I did not care what was happening to Kara as her damaged Viper was engulfed in flames upon entering the planet’s atmosphere. But I really wanted to know what was going on in her head as she faced a possible death scenario. Once again, Ron Moore did not disappoint me.
Some of the best moments in AoC involved Commander Adama and Kara. Three encounters between them are of relevance in this review, with each one showing more emotion than the last. The first scene is when Adama takes Kara’s hand in his own during the funeral for his son Zak. This simple gesture is a testament that Adama really cares for Kara and knows how much Zak meant to her. The second encounter is in Adama’s cabin when he asks Kara to train a new batch of ‘nuggets’ to replace those Viper pilots who were lost in a tragic accident. He tells her in a fatherly way that she is not to blame for Zak’s death and hugs her like a daughter. Again, the viewer is greeted by another, even stronger, display of affection that Adama gives Kara. Typically in sci-fi shows commanders do not evidence feelings of warmth or affection as these emotions might impact on their judgment. But Battlestar: Galactica is a different breed of sci-fi. Here we have a commander who is not afraid to express feelings when it is appropriate. And we see a much more human side to Adama as a result. I recall a similar embrace he gave his son Apollo when he was overjoyed to see him alive and kicking in the miniseries, and this moment reminded me of that one.
The final and most dramatic moment between the two is when Kara confesses her ‘sin’ to Adama: namely, passing Zak in flight school because she was engaged to him. The look of rage on Adama’s face is priceless. It is in sharp contrast to what the commander has told her several minutes earlier when he confessed his love for her like a father to a daughter. The now transformed Adama can barely get his words out as he tells her to “walk out of this cabin while you still can.” The usually confident Kara sees her world come crashing down over her; she feels she has lost respect in the eyes of Adama and perhaps in herself as well. That she continues to train the nuggets in flight school and then take on 8 Cylon raiders all alone are ways Kara tries to cover up the hurt she is experiencing. Is it any wonder these moments flash in her head as she ejects herself from her flaming cockpit and heads towards the planet below. She needs a resolution to this conflict and has not found it yet. And as the ‘To be Continued’ text appears on the screen, the viewers realize they will have to wait for this resolution to hopefully occur in the next episode.
You can read the rest at the Review link on the galacticastation home page.
KR