Is it just me - and I'm sure you won't hesitate to tell me - or has Battlestar Galactica jumped the shark? Or to use a more appropriate turn of phrase, fracked the jump drive?
Now I came to BSG late, round about the start of the third series on Sky One, but was able to fill in the gaps thanks to the wonders of the box set.
Apart from a mid-season dip in the middle of the third run, it has never been less than compelling. Just the right combination of interesting characters, political allegory and kick ass action, together with a plot that was convoluted enough to keep you guessing but never completely mystifying. Well, only occasionally.
But it seems to me that the fourth series has, well, lost the plot. I'm not going to give away any big spoilers, but if you really don't want to know ANYTHING about the fourth series then look away now.
Right, so what's changed? Oh my gods, where to start? Well, the storyline has crossed the line from intriguing to infuriating. Worse, it's not even very interesting. All that stuff on the Cylon base ships is SO boring. Some of the key relationship dynamics of the first few series - think Starbuck and Apollo, Roslin and Bill Adama, Baltar and Number Six - have all but disappeared.
Apollo stopped being interesting the minute he swapped the cockpit for the council chamber, while his dad was barely in the last few episodes I watched. Colonel Tigh and the chief might be big brooding presences on Galactica, but - whisper it quietly - they're a bit boring. Maybe that's an occupational hazard.
Things have reached such a state that the last two episodes are waiting to be watched on my Sky+ box, and I haven't been minded to hit the play button. Imagine that!
Maybe it's a victim of the success of the first three series. Maybe the scriptwriters ran out of ideas. Maybe they cut the budget. I dunno. Maybe I'm just not bright enough to keep up with the "who's good/who's bad?" theme of the latest series. To be honest, I really AM lost which Cylon's on which side.
I'm not rooting for the characters like I used to. I just feel a sense of frustration instead. And god is it a depressing watch! If Springwatch puts a spring in your step, Battlestar gives you sleepless nights. And the religious stuff is getting a bit tiring as well.
There. I've said it. Has anyone else given up? Well, quite frankly, I don't give a flying frak whether you believe me or not, all right? Because I've had it, I am... I'm tired of being pushed and prodded around like I'm some kind of toy. I'm not your plaything.
Not me speaking but Gaius Baltar, in one of the more memorable Battlestar quotes on imdb.com. I'll miss him, but not so much that I can't do without him. Just don't tell me whether they make it to earth or not when the series finally ends after its mid season break enforced by the Hollywood writers' strike. You never know, I might see it on the box set. One day.
