Wilf Wilson

I think z3rb is a  pretty cool guy, eh recommends me lots of vt and doesn’t afraid of anything (P.S. thanks for reading my blog). Among his best recommendations have been:

• Star Trek: Enterprise (which, on reflection, was a bit shit)
• Firefly
• The West Wing
• Boston Legal
• Kenny vs Spenny
• Battlestar Galactica

I’m currently watching Battlestar Galactica (hereafter refered to as “BSG”). Sometime last week, in between revising for exams, I decided that, despite having one of the most off-putting titles imaginable, I would give BSG a go.

Perhaps I was just in the mood for a bit of sci-fi – indeed, it was during last year’s prelims that I watched Firefly, maybe there’s something in the air this time of year. Or, perhaps I had finally come to accept that it was probably going to turn out to be a good show, so highly is it acclaimed and so often is it recommended. People really like this show.

There’s also the fact that it’s about to end. If there’s one thing I can’t stand, it’s suspense. I’ve vowed not to watch LOST until a time that I can watch the series from the first to the last episode without so much as a toilet break. That’s what I do with 24 too – all I can do whilst this season airs is to discourage people from revealing any spoilers to me. BSG is on its fourth and final season – a good time to start. It’s a good thing that I’m not having to watch the show weekly, with breaks between seasons. The episodes that I’ve watched in the past few days would have taken me over two years to watch as they were broadcast. For me, that’s unacceptable.

And OMFSM, what a show this is. I was truly awe-struck by the miniseries. z3rb said that it was quite hard to get into, but I disagree. It really is the finest example of television which I have ever come across – writing, acting, music, and the direction and effects aren’t that bad. What impresses me the most, however, is the story. The sheer brilliance of the story is probably due to the time in which it has been developing. The BSG that I’m watching is a remake of an original series (according to Wikipedia, a “reimagined” version) that ran over 30 years ago. These ideas must have been swimming around these writers’ heads for a very, very long time, with plenty of time to evolve and mature.

You might think that the premise seems rather clichéd, but you get none of that from watching the show. Basically, human-created robots became sentient and pretty much wiped out humanity. Just one group of humans survive – aboard the Battlestar Galactica – as they search for safety. But there’s more to it than that: the cylons can (almost) perfect disguise themselves as humans, and this takes the show up to a whole new level.

It completely sets the stage for a wonderful 4 seasons, so many moral dilemmas and tricky situations that could arise. I can’t wait to watch the rest.