Yes, it’s only three months or so too late, but I did want to finally put some RDM Effect stuff to rest, especially after re-reading some of my earlier BSG and RDM posts here. On another level, perhaps, this post is unnecessary, because for as well shot and executed as the season finale of BSG was, because it was RDM Effect to its utmost precision:
First off: Baltar’s trial. There’s no way that things would ever have played out like that, even in pretend real life. Adama is hellbent on letting Baltar hang with a ruthlessness of a vendetta, and then has a change of heart because his son gets up on the stand and has this Mr. Smith Goes to Washington kind of moment with this crazy heartfelt speech that just screams unrealistic saccharine dreams? What gives? And, while I’m on the topic, is Lee Adama not the most annoying character written for television in year? Every season, it seems that his plots revolve around him being a prissy bitch who is more interested in showing up dear old dad like some emo sixteen year old who resents his parents than being an effective leader of men. That got so old, so quickly.
Secondly: I was right about my theories about Starbuck. At the end of the episode, she magically shows back up, and she knows the way to Earth, to boot. Even a two year old could have seen that plot “twist” coming.
Lastly, and most importantly, the revelation of four of the last five unknown Cylons. In picking four people who you would never expect (especially since one of them was little more than a bit player over the course of the series), I think RDM was trying very hard to provide another major “twist”, but it falls flat. The plausibility factor for most of these people is low at best. The only two you can make a real argument for are Anders and Tigh. Anders would make sense given how he entered into the series back on occupied Caprica and magically survived. I can see that one and could even give it benefit of the doubt. Tigh would kind of work given that he spent some time in the Cylon detention facility on New Caprica at the beginning of the season, there’s always a possibility there was a switch-a-roo there or something. That’s the only way though, because the rest of it would contradict established canon about the series already, mainly that the Cylon war was 40 years ago, they didn’t have the human-looking models then, and Tigh has been in the Colonial Fleet for 50 years. You put two and two together. Tori and Tyrol make no sense whatsoever. There’s not really been anything to suggest they could be Cylons at all, and having Tyrol become a Cylon deflates a lot of things, because you root for the guy as not being willing to sacrifice his beliefs or his values for the war as so many others would without thinking.
I will admit, though, that I loved the way they did the reveal of the final four Cylons with the snippets of the song they could barely catch building throughout the episode. As dumb as the results may have been, the plot build up was great.
So, with all that, it’s probably a good thing that Season 4 is likely the last season of BSG. The show started with such great promise to be something perpetually great, but like most RDM projects, it’s just plain out of steam.
