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« Roush Dispatch
Starbuck's Tailspin: More Shocks to Come
Although the February sweeps officially have been over for several days, Sunday night sure felt like a sweeps extravaganza, with game-changing episodes of two major series. Both pivotal hours, of Sci Fi’s Battlestar Galactica and ABC’s Brothers & Sisters, dealt with the fate of daughters whose respective departure and arrival is setting off shock waves for their unconventional families (the Galactica crew and the Walker clan).
The episode that undoubtedly will cause the largest stir in TV fandom was Galactica’s riveting and ultimately devastating journey into the metaphysical, as Starbuck (a brooding, tormented Katee Sackhoff) finally faced and embraced her destiny. Which meant, in a series of visions and hallucinations guided by the specter of the not-quite-Leobon as if he were the Ghost of Psychodramas Past, that Kara had to confront the soul-crushing memories of her abusive mother, who instilled in the self-destructive Starbuck a belief that suffering was good for the soul. Nobody suffers on Galactica as memorably as Starbuck, and in this final act that took her from “emotional basket case” to a martyr for purposes yet to be determined, this frakked-up hero leaves nothing but suffering in her wake.
I’ve seen the remaining three episodes of this season, and without giving anything away, I can tell you the shocks just keep coming. Next week’s episode picks up two weeks after Starbuck’s death — the survivor head count has dropped, notably, from 41,400 to 41,399 — and it’s hardly a surprise to learn that no one (Adama, Lee, Sam, even her longtime nemesis Tigh) is taking the loss well. The “celebrity trial” of Baltar (“the most hated man alive”) looms and occupies much of the rest of the season, resulting in some of the most potent courtroom drama I’ve seen on TV in ages, pitting father against son (Adama vs. Lee, yet again) as more revelations in the testimony threaten to tear apart this beleaguered society of military and civilian survivors.
In the prosecutor’s opening statement, as the two-part finale begins on March 18, the haunting question “How do we measure loss?” is repeated. Loss, mortality, spirituality, justice and ethical behavior in an epic battle for survival: These themes resonate throughout Battlestar Galactica, transcending the categories of sci-fi and cult TV, which is why the explosive demise of Starbuck didn’t play out like just another calculated TV death. (See 24.) Anyone who thinks Starbuck’s ultimate destiny (a phrase repeated so often I sometimes felt I’d stumbled into an episode of Heroes) was to disintegrate into a million little pieces doesn’t know this show. Anyone who can figure out who and what was waiting for her on the other side, and why, is welcome to explain it to me. And I guarantee nobody will be able to predict the twists in the March 25 season finale, which will make you question everything you thought you knew about nearly everyone and everything. My jaw is still smarting from gaping in astonished disbelief.
The wait between seasons is going to be excruciating.
And now I'll drastically shift gears from space opera to earthbound soap opera, because I couldn’t let Sunday’s exceptionally entertaining episode of Brothers & Sisters go without comment. This was the episode in which the Walkers all came to grips, and occasionally came unglued, in the wake of learning about the bastard half-sister (Everwood’s effortlessly appealing Emily VanCamp as Holly’s daughter Rebecca) who qualifies as a pretty major skeleton in the Walker family closet.
This first season has been all about exposing the secrets and lies of this seemingly successful family, no matter the wrenching cost. The sparks were ferocious indeed and emotionally wrenching when Saul finally caved and told Nora the truth. Ron Rifkin and Sally Field, how great are they? Kudos to this show for giving these splendid veteran actors such juicy scenes to play.
One of the other things I admire most about Brothers & Sisters is how, even when characters do bad things, they’re not painted with the melodramatic brush of low villainy. Dynasty this isn’t. Thankfully. So it’s impossible to hate Sarah (the terrific Rachel Griffiths) even when she does something despicable, like lowering the boom on the unsuspecting Rebecca when she innocently shows up to see her mom’s workplace, all to get revenge on Holly, whom Sarah irrationally has cast as a bad guy. True, Holly’s reaction to the emotional mess that ensues is all dire threats and recriminations. But she really was the victim in this scenario. Maybe Justin will be the peacemaking mediator. His gesture of goodwill toward Rebecca, in a lovely getting-to-know-you scene that closed out the episode on a grace note, assures us that the family will survive this latest curve ball.
It won’t be easy, because what fun would that be? And let there be no doubt. Brothers & Sisters is great fun. Predictable at times, to be sure — you knew it was over for Kevin and Chad when Kevin foolishly called the Drudge-like Internet gossip to try to bully him — and it’s neither as ambitious nor ultimately as important as the classics of romantic family drama produced by Marshall Herskovitz and Ed Zwick (thirtysomething, Once and Again). But it’s the perfect escapist hour for Sundays at 10/9c, giving me just the jolt of watercooler buzz I need to start the work week.
And it’s a lot less heavy than Battlestar, which on those weeks when I don’t get preview screeners is a real chore to squeeze into an already cluttered night of TV. I hope when the next season begins, Battlestar will move back to Fridays, where there’s less competition and we get an entire weekend to digest the provocative, profound events as they unfold.
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Mar 5, 2007 10:36 AM
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Well you've given me hope for BSG. I was floored last night. You could see the groundwork being laid throughout the episode, but I still didn't see it coming. The episode itself was fantastic, the result absolutely sucks.
I started out as a Starbuck hater, in fact I wouldn't even watch the show until last season. How could they replace Dirk with a girl?! But I have since caught up and I have to say ..."how could they kill off Katie Sackoff's Starbuck?!"
I'm looking forward to whatever (if any) resolutions the producer's can provide...but I'll ride this out to the end regardless...Like Lost, I enjoy the journey.
I need to catch up on two weeks of B&S....so I tried to avoid those comments. Love the columns Matt, please keep 'em going.
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Mar 5, 2007 11:35 AM
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I have to disagree with you about Sarah on B&S. I haven't really liked her for weeks, and last night just pushed it over the edge. She is just such a huge bitch all the time. Poor Rebecca didn't deserve to hear the truth like that, and Holly shouldn't have to go through that either. I was happy to see Justin go over there at the end of the episode. At least one of the Walker children was likable this episode.
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Mar 5, 2007 11:51 AM
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Can't say more than: I LOVE BROTHERS AND SISTERS. Great show!!! 
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Mar 5, 2007 11:55 AM
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Thank for the Battlestar teases, Matt. I can't wait to see what happens in the last few episodes.
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Mar 5, 2007 12:14 PM
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I was a little kid when the first BSG aired, but I remember an episode in which Starbuck is confronted by a giant white ship (light) of some sort, and then he meets beings that wear the BSG uniforms but they are white. (I was a kid so the details are really fuzzy so forgive me if I've gotten it wrong).
I got the feeling from this episode that this is the storyline the writers are following, and that Starbuck will infact meet these ethereal beings on the "other side".
I certainly hope that she doesn't turn out to be one of the final cylon models.
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Mar 5, 2007 1:35 PM
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Loved your review, Matt, and I agree that BSG on Sundays is not a good way to start a new work week. I was so shocked at what happened to Starbuck that I can't seem to think of anything else this morning. What are we going to do without our favorite pain-in-the-neck?
I usually dvr B&S and watch it later in the week, but I'm glad you like it. I love to giggle and cry with this crazy family. And any scene with Sally Field moves me. She can really light up the screen.
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Mar 5, 2007 1:37 PM
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Re B&S (I don't watch BSG), I was also surprised with how Sarah broke the news to Rebecca. After thinking about it overnight, it seems to me that Sarah was more deeply hurt by her father's affair (maybe because she idolized him more), and therefore has a more visceral reaction to Holly (and, by extension, to Rebecca) than the other Walkers (including Nora). I thought Rebecca would find out by overhearing an argument between Holly and 1 of the Walkers.
Like Sarah, I am also the oldest child in a large family (6 children - 5 girls). I've really enjoyed how B&S has evolved over the course of the season and particularly enjoy the arguments among the Walker children, and how issues from childhood seem to get mixed up in what they're arguing about today (the same way it does in my family). I hope ABC does the right thing and renews it (and keeps it on Sunday night).
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Mar 5, 2007 2:31 PM
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Kryche:
Thanks for the reminder...I completely forgot about the "white episode"s from the original series. Apollo, Athena, and Starbuck ended up in some sort of afterlife.
Best part was the last scene though. The three of them each said one line that provided a star map to earth's star system.
Thanks again, more hope for BSG.
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Mar 5, 2007 5:50 PM
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With 24, The Office and ER faltering a bit as of late, Brothers & Sisters is quickly becoming my second favorite show (it's already my favorite new show of the season, just narrowly beating out FNL). I love the addition of Emily VanCamp to the already talented cast (I know he's been around awhile now but Rob Lowe was also a great gain for the show). The writing was just as good as the acting last night and I absolutely loved that last scene with Justin and Rebecca.
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Mar 5, 2007 9:12 PM
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Ugh, Battlestar's had me in a wreck all day! I sorta knew something was up when Adama asked her "What do you hear?" - things were coming full circle, goodbyes were being said (no matter how unconsciously)... I'm not exactly a fan of Starbuck, but I appreciate what she - and Katee Sackhoff - bring to the show, and bring out in the other characters. But it's a brilliant move on the producers part to kill her off (only for the moment, I hope!), if only to shock us out of the doldrums the past four episodes have left us in.
I cannot *wait* to see how this all turns out! If Kara is one of those "beings of light" from the original series... then wow!
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Mar 6, 2007 6:44 AM
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While I know some may think it was horrible for Sarah to tell Rebecca about her father - I can understand the pain Sarah must have felt in light of everything that just happened--especially since she had to endure the most backlash and criticism from her mother and siblings. And I think being taken aback to how similar Rebecca looked to her father, must have triggered her to reveal whatever she did reveal. I do wish we could have heard how exactly she told Rebecca the truth, in what way and form? It's easy for people to write Sarah off as a cruel person when we don't even know how she told Rebecca. And honestly why doesn't she have the right to tell her? It is her half-sister after all and she deserves to know there is a whole family of hers she has been denied access to all her life. Do you really think she wouldn't be mad at her mother whoever told her the truth? The truth hurts no matter what and I think in the long run, it'll prove to be a good thing that finally someone clued her in to why her mother suddenly had all this money. I'm looking forward to seeing how all the shattered glass are picked up and hopefully glued back together slowly but surely.
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Mar 6, 2007 8:19 AM
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Love Sally Field in B&S. I couldn't believe that Sarah, Tommy, and Kevin would be stupid enough to try to hide something so important from their mother again, especially with the lame excuse that she's had too many shocks to handle already. Obviously, the woman is a lot stronger than any of her kids give her credit for! And the "reveal" scene between Field and Ron Rifkin was just great--the expressions on both their faces was heartbreaking. I can understand Sarah lashing out and poor Rebecca was just in the wrong place at the wrong time--totally terrible of Sarah to do but she must feel that if the Walkers have had to suffer all these shocks because of the William/Holly affair, why should Rebecca be spared. I can't believe how much this show has improved over the season.
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Mar 6, 2007 5:41 PM
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I was just reading the original post and noticed something, the survivor count only went down by one, but Starbuck wasn't the only person who died, if you look at the newest episode you'll notice that Baltar's original laywer also died before the opening sequence. Who aren't they counting?
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Mar 12, 2007 5:47 PM
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