The second of the 10 BSG "Face of the Enemy" webisodes aired yesterday. Has anyone else been watching them? I find myself wanting to not be drawn in by them simply because Felix Gaeta is by far my least favorite character on the show, but damn those good writers, they've snagged me anyway.
The story so far has Gaeta going away for a little R&R because he and everyone else in the fleet has had a nutty over that bummer called Earth. Gaeta gets caught in a rather unfortunate incident involving a Raptor. (Which is a space ship, not a dinosaur, for those who don't watch the show. But really, how cool would it be if the ship was shaped like a dinosaur? Oh yeah.) In the meantime, Gaeta's magical new boyfriend that we never, ever even caught a hint of except for that long-ish hug in "Revelations" is pining for him back aboard Galactica and trying to take a Raptor out to find him. Meanwhile, back aboard Gaeta's ship, Felix also seems to have forgotten that he's newly gay as he shares some very uncomfortable yet intimate looks with Boomer. (Or is it another Eight? Swear to God, I can't keep these cylons apart.)
My description is making these mini-episodes, which take place during the upcoming first episode of season 4.5, sound mawkish and crappy and they're not at all. The acting, as with any BSG episode, is very good and the writing is tight. There's a tension building nicely aboard the distressed Raptor (not shaped like a dinosaur) and there's just enough minor WTF moments to keep me enticed -- like what is Cylon Saul Tigh doing still in command in CIC? Did they all just have a group hug and decide to be sad together? If so, awesome. I love space emo. So overall, the quality of these little mini-movies is terrific and it has me counting not just the days, but the minutes until BSG's January 16 premiere.
My only problem is the whole Gaeta/Hoshi storyline. I mean, yes, okay, they hinted at some stuff between Felix and Baltar but who hasn't slept with Baltar? I think Lampkin's dog slept with the guy. It's just to be expected. But this Gaeta/Hoshi thing just came out of left field. Actually, it came out of the parking lot that's a ten-minute walk away from left field. I'm confuzzled.
And really, they choose Hoshi as the love interest? There wasn't some hot fighter pilot we haven't seen before? Felix chooses Middle Management Comb-Over Guy? Felix, I've seen your pecs and you have a lovely singing voice. You're totally shortselling yourself. Seriously, though, BSG has always been really good at telegraphing character traits well in advance of their full fruition. It's one of the things I've always loved about the writing and storytelling on this truly magnificent series. I sort of expected the same standard with these webisodes. I'm a-ok loving it if Felix is gay, but throw me some substantial clues over the last five years, please, so it doesn't just feel like a stunt. A stunt is not something I would wish on even my least favorite character.
If you haven't seen the webisodes (in which case, thank you for reading this far), here they are:
Episode One
Episode Two
8 comments:
The raptor pilot, Shark, used to be my youth group counsellor until he moved from Halifax to Vancouver.
As for Felix/Hoshi: Jane Espenson said she originally had Narcho slated to be Gaeta's love interest, but it was a matter of what actors were available to film the webisodes. Most of the cast was wrapping up The Plan (the BSG movie) at the time of the webisode shooting, so they were really on a tight schedule, thus they nabbed Hoshi as he was the only one available.
Still, I'm on the same page as you. I'm okay with the fact that he's gay, but not so okay since it's from far out of left field.
Lampkin had a cat...not a dog. Just had to point that out since Lampkin is my fave reoccurring character on BSG. I read somewhere that some folks have actually been shipping Hoshi/Gaeta for a while now, before the big reveal of the Gaeta/Hoshi storyline in the webisodes. I'm with you though, I totally missed any UST that maybe hanging around between those boys.
Hi Erin! I was referring to the dog that Lee gave Lampkin after it was revealed his cat had died. Can't remember the dog's name. Jake, maybe? All I remember is that he was cute. :)
Belle Ecrivaine: Excuse me...what BSG movie? This is the first I've heard of it!!! But yes, I enjoyed last season webisodes and will probably drool all over these, but I think the Gaeta/Hoshi relationship is probably just a filler that could have gone either way :)
Kathe: It's called Battlestar Galactica: The Plan. I know very few details, because I'm one of those spoiler-free freaks when it comes to BSG, but I know that it's in post production and is set to air after the series ends. It's the last thing they filmed once series filming was wrapped. IOt's supposed to be Cylon-centric (as if the title The Plan didn't give that away) and expand on what we know about the Cylons.
Actually I was thrilled to hear it would be Gaeta and Hoshi because my favorite writer on TV Without Pity ( Jacob- who writes like a crazed angel) had predicted that Gaeta and Hoshi were getting it on ages ago. I was so pleased that he was vindicated. I am not so thrilled to hear that he is apparently also sleeping with an eight. I like the eights just fine, but personally I would be sleeping with a (oh shit... what is the number? Leoben model and since Gaeta plays for both teams I was hoping to get a little vicarious kick there. Not so much. I love Gaeta. How can he be your least favorite character?? He's pretty and he sings really well! Actually I never thought he was pretty until he grew his hair out and had all those lovely curls.
What is Leoben.. a two? He must be a two.
One month from today BSG Freaks!!!!!!!!!!
Wait a minute.. one more comment.. Belle...who is Narcho? I am so confused.
While Narcho might've been a better choice in terms of hotness factor, Hoshi is a far better choice in terms of poignancy. Not only does he betray his Admiral and his fellow officers, but he's betraying the man he loves. It makes the whole thing that much more tragic. Narcho, on the other hand, would've been a cliche choice - the ruthless Pagasus pilot, also part of the rebellion and most likely one of the first to die (shot down by Starbuck probably).
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