TV Reviews

I'd meant to post this uh, well, I guess technically, I meant to post it last night, tho I haven't been to bed yet.

Battlestar Galactica
I'd never been a big fan of the original show. It was campy and I was still young enough to appreciate camp, so I watched, but it seems so cheesy to me now. The mini-series that aired last year was better and the changes all worked for me, especially changing Starbuck and Boomer to women because more kickass women were needed and I can see wanting to keep the identification factor associated with names from the original show.

I liked the cast, too, but the storytelling was a bit muddled. So I held some reservations for the proposed series. I needn't have worried. I enjoyed the first two hours immensely. The opening episode was as intense as an hour on TV can get and while I wouldn't call it the best SF show since Farscape, I do think it's got a lot of potential. There are many intriguing plot threads, the cast is solid, and the writing and effects are both good. It makes a fine addition to SciFi Channel's Friday night lineup, with the 2 Stargates. And next week, Richard Hatch, from the original show, will guest star. Now, that's cool.

MI 5
This British spy series is the real deal. Alias, like La Femme Nikita, gets outrageous. I loved Nikita and I love Alias, but both are larger than life. And tho I haven't watched it, 24 looks (from the coming attractions and articles I've read) to be a bit over the top as the tension needs to mount in order to tell one story over 24 episodes. MI 5 feels real. Those stories, as told, could really happen.

The cliffhanger from last season was nicely handled. And I'd read that there were to be cast changes, so wasn't surprised by the addition in the season premiere last week or the one leaving after this week's episode, but both were handled well and fit the stories. The toll the job takes on the Spooks, as the show is called in England as well as plots that have the agents going above and beyond to protect Britain, make this a slick, edgy show that the Brits are so skilled at doing.