Comments on: NO CHEAP DINERS, NO SONGS FROM A JUKEBOX, NO ANONYMOUS GUYS WALKING TO THE RESTROOM, AND NO 10 SECOND COP-OUT http://dublinopinion.com/2009/03/22/no-cheap-diners-no-songs-from-a-jukebox-no-anonymous-guys-walking-to-the-restroom-and-n0-30-second-copout/ It's a group blog. What more do you need to know? Wed, 23 May 2012 11:53:49 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.2.1 By: Conor McCabe http://dublinopinion.com/2009/03/22/no-cheap-diners-no-songs-from-a-jukebox-no-anonymous-guys-walking-to-the-restroom-and-n0-30-second-copout/#comment-69824 Conor McCabe Sun, 22 Mar 2009 21:30:21 +0000 http://dublinopinion.com/2009/03/22/no-cheap-diners-no-songs-from-a-jukebox-no-anonymous-guys-walking-to-the-restroom-and-n0-30-second-copout/#comment-69824 I was reading an interview with Moore and he was saying that at one point himself and the writing team had hit a brick wall as to how to end the series and Moore went home, had a shower, and thought "it's the characters, stupid". Look after the characters and the plot will look after itself. It sounds so easy, but when you look at the mess that is "Lost" - which is desperately trying to dig itself out of a plotless pit with characterization - you realize the skill and and depth of writing what went into Battlestar. It focused on the characters, but they never lost sight of the story - a bunch of people just trying to get home. It may have been a simple plot, but at least it had one. Star Trek:Voyager had the same basic plot as well, but it was too tied to the 45 minute episode format to really work. And that happened with Battlestar as well in the second part of the third series, when they got off New Caprica. It became too neat for what is, in effect, an epic plot structure. It became a series of vignettes, and suffered as a result. I dunno. When the credits came up on the final episode yesterday I just thought, even with the Iliad and the Odyssey behind him, Homer would still be impressed. and maybe even Philip K. Dick would raise a grudging smile to see his influence on such a five-year canvas. It's not that often that you see a writer treat the artistic capabilities of television with the respect they deserve, to treat television as an art form. Even with the Sopranos and the Wire, it's still rare. I was reading an interview with Moore and he was saying that at one point himself and the writing team had hit a brick wall as to how to end the series and Moore went home, had a shower, and thought “it’s the characters, stupid”. Look after the characters and the plot will look after itself.

It sounds so easy, but when you look at the mess that is “Lost” - which is desperately trying to dig itself out of a plotless pit with characterization - you realize the skill and and depth of writing what went into Battlestar. It focused on the characters, but they never lost sight of the story - a bunch of people just trying to get home. It may have been a simple plot, but at least it had one.

Star Trek:Voyager had the same basic plot as well, but it was too tied to the 45 minute episode format to really work. And that happened with Battlestar as well in the second part of the third series, when they got off New Caprica. It became too neat for what is, in effect, an epic plot structure. It became a series of vignettes, and suffered as a result.

I dunno. When the credits came up on the final episode yesterday I just thought, even with the Iliad and the Odyssey behind him, Homer would still be impressed. and maybe even Philip K. Dick would raise a grudging smile to see his influence on such a five-year canvas. It’s not that often that you see a writer treat the artistic capabilities of television with the respect they deserve, to treat television as an art form. Even with the Sopranos and the Wire, it’s still rare.

]]> By: EWI http://dublinopinion.com/2009/03/22/no-cheap-diners-no-songs-from-a-jukebox-no-anonymous-guys-walking-to-the-restroom-and-n0-30-second-copout/#comment-69823 EWI Sun, 22 Mar 2009 21:06:21 +0000 http://dublinopinion.com/2009/03/22/no-cheap-diners-no-songs-from-a-jukebox-no-anonymous-guys-walking-to-the-restroom-and-n0-30-second-copout/#comment-69823 They are <i>so</i> going to regret firing their medical facilities (not to mention whatever is rest of an industrial/technological base they still possess) into the Sun in years to come... I think Adama Senior get this, which is why he's gone into pre-emptive hiding (from the angry mobs). They are so going to regret firing their medical facilities (not to mention whatever is rest of an industrial/technological base they still possess) into the Sun in years to come…

I think Adama Senior get this, which is why he’s gone into pre-emptive hiding (from the angry mobs).

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