-
Battlestar Galactica 1-7: Six Degrees of Separation
Last episode, Number Six did a pretty good Bruce Banner impersonation, warning Baltar that he wouldn’t like her when she’s angry. In Six Degrees, she makes good on that threat: After Baltar makes fun of the Cylon god a few too many times, the Six in his head disappears, only to be replaced by a…
-
How Dangerous is Riding a Bike?
Helmets credited for drop in cycling head injuries. That seems like an obvious story, right? As Greg Webster, director of primary healthcare information for the Canadian Institute for Health Information says, “it intuitively makes sense.”
-
Battlestar Galactica 1-6: Litmus
Why only 12 Cylon models? If you can make robots that pass for human beings, why limit yourself to 12? Wouldn’t it be easier to conquer and/or destroy humanity if you had 50, or 100? But okay, let’s say you only get 12, for reasons I have yet to hear but may be totally plausible.…
-
Helleresque City Council
The word kafkaesque gets thrown around a lot, often by people who have never read a single word written by Franz Kafka. (You should read many of his words; they are quite excellent, particularly when assembled into sentences and paragraphs.) I’ve seen it used to describe some of the recent events at Toronto City Hall, but…
-
Battlestar Galactica 1-4/5: The Fall & Redemption of Kara Thrace
Act of Contrition and You Can’t Go Home Again are two halves of a story, so we’ll knock them both off here. Why would anyone think making Starbuck a teacher is a good idea? Yes, she’s the best fighter pilot in the universe, but she’s also undisciplined, insubordinate, and possibly crazy. While there’s no question…
-
On the Subject of Bikes, Cars, Pedestrians, and The Law
In my experience, cyclists have three approaches to the rules of the road: Fully obey all laws all the time. These people are very rare. Cautious rule breakers: They may not follow the exact letter of the law, but still remain considerate and aware. This is where things like the Idaho Stop comes in: They…
-
Bridesmaids: Hell Is Other People
Watching people suffer is funny. Mel Brooks, who knew a thing or two about making funny movies, said “Tragedy is when I cut my finger. Comedy is when you fall into an open sewer and die.” Bridesmaids is about people falling into the sewer of failure and disappointment. Despite having one of the most misleading…
-
Battlestar Galactica 1-3: Bastille Day
Hey, look! It’s Richard Hatch! (no, not that one) Battlestar Galactica is a remake, as we all know. It’s natural to want to pay homage to the original, but that sort of thing runs the risk of getting silly. Using the original theme music during a newscast was wonderful, but cameos from the “original” Cylons in…
-
Battlestar Galactica 1-2: Water
The Cylon Sleeper Agent didn’t get a whole lot of use on Battlestar Galactica. Most of the Cylons, when caught, confessed to being Cylons, and then went about being evil, fleshy toasters. But then there’s Boomer, who doesn’t know she’s a Cylon, even while she’s carrying out evil Cylon plots. She wakes up alone, soaking…
-
Battlestar Galactica 1-1: 33
Battlestar Galactica? Really? You’re going to revive a 1970s sci-fi series that was a flaccid attempt to emulate the success of Star Wars, replete with soap opera performances and 1970s fashion? That, in itself, calls for scepticism. But to the surprise of many, Battlestar Galactica: The Miniseries kicked ass. Surely, though, that creativity and quality…