We Interrupt the Fate of Humanity For This Newsflash

I finally got a chance to watch the Season 3 premiere of Battlestar Galactica and was really, really underwhelmed. Now, I'm mature enough of a TV viewer to know how to watch Galactica. It's not about space battles and robots and explosions. This is drama in (sort of) space. What really turned me off about this episode was that it was nothing more than a parable on the Iraq War. (For the record, I'm sick of that too, think it was a mistake, and wish we were out of there.) Humanity is the Iraqi people and the Cylons are the occupying U.S. military. Hell, the night raid by Iraqi, sorry, Human police, even looked like CNN footage with night vision goggles. Ronald Moore simply cannot resist being the latest filmaker to offer his 2 cents of celluloid to his resentment of U.S. policy. What sucks is that he's completely turned the show upside down to do it. Tigh has now turned into "Poopdeck Pappy" from the old Popeye cartoons. Apollo is Sherman Klump. Adama looks like an aged Mexican porn star. (And the only person he can talk to is Sharon? Is ANYONE buying that crap?) I don't even know where the nonsense with Starbuck is going. Then, the biggest and stupidest letdown of the entire episode is when the President is seemingly gunned down in a mass grave only to be shown alive and well in the preview for next week. Guess we don't need to question what happened there. The Cylons stepped on a roadside bomb and were blown to bits. The Iraqis, sorry, Humans, escaped.

It really seems that this show is going the way of Boston Legal. The comparison, is that Alan Shore (James Spader) was one of television's terrific characters. That is until David E. Kelly used him to become the his personal mouthpiece against social and political injustice. The courtroom rants by Shore (interspersed with hilariously stupid "questions" from the sitting judge to act as "devil's advocate") have become ridiculous tirades that have reduced the character to nothing. Several TV and Entertainment magazines have noticed this as well and the once appealing show has become a skip on Tuesday nights.

With Galactica, I sense a giant "reset button" coming. I think that Moore has taken his personal agenda and painted a portrait of crap. I still think back to how this all started with Baltar falling asleep on his desk. This could all still be a dream sequence. I guess it wouldn't be any worse than this dreadful season premiere.