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'Caprica': Is the origin of the Cylons compelling enough?
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It's hard to become invested in "Caprica" when you know how the story eventually ends."Caprica's" first episode is choppy and disconnected, lacking a narrative drive.
Nothing shows the viewer what the main conflict is and why we should care about the characters, especially in light of the fact that we know what the Cylons become and what they end up doing to Caprica (and the other colonies).
When "Battlestar Galactica" started, there was a catastrophic event that propelled the narrative forward. What is going to happen to the roughly 50,000 survivors of the Cylons' destruction of the colonies? How will they rebuild? The moral questions and monotheism vs polytheism and intense character studies came later. The immediate hook was the dire circumstances of the surviving people.
"Caprica" is lacking such a hook. Sure, there's a terrorist bombing that kills a commuter train full of people, but it's hardly the focus. The focus is on what people will do with technology in order to regain what they have lost. And that is... kind-of boring. The conflict isn't strong enough for me.
It's mildly interesting to see how Cylons came about -- particularly since they appear to have evolved from the mind of a "Gossip Girl"-esque sex club attendee named Zoe -- but I didn't really want to watch any more episodes after the pilot.
Eric Stoltz and Esai Morales are actors I like very much, but their characters do not compel me the way Edward James Olmos, Katee Sackhoff and Mary McDonnell's characters did when I first saw "Battlestar." Stoltz and Morales have the added baggage of a show partially centered around teenagers, none of whom I enjoyed.
I truly wanted to give "Caprica" a ringing endorsement because I was very excited about it... but I just can't. I certainly think "BSG" fans should tune in and perhaps it will grab you in a way it did not grab me. If so, fantastic. I hope it does. But I don't think I will personally be tuning in for very long.
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From what I understand, the pilot episode was made long before the rest of the series. So, I won't be so fast to judge whether or not the story of Caprica will be worth watching. I know that with James Marsters aboard I will at least have a fascinating "bad guy" to watch. I know I won't be giving up until I see how that story arc plays out.
I saw the Pilot episode and if it were not BSG I would want to watch it, but this so far seems contrary to the general history of the remake of the BSG universe.
Well made amd but bad for BSG.
The episode reduction was part of an effort to make those 19 hours as good as they could be without sacrificing the quality of the drama, a story of intrigue and family conflict that follows the Adama and Graystone clans in settings that resemble present-day Earth.
I never watched a single second of Battlestar, but I checked out the Caprica pilot, because it looked so different from it's parent series. and I loved it. I will most definietly be checking out the rest of the series and maybe even Battlestar.
Cruz, that's awesome. I hope non-BSG fans do like it. I think my expectations were too high or expecting something else.
Berry, I too will tune in to see Marsters b/c I love him. Well, I love Spike. : )
I really liked Battlestar, but I was a more casual fan (at least compared to a lot of people I know)... So any inconsistencies between BSG and Caprica didn't bother me in the slightest.
I enjoyed the pilot for what it presented and the scenario it set up... While Andrea is right that the pilot feels more like a prequel to the regular series instead of a stand alone episode (as so many pilots are prone to), I'm intrigued to see where the showrunners take it.
I showed the pilot to my mother who had ZERO interest in Battlestar when it was on, and she loved it so much she's making Caprica appointment TV every Friday night. If that's any indication, Caprica may find a broader audience than BSG ever did.
Does Esai still beat and rape.
I thought the pilot film (available in a longer version on DVD - maybe the reviewer should give it a look?) was fine. Prequels always have the problem of dealing with things which you already know about in terms of endings. I thought they did a fantastic job and I look forward to seeing what the actual series looks like. Pilots are fine, but it's episodes 2 and 3 that I want to see now. And since we already know a few people (see above) who have become fans as a result of Caprica, then it's done its job. Maybe the reviewer might want to put this in the "revisit later" file.
????? Never watched BSG, however I loved the pilot of Caprica. Eric Stoltz and Esai Morales are really great in it. My BSG friends are trying to fill me in, but I think half the fun is not knowing what will happen next.
I've found through experience, that dismissing a show from its pilot has left me kicking myself later when the show turned out to be rather good. Then I would find myself trying to catch up with all the episodes I missed. So, in general for the past several years, I've been giving new shows at least 3 - 5 episodes (me watching them) before I decide if I'm going to be a fan, or drop it.