There are short stories, and long stories. This is a short story with long roots. The seeds that were planted in winter have blossomed this spring, earlier than expected. Over the last few weeks, things have been shifting in the most unexpected of ways. They say every movement ushers in change, opening the doorways to old hopes, and new dreams. And so it is here.
It's time to move to a new home on the web; this isn't about endings, but beginnings. See y'all on the other side :)
Apollo's expression when he saw Starbuck pull alongside him in her viper, pretty much says it all. The cockiest fighter pilot this side of a battlestar is back, feistier than ever and looking pretty damn good considering she and her plane blew up into itty bitty pieces at the end of the last season. Yet, there she is, as large as life, with a mysteriously resurrected viper that is not only unscratched and undented, but completely data-less. So, where's she been? Is she a cylon, clone, hybrid, human or something else altogether? And what if she is human and the cylons have found a way to tinker with her? How and why else would she mysteriously know her way to earth...? Women's intuition? Um, maybe not. Lee and Bill's reaction to her return is gratifying--genuine heartfelt relief that comes from close relationships. Anders reaction is puzzling, lukewarm at best, and while he is struggling at dealing with his own cylon identity, you'd think there'd be a little more cheer from his side. But... maybe that's natural considering his wife's admission that she would put a bullet between his eyes if she ever found out he was a cylon. Good old Kara.
Talking about Anders... one of the best scenes in this opening episode features him being scanned by the cylon raider. Was he the instigator for the cylon withdrawal? Did he issue a silent command that the enemy plane read? Did the raider awaken something within Anders, or was it a case of the cylons checking (and recognising) the activation of the final five? Truly one of the best space battle scenes, we've seen, but not enough of it... I'd have loved for it to be longer--for the whole episode to have been longer, in fact. The four newly discovered cylons seem pretty determined to stay true to their 'humanity' and the relationships they have formed. But how realistic is that? We've already seen Anders stumble in the air--was it a newbie mistake under pressure, or something more sinister? Tigh is struggling with himself--was the image of him shooting Adama a fear, fantasy, a premonition or something else? The only one of the quartet that seems to be holding it together is Tyrol.
Ah, Baltar. Not as strong a plot line here as I'd have liked. His adoption by a neo-religious cult and the healing of the sick child (coincidence anyone, or his immune system latterly kicking in?), and even the murder attempt was way too predictable... tired writing from the BSG scriptwriters--surely not? A lead up to a devastating twist, maybe...hopefully.
So where does that leave us, or rather where does that leave Roslin, as Starbuck has her left in a rather difficult situation. Roslin's reaction to Starbuck's appearance is puzzling. For someone who believed so strongly in the scriptures and prophecies, and was in a not-so-dissimilar position herself not too long ago, her adversion to Starbuck's claim shows a strange reversal. And what are the implications of her and Bill's relationship for the rest of humanity?
And who is 'he that believeth in me'...? God believing in Baltar or Leoben in Kara?
Last but not least, shame about Lee's decision to quit the military. I know I'm not the only girl that'll miss seeing him in uniform...
I may have to take back some of what I said in my last 4400 review. The new series is opening things up quite nicely. There's Richard, Lily and baby Isabelle on the run, endlessly propelled on their as yet, unknown quest. Also, we're starting to see Shawn detaching with his past and moving forward with Jordan Collier, of all people; a move that would have been hard to pick from the events of the last season.
Elsewhere, parental issues dominate. Baldwin and Kyle's relationship is healing -- or is it? Are they falling back into the old patterns of their father-son dynamic, and what is happening to Kyle? All interesting questions, begging answers. Maia and Skouris reveal the complexity of the parent-child relationship and things aren't always as black and white as they seem. Would you read your child's diary?
It was a nice touch in the extended first episode, to see the ripple effect device being used so well, with the restoration of the sanity of the neuroscientist who is destined to be the 'father' of the work on special abilities -- through his research on dormant areas of the brain. Hopefully, this is something we'll see more of as the series develops.
Last but not least, some nice twists and further dramatics with the rise of Shawn and demise of Collier -- as the interwoven destinies of Isabelle and Kyle with the 4400 grow ever more mysterious and sinister.
My favourite lines so far came from episode 3 - The Weight of the World:
Shawn: "You can be a manipulative little pr*ck you know that?"
Collier: "It helps to use your entire skillset when you're trying to change the world."
They say when the sun hit the sea and drowned in its big blue depths, turning the tranquil water first gold then red, the angels wept...
Les anges pleurés
...and there came an unearthly scream that raised every hair and fibre of every sentient creature; originating there, from the city in the silver sky above...
Le ciel argenté ci-deuss
...while an explosion like the wrath of Thor rippled over the barren ground, vibrations rumbling through the red earth below...
La terre rouge ci-dessous
...the circle of the aftermath spreading far out further than the eye could see, all the way beyond the crystal cities with their glimmering citadels and the sprawling metal factories, all the way to the impossible boundary of the blue mountains to the east...
Montagnes bleues à l'est
... and far on the other side, past the place where the darkly flowing river met the broken islands, and further still, all the way to the place they have forgotten, deep in the green valleys to the west...
Vallées vertes à l'ouest
...and above the silence, on that day, there was just one sound: desolation.
Désolation.
A lot of writers keep diaries. And even if they don't keep personal diaries (you never quite know who's been reading something they most definitely should not have been), they almost always have some form of writers journal.
For about a year now, I've been on a personal mission to find a piece of software -- or anything electronic in any size, shape or form that will better enable me to keep my writers journals. The only two conditions are that it has to be simple (in approach and visually), and that it must not keep things in a proprietary format. I've stumbled across some useful stuff that qualifies for the first condition, but they all fall over on the second. Which is too bad, because it means I still won't make the transition from my A5 sized spiral notepads to something a little more tree-friendly.
As it happens, I do keep a diary too. But that one is on the computer and has recently been amalgamated from several discretely themed ones. But that gets kinda confusing too. And my tech minded brain started to think of input fields and databases and all sorts until...... stop! I had the answer: tagging.
Yep, wonderful tagging. In my simple text editor I add my diary entries in reverse chronological order, and tag particular paragraphs with [tig] brackets, rather like Vox posts ;) So instead of [this is good] I'll put in something like [dreams], [characters] and that sorta thing. Searching and identifying paragraph content suddenly became a whole lot easier.
But surely there must be a better (although I defy you to find a simpler) way to markup content? Do you keep a diary or journal, and how do you go about organising the mass of content?
I'm feeling vindicated after reading this article featuring an interview with Katee Sackhoff -- the actress who plays fighter pilot Starbuck in the television series Battlestar Galactica. Leoben would be my choice for Kara's true love, too... after all, they say a soulmate isn't the person who you end up enjoying a life-long starry-eyed romance with, but the individual who understands that deepest, darkest thread of you and uses this insight to empower and encourage you to evolve into your highest potential. Out of the three, I'd say without hesitation, that Leoben understands her the most, and because they are born from the same breath, (so to speak), the understanding is reciprocated by her -- try as she might to doubt it.
I've just finished watching season one of The 4400 and it's not bad at all. The series focuses on a bunch of people abducted by a mysterious force and returned en masse at a point in their future (our present day) in order to save humanity. There are 4400 of these abductees, hence The 4400, as they are popularly labelled in the media. The returnees all have been modified in some way so to have a unique ability to aid them in their task. These abilities range from precognitive to life giving/taking. Given the time the show first aired, and the political situation the world is in a few years on, the premise is oddly prescient.
Structurally, the series revolves around the stories and movements of two key agents from Homeland Security heading up the drive to investigate and rehabilitate these 4400. Baldwin and Skouris are a Mulder-Scully-esque pair and a lot of their chemistry feels very familiar from the days of the X-Files, though its maybe a slightly funked up version. The series doesn't overwhelm you with characters either, concentrating on a group of 4400's and then slowly introducing and eliminating characters every so often.
Series one was pretty short. A total of six episodes, counting in the two-part pilot. But it was well written, probably skimpy on the budget, but the characters were genuinely likeable and well detailed. There is a huge emotional investment that is made into the characters and their lives, and it pays off. These story arcs are the dynamic bringing in tension and leaving each episode on a cliffhanger. I've got to admit, I got through this first series in virtually a day. The ending, though is where I have the most quibbles. I think, without giving too much away, that a lot could have been done with the ending, making it more dramatic and closing the series earlier on a certain dramatic moment, then the over-used Six Months Later... which is what we essentially got.
And here's where the rumbles of discontent really begin, because the second series opens up with a further 'Six Months Later...' ploy, which after the first one, is really wearing the whole thing, rather thin. I'm still interested enough to continue watching and see what happens -- I've invested too much into the characters not to, but whatever happens, it better be good!
The 4400 was one of the first victims to fall foul of the writers strike with the 5th series being cancelled and the show being put on metaphorical ice. While there is an active movement by fans to save the show, it seems unlikely, and I'm left wondering whether I want to continue watching a show that I know has no resolution...
Okay... I was hoping to draw a line under the whole dream business, even having read this article yesterday. But last night's dream has thrown that thought outta the window and into the mud.
Last night I dreamt.... I was in regular correspondence with Neil Gaiman. Yeah, go ahead and laugh, I can hear ya from here :) Believe me, I would laugh too, because this is now venturing into the realms of the ridiculous. Not only were we writing buddies but he thanked me for helping him find a couple of new angles for his writing. Erm, yeah. You can tell I'm a fantasy writer. Interpretation wise, I'm sure I can put this one down to the fact that I was reading Neil's blog yesterday and ended up bookmarking some of his stuff. While it would be nice to think there's some hope of this particular dream coming true... lemme draw that line I mentioned, and swiftly move on.
Incidentally, the camera dream is still gnawing at me. Even with the emergence of the NYC comic con... I dunno. Funnily, a friend did fly out to San Diego via JFK -- and forgot his camera. Coincidence? Sure, he read the blog post about my dream, so in effect could have subconsciously created a self-fulfilling prophecy, but that still doesn't explain the NYC connection, when I didn't even know about that leg of his journey.
Which leads me to the 3rd (and final) dream. This one slots in after the first two, making it mid-feb when I had it. In this particular dreamscape, I found myself thinking of booking an hotel when travelling to a place north of where I was. The place was called Oakl-something-or-other, and was just a little bit short of my actual destination. I'm thinking Oakland, (though for some reason Oakleigh also comes to mind -- but that's probably because its a road I drive past regularly). Eventually, in the dream, I decided against the hotel and decided to stay with relatives in the area, preferring that option. While there, I was hoping to bump into someone who lived local to the area (and possibly the main intention of my visit) but that never happened.
The reason I never mentioned this particular dream was because it didn't feature any cameras. But the travel theme is so strong I had to re-think. Especially, as I noticed the same friend is currently in Seattle, further north up the western seaboard from San Diego -- but that doesn't tie in with Oakland... so maybe another comic con will turn up there that I have yet to discover. Whatever the answer, its a frustrating puzzle. And while I don't have any idea what it means, I'm beginning to suspect that with the strong American connection, I should re-think my fast approaching travel plans and head out stateside. After all, doesn't Gaiman live out there...? ;)
Lately, I've been thinking about men... unfortunately, other diversions aside, it goes with the territory of being a writer. Know your characters, think like your characters, and all that funky stuff. Well, one particular character's been giving me a bit of grief. At times I think I know him, but then he will go and do something (while I'm in the zone and bleeding him drop by drop outta my veins and onto paper) that'll leave me utterly bewildered.
This particular character (lets call him, Dave) is a great guy -- easy-going, kind, generous, a loving partner and a soon-to-be wonderful father (though he doesn't know it yet). Trouble comes to him in the form of a woman. (It always does, huh?) but not in the shape of his girlfriend (and soon to be wife - though he doesn't know that particular gem yet either. Bless him, he's quite oblivious). The problem is his mother. I can hear the groans even as I type. It's that ole fangled love triangle that we women love to hate: mother - son - wife.
Dave's mother, a wonderful example of a confirmed matriarch, does not approve of his girlfriend, and thinks he should be dating her friend's daughter, Lizzy (the supermodel redhead who is frankly, pretty to look at but as dull as wallpaper paste). Dave (being a man) finds Lizzy attractive and enjoys it when she flirts with him. But here's the deal, he loves his girlfriend. If he sat down and drew up a list of everything he could have in a woman, she would be It. The trouble is, Sabrina (the girlfriend) is a real woman -- feisty, strong, kind, vulnerable, and generally, a loveable pain in the ass. She's finding it difficult to go back to how things used to be with Dave and rekindle their passionate romance because she knows (a) about Lizzy, and (b) that Dave's mum wished she was Lizzy, and (c) that Dave is sitting on the fence and not making a decision one way or another.
And this is what I don't get. Everytime I go to write this, Dave always ends up sitting on the fence. For the record, I think that's probably true to type. But why would he do that? He's got a lovely girl he's totally in love with and is everything he could want, but he can't find it in himself to tell both his mother and Lizzy to take a hike. No doubt he enjoys the flirting and it distracts him from the problems in his relationship with Sabrina -- which he wishes would go back to how it used to be. But in turn, he doesn't realise that Sabrina is reacting to his ambivalence. And in feeling insecure in her relationship with him, is bit by bit, withdrawing from it completely. Why should she be fully engaged in a relationship, when he isn't and has done nothing to indicate that he is committed to her and/or wants to share his life with her, not Lizzy. To Sabrina's eyes, the only people who seem to get anything out of him, are his mother and Lizzy.
Back to Dave and character journeys. A part of me believes Dave will come through and surprise me. I'm of the Jungian tradition, so he strikes me as being a typical partially transformed character, outwardly mature and successful but not quite in command of his personal power or comfortable in himself (if he was, the fence sitting, I feel, wouldn't come into it). Crucially, he still struggles with aspects of his relationship with women and probably there is a touch of the eternal boy in him, the guy who loves to escape his actual problems by throwing himself into a successful diversion, like a career, and indeed, Dave is well recognised and successful in his line of work. To get himself out of this rut, Dave would need to undergo a complete transformation by equipping himself emotionally and mentally for admitting, accepting and dealing with those issues head on.
And because I'm Jungian inclined, I suspect those issues are a mother with issues. She's probably throwing Lizzy his way because she knows Dave doesn't like her (in the relationship kinda way) -- his mother's cunning and unconscious master plan is to not have him develop any meaningful relationship of his own at all. Can mothers really be that evil, well sadly and without any deliberate intention on their part, yes. As Philip Larkin's infamous poem declares:
They f*ck you up, your mum and dad.
They may not mean to, but they do.
They fill you with the faults they had
And add some extra, just for you.
But where does that leave Dave (and Sabrina)? I dunno. Substitute Dave, Lizzy, Sabrina and Dave's mum Kirsten with darkly gothic names, and their world with the uncertain, bloody tumult of a fantasy world in conflict and you have the basics of my character dilemma. Armor Dave in leather mail and throw him a 3ft sword and put him at the head of an army, and you can see how the themes start to resonate and how important it is to get into Dave's state of mind.
So now, this is where I'm hoping you guys come in. What's your take on all of this, and I especially wanna hear from the guys out there. What do you think is going on with Dave and what would you do if you were him?
