“'Caprica' finale recap: Zoe and Lacy ascend, and a neat wrap-up as the series ends - Los Angeles Times” plus 1 more |
| Posted: 05 Jan 2011 04:02 PM PST
Syfy aired all of the episodes in one block, which was fine for those of us that could sit and watch that many hours back-to-back. The final five (ironic and full circle, BSGers!) episodes — which included "Blowback," "The Dirteaters," "The Heavens Will Rise," "Here Be Dragons" and "Apotheosis" — helped our favorite characters develop in ways we knew they would and some that might not have been expected. If you missed it, there's spoilers here and you should go watch them! Clarice Willow (Polly Walker): She'd become a definite focal point as the spiritual timebomb and also the one moving the action forward most. In the final episodes, we see her plan to blow up a pyramid stadium full of people begin to take shape under the guidance of her husbands Olaf (Panou) and Nestor (Scott Porter). But things turn dark after she realizes that Amanda Graystone (Paula Malcomson) has been spying on her, having already killed her new-mom wife Mar-Beth (Anita Torrance) due to some misinformation thrown at her by Agent Duram. In the end, despite losing husbands and friends, her faith seems as strong as ever, though it takes a different path: fighting for the rights of robots to be recognized as sentient beings. We're not sure of her ultimate fate after she meets up with ... Lacy Rand (Magda Apanowicz): Lacy's been the leaf on the wind throughout "Caprica." But later in the series and especially in these final episodes, her religious resolve was never in question. Throughout the Barnabus thing, and when she finally makes it to Gemenon to fully join the ranks of the Soldiers of the One, she remains steadfast in her devotion to the one true god. The problem is, when she finally gets there and finds that the robot(s) is no longer the Zoe she once knew, she founders a bit. Having the U-87 cylons respond to her voice was brilliant, though. It gave her character a heft that I don't know if she'd ever had, and in the end, in overthrowing and becoming the Mother, she transformed into a fearsome spiritual leader (though not so fearsome in the photo below).
Amanda Graystone: The other 'mother' of the group, Amanda also transformed -- back into a sane person. Grief seemed to grip her for a long while, but in the end she was sobered by the thought that Clarice led the group responsible for her daughter's death. She and Agent Duram (Brian Markinson) try to bring Clarice down as the Apotheosis nears, and she also takes steps to reconcile with Daniel. With Duram dead and Clarice closing in, Amanda doesn't lose it and shows her fighting spirit. Despite their separate troubles, she and Daniel go back to being parents in the end, reconnecting with the Zoe avatar. Daniel Graystone (Eric Stolz): Daniel's all-consuming desire to get his company back almost cost him his family, and making deals with interplanetary mobsters didn't help. His persistence pays off, though, and it's his programming savvy that leads him back to Zoe and helps him get back his company in the end. Helping to avert the deaths of tens of thousands of people by showing how the robots you designed can be used to save lives does tend to put you in a new, positive light. Joseph Adama (Esai Morales): Wow, can this up-and-coming mob boss get a break? He comes to his senses to help his brother Sam fight for his people back on Tauron, skimming from the top in shipping U-87 cylons to the resistance. In "The Dirteaters" episode, it was very cool to see the brothers' upbringing. Willie's death threw me like it threw him. One of the big twists in the series, it was assumed (by me and I think many watchers) that Willie was indeed Adm. Adama. His sacrifice, though, probably helped strengthen the whole family, and unbeknown to him, helped Joseph raise a kid who will shepherd the human race. Zoe Graystone (Alessandra Torressani): The face of the franchise realizes her power. She's probably always known it, but in the final episodes, Zoe uses it to shape her V-World into a more serene vision for her and Tamara Adama (Genevieve Buechner) to live in, and others to visit. She's still an angry teen, and keeps her parents at arm's length for a while as she discovers what Clarice plans to do in creating a Heaven in V-World. Though she helps save her parents and more, one of the lasting images of the end sequence is her sitting in the 'church,' sermoned by Clarice, acting as a godlike figure. So those are the major character plot points as the series wraps up. The end sequence, showing Lacy as the Mother, little Bill Adama, Zoe's resurrection as a skinjob and more, were crowd-pleasing moments. It was good to leave us with so many questions in terms of what happens between the end of "Caprica" and the beginning of "Battlestar Galactica." So much has to seemingly go wrong for the wars to occur. Lacy and Zoe should obviously reconnect, and though Lacy as Mother will probably change, she still seems good at heart. Zoe's calmed down a bit being back in Mom's arms, though that image in the church of Zoe and cylons kneeling in pews is still a bit puzzling. Yes, "BSG: Blood and Chrome" will fill in even more blanks, but we'll all still speculate. That's what we do. — Jevon Phillips Photos: Zoe Graystone (Alessandra Torressani) in the earliest of "Caprica" posters; and Lacy Rand (Magda Apanowicz) looks to guide a new generation of STO members as the Mother in "Caprica." Credit: Syfy. RELATED This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php |
| Slow down and ponder heroes of epic poetry - Morton Grove Champion Posted: 06 Jan 2011 02:53 AM PST January 6, 2011 Poet Steven Schroeder despises war, a position he clearly shows in his work. He is swimming upstream. Most epic poetry -- long narrative poems that help form the basis of European and American cultural traditions (think "The Iliad," "The Aeneid" and "Beowulf") and are also found in other world literatures, usually revolve around war heroes, he said. After teaching "The Iliad" (about the Trojan war) and more wars than he can count, Schroeder cannot stop his mind from musing, possibly obsessing he says, about the nature of heroes. Who's a hero? "I find that I just keep going back to this question," he said. "Why do we make the concept of heroes something that's inextricably connected with war ... ?" Schroeder also teaches philosophy and religious studies at The University of Chicago Graham School of General Studies (the University's continuing adult education division) and also in China at Shenzhen University outside of Hong Kong. He will try to help poets of all levels understand more about heroes when he heads up the poetry workshop "What Heroes Do: An Epic Conversation" on Jan. 8 at the the Palatine Public Library. The workshop is part of series known as Second Saturday Poetry Workshops and is sponsored by Northwest Cultural Council. Schroeder says he thinks writers use language carelessly and tend to identify heroes as people who die tragically. Heroes, in Schroeder's view, are everyday people doing everyday things that keep the world going, like taking out the garbage or harvesting the crops. His lecture will only make up a small part of the workshop. "The primary purpose of these workshops is always to get people together to share their own poetry and we talk about it," Schroeder said. He added that "I will try to help people think about not only the particular poem that they've brought to share during this workshop, but also what it is we do when we write poetry and why we spend our time on something like this." Poets welcome Series moderator Sharon Kirmse hopes poets of all levels will feel welcomed. "Sometimes writers groups can be a little scary," Kirmse admitted in an email, "but we are the kinder sort and feel we can offer positive and creative criticism without the harshness." Schroeder considers himself a lyric poet, one whose poems are focused less on narrative and more on image and instant. "I like the intensity and I think that one of the things that interests me in poetry is its ability to stop us," he said. "One of the differences often times, between reading poetry and reading prose is that you can't read poetry fast. It almost forces you to slow down." 'What Heroes Do: An Epic Conversation' Northwest Cultural Council Second Saturday Poetry Workshop. 9 a.m.-noon, Saturday, Jan. 8. Palatine Public Library, 700 N. North Court. Cost is $15. Participants encouraged to bring 12 copies of your work to share. R.S.V.P. by phone or email. For more information, call (847) 382-6922 or email at nwcc@northwestculturalcouncil.org. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php |
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