Poll of rage
Mar. 6th, 2013 06:01 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
selenakSome more rewatching of s4 BSG, and checking on my old reviews of the original broadcast, I find my emotions about pretty much everything haven't changed - I still like or even love what I did back then, and still dislike/am irritated by/loathe what I did back then. No, not just Adama, but to exorcise my Bill feelings so I can reach the state of fannish zen once more, I decided on a poll. For said poll about Adama's most infuriating actions in s4, I'm taking the Watsonian, not the Doylist perspective, so "Roslin stopped getting scenes unconnected to him in the last third" is not an option, as this is no fault of Bill's. There are, however, plenty of in-universe actions to choose from!
Personally, I think his utter failure to even try to convince people why the alliance with the rebel Cylons was necessary in favour of simply dictating to him was worst in terms of Adama the commander, and trying to taunt Saul Tigh into shooting him (with Ellen-never-loved-you insults, no less) was worst in terms of Adama the person. Have at it!
To repeat something I've said before, I think the reason why I find Adama so galling while liking characters like Tigh and Baltar, who share several of his bad traits (though not the same ones), is that with Saul Tigh and Gaius Baltar, the show never gives you the impression of being unaware of their numerous flaws; the characters get called on them and every bad decision they make. And, well, in the larger picture, they actually learn something and improve. Whereas with Adama it's a downward slide that's not admitted as such. Plus, of course, there's the way said flaws express themselves. Baltar and Adama are both self-centered, but for Adama, the question of whether someone is a good or bad person is decided by how much that person is loyal to him. Baltar loves to be admired, but a dissappointed Gaeta holds a gun at him near the end of the New Caprica arc, he understands why (and that this is his fault, not Gaeta's; as opposed to, say, Bill Adama and his "how dare you?" indignation when Gaeta mutinies in The Oath) , and one of various reasons why the Baltar and Roslin relationship is fascinating is because he has a very high opinion of her throughout despite being clear on how she sees him from mid s2 at the latest onwards. (Adama, when he's still fighting with Roslin in early s2 because how dare she send HIS Kara to check out her prophecy, ends this regrettably last serious disagreement in Home with "I forgive you, Laura" to which she says, thanks, Bill, but I didn't ask for it.) As for Tigh, his contempt for civilians and democratic institutions is present from day one of the show (when Adama still swears he treasures democracy and doesn't want a military dictatorship), but he's also under no illusion he could or should be the commander of the fleet, and when he leads the resistance on New Caprica in early s3 and ends up in a situation where he believes he needs to kill the person he loves most in the world for the sake of the rest of humanity, he does that even though it breaks him. Meanwhile, Adama is a one man irresponsible catastrophe in Sine Qua Non, which includes the above mentioned time of leaving the entire fleet behind (at a point where the Cavil-led Cylons could show up any moment) to chase after Roslin with the Galactica.
You know, the irony is that in one of the BSG finale flashbacks, there is actually a bit of dialogue between Lee and his younger brother Zak that sort of sums it up. Zak says that their father is a man of principle who believes in the oath and the uniform." To which Lee replies: "His Oath, his uniform. If you're not in that tiny, tiny bubble with him, you might as well not exist."
Poll #12958 Adama Attack
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 14
William Adama's most infuriating action in season 4 was...
View Answers
Leaving the fleet defenseless in Sine Qua Non (twice)
5 (35.7%)
Ignoring not just Zarek but anyone else actually elected until his son was made Interim President in Sine Qua Non
5 (35.7%)
Trying to commit suicide by best friend in "Sometimes a great notion" despite knowing killing Ellen had already nearly destroyed Tigh
6 (42.9%)
Utterly failing to even try to sell the Cylon Alliance to the rest of humanity
9 (64.3%)
no mercy for Gaeta while Athena murdering Natalie rates only a few hours in the brig (The Oath/Blood on the Scales)
7 (50.0%)
putting Boomer in the Brig not for New Caprica or her later actions but because she shot him (Deadlock)
4 (28.6%)
Adama versus The Paint Brush: aka, whiskey-soaked tearful breakdown No.14445434 (Islanded in the Sea of Stars)
5 (35.7%)
Bill Adama did something far worse in season 4, which I will mention in the comments
0 (0.0%)
Personally, I think his utter failure to even try to convince people why the alliance with the rebel Cylons was necessary in favour of simply dictating to him was worst in terms of Adama the commander, and trying to taunt Saul Tigh into shooting him (with Ellen-never-loved-you insults, no less) was worst in terms of Adama the person. Have at it!
To repeat something I've said before, I think the reason why I find Adama so galling while liking characters like Tigh and Baltar, who share several of his bad traits (though not the same ones), is that with Saul Tigh and Gaius Baltar, the show never gives you the impression of being unaware of their numerous flaws; the characters get called on them and every bad decision they make. And, well, in the larger picture, they actually learn something and improve. Whereas with Adama it's a downward slide that's not admitted as such. Plus, of course, there's the way said flaws express themselves. Baltar and Adama are both self-centered, but for Adama, the question of whether someone is a good or bad person is decided by how much that person is loyal to him. Baltar loves to be admired, but a dissappointed Gaeta holds a gun at him near the end of the New Caprica arc, he understands why (and that this is his fault, not Gaeta's; as opposed to, say, Bill Adama and his "how dare you?" indignation when Gaeta mutinies in The Oath) , and one of various reasons why the Baltar and Roslin relationship is fascinating is because he has a very high opinion of her throughout despite being clear on how she sees him from mid s2 at the latest onwards. (Adama, when he's still fighting with Roslin in early s2 because how dare she send HIS Kara to check out her prophecy, ends this regrettably last serious disagreement in Home with "I forgive you, Laura" to which she says, thanks, Bill, but I didn't ask for it.) As for Tigh, his contempt for civilians and democratic institutions is present from day one of the show (when Adama still swears he treasures democracy and doesn't want a military dictatorship), but he's also under no illusion he could or should be the commander of the fleet, and when he leads the resistance on New Caprica in early s3 and ends up in a situation where he believes he needs to kill the person he loves most in the world for the sake of the rest of humanity, he does that even though it breaks him. Meanwhile, Adama is a one man irresponsible catastrophe in Sine Qua Non, which includes the above mentioned time of leaving the entire fleet behind (at a point where the Cavil-led Cylons could show up any moment) to chase after Roslin with the Galactica.
You know, the irony is that in one of the BSG finale flashbacks, there is actually a bit of dialogue between Lee and his younger brother Zak that sort of sums it up. Zak says that their father is a man of principle who believes in the oath and the uniform." To which Lee replies: "His Oath, his uniform. If you're not in that tiny, tiny bubble with him, you might as well not exist."
no subject
Date: 2013-03-06 05:42 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-03-07 12:47 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-03-07 01:06 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-03-06 09:07 pm (UTC)It also disturbed me on writing and viewer perception levels, since BSG was constantly lauded in the media as a critically political show, and how can you say that if your military leader is positioned as never wrong?
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Date: 2013-03-07 01:05 pm (UTC)I wouldn't say Adama is never shown to be wrong, but most of the examples where the show means him to be wrong come earlier in the run - for example, when he and Lee want to risk the fleet for Kara in 1.05 and Roslin calls them on it, in responding to Roslin sending Kara in the s1 finale by ordering her arrest, in s2 mid season Home when Dualla calls him on not wanting her opinion, just wanting to monologue and hear he was right (in the conflict with Roslin), and he actually changes his take. And obviously early in Crossroads, when he accuses Lee of all sorts of things when the audience is clearly meant to sympathize with Lee (and his big speech about why they can't condemm Baltar for New Caprica), not Bill. But these are exceptions, not the rule.
no subject
Date: 2013-03-06 11:22 pm (UTC)Yeah, this is definitely the problem. Adama's treated as being just super-great, while doing sketchy and/or idiotic things. *throws up hands*
To which Lee replies: "His Oath, his uniform. If you're not in that tiny, tiny bubble with him, you might as well not exist."
Oh, I love that quote. Lee is so right.
no subject
Date: 2013-03-07 02:15 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-03-07 01:11 pm (UTC)There is actually a lot in s4 I liked back then and still like - the icon is a hint :) - but Adama was among its detriments.