BSG: Ties That Bind

[boomqueen]

In which I start really shipping Kara/Anders again for the first time since Farm. Still love Lee so don't start hating on me, but I love my Sammy so damn much right now that it cannot be contained.

The Anders-is-my-homeboy bits

OMG. How much do I love the visual of Anders below the walkway looking up at a shadowed Kara haloed by light. "You know all you need to know ensign." Dayum.

So we finally get to see who is on Kara's crew and what an all-star list! Both Agathons (though where is Hera? back on the Big G in perma-daycare?), Anders, Seelix, Gaeta. WOW. It's like the Dream Team. And I LOVELOVELOVE the gobs and gobs of sweaty pilots in the Demetrius mess. It's like arm!pr0n exploding all over my teevee. Looks like they're heading for mutinous arm!pron soon.

So the final four are split up now? I'm pretty sure the three back on Galactica will be fine but Sam has no support network anymore. (Mebbe hawt gaisex with Helo will make things all better, yes/yes?).

LOVELOVELOVE Kara painting her vision of the star charts on the bedroom wall. Love the image of the paint dropping down onto her face like blood. Love the swirls of color and her obsessive painting pose like in Maelstrom. So so good.

Anders low gravelly voice like that when he comes in to talk to Kara? Liquid sex y'all! Sheer panty-melting amazingness.

And she tries to push him away with meanness and harsh words, like so so many pilot!moments before, but (unlike emo!Lee who would get his feelings hurt and run away) Sam toughs it out and calls her out on her shit until the truth comes out. Because I don't think she does believe any of what she's saying and she IS scared. It's just hiding behind that careless bravado until it's pushed out to the surface.

The bit with him matching up their tattoos and "its part of who we are"--just as much about being a cylon as being in love with Kara? Methinks yes.

"Make me feel something"? Frakking just to feel alive? Cuz I've definitely never seen this dynamic before: the love-starved, angry and wounded lover who is willing to compromise and take the fucked-up self-destructive female protagonist on whatever cheapened terms she needs to feel connected and alive?

OH WAIT. Hello S6 Spuffy. Thought you looked familiar. (Although Trucco has got it all over Marsters in my book right now so bring it). ETA: glad I'm not alone in noticing this. *tips hat to wisteria_ and nicole_anell*

Kara/alpha!Sam pushing at each other and angry!sex maybe the hottest thing ever? Definitely even hotter than bad!dirty!wrong pushing-at-each-other paint!sex? maybe hotter than pilots!sex? *hides*

Not quite sure what to make of the morning after part though. I'll rewatch and rethink later on that bit.

The chief/Cally bits and the Cally/Tory bits

So Clyne's acting still isn't all that amazing but at least I was interested in her this time around (still! think of how much more awesome it could have been if it was pulled off by a really stellar actress like Katee or Mary or Tricia...). The panic and the jealousy and the motherhood-regret and the wistful Chief/Cally flashbacks totally got me.

Loved the way the Chief's voice sounded like it was under water or far away when she was freaking out post-FF-discovery. And then she fucking attacked him with a wrench (oh knuckle-dragger visual irony!). HOly shitballs!.

And when Tory smacked Cally and she just flew back! Frak me that totally made me jump. Airlocked! OMFGGGGGGGG! Poor Chief!!!

*pours some diet coke out on the ground for Cally*

Here's to Cally. She hated cylons and she whined a lot. Poor stupid frakker.

Other random bits:

Newer shinier centurion close-ups! maybe I'll have to re-do the "humans are dead" video after this season...

The Quorum bits made my head all spinny. It was noisy and full of intrigue and politicking and I'm fascinated but more than a bit confused as to what all of it is leading up to. Other than acknowledging what a complicated mess the post-holocaust government is.

I really don't understand why Boomer has allied against the other eights with the Cavills. It's gross and it's out-of-character and just ugh.

Still: more cylon civil war/genocide to come!

Totally random: the final scene made me think of that AWESOME latte!fic where Dee accidentally gets airlocked during pilots!sex. dudes, my brain is teh evol ;)

Comments

[cynthia-arrow.livejournal.com]

Ah, so nice to read the squeeing. I was thinking too much when I reviewed to stop and point out the kick-ass and very very pretty team on Kara's ship, or Sam's gorgeously gravelly voice (not that I didn't notice the hawt sex); or lament that the boy is now alone, without a final five support system. *pets the dear*

But, yeah, totally Buffy season six. I got that one. :) And, hell yeah, the sex at least rivals pilots! action. *beckons you to the dark side*

Mebbe hawt gaisex with Helo will make things all better, yes/yes?

DO NOT TEMPT ME YOU KNOW I'LL WRITE IT OMG. (Or not: I never have been able to get my big epic angsty occupation Sam/Helo fic to work...for the slashathon...a month ago...) Actually, I'm most concerned that curly!snary!get some love. Don't know if I can find him anybody on that ship, but he's too cute, right?

[canadiangirl-86.livejournal.com]

And she tries to push him away with meanness and harsh words, like so so many pilot!moments before, but (unlike emo!Lee who would get his feelings hurt and run away) Sam toughs it out and calls her out on her shit until the truth comes out.

Hmm, I find your thoughts on this interesting! The scene was definitely hot (with a side of creepy and clunky dialogue notwithstanding) but to me it was another indication of Sammy giving in the way he so often does. He tries to call her on her shit at first, but he gave up pretty easily - not unlike in Collaborators - and allowed Kara to manipulate him. But I definitely think she oversimplified their relationship by saying he was just easy and safe in order to provoke him into the hatesex. And I think Sam talking about their wedding tattoos was as much about him convincing himself that they're still tied to one another as it was to convince Kara of it.

But when you look at Scar, Lee stops the empty frak and gets right in Kara's face - as her friend - and she actually does open up and is honest with him for a moment.

I just really don't want Kara to turn into Buffy, and that was the immediate vibe I got off that scene. Not only is it coming out of nowhere, I've seen it before (and it wasn't done well the first time!).

Though I agree with you times a gajillion that Trucco > Marsters. Yes, please.

I really don't understand why Boomer has allied against the other eights with the Cavills. It's gross and it's out-of-character and just ugh.

I kinda dig Boomer's story, because to me it makes sense that her feelings of abandonment, betrayal, confusion would lead her to turn on her own. She's been having this identity crisis since S1, and she's so alone that she's turned that fear into anger against everything she once was. She's a lost little girl.

But her kissing Cavil made me throw up in my mouth a little.

I'm so fascinated by Lee's story! Zarek's got big plans for him, methinks, but it looks like our boy failed his first test and misused a vital piece of information because he felt slighted by Laura. At least that's what I got out of the scene.

[dionusia.livejournal.com]

I didn't see Sam standing up for himself for very long. To me that scene just showed that Kara was the queen Alpha Bitch in that relationship (and always would be). I felt sorry for him. But yes, he is incredibly sexy! I think we should kidnap him and treat him better, if he's okay with the whole ravaging thing. ;)

(PS I think he also needs some Emo!Lee huggles)

[on-the-ground.livejournal.com]

well, I don't hate Cally but is okay ^g^ I know more people do and what you said is funny.. and well, she's dead now, so whatever..

About the rest I do agree..

Sam toughs it out and calls her out on her shit until the truth comes out. Because I don't think she does believe any of what she's saying and she IS scared.

That's exactly what I thought.. and why I like them (and more than Lee/Kara). I think Kara likes to control everybody and here is this man who truly knows her and only accepts her shit to a certain point because he loves her and depending on the situation.. and this time was one of those where he wasn't gonna accept it and this upsets and turns on Kara at the same time. And hell, apart from that, being on that (very warm) ship for so long must be boring a hell.. I'm not surprised she's becoming crazy..

Btw, it's curious how the fans interpret this scene and Sam's attitude in so many different ways. I think it's really connected to the fact that they don't like them together and they don't understand what is around their connection.

the visual of Anders below the walkway looking up at a shadowed Kara haloed by light.

Loved that too.. the whole episode is full of weird effects and this shot is one the best ;)

[latteaddict.livejournal.com]

Anders low gravelly voice like that when he comes in to talk to Kara? Liquid sex y'all! Sheer panty-melting amazingness.

panty-melting and thigh squishing. it was all good!

I don't know how it happened, but this scene just flipped over and traded places with Kara/Lee. Now Lee seems like the healthy relationship. And Kara/Sam engaging in hot angry sex is even hotter because they are MARRIED! There is nothing illicit about them sleeping together and yet *dayum, fans self, dayum*. Which goes to prove that being married doesn't instantly make you boring. And is why I've believed that Kara/Lee being married in the show would still be completely fascinating to watch because those two would naturally fight and have make-up sex every other week. But I guess Kara/Sam got the hot volatile marriage.

I also had a negative reaction to their sexing, but for completely separate reasons. I feel like a freak because one half of me got all hot and bothered by their scene and the other half wanted to cry.

I totally got the Scar vibe too (when Kara yells at Lee that there is no them and it didn't mean a thing). But there's still something fundamentally different between the two relationships. Lee's words can hurt Kara, Sam's don't seem to have any impact. And despite everything, if you compare the two scenes, Kara is gentler with Lee (I know that sounds odd, but it's true) and imagine if Kara had goaded Lee into angry sex, Lee would've hated himself afterwards and Kara would've been desolate. The brig kiss between Kara/Lee last episode? That's the stuff that repairs and uplifts her, and Kara always looks so damned vulnerable when someone shows her kindness.

But still, this thing with Sam is just as passionate as it always was and the way they stood there breathing hard, foreheads pressed together, OMG, the achiness totally got to me. And Sam is truly addicted to her.

[supershineygirl.livejournal.com]

Thank god I'm not the only one who got confused and thought the show had momentarily been interrupted by a Spuffy repeat. lol

Actually all I could like about during the morning after scene was the sweaty, curly haired man leg hogging the shot next to Kara. Weird I know. *I was all I don't remember Trucco being that hairy. hmmm...nice*

Personally I like Cally mainly because she was cute. But I do think you have a point that a different actor could have really punched the pathos a lot more. And it was disconcerting in an interesting way every time they cut to Cally's pov but I'm not liking that they air-locked her, and why the hell did we need that close up??? Unless she's gonna be resurrected which I doubt it was just over kill.

OMG Kara's roadtrip!ofawesome! crew is like all the cool kids. But yeah what are they doing with Hera while the Agathon's are gone and there is no guarantee that they will make it back????

Also Kara painting was hot.

But nope nope nope Kara/Anders paint!sex doesn't beat the dirty!bad!wrong! Leoben/Kara paint!sex.

It just seem a little too forced and I was all gee Anders once again you let Kara get your goat and what she wanted which was some hatesex. Grow a set already. At least EmoLee has some most of the time.

Boomer/Cavil is just wrong on so many levels and gives me the wiggins.

Also how stupid were the 6's et all? Not to know that it was a trap. Did they really think that the Cavil's would play fair? These are the same bastards that lobotomized the raiders and did other creepy ass shit.

And I get that they picked Tori to be the evil one because she has the least fleshed out character, but it's a bit cliche the whole evil woman thing. Can't they be more imaginative and since when did she get super strength? She flung Cally across the airlock like Buffy does a demon. And here I thought that she was gonna be nice and talk Cally down and win her to their side. For some reason I so totally did not see that coming.

[supershineygirl.livejournal.com]

Where is this AWESOME latte!fic

cause Dee getting accidentally airlocked sounds awesome!

[becisvolatile.livejournal.com]

maybe hotter than pilots!sex? *hides*

I'm not sure whether or not I should get my pitchfork or nod.

I'm conflicted. I mean... frak... it was beyond hot, no?

[becisvolatile.livejournal.com]

And I LOVELOVELOVE the gobs and gobs of sweaty pilots in the Demetrius mess.

They are tasty, are they not?

Mebbe hawt gaisex with Helo will make things all better, yes/yes?

I’m thinking yes.

[reeni928.livejournal.com]

I am still all K/L, but I think K/A are hot too. Definitely way hotter than L/D ever were. Still, I love my pilots, so Sam eventually is going to have to GET OUT OF THE WAY AND STOP BEING SO DAMN SEXY.

Oh who am I kidding? OT3! HOT.

[prolix-allie.livejournal.com]

Heh - I was going to reply all "OMG! A positive reading on that scene! Whoo!" Because having just watched it the one time, it left me feeling pretty negative about Kara. I'm fine with her dumping Anders for Lee or for destiny or what have you, but not with her emotionally (and physically) abusing him to get what she wants, and being aware that that's what she's doing and doing it anyway. Which I guess some would say is their whole relationship in a nutshell, but I've always seen it as much more complicated than that. But then I read the comments and I see you've had second thoughts. Alas! *G*

Because I don't think she does believe any of what she's saying and she IS scared. It's just hiding behind that careless bravado until it's pushed out to the surface.

I like this. It's tricky because it's so different from how she behaved in the first two episodes - not just in the scene with Sam, but she's disconnected from the whole crew and she was mean to Helo OMG! But maybe her experience is starting to catch up with her, or it's the disconnection from Earth or weak writing. But this reading is consistent with the Kara we know and leaves her a bit more sympathetic. *clings*

The bit with him matching up their tattoos and "its part of who we are"--just as much about being a cylon as being in love with Kara? Methinks yes.

Definitely yes. He's so desperate to connect with someone and when Starbuck is your best bet for that it's a sad state of affairs.

Cuz I've definitely never seen this dynamic before: the love-starved, angry and wounded lover who is willing to compromise and take the fucked-up self-destructive female protagonist on whatever cheapened terms she needs to feel connected and alive?

*nods* See, but that didn't bother me so much because emo!Spike made me roll my eyes. Emo!Sam on the other hand...