Fiona, what did you think of the Ashes to Ashes finale? I actually liked it. I liked how all the pieces came together at the end, and the scene with her mom was really sweet and made me finally like Alex. It occurs to me, though, that the ending is basically the same as the first season finale of LoM! The dad was bad again!

I was a little confused because about halfway through they seemed to be suggesting that EVAN was the one responsible. I don't know what was up with all the random Evan flashes, then.

So two out of the first five episodes were good, but the last three were all good, so I think the show finally hit its stride. I hope the next season is more consistently good.

Top 43 BSG Moments of All Time. It's a good list!

That is a great list!

The BSG thingies were all right. I have no idea why they chose the people they did for the second one, though. Someone from Anthrax? Huh? Am I missing something?

Joss was fun, though. Of course.

Unrelatedly:

[link]

While the increasingly complex plots of network dramas forecast limitless possibilities for the "Previously on" industry, Cavanaugh expressed concern over the recent trend of television shows using their own characters to introduce their summarizing montages—seen on both Battlestar Galactica and 24.

"I applaud those shows for taking a creative risk, but it's just not professional," said Cavanaugh, singling out Edward James Olmos as the worst offender. "On-screen actors don't have the skills to pull off a 'Previously on.' They think it's all about hitting the 'P,' because that's the flashy bit, but they have no respect for the 'on.'"

"Battlestar Galactica—what's that, seven syllables?" he continued. "What a waste."

Someone from Anthrax? Huh? Am I missing something?

Why not? The band are huge fanboys - even I knew that from a photo spread somewhere last year. It wasn't meant to be some academic examination of the thing, just a fun romp, and I think they achieved that. Not that the dude from Anthrax couldn't have been all thinky... I just don't think that was the point. I think the point was, "Look! This show has famous fans! Watch our network, dammit."

ION, The Onion, still funny.

I managed to hit the 30 seconds in the BSG special in which they swore up and down that, although women normally run screaming from SF, in this case, they'll make an exception.

And then I had to change the channel, and go searching for my eyes under the chair, because they had rolled out of my head.

Yeah, that was weird to hear given the company I keep, but I do understand that's the general public perception. And since they were talking about the broad appeal of the show, it made sense to bring up. Plus, it was the guy from The Soup. It's not like he was making a serious commentary.

Fiona, what did you think of the Ashes to Ashes finale?

As I posted upthread, I thought it redeemed an awful lot of the preceeding series. The CGI with the clown was one of the best TV moments in a long time.

The Evan thing was a classic piece of late misdirection. They built up the Layton character in the same way. Worked pretty well!

Yes, I'm looking forward to Series Two more now. I hope they have a chance to iron out the problems. Not sure how much they can do with Alex's character without betraying her too much, though. I do like all the hints about Gene's role, and I loved the way he took care of wee-Alex .

Ashes to Ashes managed to get chilling there in the home stretch. I haven't found Alex likeable, but I did feel for her as she watched the makeup creep over her father's face and turn him into the clown (I wonder if there was anyone watching wondering why they were skimping on actors).

I loved Jesse Green and S. Epatha Merkerson! They were my favorite famous BSG fans!

I loved how Jesse got S. Epatha indoctrinated. . . I love Jesse Green's imitation of Starbuck returning at the end of Crossroads part 2 and how they're talking about how they bet that BSG even has a great Craft Services.