I assumed some of the "brand spankin new" was renovating old buildings -- the skyscraper coming out of the big marble palace (I think that's the palace) seems to indicate they rebuilt some things.

The impression I got was that it had been pretty much a wasteland within recent memory. But maybe my interpretation of wasteland differs from theirs, so you may be right.

I dunno. Imagine you're living in an overcrowded train boxcar, eating MREs, drinking and bathing with your ration of recycled water. Maybe you have a "job" shoveling coal, or repairing other cars, but most of you are just the cargo. For years, you're cargo. One day the train stops, and the conductor tells you that you can go. I don't know if most people's reaction would be, "And give up all this?"

Wouldn't you strip the train of everything you need to survive where you get dropped off.

Kings is popcorn, popcorn that I happen to find appealing, not more than popcorn. I think they know it: here is a difference between "straight faced" and "serious". The writers are doing the former, not the latter. Heavy soap opera elements, which at moment adds to rather than detracts from the charm. I can't figure out Michelle's secret either.

I still haven't watched yesterday's ep yet, but what I liked about the pilot was the soap-opera aspects of it. It's definitely popcorn for the mind, but more enjoyable to me so far than, say, Desperate Housewives.

I just keep cracking up at that skyscraper sticking out of the old facade -- we have a couple of them now and I always think they look sort of silly.

Wouldn't you strip the train of everything you need to survive where you get dropped off.

I think so much of the burning of the fleet was symbolic of their decision. They stop here. No more running. No more fighting. No more war.

I didn't think Lee (or Moore) was stuck on technology is evil, so much as they were stuck on the fact that we get ahead of ourselves and develop things we aren't prepared to handle.

I would edit the finale like mad (I think Jess's suggestion of getting rid of Lee's more detailed plans is a good one) but overall, it worked for me, despite the parts I found disappointing.

I still am too amused at the B ark implications to treat the finale seriously. Plus, Anders is Marvin on Hotblack Desiato's stuntship!

I like this recap of BSG's finale by Alan Sepinwall.

I didn't think Lee (or Moore) was stuck on technology is evil, so much as they were stuck on the fact that we get ahead of ourselves and develop things we aren't prepared to handle.

IMO, I think it would have been better to just cut out the moralizing about technology. It seemed cliche, unnecessary and distracting and like Liese said, B ark.