Spoilers!

No really. That’s not a joke. I’m not being cute nor is that sarcasm. I really loved the pilot episode of Caprica so much so that I may end up buying it!

Let me start from the beginning…

I used to really love Battlestar Galactica before the New Caprica storyline was introduced. After the on planet debacle, the show became a chore to watch. I’ve been complaining about how needlessly depressing and tedious the show had become ever since. Imagine my dismay at hearing that Ron Moore and David Eick were going to torture us with a prequel of the BSG train wreck. At that point, I was adamant about not watching anything BSG related ever again in life. I was practically an activist against all things BSG. Galactica left such a bad taste in my mouth that it took a lot of coaxing, hand-holding, positive reinforcement and a wait of about five months from Caprica’s April release date for me to be able to stomach something from the Battlestar Galactica universe again. It is my personal policy to be open-minded and curiosity that finally got me to watch.


The Caprica pilot, directed by Jeffrey Reiner, is science fiction gold in comparison to some of the other stuff out there right now but maybe not in comparison to the genre overall. The scary part of the pilot is that Jeffrey won’t be involved in the actual Caprica television show so I have some fear watching further than the pilot. That fear is somewhat quelled by the spectacular set up of the pilot. I’d like to imagine that with so much good material from the start that Caprica could never become a bad show. One could hope right?





How it looked:
As a stand-alone piece, the pilot was beautiful. It was visually stunning and the special effects were seamless. I loved the cleanliness of the sets as opposed to the dirty, used sets of Battlestar Galactica. I’m always excited to see sleek and modern interior décor as it has the potential to make up for the absence of spaceships and the lack of outer space as a back drop. Believe it or not, I was impressed with the basic black Matrix-styled loading room set. It was simply lit like live theater and made for some of the best scenes overall.


I love sci-fi military uniforms but seeing them every week became a drag so the wardrobe for Caprica was a breath of fresh air. Joseph Adama looked so suave sporting his fedora and trench coat. I think all men should go back to wearing fedoras; they have instant classiness and sex appeal. Zoe Greystone’s dress in the virtual world was stunning. The jeweled neckline was something I couldn’t take my eyes off of. I’m excited at the possibilities that the costume department has with this show. I hope they don’t let a budget stand in the way of creating and maintaining a sleek, stylish look for this show.





The tech:
They had me at the virtual world. As a lover of virtual worlds like Second Life, I’m excited to see anyone’s take on it in film or television. Aside from the on-screen explosion of breasts and a sea of orgies, once I found out that the scene was a virtual world, I found it to be an accurate, if not normal depiction of virtual world behavior. (@bullitt33 has even witnessed me being shot at on a Doctor Who simulator in Second Life.) What I found odd is that teenagers would swim through the debauchery to follow religious teachings.


If the virtual world didn’t get me the robots would have. Seeing how the very first Cylon came to be was exciting. The fan girl in me was squealing and giddy. To see the iconic red light moving from right to left and the robot killing other robots with almost a vicious rage was downright fun.


I need a house robot that can grant access and take messages. I loved that. I liked how there was smart paper that could send electronic messages. The paper was too much like regular paper for it to be believable for me. I thought it should have been more glossier and thicker. Though, it being run-of-the-mill regular paper had its appeal because it’s not what one would expect.





The story:
Eric Stoltz and Esai Morales ooze chemistry. Throughout the episode, I kept having the feeling that I was being treated to something special and unique. It truly felt like some care was taken in making this. It was as if the Caprica pilot was a personal apology for the last two seasons of suck that was Battlestar Galactica. It pains me to admit that without BSG we wouldn’t be able appreciate the Taurons or enjoy Zoe first steps as a Cylon. I also found it compelling that the first Cylon was brought to life through grief and theft. It’s no wonder they turned out to be such vile creatures. The story isn’t dark for darkness sake and doesn’t try to shock you with cheap tricks like a gotcha suicide or inexplicable angels. The story is, however, intense and engaging; I wanted more.


I like how Adama’s reunion with his daughter didn’t go so well and he decided that she/it was an abomination. It was slightly typical that the man with the simple farmer background would respond that way but I still liked that he wasn’t as into it as Graystone. The Taurons as mobsters is an interesting addition. I have a feeling that the repercussions of Graystone stealing tech will be severe and tragic. I’m interested in seeing how it all goes down.


I also hope we get an in-depth view of all of the races of the Caprica universe. I’d even like to visit all of the planets. It has the potential to explore different cultures like Star Trek did with Deep Space Nine.


With Zoe brought back to life as first an avatar and now a robot, we see why the Cylons have a singular, if not obsessive fixation on “the one true God”. They are, without a doubt, like that because of Zoe. I find it fascinating that a angsty teenager’s viewpoints could be the basis of the entire Cylon race. I’m also interested in what Sister Clarice is up to; brainwashing, brain hacking, side-jacking? When you see Polly Walker, you know there’s some delicious evil afoot. Speaking of evil, The X-File’s Cigarette Smoking Man William B Davis was in the pilot. Of course he got his throat slit so he won’t be an ongoing baddie but it would be fun if he were. Maybe he’ll come back some how. His characters always seem to cheat death.





Nitpicks:
I think the excuse to take out space ships and space as the back drop for this show because it would alienate the female viewers is bullshit. Constant naked breasts and orgies without so much as a hairy man ass is the way to alienate your female viewers. Bring in Ed Quinn, give him a shower scene and we’re good.


The religious aspect of the show seems forced and has the potential to bore me. The constant babbling about “the one true God” was never profound or even interesting to me on Battlestar Galactica. I hope something is done to make this part of the show either more scientific and/or conspirative because I always find my attention waning during these parts.





After it’s all said and done, I enjoyed this episode. The tech wasn’t overbearing and the sets were beautiful. The overall quality of the final product created an environment where the story seemed natural and meaningful. With a seemingly perfect balance of technology, style and drama, the pilot episode of Caprica is a good “beginning of the end”.

I wonder if I’ll like The Plan at all. Highly unlikely but Caprica was so good that I’m willing to give it a shot.


The Caprica pilot can currently be bought (or rented) on DVD. The series will begin on SyFy in January 2010. Battlestar Galactica: The Plan will be released to DVD tomorrow, Oct. 27, 2007.
Caprica @ SyFy
Caprica Pilot @ IMDB
Caprica TV Series @ IMDB
Caprica @ Wiki