The show 'Battlestar Galactica' aired its finale last Friday, and ever since, people have been asking me what I thought about it.
And, though I am a writer and make my living by analyzing TV shows, I am finding it difficult to put my feelings into words. Or, at least, coherently. But here is an attempt, as poor as it is.
While it's sad to see a beloved and well-told story end, that is what all stories must do. And it's impossible to separate how a story ends, from how it began and what happened in between. I firmly believe 'BSG' must be evaluated not just by its finale, but in its totality. And from the first to the last, it was a tale that enthralled, challenged, provoked and moved me. It was a story that won't be forgotten.
One of the questions -- perhaps the question -- of the show was whether or not there is higher power ("god" or "gods") governing the universe. And while some fans and critics decried the finale as deux ex machina, I found it more ambiguous than that. What exactly is Kara Thrace or the "head" characters? Are they "angels" as we think of that word? Is there really a god(s)? And what is his/her role in relation to humanity?
What annoys me most about fans of certain shows is that they get caught up in needing answers. And if the answers don't all make sense and fit together perfectly, then the show is deemed stupid and made-up on the fly, thus rendering it worthless. But what I personally loved about 'BSG' is that it didn't give us all the answers. I'll never know what/who Starbuck was -- and that's more than fine by me. Perhaps, everything isn't knowable. Maybe all the questions shouldn't be answered. Life isn't a plot; it can't be tied up in a neat bow. And there's something beautiful and glorious and true about that.
Also this week, I had a chance to eat at a restaurant called Momofuku Ko. While finishing one of the very last dishes, I told my friend that it was as near to a religious experience as I could possibly have. (Read an account of the dinner on her blog.) And, just like with the end of 'BSG,' it's really hard to describe. Just like that moment you're standing on a cliff overlooking the sea, or fighting the wind on a mountain ridge, or walking through the glittering lights of a magnificent city, or hearing a song that resonates deep inside you.
Sometimes, intellect and reason and words are completely inadequate.
So, is there something greater? When you hit a trough in life, then good things happen afterward, is the universe or "god" or whatever making it up to you? Is it trying to give you a message? I don't know, maybe. Some people fall onto religion or faith, and I almost, sort of, kind of get that now. When you come across those moments that are so sublime, so beyond comprehension -- what do they mean? And how do you experience them again?
There's no answer, of course. And that is the truth.
6. Eat at Momofuku Ko
