Gravedancing

According to Wikipedia Syfy lost more than one million of viewers after the terrible Reins of a Waterfall. However it was even worst after Rebirth, 3 millions. So appreciating Caprica is really a question of taste. Now that I have seen Gravedancing I'm glad I didn't give up on the show because this 4th installment was good even if it was far less fascinating than Rebirth. The one thing I enjoyed the most was the intense Adama driven story and its progressive evolution. It developed slowly at the beginning but at the end I was hooked. Joseph Adama's younger brother was probably the dark enlightenment of Gravedancing because the actor's performance was fierce and convincing. After what Joseph said him at the end of the previous episode I was wondering what he would do and this one was all about covering that new arc. The story is actually based on a teleplay written by Jane Espenson who previously worked on Battlestar Galactica and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Apparently Michael Angeli helped to adapt it and considering he wrote the 3rd episode story I suppose his contribution was minimal. It's a good thing because it turned out pretty well.

As for the other elements some of them were interesting but others were quite disappointing. First my opinion is mixed about the investigation because in the one hand it managed to make things more intense but in the other hand I don't think using the old corrupted cops idea is original. But the problem is that they probably haven't applied the recipe well yet. It just tasted like a cold meal. Second I know Caprica is a mix of science-fiction and drama but I don't like when the second shadows the first. Third I wonder about the young engineering working for Daniel Graystone. Why such a famous scientists would hire an inexperienced employee and let him play with his expensive and precious Cylon ? He's not annoying and I can relate to his profile but he reminds me of the geek from Dollhouse and that's definitely a bad thing. It feels like if they had decided to include him just to touch a younger audience, probably teenagers. It leads us to the fourth element, one I didn't approve. Alessandra Torresani and Zoe make an interesting match but her dancing scene was just misplaced and not entertaining. There's nothing wrong with watching a pretty young woman dancing all sexy but I think they should better spend their budget on visual effects. Where are the smart editing and creative ideas from Rebirth ? I'm starting to think that they spent too much time working on that episode and decided to rush the others. Let's hope the upcoming episodes won't confirm it. Last but not least the talk show part wasn't flawless but insightful and the awkward situation some characters were involved in was quite realistic because on TV it's hard to behave normally, be prepared for anything or to always tell the truth. Sometimes you can't help lying or doing crazy things to appeal the audience. It's probably even harder to control your emotions than in real life. As for the host I found him quite pesky.

To sum things up Gravedancing strengthened the decreasing confidence I had in Caprica. How could all episodes be awesome after all ? It's the job of the leaders to make sure it happens and in this case the execution was good. The ambiance was dark, the Adama grand-mother disturbing and the mature acting top notch.