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Look, we know you already are having trouble finding time to watch all of this fall's new and returning shows. We also know that Caprica got off to a slow start earlier this year. But with that said, this SyFy series really hit its stride before it went on a midseason break, and now that's it back earlier than expected to finish out its first (but hopefully not last) season, it's worth clearing some space on your DVR for it. The first nine episodes were filled with provocative science-fiction concepts, innovative storytelling and mind-blowing and disturbing twists. The show definitely deserves a closer look, even if you don't have a frakking clue about Battlestar Galactica. Here's why:
10. William Adama Backstory
We stand by the fact that only a bare minimum of BSG knowledge is necessary to enjoy Caprica, but if you happen to be a BSG devotee, it is pretty interesting to see how the life of William Adama unfolded and led to the man who helped save the last of humankind. Here he's just a kid being raised by his grief-stricken widower father and getting drawn into some questionable Tauron life choices by his shady uncle.
9. Plenty of Violence
There aren't space dogfights like on BSG, but that doesn't mean there's no action. In fact, this show, which is more of a complicated family drama, still has its share of robot battles, shootouts and explosions. Something for everyone, you might say.
8. Fills the Battlestar Void (Mostly)
The plotting's not quite as complicated as BSG, and there are certainly no human-looking Cylons at this point, but Caprica does still touch on a lot of the religious (polytheism vs. monotheism) issues that BSG explored and deals with a similar society... just a few decades earlier. It really has become the prequel that we'd originally hoped it would be.
7. New Cap City
It's a dirty, disgusting virtual world where anything can, and does, happen. Not only are there more than your fair share of illicit sexual and drug behaviors going on, there's also the messed-up fact that if you die in the real world, your avatar can live on forever and not be killed. Hmm... we always wondered what would happen to our Facebook profile after we died.
6. Robots
Did we mention there are robots? Well, Cylons, anyway. Robots who are being built to basically kill and do human dirty work? What's not to like?
5. Daniel Graystone is Certifiably Insane
We never know what this unstable man is going to do next. Will he have people killed in order to save his company? Will he make a Cylon he thinks might be his daughter shoot their family dog? Will he set his daughter/robot on fire to prove a point? Who knows. He's batshit crazy and will stop at nothing to stay rich, so we can't wait to see what happens as his breakdown continues.
4. Orgies
All right, so technically it's a group marriage, but this isn't the Sister Wives type of situation where they all have their own separate portions of the house. We're talking about a woman with lots of men and women she's married to all sharing the same bed at the same time. You don't see that on network TV much, do you?
3. James Marsters
Yes, we're pandering to the Buffy legions out there by mentioning that he guest-stars as part of a religious terrorist organization. But if telling you that the former Spike is playing a baddie named Barnabas will bring in new viewers to Caprica, we're not above pandering.
2. You Know It Won't End Well
Even if you aren't a BSG fan, you probably have a hunch that if you give robots brains and free will... things are never going to turn out okay. In watching the creation of the very first Cylon, any BSG fan can't help but envision the start of that seminal series that kicked off with a Cylon-induced human genocide. And that wasn't the first time the humans and the robots they created were at war. Just ask little Willie Adama in a few years.
1. Zoe Graystone
She's one of the few teens on TV that we can actually stand to watch, and that's got a lot to do with Alessandra Torresani's performance and with the compelling way they film this character. Sometimes we see her as a Cylon; sometimes we see her as a confused little girl, sometimes she's a computer genius; other times she's a cold-hearted killer. But most often she's a rebellious girl with serious daddy issues. Whoever she is, she's wildly complicated, and we love her for that.
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I hadn't watched BSG when I decided to give Caprica a go, and it is awesome and you're right that you don't need BSG knowledge to understand it. I do look forward to renting the BSG DVDs, though. This show is great, and I hope people start and keep watching. I think there'll be a marathon of at least the last half of the most recent episodes on SyFy next Tuesday for anyone who wants to catch up.
I absolutely loved the 2-hour pilot of Caprica... but I despise the regular series. Why they went back to the "shaky close-up handheld camera" is beyond me.
That "shaky hand-held camera" technique seems to be pretty popular with filmmakers these days, quite a few recent movies have used it too. IMO, unless there is a good reason for it (the film is documentary style or supposed to represent amateur camera work like "Cloverfield") I find it clichéd and trendy/pretentious and it drives me up the wall!
Wait, when is it coming back???? My daughter and I love this show.
Pass. None of the above offsets the glacial pacing, total lack of plot development, or, how do you say, boringness of this show.
Was going to watch until I read about the shaky camera technique. That is a big deal breaker for me. I cannot stand movies that do that. I should not have to take Dramamine to watch TV or a movie.
Caprica is an amazing show. It's not BSG, it doesn't take place in space, so those looking for that flavor might be disappointed, but it is an intelligent, complex, even chilling story about ambition, morality, family, and greed (not necessarily in that order). I really hope it survives for many seasons. P.S. Maybe I'm used to the shaky camera technique, but I've never really noticed it on this show. The camera work/editing for Zoe is brilliant, transitioning seamlessly between the robot and the girl, showing whichever image is most relevant and poignant to the moment in the scene. Watch this show!
I really did like this show and could see that it was hitting a groove before the end of the first half.
With the ratings, I think it suffers what I like to call The "Friday Night Lights" Conundrum. Most men I talked to didn't want to try the show because it would be more teen drama than football drama...most women I talked to said it would be too much about football which they could care less about.
IMO, a lot of old-school BSG fans might not think it's fun enough to watch and new people assume that it will be full of space battles and twists they don't get.
When you add to the fact that it's a prequel to something that ended the way BSG did. Well...some people will just move on rather than explore the past.
Re:shaky camera
Although it's been a while since the last time I watched Caprica, I certainly don't recall seeing any shaky camera movements that were so distracting that I immediately noticed them. I agree that this technique is over-used, but I wouldn't base your decision to watch solely on the camerawork.
P.S. "Bear McCreary" should be number 11. His scoring is phenomenal.
P.P.S "Badass LGBT Characters" should be number 12.
I've never noticed the shaky camera technique either, and I've watched all the episodes so far. Thinking back, I can't even think of when they would have used them...
Ah, maybe it was shaky during the times Sister Clarice was high on the opium, but of course that makes sense, and again when Graystone's wife was going crazy, but again, makes sense there. But you should get the idea that the whole thing is filmed shaky. That wouldn't make any sense and it doesn't happen.
I adore this show; never noticed the "shaky-cam" situation but frankly, even if it was shaking my eyeballs into liquid, I'd watch. The pace (stately and deliberate rather than glacial) allows you to get into the story, which is a compelling, multi-level exploration of the downfall of a people. It's a tragedy in the best dramatic sense of the word and it's blessed with fantastic writing, phenomenal acting and an imagination that creates not just new worlds, but new cultures, new religions, and a new way to look at us old humans. Yeah, I like it.
Umm, if I'm not mistaken, they addressed this issue as well. They said, "We also know that Caprica got off to a slow start earlier this year. But with that said, this SyFy series really hit its stride before it went on a midseason break".
Both BSG and Caprica explore issues other shows can't or won't touch - hell, that most modern culture can't or won't touch beyond simplistic mantras. What is it to be human? What is the nature of identity? of reality? What does extreme grief, ambition, power lust do to the people harboring those appetites, their families, and their societies? Caprica shows rather than tells, and does so in a meditative manner punctuated by extreme action. It's one helluva smart, intelligent show - like its predecessor. I'm willing to forgive a lot of lapses for something willing to tackle those themes - and Caprica has damn few lapses to forgive.
I loved BSG but Caprica bores me to tears. Alessandra Torresani's portrayal of Zoe is what actually turned me OFF the show as I couldn't stand the actress.
I never really noticed the shakycam, either. Yes, it started slowly, but "glacially" is going too far. The storytelling is quite deliberate, with talented actors portraying complex characters. Zoe grew on me quickly. I can't wait to see the second half of the season, and really hope it continues longer.
Alessandra Torresani's portrayal of Zoe is what actually turned me OFF the show as I couldn't stand the actress.
Agree completely. Plus the fact that the killer robots who try to destroy humanity have their genesis in a petulant teenage girl with rebellion issues absolutely destroyed the series for me. I stopped watching a few episodes in, and even Adama's hot gay mafia uncle won't get me back to watching.
Love Caprica - this and Glee were the 2 premiere's I am most excited about this fall. You do not need to be a BSG fan, but it certainly adds an additional layer of intrigue if you've it. (And honestly, why wouldn't you want to watch BSG?)
Can't wait to watch Daniel go even more off the deep end. Stoltz does crazy-cakes very, very well.
I disliked Zoey at first, but she really grew on me by the end. I thought she was phenomenal in the second half of the short season. Like Jacob, I was sorry that they didn't develop BAMF Amanda more, but I think Lacy is also going to be big in the second half. Looking forward to it!
Plus the fact that the killer robots who try to destroy humanity have their genesis in a petulant teenage girl with rebellion issues absolutely destroyed the series for me.
I will parrot this sentiment. Since when did emo teens become the standard of drama? Killer robots? That's sci fi. But emo teens as killer robots, suddenly that's the epitome of quality television?
I loved BSG and turned a lot of friends on to the show, but the fourth season was way too preachy and "deep" (ie adults being emo) and Caprica is the prequel to Season 4. I gave it five episodes, so it's not like I didn't try. Boring and too moralizing for its own good.
I hate to say it but just like Darth Vader and Hitler where else do the greatest villans come from but whiny little bitches? The difference is Caprica is making Zoe into a person that grew out of that phase. Lucas had no clue how to do that. Nailed the myth part perfectly though.
I love the set and wardrobe design which to me is a vision of a thoroughly modern Cuba with its classic 40s era twist. Also the concept of people existing in a cyber world which leads Zoe to the idea of merging this with a robot is genius. A clear take on where we are headed...less scifi than reality.
Teenage emo killer robot? Pass.
(Actually just found it really boring.)
Also frustrating - the 1950's 'future' tech. I'm tired of producers saying nothing else matters because their show is "character driven", "drama driven", etc.
Crapica
Caprica is slow paced, the Zoey character is annoying and whinny. I though BSG was bad in it's changing original black characters to non-blacks and giving the black secondary characters, little development and even less to do with the story arc. The story kept me interested until that insulting ending. Caprica claims to be addressing racism but seems to be completely blind to their own casting issues. Whites are good, wealthy & in cotnrol of every facet of life on the planet, browns are criminal, prone to violence and corrupt. The one Asian is an assistant who like Dualla & Simon is only there to enhance the goals of the Capricans and blacks are nameless soldiers & servant with no dialogue at all. Do the producers are that their audience would balk a heroic or ethnic character? I hope it gets cancelled.
I was real reluctant to watch. I've been burned way too often with prequals, but I finally tuned in (never saw the movie, missed the first couple reg episodes) and the show is incredible. So much depth from a whole host of characters. Stolz is facinating to watch. I think he's our "villian" but I am still rooting for him. The stuff in New Cap City is mind bending and I'm constantly blindsided by the twists and emotional content. Plus, it's beautiful to look at. Familiar and strange at the same time.
I had never watched BSG and never really planned on it but one night I stumbled upon Caprica when nothing else was on. I was instantly hooked. It has a great cast and the stories are compellling. I'm really hoping it doesn't get cancelled. I liked it so much I bought the whole entire series of BSG!
From the Wikipedia notes on Bill Adama:
"In the Battlestar Galactica episode "Hero", documents mention William Adama's mother's name to be Evelyn. In Caprica it is established that his mother's first name is Shannon. However, Joseph Adama later in the first season of Caprica appears to begin a relationship with his associate who is named Evelyn."
So. Is there one William Adama...or two? We shall see what we shall see.
Is your name really Jenne Frisby? That is my name and I have never seen anybody with their name spelled Jenne Frisby besides me.
It's official - SyFy (Ugh! what happened to "SciFi"?) has canceled Caprica.
I am starting to wonder if my enjoying a TV series means that it is doomed - Firefly, Journeyman, Caprica - the list goes on...
I was really looking forward to the weaving of threads begun in Caprica into the world of BSG.
Can RDM find an independent source to continue?
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