Contains Only Mild Spoilers

2021/03/12

When Caprica first came on TV back in 2009, I have to say I wasn’t really impressed with the show. Because of that, I didn’t continue watching after episode 9, which was the mid-season finale. Thinking back about those first episodes, what I disliked was the opening of the series, the pilot, the very first minutes annoyed me. Being there in V-world, something you did not yet understand as a viewer, the chaos, the….well I just didn’t like it. I really had to get used to that “V-world” thing, especially in the first episodes I really didn’t care for it. I think for me that was the big issue, besides that, the stories weren’t really stellar, but I understand, the creators have to build things up in the beginning. And also I thought the CGI wasn’t always great either. I understand that in V-world this probably was on purpose. So as I said, the show got off the air, but for more than 6 months! It took too long and because I really wasn’t that impressed, I decided not to watch the second part of its first season.

Soon into the second half of its first season I learned that it was cancelled which made me think I was right to stop watching. But online I also read that the second part of the first season was a great improvement over the first 9 episodes. It took a long time but a Blu-ray release finally was announced in Europe! France was the first country to release it if I remember correctly so I purchased the show on Blu-ray, decided to give Caprica another chance to watch it as a complete series.

When I watched Caprica for the first time on Blu-ray back in 2012 I finally got to watch it all in a short period of time. And indeed, I came to the conclusion that episodes 10-18 are a big improvement over the first 9 episodes. Although I have to say, with the rewatch I began to appreciate the first 9 episodes more too but still I believe that if these were of the same quality as the second part, it could well have been that we would have seen more than one single season. But of course this is conjecture, nothing more than that. There are two episodes in the first 9 episodes which I really like: episode 6, Know thy Enemy, where Daniel Greystone is in trouble, he may lose his company, Tomas Vergis knows he stole from him and visits him to tell him he would very much like to destroy Greystone! I really like the actor John Pyper-Ferguson who plays Vergis. I believe I first* saw him in Jeremiah, he has such a great presence, such acting skills, a joy to watch. It’s not that I go look for show he’s in and watch them, but every time he is in a show I watch, I think it’s a treat! For example, shows like the before mentioned Jeremiah but also Alphas and The Last Ship.

The other episode is the mid-season finale End of Line, where things accelerate, Daniel has to make some tough choices to keep his head above financially, Lacy is in a tough spot between Barnabas and sister Clarice. Amanda is feeling more and more depressed thinks about ending her life! The military is now backing Tomas Vergis.

From episode 10 onwards Caprica really takes it up a few notches, for me there is definitely a big improvement over the first 9 episodes, but I fear there were more people like me who already had given up after the mid-season finale. In the last 9 episodes I would grade 8 episodes with a 7.5/10 or higher. It has everything, drama, SCI-FI, action. Perhaps the only thing lacking is humor, Caprica takes itself very seriously. Humor only comes in very small doses in Caprica. Which is of course totally different from for example Stargate SG-1 or Stargate Atlantis. Of course Battlestar Galactica is also very serious and perhaps that’s why I prefer any Stargate show, even Stargate Universe, which is of course also much more serious but still is a bit lighter that than the Battlestar Galactica universe and of course I mean the 2003 version.

So if you are seeking serious drama, especially the last 9 episodes are fantastic, Caprica deserved a season 2 after this thrill-ride 9-episode run. What ultimately becomes the series finale is the best of the entire run. Action packed, full with drama and even a (big) surprise for me, even though it was the 2^nd time I watched Caprica. I simply forgot, which is a blessing for me.

I want to mention the main cast because they are amazing. All seasoned actors, except of course the younger cast like Alessandra Torresani (The Big Bang Theory) who plays Zoe and Magda Apanowicz (Continuum) who plays Lacy Rand. Eric Stolz (Hercules, Chicago Hope) as Daniel Graystone, Paula Malcomson (Hunger Games, Sons of Anarchy) as Amanda Greystone. Esai Morales (Jericho) as Joseph Adama and Sasha Roiz (Grimm, Warehouse 13, Salvation) as Sam Adama and Polly Walker (Rome, Warehouse 13) as Clarice Willow. These are some really experienced actors, most of them we know from certain SCI-FI/Fantasy roles.

And also some very interesting recurring characters played by actors we often see in the SCI-FI scene! One of my favorite recurring characters was Peter Wingfield, played the Chief of police. Peter Wingfield of course is well-known for his “Highlander, the series” role Adam Pierson/Methos. The earlier mentioned John Pyper-Ferguson who plays Vergis. Teryl Rothery (Evelyn) whom we all know from Stargate SG-1, James Marsters (Barnabas) who we know from Buffy and Angel. Brian Markinson (Durham) we know from Continuum, amongst many other things. Ryan Robbins, from Sanctuary, Stargate Altantis, Battlestar Galactica, Falling Skies and many more and also Christopher Heyerdahl whom we also know from Sanctuary, Stargate SG-1 and of course Stargate Atlantis where he plays the Wraith Todd. Finally Hiro Kanagawa, who plays Cyrus Xander. It feels like this actor has been in almost every TV show! To name a few SCI-FI/Fantasy related: Millennium, Sliders, Mercy Point, Smallville, Andromeda, Intelligence….believe me, the list goes on, it is unbelievable, this is one of the most hard working actors out there!

Final word: Well at the end the day Caprica is very much worthy for rewatching! It is a rich universe with some fantastic actors portraying these characters with conviction. Of course because it's a prequel to BSG, enriches your knowledge of this universe. Granted, it starts up slow but the second part of season one I believe can match up in quality to the first 2 seasons of Battlestar Galactica. So a rewatch is definitely recommended. Now on to Battlestar Galactica 1978, Galactica 1980 and the 2003 version!