Netflix Instant: Cool TV & Movie Picks- Javi Birthday Edition!

Javi here with a Javi Birthday Edition of the our Netflix Picks! To celebrate, I'm going to highlight a few of my favorite shows and random movies from Netflix Instant. Since I'm running on 2 hours of sleep and coffee, I'll just be posting the links and a short blurb. Trust me, they are all legit.

Netflix Instant-Cool TV Shows

Inspired by Javi's great gift of Netflix to people this holiday season and frequent suggestions for great TV shows and movies on streaming, he thought it'd be a good idea to highlight some great Netflix Instant shows.  This time he will focus on TV shows because that's really where one can get a lot of value from Netflix. You can fly through a season in no time.  If this turns out to be popular, then we'll start highlight different themes, genres, or just random weird movies for you guys to check out.

  Louie: Season 1

As one of the better comedians working today, Louis C.K. also has the talent as a showrunner and director.  There has never been a better looking, well shot comedy show.  It chronicles his life as a single dad to two girls, working as a comedian, and just trying to get laid. 

  The Civil War

Not sure what this says about me, but this whole series is a joy to watch.  It makes 

being nerdy about war strategies seem less ridiculous.  The amount of facts that you will learn is outstanding.

Arrested Development

One of the best shows ever.

The IT Crowd

An amazingly fun British workplace comedy about a slick business woman forced to manage two socially inept IT techs. Think of it as a more tech savvy The Office.  All four of the seasons, pardon me "series" are streaming instantly.

Battlestar Galactica

So for every nerd out there, this is required viewing.  This follows a ragtag group of humans trying to survive after the 12 human colonies are nuked.  It is not so much a sci-fi show but a human drama that happens to have robots and spaceships.

Hopefully this helps you get started! 

Battlestar Galactica- She said

Thoughts on Battlestar Galactica-Beware this will be a spoilerific discussion.
The following two essays will be talking about Battlestar Galacticas entire run but in order to do so properly we have to talk about spoilers, so unless you don’t care about spoilers or have seen the show, please proceed with caution. Last thing we want to do is to ruin this amazing show for people.




I am not one to start a TV series after it has ended. If I happen to catch it in syndication and it seems interesting, I’ll watch a few episodes. I like to be with a series from the very beginning. However, Battlestar Galactica changed my perception. Battlestar was one of those series that flew under the radar for a long time. I think it had a stigma because it was on the Syfy channel. For some reason, people stay away from that channel so as to not be considered “nerdy”. Whatever. That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard. The only aspect that makes this series Sci-Fi is the fact it’s in space and machines that look like humans. There’s not even a green-four-eyed-slimy-egghead looking alien during the whole series.

I’m getting sidetracked now…I had heard many wonderful things about this series from many, many sources. So, I gave it a shot, and I’m glad I did. This is one of the best series I’ve ever watched. Yes, it has its problems. There’s a lull in the first part of season 3 (but that seems to happen with a lot of shows). But despite all that, the show has more heart and truth to it than I’ve seen in a long time. The characters on the show are so dynamic and developed and flawed. You love them, hate them, agree and disagree with all of them at some point in the series. I found myself switching favorites through each season. Throughout their journeys, even if I didn’t agree with the decision a certain character made, I understood their motivations and reasoning behind it (however flawed those decisions were at times). They’re, oh my god, human! Just like these characters, we all make mistakes in our lives, but more often than not, most people are inherently good. Yes, there’s the occasional bad apple who succumbs and lets power/greed/money/status take hold of them, but that happens throughout every culture and society.

I’m going to brag on my favorite, Helo. Helo started as a side story during the miniseries, but soon became a real player once he returned to the Battlestar at the end of season one. Helo falls in love with a cylon but still fulfills his duty as an officer aboard Galactica. What I loved most about Helo is he always, always stood up for what was right, even when no one (literally) believed him. I wish I could say that I had the strength and moral character to do that, but it takes some balls to be that sure of something.

Okay that was my fan girl gush for this article.

One of the most interesting aspects of the series was the blending of religion and politics. Now, we live in a society with the freedom of religion. People are free to worship whatever. It’s also safe to say that all of our Presidents have been Christian in some form or fashion. However, no President has ever used religion as the basis of their presidency. After the genocide of the human race, Laura Roslin is thrust into the role as President. She has one mission: to find a home, namely Earth. Earth is mentioned in their scriptures as the home of one of the 12 tribes of their ancestors. In Roslin’s mind, Earth is salvation and peace that will end the conflict. She uses her position as President to push her religious beliefs and agenda on the survivors. And they let her! Now, if this were to happen in America tomorrow, there would be an uproar from many, many people…namely the blue half of the country. But in the series, the survivors have nothing. They’re at the end of their rope. Everything they knew and loved was gone within minutes. When someone has been through that traumatic of a situation, they will cling to something that seems strong. In many cases, faith. Even if they weren’t religious at home, faith, in some form or fashion, has always been a constant in their society. I would be safe to bet that if something of that magnitude happened in the present day, the people would turn to church. When 9/11 happened, I remember vividly how busy my church was that weekend. We want an answer; we need an answer. Fortunately, religion can provide those answers. Now, whether or not those answers are interpreted correctly is another discussion. It works, and Roslin and crew use it. Now, it may seem that I am bashing this tactic, but trust me, I’m not. A society needs common ground and a purpose to survive. They need a reason to live. When everything is taken from you, what stops you from taking your life?

When the survival of the human race is in your hands, how can one person even begin to make decisions? As the military leader of the fleet, William Adama has to make these impossible decisions. Now, most of the time, the choices seem obvious. Yes, we need to go down on this planet to find food. Yes, we need to fix this ship so we can have tilium for fuel. When it starts getting fuzzy is when these choices become personal. There are many points in the season when choices have to be made by Adama that either puts the fleet at risk or someone he loves at risk. Do we go back for Starbuck, his adoptive daughter? Do we go after Athena and Helo’s daughter because she’s the first cylon-human? That’s where Adama’s flaws come out. He tends to put the fleet at risk when it will effect him personally. Even though this is reckless, this makes Adama one of the most complex characters in the series. He has to lead, protect, and ensure the survival of the human race; that pressure is unimaginable. I wouldn’t want that kind of leadership or power. However, Adama takes the charge head on. He cares, I mean really cares about finding home and starting a new life for everyone. Yes, he makes reckless decisions for personal reasons, but it’s because he has a heart. If he didn’t make those decisions, he would be an icy, cold leader. He’s the best man for the job. I believe the reason this race survives is because of Adama’s compassion.

This show has so many layers; people will be talking about this series for a long time. The arc of the characters are so well drawn, almost everyone has a nice payoff by the end of the series. Also, another aspect I loved about Battlestar is all the main characters that we’re introduced to within the first season are there at the end. There are only a few people introduced in later seasons that have any relevance. Many shows introduce characters later as afterthoughts for the series, and honestly, it’s kinda annoying. I love seeing a character from the beginning of a series and watching them grow and change. I hope people will give this series a chance. Yes, it’s a science fiction show, but you actually forget that. It’s a show about survival, tough decisions, love, hate, politics, religion, forgiveness, and redemption…it just happens to be set in space.

Battlestar Galactica- He said

Battlestar Galactica has become one of the most talked about modern TV shows of our times. It is still one of the most complex and heartfelt dramas with truthful observations of human nature…when hope is taken to its bare minimum, how we as people can and would react. Battlestar Galactica, has been hailed as political, religious, and social commentary but what struck the biggest chord with me was the “human drama element” of it, as well as the philosophical part of the show. If it says anything, it makes the concept of faith, destiny, and freewill seem more logical than how most people explain it. The show is really good about showing the both sides of everything. It almost feels that in life you can’t ever take one extreme approach or the other. Very much like the freakish fusion of Anders as the hybrid for Galactica at the end, most of the conflicting and opposing themes of the show diverge and converge into each other in harmony.

The series starts with the worst genocide that has occurred in mankind’s history with the initial destruction of the 12 colonies. The colonies are based on the God of Kobol, which is their polytheistic religion dominates this world. The most important worlds in the series are Caprica and Tauron where most of the protagonists are from. The concept of religion, differing ideologies and how we use them to help us get through is one of the biggest themes in the show. I find it interesting that time and time again, using false hope and religion in order to manipulate people into having hope is seen as a good and justifiable thing. This is mostly what Bill Adama and President Rosalyn do for the better part of the series. First Adama tells people that Earth is what they are looking for in order to create a new home. It is truly one of the most moving scenes of the whole series, where you see thousands of terrified humans feel hope and purpose in this obviously dangerous situation. It is interesting that the show is fantastic at letting you see the two sides of an argument, even when you don’t realize it. While Adama and Rosalyn were okay with letting people believe that they knew where Earth was, by the end of season 2 where Rosalyn rigs the election against Gaius Baltar she caves in to morality, and as a result thousands of people die in the ensuing New Caprica fiasco. The question is where do you justify it? On one hand you had people that die for the moral piece of one person, and in the other people probably found the will to live because a person found the hard thing to do, possibly as a detriment to their own well being.

The religious conflict between the Cylons and Humans has always been the most interesting one in the show. The Cylons believe that the Judeo-Christian doctrine of one all knowing and all-powerful god, where destiny is one of the overlying concepts. The humans believe in the aforementioned polytheistic religion; the heads of those are the Lords of Kobol, which are based on Roman/Greek gods and mythology. Religion was indeed used as a way to keep people get through this rather huge pickle they seem to be in. I almost feel that as an atheist I might almost see faith as a useful thing. Same thing with the Cylons; they are essentially super smart machines. They became aware and, very much like our ancestors, felt like they needed a purpose higher than the confusing existence that is being a freaky weird machine. And for whatever reason, they chose to have a one single God to help and give the purpose in their life. (The reason for this seems to be unknown although the new Caprica show will probably answer this). One of the coolest things that were found in the middle of season 2 was Kobol, which ideally is where their ancestors and gods were from. What they find instead is a ruined planet full of what appeared where human sacrifices. The cynic in me was overjoyed at the fact that they were proven their gods were false idols, but even then, Rosalyn’s or anyone else faith seemed to suffer little from that. It actually took finding a radioactive Earth to finally break people’s spirit. People started to revolt; Dualla committed suicide, and, in a particularly moving scene, Rosalyn burned her bible. It seems that faith can only take you so far, but in this pivotal scene it also shows that no matter how bad things get there is a little thing called human spirit that can get you through. The strength that some of these characters had been amazing when you think of the stuff they’ve gone through.

The most obvious allegory that applies in the real world to me is that of the “war of terror” the 360 degree war zone that many soldiers experience in the Middle East. There are obvious references and similarities of the “insurgents” hiding as every day civilians and the “skinjob” cylons that are the main antagonists of the series. More striking is the really messed up scene where # 2 blows himself up in a corridor of Galactica while the humans still haven’t figured out who all is one of the skin jobs. This is a good metaphor and also shows there is no clear cut way of determining the good guys and the bad. Considering how the black market still functions in the fleet, and a doctor was willing to let a certain religious sect die off out of sheer prejudice, shows humans can be horrible in their darkest hour. And all at the same time, you have Caprica Six, who was the model Cylon that helped with the destruction of Caprica; she feels complete remorse and guilt for her actions and even wants to try to make amends with the humans in a sincere if not horribly misguided way. So are the humans the good guys because they truly have been wronged or is it just because we follow their side of the stor?. In The Plan mini-movie, we see that, yea, there are bad Cylons such as Cavil, but even the copy of #4, who had a wife and adopted child, commited suicide because he could not bear to harm them. The point is that, there is to much of a grey line to decide on the morality of these factions without some bias.

Now as a slightly convoluted point, I want to bring up the concept of destiny and free will. Now my diminutive counterpart completely disagrees with me on this but at the same time I feel like I need to discuss it. Kara freaking Thrace, Starbuck, the harbinger of Doom, super drunk-hot-shot-pilot-extraordinaire, is what I would usually call a nihilist. She also in so many ways was told that she had a greater destiny and purpose, which is why her mother abused her. During their quest to find earth, Kara began to have visions and premonitions about trying to find it. During the season 3 finale, she goes into a cloud searching for a version of Leoben in which she tells Lee, “Let me go,” and promptly explodes. As a twist, she comes back to life now filled with more visions involving her childhood and for coordinates of Earth. At the end of the final battle, thanks to her visions of a song her father taught her, she input the coordinates on the FTL drive that took them straight to earth. After they arrived down on what ended up being “our” Earth, she once again talks to Lee and then disappears saying that her work is done. Let’s go with the fact that I interpret that Kara as being a celestial, dare I say angelic, being. The way I see her return is a way of “God” giving us enough free will, but at the same time has enough of a hand in our affairs to see someone’s destiny come to pass. Here, Kara needed to be the one that brought everyone to earth, but since she died, God brought her back to fulfill it. Going along with the theme of this essay, it goes to show that in a way destiny and free will could feasibly go hand in and hand, at least in the universe of the show.


In the end this is a show that will inspire a ton of discussion if only because like most great works of art and film it will stay relevant and exciting. The show has so many universal themes that it is guaranteed to be just as famous as Star Wars and Star Trek in the world of sci-fi. So say we all!