Caprica – so far

There’s something about threes. Be it part of some divine plan or the tiniest facet of some great cosmic probability, three’s have an odd prominence in everything from games of chance to music theory. And of course, they crop up constantly in the underlying structure of long form stories – which is probably why I’ve come to grant any new serial three installments before I begin casting judgements. Whether we’re talking about comics or television, three chapters of any story is enough to set the stage, begin evoking the audience’s investment in the characters, and prepare to set the drama and action into motion.

With three episodes behind us, I guess it’s time t start talking about Caprica. And yet, I find myself grasping for things to say, still sizing up the lay-out of the board and wondering when the game is going to begin. Which is, I’m aware, an unfair assessment.

For Caprica, its strong foundation is its greatest burden, at least as far as openings go. The antecedent scenario for Battlestar Galactica was airdropped into a cluster-fuck – trial by fire. Character details, interpersonal dynamics, even the finer points of the world setting, those pieces fell where they might against the backdrop of a biblical shit-storm, and in such a harsh context those finer points took shape quickly and naturally.

Caprica, being the story of how that fire was sparked, has to do without so ideal a scenario. While Caprica may have come to exist on the basis of Battlestar Galactica’s high credibility, the show’s creators have to bear the burden of constant, and probably seriously skewed comparisons to it’s predecessor. It’s an almost identical challenge to the one George Lucas made such a colossal failure of meeting, but largely freed from the burdens of nostalgia which spelled doom for a second generation of Star Wars films before a single frame had ever been shot.

Nostalgia was Battlestar Galactica’s problem, one which they met with a brand fearless storytelling which would have been unimaginable in the not-so-long-ago TV dark ages. The burden for Caprica is to live up to that high-caliber craftsmanship.

That may sound like a grim sentence, but three episodes down my only complaint is that the series is being played a little to safe. Nothing is awry, and nothing is really lacking yet. I’m drawn in by the threads of back story and finding most of the characters interesting. And I’m pretty pleased with the cast, especially Esai Morales whose performance really sells the ethnic and organized crime motifs that have been bestowed upon the Tauron’s. If handled right, those elements could allow the Caprica to tap into some powerful pieces of popular myth and a long legacy of strong tragic storytelling. If mangled, of course, they could send half the show reeling into the murk of tired stereotypes and exhausted tropes – but if the writing stays strong, Morales and co-star Sasha Roiz seem more than ready to bring it to life.

That poise is characteristic of the show at this point. Everything is set, and full of promise – and now it’s largely up to the writers and producers to start tripping dominos.