Razor, take two

Last night I watched the DVD edition of Razor with some friends. All in all, I think I was more satisfied with the version that aired. It wasn't bad by any means, but it seems "uncut" and "unedited" translates to "three times the gore" and "things that were not in the broadcast version for a reason." Not all of the additional scenes were superfluous, but mostly they didn't add anything to the story.

There's an added scene in the beginning featuring Kendra Shaw discussing her posting on the Pegasus that I enjoyed seeing. It gave further context to this character being thrust into wildly unexpected circumstances. It also had the benefit of being short and to the point, which other added scenes did not. For instance, the show could have done without the lengthened sequence featuring young William Adama, before he discovers the cylon lab with its hallucinogenic vats of goo. Watching his fancy flying and outrageously improbable mid-fall gunfight was more silly than exciting or revealing.

Unfortunately, the scene with the young Helena Cain was actually disappointing and definitely should not have been included. Rather than providing greater insight into this complex person, I thought that bit of exposition was trying to offer some emotional excuse for the horrific choices she made as an adult. Not only did that weaken the character somewhat, but it was entirely unnecessary given Adm. Adama's position at the end of show. Cain made some distasteful decisions in extraordinary circumstances and there's no knowing how those decisions might have been different if she'd been responsible for and supported by different people. Unlike the added scene, Adama wasn't trying to excuse Cain's behaviour or absolve her of her sins; he was acknowleging a cold harsh reality and appreciating the circumstances he was in as he made his own decisions.