Why do I keep coming back?

Television, especially network television, is inconsistent. As good as a show is, as good as its premise and actors are, they put out bad episodes. In my opinion, this is one of the reasons the medium gets no respect. It's just pulp, produced quickly to feed the hungry masses. It's always rushed. There are a million and one things that can go wrong, from network execs coming down hard on character changes a showrunner had planned for two seasons to running production on a shoestring budget.

Definitely, there are times when I ask myself why I keep coming back. Battlestar Galactica, for all the really stunning design and story-telling they did in the mini-series, definitely wallowed in the land of mediocrity. Storylines were good, compelling even, but never as good as they could have been, especially since they were awash in faux-thematic religious babble that rarely translated into interesting drama (one of the tricky things about the sci-fi genre). Eventually, the shine of the CG veneer dulled from many viewings, until I didn't even notice how freaking awesome it looks when a Viper wheels around mid dogfight, and you can see how big space is, how tiny the ship looks, and the sweet-ass physics of the whole operation.

I watched it, I continue to watch it, because Starbuck and Laura Roslin are freaking awesome characters. That is the only reason, and robot fights and the sweet 80s interior of the cylon baseships. These two actors are phenomenal and even in a so-so script, there are moments when their characters surprise me.

In its final (1/2) season, we're getting back to the main storyline of the prophecy of the 13th colony, which thankfully centers largely around these two characters. And the show is getting good again.