"Up" and "BSG"--making age (and death) romantic

SPOILER ALERT: Battlestar and Up spoilers ahead.

When I went in to see Pixar's Up yesterday, I basically knew nothing about the plot except what the trailers had revealed. So when the Carl/Ellie romance started blossoming, I was surprised, pleasantly--and then those Disney bitches tore my heart out and fed it to the snipe.

Basically: Carl wants to fulfill (now-deceased) Ellie's lifelong dream of adventure by moving--er, floating their house to the top of Paradise Falls in South America. Carl's dedication to his deceased wife is touching, putting the heart into an otherwise ridiculous concept. I was surprised how much I related to the old man.

Any yet, I shouldn't have been.


The Battlestar Galactica finale, which aired on March 20th, saw the close of one of my most-loved romances of all time: that of Admiral William Adama (Edward James Olmos) and President Laura Roslin (Mary McDonnell). The relationship developed over the course of the four-season, six-year series, ending with Roslin's death during the finale.

Amusingly, Adama proceeds on his own mission to fulfill Laura's "adventure--" building her the cabin by a stream she had always dreamed of. Maybe he and Carl can be neighbors.

What makes mature romances work? Is it more "grown-up?" Is it some perverse fascination with seeing your mom and dad make out? Is it because Mary McDonnell is a total fox? Or is it because we all like to think we can find love--no matter what our age or circumstance?

I doubt the Grandma/Grandpa love will get too mainstream anytime soon. Still, I found the parallels between Up and BSG fascinating, and the fact that these characters and their love can exist in an age obsessed with youth--well, that's just profound.