A Niner Watches Babylon 5 (NO spoilers, please)

That's what happenss when you refuse to buy Avatar on DVD.

 

Damn, James Cameron has gone too far with the marketing this time.

 

12 episodes. You made it past the half-way mark of S3 before finally dishing out a sub-par score. By jove, I think he's liking this show.

I actually frequently get the teeth dream, where it feels like they're cracking and crumbling into powder in my mouth, sometimes even mixing it up with saliva to create a chunky, chalky substance that I'll gargle before spitting out, as if in defiance of having such bad teeth. I have odd dreams.

 

Btw, reading this thread has inspired me to start watching Babylon 5 again last week. I decided to concentrate on episodes which are either pretty good or have significance to the major story arcs (often it's the same thing anyway). I'm through with Season 1 now and have watched: Mind War, And the Sky Full of Stars, Signs and Portents, A Voice in the Wilderness, Babylon Squared, and Chrysalis. Starting on Season 2 today.

I guess as the show progresses I will have to watch more episodes of each season, because "mytharc" episodes will become more and more dominant. And I'm curious whether I will overtake TheGodBen at some point with my sped-up watching mode.

 

"Sic Transit Vir" is an average stand alone episode, but it has one big redeeming quality - Londo Vs. The Bug.

This scene was funnier than any sitcom I've ever seen on TV.

 

Yeah, that was great. I wish I had a coultari sword to destroy infestations with...

I quite like the episode, though. I'm fond of Vir. And Virini was in this one too, wasn't he? At the beginning. I like Virini, as well.

 

"You arr smallerr! Derr arr morr uf you!"

 

Londo vs the Bug, also Vir explaining Centauri sex, male perspective and Ivanova's reaction (she needs to get laid). And Vir showing chuzpah.

 

Virini is a different character that we haven't seen yet. This is the Centauri that is referred to here as "Centauri Official" and appears at various points (trying not to post any spoilers). I think he is the one you were thinking of, but he isn't named. We first saw him in "Quality of Mercy".

 

I am sure a bug/pest cleaning service would do good in B5.....

Meanwhile since Sheridan declared B5 independent and with all authorty and resources he had as military governor he became somewhat military dictator of B5 after Severed Dreams right ? What about creating a seperate set of laws , constitution and govermernt for B5 ?

For example in Battlestar Galactica this plotline was followed more extensively : Roslin suddenly became President in emergency , elections announced , Adama tried a military coup etc...

 

Well, I figure they were more or less sticking with the EA system at that point, minus any inconvenient parts like civilian oversight. They had enough to worry about without bringing a troop of lawyers into it.

 

Actually he was named as Virini in his later appearances, though not credited as such. The Offical Guide CD-ROM gave his first name as Milo I think. There was another Centauri character called just Virini later on in the season, one can only assume they're related. Not a huge stretch given the way the noble houses operate.

 

Funny, I often wondered about that too. In a way, it's ironic: Babylon 5 declared independence in reaction to President Clark becoming a dictator on Earth. But as an independent state, B5 was effectively a military dictatorship too. Of course, the major difference is that the B5 government still respected due process, free speech, and other civil liberties. And I assume that the Ombudsman system was still in place. So, at least there was an independent judicial system in existence.

Spoiler: B5's status and future as an independent state

I also wonder what Sheridan's long-term plans were in case that President Clark remains in power indefinitely. Does Sheridan simply carry on as commanding officer of B5 forever? What if the populace of B5 grows unhappy with his leadership? Would Sheridan be willing to hold "elections" if that happens? So, maybe brainwashed Garibaldi of Season 4 had a point after all.

I guess the truth is that Sheridan & Co. didn't really spend much thought to it at this point and were following a "we'll see too it, when we come to it" approach. Gotta survive the Shadow war first.

 

Well my memory is faulty (and I know it is sometimes, though usually just the short term part), but I didn't think he was once referred to by any name on-screen. Turns out it is once.

Sheridan is de facto leader, yes, and there is follow-up to this and some other stuff, but that's getting into spoilers.

 

More than likely considering that my exams begin next week and they'll slow me down for a few weeks. You'll probably finish the series by the time I finish season 3!


A Late Delivery from Avalon (*)

I guess your enjoyment of this episode depends heavily on whether you're willing to buy into all the King Arthur stuff, and as a boring sod I can't say that I was. Okay, I know the guy wasn't really King Arthur, but the way that some of the characters acted towards him (Ron Moorcus and G'Kar) left me thinking that they are idiots. Poor Andreas Katsulas, sometimes he gets some wonderful material, other times he follows King Arthur, gets drunk and collapses over a table.

The thing is that if you remove all the King Arthur stuff I could have enjoyed this episode much more. The core concept is good; gunnery officer on an Earth ship feels responsible for starting a war that killed millions, he goes mad. Sadly, his madness feels like a gimmick. It almost feels like the idea of the guy losing his mind was used as an excuse to have fun with King Arthur rather than the other way round.

Oh, there's a Babylon Treaty now, but that storyline feels like necessary set-up for something to come later rather than a story of its own right.

Scott Bakula: 45

 

Okay, I like this episode. I enjoy how it begins with the somewhat light-hearted fun of King Arthur and "Sir G'Kar" righting wrongs in Downbelow then moves into something much heavier- the concept of the guilt underlying it all and eventually choking the entire episode, having been driving the action all along. It just worked for me, though I see how for some the transition between the silliness and the heavy guilt issues is too jarring. That all said, I'm going to have the above lyrics in my head every time I watch it now...


(I did like the G'Kar escapism- as he says, it used to be so much simpler for him and he's enjoying reconnecting with that. Having epiphanies is no fun!)

EDIT: Hey, how come you dropped half a star?

 

This was a difficult episode to rate for me, 1 star seemed too low and 1 and a half seemed too high. After I posted the review I remembered the post office sub-plot, and that convinced me to drop the extra half star. It was a difficult decision, but I dare say it was a fair one.

 

I'm disappointed - I'd hoped you'd like this episode. I liked the way the episode portrayed what was going on in David/Arthur's mind as well as liking the lighter moments of the episode. Once again Franklin plays god and gets burned. And we see the true nature of G'kar when he gets involved in a fight that didn't involve any of his people.

One of the things I like most about B5 is that it takes time away from the struggle and drama of the Big Story Arc to show these little moments in the lives of the characters.

"And they made a very satisfying thump when they hit the floor."

Jan

 

Well, yeah. The germ of it came about when JMS noticed that everyone was saying Babylon 5 was just a remake of The Lord of the Rings, or Star Wars, or the Bible, or Mr. Smith Goes To Washington, or what have you, and he realized no one had drawn any parallels with Arthurian mythology. So the entire episode came out of Marcus's little rant at the end.

Not that there's anything wrong with that. I mean, The Terminator got started by James Cameron having the image of a metal skeleton coming out a roaring inferno with murder in it's robotic eyes.