B5: Objects at Rest...I don't know if I like it

[RoJoHen]

I'm at the end of my 3rd viewing of B5 all the way through. Tonight I watched "Objects in Motion" and "Objects at Rest" and decided that I don't really care for the latter. "Objects in Motion" feels like the perfect ending to the series (I view "Sleeping in Light" as more of an epilogue to the rest). We say goodbye to everyone, and then Delenn and Sheridan decide to walk the length of the station. It feels like a good place to stop.

Then "Objects at Rest" happens. It has some nice moments. It sets up the idea of the evil Centauri birthday present from Londo. But it also completely butchers the character of Lennier. Lennier kind of got the shaft in Season 5 anyway, but this episode actually has the gall to have him leave Sheridan for dead?! The whole "Lennier loves Delenn" storyline was pretty thin to begin with, and I just have a hard time believing he would let those feelings get in the way of his duty. It was completely out of character.

Aside from that, I just felt like the entire episode was tacked on to an already perfect send-off. I believe you could delete "Objects at Rest" from existence and not feel like you've missed anything at all.

 

[Jan]

I never had any issues with Lennier being in love with Delenn and I disliked how badly Delenn handled it. While I was a little surprised at Lennier's actions on the way to Minbar the first time I saw it, the next time I watched "The Summoning", I saw the shot of Lennier watching Sheridan on the catwalk and it was anything but a happy expression on his face.

I liked that we saw Sheridan and Delenn setting up on Minbar and the general quietness of the episode.

Jan

 

[Thor Damar]

The scene with Londo was very powerful and moving. But then Londo was one of the best things about B5, the other being the Late G'kar.

I liked this episode, understated yet powerfully sets up the finale.

 

[Jan]

I liked this episode, understated yet powerfully sets up the finale.

That's a good point. Would we really understand what Emperor Vir meant when he said that despite 'all the things that he (Londo) did', he still missed him without having seen him deliver a Keeper to his friends disguised as a gift?

Jan

 

[Thor Damar]

I liked this episode, understated yet powerfully sets up the finale.

That's a good point. Would we really understand what Emperor Vir meant when he said that despite 'all the things that he (Londo) did', he still missed him without having seen him deliver a Keeper to his friends disguised as a gift?

Jan

^ That bit always brings a tear to my eyes.

 

[Mr Light]

I seem to recall being underwhelmed with this episode as well, but I don't remember what happened in which episode anymore. The Lennier betrayal was certainly executed in an horribly artificial way.

 

[Jan]

If you've ever been tempted to do something knowing that nobody would ever find out, that's what happened to Lennier in that moment. Doesn't matter if you were just tempted to scratch in an indelicate place or tempted to steal money, it's the same impulse that overcame Lennier.

I liked the scene of his goodbye to Delenn. Bill Mumy didn't have a lot of scenes that let him play a nuanced character but he nailed that one.

Jan

 

[Forbin]

And I'll forever remember that TNT spoiled that Lennier-betrayal moment for us by showing it in the goddamn promo!

 

[JoeD80]

Aside from that, I just felt like the entire episode was tacked on to an already perfect send-off. I believe you could delete "Objects at Rest" from existence and not feel like you've missed anything at all.

Whatever your feelings on Lennier (since I already went on about this in another thread I won't bother here), why would you want to skip this episode and miss:

Ta'Lon taking over as ambassador for the Narn.
Dr. Hobbs becoming Chief of Staff.
Garibaldi promoting the trouble employees of Edgars Industries.
Dr. Franklin leaving the station in a quietly dignified manner.
Zack telling Sheridan he'll be at the station when they turn off the lights.
Lochley and crew saluting Sheridan as his ship leaves.
Londo giving the gift (especially since this was set up in season 3 in "War Without End." Here's the payoff here!)
Londo being told by the Drakh to wait for the passage of years (I always loved that scene; nice and creepy)
Sheridan's final message to David (since he expects to be dead before David is 21).

 

[Elemental]

I never had any issues with Lennier being in love with Delenn and I disliked how badly Delenn handled it. While I was a little surprised at Lennier's actions on the way to Minbar the first time I saw it, the next time I watched "The Summoning", I saw the shot of Lennier watching Sheridan on the catwalk and it was anything but a happy expression on his face.
Jan

Are you kidding? That was as close to a smile as Lennier comes! Seriously, for such a positive dramatic moment, why would they hurt it by showing someone giving Sheridan a frown?

I personally love the way they concluded things for Lennier in a tragic sort of way. He's been the perfect moral upstanding loyal character and right at the end he makes a terrible mistake. I do think some of the unrequieted love scenes were a bit cheesy/forced, such as Lennier leaving to join the Rangers so that Delenn might better respect him. But I suppose that isn't entirely unbelievable either. Lennier just wasn't always the greatest acted character.

 

[JoeD80]

I do think some of the unrequieted love scenes were a bit cheesy/forced, such as Lennier leaving to join the Rangers so that Delenn might better respect him.

His reason stated in the episode ("The Very Long Night of Londo Mollari") is that he wants to fill the hole left by Marcus' death in addition to wanting Delenn's respect.

 

[Ryan Thomas Riddle]

I do think some of the unrequieted love scenes were a bit cheesy/forced, such as Lennier leaving to join the Rangers so that Delenn might better respect him.

His reason stated in the episode ("The Very Long Night of Londo Mollari") is that he wants to fill the hole left by Marcus' death in addition to wanting Delenn's respect.

Yes, well that's the truth he's willing to openly admit to -- the one told to others but not really the truth inside his heart.

As JMS stated in Vol. 11, Lennier's reason is this:

Excerpt from Babylon 5: The Scripts of J. Michael Straczynski, Vol. 11, pg. 65

Delenn loves Sheridan. Sheridan is an adventurer. Therefore if I become more adventurous, Delenn will love me.

 

[sidious618]

I loved this episode and thought that Lennier's betrayal was a long time in coming.

 

[Elemental]

^I get goosebumps in that scene everytime. The only part of the episode that is better is when the ship makes its last pass in front of the Command Center.

 

[RoJoHen]

Aside from that, I just felt like the entire episode was tacked on to an already perfect send-off. I believe you could delete "Objects at Rest" from existence and not feel like you've missed anything at all.

Whatever your feelings on Lennier (since I already went on about this in another thread I won't bother here), why would you want to skip this episode and miss:

Ta'Lon taking over as ambassador for the Narn.
Dr. Hobbs becoming Chief of Staff.
Garibaldi promoting the trouble employees of Edgars Industries.
Dr. Franklin leaving the station in a quietly dignified manner.
Zack telling Sheridan he'll be at the station when they turn off the lights.
Lochley and crew saluting Sheridan as his ship leaves.
Londo giving the gift (especially since this was set up in season 3 in "War Without End." Here's the payoff here!)
Londo being told by the Drakh to wait for the passage of years (I always loved that scene; nice and creepy)
Sheridan's final message to David (since he expects to be dead before David is 21).

As I said, the episode does have some excellent scenes and character moments. And while I do enjoy them, when I watch "Objects in Motion," it feels like a more satisfying end to the season than "Objects at Rest."

 

[Mr Light]

As I recall, Motion actually had a storyline with the assassin, whereas Rest was just a series of 'see ya' vignettes and the only 'event' to happen was the miraculously convenient coolant leak that just happened to happen while Sheridan was there and Lennier just happened to be going by. Is that right?

 

[EnsignRicky]

I'd have to agree if for no other reason, five years of Lennier destroyed in five minutes.

 

[JoeD80]

As I recall, Motion actually had a storyline with the assassin, whereas Rest was just a series of 'see ya' vignettes and the only 'event' to happen was the miraculously convenient coolant leak that just happened to happen while Sheridan was there and Lennier just happened to be going by. Is that right?

Yeah, Objects in Motion is the one with the assassin.

On the leak:

1) Sheridan was wandering the ship because he couldn't sit still, as stated in the episode earlier. He tells Delenn he's going for a walk.
2) A Ranger was the first to notice the coolant leak; Sheridan wasn't there yet.
3) Sheridan finds him on his walk and decides to run in and rescue him when the automatic ship sealing system goes into effect; the ranger told him to leave but Sheridan doesn't want to leave the ranger to die and gets sealed in too
4) Lennier came in after the area had already been sealed.
5) Why is a coolant leak hard to believe? Accidents happen. Does there really need to be a set-up episode to believe this? (What would that episode be? "How to Service and Maintain Your White-Star Every 100 Hyperspace Jumps"?)

I'd have to agree if for no other reason, five years of Lennier destroyed in five minutes.

This had been set up long before in episodes such as "Ceremonies of Light and Dark" and "Meditations on the Abyss."

 

[AJBryant]

That's a good point. Would we really understand what Emperor Vir meant when he said that despite 'all the things that he (Londo) did', he still missed him without having seen him deliver a Keeper to his friends disguised as a gift?

I'm sorry, but I just can't parse this sentence.

What?

 

[Jan]

That's a good point. Would we really understand what Emperor Vir meant when he said that despite 'all the things that he (Londo) did', he still missed him without having seen him deliver a Keeper to his friends disguised as a gift?

I'm sorry, but I just can't parse this sentence.

What?

Sorry. It was in response to Thor Damar posting that this episode sets up 'Sleeping in Light' really well. My thought was that if we hadn't seen Londo leaving the Keeper in the urn for Sheridan and Delenn's child, we wouldn't have understood what Vir meant when he said that he missed Londo 'despite everything he'd done'. Up to that point we hadn't seen anything that the Keeper had forced Londo to do. Having seen Londo do something like that to his friends gave a clear indication of just how much control the Keeper could exert on him. So even though we never see Londo acting against the best interest of Centauri Prime, it's easier for us to accept that there were incidents that Vir was thinking of when he made that toast.

Jan