A Niner Watches Babylon 5 (NO spoilers, please)

[TheGodBen]

I had hoped this day would never come, but come it has, and I now find myself at an important crossroads for this thread: Does the Scott Bakula count the number of actors that are Scott Bakula, or does it count the number of characters he plays? I still haven't decided.


Confessions and Lamentations (****½)

Just when I needed to prove I can enjoy standalone episodes, along comes a good one. Coincidence? Or is it just my pain-killers?

Towards the start I was wary that this was going to be a space disease of the week episode, and in the end that's what it was, but this was different that the way such episodes are typically handled by Star Trek. Firstly, in Star Trek you wouldn't have the senior staff considering whether to isolate a whole species in order to contain a disease, especially not to save them from racial assaults. The episode also made the good decision not to put any of the main characters in immediate danger from the disease, there's no ticking time-bomb of doom that we know will be resolved, there's a chance that Franklin will fail and the entire alien race will die out. Which is what happens. Ouch.

What a horrible ending. And by horrible I mean great. Extinction! I like it.

This episode does well to focus on Franklin's tireless efforts to find a cure and Delenn's attempts to provide aid to the sick, as well as the racial tension building between the Markab and the rest of the races. I even like the message about how sickness shouldn't be stigmatised because all that does is let the innocent suffer. Okay, so it's an obvious AIDS allegory, but that's okay because nobody gave a speech about tolerance, and all the idiots died. Win-win.

 

[CorporalClegg]

It also contains what is IMO one of the key character moments of the whole series.

 

[Stone_Cold_Sisko]

I know I'm beating a dead horse here... But again, when most of your post text is spoiler code, perhaps you should post it elsewhere?

Sorry, that requires a little common sense, and impulse control. We all know that's beyond the abilities of most hardcore fans of a show

 

[Lindley]

A lack of impulse control leads to uncoded spoilers. That's a problem.

Coded spoilers indicate a carefully considered decision to make an aside from the main purpose of the thread in such a way that it does not damage the purpose of the thread.

They only become a problem when they lead into a lengthy discussion, in which case a separate thread is appropriate; but in most cases that has not happened here.

 

[Stone_Cold_Sisko]

A lack of impulse control leads to uncoded spoilers. That's a problem.

Coded spoilers indicate a carefully considered decision to make an aside from the main purpose of the thread in such a way that it does not damage the purpose of the thread.

They only become a problem when they lead into a lengthy discussion, in which case a separate thread is appropriate; but in most cases that has not happened here.

Agree and disagree. If someone who's watching a show for the first time, like say, this thread, says "I really like this plot, wow, I wonder where this is going to lead!" to actually put an answer in the thread of where it's going to lead, even coded, is just obnoxious. Like a guy who's really loud on a cell phone next to you.

Its not against the rules, and there's nothing morally wrong with it, I just consider it stupid and self-indulgent to put stuff that's so blatantly against the point of the thread (someone who's watching the show the first time)

Keep in mind I'm more referring to stuff like the direct-answer examples I gave above, where coded spoilers are posted as if they were part of a back and forth discussion with the person who doesnt want to read them.

 

[Reverend]

What a horrible ending. And by horrible I mean great. Extinction! I like it.

One of the main things that drew me to B5 back in the day (I didn't catch it properly until well into season 2) was that although the show was episodic, there were definite consequences and no magical reset button like on Star Trek. Of course these days it's par for the course, but back then it was a revelation.

In this case the Markab, who have been there since season one (the Ambassador showed up in 'Deathwalker' though the race wasn't named until 'Soul Mates') are dead, gone and will never be seen again. They will not however, be forgotten, which is another thing B5 had going for it. You get a real sense of a larger history and that all we're seeing is a brief but significant 5 year period. Important stuff happened before it and equally important stuff will happen after it.

 

[Hound of UIster]

Spoiler: ./#*

Could this disease that doomed the Markab be some variant of the Shadow plague that the Drakh used?

 

[Kegg]

Confessions and Lamentations (****½)

Just when I needed to prove I can enjoy standalone episodes, along comes a good one. Coincidence? Or is it just my pain-killers?

This is the episode I've been mentioning as the example of a very good stand-alone episode in spoiler tags (most recently a page ago). It was also basically the one standalone episode form season two I'd rank among the top tier; the others were "The Coming of Shadows", "In the Shadow of Z'ha'dum", and some episodes you have yet to see.

If I were to criticize it a little (and why not?) the final tasteless joke sounded a lot like the sort of joke someone who's never heard a racist comment but has heard of them might write it. Racism tries a lot harder than that half-hearted effort for its yuks, has been my experience. But I disgress.

It's tempting to compare this to "Believers", since both are medical dramas that make the best of Franklin, and especially feature Franklin getting royally kicked to the curb with a bitterly surprising downer ending... religious intolerance within the alien race leads to catastrophic disaster...

 

[Deranged Nasat]

Alas, poor Markabs. The League of Non Aligned Worlds shall not see your like again. Your stalwart support and constant background presence will be missed greatly by fans such as myself, as will the touch of alien colour you brought to the station (and the gift shop). Lest we forget, it was your ambassador who sat beside the Abbai and Drazi in the Deathwalker case, as part of the League's leading trio. It was your ambassador who warned of the Dark Hunter and the coming darkness in Council, backing G'Kar's case. It was your merchant who sold Mr. Garibaldi a tuber used for questionable purpose. It was your dead guy who brought us the possession alien in "Knives". You made good Orcha juice, too. Now, no more. Never again shall we gaze upon your squishy, noseless faces, admire your pronounced overbites and/or underbites, listen to Ambassador Fashar getting self-righteous, or confuse you with the Yolu. Rest in peace, Markabs.

Seriously, though, it is indeed a very good episode, and a moving one.

Faith manages...

 

[Can]

Confessions and Lamentations is an exception , a fairly good and decent stand alone episode. Strange thing is when Dr. Franklin is on front then that episode usually have something positive...Markab plague and its tragic consequences were well handled and the downer ending is a sober reminder that not everything is forced reset button happy ending in B5 universe. Really when that kind of panic situation occurs everyone starts looking for scapegoats , least logical or craziest ways to resolve the situation due to fear or old set of established cultural/religious values. Just like Franklin's story about Black Death... Bartender's final racist remark is a clear indication of humanity's ignorance and prejudices are maybe universal and timeless.

 

[Reverend]

Spoiler: ./#*

Could this disease that doomed the Markab be some variant of the Shadow plague that the Drakh used?

Spoiler: never you mind

No, I don't think so. The Shadow nano-virus was much nastier and adaptive. Draffa was very specific in the way it attacked Markab and pak'ma'ra physiology. More to the point, Draffa had a cure. If it was even remotely related then Franklin would have picked up on it while at EarthDome.

Of course that doesn't exclude the possibility that the Shadows used a naturally occurring disease as a weapon, but without proof it's just speculation. The timing is however, highly suspicious.

If I were to criticize it a little (and why not?) the final tasteless joke sounded a lot like the sort of joke someone who's never heard a racist comment but has heard of them might write it. Racism tries a lot harder than that half-hearted effort for its yuks, has been my experience. But I disgress.

To be fair, I'd say it's a racist joke that's been sanitised for family viewing. I've spent a lifetime around squaddies and I've heard just about every racist and utterly filthy "joke" ever conceived and I don't think there's a dignified way represent that little cultural quirk and not get jumped on by the censors.

As for the writer not having heard a racist joke, if memory serves (Jan, correct me if I'm wrong) Straczynski spent a fair portion of his childhood living in very poor, often multi racial neighbourhoods. Hardly a sheltered upbringing. So I'm sure he's encountered the odd racist comment.

 

[Sykonee]

Towards the start I was wary that this was going to be a space disease of the week episode, and in the end that's what it was, but this was different that the way such episodes are typically handled by Star Trek.

Ah, heh. Speaking of Trek and 'disease plots':

JMS: Next time I will try and locate every other producer in town and see what they plan to produce, so I can plan accordingly. When I wrote the episode, Outbreak hadn't been promoted yet or known about, Voyager hadn't aired, ER hadn't told me what they were going to do ...if I'd known there would be such a glut...well, I probably would've done so anyway, because this isn't so much about the plague and saying its' dangerous, but about our attitudes when we are confronted by this, which really hasn't been dealt with that much in SF. (And I'm sorry, but don't even *try* to bring the Voyager story into this; the ship is threatened by a cheese contamination? I almost fell off my chair.)

 

[Jan]

As for the writer not having heard a racist joke, if memory serves (Jan, correct me if I'm wrong) Straczynski spent a fair portion of his childhood living in very poor, often multi racial neighbourhoods. Hardly a sheltered upbringing. So I'm sure he's encountered the odd racist comment.

Sounds likely to me, based on this partial post from 1995:

Lemme explain something to you: I didn't come into the world with a
silver spoon. We were poor. I'm not talking poor lower case letters, I'm
talking POOR. We lived in houses without roofs, without heat in the winter,
always on the run from creditors. You know where poor folks live, Blacnight?
In the poor part of town, which was usually the ethnic part of town. Most of
my life I lived in areas that were mainly black, or hispanic, or puerto
rican. I lived in Newark just before the riots, as a kid, the only white kid
on the whole BLOCK. I've got class photos from schools as a kid, and you
look for row after row, and in the lines of brown and black faces, you find
one -- ONE -- white face. Mine. It ain't a case of "well, sure, some of my
friends were black," ALL of them were. Or Puerto Rican. Or Hispanic.

And at those schools, because I was always the new kid, I got the snot
beaten out of me on a regular basis. Usually by kids with skin color
different from my own. Because that's usually all there was in the
neighborhood. So I got hurt, I got beat up, constantly.

Jan

 

[Neroon]

BTW... in case anyone's interested, Jan is really a "Vicar".

Sorry to blow your cover, Jan.

 

[Stevil2001]

Can someone remind me what the "racist joke" was? I haven't seen this episode in a decade, I think.

 

[David cgc]

Because looking at DVDs is more fun than the alternative...

ISN is airing a report about the extinction of the Markabs.

Bartender: Hey, what do you call 2 billion dead Markabs? Planetary redecorating. *Turns off the TV* News. News gives me the creeps. You know, I heard it was the Vorlons that poisoned the that place. You know how they are.

 

[D Man]

My favorite part of "Confessions and Lamentations" (and it really is one of the best stand-alones, too) is at the end when Delenn breaks down and just says "John..." as Sheridan holds her. Very well done scene.

 

[Kegg]

As for the writer not having heard a racist joke, if memory serves (Jan, correct me if I'm wrong) Straczynski spent a fair portion of his childhood living in very poor, often multi racial neighbourhoods. Hardly a sheltered upbringing. So I'm sure he's encountered the odd racist comment.

I'm not saying that isn't the case; but it's so poorly written it sounds like it's coined by someone with only the foggiest notion of what racist jokes sound like.

 

[Jan]

BTW... in case anyone's interested, Jan is really a "Vicar".

Sorry to blow your cover, Jan.

Aw, Neroon...you told! Methinks that this calls for a visit from the Narn Bat Squad for you!

Jan

 

[TheGodBen]

Divided Loyalties (***½)

Finally, an episode with a revelation which wasn't spoiled to me and which I didn't see coming. I admit it, the episode tricked me three times; the first time was making me think that Ivanova was the spy, which was far too obvious a choice, which is why I thought the episode was going to go that route as a twist. (To make you think that Ivanova couldn't possibly be the sleeper agent because it's too obvious a choice and then pulling a double bluff. Yes, that would have been stupid.) Then Garibaldi tricked me when he pretended he was the sleeper. Damn you Garibaldi, why do you have to make me like you? Finally, I was tricked into thinking it was Ivanova again and that she only claimed to be a telepath as the sleeper agent's way of getting out of being scanned. I admit that I didn't see Talia being the sleeper agent even though it was clearly the most logical choice what with her having spent time with the Psi Corps and everything, so I guess that makes me an idiot. In other obvious news, Ricky Martin is teh gay.

Speaking of teh gay, what was up with Ivanova and Talia? Maybe I'm reading too much into things, but their scenes, particularly the nightgown scene, seemed to be filmed in a sexualised manner, and apparently they slept in the same bed. I have no problem with it if they are bisexual, in fact, if two women want to make out and possibly go to bed with one another then I wholeheartedly encourage it, especially when cameras are involved. But if this episode was intended to imply that they were in a relationship then it handled it in such a weak way that it all felt very awkward. And if they were just friends then it still felt awkward.

Ironically, at the start of this episode I was thinking that I don't see myself rewatching this show once I'm finished, it just hasn't grabbed me the way other shows do. But at the end of this episode I had an urge to watch the first two seasons again knowing what I now know about Ivanova and Talia, so maybe in a few years I will set out to rewatch the show to see how it all fits together.

Scott Bakula: 32