A Niner Watches Babylon 5 (NO spoilers, please)

I'm surprised with the love for The Corp is Mother, The Corps is Father. I found that episode to be incredibly dull. I was sad that it was the swan song (at least on screen) for such a great character as Bester. It just didn't go anywhere, and didn't matter.

 

Bester Trivia: Unlike everyone else, Bester was not rid of Byron after his death. The 3rd Psi Corps book reveals that Bester was in his mind, still trying to talk him down when he went kaboom. As a result he gets an impression, or echo of Byron's mind (much like that mirror trick he did in this episode) stuck in his head for years afterwards, taunting the little git.

This was very nearly not Bester's on-screen swan song; before Crusade was cancelled, the very next episode that was to be filmed would have featured Bester, now a war criminal on the run with agents of a powerful corporate type with a grudge hot at his heels.

And that's the way we like it! What? You think it's an accident that everyone hates us?

 

When Byron blowed himself and his sheeple up, my wife actually said "Oh, thank god."

 

The Drazi are my favourites too. I consider them, in a very real way, the "heart" of Babylon Five. I couldn't imagine the show without them. And the visit to their homeworld was a good sequence of scenes. Nice visual designs and a nice change of pace- it was good to get away from the confines of the station for a bit (well, there was the Royal Palace on Centauri Prime, but that's quite confining too).

 

Aw. I was hoping for an episode where Zach and Franklin went running through his head for some reason.

You mean in the story I linked to?

Personally, I think it's a money grabbing exercise and I wouldn't be at all surprised if they sold the certificates to anyone willing to pay regardless of their descent. Not that I'm complaining, the more money foreigners pay for stuff like that the less I'll have to pay in the future.

I just thought it was gross incompetence.


Mediations on the Abyss (**)

Lennier returns to the station and he's sent on a secret mission to zzzzz zzzzzzzz zzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

It's not entirely boring, but it's not exactly what I consider interesting either. Lennier meets a screw-up that has no place being in the Rangers, the screw-up screws up, then he tries to kill himself but Lennier screws that up for him, then the screw-up is given a desk job so that he's out of the way. What is this, the civil service? Anyway, nothing really happens here.

Meanwhile, Vir is promoted to Ambassador and he zzzzzz zzzzzzzz zzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

This story isn't all that boring either, and I was wondering at the beginning of this episode where Vir has been for the last few months. But other than attacking a Drazi with a sword, not much happened here either.

G'Kar got a new eye so now he zzzz zzzzzzz zzzzzzz.

Okay, I'm being really unfair on this episode in the written section, but I've scored it a 4, which officially means "meh". This appears to be one of those lulls between story arcs where pieces are put into place very slowly for the arc to come. It's all necessary, but it's not the most exciting television. The best parts involved Sheridan and co talking about the situation involving the Centauri and the ships that are getting blowed up real good. My guess is that the truth will be revealed and Sheridan will have to go through with his promise that he'd assist the other races in getting revenge. And that will be the fall of Centauri Prime that was prophesied by the DVD case.

 

This is what I get for writing a response while alt-tabbing.

I just think it's a miraculous coincidence that this idea occured during an economic downturn.

I thought that was the best strand of the episode.

Actually, let me rephrase that: It's the only strand I remember. This episode is a complete blank. "There is a hole in your mind"; I think is the Minbari expression. There are a couple of unmemorable episodes in the mid stretch of the season, really.

I recall the human captain seeming a little dull; the Minbari others a trifle petulant, and the whole thing held together by Lennier, a character that generally I've liked.

 

That episode always put me to sleep, too. You have a good run ahead of you, though.

 

For some reason, I always thought the Captain's dead sister was Bester's first lover in the PsiCorps Trilogy.

 

I wondered that, too. I mean, there are only so many Montoyas mentioned in Babylon 5 (not like how every third character is named "David"), but one's an Elizabeth and the other's a Maria, so that's probably not the case.

 

Random note, but for anyone out there who has Netflix but doesn't own Babylon 5 on DVD (like me), Netflix now has all five seasons available on their Instant Streaming service.

 

Any idea where I might get a copy of Crusade and the moives?

 

Darkness Ascending (***½)

Rather than discussing things rationally to decide the best course of action, Delenn and Sheridan go behind one another's backs and then have a rational conversation. Wait, what? Never mind, by this point they've already screwed up because Lennier has decided he doesn't want to be a pawn in their marriage and he runs away to join the circus. On the way to the circus, he hitch-hikes on a Centauri cruiser and ends up witnessing an atrocity. He records it thinking he can get 500 credits by selling it to "The Galaxy's Funniest Home Movies", but it turns out that what he has recorded is important evidence that indicates that the Centauri are bullies. Now the galaxy is on the brink of war, and Lennier doesn't get his money.

Meanwhile, Lyta attempts to whore herself out to G'Kar in order to get some sweet, sweet crack. And by crack I mean large transport vessels that she plans to use to find a homeworld for telepaths. G'Kar agrees, but he passes up the sex offering because he's a religious leader now and he fears being embroiled in a scandal.

Things get worse for Garibaldi as Lise shows up and she confronts him about his drinking. He agrees to give up alcohol while she is on the station but an annoying maître d' that has no understanding of tact pushes him over the edge. Good on you, Garibaldi! If I may be serious for a moment, this was the most interesting part of the episode for me, and I'm intrigued as to where Garibaldi is heading. There's not many episodes of the series left so is there a chance for a last-minute redemption, or is Garibaldi doomed to ruin his life once again?

 

That's one of the great things about this series - that you can honestly wonder about the fate of a main character.

BTW, I'm glad you made it back, too, TGB.

Ja

 

There is a very similar scene in JMS's Spider-Man comic. I guess the man has a grudge against food service staff.

 

Totally on Garibaldi's side in this episode by the way. That waiter was a complete git. I would have cheered if Garibaldi had just decked him.

 

I know JMS doesn't drink (though I don't know if he's AA or just, you know, doesn't drink), but it is something he has a certain sensitivity to, and I guess he sees waiters as pushers who insist if you aren't having alcohol, you're doing something wrong. (Though if you are having coffee with dinner... you kind of are...)

 

I don't see what's wrong with having coffee with dinner (tea man, m'self) and honestly I've never gone to a restaurant where it's expected that I order wine (but my idea of a 'restaurant' includes McDonalds, what do I know?).

The idea that'd occur in the present day, let alone the future, did strike me as a little preposterous at the time. If it is done it makes the scene more explicable but not really the motivation.

 

The scene with the waiter is something that actually happened to Joe at a restaurant in Los Angeles once when he tried to order coffee.

 

Just doesn't drink. He's said several times that there's alcoholism going back generations in his family so he doesn't touch the stuff.

Jan