Watching Babylon 5 for the first time... *Spoilers, duh*
- Thread starter Quinton O'Connor
- Start date
Now there's a story that Jeff is sure to be interested in. But I'll let Forbin tell it.
Which? What? Where?
Now I have to go watch Knightriders again...
Jan summarizes it here. And after that, you mention "Knightriders"
Just thought I'd mention I'm having a look at the original cut of 'The Gathering' for the first time in ages. Oh dear god, the music burns my ears!
Actually, in all seriousness, I'm surprised at how much stuff was actually cut out for the SE as was put back in. Mostly it consists of pointless shots of Del Varner aimlessly wandering around looking smarmy (seriously, was the actor doing that on purpose?) and Dr. Kyle sitting in medlab not having a clue what's going on.
Actually, in all seriousness, I'm surprised at how much stuff was actually cut out for the SE as was put back in. Mostly it consists of pointless shots of Del Varner aimlessly wandering around looking smarmy (seriously, was the actor doing that on purpose?) and Dr. Kyle sitting in medlab not having a clue what's going on.
That's a good point. At the same time, though, I was trying to hear the guy out for a while, thinking that perhaps he was going somewhere with his rant. Mainly because he mentioned the Minbari.
So I was more than a little underwhelmed when his stint devolved into getting cold feet when his righteous killer reminded him of its fang size.
Now there's a story that Jeff is sure to be interested in. But I'll let Forbin tell it.
Which? What? Where?
Now I have to go watch Knightriders again...
Jan summarizes it here. And after that, you mention "Knightriders"
Oh my. That's... hilarious.
Who was Del Varner again?
Oh right. Him.
By the way, I watched "And The Rock Cried Out, No Hiding Place" before bed last night but I have to be going in a couple of minutes so my post will be arriving later.
For now, I have only this to say: Gospel + bludgeoning = oh dear!
"And The Rock Cried Out, No Hiding Place"
[Z minus seven paragraphs]
CASTING CALL: "AND THE ROCK..."
REVEREND WILL DEXTER: Late forties to late fifties. African; proud of sound and stature. Must have good public speaking skills.
RABBI LEO MEYERS: Late forties to early sixties. Middle Eastern; polite. Must be a native of the planet Abydos.
SINGING WOMAN: Late twenties to late forties. Any ethnicity; loud. Must be able to get audience in 'the groove' while footage depicts brutal death of tyrant.
VARIOUS RELIGIOUS LEADERS: Any ages; various ethnicities. Must be able to sing along with music not related to their religious depictions and be okay with this.
[Z minus six paragraphs]
Poor Vir. He's been bounced around, stepped on, seduced by the most monstrous character since "Infection" (specifically, Sinclair in that episode; the monster is comic relief) and now Londo is using and abusing him for personal gain. At least he wasn't tortured... he's not important enough for death, as Londo claims.
[Z minus five paragraphs]
"And The Rock..." was a fun hour mainly for the Centauri intrigue. I was pleased to see Lord Refa meet his end, although I'm bummed that I'll not see William Forward's vicious portrayal of the character again in the future. Still, if you have to go, getting bludgeoned to death by several vengeful Narns is a fun way to do it. The memorable scene at the end, combining the gospel and Refa's demise, didn't creep me out or make me laugh uncomfortably as JMS apparently desired; instead I laughed quite boisterously, hugely entertained by this choice in directing.
[Z minus four paragraphs]
The Sheridan story wasn't quite as strong, but it wasn't bad, either. I actually rather enjoyed the reverend. He didn't push the word 'God' out of his mouth every other sentence and when he did bring up his beliefs, they were done in a compelling and relatable way. There was a meaning for his arrival -- he and Delenn snapped Sheridan out of his rut.
[Z minus three paragraphs]
So they've got themselves a whole fleet of White Stars, now, and Delenn's first kiss with Sheridan is Sheridan's second, because nothing is as it seems in Babylon 5. Well, I reckon it's time to kick some Shadow ass -- or 'butt', as the show uses more often. I can't wait to see where this countdown is headed, but I'm not getting the answer now so I'll leave you with the unsatisfying lack of countdown closure I received! Nyah!
[Z minus seven paragraphs]
CASTING CALL: "AND THE ROCK..."
REVEREND WILL DEXTER: Late forties to late fifties. African; proud of sound and stature. Must have good public speaking skills.
RABBI LEO MEYERS: Late forties to early sixties. Middle Eastern; polite. Must be a native of the planet Abydos.
SINGING WOMAN: Late twenties to late forties. Any ethnicity; loud. Must be able to get audience in 'the groove' while footage depicts brutal death of tyrant.
VARIOUS RELIGIOUS LEADERS: Any ages; various ethnicities. Must be able to sing along with music not related to their religious depictions and be okay with this.
[Z minus six paragraphs]
Poor Vir. He's been bounced around, stepped on, seduced by the most monstrous character since "Infection" (specifically, Sinclair in that episode; the monster is comic relief) and now Londo is using and abusing him for personal gain. At least he wasn't tortured... he's not important enough for death, as Londo claims.
[Z minus five paragraphs]
"And The Rock..." was a fun hour mainly for the Centauri intrigue. I was pleased to see Lord Refa meet his end, although I'm bummed that I'll not see William Forward's vicious portrayal of the character again in the future. Still, if you have to go, getting bludgeoned to death by several vengeful Narns is a fun way to do it. The memorable scene at the end, combining the gospel and Refa's demise, didn't creep me out or make me laugh uncomfortably as JMS apparently desired; instead I laughed quite boisterously, hugely entertained by this choice in directing.
[Z minus four paragraphs]
The Sheridan story wasn't quite as strong, but it wasn't bad, either. I actually rather enjoyed the reverend. He didn't push the word 'God' out of his mouth every other sentence and when he did bring up his beliefs, they were done in a compelling and relatable way. There was a meaning for his arrival -- he and Delenn snapped Sheridan out of his rut.
[Z minus three paragraphs]
So they've got themselves a whole fleet of White Stars, now, and Delenn's first kiss with Sheridan is Sheridan's second, because nothing is as it seems in Babylon 5. Well, I reckon it's time to kick some Shadow ass -- or 'butt', as the show uses more often. I can't wait to see where this countdown is headed, but I'm not getting the answer now so I'll leave you with the unsatisfying lack of countdown closure I received! Nyah!
Yeah, the payoff is definitely more worthwhile on Babylon 5 than with the majority of other shows I've watched. I was just surprised the countdown didn't resolve itself before the episode was over -- that's one thing even the more serialized dramas usually conclude.
Of course, if I were a betting man I'd guess that 'Z' stands for 'Zha'dum', since the magic eight ball is telling me that's the title for the season finale...
Of course, if I were a betting man I'd guess that 'Z' stands for 'Zha'dum', since the magic eight ball is telling me that's the title for the season finale...
Fun tidbit: It's revealed in a novel that Londo's opening narration for "The Gathering" (original cut, not the reedit) is actually the opening of his memoirs on his years on Babylon 5 as a whole. In which case, it becomes even more unlikely that Del Varner is "one man on a mission of destruction" who endangered galactic peace "as never before." I mean, heck, it doesn't even apply if "The Gathering" is the only Babylon 5 that ever made; The Minbari assassin is the one who actually did all that stuff, no matter how many shots of Varner they put in over that p[art of the narration.
No, I think it's fairly obvious who that description fits for the show as a whole.
Dr. Zoidberg arrives to the station to replace Dr. Franklin.
"Captain Sheridan, it's been years since medical school, so remind me. Disembowelling in your species: fatal or non-fatal?"
Yeah, that praying mantis alien from early season one. It couldn't be any more obvious. He's been quiet for years now, gathering his forces for an assault from within.
Excellent.
HEY...Remember, Jeff asked for no Spoilers for future episodes be posted in this thread...sheesh
I know it's splitting hairs, but he does say "never before", not "never before or since."
Oh I agree that line was probably meant to be a reference to the Wind Sword assassin and the shots of Varner were probably a bit of intentional misdirection. Not very effective since the story wasn't nearly focused enough to qualify as a mystery, it just came off as confusing.
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