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Babylon 5 (4th trip)

"Deathwalker"

"The station becomes a hotbed of galactic controversy when Sinclair is forced to protect a notorious war criminal -- a scientist who's invented an immortality serum. Ambassador Kosh hires telepath Talia Winters to oversee a very unusual negotiation."

A good Star Trek-type episode that played on the characters morals. Sinclair's solution was good but having the Vorlons show up was even better. I loved when they were such a mystery and still so powerful. Can't wait for the Shadows. Unfortunately a lot of bad episodes are on the way next.
Another great example of a mediocre episode but with a few excellent scenes that really add to it. In this case, the scenes with Kosh, especially with Talia rocked.
 
I've always been fond of this episode for the things it sets up. As the parents run along to the ambassadors we learn a lot about the ambassador or their alien culture. We learn a whole lot about Franklin, too. And, of course, the kid dies. Fifteen years ago that was still pretty startling.

Jan
Yeah, I think the child being killed was one of the most poignant scenes of the first season; especially for an event that had really little to do with the ongoing B5 plot.
 
"Survivors"

"Garibaldi's past catches up to him, with some disastrous consequences. He's blamed by some for an accident aboard B5, which leads to hitting the bottle again after a prolonged abstinence."

Another fairly standard sci-fi plot. A main character is accused of a crime they would never commit. What made this episode better was that Garibaldi failed. When times got too tough he went back to the bottle. And this would be a problem that would stick with him for the rest of the show. I really like that and I think that might be why Garibaldi is one of my favorite characters.
Yes, a good episode for letting us see the bond between Sinclair and Garibaldi.

RE: SIGNS AND PORTENTS
Yup, not much more for me to say. My 2nd favourite episode of season 1 after the finale.
 
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"TKO"

"An old friend of Garibaldi's arrives and tries to take part in a dangerous alien combat sport. A rabbi helps Ivanova come to terms with her father's death."

UFC before there was a UFC? Very very average stuff nothing of note really.
 
"TKO"

"An old friend of Garibaldi's arrives and tries to take part in a dangerous alien combat sport. A rabbi helps Ivanova come to terms with her father's death."

UFC before there was a UFC? Very very average stuff nothing of note really.

Well, other than the name of Garibaldi's friend, maybe........
 
"TKO"

"An old friend of Garibaldi's arrives and tries to take part in a dangerous alien combat sport. A rabbi helps Ivanova come to terms with her father's death."

UFC before there was a UFC? Very very average stuff nothing of note really.
I thought it was an interesting portrayal of racism on the parts of the aliens rather than the humans for a change.

What I liked about the early episodes that weren't heavily arc-related is that they provided the...texture, for lack of a better word, of the station. Once things got involved with the Shadow War and conflict with Earth, you at least had gotten a glimpse of the everyday life on the Station and knew that there were still sporting events and petty lawsuits and disgruntled workers and people just going about their business even though we didn't see much of it anymore.

Jan
 
I thought it was an interesting portrayal of racism on the parts of the aliens rather than the humans for a change.

Jan

I think it went both ways actually. Walker Smith did refer to the aliens as "snakeheads". Not very nice.
 
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"Grail"

"A traveller comes to B5, seeking the Holy Grail. A series of unexplained attacks on several Lurkers may be linked to Ambassador Kosh."

Yawn.
 
"TKO"

"An old friend of Garibaldi's arrives and tries to take part in a dangerous alien combat sport. A rabbi helps Ivanova come to terms with her father's death."

UFC before there was a UFC? Very very average stuff nothing of note really.

Well, other than the name of Garibaldi's friend, maybe........
Not many a boxer that can claim to be named after a packet of crisps.
 
"Grail"

"A traveller comes to B5, seeking the Holy Grail. A series of unexplained attacks on several Lurkers may be linked to Ambassador Kosh."

Yawn.

David Warner wasted on the series if you ask me. This is the episode director Richard Compton was fired on, and apparently he did as little work as possible, leaving others to sometimes direct scenes, in anger. It was a good choice to drop him, though. I found his directing to be heavy handed, and others (like Mike Vejar) got better performances out of the actors.
 
"TKO"

"An old friend of Garibaldi's arrives and tries to take part in a dangerous alien combat sport. A rabbi helps Ivanova come to terms with her father's death."

UFC before there was a UFC? Very very average stuff nothing of note really.

Well, other than the name of Garibaldi's friend, maybe........
Not many a boxer that can claim to be named after a packet of crisps.

I'm kinda lost.......
 
I watched Midnight on the Firing Line last night and am watching Soul Hunter today. I didn't mean to start watching the series again... but it happened!
 
And once you're hooked, it's impossible to turn it off :mad:
Indeed!

"Eyes"

"An internal affairs investigation of Sinclair forces him to answer for his recent command decisions. Ivanova confronts a member of Psi-Corps, as well as her own fears, when she is told to submit to a scan."

Another story that I felt I've seen before. However, this was done well. Probably one of the better performances from O'Hare. His mastery of the regulations was fantastic. Gregory Martin chewed the scenery to in classic B5 style. Very good episode.
 
Ugh. I can't stand Martin's performance in that episode. He chews the scenery far out of proportion to anyone else.

At first, I think this one was supposed to be a clip show, but as further drafts and post-production edits were made, most of the clips ended up being excised.

I think the best part of Eyes is Jeffery Combs, and it's a shame he doesn't return to the series. His character might have made an interesting counterpoint to Bester. And as far as I can recall, he doesn't even show up in the Psi Corp Trilogy, though correct me if I'm wrong...
 
I think the best part of Eyes is Jeffery Combs, and it's a shame he doesn't return to the series. His character might have made an interesting counterpoint to Bester. And as far as I can recall, he doesn't even show up in the Psi Corp Trilogy, though correct me if I'm wrong...

Agreed. I thought Combs did a great job, and it's a shame we don't see him again. It's rare when you become sympathetic with a member of Psi Corp, and Combs pulled that off.

Oh well, I hear he went on to do some other sci-fi series.;)
 
Ugh. I can't stand Martin's performance in that episode. He chews the scenery far out of proportion to anyone else.
Word is that he was going through a nasty divorce at the time. Even so, the director did his best to rein him in...it just didn't work.

At first, I think this one was supposed to be a clip show, but as further drafts and post-production edits were made, most of the clips ended up being excised.
According to Larry DiTillio's intro in the Other Voices Volume 2 script book, this is partly the case. One of the reasons that the clips didn't get used was because doing so would have triggered substantial payments to the actors appearing in the clips.

I gather that this episode, #122 in production order, btw, was very much a product of the budget and the actors still available to be used that late in the season.

Jan
 
"Legacies"

"A girl entering puberty exhibits telepathic abilities, and the crew must decide whether to turn her over to the Psi Corps. The corpse of the Minbari military leader who oversaw the Battle of the Line is the focus of a diplomatic incident."

God was that girl a terrible actor. This show clearly a build up for the finally. Of course with the big chrysalis hint at the end.
 
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