Yeah, DS9 wins here. I'm sort of in two minds about Sic Transit Vir - it is pretty funny and disturbing, but I'm not sure it quite comes together. Hard Time has a great concept and you can't go too far wrong with Colm Meaney, so even if this isn't my favourite "torture O'Brien" episode, it's definitely a strong outing.
DS9 Versus: A viewing experient
- Thread starter Sykonee
- Start date
"Hard Time" is definitely one of DS9's best episodes in my books. It pretty much rests its case on Colm Meaney's ability to give a powerful, emotional performance - a safe bet, in other words. That it's well written is just icing on the cake.
O'Brien Must Suffer episodes are a DS9 hallmark and frequently a high point of any given season, but this one goes the extra mile. I like Vir, he's got a nice character arc, but the kid's in over his head.
My work here is done.
O'Brien Must Suffer episodes are a DS9 hallmark and frequently a high point of any given season, but this one goes the extra mile. I like Vir, he's got a nice character arc, but the kid's in over his head.
My work here is done.
Reading was obviously not my strong suit yesterday evening. Apologies for my illiteracy.
Though, I have to say, I've seen a lot more noise on these boards about Babylon 5 than I have about Farscape. I think the muppets combined with the general weirdness, as well as the lack of a central creative figure like Joe Michael Straczynski, haven't helped its popularity on the internet lately.
Though, I have to say, I've seen a lot more noise on these boards about Babylon 5 than I have about Farscape. I think the muppets combined with the general weirdness, as well as the lack of a central creative figure like Joe Michael Straczynski, haven't helped its popularity on the internet lately.
Hard Time is an excellent DS9 episode and easily beats B5 this week. Poor O'Brien went through some horrible things during his tenure, with this episode being particularly scarring on his psyche. I was disappointed that the episode wasn't followed up on, which just shows that the damn reset button does prevail on even my favourite Trek series.
I'm slowly being tempted into giving Farscape a chance.
I'm slowly being tempted into giving Farscape a chance.
^
And well you should.
"Crackers Don't Matter" or "Revenging Angel" are precisely the sort of screwball stories you just couldn't really do in the B5verse or Star Trek.
And well you should.
That and Babylon 5 has appreciable hurdles in viewing the show that a Star Trek fan cannot already overlook - poor SFX, dodgy makeup, stiff acting, Trek's suffered from all of those at some point... and stylistically its approach to space opera is pretty similar, as a universe of stodgy aliens rather than a drug trip that went south.
"Crackers Don't Matter" or "Revenging Angel" are precisely the sort of screwball stories you just couldn't really do in the B5verse or Star Trek.
Week 29: (Ending 04.28.96)
DS9 - Shattered Mirror (Airdate 04.22.96)
B5 - A Late Delivery From Avalon (Airdate 04.24.96)
Someone must have sent DS9 this memo:
"Hey, have you been paying any attention to that B5 show? Yeah, the CGI might look kind of cartoony, but man, are they ever doing some incredible space-battles with it! Even better than the Klingon Invasion stuff you were doing last year. You'd better do something just as thrilling soon, else you're going to get left in the dust."
Either that, or the SFX budget department realized they had a whole bunch of left over money, and decided to go all out this week. However, it's a shame it pretty much reduced the whole concept of the Mirror Universe down to a comic book, especially so as it wastes the potentially stirring drama of both Siskos coming to terms with interacting with Jennifer again. That could have been a fascinating look at the concept of a Mirror Universe, but instead is treated as an afterthought in favor of more alternate-reality highjinx.
B5? Eh, okay I guess. York does a fine job as a guest star, but the idea of "King Arthur" arriving on the station isn't terribly interesting, and the psychological drama that ensues from it is functional at best, with a decent enough payoff involving Delenn at the end. The few fun scenes with G'Kar and Marcus don't really make up for the fact that this is even more of a filler episode than Sic Transit Vir was -at least that one dealt with a recurring character.
And for a show that is making its reputation now with ever-evolving story arcs, any kind of filler is going to feel like a let-down. DS9, on the other hand, managed to impress this week, even if it's in a stupid-fun kind of way.
Weekly Winner
DS9
Next:
DS9 - The Muse
VOY - The Thaw
B5 - Ship Of Tears
DS9 - Shattered Mirror (Airdate 04.22.96)
B5 - A Late Delivery From Avalon (Airdate 04.24.96)
Someone must have sent DS9 this memo:
"Hey, have you been paying any attention to that B5 show? Yeah, the CGI might look kind of cartoony, but man, are they ever doing some incredible space-battles with it! Even better than the Klingon Invasion stuff you were doing last year. You'd better do something just as thrilling soon, else you're going to get left in the dust."
Either that, or the SFX budget department realized they had a whole bunch of left over money, and decided to go all out this week. However, it's a shame it pretty much reduced the whole concept of the Mirror Universe down to a comic book, especially so as it wastes the potentially stirring drama of both Siskos coming to terms with interacting with Jennifer again. That could have been a fascinating look at the concept of a Mirror Universe, but instead is treated as an afterthought in favor of more alternate-reality highjinx.
B5? Eh, okay I guess. York does a fine job as a guest star, but the idea of "King Arthur" arriving on the station isn't terribly interesting, and the psychological drama that ensues from it is functional at best, with a decent enough payoff involving Delenn at the end. The few fun scenes with G'Kar and Marcus don't really make up for the fact that this is even more of a filler episode than Sic Transit Vir was -at least that one dealt with a recurring character.
And for a show that is making its reputation now with ever-evolving story arcs, any kind of filler is going to feel like a let-down. DS9, on the other hand, managed to impress this week, even if it's in a stupid-fun kind of way.
Weekly Winner
DS9
Next:
DS9 - The Muse
VOY - The Thaw
B5 - Ship Of Tears
Shattered Mirror has about the best space battle pre-Dominion War, and has a decent story, but it isn't as good as Crossover. After this episode, the mirror universe went downhill. It has just been reduced to fun, but its good fun, unlike the Emperor's New Cloak, which tried to add Ferengis in, which is a general mistake in DS9.
The Sisko family stuff was still reasonably well done, though.
The Sisko family stuff was still reasonably well done, though.
I pick B5 this time. I enjoyed Crossover and Through the Looking Glass, but this mirror universe stuff is starting to get stale now. The Jennifer stuff in the last MU episode was good, but this time it doesn't do anything for me. The episode is very visually impressive, but couldn't they have found a more substantial episode to spend all that money on? A Late Delivery from Avalon isn't exactly earth-shattering, but I found it to be a nice little episode. I liked the stuff about the Minbari war. And c'mon, Sir G'Kar!
ds9 was a good choice here. that post traumatic stress disorder stuff has gone a bit too far. how could the disturbed fellow pass the metal detectors with a 5 foot sword, anyway? i wouldn't mention it, but dureena nafeel had to surrender all her small knives in 'a call to arms' upon arrival.
the only memorable thing about next week's the muse are the crossover acts of tallman and ansara. the thaw is certainly a lot better, but b5 will certainly take the week.
the only memorable thing about next week's the muse are the crossover acts of tallman and ansara. the thaw is certainly a lot better, but b5 will certainly take the week.
That depends. The Thaw is really a love it/hate it episode. Personally, I love it, but maybe Sykonee hates it.
)
I've never seen it. All I know is it's "that one with the clown." Uncharted territory for me next week, my friends. Mind, a lot of S2-3 VOY is.
I see Next week being so even since all three episodes are the kind of episodes which some people adore and some people don't really care for. It completely depends on what each individual feels.
Personally I like all three, sure I don't really find any of them outstanding, but I'd have to almost put Ship of Tears / The Thaw as first (it changes depending on how I feel at any time / what mood I'm in), while The Muse ranks third. It's not that I don't care for it, it's an enjoyable episode, but I just prefer the other two.
Personally I like all three, sure I don't really find any of them outstanding, but I'd have to almost put Ship of Tears / The Thaw as first (it changes depending on how I feel at any time / what mood I'm in), while The Muse ranks third. It's not that I don't care for it, it's an enjoyable episode, but I just prefer the other two.
thank you too. haven't heared of farscape before, and watched the first couple of episodes on youtube. not bad. their aliens are sort of cool.
Week 30: (Ending 05.05.96)
DS9 - The Muse (Airdate 04.29.96)
VOY - The Thaw (Airdate 04.29.96)
B5 - Ship Of Tears (Airdate 05.02.96)
Some rather nice moments for Odo, but DS9 doesn't really have much to offer this week. Well, maybe a little for all the budding writers out there (*cough*). I mean, who wouldn't love to have a sexy seductress stimulating your synapses as you create a timeless work of art? If I had Meg Foster massaging my chakras at that age, Lord knows I'd probably have written something better than your stock Forgotten Realms rip-offs.
It's a shame the climax is kind of silly, what with Super Sisko leaping in to save the day.
The Thaw is ...surreal. I'll grant the set-up takes a bit long, but once Kim gets stuck in the simulation, you feel all bets are off, and the episode doesn't pull any punches either. So many times you think things are in the realm of carnival farce, then it unexpectedly changes to deadly seriousness without missing a beat, then back again. It's actually quite a remarkable bit of directing and performance. My only real complaint is that, well, they didn't push the envelope further. This could have been a truly terrifying episode that sticks with you long ofter, but then this is Trek, where a discussion about the nature of fear is probably more important than psychologically traumatizing the audience.
B5 obviously doesn't get quite that deep into philosophical quandary this week -heck, no where near it. However, after the last couple weeks of stand-alones, we finally get back to some meaty story arc material. On paper, Ship Of Tears probably shouldn't work as well as it does, as there's a lot of 'explaining what's going on' happening here. Yet, bring back Bester, give him plenty of character growth, add another great scene with G'Kar, throw Vejar behind the camera, and we have a solid hour of TV. Not to mention yet another cliff-hanger -a double-one at that! Just as the crew discovers they have a possible weapon to use against the Shadows, out it comes that The Ancient Enemy is finally openly attacking. Oh... shit.
VOY gave a good effort, I cannot deny that. But B5 drops the Shadow Bombshell on us and gets us primed for what's to follow, regaining its momentum after a couple weeks of treading water. Ultimately, it makes you eager for next week's episode, whereas VOY... well, at this point in the series' run, you just hope they can gain any kind of momentum. The Thaw is definitely something to build upon, though S2 has had an unfortunate tendency to quickly squander it.
Weekly Winner
B5
Next:
DS9 - For The Cause
VOY - Tuvix
B5 - Interludes And Examinations
DS9 - The Muse (Airdate 04.29.96)
VOY - The Thaw (Airdate 04.29.96)
B5 - Ship Of Tears (Airdate 05.02.96)
Some rather nice moments for Odo, but DS9 doesn't really have much to offer this week. Well, maybe a little for all the budding writers out there (*cough*). I mean, who wouldn't love to have a sexy seductress stimulating your synapses as you create a timeless work of art? If I had Meg Foster massaging my chakras at that age, Lord knows I'd probably have written something better than your stock Forgotten Realms rip-offs.
It's a shame the climax is kind of silly, what with Super Sisko leaping in to save the day.The Thaw is ...surreal. I'll grant the set-up takes a bit long, but once Kim gets stuck in the simulation, you feel all bets are off, and the episode doesn't pull any punches either. So many times you think things are in the realm of carnival farce, then it unexpectedly changes to deadly seriousness without missing a beat, then back again. It's actually quite a remarkable bit of directing and performance. My only real complaint is that, well, they didn't push the envelope further. This could have been a truly terrifying episode that sticks with you long ofter, but then this is Trek, where a discussion about the nature of fear is probably more important than psychologically traumatizing the audience.
B5 obviously doesn't get quite that deep into philosophical quandary this week -heck, no where near it. However, after the last couple weeks of stand-alones, we finally get back to some meaty story arc material. On paper, Ship Of Tears probably shouldn't work as well as it does, as there's a lot of 'explaining what's going on' happening here. Yet, bring back Bester, give him plenty of character growth, add another great scene with G'Kar, throw Vejar behind the camera, and we have a solid hour of TV. Not to mention yet another cliff-hanger -a double-one at that! Just as the crew discovers they have a possible weapon to use against the Shadows, out it comes that The Ancient Enemy is finally openly attacking. Oh... shit.
VOY gave a good effort, I cannot deny that. But B5 drops the Shadow Bombshell on us and gets us primed for what's to follow, regaining its momentum after a couple weeks of treading water. Ultimately, it makes you eager for next week's episode, whereas VOY... well, at this point in the series' run, you just hope they can gain any kind of momentum. The Thaw is definitely something to build upon, though S2 has had an unfortunate tendency to quickly squander it.
Weekly Winner
B5
Next:
DS9 - For The Cause
VOY - Tuvix
B5 - Interludes And Examinations
Not seen The Thaw.
The Muse is basically one of those "what were they thinking?" episodes. I really enjoyed Lwaxana and Odo's interactions in The Forsaken and Fascination and they still manage to salvage something here, but this story is ridiculous. The Jake stuff doesn't really work either. Funny thing is, this episode has great guest stars, which makes me think it could have been a lot better.
Ship of Tears is a strong outing for B5 which advances the plot nicely. Walter Koenig delivers the goods as usual and I especially like G'Kar's role ("Do not thump the book of G'Quon, it is disrespectful.").
Best week yet?
The Muse is basically one of those "what were they thinking?" episodes. I really enjoyed Lwaxana and Odo's interactions in The Forsaken and Fascination and they still manage to salvage something here, but this story is ridiculous. The Jake stuff doesn't really work either. Funny thing is, this episode has great guest stars, which makes me think it could have been a lot better.
Ship of Tears is a strong outing for B5 which advances the plot nicely. Walter Koenig delivers the goods as usual and I especially like G'Kar's role ("Do not thump the book of G'Quon, it is disrespectful.").
Best week yet?
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