Niners Unite...around Babylon 5!

[OmahaStar]

DeathWalker is one of my favorites, and gives much insight into just how far Earth is willing to go to have "superpowers" ... Just as far as the Minbari were willing to go during the Earth-Minbari war.

Jha'Dur is a truly frightening character, and it would have been easy to go completely over the top with her, but the actress pulls it in just enough to show her utter insanity.

While all this is going on, some developments between Kosh and Talia are happening with the V.C.R. Abbutt.

<span class="spoiler"><font class="small">Spoiler:</font><hr /><span>At this time, the stuff that came out late in season 2 weren't being planned. Had Andrea not chosen to leave the series, the crystal along with what Jason gave her would have led her along the path given to you-know-who starting in season 3. Another lost thread.</span><hr /></span>

It's definately a 5 star episode.

 

[OmahaStar]

Believers

Blah.

This episode had a few nice moments (the parents visiting each of the Ambassadors, for example) but overall, it was not an impressive episode. It did no favor for the Franklin character, and was TOO heavy-handed.

There was nothing there for the father, but a partial afterthought on the part of the writer, and the mother character ... ok, so she cries. And?

I'll say this, though ... Shon sure has grown up nicely. You'll remember what he looked like as a kid in this episode.

Well, here the actor's page and he's grown up to be a hot hot hottie.

 

[PKTrekGirl]

Next up for me today is...

Deathwalker:

Well, this episode is a pretty good one. It is interesting to note Earth Alliance's interest in Jha'dur - and their willingness to 'forget' what she did in trade for her immortality serum. This speaks volumes about things to come.

And although it *seemed* like the Vorlons were uninterested in the entire affair, this episode is one of the first hints we have of <span class="spoiler"><font class="small">Spoiler:</font><hr /><span> their interest in the lower races affairs, and their role as the more 'benevolent and involved' of the two powers that will eventually try to control the galaxy</span><hr /></span>.

I loved the way the Vorlons just, as Garibaldi said, "smoked 'em". What a great race. And that line of Kosh: "You are not ready for immortality."

Excellent! :thumbsup:

And OmahaStar, thanks for sharing that bit about <span class="spoiler"><font class="small">Spoiler:</font><hr /><span>Talia and why Kosh employed her.</span><hr /></span> I always wondered why this "B" story was included, and now it makes sense.


Not too much Londo in this one, but he did have one funny bit.



Londo Line of the Episode:

Londo (walking in to crowded counsel chambers): So! I shouldn't listen to rumors, huh?

Sinclair: Sorry, Ambassador. We thought it best to handle this quietly.

Londo (looking around at roomful of people): Ah! Great job!

 

[PKTrekGirl]

Okay! Continuing on with my marathon.



Believers:

Zzzzzzzzz........

That about covers it, really.

This is not one of my favorite episodes of season 1.

"The True Child of the Egg?"

"In the Name of the Egg?"

I'm sorry...but this is just really, really, silly.

Also, I don't see much in the way of development of the overall arc of the show. This was just a character piece for Franklin - and an unhappy one, at that.

Londo showed up in this episode, but didn't have any really funny lines. The best I can come up with is a line that is not really funny, but speaks volumes about the Centauri:

"Just how much justice can you afford?"


Kosh was the one who really had the most memorable line of the episode:

"The avalanche has already started. It is too late for the pebbles to vote."

Not funny or anything...but very Vorlon-esque.

That's about all I have to say on this one.

 

[PKTrekGirl]

Okay...last one before I go to bed.

Survivors:

Well, I like this episode okay. I guess it was some good Garibaldi backstory, anyway. And of course, there is the Home Guard element. Home Guard and the growing distrust of aliens seems to be becoming a recurrent theme. Despite President Santiago's best intentions.

It's a pity any of the events of this episode had to happen though.

Grudges can be a terrible thing. And the one illustrated here is no exception.

Addictions can be a terrible thing too. And you are never *really* free of them. Just coping, and taking a day at a time.

Londo was in this episode, but only very briefly. And didn't really say anything memorable or anything. Interesting discussion with Garibaldi though - ALWAYS working an angle to take a poke at G'Kar.

More tomorrow. I refuse to get behind again.

 

[Orac Zen]

Posted by Vash:
"The avalanche has already started. It is too late for the pebbles to vote."

Probably the clearest Kosh-ism in the series. I really ought to have taken proper note of them...oh well, maybe the next time I watch the whole series.

Am I allowed to move on to the next batch of episodes yet?

 

[OmahaStar]

Posted by SB:

Posted by Vash:
"The avalanche has already started. It is too late for the pebbles to vote."

Probably the clearest Kosh-ism in the series. I really ought to have taken proper note of them...oh well, maybe the next time I watch the whole series.

Naw, I'd disagree. I'd say <span class="spoiler"><font class="small">Spoiler:</font><hr /><span>"Jump. Jump now!"</span><hr /></span>

Am I allowed to move on to the next batch of episodes yet?

Yep, it's after midnight Eastern.

 

[Orac Zen]

Posted by OmahaStar:
Naw, I'd disagree. I'd say <span class="spoiler"><font class="small">Spoiler:</font><hr /><span>"Jump. Jump now!"</span><hr /></span>

You have a point. So I'll amend my remark to "clearest <span class="spoiler"><font class="small">Spoiler:</font><hr /><span>typical</span><hr /></span> Kosh-ism in the series."

*** goes to watch episodes ***

 

[PKTrekGirl]

Okay...before I start watching episodes willy-nilly today, could someone tell me which ones we are supposed to be watching this week? I know I'm caught up, but I don't want to get ahead as I watch today.

Also, how is everyone doing with 3 episodes? Too tough? Too few? I'm fine the way things are at 3 - I could maybe do 4 episodes *some* weeks, but not all, probably.

We may want to plan things now, so that when "A Voice in the Wilderness I and II" come up, we can watch them in the same week.

*goes off to watch "By Any Means Necessary"*

 

[OmahaStar]

tsk tsk ... bad mod, forgetting it's already been posted.

But for this week ... Survivors, By Any Means Necessary, and Signs and Portents.

2/12 - TKO, Grail, Eyes

2/19 - Legacies, Voice in the Wilderness one and two

2/26 - Babylon Squared, The Quality of Mercy, Chrysalis.

And then we'll talk about season two.

 

[Johi36]

Posted by OmahaStar:
tsk tsk ... bad mod, forgetting it's already been posted.

But for this week ... Survivors, By Any Means Necessary, and Signs and Portents.

2/12 - TKO, Grail, Eyes

2/19 - Legacies, Voice in the Wilderness one and two

2/26 - Babylon Squared, The Quality of Mercy, Chrysalis.

And then we'll talk about season two.

What about this list?

 

[BigFoot]

Posted by OmahaStar:
But for this week ... Survivors, By Any Means Necessary, and Signs and Portents.

Damn, that means I can only watch two more eps this week.

Anyway, I watched Survivors last night and I gotta say I loved. Yes, it's predictable but still, I really enjoyed it. I didn't remember this ep being that good. I do know that every time I watch the ep, I'm disappointed <span class="spoiler"><font class="small">Spoiler:</font><hr /><span>when Garibaldi starts drinking again.</span><hr /></span>

 

[Lindley]

There's no particular reason to use that list, except that it moves some bits of foreshadowing closer to the events they foreshadow.

 

[PKTrekGirl]

Okay...well now I'm on a roll here, so I'm gonna keep watching the rest of this week's eps.

By Any Means Necessary:

Well, this episode is okay, but nothing huge to write home about. We have the dock worker's strike, which I suppose is important because it puts Sinclair a bit on the bad side of EarthGov. And we have the feud between Londo and G'Kar over the G'Quan Eth plant - Londo has one, G'Kar needs one, chaos ensues.

Some good character development for the Londo/G'Kar relationship. But I can't really say that there was alot in the way of great Londo lines or anything. The most telling one, however, was when he said, when Sinclair insisted that he turn the plant over, "Alright! I've gotten my enjoyment out of it anyway." A tragic theme that Londo and G'Kar will play out time and time again.

Now on to Signs and Portents! Woohoo!

 

[Blade Runner]

^ Now I know where you've been ALL weekend.

I think I might settle down and watch this weeks episodes in a minute.

*goes to grab his B5 season 1 boxset*

 

[Orac Zen]

Okay, moving right along...

Survivors

Garibaldi's turn for a blast from the past. He's never been a character I warmed to much. Still, this episode contained some interesting back story and offers further evidence that humans in the B5 universe are as flawed as we are now.

Speaking of flawed... Kemmer certainly is. It's one thing to be concerned about doing one's job properly, but she goes completely over the top, allowing her vendetta against Garibaldi to completely obscure any sense she may possess. Naturally her most trusted aide is the baddie, and naturally she lightens up – right down to the hairstyle.

Entirely typical of Mollari to try to frame G'Kar for framing Garibaldi. Of course he isn't, but of course he takes the opportunity to try to gain an advantage for the Narn. <span class="spoiler"><font class="small">Spoiler:</font><hr /><span>At this stage, anyway,</span><hr /></span> G'Kar's motives are very simple: Look out for his people and gain revenge on the Centauri. He never misses an opportunity to advance either cause.

"We all watch one another here, Mr. Garibaldi."
"The universe is run by the complex interweaving of three elements: energy, matter and enlightened self-interest."

More invaluable insights from G'Kar.

A very by-the-numbers episode that doesn't add a great deal to anything much...but you've gotta love Ivanova.

 

[Orac Zen]

By Any Means Necessary

B5's "Lower Decks" episode – looking at some of the "little people" who make the station run so the name players can get on with doing what they do. The station was built on the cheap (no doubt because it was the fifth attempt) and politicians being what they are other things have a higher priority. Defend it by all means, but keeping it running properly is surely just as important – a distinction lost on the politicians. If nothing else it serves as evidence that not all of Earth's politicians are convinced of the station's worth. "Things are changing on Earth", Sinclair says; that's putting it mildly. His creative solution to both crises says a great deal about him. There's a lot to like about Sinclair.

G'Kar's spiritual side makes its first appearance. He needs something. Mollari has it, and is fully prepared to put G'Kar through the wringer before he'll even consider handing it over. As superlative as Katsulas and Jurasik are, put them together and something extraordinary happens. Even with the generally excellent material in most G'Kar/Mollari scenes these actors managed to raise that material to remarkable heights. They're two of the best actors I've seen, and together they are even better than they are individually. This episode's examples basically consist of Mollari behaving like a jerk and G'Kar reacting accordingly, but it's amazing how watchable such scenes become with these two performing them.

One or two puzzle pieces, some nice character moments, not much else...but a decent episode nonetheless.

 

[Jan]

Survivors
Not a bad story-I liked seeing a little more of Garibaldi's relationship with Londo and G'Kar and especially Sinclair expanded on. The backstory of his having known Lianna Kemmer would have been much better, imo, with a different actress. She just wasn't convincing to me at all. Jerry Doyle did a good job in his part, though, especially in the bar when he took that first drink. I remember the first time I saw the episode, on the edge of my seat hoping he wouldn't take it.

By Any Means Necessary
Definitely one of my favorite First Season episodes and a complete turn-around in the quality of guest actors. The actors who played Neeoma Connoly and Eduardo Delvientos were completely convincing.

One thing I missed as the seasons moved on and concentration shifted to more galactic concerns was this sort of episode where the day-to-day problems of running a city in space were illustrated.

The bickering between Londo and G'Kar seems to be comic relief until Londo taunts G'Kar with the real reason he's keeping the G'Quon Eth plant-as revenge for what the Narns did in taking the Ragesh Three outpost.

Signs and Portents
WARNING to the new viewers-You don't want to listen to the commentary on this episode if you're avoiding spoilers.

This is the episode that gets the official credit for getting me hooked on B5. While I'd seen all of the previous episodes, it wasn't yet a passion. So many other shows had gotten cancelled before B5, I was being cautious. With this episode, it finally go through to me that 'no one there was exactly as he appeared'. Londo showed a deeper side again and we gained insight into what motivated G'Kar at that point. A new character was introduces who was pleasant and smiling but we somehow know that he's *definitely* not a good guy.

Another thing that's becoming obvious is that 'things are changing back home' is something not just going on with Earth but with all of the major races.

As for the acting, the one who played Lord Kiro didn't do anything for me at all. The actress playing Lady Ladira was great, though. She had an unsettling air about her so you knew, even though Kiro treated her as just his slightly dotty aunt, she was burdened by her visions. Ed wasser as Morden was just perfect.

Jan

 

[Michael Chris]

Mya i jion in hte fun"?

 

[Orac Zen]

Signs and Portents

Utterly useless point: I think I'd take a sledgehammer to that computer Ivanova wakes up to. How irritating would that be?

So much ground to cover. Here's an episode where things really start happening. Puzzle pieces galore. Morden...and a question. The various responses to the question are fascinating, to put it mildly. Events are set in motion in this episode, another of those in which everything seems to happen quite naturally. A huge mistake is made, one that has all sorts of ramifications. Kiro did indeed die just the way his aunt had foreseen. And just why were the Minbari so determined to see Sinclair get command of the station?

"A gift – from friends you don't know you have." Fascinating. Creepy. Memorable.

So much happens, and all of it important and relevant. An episode to pay attention to, and one of the best of the season.

<span class="spoiler"><font class="small">Spoiler:</font><hr /><span>I know this isn't a commonly held opinion, but Ladira's vision about the station does indeed come true...just not quite in the way anyone had anticipated. Took me a few viewings to make the connection. One of the biggest puzzle pieces sitting in plain sight for almost the entire series. Remarkable.</span><hr /></span>


Jan makes an excellent point, by the way - newbies should avoid the commentary tracks on the DVDs at all costs. Far too many spoilers, and B5 is a series best experienced as spoiler-free as possible.