Niners Unite...around Babylon 5!

[Blade Runner]

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Thanks.

I got behind but I've now caught up it seems. Will post my thoughts on those three episodes tomorrow.

 

[OmahaStar]

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Not just caught up, you're already started on the next week, so you'll be ready to post them starting Sunday ... Those will be GROPOS, All Alone in the Night, and Acts of Sacrifice.

 

[BigFoot]

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THE COMING OF SHADOWS

Damn that is one good episode! It starts off really good but about halfway through it kicks into a higher gear and it becomes even better. Every scene with Londo and G'Kar is total brilliance. Those two are just so good in their respective roles.

Some of my favourite moments had to be:
- the Shadows attacking the Narn outpost (the music was really good)
- G'Kar all pissed cos the Emperor got sick so he couldn't murder him (yeah I know it's kinda grim, but it was hilarious)
- Franklin telling G'Kar that the Emperor said he's sorry. That whole scene was just so well done. The acting from Andreas was spot on.
- G'Kar freaking out London by buying him a drink... it was priceless. And the look on Londo's face as he toasts to the Emperor... wow!
- G'Kar telling the council that the Narn have declared war on the Centauri... that scene was done so well by Andreas.... I cannot praise him enough as an actor

So yeah... if you can't tell, I really like this episode. It's also a good showcase of why G'Kar is my favourite character on the show. As much as I love Londo and some of the other characters, G'Kar is just awesome. Much of the credit goes to Andreas of course. But a lot of it is also the writing on the show.

Anyway, I've gotta get to work. My grade for this episode is an A, cos I'm saving A+ for a few episodes still to come.

 

[Blade Runner]

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The Coming of Shadows is a fabulous episode and easily one of the best so far. Every bit was near perfect.

BigFoot said:

- G'Kar freaking out London by buying him a drink... it was priceless. And the look on Londo's face as he toasts to the Emperor... wow!

That scene is just so tragic. When Londo realises that he has made a terrible mistake and there is no turning back.


Vir: "Londo, don't do this."
Londo: "I have no choice."
Vir: "Yes, you do. Londo, please, please, please, I know you don't listen to me, but I'm asking you just this one time. Don't do this. There is no turning back once you start down that road."

Londo's dream (or should that be premonition) of the future was very interesting too and it was cool to see Sinclair again.

I thought the scene between Sheridan and the Centauri Emperor was wonderful...

Emperor: "It has occurred to me recently that I have never chosen anything. I was born into a role that had been prepared for me. I did everything I was asked to do, because it never occurred to me to choose otherwise. And now, at the end of my life, I wonder what might've been."
Sheridan: "That's why my father taught me to live each second as though it would be the last moment of my life. He said: 'If you love, love without reservation. If you fight, fight without fear.' He called it the way of the warrior."
Emperor: "No regrets then?"
Sheridan: "A few. But just a few. You?"
Emperor: "Oh, enough to fill a lifetime. So much has been lost, so much forgotten. So much pain, so much blood. And for what, I wonder. The past tempts us, the present confuses us, and the future frightens us. And our lives slip away, moment by moment, lost in that vast terrible inbetween. But there is still time to seize that one last fragile moment. To choose something better, to make a difference, as you say. And I intend to do just that."

 

[eastman23]

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Blade Runner said:

BigFoot said:
- G'Kar freaking out London by buying him a drink... it was priceless. And the look on Londo's face as he toasts to the Emperor... wow!

That scene is just so tragic. When Londo realises that he has made a terrible mistake and there is no turning back.

Vir: "Londo, don't do this."
Londo: "I have no choice."
Vir: "Yes, you do. Londo, please, please, please, I know you don't listen to me, but I'm asking you just this one time. Don't do this. There is no turning back once you start down that road."

Yep, absolutely perfect. And Londo knows that he's done something that he can't go back on. Big turning point in Londo and G'Kar's lives.

 

[Gul Dukat]

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Though I'm actually through ep. 12 of season 3 (damn addicting!) I'll catch up.

Soul Mates
I've made my feelings on Talia clear, so suffice it to say this did not change them. However, the Londo bit was entertaining. Kind of an empty episode, but overall, I liked it.

A Race Through Dark Places
Hooray! Bester's back! I'm glad the idea of teeps who don't want tojoin the corps was treated well this time, as opposed to that wretched subplot with the little girl deciding to join the Minbari earlier in the series.
I'm kind of suprised that Bester didn't see through it though.

The Coming of Shadows
While I really liked this one, I didn't like it quite as much as everyone else did. I guess I was hoping it would be bigger. This seemed like more of a natural and not too suprising developemnt in the series, praticularly where Londo is headed and with the Narn and Centauri getting into a shooting war.
I was expecting something more like what "In the Shadow of Z'Ha'Dum" turned out to be. I guess this comes down to the title, and that this episode was what gave the season its name. I was hoping for the Shadows to reveal themselves, or at the very least to learn more about them. I realize I'm being unreasonable, but I was dissapointed that what I expected to reveal some of the mysteries of the Shadows, just escalated the Narn-Centauri conflict. It's kind of like how I was dissapointed when another great episode "The Geometry of Shadows," didn't really involve the Shadows directly.
Still, an amazing episode, just not what I was expecting. First timers, look forward to "In the Shadow of Z'Ha'Dum" and "The Long Twilight Struggle." They're even better than this one.

 

[Orac Zen]

Re: Bab 5

A Race Through Dark Places

Bester is slime. PsiCorp is a sinister, malevolent organisation. These are hardly revelations. Franklin's involvement in the telepath smuggling thing isn't a surprise, either. He can be incredibly self-righteous and annoying but his heart's in the right place. Shame the telepaths didn't succeed in killing Bester. I loathe him. The scene at the end with Ivanova and Winters is...interesting....

The high point of the episode for me is the whole Sheridan / Delenn dinner thing. I like these people. The reactions of pretty much everyone to her appearance are priceless.

Geez, paying rent? How cheap is EarthGov? Sheridan's solution to the issue is typical of him, and along with the telepath thing sets him along the road to questioning what's going on around him. "I'm a soldier" he says at one point, with a soldier's attitudes and loyalties. That will change....

Not the worst episode. It sets up a few interesting things but it kinda pales next to what lies ahead.

 

[Lindley]

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but I was dissapointed that what I expected to reveal some of the mysteries of the Shadows, just escalated the Narn-Centauri conflict.

And you don't think that holds and hints as to the nature of the Shadows, hmm?

 

[Orac Zen]

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The Coming of Shadows

This is, quite simply, 42 of the greatest minutes of television I've ever seen. Not a moment wasted. Just about perfect.

A major turning point for G'Kar, and one of the reasons I like the character so much. As infuriated as he is by what's been done to his people he's open to change and despite everything is prepared to take the emperor at his word. The scene where he buys Mollari a drink – not having the slightest idea what's about to happen – is simply gut-wrenching, and one of the many occasions where I want to somehow reach into the screen and throttle Mollari. He claims to understand what he's doing, yet he does it anyway.

"Why are you here?" What a fascinating question. Like so many things in this series, it turns up again....

Absolutely magnificent episode. Extraordinary to think that it's not even the best of the series.

 

[Gul Dukat]

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Lindley said:

but I was dissapointed that what I expected to reveal some of the mysteries of the Shadows, just escalated the Narn-Centauri conflict.

And you don't think that holds and hints as to the nature of the Shadows, hmm?

Of course, but I was expecting this episode to be more like

Spoiler: Spoilers

what "In the Shadow of Z'Ha'Dum" turned out to be like, where Delenn and Kosh laid out a lot of backstory on the Shadows.

That being said, Coming of Shadows is a HUGE turning point and lays the groundwork for some even more amazing episodes to follow.
Remember, while I may be new to Babylon 5, I am about a season ahead of this.

 

[Angry Angel]

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Two random things I noticed while watching Soul Mates.

1. Vir is the only Cantauri without an accent. Which is quite logical seeing his character (anyone know if they did that on purpose?)

2. Ever noticed that with the collars on the EA uniforms .. there are male and female versions just like in real life?

Example


And thus concludes this totally random remark

 

[Gul Dukat]

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Hmm, I never noticed the male/female variation in uniforms. Good eye.

 

[Orac Zen]

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It's Sunday here so I'm posting new comments now. Deal with it.

GROPOS

Well, this is it. This is the episode that converted me to B5 fanaticism. To cut a longish story short, B5 was screened here in very piecemeal fashion – late at night, often pre-empted – so it was hard to get into it at first (I managed to miss "The Coming of Shadows" the first time around; I'm sure it would have achieved the feat a week earlier). But for some reason GROPOS just clicked for me. Once I'd seen it I was hooked, and have been ever since.

On with the episode. Its greatest strength is the characterisations. We only see these ground pounders once, but they're real people and their fate hits hard for that reason. I suppose it's a bit clichéd that they all die (and of course Franklin's father doesn't), but it still works superbly. It's a character piece and as such it's a terrific episode.

It was actually that last scene that sealed the deal for me – that convinced me that Babylon 5 was not just another series.

One problem, though: Recently transformed or not, and regardless of any after effects it may have had, Delenn ought to have been able to wipe the floor with those idiots. The fact she didn't is rather stupid and inconsistent. Then again, B5 does the best brawls so that was fun.

I'll always have a soft spot for this one.

 

[Orac Zen]

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All Alone in the Night

I like the first Delenn / Lennier scene. Furlan and Mumy worked together wonderfully. So much is said without dialogue. It's quite clear that Lennier's regard for Delenn goes beyond a mentor / student type relationship. He makes it even clearer when he announces that he's sworn himself to her side and that he won't leave her. Still another of those puzzle pieces.

"What could go wrong?" asks Sheridan. On B5? Pretty much anything. The idea of capturing people and testing them in various ways to see what they're made of turns up time and again, and it's done well here. Yet again we see Sheridan is prepared to go to great lengths to save a life – any life – and will work with anyone necessary to achieve his goals. Very useful traits in a leader.

The vision he experiences aboard the alien vessel has been analysed to pieces since the episode screened. Like so many things in B5, it turns up again.

I wondered a while ago if the Minbari were as supportive of Delenn's transformation as it seemed. Here we learn that they're most certainly not – even to the point of ignoring Valen's dictates as to the composition of the Grey Council. Delenn's reaction is what we'd expect of this remarkable individual. She believes in herself and what she's doing, and she means to continue on her chosen course.

And finally there's a payoff to the whole issue of the president's death. Various puzzle pieces made it clear it was no accident; here we have confirmation and the unpleasant realisation that PsiCorp isn't the only organisation involved. Sheridan is asked to be involved in the effort to deal with the problem, and he doesn't hesitate. Nor do Ivanova, Franklin or Garibaldi. Wheels are set in motion. The episode may seem to be a simple evil-alien-baddies-experiment-on-people story, but there's more to it than that. Good stuff.

 

[Orac Zen]

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Acts of Sacrifice

Back to the Narn / Centauri war in this episode. G'Kar is infuriated by the plight of his people and seeks assistance from anyone he can, while rallying his people aboard the station to take a less militant approach. What a shame they don't listen. Mollari continues along his merry way, wondering why people are afraid of him. Garibaldi lays it on the line and he still doesn't get it. Not yet, anyway.

"I was there when our war against Earth began" Delenn tells G'Kar. Still another puzzle piece. Furlan and Katsulas didn't appear in many scenes together and more's the pity, because such scenes are invariably wonderfully acted and high points of the episode in question. (Indeed, one of my absolute favourite moments in the entire series features these two characters.) This scene was no exception.

Predictably, Earth decides to have nothing to do with the Narn / Centauri situation. Predictably, Sheridan decides to do whatever he can about it. He asks Delenn for help and she offers it without hesitation. Still another puzzle piece...

The Lumati silliness...oh, dear. Ivanova is absolutely priceless. (Great Franklin line: "Well, you could put a bag over his head and do it for Babylon 5." ) Charming people – going about their lives judging every species they come across, regardless of their "worth". Kinda reminds me of a couple of other species in the series....

Some more puzzle pieces are scattered about, and something progresses that bit further. Not a bad episode at all.

 

[OmahaStar]

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Orac Zen said:
We only see these ground pounders once, but they're real people and their fate hits hard for that reason.

That's not exactly true ... but I'll leave *that* alone for awhile...

And don't forget, both Garibaldi and Amus were 'Pounders. And we see G all the time.

 

[Lindley]

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"All Alone in the Night" marks the first appearance of yet another character who will return and gradually increase in importance over time.

 

[aladinsane]

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"Gropos"--I can't explain what it is about this "Lower Decks"-like episode that works so well, but it sure works well. The gropos are either well written or well acted or both, but they really resonate emotionally very quickly. The guy who play's Stephen's father is excellent as well. Everything about this episode just clicks. One of my favorites for sure. One small nit-pick: during the final scene of the dead bodies, isn't is a bit unrealistic that all the characters from the episode would die in close proximity to each other? Great stuff for a stand-alone episode. Probably the best stand-alone of the series.

 

[aladinsane]

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"All Alone in the Night"--Sheridan is taken prisoner by a race looking to learn more about other races (reminds me of the TNG episode where the same happens to Picard). At the same time, Delenn is ousted from the Grey Council and a member of the warrior caste takes her place, giving the warrior caste four out of the nine positions. At the end of the episode it is suggested that Sheridan was sent to B5 to spy, but he obviously has learned who he needs to spy on as he begins to openly investigate President Clark, bringing Ivanova, Garibaldi, and Franklin into the mix as well. The ball is really rolling now. Great stuff again. This season is really picking up speed.

 

[aladinsane]

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"Acts of Sacrifice"
--The Centauri attack Narn civilians
--G'Kar seeks help from the other worlds--all refuse to help except Sheridan, who fails to get support from Earth
--Sheridan and Delenn decide to help by offering covert medical aid and transportation of wounded
--G'Kar must deal with a Narn uprising on B5 and is forced to fight to earn the respect he should already have
--Garibaldi cools to Londo when Londo needs a friend--sadly Londo doesn't get it
--Ivanova must play diplomat, not her forte, to a race Sheridan wants an alliance with
--She puts up with their superio attitudes and get the ambassador to agree to an alliance, but first he wants her to have sex with him
--Ivanova's solution of sex "human style" is great
--In the end, G'Kar takes the help offered by Sheridan and Delenn, but it is much less than he had hoped for
--There isn't much hope for the Narn as long as Morden is doing Londo's bidding
--It's tragic seeing G'Kar having his hopes shattered--powerful acting by Katsulas

Another super episode.