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Re-Watching DS9

"Lucy Goes to Scotland"

I didn't feel like doing the super-ultra B5 S1 binge just yet. I also didn't feel like watching someone die on "Life Support". So, I decided to watch Lucy go to Scottland! That's right, I put on "Lucy Goes to Scotland" from I Love Lucy! I've seen a handful of episodes of I Love Lucy in my entire life. Pretty good episode. I didn't realize how old the "character has a dream" trope was, but I should've.

Brigadoon really must've made a big splash back in the '50s in order for I Love Lucy to do a spoof of it. Lucy dreams she's in Scotland, except it looks like Brigadoon. She dances pretty well, until she messes up, and then they realize she must be a member of the old Scottish family after all! Then Ricky shows up as the most Spanish Scottish guy ever! Then their neighbors appear as a two-headed dragon! I don't remember any dragons in Brigadoon, but no big deal. They probably cherry picked from other stuff too.

The only real similarity between DS9's "Meridian" and this episode of Lucy is that a member of Lucy's family only appears once every 30 years. So, I'd say Deep Space Nine and I Love Lucy focused on different aspects of Brigadoon that worked to their respective series' strengths.

Never in a million years, when I started this, did I think I'd ever be comparing a DS9 episode to a Lucy episode! :angel:

I thought it was worth watching, and I'll check out some more Lucy episodes whenever I feel like it. And thank you Lucy for making TOS possible, which led to making TNG possible, which led to making DS9 possible!
 
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Her dream was spliced together from things she had just recently seen/done - a show (stage perhaps? - she doesn't use the word movie) also set in a Scottish village, and an (unrelated, possibly) toy dragon the Mertzes bought little Ricky. They're still in England, I think, because she says she wants to go to Scotland and look up her relatives.

There's another Lucy dream even earlier in "Ricky's Old Girlfriend" - Lucy dreams that Ricky leaves her for a woman he used to know, and it gets a little ridiculous.
 
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"Life Support"

The A-Plot:
For the most part, I've enjoyed the third season so far, but one thing I can't ignore is that Bajor's taken a back seat. When Bareil says he's been negotiating reparations with the Cardassians for the past five months, I'm imagining what could've been. It's like there was a parallel third season up to this point, that the Bajorans have been through, and now we're being brought up to speed.

Things are better between the Bajorans and the Cardassians. Check. In "Fascination", Bareil said the Prophets chose well with Winn being Kai, so no more internal conflict we're seeing within Bajoran politics. Check. And then Bareil has served his purpose in the series and is killed off. Check. Kai Winn, to her credit, though, is addressing Sisko as the Emissary and treating him with the proper respect unlike before. Check. So, everything relating to Bajor from Seasons 1 and 2 has been wrapped up in this one episode. Except for Bajor joining the Federation.

The above probably makes it sound as if I don't like the episode, but that isn't true. How neatly things are wrapped up after not being the focus for so long is just something that jumps out to me. You can correct me if I'm wrong, but I think that during the third season they were advised not to focus as much on Bajoran politics. Which is too bad, because I liked the Bajoran politics, as you could probably tell whenever I was talking about Bajoran-centric episodes during the first two seasons.

I admire Bareil's determination to make sure he was able to guide Kai Winn through negotiations with the Cardassians, but he was already brain-damaged, and getting worse, so it was just a matter of varying degrees, watching as Bareil slowly slipped away. When Bareil's brain was half-positronic, I noticed that his mannerisms looked like Data's. Credit to Philip Anglim who plays Bareil and director Reza Badiyi for that added touch. And credit to Nana Visitor's performance as Kira struggles with the grief of losing Bareil.

One thing that reassured me that not absolutely everything was so neatly sorted when it comes to Bajor is that Kai Winn is still mainly interested in her own self-interests.

Bashir was a stand-out, both as a Doctor and for standing up to Winn. He should've been more diplomatic with Winn, but I like that he doesn't care that there's a time and place for everything. He's determined to save Bareil no matter the cost as long as he has a spark of life in him but stops once he realizes that Bareil will no longer have that spark of life, and when he's the one who tells Kira it's time to let go, it carries more weight because of how determined he was to save him earlier. Bashir fought for Bareil right up until the end, and then they hit the end.

The B-Plot: I totally forgot about this part of the episode until I re-watched it. It's amazing it took until the middle of the third season for Nog's (and Ferengi's) views of women to embarrass Jake. But, then again, Jake wasn't seriously in the dating game until this season. So, it was the right time to finally have this type of subplot. Nice to see Sisko admit he was wrong about Humans and Ferengi not being able to be friends thanks to too many cultural differences. And Sisko is the one who convinces Jake he should talk to Nog.

Summing Up: I like this episode but I wish I liked it a little more, considering what was going on. It's too bad they wrote Bareil out of the series. I give it a 7.

Can't believe I'm already half-way through the third season!
 
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I can see why you give it a 7, despite the fact I give it an 8.

My only real problem with "LIFE SUPPORT" is the stark difference in tone of the two stories. I get that the dating story was to help bring some lightness to a heavily dramatic episode, but I think it brings down the whole episode overall slightly.

I think Bareil went out as a hero. He may very well be the most selfless, pure character on DS9. I've always had a problem with organized religion because it causes FAR more problems than it solves, but Bareil was a fantastic example of a religious person who actually walks the talk. A stark contrast to the power hungry types of religion, like Kai Winn.

I do think it was the right call to kill off Bareil, though.

Totally agree about Bashir, and his scene with Winn calling her a coward is one of the many reasons why he's my favorite CMO in the franchise.
 
If you want to go further back, I recommend the 1950s Robin Hood series with Richard Greene. Not sci-fi, of course, but some of the episodes have Robin debunking local backwards superstition (or using it to trick the crooks).
 
I've sometimes thought of rewatching X-Files. My mom did so a few years back and commented on how many now-well known actors were guest stars back then.
Screw it. I'll do The X-Files once I'm done with B5. I have the entire series on DVD anyway, and I want to always have at least one non-Trek thing going.
 
"The Gathering" (B5 Pilot) -- Re-Watch, 1st Half

Thoughts about the pilot now that I'm more familiar with the series.

I prefer Sinclair giving the opening monologue instead of Londo. It sounds like something Sinclair should be doing, given that he's in charge of Babylon 5. In retrospect, now that I heard Londo doing it here, it just seems strange.

There's something about Takashima that doesn't quite click. I think Ivanova was a re-worked version of Takashima, and I have an easier time imagining Claudia Christian delivering these lines as Ivanova than Tamlyn Tomita as Takashima. Tamlyn Tomita just doesn't seem well-suited to the role. Though I did like her as Nedar (a.k.a. Commodore Oh) in Picard.

Andreas Katsulus overacts it a little bit as G'Kar in the pilot. I blame this on the director, Richard Compton. Andreas Katsulus tones it down a bit in later episodes, and he was still theatrical but didn't overdo it as Tomalak in TNG.

All the other actors nailed their roles from the beginning.

"The Gathering" feels like it drags on now, but I still appreciate it because I'll never forget how much I struggled to take everything in the first time I watched. For that reason, I don't hold it against "The Gathering" when I probably would in any other circumstance. This is one of those situations where it's a pilot and you just have to give it some grace. As opposed to DS9 where it was an outgrowth of elements that developed over time on TNG, and thus less to take in all at once.

Even without telling me, just by looking at it, I can tell there had to be at least some re-mastering, re-doing, or touching up of the CGI. The exterior shots look too advanced for 1993 but look just about right for 1998.

After a season of Babylon 5, I can tell the difference between Richard Compton's directing and Janet Greek's directing. I don't remember if Richard Compton directed any more episodes after "The Gathering", I mostly remember Janet Greek, but it's interesting how much of a difference the directing makes all the way around. Not just with guiding the actors through their performances, but also the technical aspects. The lighting is a lot darker in "The Gathering". The shots themselves some of the angles seem like weird choices. The shots are probably them figuring out how best to capture the inside of the station. The lighting, well, that's a deliberate choice. I prefer brighter lighting on darker sets, so you can clearly see everything, but the atmosphere still looks dark. Ditching the neon lights after "The Gathering" was a good choice. Not everywhere on the station should look like a night club, except for the parts Downbelow that want to look like one.

I don't know if I mentioned this before, I probably did but, in case I didn't, Sinclair having a video call with his girlfriend reminds me of Heyward making a video call in 2001: A Space Odyssey. The context is completely different, but the concept is the same. Definitely a homage. For some reason, the retrofuture feels more futuristic to me than someone using Skype or Zoom.

As Varner tried to take advantage of Londo, I felt bad for him. It seems like everyone tries to take advantage of Londo!

G'Kar is trying to mate with Lyta. That's my cue to grab the rice I just cooked up. If they'd shared the same universe, I would've said Nog must've gotten his dating tips from G'Kar...

It's funny how neatly things lined up in the transition from the pilot to the series. Takashima and Dr. Kyle want to save Ambassador Kosh, and that involves seeing him in the flesh. They rope in Lyta to help them. Coincidentally, the actors who played these characters didn't return to the series due to unrelated reasons. But JMS was able to take what happened in-universe and make it work to fit around what happened in Real Life!

I'll post my new thoughts about the second half later today.
 
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I really started to notice a difference between Richard Compton's direction and Janet Greek's as well and you can see why just from a list of their episodes:

Richard Compton:
Midnight on the Firing Line.
Infection.
The War Prayer.
Believers.
Grail.

Janet Greek:
And the Sky Full of Stars.
Signs and Portents.
A Voice in the Wilderness.
Chrysalis.

There were plenty of other directors, but to me season one feels like it transitions from Compton's low budget, almost sitcom look, with the camera looking into rooms from the fourth wall, to Greek's more modern style. At least, that's how I remember it. There are lots of new directors next season so I'm curious about whether any other names earn your attention.
 
"The Gathering" (B5 Pilot) -- Re-Watch, 1st Half

Thoughts about the pilot now that I'm more familiar with the series.

I prefer Sinclair giving the opening monologue instead of Londo. It sounds like something Sinclair should be doing, given that he's in charge of Babylon 5. In retrospect, now that I heard Londo doing it here, it just seems strange.

There's something about Takashima that doesn't quite click. I think Ivanova was a re-worked version of Takashima, and I have an easier time imagining Claudia Christian delivering these lines as Ivanova than Tamlyn Tomita as Takashima. Tamlyn Tomita just doesn't seem well-suited to the role. Though I did like her as Nedar (a.k.a. Commodore Oh) in Picard.

Andreas Katsulus overacts it a little bit as G'Kar in the pilot. I blame this on the director, Richard Compton. Andreas Katsulus tones it down a bit in later episodes, and he was still theatrical but didn't overdo it as Tomalak in TNG.

All the other actors nailed their roles from the beginning.

"The Gathering" feels like it drags on now, but I still appreciate it because I'll never forget how much I struggled to take everything in the first time I watched. For that reason, I don't hold it against "The Gathering" when I probably would in any other circumstance. This is one of those situations where it's a pilot and you just have to give it some grace. As opposed to DS9 where it was an outgrowth of elements that developed over time on TNG, and thus less to take in all at once.

Even without telling me, just by looking at it, I can tell there had to be at least some re-mastering, re-doing, or touching up of the CGI. The exterior shots look too advanced for 1993 but look just about right for 1998.

After a season of Babylon 5, I can tell the difference between Richard Compton's directing and Janet Greek's directing. I don't remember if Richard Compton directed any more episodes after "The Gathering", I mostly remember Janet Greek, but it's interesting how much of a difference the directing makes all the way around. Not just with guiding the actors through their performances, but also the technical aspects. The lighting is a lot darker in "The Gathering". The shots themselves some of the angles seem like weird choices. The shots are probably them figuring out how best to capture the inside of the station. The lighting, well, that's a deliberate choice. I prefer brighter lighting on darker sets, so you can clearly see everything, but the atmosphere still looks dark. Ditching the neon lights after "The Gathering" was a good choice. Not everywhere on the station should look like a night club, except for the parts Downbelow that want to look like one.

I don't know if I mentioned this before, I probably did but, in case I didn't, Sinclair having a video call with his girlfriend reminds me of Heyward making a video call in 2001: A Space Odyssey. The context is completely different, but the concept is the same. Definitely a homage. For some reason, the retrofuture feels more futuristic to me than someone using Skype or Zoom.

As Varner tried to take advantage of Londo, I felt bad for him. It seems like everyone tries to take advantage of Londo!

G'Kar is trying to mate with Lyta. That's my cue to grab the rice I just cooked up. If they'd shared the same universe, I would've said Nog must've gotten his dating tips from G'Kar...

It's funny how neatly things lined up in the transition from the pilot to the series. Takashima and Dr. Kyle want to save Ambassador Kosh, and that involves seeing him in the flesh. They rope in Lyta to help them. Coincidentally, the actors who played these characters didn't return to the series due to unrelated reasons. But JMS was able to take what happened in-universe and make it work to fit around what happened in Real Life!

I'll post my new thoughts about the second half later today.
Regarding Londo doing the voiceover at the beginning...

I agree with you that it should be Sinclair. However, given... certain things that occur far later, it makes sense why Londo did it here.

(It's nothing really directly action related, but more a motivation related reasoning.)
 
"The Gathering" (B5 Pilot) -- Re-Watch, 2nd Half

Not as much to say about the second half. I think it plays like a standard Babylon 5 episode that we'd later see. Sinclair is framed for the attempted murder of Ambassador Kosh. It turns out that the true would-be assassin was from a rouge faction of the Minbari Warrior Caste who wanted to destabilize the balance of power and put Babylon 5's existence as something that brings everyone together into jeopardy. Eventually they catch the rouge Minbari. Sinclair, being the man of action, stops him himself and proves his innocence.

It makes perfect sense to me, in-story, why Sinclair's girlfriend doesn't return. She wants him to choose her over Babylon 5. Sinclair stays mysterious and keeps her hopeful, but she says she won't wait forever and, as we see, she doesn't. I think JMS was trying to paint Sinclair into the archetype Kirk and Picard fall into, where he's really married to his career.

G'Kar is always trying to make political moves. Non-stop. First with Lyta, where he hopes to have telepathic half-Narns with her, and then with Londo where he bribes him to vote the way he wants when the council votes to decide what to do with Sinclair while he's being tried. What G'Kar and Londo both have in common is that they're both only concerned about what's in it for them. Delenn is more selfless and wants to do what's right but isn't one to make quick decisions even if that upsets other people. So, it feels like a real political council. ;)

I think I might've mentioned this before but, in case I didn't, I like Sinclair's summarization of Human stubbornness and persistence. If something's torn down, we rebuilt it and rebuild it until it stays. You can't knock us down. And definitely not forever.

Summing Up: Originally I gave this an 8, then I changed it to a 7 upon reflection, and I'm going to stick with a 7.

Now for the plunge. I'm going to brace myself. I have no idea how fast I'll binge all 22 episodes of the first season proper, but it shouldn't take more than a week, tops. Then a review of the season as a whole, and then it's on to Season 2!
 
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Making some good headway into my re-watch of Babylon 5. Definitely more I'm picking up this time around.

I took a break to do a re-write of my review of "Fascination". I didn't change my opinion, but I made it more into my standard format and put my original reaction into Spoiler Code.
 
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