Babylon 5 Rewatch Pt. 2

[Ran]

B5 is an EarthForce military installation, with Sheridan as its appointed commander.

There really is no circumstance where asking the opinion of the people there is worthwhile. His duty as an officer is to control and protect the station on behalf of a legitimate EarthGov. Lacking a legitimate EarthGov, his duty doesn't stop -- he just holds it, instead, in wait for a restoration of legitimate government.

[Ser Scot A Ellison]

Gosh, this is sticky. Part of me wants to argue the proper course of action for Sheridan would have been to simply resign his commission when he received orders he could not in good conscionse obey. Once he's a private citizen I think he's free to do what he likes in opposition to the illigetimate government of Clark. Then again that sets aside the very tools he needs to effectively oppose Clark.

JMS did address these issues in the Earth Civil War arc in season four.

[Maltaran]

[quote name='Ser Scot A Ellison' post='1289318' date='Mar 26 2008, 19.49']The "don't let the door hit you in the butt on the way out" option wouldn't have been very appealing to those who couldn't afford transport off the station or who would have had to leave behind siginficant assets (like their shops and merchanise) on short notice.[/quote]

They chose to live on a military installation, they should have been aware that the commander has pretty wide-ranging powers to do what he likes. Of course it's unappealing, but this is the middle of a war.

[Werthead]

[b]3.12: [i]Sic Transit Vir[/i][/b]
Vir Cotto as Oskar Schindler. Right. A nice idea, built up over a number of prior episodes (such as [i]Comes the Inquisitor[/i] and [i]A Day in the Strife[/i]), but it's all a bit slight. His girlfriend turning out to be a psychopath nutcase racist killer is, erm, an interesting twist.

Ern...(struggles to find anything noteworthy about the episode) This ep takes place three months after the last one, but pretty much nothing of note seems to have happened in the interim, which is a bit weird.

Sorry, this may be the blandest episode of [b]B5[/b] ever. It's not [i]rubbish[/i] at all, just incredibly medicore.
[b]
3.13: [i]A Late Delivery from Avalon[/i][/b]
The inexplicably popular Michael York - an actor with enough cachet in the USA that they flipped this ep and the prior one so this one would run in sweeps - crops up as King Arthur. Except of course we know he isn't. The mystery of who he is serves as a decent enough basis for the story, and Jason Carter and Andreas Katsulas do good work as well. There's some great thematic stuff on the nature of heroism and JMS is obviously taking the piss out of everyone who tried to link [b]B5[/b] to [i]Lord of the Rings[/i], but it's all a bit lightweight. Combined with [i]Sic Transit Vir[/i], though, we do get the timeline regarding the Earth-Minbari War clarified: the war began somewhere in the middle of July 2245 and ended with the Battle of the Line in 2247 (it was most likely '47 from prior eps, but [i]Sic Transit Vir[/i] finally pinned it down with Ivanova revealing the date she entered Earthforce, and it's said elsewhere she didn't enter Earthforce until just after the war).
[b]
3.14: [i]Ship of Tears[/i][/b]
A somewhat creepy episode, with Bester now revealed as a reluctant ally who needs B5's resources to get rid of the Shadows, who are manipulating both Psi Corps and Clark for their own reasons. The episode does an excellent job of turning Bester into an ally but never into a friend. His goals and the B5 crews' simply happen to converge at this point. A number of storyline points regarding the Shadows and their ships are clarified and we finally find the Shadows' achilles heel, the revelation of which was so blatantly obvious in retrospect that I felt like kicking myself at the time. It's not like it wasn't heavily prefigured in the comics, in [i]In the Shadow of Z'ha'dum[/i] and elsewhere.

A very solid episode with a cliffhanger ending finally unleashing the dogs of war and [i]finally[/i], after years of build-up, beginning the Shadow War.

[Ran]

Ser Scot,

I can see that argument (resigning), but it certainly doesn't seem to fall in Sheridan's character. The issue is that the installation belongs to a legitimate EarthGov, and not an illegitimate government. Resigning his post effectively turns it over to a government he believes is no longer legitimate, and which should have no rights to the station. Resigning would be dodging his duty to defend the Earth Alliance from enemies foreign and domestic, if one will. It'd be better than if he just knuckled under and did whatever the illegal government said, but it's worse than standing up and fighting.

Wert,

Lyndisty was cute, in a psycho sort of way.

[i]Late Delivery[/i] has a bit of camp to the basic premise, but there's definitely some good stuff in there, starting with Katsulas and Carter (such as his remarks to Franklin at the end, concerning Merlin, and then Kosh wanders by...)

[mandy_k]

Sic Transit Vir: I thought this episode was completely wacky and great fun. Londo is fighting epic sword fights with bugs, Lyndisty makes Lady Macbeth look like a balanced person, Vir seeks out Susan for sexual advisory and Sheridan's cooking talents prove to be ... deficient (and look at the mess in his kitchen!). Still, there are serious themes, like Lyndisty's everyday racism (according to JMS, this part of the episode was inspired by overhearing a conversation between several ladies discussing the pros and cons of promoting the education of coloured people), and Vir once again proves to be a much stronger character than he appears.

A Late Delivery From Avalon: LOVED this episode. The third part of my beloved standalone episode trilogy. Great exploration of the subject of war trauma in a stellar performance by Michael York. I thought the part of translating it into a metaphor using the Artus legend, especially the scene with Delenn, was absolutely beautifully done. Great foreshadowing with respect to the questions who is Merlin(Kosh might not be the only possible answer), and who is Morgan Le Fay. Touching scenes in Down Below and a funny observation by G'kar: "I can't remember last time I've been in a fight like this! No moral ambiguities! No hopeless battles against ancient and overwhelming forces! We were the good guys, and they were the bad guys!" Could it be that we have a character complaining about JMS' storylines here? ;)

Ship of Tears: The part about "how do we keep Bester from scanning us" is becoming somewhat tiresome for my tastes, and Bester's lover being the telepath picked is just too much of a coincidence. Still, the use of telepaths as weapon components is a shocking revelation, and for me more than the "Bester's lover is a blip" subplot what casts Bester in a different light was that unlike some people in the Corps, or at least associated with the Corps, Bester is genuinely concerned with the welfare of "his" telepaths. And of course, the scene with Delenn and G'kar was great.

[Jon AS]

[quote name='mandy_k']"I can't remember last time I've been in a fight like this! No moral ambiguities! No hopeless battles against ancient and overwhelming forces! We were the good guys, and they were the bad guys!"[/quote]

"And they made a very satisfying 'thump' when they hit the floor!"

[Shryke]

For all the blandness of Sic Transit Vir, it does comtain his awesome conversation with Ivonava about Centauri sex.

Invonana: "Six?! ... wow."

[DivisionByZero]

Uh oh, you've caught up to me, Wert, and I think you watch them faster than I do. Oh well, it was nice being ahead of the game while it lasted.

In [b][i]Sic Transit Vir[/i][/b], what happened to the poor Narn Lyndisty had tied up? They don't really say, but I'm assuming Vir didn't let PsychoWife kill him... And I liked the Vir/Susan sex talk too. "I've never gotten past one..." Heh. Funny little touch when Susan is absently wiggling her fingers, notices what she's doing, and drops her hands.

In [b][i]Ship of Tears[/i][/b], I think Bester might not have realized just how much pleasure could have been gotten out of blowing him up when they found his ship. That would have been a tough choice... some new mystery vs. blowing up Bester... Hmm... Of course, they wouldn't have found out about the Shadow's fear of telepaths if they blew him up, but still, tough choice.

I also don't have a problem with Bester's lover being a part of the shipment itself. If Psi-corp is going to give up some teeps, why not get rid of the uncooperative ones. Or if they were taken without Psi-corp's support, blips would also be the easiest to take and the least likely to be missed, I'd guess. I do find it a bit more unlikely that she just happened to be the one they decide to take off and thaw out, though. I suppose they could have either had another one in medlab thawing out or just not taken anyone yet and just shown a cargo manifest to Bester and had him see her name on it, but the end result would still be the same, so it's no big deal.

[PhelanArcetus]

Picking Bester's lover as the one to thaw... it feels like it was just a matter of dramatic convenience. He certainly would have seen a manifest later, at least, and this just saves adding the additional scene to the episode.

[Jon AS]

[quote name='divisionerror']In [b][i]Sic Transit Vir[/i][/b], what happened to the poor Narn Lyndisty had tied up?[/quote]

It appears this was an editing mistake.

From the Lurker's Guide:

[i]JMS: I could've *sworn* there was a line there about the Narn recovering; I'm going to have to check this. I hope I didn't accidentally cut it for time while doing something else. (It was a LONG editing session.)[/i]

[Paddy]

Am I the only person who thinks this is a thread about Baywatch when they skim over the titles in Entertainment?

[Bronn Stone]

[quote name='Paddier Jouët' post='1290460' date='Mar 27 2008, 07.41']Am I the only person who thinks this is a thread about Baywatch when they skim over the titles in Entertainment?[/quote]

Babylon 5 probably should be spelled out, but meh.

Before Lyndisty reveals her "Barbie the serial killer" side, she rivals Adira for 'hawtest Centauri shown on the series'.

[Ser Scot A Ellison]

Paddy,

[quote name='Paddier Jouët' post='1290460' date='Mar 27 2008, 10.41']Am I the only person who thinks this is a thread about Baywatch when they skim over the titles in Entertainment?[/quote]

How do you get "Baywatch" out of "B5"?

[Maltaran]

[quote name='Paddier Jouët' post='1290460' date='Mar 27 2008, 15.41']Am I the only person who thinks this is a thread about Baywatch when they skim over the titles in Entertainment?[/quote]

Yes. Yes you are.

[Werthead]

[quote name='Paddier Jouët' post='1290460' date='Mar 27 2008, 15.41']Am I the only person who thinks this is a thread about Baywatch when they skim over the titles in Entertainment?[/quote]

* pencils in [b]Baywatch[/b] re-watch thread for 2009, headed by Paddy *

[Shryke]

[quote name='Blanc de Wert '79' post='1290767' date='Mar 27 2008, 14.18']* pencils in [b]Baywatch[/b] re-watch thread for 2009, headed by Paddy *[/quote]

Can hundreds of hours of nothing but jiggling breasts sustain a thread for long?

[Jon AS]

[quote name='Shryke']Can hundreds of hours of nothing but jiggling breasts sustain a thread for long?[/quote]

Considering it sustains about 98.3% of the internet, I'm sure it can manage one more message board "discussion".;)

[Werthead]

[b]3.15: [i]Interludes and Examinations[/i][/b]
Exactly two years after the events of [i]Signs and Portents[/i], Morden returns to Babylon 5, sneaking on board to deliver dire warnings to Londo now he has turned his back on the Shadows. Londo is too elated with the news of the imminent arrival of his true love, Adira (from [i]Born to the Purple[/i] in Season 1), to care, but Morden's machinations soon see Londo's hopes turn to ashes and his wrath is expertly redirected at the redoubtable Lord Refa. Meanwhile, the Shadows have launched their assault against the non-aligned worlds, who are refusing to stand together. Sheridan convinces Kosh to have the Vorlons take a stand, but the cost is going to be supremely high...

This is an excellent episode, arguably one of [b]B5[/b]'s darkest instalments as an innocent woman is murdered (if you didn't hate Morden before this, you do by the end) and the Shadows and the Vorlons stop dancing around one another and engage in a single, direct and costly confrontation (not the space battle, which is a one-sided massacre by the Vorlons). There is some excellent direction, especially when Morden confronts Kosh, and the angry 'row' between Sheridan and Kosh is pretty startling. Boxleitner delivers on of his strongest performances on the whole show (perhaps only matched by that in [i]In the Shadow of Z'ha'dum[/i]) to terrific effect. The space battle between the Vorlons and Shadows is cool, although we don't see much of it.
[b]
3.16: [i]War Without End, Part 1[/i][/b]
This is possibly the most confusing episode of [b]B5[/b] ever. The time travel aspect really doesn't make any kind of sense: JMS really fucks up his 'rules of time travel' that every SF writer dealing with the subject must establish, meaning that the audience has no idea what the stakes are. The problem is that either what has happened has happened and cannot be changed, meaning that the distress signal from B5 in the future cannot exist as those events never happened, or it can be changed, in which case Sheridan cannot travel 17 years into the future as he does at the end of the episode as at that point the future is still in flux and in that alternate future Sheridan is killed in the Shadow attack on B5.

Of course, you can just switch your brain off and just enjoy the rollercoaster ride. Sinclair's back! We get to see the Minbari homeworld! We meet another Vorlon! We get to see Babylon 4! We get to see a battle from the Great War of one thousand years ago! Shit blows up! Zathras is back! Centauri Prime is ablaze 17 years in the future for no immediately discernable reason!

So, don't think too hard about it and don't let the single most colossal chunk of expositionary info-dumping you will ever see outside a Goodkind novel turn you off from a reasonably solid episode, even if you can pretty much see JMS slamming a square peg into a round hole in a heroic effort to make the events of this episode reconcile with [i]Babylon Squared[/i] when it quite clearly wasn't designed to.

Interesting point that I didn't actually realise until this rewatch: [i]Walkabout[/i] was supposed to take place before [i]War Without End[/i], meaning that the Vorlon Ambassador to Minbar in this ep isn't Ulkesh (as it was previously assumed), as Ulkesh was already on B5. Ulkesh's encounter suit is also a different colour, of slightly different design and he has a different voice. In addition to all of that, [i]To Dream in the City of Sorrows[/i] makes it clear that the Rangers and even the Grey Council, including Rathenn, are pretty nervous of Ulkesh, whilst here he seems much more at ease with the Vorlon. So all put together, we now have three identifiably different Vorlons in the series. The Vorlon in this ep is Ulkesh's replacement as Ulkesh is Kosh's.

[Jon AS]

[quote name='Werthead'][b]3.15: [i]Interludes and Examinations[/i][/b][/quote]

I love the cast commentary in the dream sequence. Boxleitner suddenly bursts out with something like: "Now I get it, that's Kosh using the image of my father to talk to me!" and the rest, Ed Wasser, Richard Biggs and Jerry Doyle, all go "Oh, yeah, you're right!". It's funny how the actors' inside perspective sometimes prevents them from seeing the obvious.