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Mira Furlan was also a very experienced stage actor. Babylon 5 is basically what happens when the theater kids get a budget and special effects.
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Jul 1, 2020 19:02
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ultrafilter posted:Mira Furlan was also a very experienced stage actor. Babylon 5 is basically what happens when the theater kids get a budget. exactly my thought. My favorite thing in this show is still the "big" acting, even if it doesn't always mesh with people like Garibaldi.
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Jul 1, 2020 19:07
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Whoever said B5 was like a stageplay was absolutely on point. Everyone is very theatrical, and there’s been some scenes that only work if you think of them as taking place on a stage, or with the limitations/heightened reality of theatre. S2ep09 in point: The scene between Sheridan and the Centauri emperor in the observation room absolutely feels like something from a play. Aside from anything, you’re not just going to bump into the head of an empire and strike up a candid conversation out of the blue. It’s the heightened reality of it all.
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Jul 1, 2020 19:09
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Now I want to somehow see Bablyon 5 in stage play format.
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Jul 1, 2020 20:08
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The_Doctor posted:Delenn could be played completely straight and arch, but she’s got a really good twinkle in her eye, and a sly smile. That she does  Sanguinia posted:Now I want to somehow see Bablyon 5 in stage play format. Good luck finding someone that can chew the scenery like Jurasik
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Jul 1, 2020 20:33
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ultrafilter posted:Mira Furlan was also a very experienced stage actor. Babylon 5 is basically what happens when the theater kids get a budget and special effects. Not a big budget. Just, you know, a budget.
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Jul 1, 2020 21:20
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I watched Coming of Shadows again, and dredged up some of my old thoughts. S2ep09 - Coming of Shadows Redux Refa has had a psychologically perfect speech written, which smacks of politics today. I’m trying to remember a phrase about ‘a word here and there in the right place’, and this is definitely that extrapolated out. Interesting that Londo also expresses discomfort at Refa’s plan to Vir, considering he didn’t have to go along with it. He volunteered the destruction of the Narn colony ahead of any other option. The linked telepaths are a fascinating concept, and I really wish they’d been expanded on (or even used?). I feel like they definitely know what the emperor really said to Londo. Interesting that there’s 2 Minbari and a human talking with the Centauri prime minister in the throne room. G’kar buying Londo a drink, and him being utterly shellshocked is a wonderful scene. G’kar’s elation that some common ground may be reached yet, undercut by Londo sitting there aware at what he’s done and how soon this fleeting happiness will vanish. I wonder what the Minbari have told Sinclair about what’s to come, since he’s now very aware of the coming darkness (I assume the Great War mentioned in the opening titles). G’kar’s absolute white hot fury at being betrayed, coupled with the knowledge of what’s plainly obvious to him. The past is vehemently about to repeat itself and no-one will listen. The sheer frustration of it all is exploding out of him in all directions, and it’s absolutely justified. I can’t help but feel for him. At the end, Garibaldi thanks the ranger and tells he may have saved the lives of a quarter of a million Narn. What did he do, exactly? Just relay that the the attackers and the Centauri are linked? You could infer that information given 10 seconds’ thought, but I guess confirmed info is better.
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Jul 1, 2020 23:21
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The_Doctor posted:I watched Coming of Shadows again, and dredged up some of my old thoughts. Londo doesn't want his "forces" revealed. Although Sheridan doesn't know it, it's a threat to Londo personally.
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Jul 1, 2020 23:44
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Sanguinia posted:Now I want to somehow see Bablyon 5 in stage play format. Check out Babylon 5: The Lost Tales. Produced with so little budget, it might as well be a stage play with CGI.
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Jul 1, 2020 23:58
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Do not google Lost Tales if you're blind watching. They take place after the series.
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Jul 2, 2020 00:13
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Narsham posted:I think Furlan is usually underrated. Oh, yes, she was cool too. As were a bunch of the other actors. "Not as good as Londo & G'Kar" is not exactly the same as "bad".
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Jul 2, 2020 20:33
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The one thing I remember about Furlan was how she had barely escaped from one of the war-torn ex-Yugoslavia countries and had been in the US barely a year before she was hired for Babylon 5.
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Jul 2, 2020 20:49
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A bit late to the discussion, but the "Rush Act" from a few episodes ago was explicitly named for "Rush Limbaugh".
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Jul 2, 2020 23:54
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S2ep10 GROPOS “We are all slaves to our histories. If there is to be a bright future, we must learn to break those chains.” Paul Winfield! Ah, Franklin Sr is a dick from the moment we meet him. Requesting space/beds for 25,000 people on zero notice is an impossible request. Also, like Psi-corp wear the Sam Browne belt as code for fascism, army dude carrying a swagger stick is shorthand for ‘colossal arsehole’. The reconciliation between him and Stephen is telegraphed, but I’m a sucker for them.  There’s been a repeated plot point of Earthforce and Earthgov continuing to poo poo on the station, using and abusing the crew and facilities, and not ever seem appreciative of what it is they’re doing out there. I can’t help but wonder if that’s intentional, and there’ll be a sea change at some point. Lol ‘spacegrunts’, ‘starbutts’, and all the other odd military jargon is just as offputting/gatekeepy to hear as it is in real life. Franklin gets some good emotional stuff in this episode. As someone whose father constantly annoys him too, I feel for him a lot. I see the grunts are keeping up a dreadful tradition of being horribly racist, no matter the year or location. The trio surrounding Delenn is genuinely frightening for a moment. Real life horror is far more scary than any sci-fi monster. Garibaldi does not have a nice butt, lady. His back just meets his legs, and he’s clearly pulling his pants tight by pushing his hands in his pockets to give the impression there’s something there. The giant Daffy print over his bed has got to be a mood killer. Maybe Dodger likes it though? Chekhov’s Defence Grid there, getting obvious mention. As they repeatedly point out, strong enough to take out a warship. The ending shouldn’t be as effective as it is, and it feels a little cruel that none of the troops we got to know make it out alive, but it’s still a gut punch. The man in the tent directing the battle lives another day, and all the pawns lay down. War is hell, after all. 
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Jul 3, 2020 00:14
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There are a lot of adjectives you can use to describe JMS's writing, but "subtle" is not one of them.
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Jul 3, 2020 21:27
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If they ever re-make B5 they're going to have to use an actual cheese grater on the scripts. Related to that, I've watching the first season again because of this thread and something that really stands out in the writing is the technical error of repetition. "I am taking Command Commander" etc. Nothing egregious, but clunky and indicative of not actually being read aloud. Lovely Joe Stalin fucked around with this message at 00:53 on Jul 4, 2020 |
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Jul 4, 2020 00:50
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Lovely Joe Stalin posted:If they ever re-make B5 they're going to have to use an actual cheese grater on the scripts. There's some ritualized repetition in real world military, aircraft, and ship operation that sounds clunky as hell so that's not totally inaccurate.
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Jul 4, 2020 01:05
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Midjack posted:There's some ritualized repetition in real world military, aircraft, and ship operation that sounds clunky as hell so that's not totally inaccurate. From a character/dramatic standpoint, I always found it weirder in TNG in particular when [regular character] shows up to their post on the bridge and [extra] just wanders off without a word.
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Jul 6, 2020 14:23
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Just checking in, you guys all okay? Need anything? Healthy? Any work assignments you need some of us to take on so that you can be freed up to watch some more B5?
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Jul 8, 2020 21:51
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TraderStav posted:Just checking in, you guys all okay? Need anything? Healthy? Any work assignments you need some of us to take on so that you can be freed up to watch some more B5? I took a detour through Doom Patrol  I might marathon a bunch of B5 this week though. The lockdown has me doing a lot of binge watching and it's hard for me to break out of it and keep interest in another show like B5 one episode at a time, so I may give up on keeping pace with others in the name of not losing interest. I'll keep my notes by episode either way.
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Jul 9, 2020 03:39
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I’m currently in a situation where it’s hard to get time to myself to watch things, but I’ll give it a harder go soon. I’ve got the next ep taunting me in Plex.
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Jul 9, 2020 08:06
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I am kind of taking a break from the internet (forums and discord and everything) but in this time I was able to watch a whole lot of episodes. I am about to start Series 2 episode 2 so I thought I would briefly come out of the break to type up all my thoughts! (I am just writing out my notes from the time even though some of the things I have said are changed by my watching of later episodes  )---------- 1 - 14 TKO I did not write much about this episode. It felt a little bit odd. To have a brutal fighting plot alongside a sitting shiva plot felt a bit incongruous. I am still trying to think what the linking factor was between them. The idea of moving on? Or strength and how it affects us differently? Maybe there is not a link and that was the point? To just have two distinct events in our senior leadership team's life happen simultaneously. I know everything I go through on a daily basis does not link up with what Lady VG goes through. I really, REALLY, liked that the Mutai fighters respected the rituals and were not snooty towards Walker (who was pretty charismatic). They abided by their customs and accepted him and everything once he followed the rules and gave him a fair shot. I really do appreciate when that happens. Also Sinclair is a really good dude, suddenly authorising Ivanova having as much time off as she needs to get well. I like how much he cares. He is one of my favourite characters because he is a trusty dependable leader. I know he will either do the right thing or put himself in harms way to do the right thing. -------- 1-15 Grail Kosh?!?! This is what I shouted when I saw that poor woman get her mind wiped! Holy moly! And we have JF Sebastian, Master Control Program AND Bishop Brennan all in the same episode?! Holy moly what a treat!  The Baylon Curse had me glued to the screen. Especially the second mention of Babylon 4! It just wrinkled like putty and then disappeared! That sounds so weird. I cannot wait to find out more about it! I also like that David Warner said Jinxo was the wrong name and that he was actually lucky. In fact David Warner absolutely nailed his role in this episode. It is the kind of role I have seen in other shows but he is such a prescence and so professional that he elevates it. He also got some killer dialogue when he talks about the Numbers adding up and especially: "Yes, because you are a man of infinite promise and goodness." "Oh, come off it!" "The fact that you're still here on B5 is proof of that. You care so much that you stay here at the risk of your life. You are a fine, good man, Thomas." I liked learning more about the Minbari. Finding out there are two distinct halves to their society is interesting. I still want to know why they stopped fighting the humans. Maybe the religious caste outnumbers the warriors and they had a vote? Is the grey council all religious members? Is it the leadership of the Minbari? Ah, Kosh was just a decoy. In a way I am a little disappointed. I have no idea what the Vorlons get up to at all, still. Though I laughed so much when Kosh was told "That makes people a little nervous" and they pause before saying "...Good." I cannot wait to learning more about these guys! I could see Thomas' taking David Warner's place from the beginning but it did not diminish my fun. --------- 1-16 Eyes Jeffrey Combs! I love the kind of guests stars they get in this show! Always people top of the game Is it a requirement that anyone with PSI abilities has to wear black gloves? I have noticed that all the agents seem to do that and I suppose it is an easier way to quickly identify them. Colonel Ari Ben Zayn was such a great scenery chewing foil against the more calm and collected Sinclair! He launched himself at everything and it was phenomenal. His voice sounded so familiar to me though and I cannot place where I know him from. Even after the episode finished and I looked him up nothing leapt out at me. I enjoyed the storyline in this one quite a bit. I expect Sinclair to get more people mad at him thanks to his settling of the Strike. I like the continuity a lot. Lady VG and I are watching a show she loves and wants me to experience and I am getting frustrated occasionally by it because each episode seems to reset itself. Babylon 5 is spoiling me in this regard. Again, I love Sinclair standing up for his officers. Making sure that Ivanova did not have to undergo a scan no matter what was awesome. He is a lot more clever than people give him credit for! Seeing Lennier and Garibaldi bond was really sweet too. A motorcycle in Babylon 5 seems a bit weird. Do the bits for it still exist after 258 years? It got me wondering about the history of earth in the show. I know that if I wanted something from 1762 (as an example) it would be pretty tough. I am guessing there has not been a big war to damage earth and lose items? At the moment I am filling things in with my own gleaned knowledge. I do wonder what earth looks like in terms of living, government and society but I also feel it is not really important compared to the events happening on the station. Garibaldi and Lennier zipping along on that bike was some amazing visuals I could not help but smile. Lennier is great. So many of these characters are just simply interesting.Where is G'Kar? Feel like I have not seen him in a while. -------------- 1 - 17 Legacies I am always up for exploring the Minbari Out of all the races I am most interested in them and it stems completely from the fact that they were destroying Humanity and then stopped. What would cause such a thing? It also helps that Delenn is a fantastic character. Able to go from serious and piercing to breezy and michevious without warning and in a way that does not feel like poor writing/acting. I would even wager she is probably the smartest person on the whole station. Definitely the most enlightened! Delenn's backstory with the grey council and Sinclair's missing hours are another hook I cannot stop thinking about as I watch it. Neroon and the basic plot revealed a lot more about the war - but I am still chomping at the bit for more!! I was confused as to why Sinclair was blamed for Bramners body being stolen though. I could have sworn Neroon demanded his Minbari security force guard it. Did I miss a bit of dialogue? I actually thought it was going to be an inside job by him to start a new war! I was much more surprised that it was Delenn who took the body, and her explanation gave even more insight onto their culture. I am glad she got her way, especially as she was actually Branmners friend and knew what his wishes were. Neroon was not respecting them at all! It seems that the warrior caste is still wishing they could be fighting the war - but the way Sinclair and Neroon made up at the end was great. Sinclair knows what to say The side plot with the PSI corps was quite intriguing too - especially with all the races trying to entice Alisa. We also learned that the Narn do not have any naturally occuring telepaths. I wonder why that is. Ivanova and Tahlia came very close to blows as well. The word Chrysalis from within Delenn's mind also stands out to me. I wonder what it could be a reference to? Is it something to do with Sinclair's hole? Was he changed when aboard the minbari ship? Na'toth is really excellent, but still no sign of G'Kar. 1-18/19 A Voice in the Wilderness I am going to do this as a single collection. It felt weird that this was a two parter. I think it could have been one single tight story. It also has a bit of an odd premise. In all these years the station has been active, and all the years prior including construction and searching for a place, that no one has properly scanned it or gone on the surface. However I still found myself I am guessing no one expected Babylon 5 to survive based on what happened to the other 4! Maybe they just thought they would set up a temporary station hehe Draal was another good Minbari character. (In fact I think they have all been thus far) and his third principal of sentient life about self sacrifice really touched me. I had a feeling he would be the person to replace the old alien in the machine based on his lament at needing a new path. I wonder how old Minbari can reach. The bit with Garibaldi in the lift at the start was pretty weird and a bit creepy. I think he might be my least favourite character because of the way he is about people from the down below. He wanted to space them all! Londo and Delenn were great again Londo in particular. I love whenever he drops his bravado and reveals a little about how insecure and unsatisfied he is. When we cut from the command centre asking who's piloting that thing and shows us it is Londo and he is having the time of his life just had me grinning.Not to mention his story about him and his wife that he uses to cheer up Garibaldi. That whole scene is gold! Ivanova bringing her russian heritage up is also great. I like her repetition about Boom (I think she has made mention of it in three episodes now). I wonder what it means for the direction now that there is a drastically advanced mound of technology right below the station in an impenetrable planet. I believe it will probably come up again. It seems like a really big plot point that when the time is right it will be available, but what dictates that part? And finally, when Garibaldi asks Delenn about why the three of them went down to the planet and she said that it was because if Sinclair had known about it, he would be in the heart of the machine. I absolutely believe that. Sinclair is so that kind of dude. He would have done it without a second thought! (G'kar, where are you?) OK. I will type up the rest of my notes in a little while. I will also be almost caught up with everyone else (only a few episodes behind!)
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Jul 9, 2020 15:43
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VideoGames posted:Is it a requirement that anyone with PSI abilities has to wear black gloves? I have noticed that all the agents seem to do that and I suppose it is an easier way to quickly identify them. Answering telepath question: Yeah. You can do telepathy by skin contact, so wearing gloves minimizes the chance of accidental scan. It's also part of the Psi Corps uniform.
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Jul 9, 2020 16:10
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VideoGames posted:
Roughly 140 in human years. This never comes up in the series but JMS mentioned it online at some point.
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Jul 9, 2020 18:41
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S2E10 Gropos They gave someone else on the bridge crew an actual line other than their jobs! Earth Dome? Asking Sheridan for assistance planning a military op is interesting. Sometimes easy to forget him and Ivanova are legit military officers, though Sheridan did have that bit of welled up frustration about the nature of their duties on B5. Hell yeah turn Babylon 5 into a death star. Lol he called her Eye-vanova Bethesdadome now too? This episode brought to you by Dome Corp. "They want you in the dome, commander" ok this episode is trolling me now. Wow that soldier lady went apeshit. She even said "nice butt" about Garibaldi. I made a face irl I can not over emphasize how little I care about Franklin fixing things with his father. "I love you dad." The upside is this plot is out of the way and so they can't do it again. Keffer, another newly "given a real part" human. hell yes I love bar fights where everyone is fighting everyone and there are roundhouse kicks for some reason What was with that fist bump thing Keffer did with the asian soldier? That was super weird. He like windmill punched him in the wrist. Badass invasion CG (actually I think noticably better than season 1) Wow really? Every single one of the soldiers we actually got to know died and got dragged to the same place? Or even died in the same place? This episode was not good, or at least, I could not get connected with it the way it wanted me to. AARD VARKMAN fucked around with this message at 23:16 on Jul 9, 2020 |
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Jul 9, 2020 23:12
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TheAardvark posted:S2E10 Gropos In case it wasn't obvious from the context Earthdome is basically "The White House," or "The Pentagon," ie their shorthand for the Earth Alliance's government/military headquarters complex. I think its in Geneva.
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Jul 9, 2020 23:25
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EARTH DOME
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Jul 9, 2020 23:27
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It is a dome. On Earth. EARTHDOME
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Jul 9, 2020 23:30
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i live in a dome down by the river
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Jul 9, 2020 23:33
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It was gratifying to see Devo remembered as the pioneers they were. 
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Jul 9, 2020 23:35
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Lobster God posted:It is a dome. On Earth. EARTHDOME  Earth dome is a sphere. Prove me wrong.
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Jul 9, 2020 23:37
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someone's gonna click on this seeing a bunch of unread posts and they're going to find out it's all domes all the way down
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Jul 9, 2020 23:40
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CainFortea posted:
Look, once you start hanging around with the Centauri you understand why you need to have a shield that keeps your planet's atmosphere from being stolen.
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Jul 9, 2020 23:46
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Considering what we saw of San Diego, the remainder of the US could be contained under a single dome.
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Jul 9, 2020 23:47
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TheAardvark posted:someone's gonna click on this seeing a bunch of unread posts and they're going to find out it's all domes all the way down https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NNL8J1CM04E
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Jul 10, 2020 00:15
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S2E11 - Alone in the Night Lennier and Delenn first scene. Already a better episode than the last one. I thought we'd moved past the ridiculous COMMANDER GOES ON THE AWAY MISSION thing but here we are again. I like Lennier and Delenn's friendship. Yet another random human crew member given lines and a subplot, this time Ramirez? Btw I'm far, far more interested in this subplot of how Mars does at baseball than I was about Franklin resolving things with his father. Lmao Sheridan had to eject and got abducted, I am going to be FURIOUS if they let him do this again 3 episodes from now. Well that there Ramirez fellow didn't last too long. He might even have lived if the Captain hadn't come along because they might have ran immediately. Poor Delenn  that empty room, ouch.Oh boy a spaceship kidnapped the captain to make him fight in an arena. This plot seems pretty forced. Oh my God the acting and writing of the scene where Ramirez dies in the med bay are so bad. Decent ending to getting the Captain back.. lol at them spacing all their test subjects and getting exploded. Interesting Kosh psychic connection thing. This scene of actual important exposition at the end is really weird juxtaposed with the ridiculous premise of the rest of the episode. Decent episode overall
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Jul 10, 2020 02:55
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S2E12 Acts of Sacrifice Space battles in to actual politicking, NOW we're talking. I loved when Delenn tells G'Kar that if the Minbari help, in a few years the Narns will be killing Centauris instead, and he didn't argue. This new race with the psychic "translator" for speaking to inferior races is great. Londo doing the real ambassadorial work: accepting bribes for cargo considerations Seeing random Centauris is nice, we haven't seen much of them before, especially not fighting like this. drat, this is intense. Much much better than the last two episodes. I've been thinking for a while it's ridiculous that the B5's only medical facility would be run entirely by humans, treating aliens. I can accept it as a budget and time constraint, though. Lol "Yes, we often hear that argument from inferior species and their sympathizers." Londo pulling one of his "strings" with Garibaldi? Or actually lonely? Another impassioned speech from G'Kar, and the Narns treating it like a "wink". Great acting again, G'Kar remains the best actor on the entire show. I can't tell if they were supposed to be thinking of it as wink wink nudge nudge or "gently caress you we're doing it anyway", the look they gave each other and the fact that they yell out their plan the second he leaves the room made it ambiguous. Lmao the Superior alien stole half of Ivanova's nightgown New Na'Toth actress not nearly as good as the last one so far. It's hard for me to imagine this one pulling the same scenes she did in S1 with near the same gravity. The fact Babylon 5 has a "down below" is damning of humanity. Makes sense this race would actually appreciate it. Narn on Narn violence! G'Kar saving the day, gently caress that loser Narn backstabbing him after the fight ended. Lmfao he has to bang Ivanova to close the deal. G'Kar being a decent sport about only getting civilian aid. I can't tell if he was laughing or crying there wtf. Ivanova's ploy. I guess that is Human Style after a while. Good episode, show's moving in a better direction here. Politics, all the ambassadors, and an interesting new species subplot.
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Jul 10, 2020 18:28
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TheAardvark posted:S2E12 Acts of Sacrifice I’m not going to make a habit of doing this, but the script for this episode helps contextualize the performance here. G’kar emerges from the room and nearly falls. He puts a hand to the wall to steady himself. At this moment, he doesn’t know whether to laugh because he’s gotten something, or cry because all the pain has not gotten him military aid. And so, as he makes his way slowly into the transport tube... he does both.
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Jul 10, 2020 21:51
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Narsham posted:I’m not going to make a habit of doing this, but the script for this episode helps contextualize the performance here. Thanks, that is helpful, and is about what it felt like. They didn't subtitle the sounds at all so I imagine a truly deaf person would have been even more confused. That is also a pretty tough set of emotions to display under that much makeup and have it come across.
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Jul 10, 2020 21:59
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Katsulas is such a great actor. Why wasn't he in more stuff? Same with Jurasik.
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Jul 11, 2020 00:23
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