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Chevy Slyme posted:River of Souls: as with thirdspace, this is basically a blown up monster of the week, this time, set after the end of season 5. It’s… fine. Notable for the fact that they got Martin Sheen to wear some truly ridiculous alien makeup and prosthetics. As I recall it was Sheen's last role before his late career resurrection in The West Wing. He's pretty class in it, unlike many of his other doldrums projects like Spawn.
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Jun 23, 2023 15:00
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Jedit posted:As I recall it was Sheen's last role before his late career resurrection in The West Wing. He's pretty class in it, unlike many of his other doldrums projects like Spawn. It should be noted Sheen was originally cast in the other major guest starring role, but insisted he wanted to play the alien instead.
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Jun 23, 2023 15:20
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Narsham posted:It should be noted Sheen was originally cast in the other major guest starring role, but insisted he wanted to play the alien instead. And instead we get Ian McShane. River of Souls really does have a knockout cast, and it's probably the most well produced and put together of the B5 movies, IMO. Shame about the actual script just being... not great.
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Jun 23, 2023 16:12
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5x07: Secrets of the Soul There is a definite similarity between the two disparate story lines in this episode. One involves the genocide of a subspecies, and the other involves the genetic manipulation of selected members of races to create the telepaths. First, the telepaths, since that's the more interesting of the two stories. Between Zack talking about "you people" and telepaths retaliating against thuggish bullies, this is just...not going to end well. History is replete with examples of the persecuted becoming persecutors once they are given power, and if there is going to be a Telepath War, as the season 4 finale predicted, I fear that's the direction where this will be going. I like Zack a lot but his dismissive attitude towards telepaths, while perhaps understandable in some ways, sucks out loud. "You people" is never a good thing to hear in pretty much any context. I did notice how quickly Byron's message of peace and separatism changed when it was suggested that the Alliance might not allow them a homeworld of their own. The telepaths probably have a pretty strong case, but yikes. It suggests to me that maybe Byron isn't necessarily the man of peace he's been making himself out to be. Medusa Cascade thought that Byron's group had many of the hallmarks of a cult of personality. It does give me pause how quickly Lyta has begun to trust Byron implicitly, despite not really knowing him that well. Next, the Hyach. One of my (many) criticisms of the founding fathers is their myopia: they failed to anticipate the rise of political factions (which happened almost immediately) and didn't think about who might become president beyond Washington. We know that Sheridan, Delenn and Franklin are not going to allow the medical records of Alliance members to be misused or to fall into the wrong hands, but what about the next iteration of Alliance leaders? Or the ones after those? Point being, I sympathize with the Hyach in that sense; allowing your medical records to be put into one big database makes a certain amount of practical sense, but it could also be a major vulnerability for many of the reasons Kirrin mentioned. The question of whether the current generation of Hyach are to be held responsible for the actions of their distant ancestors is a question that is beyond my pay grade to answer. I tend to fall on the side of no, since they haven't benefited from the genocide of the Hyach-Doh and in fact are actively harmed by it. Franklin's reaction of also not having the authority to forgive them was well done. It reminded me - favorably - of a similar situation at the end of the TNG episode "The Survivors". I'll assume most of you have seen it; how could Picard take it upon himself to absolve Kevin's guilt over wiping out an entire race of aliens? These kind of moral quandaries are a big part of what make series like TNG and Babylon 5 such great viewing.
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Jun 24, 2023 17:30
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F_Shit_Fitzgerald posted:5x07: Secrets of the Soul I would imagine that back in the day when they did the genocide, they probably felt like they benefited in some way, either materially by stealing their stuff or in some philosophical benefit of getting rid of the people they thought were inferior. This episode's subplot kinda blurs to me with the Drafa Plague that wiped out the Markab because they thought only the immoral could catch it. Maybe they regret it now because their morals have changed, but the fact that they kept it a secret makes it sound more like they regret it because only now it is inconvenient, both for the medical results and because it makes them look bad if too many people know about it. They were willing to risk not getting the help they needed as a species to survive just for the sake of hiding it. While the question of what it takes to atone for your ancestors mistakes are complicated and maybe you can never really make things right with people who are dead, the bare minimum you can do to make things right is teach about what was wrong. Otherwise you learn nothing and it'll just happen again.
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Jun 24, 2023 23:28
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5x08: Day of the Dead Babylon 5 has a way of sneaking up on you, even when you think, "Oh, this is going to be a slightly goofy TNG plot". Even after the season 3 cliffhanger was resolved, there was a question that hung in the air: Why did future-Delenn tell Sheridan not to go to Z'Ha'Dum in World Without End? It seems like a possible answer to that question was cleverly inserted into this disarmingly bottle-like episode. It suggests that there's another shoe to drop sometime this season. We already know about Londo (and Adira may have a deeper meaning for that arc that has yet to become clear), but there's apparently some other type of darkness that's about to descend. Then there's Lennier. Seeing Ed Wasser again was a real treat; he was always second to Walter Koenig in playing delightfully smarmy evil characters. He too sneaked a major revelation through customs: that Lennier was going to betray the Rangers (!). How this fits into Kosh's message to Sheridan - or doesn't - and why Lennier would be visited by Morden and not Marcus (whom, quite frankly, I expected) are tantalizing questions. I can't help but wonder whether Lennier's ambivalence about his Rangerly duties, and Delenn's marriage to Sheridan has something to do with that. I picked up on the fact that Lennier pointedly referred to Sheridan as "your partner" and Delenn gently corrected him, seemingly unoffended. The other ghostly apparitions (?) that appeared didn't seem to have the same importance except as character builders, but they were still great. We see that even before her brief marriage to Sheridan, Lochley was something of a party girl who has carried the death of her good friend (possibly lover?) with her for twenty years. I'll admit that I had semi-forgotten about Dodger (but not the episode where she appeared), so seeing her again was also nice. Dodger also has the best line of the episode and perhaps the season so far: "Parting is all we know of heaven, and all we need of hell". Other than that? I have nothing against Penn and Teller but their appearance was more goofy than anything else. I guess it was meant to be, though. Mira Furlan was a fantastic actor but her laughter seemed a bit forced in that scene in their quarters. And is it just me, or does the long haired guy in this Infiniti commercial look a bit like Marcus: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3t8AJP90qnE? F_Shit_Fitzgerald fucked around with this message at 22:01 on Jun 26, 2023 |
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Jun 26, 2023 21:57
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written by neil gaiman! I liked this one, a minor highlight of s5.
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Jun 26, 2023 22:04
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F_Shit_Fitzgerald posted:5x08: Day of the Dead And it's Emily Dickinson's line, which fits with what they were doing, anyway.
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Jun 27, 2023 00:49
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F_Shit_Fitzgerald posted:
Zooty, Zoot Zoot!
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Jun 28, 2023 14:26
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5x09: In the Kingdom of the Blind gently caress...this is bad. At least back in the Cartagia and Bester-controlling-Garibaldi days, we didn't know quite what was coming next. Having an idea of what's coming makes this so much worse. So let's address this one at a time: Telepaths. I have such mixed feelings about Byron's crusade here! In my opinion, his ask is not a major one: repay the help we've given you and the persecution you've given us to have a homeworld of our own (TGTOW; telepaths going their own way). Delenn reminding Sheridan that Clark and his fascists whined unconvincingly about Sheridan not expressing his concerns "the right way" was 100% correct, as is Byron recognizing that violence is only going to inflame sentiment against the telepaths. I'm not sure what to think about Byron and Lyta locking themselves away in Brown section. In a sense, it evokes passive protests like sit-ins of the '60s. But I'm not sure that making yourself a nuisance to Sheridan and Zack - or using state secrets as a bit of bribery to ensure you get what you want - is the right approach here. I think it would have been far better if Lyta and Byron had surrendered themselves, let Zack take them into custody, and then plead your case before Sheridan as much as you can. When your hand is weak, you have to fold and hope you can survive another round. Yeah...I know -  . Then again, Sheridan being careful to stay within the Earth constitution, and invoking that constitution at every opportunity, probably ended up being a far more ingenious weapon against Clark than almost anything else. Londo. All the symptoms and signs that War Without End made clear: staying drunk to keep the Drakh (?) confused, being heard talking to yourself. There was just a cloud of doom hanging over the Centauri palace that I hadn't felt since Cartagia. I still have Majel Barrett Roddenberry's voice ringing through my head: "Don't mourn that which is already dead". Londo should never have gone back to Centauri Prime. I guess it was fated for him to do so. One bright spot was G'kar and his clear enjoyment at the negative attention he generated. Good on Londo for sticking up for him. F_Shit_Fitzgerald fucked around with this message at 02:09 on Jun 29, 2023 |
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Jun 28, 2023 20:41
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The Shadows have been here on Earth far longer than Sheridan and Delenn ever suspected:  
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Jun 30, 2023 02:04
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5x10: A Tragedy of Telepaths It was a mistake for Byron to use state secrets as a cudgel to force the Alliance to consider giving his people a homeworld. To a degree, they suffer from bad timing; they had no responsibility for, or way of knowing about, the Drakh attacks (posing as Centauri). Holing yourselves up in Brown sector and forcing the "normals" to bring in Bester is just pouring oil on a raging house fire. It's not going to end well for anyone. I still don't think it'll be the rogue telepaths holding Garibaldi hostage, but what do I know? It seems obvious which is why I think it'll be someone else. We already know that there allegedly were "one hundred years of peace" after the formation of the Interstellar Alliance, which confuses me: what happened between the member planets or to Centauri Prime? The Drazi ambassador's warning that this was Sheridan's first mistake was chilling. I suspect what's going to happen is that they're going to eventually figure out that Centauri ships were behind the attacks. Londo will either be unable to answer this charge satisfactorily or not answer at all because he will have been taken over by a Drakh. The Alliance will feel that it has no other choice than to cripple Centauri Prime militarily, leading to the planet in flames that we saw in War Without End. It was nice to see Na'Toth again! I had assumed she died in the invasion of Narn. I guess she was being shipped back to the Narn homeworld to recuperate? I'd say that it's good Londo and G'kar are en route back to Babylon 5, but we already know Londo is doomed. As I've said: it's a matter of when and not if. e: Boy, Londo, it sounds like monarchy is a lovely, disorganized way to run a society huh? There was also a Youtube comment (watching Medusa's reaction) that was discussing why Bester looked so shell shocked after the firefight. I didn't read it because it looked like they were going to explain his reaction. It could be that Bester senses whatever Byron is planning to do, or maybe Bester is just shocked that telepaths would resort to using PPGs.  F_Shit_Fitzgerald fucked around with this message at 20:22 on Jun 30, 2023 |
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Jun 30, 2023 19:59
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5x11: Phoenix Rising gently caress...that final scene with Garibaldi. It's a cruel irony that one of the things I've read that got Jerry Doyle was chronic alcoholism. I'm slightly frustrated here because I consider myself a decent writer, and I want to say something profound about this episode. But it's been a long day and I'm suffering from a bit of writer's block, so I'll try to be as non rambly as I can. There are similarities here between Byron's struggle for telepath independence and Sheridan's fight against fascism. Both men reached a crisis point where their consciences wouldn't allow them to take unlawful and/or immoral orders. Both men struggled against their former comrades in arms and superiors, in different ways (Sheridan invoking the Earth Constitution as much as he could; Byron by trying to not be Bester as much as possible). Both men holed themselves up in their headquarters, B5 for Sheridan and downbelow for Byron. And although I highly doubt Sheridan wanted to die a martyr's death, he was ready to die when he was being tortured. Bester charging into the room and contesting the surrender was such a dumb move that I'm having trouble believing it was accidental. I remember how shell-shocked he seemed in the previous episode and I wonder if he knew (or had an idea of) what Byron was planning and deliberately triggered it - "if I can't have Byron then no one can". Perhaps this is conspiratorial but nothing's out of the realm for Bester. The news item at the end about the bombing of Psi Corp headquarters was clever. The Telepath War may be versus telepaths instead of telepaths and "mundanes". e: I forgot to add that Bester's comment about cultures "dealing with telepaths" at the beginning of the episode was chilling. We know from history how it goes for minorities who sell out their own kind in exchange for being seen as 'one of the good ones', but perhaps Bester is so drunk on power that he either doesn't see it or thinks he can survive the inevitable backlash. If it's the latter, he may be right given his powers over "mundanes". F_Shit_Fitzgerald fucked around with this message at 03:13 on Jul 3, 2023 |
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Jul 3, 2023 03:02
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F_Shit_Fitzgerald posted:I'm slightly frustrated here because I consider myself a decent writer, and I want to say something profound about this episode. But it's been a long day and I'm suffering from a bit of writer's block, so I'll try to be as non rambly as I can. (De-spoilering this line since it's not actually a spoiler.) I just want to say that I've been really enjoying your episode reactions. I only completed my own first watch in this thread comparatively recently (less than a year ago), and it's really interesting to see all the same and very different things that you and I noticed along the way. You might not always get a lot of replies -- the spoiler-wariness is strong in this thread -- but trust me, there are a bunch of us following along. And as a plus, you're going at a much easier-to-follow pace than I did, since my viewing partner travels for work so I'd sometimes have gaps of weeks between episodes. Looking forward to welcoming you into the main B5 thread after you experience Sleeping in Light.
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Jul 3, 2023 04:02
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Season 5 episode order notes: Day of the Dead was originally scheduled to run after Phoenix Rising, but got moved for some sports thing IIRC. That's one of the few changes that I think matters and I generally recommend new viewers make the switch, but it's not really a big deal.
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Jul 3, 2023 04:13
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^ Thank you, Powered Descent! 5x12: The Ragged Edge This episode doesn't seem like it stands on its own so much as it forms connective tissue for events that will come later. I highly doubt that Londo is directly responsible for leaking Garibaldi's whereabouts. First, there's no direct evidence of it. Second, I just don't think it's something that he would do; regardless of how he feels about the Alliance or Garibaldi. I am curious, then, how that information was relayed - and to whom. It leaves one of several possibilities: either one of Byron's telepaths snitched (assuming the blackmail attempt wasn't a bluff) or Shadow Allies have a mole in the Alliance. It was Medusa Cascade who recognized before I did that the Shadow Allies are using the same playbook as the Shadows, attacking at random to throw off their opponents. Their apparent attempt to divide the Centauri Republic against the Alliance also seems to be working, given how unsure Sheridan is about Londo. I wonder if not telling their concerns to Londo will end up being a mistake. Garibaldi's arc is pretty foreboding as well. I'm concerned about Franklin going back to Earth; I'm no expert on alcoholism but it seems like Garibaldi might lean on a fellow recovering addict like Franklin for support. He (Michael) may not trust Sheridan and Delenn, as close as they are, in the same way that he trusts Franklin who has been through it. I kept waiting for Sheridan, who iirc name-checked Garibaldi's problem with alcohol in this episode, to figure out what happened on the trip to Drazi and he apparently never did. The one bright spot in this otherwise gloomy episode was G'kar. Seeing him become a religious icon was a delight. I don't have too much to say about it except to speculate that part of the reason why future-G'kar might strangle future-Londo is his religious convictions: he may recognize what happened to Londo and save him from further torment and/or eliminate the evil in his presence. F_Shit_Fitzgerald fucked around with this message at 20:41 on Jul 4, 2023 |
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Jul 4, 2023 19:26
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5x13: The Corp is Mother, the Corp is Father We've already had an episode from the perspective of low-level B5 grunts this season, so it's nice to see an episode where Bester is "in his natural habitat", so to speak. Is this episode implying that Bester might be a telepath with multiple personalities? Thinking about that mirror scene, as well as Lyta relating the rumor that Bester was too deep in someone's mind as they were dying, there is more going on here than we're seeing. With only nine more episodes to go before the end of the series, I'm not confident that we'll get a resolution; there's too much story left to tell about other characters. The series clearly wants me to be appalled at the resolution for the "mundane" at the end of the episode, and it is shocking. The hypocrisy of Bester being smug about Zack and Franklin's distrust of telepaths and then doing something like that is pretty galling. I'm trying to think of a real-life equivalent of an organization that emphasizes secrecy and disdain for outsiders in a similar way to the Corps and I'm coming up empty. The separatism that the Psi Corps teaches is not sustainable, and even if they don't feel as though "mundanes" pose a threat to them, other telepaths who are sick of being oppressed will eventually destroy the Corps. I do think there's a real-life equivalent there to minorities who think they'll demonstrate that they're "one of the good ones" and end up hated by everyone.
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Jul 7, 2023 01:38
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F_Shit_Fitzgerald posted:I'm trying to think of a real-life equivalent of an organization that emphasizes secrecy and disdain for outsiders in a similar way to the Corps and I'm coming up empty. The Supreme Court?
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Jul 7, 2023 18:18
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Defiance Industries posted:The Supreme Court?  Great analogy.
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Jul 7, 2023 18:23
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F_Shit_Fitzgerald posted:I'm trying to think of a real-life equivalent of an organization that emphasizes secrecy and disdain for outsiders in a similar way to the Corps and I'm coming up empty. cops
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Jul 8, 2023 06:16
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5x14: Meditations on the Abyss "The desire to be Anla-Shok must be pure and unselfish".  Yes....yes it should, Lennier.I've seen this dynamic before in movies and TV shows where the recruit with the Sunday school answers and the near-perfect record is the one who washes out. We don't know exactly what's going on with Lennier but we have an idea: he's deeply in denial about his real reasons for joining the Rangers. Findell is a good man who is at least more honest about being scared and conflicted, and in a lot of ways I think that makes Lennier more dangerous between the two of them. Don't get me wrong: I still really like Lennier. His candor in telling Delenn about his conversation with the Morden ghost was refreshing. Obviously, though, there's another shoe ready to drop there. Could it relate to Delenn? Medusa pointed out that both he and Sheridan (who also may not survive the rest of this season) have something in common - Delenn. His betrayal could also involve revenge inflicted by the Shadow Allies. The timing of the debriefing scene after the 'Easter egg hunt' was ironic given that I watched Beverly Hills Cop for the first (?) time yesterday afternoon. During Linnear's report I could almost hear Axel Foley in the background https://youtube.com/watch?v=FP554nRUoyw (Warning: spoiler for a movie as old as I am). A few more random observations:
F_Shit_Fitzgerald fucked around with this message at 20:31 on Jul 8, 2023 |
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Jul 8, 2023 19:45
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. Really surprised that Sheridan or Delenn haven't figured out what's going on with Garibaldi yet.
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F_Shit_Fitzgerald posted:5x14: Meditations on the Abyss Alcoholics are crafty. Minbari don't drink. And Sinclair was the one who knew Garibaldi
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Jul 10, 2023 08:57
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DrBouvenstein posted:Zooty, Zoot Zoot! 
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Jul 10, 2023 15:40
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5x15: Darkness Ascending There were some nice callbacks to really old stuff in this episode. While I hadn't forgotten about G'kar's abrupt appeal to Lyta in the pilot movie (you don't forget a thing like that) or Garibaldi being shot in the back, I had forgotten about Sakai. I'd bet that Sheridan and Delenn are what JMS had originally intended for Sinclair and Sakai, given what we know about O'Hare's illness. The callbacks feel appropriate, too, given how much it feels as though the galaxy is returning to a state where it was seasons ago. The Centauri are prepared to go to war with the Narn...again....and the Alliance is - or will be - on a war footing with the Centauri. I'm still wondering why that historian spoke of "a hundred years of peace" in 4x22, unless that was just a one-off because JMS thought the series was ending. Also a throwback: Garibaldi's drinking, which is bad. I am not an alcoholic and thankfully have not had to deal with one in my personal life, but the signs and symptoms here are very well written and genuine. Garibaldi apparently was later seen as a hero of the Alliance, so I'm curious to see if he gets his drinking under control and how. Maybe Lise can help him. The deal Lyta is cutting with G'kar is ironic, because it's precisely what created her and her people in the first place: selective breeding to create a race of telepaths. It seems like one of those things that's going to eventually backfire in unexpected ways. e: Before I forget - Sheridan, that's why Delenn is a successful ambassador for Minbar. Loved that scene and watching Sheridan, no slouch in the debate department himself, be completely outgunned. I interpreted Garibaldi's dream at the beginning (which kicked rear end) as more of a warning from his conscience about his drinking - he hasn't been there for his friends when they need him. I am interested to see if the Lyta thing was a one-off or a portent of something to come. F_Shit_Fitzgerald fucked around with this message at 19:02 on Jul 10, 2023 |
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Jul 10, 2023 18:51
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5x16: And All My Dreams, Torn Asunder Man, we already knew that this was going to be bad, but I didn't expect poo poo to hit the fan quite as quickly as it is here. It's instructive to watch how a series of little mistakes over time can grow into something that fucks up everyone's world. Many of the mistakes are Londo's, even if he didn't recognize what he was doing at the time. Londo should have walked away from Morden when he was trying to get in touch way back in season one. He should have allowed time for the Shadows to gently caress off along with the Vorlons rather than murdering Morden (no matter how much he may have deserved it) and blowing up the Shadow vessels on Centauri Prime. But the mistakes are not Londo's alone. Zack should never have just taken Garibaldi's word for it and let that drunken encounter pass. Maybe turning in an alcoholic does no good, because alcoholics have to realize that they have a problem before they can set themselves on the path toward fixing it. But choosing not to tell Sheridan what was going on with his Chief of Intelligence intensified this from a cold war to a hot one. Shoulda, coulda, woulda. That said, pieces are falling into place. Londo and G'kar are back on Centauri Prime, where they'll apparently stay for the next 16 or or years, isolated from the Alliance. Vir will eventually go back himself; probably for security reasons (Franklin defending him in the hallway was a great scene). One of the only other shoes left to drop is for Londo to be taken over by the Drakh that currently has control of the Regent. In retrospect, the Centauri were a perfect choice for Shadow Allies to stage their revenge. Given the Centauri's arrogance and previous actions, the idea of them staging attacks and then crying 'victim' were easily believable to races in the Interstellar Alliance. Again, I appreciate that Delenn and Sheridan don't think that Londo is directly responsible for what's happening, but that's a cold comfort when the Centauri have isolated themselves and put their race on a war footing.
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Jul 12, 2023 16:10
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5x17: Movements of Fire and Shadow This is it. Not only is it the Other Shoe Dropping that we've been expecting for half a season, but it's the culmination of four and a half seasons' worth of Centauri duplicity. Their chickens are coming home to roost in a lot of ways, and though they don't deserve to have their homeworld directly attacked, neither did the Narn a few seasons ago. If it sounds like I'm not sympathetic, that's not exactly true. Londo's story is particularly tragic given that he has taken real steps towards redeeming himself and Centauri Prime. But like the end of this episode - Franklin and Lyta revealing the Shadow tech being used by the Centauri ships and Londo trying to reactivate the defense grid - it is too little, too late. I doubt if we'll ever get a hand-holding explanation of Lady Majel's three moments for Londo to redeem himself; it's the nature of Babylon 5 to leave that sort of thing open to the viewer's interpretation. I am almost positive, though, that "Don't revive that which is already dead" was speaking about Centauri Prime. I'm trying to figure out whether this is a worse point for the galaxy than the Shadow war or the Earth Civil War and I'm genuinely not sure. In some ways, this is worse: the races are divided politically and "geographically" given the Centauri/Shadow Allies' attacks on jumpgates. Put it this way: the Shadow war was an existential threat against the galaxy as a whole. This is an existential threat against the Alliance, which might be worse if anything Sheridan and Delenn have been doing is to succeed. We already know that Delenn survives; we saw her a hundred years later forcing her way into that teleconference. What remains to be seen is how Lennier betrays the Rangers. I'm betting that this will be that moment: something having to do with Delenn and her safety. Not sure what to make of a more aggressive Lyta. It helped them out here, but isn't this a betrayal of everything Byron was trying to do with his people? Understandably, he didn't want to be used as lapdogs by "mundanes" and he didn't want to use violence against them. If anyone has a reason to be disgruntled, it's Lyta, but I'm not completely comfortable with her newfound assertiveness with using the darker aspects of her powers. E: Addenda One, aren't the aliens who were examining Londo the same ones who abducted Sheridan and the Narn guy (I can't ever remember his name)? Prediction for 5x18 - Sheridan does not arrive in time to stop the onslaught. He feels sorry for the Centauri and, despite everything, wants to offer to help them rebuild; maybe in exchange for a cessation of hostilities. But it's politically untenable because the Drazi, Brikari and Narn would consider it a betrayal, and either Londo/his Keeper won't allow it or the Centauri government will double down on their aggression. Now the Centauri are politically isolated and their homeworld is in shambles, leaving nothing but Londo to preside over what's left. poo poo....Medusa said something in her recap (which I'm still watching) that stood out to me: "Delenn's already said her goodbyes". gently caress, does that mean what I think it might, that Delenn will be captured by the Centauri and be held for all this time, away from Sheridan? F_Shit_Fitzgerald fucked around with this message at 18:32 on Jul 14, 2023 |
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Jul 14, 2023 17:29
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F_Shit_Fitzgerald posted:I am almost positive, though, that "Don't revive that which is already dead" was speaking about Centauri Prime. You're mis-remembering the quote. It's "You must not kill the one who is already dead," which almost certainly refers to Morden.
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Jul 14, 2023 23:32
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Timby posted:You're mis-remembering the quote. It's "You must not kill the one who is already dead," which almost certainly refers to Morden. It's about time-travelling Sherridan, who shows up to his throne room after he's already dead. The "surrender to your greatest fear" is letting G'kar kill him afterwards
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Jul 15, 2023 10:35
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RedSnapper posted:It's about time-travelling Sherridan, who shows up to his throne room after he's already dead. The "surrender to your greatest fear" is letting G'kar kill him afterwards That's a discussion for the main thread, which F poo poo will be joining in half a dozen episodes.
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Jul 15, 2023 10:52
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Re the alien doctors: the Shadow Surgeons (as the dudes you saw working on Londo are known) were also seen in Ship of Tears installing wetware into the telepaths bound for Za’ha’dum. Officially, they are NOT the same aliens as the Streib (who abducted Sheridan in S2), but literally every single person who watches the show makes this mistake, partly because it would make so much sense if they were, partly because the cheap costumes really do look too similar.
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Jul 15, 2023 11:45
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5x18: The Fall of Centauri Prime The reason I have been making predictions in these posts is to see whether I can predict where current story lines are headed. Being wrong means that the writing has veered off into directions I wasn't expecting, and...yeah: I'm delighted to say that I've been wrong much more often than I correctly predicted something. JMS is keeping me guessing to the end. I don't know if this is going to be controversial or not: at the end of WWII, the German people were as captive to Hitler's madness as everyone else. Now obviously they bear some guilt in allowing someone like Hitler to gain power in the first place, but they were eager to denazify themselves after the war and to deal honestly and fairly with their history. They wanted to rejoin the civilized world. This situation on Centauri Prime is far worse in the sense that the Centauri are isolating themselves. Like Londo himself, the Drakh used the Centauri's stubborn, arrogant pride to play them like a fiddle. In another set of circumstances, it's possible that after a lengthy period of probation, a chastened Centauri could eventually be trusted again by the Interstellar Alliance and the other races, but that won't be possible with the Drakh in control - possibly in perpetuity (we don't yet know whether Vir will also have a Keeper or not). Some of JMS' quotes in the Lurker's Guide hinted that it wouldn't be the onslaught against Centauri Prime that would lead to the ruined planet we saw in War Without End. He was right; I'm guessing that Regent Mollari will face roiling unrest as the Centauri chafe against the reparations Sheridan (quite understandably) forced them to pay. Again, it plays right into the Drakh's hands, and the dramatic tension there is so frustrating! Everyone seems to realize that something's off with Londo; why can't they connect the dots? The scene between G'kar and Londo is a bright spot in an otherwise pretty gloomy episode. It's G'kar coming full circle and perhaps becoming one of the best people on the show. I suspect that strangling Londo to death in the future will not be out of anger or malice, but an act of mercy. In another thread, the subject of Babylon 5 came up and someone said, "The series was supposed to end with season 4, so just watch to there; everything else is hastily rewritten to follow up on the extra season". Maybe, but this series is continuing to deliver through this final season. I can't wait to see what happens next. e: I know that harping on Lady Morella's prophecies is a bit moot, since they're completely open to fan interpretation. However, it did not pass my notice that Londo sacrificing himself for the good of Centauri Prime might fulfill the third prophecy and consequently lead to the merciful death Londo has in store at G'kar's hands. How could I forget the marvelous performance from the Regent? Medusa's commenters say that the actor was brought on as comic relief, but man...that last moment with him was heartbreaking. I don't think there's a single bad actor on this series. F_Shit_Fitzgerald fucked around with this message at 02:52 on Jul 17, 2023 |
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Jul 16, 2023 19:24
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F_Shit_Fitzgerald posted:5x18: The Fall of Centauri Prime That's confused. The series was always meant to run for five years, but the original network opted not to pick up the fifth season. JMS decided to wrap up the ongoing plotlines in season 4, which resulted in the latter half of the season being compressed. It's not by much, though; if they hadn't done that "Intersections in Real Time" would've been the season finale, and the conflict with Earth would've been resolved early in season 5. The telepath arc was always going to happen, but it would've involved Ivanova rather than Lyta. The last few episodes probably would've played out the same as what we got, though. JMS also lost his notes for early season 5 at some point and had to do a bit of hasty rewriting, which probably also led to some issues, but it's not like that caused the series to be anything radically different.
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Jul 16, 2023 19:44
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Primarily people are talking about the telepath arc, which is seen as weaker in writing and performance . There are some significant high points in s5, it's just a little patchier.
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Jul 16, 2023 21:25
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5x19: The Wheel of Fire Can I just say that this show is so loving good. I'm really going to miss it when I finish 5x22 (Tubi does not have any of the movies from what I've seen). In a series packed with top-notch moments, the scenes between Sheridan/Garibaldi and Garibaldi/Lochley are standouts. Sheridan's approach to dealing with Michael's drinking reminds me of Picard: not yelling in your face, like Sisko would, but showing concern and being disappointed - in himself for not recognizing the warning signs earlier. And then Lochley. I did not particularly trust her at the beginning of the season because of her dubious ties to Clark (or at least the "pro-Earth" side). I'll be damned if she hasn't turned out to be as trustworthy and solid as anyone else on the show. From day one I thought Garibaldi was inexcusably lovely to her and Lochley's own explanation for that makes a lot of sense. Lochley bringing Lise to the station was also a  . Garibaldi's position here is so deliciously ironic. He's never particularly liked or trusted telepaths, especially since Bester got hold of him. But now he's finding himself in the position of materially helping a telepath who, by her own accounts, is something like a "thermonuclear weapon" created by the Vorlons. I have seen - but not watched - a very late season 5 episode on Youtube titled "Garibaldi's firing solution", and I can't help but wonder if this series will end with Garibaldi finally exacting some revenge on Bester for what he did to him. I hope so because I like Michael, and it sure would be nice to see Koenig in the role once more. Not gonna lie, I really love Lyta taking a strong position here. One man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter. I think it was Medusa who pointed out in one of her recap videos: Lyta's gone from impotently whining that "I'll sue someone!" late last season to flexing her muscles. I like it. Seems increasingly likely to me that there's going to be some sort of time jump before the series ends. Lyta's deal involved a two year "probation period" for Garibaldi, and I've already seen a thumbnail with Ivanova in 5x22, so she's going to at least make a cameo somewhere (I swear I don't go looking for these videos, but now that Youtube knows I'm a B5 fan it keeps serving them to me). Finally, Sheridan and his son-to-be. I'll be honest: that scene was partially spoiled for me; I clicked on a Youtube video that I thought would refresh my memory about Delenn being stabbed a few seasons ago. It ended up being Franklin announcing Delenn's pregnancy to Sheridan. Still, it was a delight and John's speech: "If I have to choose between the baby and her, I choose her. But I want to have this baby if I can" was  On a non-B5 note: Farscape is also available on Tubi. Is it as good as Babylon 5? F_Shit_Fitzgerald fucked around with this message at 17:44 on Jul 18, 2023 |
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Jul 18, 2023 17:38
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F_Shit_Fitzgerald posted:On a non-B5 note: Farscape is also available on Tubi. Is it as good as Babylon 5? It's different. If you have not seen it then definitely watch it.
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Jul 18, 2023 17:50
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F_Shit_Fitzgerald posted:
I don’t think it’s as good as B5 (to be honest not a lot is), but it is very good and definitely worth watching, and it does embrace some of the arc-based storytelling.
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Jul 18, 2023 18:30
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F_Shit_Fitzgerald posted:... It's a bit more wacky in places compared to B5 but i'm conflicted as to which show i love more. 
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Jul 18, 2023 18:54
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I really like Farscape, but it's not really an equivalent show. Tonally, it's It's a great show to watch, mind you. Just... very very different from B5.
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Jul 18, 2023 18:55
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Farscape is like a bizarre world version of star trek where all the characters are weird misfits and every episode is a "mind control" episode. I like it but it's not really like B5 at all other than being set in space.
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Jul 18, 2023 18:56
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There's not really anything else like B5. I guess The Expanse is maybe the most comparable? Plot structure has similarities since it's a (very well done) adaptation of novels, centers around vaguely plausible space politics stuff.
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Jul 18, 2023 18:59
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