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TheAardvark posted:S1E2: why is the station commander allowed to pilot ships on missions Trek holdover with the captain going on missions.
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May 31, 2020 10:57
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Apparently I’ve already skipped the opening pilot movie ‘The Gathering’? I should try and find that. s1ep2: “Life’s full of mysteries, consider this one of them.” Not a bad second episode, introducing Delenn more than the first, which concentrated on Londo and G’Kar. Maybe The Gathering does that more? I’m now wondering how much I’ve missed. Ok, yes it’s weird the station commander is going on that particular mission. Also the starfury has a grabbing machine arcade game claw? And I have to say, some of these sets look distinctly cheap. The ‘secret door’ the soul hunter comes through has visible unpainted wooden edges. W. Morgan Sheppard had such a great voice. There’s some nice plot seeding going on here, I feel. Little bits of dialogue that will definitely become relevant at some point.
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May 31, 2020 21:34
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MonsieurChoc posted:The bad set quality and CG doesn't take away from the story imho. There's a long tradition of shows that look like poo poo having great acting/stories. As my av attests, I know of these shows.
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Jun 1, 2020 20:48
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Watching The Gathering now, and it's definitely required viewing. LOTS of setup all over the place, dearly missing from the first eps of the series.
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Jun 1, 2020 21:17
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Yeah, I had to finagle it on Plex as series 0, episode 1.
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Jun 2, 2020 01:18
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The Gathering: “There’s a hole in your mind.” Lots of cases of pilot-itis all over the place, but good setup. Sinclair’s past is explored nicely, and everyone gets good time in the limelight to establish their characters. Londo’s speech about the fall of the Centauri Empire was utterly spellbinding. Takeshima’s actress sounds bored being there, Ivanova being more engaging from what I’ve seen. And now I know who the Dr Kyle is mentioned in ep 2. Shame he left, he was very good, but it seems like he retired from acting for health reasons after filming this, so I can’t blame him. I’m glad they changed Delenn’s makeup for the series, what they started with looks very odd. Definitely the place you need to start from for the series.
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Jun 2, 2020 13:46
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Delenn is a satay. She comes with peanut sauce.
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Jun 2, 2020 17:24
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TheAardvark posted:and really everything G-Kar. He reminds me a bit of Herman Munster (voice-wise if nothing else). Strange seeing him with both arms.
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Jun 2, 2020 19:14
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1x3: “Whispers in the dark, knife in the back” I’ve just realised that a few of the names in the main credits have yet to actually appear. Londo and G’kar clinking glasses over mutual appreciation of women is a lovely moment. There’s some really great Odo/Quark-style friendly antagonism developing. I’ve never noticed that the male Centauri all seem to have fangs. And god yes, Vir is very much Guillermo from WWDitS. Londo not suffering any illusions about himself and his status is some great character work. His relationship with Adira is so sweet, and I could genuinely believe at any other time and place they would have made it together.   “No, not the mind probe.”
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Jun 2, 2020 19:28
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Wait, there’s a modified order? 
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Jun 2, 2020 19:51
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S1e4 “Don’t. You’re too young to experience that much pain.” Illya Kuryakin/Duckie!  David McCallum gets to do a Roy Batty: “In the last five years, I’ve seen things off-world you can’t imagine. I stood in the lbendi Desert and saw all seven moons go into eclipse. I’ve walked in vaults sealed longer than humans have existed, breathing air that’s five million years old. Call that a shortcut if you will, but I’ve lived. By god, Stephen, I’ve lived.” There’s a horrible representation of a journalist here, all ‘freedom of the press!’ when there’s clearly an emergency going on, and getting in the way. Observe the story, don’t be the story. Where did those cool huge guns from the pilot go? They’d be better than the pea shooters security have. Picking and choosing from the Alien franchise here; Bioweapons, breaking quarantine for profit margins, transformation of human into an alien, etc. Probably the first ‘eh’ episode, with what feels like a ‘Well that will never happen here! <wink wink>’ foreshadowing at the end.
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Jun 2, 2020 20:50
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1x05 “In a world where every day is a struggle, you need all the gods you can get.” Ohh! I think this is the first episode I saw way back when it was broadcast on Channel 4 in the UK! G’kar singing what sounds like Gilbert & Sullivan while cooking is an absolute delight.  Ah, Na’toth finally appears after several episodes as just a name in the titles. She’s nicely sensible. I’m fully on board with the Centauri religion.  Seeing Ivanova crack a smile is nice, especially after last week’s heartache for her.Danger Will Robinson! Lennier is here! His wide-eyed innocent abroad thing is great.  I forgot to note last episode that apparently 2 years have passed since The Gathering, compounded this episode by Sinclair saying his gf split a year ago. Background gag of G’kar swapping his fruit/Swedish fish with ivanova was great. Also, G’kar’s tiny considering look down at the underwear as Garibaldi leaves is comedy gold. GOLD. Soft porn ambient as Jeff and Kathryn make out. The assassin’s glasses are another great comedy bit. And what a nice ending with the looooong line of religions. That was a really great and very funny episode, and I’m surprised how much I remember from so many year ago. I recalled the ‘first you will know pain’ back and forth with Na’Toth and G’kar at the end and smiled on seeing it again. More like this please! The_Doctor fucked around with this message at 23:40 on Jun 2, 2020 |
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Jun 2, 2020 22:58
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MrL_JaKiri posted:I, too, am a big fan of Laurel Takashima I felt like she didn’t gel very well, and it sounds like Tomita was really struggling with the dialogue in places. She might have worked it out had she chosen to stick with it, but that was her decision to make.
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Jun 3, 2020 11:51
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I liked Dr Kyle, he’s got a lot of gravitas that Franklin doesn’t have so far. Franklin reminds me more of DS9’s Bashir.
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Jun 3, 2020 12:22
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1x06 - MIND WAR "No-one here is entirely what they appear." Heh, they're using the same cups as DS9. Ooh, Koenig as Bester strikes a chilling presence from the moment he walks in. Sam Browne belts really are a shorthand for fascist, huh? The gestapo vibe is laid on very, very thickly here. Like, I get it, you're EEEEEEEVIL. MIND QUAKE. Catherine's conversations with G'kar are intriguing. It's interesting to see him be sincere, and talking about the mysteries out in the universe is a good bit. And mirroring it, Ironheart Dr Manhattans out into the universe to become one of those mysteries.
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Jun 3, 2020 22:19
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oh but seriously I posted:I love MIND WAR https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DOWsmlS4Tt8
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Jun 3, 2020 23:19
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S1E7 - The War Prayer “My shoes are too tight and I have forgotten how to dance.” Oh, how relevant an episode. Racism in space, following a long and pathetic line of people. KKK, Proud Boys, and now the Home Guard. Truly, we never get any better. Tear it all down, G’kar, let it burn. Knowing there’s a different order makes me wonder if this episode was earlier in the season as it brings up Kosh’s attack and the disappearance of Dr Kyle and the other telepath. Sinclair and Ivanova’s conversation about the Vorlons is very clear ‘well isn’t that interesting’ setup stuff, adding to the pile of things I’m sure we’ll come back to. Talking of whom, it’s Ivanova who gets the ‘returning flame’ trope this episode, and is easily the most boring of them so far, and it’s really obvious where it’s heading. I have to say, I love every shot of the inside of the giant rotating station cylinder. All the fields and whatnot that make up the interior leave a lot to the imagination; even in really ropey SD. I read somewhere recently that every CG shot that’s superimposed with actual people in B5 has the CG degraded to terrible resolution? Londo on the edge of breaking down is a real emotional moment, saying the line at the top, his voice catching. Goddamn that’s some good acting. That poor alien ambassador who thinks she’s about to be offed, just gets ignored as Sinclair and Ivanova dive for cover and don’t attempt to protect her in any way from the shootout. Maybe the senior staff could use some racial sensitivity training? The revelation that there’s hundreds of people all through Earthforce who would willingly kill all aliens at a moment’s notice would be rather chilling if it weren’t really loving relevant right here and now. “Such great hatred for so little real reason.”
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Jun 4, 2020 19:35
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TraderStav posted:That’s all from the prequel movie, “The Gathering” that came before the series started. Yes, I know.
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Jun 4, 2020 19:41
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S1E8 - And the Sky Full of Stars “A virtual reality cybernet!” Sinclair, the only man who goes to sleep in his uniform trousers complete with belt. (I appreciate it’s not real, but it’s clearly real enough he doesn’t question it.) The interrogator looked really familiar, and I initially thought it was because he looks like Julian Glover who played a 4th Doctor villain, Scaroth. Turns out it’s Christopher Neame, who played another 4th Doctor villain, Skagra.  Lol, this newspaper. “Did Psi-Corps violate its charter by endorsing vice-president?” From what we know, it sounds like the Psi-corps probably chose the president, the VP, the entire cabinet, and run them all as puppets anyway.  Sinclair remembers (some bits)! I feel like Delenn being on the ship/on the Grey Council isn’t the huge revelation the writers think it is, considering they’ve been repeatedly saying it over and over up til now. And the Minbari are keeping a secret about what happened there. Well... yeah. That’s where we were when the episode started, too. But now a blind Minbari dude appeared to reiterate that fact!
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Jun 4, 2020 21:37
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Alright, one more before bed, let’s go Deathwalker!
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Jun 4, 2020 23:36
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S1E09 - Deathwalker! <starts punching> “A stroke of the brush does not guarantee art from the bristles.” Ooh, Koshenanigans! I love his encounter suit, and am pondering the practicalities of doing it as cosplay. I like the notion that Kosh is a party animal outside of being mysterious. The brain reveal at the end of the conference was remarkably icky and right up my body horror alley. The only thing that didn’t jibe well was Talia’s conversation with Sinclair and Garibaldi. She tells them that Kosh basically prodded her mind to recall the most fearful experience of her life and the guys are just ‘lol that wacky vorlon’. Man, Na’Toth just starts wailing on that woman. Starts punching, stops, grabs a tool and carries on harder. Jha’dur’s costume is very samurai, but looks good. So Earth (and others) fought the Dilgar (and others) 30 years ago and the Minbari 10 years ago. Any more wars I’ve missed? I liked the deliberations of how the past casts long shadows on the politics of today, alliances, enemies, genocide, and trying to stop history repeating. And then it is reduced to virtually a playground argument as an adult steps in and just clears the board in one stroke, citing the much bigger picture at hand. Garibaldi’s tiny strip of hair bothers me greatly.
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Jun 5, 2020 01:16
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Plex threw a small fit while watching so it hilariously jumped straight from the League ambassador saying ‘we do not put much faith in B5’s diplomacy’ to 5 mins later where she’s sitting there saying ‘it is fair... and wise.’ So I had to unglitch it all to find out this magical solution. 
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Jun 5, 2020 01:47
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S1ep10 - Beliebers “The avalanche has already started, it is too late for the pebbles to vote.” Ah, we’re doing a religious thing here. Isn’t it Jehovah’s Witnesses that have something like this about blood transfusions? And no puncturing the skin at all? Jeez, I slice one of my fingers open at least once a year while cooking. Interestingly, this is 4 years before the anti-vax movement started, and this is a good encapsulation of that daftness. I honestly think Kosh said something mysterious and vague just to get them to go away. “You are refusing because of your beliefs?!” Yeah ironic, huh? The only message I’m getting here is ‘religion is really, really dumb’, which honestly feels at odds with ‘Parliament of Dreams’ where we saw the other worlds’ religions, and it all came across as very deferential. And Ivanova did a thing too, I guess? The parallel ‘breaking orders’ thing feels very weak, and honestly the whole episode is poor. I honestly kept pausing and wandering off during this ep I was so disengaged.
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Jun 5, 2020 21:14
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Polished off another one! S1Ep11 - Survivors ”The universe is run by the complex inter-weaving of three elements. Energy, matter, and enlightened self-interest.” The opening scene has some interesting worldbuilding going on. Holding the handrail because they’re in a low gravity area, the announcements and signs in languages other than English, and the various light rail commuters. And it’s topped off by Ivanova’s colour-changing uniform!   Ah, this week is Garibaldi’s turn holding the ‘figure from my past’ ball. Leanna straight up kills a man, and a few slurred words while still under heavy sedation are enough to start throwing her weight around? I appreciate the personal tragic history between them, but this is deep into ‘emotionally compromised vendetta’ territory. Someone could use some oversight, but that doesn’t seem to exist in this universe. It occurs to me this is basically The Drumhead with extra action, but at least Leanna is willing to listen to new evidence when it comes and change her mind. Interesting that once again it’s Homeguard raising their ugly head. Boo the fascists! Londo and G’kar continue to be really great characters. OH! I just realised during all these “stealth” scenes they’re getting their dollar store Bruce Willis to do a Die Hard.  This was much better, with some fun beats. The tiny lowlife bar way deep in Brown Sector (I’ve really got to see a map at some point) was a nice insight into the strata of the station, and shows that not everywhere is the glitzy casino or the ZoCaLo. 250,000 people in a 5 mile long station creates a lot of spare room for all sorts of necessities to spring up.
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Jun 5, 2020 23:25
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I like this cutaway view I just found (and I don’t think it needs to be spoilered)
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Jun 5, 2020 23:48
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I literally just searched ‘Babylon 5 map’ and went straight to images, and thankfully this was one of the first results. Dodged several bullets I’m sure!
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Jun 6, 2020 00:02
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I figured the space and where stuff is in relation to other stuff is probably as meaningless as it is in Trek. It’s however far away stuff needs to be for dramatic reasons. I’ve noticed occasionally you’ll get references to distance, like in Believers where Ivanova and the liner are still an hour away from the jumpgate.
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Jun 6, 2020 00:27
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Yeah, y’all are being real assholes right now.
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Jun 6, 2020 12:18
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TheAardvark posted:S1E10 I wasn't a huge fan of this episode. I think the doctor's deafness leaves his acting a little flat compared to the rest of the cast, so his storylines aren't as impactful. Also his set is one of the worst, the medical scanner is like a plastic paperweight or something and not remotely convincing. I agree with all these points. There’s not many sets on B5 that don’t look cheap, honestly, I think a fair bit of it comes down to lighting. It’s all so harsh and bright under certain lights that you can’t help but notice how flimsy and cheap it all looks. The observation dome/Ops looks terrible and small, but I think if you lowered the lighting in there a little it would go a long way. Think of Voyager’s bridge when they go on red alert. The general lighting darkens and it looks really good, picking out the crew stations more. Something like that would have been more fitting. And you’re right, I keep forgetting this series has souls as an actual thing, rather than just an abstract concept. And yeah, Garibaldi’s dip into (and just as quickly back out of) alcoholism felt like it lacked impact. Make it a bigger deal, as you say. Maybe lead up to it more in the prior episodes. I was thinking it might be a well they return to in future, and this was a setup point.
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Jun 6, 2020 13:12
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Did you skip 1x12 - By Any Means Necessary?
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Jun 6, 2020 19:31
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TheAardvark posted:I didn't, I'm just sticking to high level thoughts/reactions since I have to take notes if I want to remember specific lines/etc. and I'm watching all this on my TV now. I missed posting about 12 because it was the last one I watched before I got busy with other stuff last night. Lol, longer write-ups. I'm writing spur of the moment thoughts into my Notes app while I watch and then c/p-ing them straight into the thread once I've tidied them up.  But ok, 1x12 here we go!
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Jun 6, 2020 19:46
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S1Ep12 - By Any Means Necessary “Why does the universe hate me?” I’ve been wondering how that one small opening in the station deals with all that ship traffic coming back and forth, and I guess the answer is ‘not great!’ Poor Mario the foreman losing Luigi like that. As they pointed out in both Event Horizon and the Martian, fire in space is terrifying. STRIKE! Bringing in a super smarmy triggerhappy negotiator seems like the worst thing Earth could have done. Strikes and riots gave you the 8 hour workday, the weekend, equal pay and pay increases. It seems like workers’ right have slid back over the past 200 years considering this strike is illegal for some reason. The workers held virtually all the cards, and inflicting violence on them would do no-one any favours, including Earth govt. This was proper nitty gritty politics, and super relevant right now as rumours of a general strike in the US persist. Sinclair’s solution seemed to come out of left field a bit, but there is a modicum of setup for it, so I’ll let it pass. That said, loving bootlicker Garibaldi, rather than refusing the order to attack the workers, just wades right in and kicks off the riot. ACAB, even in the future. Goddamn that journo character is annoying. There’s some decent acting on Sinclair’s part as he just looks more and more drained as the episode goes on. His final bit in the council chamber with Londo and G’kar is also nicely done, as he seems just absolutely done with everything. But this is a man that also knows the day isn’t over until this last obstacle over a goddamn plant is solved. Sleep well, commander.
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Jun 6, 2020 21:33
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S1Ep12 - Signs and Portents “What do you want?” The opening has me wondering about raiders. I get that they’re space pirates, but from where? Are they human? Alien? A general melange of anyone willing to sign up? Also those triangular fighters, how many of those do they have? For pirates I’d expect more a mishmash of assorted ships commandeered from all the races, not this standard, very identifiable ship. That level of standardisation implies money and resources. Who’s behind the raiders? Lord Kiro’s face bothered me until I realised it was Q2/Quinn from that one Voyager episode. And I like the worldbuilding concept of the length of Centauri peacock hair denoting their status (the guards having tiny ducktail tufts tickles me). Also, this would seem to be the first indication that not just humans and Minbari have psychic abilities, with the Ok, that’s the first ep I’ve not been able to really do notes while watching, and it’s fun they cleared up things a little from my first paragraph! But anyway, OHHHH! Morden is cheerful and creepy as hell, and we’re reminded that Kosh is playing a much bigger picture game than everyone else. What happened with him and Morden?! He needs to fix his encounter suit? I had to rewind that scene to see if I missed anything. What was that electrical sound as the scene ended? Was it just wires or was there some big fight that we weren’t privy to? I’m really curious about what Kosh knows, and Morden’s abilities. And Delenn! Her reaction to Morden’s presence was very curious; it seemed like even though she didn’t know who Morden was, something defensive triggered inside her head (telepathic Grey Council race memory?) I’m certain we’ll see more of Morden and his friends’ ship that just one-shotted the big raider carrier, and I can’t wait! The rather telling burn marks on the Eye’s box go unmentioned, and Mollari doesn’t really ask detailed questions. He’s almost certainly just made a deal with the devil. Sinclair’s importance to the Minbari is definitely intriguing. And I can’t finish without bringing up Lady Ladira’s rather chilling vision. That’s a money shot right there, the last ship out of the station as it all explodes. A possible future, for sure, but I feel it’s more likely than not. Also, as an aside, my gay rear end was  EDIT: I just realised Sinclair and Bootlicker are peeing in their final scene together. The_Doctor fucked around with this message at 23:39 on Jun 6, 2020 |
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Jun 6, 2020 23:34
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Currently watching s1ep14 - TKO god this is dull
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Jun 7, 2020 20:52
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S1ep14 - TKO I remember that Channel 4 in the UK didn’t show this episode because of the violence (it was showing eps at 6pm in the evening), until some time much later. I’m enjoying learning about Ivanova’s terrible past life, but the fighting story is properly tedious. Sinclair’s instance on Ivanova sitting shiva reminds me a lot of the American Dad episode where Steve impresses on Snot that he should go to his father’s funeral. Snot doesn’t really care because he never had much of a relationship with his dad in the first place, but Steve insists and pushes. Same here with both Sinclair and the rabbi. Everyone is pushing for her to grieve and forgive, and that’s entirely on her. Ivanova is under no obligation to forgive someone, even her own father. But I stand by my assertion this was a very dull episode. Heh, Walker Smith is Sugar Ray Robinson’s real name.
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Jun 7, 2020 21:54
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S1Ep15 - Grail “Fools to the left of me, feeders to the right... I need a new job.” J F Sebastian! David Warner! Good casting already making me feel better about this episode, and Warner is one of the best. He raises the material of whatever he’s in, and in particular here his speech about how he ended up on this path is spellbinding. The scene where he fights off Deuce’s men reminds me of something someone close to me wrote: “what cannot be stopped by the magic in a staff can often be brought short by a good poke in any available soft bits with a length of heavy timber.” The Minbari appreciating the religious nature of Aldous’ quest to find the grail is thematically satisfying, and something I really enjoyed. The little court case at the start was great! Abducted ancestors seeking grievances! Bootlicker’s solution to a problem is clearing out the poor people from down below? You loving fascist scumbag, I hope you fall on a kerb teeth first. The potted history of the Babylon stations is incredibly intriguing, particularly Babylon 4. Londo being so afraid of the memory wipe creature he leaves money behind is hilarious. I keep hearing distinctive TNG beep sounds all over the place. When Franklin messages in to confirm it’s the creature they think it is, there’s a sound that I absolutely know from Trek. Calling a ship the Marie Celeste seems like inviting trouble. I hope Thomas is ok. And I hope the station is ok too. Sinclair’s confidence feels misplaced since he saw it go boom in that vision. Nothing amazing going on, just lots of back and forth with David Warner being utterly amazing as the calm eye of the storm. I really wish he and Kosh has spoken, that would have been fascinating. Finally, this last shot is gorgeous: 
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Jun 7, 2020 23:42
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S1Ep16 - Eyes Chief ACAB building a ‘vintage’ bike in his smart shirt and trousers. The last gas powered motorbike probably will be built in 2035... but I’m glad Lennier had fun putting it together and robbing Garibaldi of that joy. OH poo poo JEFFREY COMBS  I’m surprised the cardboard sets are still standing after the amounts of saliva they endured during this episode. Ben-Zayn pulling another Drumhead and testing loyalty while working through his very obvious vendetta. He clearly had something personal gnawing at him about the B5 crew, and the episode just plodded along until we all got there, and he started doing the evil voice. At least Jeffrey Combs got to be the good guy, or at least do the right thing. The most interesting thing about this episode were Bester’s fingerprints all over the proceedings without him even having to show up. Also Ivanova having a massive ruck in the casino. Good on you.
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Jun 8, 2020 19:54
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Slow your roll? Do one a day?
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Jun 8, 2020 21:07
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S1ep17 - Legacies “Good idea about the teeth.” I really love the angelfish looking Minbari war cruisers. Plus the explorations of their culture are always welcome. The arrival of the funereal Grand Tour feels like the Minbari warrior caste, or this house specifically, baiting Sinclair. Delenn split between her loyalties to the homeworld and to her friend Sinclair, and shuffling back and forth on both. Her reasons for what she did make a lot of sense, and work well on a plotting level. Plus Delenn not being afraid to pull rank with her Grey Council status when necessary is always helpful. Naroon’s extra spiky head looks pretty badass, although it reminds me a lot of the xenomorph queen. Or a styracosaur. It’s probably a bit too modern a concept, but I get a slight queer vibe between Ivanova and Talia. There’s little looks every now and again in this episode and before now. Their sniping back and forth in this episode is very old married couple. Alisa’s moms both caring for her wishes, and then making up over coffee. Maybe it is intentional. The telepathic Alisa’s religion is listed as Obeah, which is a Afro-Caribbean set of belief practices very similar to Santeria or Vodou. Also she graduated from Malcolm X Elementary school. ✊🏿✊🏾✊🏽
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Jun 8, 2020 21:28
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| # ¿ Sep 30, 2023 14:46 |
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MrL_JaKiri posted:Londo shouting "VIR!" is one of life's little pleasures  VEE-EARRR! The little rolled R at the end is great.
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Jun 8, 2020 22:15
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