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Babylon 5 3x01-03
I am becoming emotionally compromised. Send help.
Still unsure if I've seen season 3 or not. I remember the first two seasons' "last best hope for peace" voiceover very well; I do NOT remember the season 3 opening variant at all! But I maybe sort of remember Sheridan's ship? I think at this point I might've started seeing scattered episodes here and there rather than watching straight through. I like that they rotate through different narrators for the theme song voiceover.
3x01
- Sheridan becomes possibly the first person ever to destroy a Shadow ship - by doing something completely insane. I love him. ♥ Also, Delenn's obvious hearteyes when she realizes what he's about to do. (Idiosexual Delenn: confirmed.)
- We now know the Shadows specifically targeted the Narn, because the Narn know about them! It wasn't just general destabilization; the absolute destruction of the Narn homeworld was the goal, to prevent the Narns from ever telling anyone about the Shadows, or being believed if they did. I love the continuity that it took us two seasons to learn that!
- Londo trying to untangle himself from the Shadows: too little, too late. Of course Morden is very happy to be perfectly fine with going away as requested ("for as long as you want me to"); just one little favor first! And they divide up the galaxy European-powers style: the Shadows get all of that, the Centauri get all of this. ("What guarantee do we have that your forces will not decide to turn around and attack us?" "None. Ambassador, we all know what promises and treaties mean.") Anyway, Londo's downward spiral of poor life choices and selling other people out for his own gain continues even when he's actually trying to make better choices. It's a gift.
- I am deeply unsold on Marcus so far; I'm absolutely having that 'interloper in the cast taking screentime from my blorbos!!' resentful new character feeling where it feels like they're trying too hard to make me like him. (This probably means he'll be one of my favorites by season four.)
- The Shadows are also whispering in the ear of the Earth government; OH NO.
3x02
This may be my single favorite episode in the series so far. It was awesome. Bombs! Peril! Injury! Hilarity!
- Lennier and Londo and Delenn! Everything about that subplot. Lennier saving them. Delenn's desperate worry. Londo's worry! He's so lonely. The whole sequence where he's talking to comatose Lennier. "No one has ever saved my life before." And: "I'm going to take a break now and wait for you to talk." HONEY. (With the absolute heart-stab at the end that Lennier actually regrets saving his life, but couldn't not do it, because all life is precious, even the life of someone who is rapidly turning into a genocidal dictator in front of the people who used to be his friends.)
And segue from that to ...
- G'Kar: worst person EVER to be trapped with in a deathtrap elevator filling up with smoke. I love the subversion here, that this could very easily be a bonding experience, but Londo and G'Kar literally hate each other too much to work together to escape; the only good thing about this entire experience is watching each other die. (Well, Londo would be willing to at least try, but G'Kar definitely isn't. G'Kar's weak "NOOOOOO" when they're rescued will never stop being tragilarious.)
And Londo and G'Kar using their last breath as they asphyxiate to insult each other.
"Bastard!"
"Monster!"
"Fanatic!"
"Murderer!"
(Londo, to himself) "Go be ambassador to Babylon 5, they said. It will be an easy assignment."
- I also loved the Garibaldi and Sheridan subplot, Garibaldi's worry when all he can do is listen to Sheridan maybe getting killed over the radio, Sheridan handling the bomber and Garibaldi handling the bomb and both of them hitting my competence kink like whoa. (Sheridan actually did shove his communicator up his ass to hide it, didn't he? That's pretty clearly what Garibaldi was suggesting...) Aaaaahhhhh they're great, I love them.
Anyway, that was excellent. A+++, would watch again.
3x03
- Garibaldi is definitely the Mom Friend, between cooking dinner for Franklin - I love that this is a recurring thing; he loves cooking for people - and trying to talk to him about overusing stimulants (I'm sure that subplot won't come up again or anything) and visiting G'Kar to try to talk him out of going back to Narn and being killed. I love the contrast between his tough guy persona and the fact that he is invariably the one who checks in on the people around him to make sure they're doing okay.
- In general, I love the command crew dynamic this season. Ivanova's little affectionate touches when she meets Garibaldi and Franklin for drinks! They just all obviously like each other so much, it's great.
- Meanwhile in self-inflicted misery land, Londo seeking interpersonal connection throughout this run of episodes, and getting continually rebuffed due to his own actions, is heartbreaking. Inevitable and completely self-inflicted, but also heartbreaking. T__T Openly reaching out to Delenn, only to have her more or less tell him that they never were friends. I love/hate/PAIN how obvious it is that he's sending Vir away to get Vir away from him - he can see the corrupting influence he's having on Vir, and also, at this point Vir is maybe the only person who still likes him, and he's got to get Vir away from him (and on to something better and safer) before Vir either turns against him too, or becomes too much like him.
- His almost vicious rebuttal when Delenn tells him that he needs Vir: "Need? I need no one!" And to Vir: "I have always been alone." LONDO. And yet it's just so self-inflicted! This is happening to him because of the choices he's made, and the worst part is that on some level, he knows it.
- In other storylines, it's Sheridan's Narn friend from the gladiator ship!! I was so thrilled by having him show up again, I grinned all through their meeting at the bar, and they are both so delighted to see each other again; that was lovely.
Sheridan: I don't know what my superiors will say if I start showing up with a Narn bodyguard.
Narn swordsman guy: They will say 'here is a man who will live to be a hundred and fifty.'
OH NO THEY'RE CUTE, SEND HELP. I was terribly worried that guy wasn't going to survive the episode and so glad he did! Also, the blade that must not be resheathed if it has not drawn blood, and blooding it on his own hand - damn, dude.
- Mixed feelings on the general Narn plot in this episode which maybe I'll shelve for now. (I get the feeling we're supposed to unambiguously hate the collaborator dude, but he's got a point about G'Kar, actually. On the other hand, the scene where Londo is verbally grinding his face in the dirt and he's simply taking it is just - ow. Londo is right that the Narns are going to keep fighting for freedom as long as they still have their pride, and the fact that he deals with this by intentionally trying to break their pride is realpolitik at its worst and also Londo at his worst.)
- I enjoyed Sheridan's extremely clever handling of the probe situation, especially using a drone to test his theory that it was going to destroy anything that gave it correct answers to its questions. That was wonderful.
Still unsure if I've seen season 3 or not. I remember the first two seasons' "last best hope for peace" voiceover very well; I do NOT remember the season 3 opening variant at all! But I maybe sort of remember Sheridan's ship? I think at this point I might've started seeing scattered episodes here and there rather than watching straight through. I like that they rotate through different narrators for the theme song voiceover.
3x01
- Sheridan becomes possibly the first person ever to destroy a Shadow ship - by doing something completely insane. I love him. ♥ Also, Delenn's obvious hearteyes when she realizes what he's about to do. (Idiosexual Delenn: confirmed.)
- We now know the Shadows specifically targeted the Narn, because the Narn know about them! It wasn't just general destabilization; the absolute destruction of the Narn homeworld was the goal, to prevent the Narns from ever telling anyone about the Shadows, or being believed if they did. I love the continuity that it took us two seasons to learn that!
- Londo trying to untangle himself from the Shadows: too little, too late. Of course Morden is very happy to be perfectly fine with going away as requested ("for as long as you want me to"); just one little favor first! And they divide up the galaxy European-powers style: the Shadows get all of that, the Centauri get all of this. ("What guarantee do we have that your forces will not decide to turn around and attack us?" "None. Ambassador, we all know what promises and treaties mean.") Anyway, Londo's downward spiral of poor life choices and selling other people out for his own gain continues even when he's actually trying to make better choices. It's a gift.
- I am deeply unsold on Marcus so far; I'm absolutely having that 'interloper in the cast taking screentime from my blorbos!!' resentful new character feeling where it feels like they're trying too hard to make me like him. (This probably means he'll be one of my favorites by season four.)
- The Shadows are also whispering in the ear of the Earth government; OH NO.
3x02
This may be my single favorite episode in the series so far. It was awesome. Bombs! Peril! Injury! Hilarity!
- Lennier and Londo and Delenn! Everything about that subplot. Lennier saving them. Delenn's desperate worry. Londo's worry! He's so lonely. The whole sequence where he's talking to comatose Lennier. "No one has ever saved my life before." And: "I'm going to take a break now and wait for you to talk." HONEY. (With the absolute heart-stab at the end that Lennier actually regrets saving his life, but couldn't not do it, because all life is precious, even the life of someone who is rapidly turning into a genocidal dictator in front of the people who used to be his friends.)
And segue from that to ...
- G'Kar: worst person EVER to be trapped with in a deathtrap elevator filling up with smoke. I love the subversion here, that this could very easily be a bonding experience, but Londo and G'Kar literally hate each other too much to work together to escape; the only good thing about this entire experience is watching each other die. (Well, Londo would be willing to at least try, but G'Kar definitely isn't. G'Kar's weak "NOOOOOO" when they're rescued will never stop being tragilarious.)
And Londo and G'Kar using their last breath as they asphyxiate to insult each other.
"Bastard!"
"Monster!"
"Fanatic!"
"Murderer!"
(Londo, to himself) "Go be ambassador to Babylon 5, they said. It will be an easy assignment."
- I also loved the Garibaldi and Sheridan subplot, Garibaldi's worry when all he can do is listen to Sheridan maybe getting killed over the radio, Sheridan handling the bomber and Garibaldi handling the bomb and both of them hitting my competence kink like whoa. (Sheridan actually did shove his communicator up his ass to hide it, didn't he? That's pretty clearly what Garibaldi was suggesting...) Aaaaahhhhh they're great, I love them.
Anyway, that was excellent. A+++, would watch again.
3x03
- Garibaldi is definitely the Mom Friend, between cooking dinner for Franklin - I love that this is a recurring thing; he loves cooking for people - and trying to talk to him about overusing stimulants (I'm sure that subplot won't come up again or anything) and visiting G'Kar to try to talk him out of going back to Narn and being killed. I love the contrast between his tough guy persona and the fact that he is invariably the one who checks in on the people around him to make sure they're doing okay.
- In general, I love the command crew dynamic this season. Ivanova's little affectionate touches when she meets Garibaldi and Franklin for drinks! They just all obviously like each other so much, it's great.
- Meanwhile in self-inflicted misery land, Londo seeking interpersonal connection throughout this run of episodes, and getting continually rebuffed due to his own actions, is heartbreaking. Inevitable and completely self-inflicted, but also heartbreaking. T__T Openly reaching out to Delenn, only to have her more or less tell him that they never were friends. I love/hate/PAIN how obvious it is that he's sending Vir away to get Vir away from him - he can see the corrupting influence he's having on Vir, and also, at this point Vir is maybe the only person who still likes him, and he's got to get Vir away from him (and on to something better and safer) before Vir either turns against him too, or becomes too much like him.
- His almost vicious rebuttal when Delenn tells him that he needs Vir: "Need? I need no one!" And to Vir: "I have always been alone." LONDO. And yet it's just so self-inflicted! This is happening to him because of the choices he's made, and the worst part is that on some level, he knows it.
- In other storylines, it's Sheridan's Narn friend from the gladiator ship!! I was so thrilled by having him show up again, I grinned all through their meeting at the bar, and they are both so delighted to see each other again; that was lovely.
Sheridan: I don't know what my superiors will say if I start showing up with a Narn bodyguard.
Narn swordsman guy: They will say 'here is a man who will live to be a hundred and fifty.'
OH NO THEY'RE CUTE, SEND HELP. I was terribly worried that guy wasn't going to survive the episode and so glad he did! Also, the blade that must not be resheathed if it has not drawn blood, and blooding it on his own hand - damn, dude.
- Mixed feelings on the general Narn plot in this episode which maybe I'll shelve for now. (I get the feeling we're supposed to unambiguously hate the collaborator dude, but he's got a point about G'Kar, actually. On the other hand, the scene where Londo is verbally grinding his face in the dirt and he's simply taking it is just - ow. Londo is right that the Narns are going to keep fighting for freedom as long as they still have their pride, and the fact that he deals with this by intentionally trying to break their pride is realpolitik at its worst and also Londo at his worst.)
- I enjoyed Sheridan's extremely clever handling of the probe situation, especially using a drone to test his theory that it was going to destroy anything that gave it correct answers to its questions. That was wonderful.
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