Babylon 5 4x22-5x01

[sholio]

Onwards into season five! (I've also seen 5x02 but that one is getting its whole own entire post.)


This whole sequence of the show is just so teamy and, even though I adored all the heavy plotty stuff that made up seasons three and four, I am genuinely loving the slower, more team-focused vibe that gives them some breathing room and time to slow down. (Though I do really miss Ivanova.) I love having Garibaldi back with the team, and Londo being a part of things again, but with the benefit of everything that everyone has gone through to get them to this point. They're all closer to each other, and more focused and mature, and it's just such a lovely vibe.

4x22 The Deconstruction of Falling Stars

This was a fascinating episode as we get snapshots of the way history remembers the B5 crew 100, 500, 1000, and one million years in the future - I really can't get over how this show just does stuff like that. I especially loved the sequence with the future holograms of the crew being reprogrammed into propaganda tools of the state, and how Garibaldi - the last one the researcher got around to, the one he underestimated - completely screwed him over by taking the opportunity to get into the computer system and broadcast the whole, revealing conversation to everyone. Garibaldi, ILU, even when you're a hologram resurrected 500 years after your death. (Orion suggests that Garibaldi's file subsequently has a note suggesting that it's not a good idea to wake this one up.)

My other favorite in the flash-forward snapshots was the Rangers in the post-apocalyptic Earth future, quietly reintroducing technology to the world. "Next time, try to make the containers look old!"

But I also adored the "now" bits! Their shuttle with "Just Married" painted on the side! And the post-wedding party that Franklin and Garibaldi threw for Delenn and Sheridan - I was delighted to see Garibaldi's back on the station and things are okay.





The faces of two glitter-covered men who regret nothing.



I love these idiots so much.

5x01 No Compromises

Ahhhhhh this was fun, I know that season five wasn't as popular as earlier seasons but I'm liking it a lot so far, just because it's SO NICE having everyone getting along, and the more relaxed seasons 1-2 vibe (so far) is a breath of fresh air in contrast to the heavy events of the last couple of seasons. (Which I did love! But I'm loving the downtime too!) I'm fairly meh on the new B5 commander so far, but I'm liking Sheridan as President of the Alliance. (Also LOL at Garibaldi just having his little "omg" moment at having casual conversations with a guy he's having to call "Mr President.")

And there was one scene that just delighted me utterly when there's a command crew meeting to figure out how to deal with the assassins who are after Sheridan and it's everybodyyyyyy.



Sheridan is in danger and it's *everyone's* problem! AAAAHHHH my babies, they're all on the same side now FINALLY, and it's glorious.



This one's for Sheron. <3

I also love that even though Garibaldi clashes with Sheridan over how to deal with it, it's friendly clashing; they really are okay now.

My other favorite thing was the whole assassination attempt and Garibaldi's save at the end. He really is being an MVP this season and I love it. The sequence with the assassin attacking from *outside the station* was so good; you can't see it very well in the cap, but this was just the most dramatic scene, with Sheridan about to take his oath of office and the assassin's X-wing Starfury looming up outside the starport windows.



I love that even after the hasty evacuation order, Delenn stays with Sheridan in a room that is about to be perforated with gunfire and exposed to space - and so does G'Kar.

And Garibaldi's dramatic 11th-hour save! I figured he was doing more or less what he did, but it was still such a great moment!



CanNOT get over that he just flung himself into a Starfury without a spacesuit and went out there; I didn't even realize that was possible (and as well as being dead if his ship gets perforated, I assume the suits also help cushion against g-forces and whatnot). I also love that his save involves the same grapple maneuver he used to save Sheridan in a Starfury two or three seasons ago. SO NICE.

(LOL at the actual truncated swearing-in ceremony after they realize that the entire audience has fled.

G'Kar: You want to be President?
Sheridan: Yes?
G'Kar: Put your hand on this book and say I Do.
Sheridan: I do?
G'Kar: Fine, done, let's eat.)

And then Garibaldi getting the new job as head of the Alliance intelligence service! I really think he'll be good at it, and it's clear that he'll enjoy having more autonomy than he had in the security job. I don't think I fully realized how sidelined he was in season four until he's not anymore. And he'll get to work closely with Sheridan and Delenn; it's just the best of all worlds.

(Screencaps from cap-that as per usual.)

Comments

[sovay]

(I've also seen 5x02 but that one is getting its whole own entire post.)

WOOHOO.

This was a fascinating episode as we get snapshots of the way history remembers the B5 crew 100, 500, 1000, and one million years in the future - I really can't get over how this show just does stuff like that.

I really like its handling of deep time! I was also charmed by the Orwell and Miller shout-outs, especially since my memory is that I had read A Canticle for Leibowitz fairly close in time to the episode's airdate. (Nineteen Eighty-Four I had to read as part of the most depressing summer reading of my life before ninth grade. Do not assign teenagers who have not signed up for a class in dystopia Nineteen Eighty-Four, Fahrenheit 451, and Brave New World. What was the English department thinking?)

and how Garibaldi - the last one the researcher got around to, the one he underestimated - completely screwed him over by taking the opportunity to get into the computer system and broadcast the whole, revealing conversation to everyone.

It is one of the most in-character things Garibaldi ever does and he isn't even technically alive at the time.

The faces of two glitter-covered men who regret nothing.

I love your introduction of photographic evidence into this post.

I'm fairly meh on the new B5 commander so far

Extra-diegetically and twenty-seven years after the fact, I can tell that pinch-hitting for Ivanova was an almost impossible ask for an actor and I am not sure how much assistance she got from the writing, since unlike everyone else who had built over the years I assume she had to be invented on the fly. I did not ever acclimate to her as a character except in rare flashes and here we are.

Sheridan is in danger and it's *everyone's* problem! AAAAHHHH my babies, they're all on the same side now FINALLY, and it's glorious.

+1.

I also love that his save involves the same grapple maneuver he used to save Sheridan in a Starfury two or three seasons ago. SO NICE.

YES. And it is exactly the sort of reckless hero-ass maneuver he would have torn a strip off Sinclair for in the first season and, welp.

G'Kar: Fine, done, let's eat.

A line that also entered instant rotation in my family's idiolect, to the point where I'm not sure anyone remembers anymore where it came from. It's universally applicable. And also now reminds me of the fire and the place in the forest, so I especially approve.

[sholio]

WOOHOO.

It is posted.

I was also charmed by the Orwell and Miller shout-outs, especially since my memory is that I had read A Canticle for Leibowitz fairly close in time to the episode's airdate.

A Canticle for Leibowitz was exactly what I was thinking of throughout the Ranger flash-forward! It was very much that.

It is one of the most in-character things Garibaldi ever does and he isn't even technically alive at the time.

It was wonderful, all the more so because it really leans into Garibaldi being smart, and smart in a particular (computer-smart, tactically smart) way that is slightly at odds with the image he cultivates. But he really is. And I love that for all that this isn't real Garibaldi, just computer Garibaldi, the show still knows who he is and what's in character for him, even after a number of episodes of telepath-induced OOC-ness.

Extra-diegetically and twenty-seven years after the fact, I can tell that pinch-hitting for Ivanova was an almost impossible ask for an actor and I am not sure how much assistance she got from the writing, since unlike everyone else who had built over the years I assume she had to be invented on the fly.

Reasonable, yes; but also, it was the writers' responsibility to invent a new character who fit the space but was also her own person. I was really impressed with how well they handled Sheridan's swap for Sinclair; much less so with Ivanova's replacement so far. Still, I look forward to seeing what they do with her! And I am enjoying the season five vibe with someone more by-the-book in charge; it's shaking up the status quo in a way I enjoy without completely wrecking things.

YES. And it is exactly the sort of reckless hero-ass maneuver he would have torn a strip off Sinclair for in the first season and, welp.

Yes!! You're exactly right, he would. (And this makes me a little sad that Sinclair's not around to call him out on it. Roads not taken and all that.) But yeah, it takes one to know one, and he will absolutely fall right into his own reckless hero trap when the situation calls for it.

And also now reminds me of the fire and the place in the forest, so I especially approve.

I don't get the reference; nudge me?

But yeah, it is very much the sort of thing that applies to many situations! (The show has already lent a few to us, as well.)

[sovay]

It is posted.

I WILL BE THERE WITH OPINIONS.

And I love that for all that this isn't real Garibaldi, just computer Garibaldi, the show still knows who he is and what's in character for him, even after a number of episodes of telepath-induced OOC-ness.

Yes! And it rolls straight over into the fifth season opening with GARIBALDI'S BACK, BABY, which is delightful.

Reasonable, yes; but also, it was the writers' responsibility to invent a new character who fit the space but was also her own person.

Agreed: I didn't mean they should have half-assed her characterization. I just meant she was starting at a disadvantage from everyone else who had four years' onscreen character growth.

I don't get the reference; nudge me?

It's from a folktale retold by Elie Wiesel in The Gates of the Forest (1966):

"When the great Rabbi Israel Ba'al Shem-Tov saw misfortune threatening the Jews it was his custom to go into a certain part of the forest to meditate. There he would light the fire, say a special prayer, and the miracle would be accomplished and the misfortune averted.

"Later, when his disciple, the celebrated Magid of Mezritch, had occasion, for the same reason, to intercede with heaven, he would go to the same place in the forest and say: 'Master of the Universe, listen! I do not know how to light the fire, but I am still able to say the prayer.' And again the miracle would be accomplished.

"Still later, Rabbi Moshe-Leib of Sasov, in order to save his people once more, would go into the forest and say: 'I do not know how to light the fire, I do not know the prayer, but I know the place and this must be sufficient.' It was sufficient and the miracle was accomplished.

"Then it fell to Rabbi Israel of Rizhyn to overcome misfortune. Sitting in his armchair, his head in his hands, he spoke to God: 'I am unable to light the fire and I do not know the prayer; I cannot even find the place in the forest. All I can do is tell the story, and this must be sufficient.' And it was sufficient."

For obvious reasons, it became important to me, not to mention a lot of other people.

But yeah, it is very much the sort of thing that applies to many situations! (The show has already lent a few to us, as well.)

(Yay. May I ask?)

[sholio]

And it rolls straight over into the fifth season opening with GARIBALDI'S BACK, BABY, which is delightful.

Yesssss. Having him separated from most of the cast in season 4 hurt, but season 5 is giving great Garibaldi so far!

I didn't mean they should have half-assed her characterization. I just meant she was starting at a disadvantage from everyone else who had four years' onscreen character growth.

Ah, right, definitely! Totally agreed. And in all honesty, it is *hard* to bring a new character into an existing cast. Sheridan replacing Sinclair worked for me in large part because I wasn't that fond of Sinclair, but Marcus took two entire seasons to grow on me, and I'm still a bit meh on Zack as chief of security. So yeah, she's got an unfair uphill battle; hopefully I'll find her more engaging in episodes to come!

It's from a folktale retold by Elie Wiesel in The Gates of the Forest (1966)

Thank you so much for the explanation! I can see why it reminds you of that (and also why it resonates).

(Yay. May I ask?)

At the moment, "... so Zathras talks to dirt!" is in heavy rotation. (The inflection on "dirt!" is a big part of that one. I will stop finding it funny ... at some point, I guess.) I know there are others but can't think of any off the top of my head!

[sovay]

but Marcus took two entire seasons to grow on me, and I'm still a bit meh on Zack as chief of security. So yeah, she's got an unfair uphill battle; hopefully I'll find her more engaging in episodes to come!

Good luck! Not meant sarcastically at all!

(I like Zack's evolution from redshirt to main cast, and I don't even dislike him as a character, but he is tragically not as weird as almost anyone else around him and thus I understand the meh.)

Thank you so much for the explanation! I can see why it reminds you of that (and also why it resonates).

You're welcome. I find it useful to have a phrase for the concept, too.

At the moment, "... so Zathras talks to dirt!" is in heavy rotation.

Hee. My father is fond of "but at least there is symmetry!"

I know there are others but can't think of any off the top of my head!

It's because I asked! Sorry!

[sholio]

(I like Zack's evolution from redshirt to main cast, and I don't even dislike him as a character, but he is tragically not as weird as almost anyone else around him and thus I understand the meh.)

Yes, that's exactly it - he's just not enough of a total weirdo to really measure up to the rest of the B5 personnel! (Him and Corwin, who I keep forgetting exists until he shows up again.) That being said, I did like that he managed to not only survive his tour de Nightwatch, but survived it well enough to not only end up as chief of security but was also the one (1) person among Garibaldi's friends who noticed something was seriously off with him last season. So he gets some points for that!

[sovay]

That being said, I did like that he managed to not only survive his tour de Nightwatch, but survived it well enough to not only end up as chief of security but was also the one (1) person among Garibaldi's friends who noticed something was seriously off with him last season. So he gets some points for that!

That is true! Due credit.

[sheron]

This one's for Sheron. <3

♥♥♥

You didn't even have to say, I knew that was for me :D

What did happen in the 4x22, I mean high level plotwise. How does the future come into play? I know some stuff about it from reading recaps but I can't really figure out how the "now" is interacting with the "future".

[sholio]

What did happen in the 4x22, I mean high level plotwise. How does the future come into play? I know some stuff about it from reading recaps but I can't really figure out how the "now" is interacting with the "future".

The episode is primarily a series of media clips dealing with how B5 is perceived and remembered on Earth, including a panel of media personalities hashing out the long-term consequences of their actions (interrupted by an extremely aged Delenn trying to set the record straight), the group of them being resurrected long after their deaths as holograms in order to lend their faces and voices to state-sponsored propaganda (in which the researcher resurrecting them fails to realize they're as capable of independent thought as they are, and gets completely pwn'd by holographic Garibaldi), and all of them having passed into a form of myth as Earth falls into another dark age. And it's bookended by Sheridan and Delenn on the station speculating about what their future legacy might be. So they don't really interact with the future scenes as such, for the most part, but they very much feel present in them.

[sheron]

Thank you!

So the Earth future is grim then huh. I don't really remember that

[sholio]

Yeah, there's about 500 peaceful-ish years and then a devastating civil war that results in "The Burn" (or something like that) which makes the surface mostly uninhabitable and results in the loss of most advanced knowledge. At that point the Rangers serve as a sort of guardian-of-last-resort to help rebuild civilization from the ruins. Presumably they do it successfully, because the next time we see humanity after that, it's a million years later and humanity are now apparently one of the elder races in the galaxy, about to leave an Earth that is in the process of being swallowed by the sun going nova, for their future among the stars.

[sheron]

Thanks :)