B5: Season 5, Episodes 9-12

[icepixie]

Twelve-sided musical note dice.

I'm envisioning a board game involving a grand staff as the board. Hmmm.

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I don't have individual comments for these episodes, because the telepath arc is SO. BORING. However, it's OVER! Yay! Although there was a return of the singing, which was not yay. But then Byron perished in a ball of flame, and I was happy. Of course, now I wonder what Lyta will cook up by the end of the season...the irritating thing is that they have such a good point about not deserving to be corralled into the Psi Corp and even needing a homeworld, but they made it in such an annoying way that I stopped feeling any sympathy whatsoever for them. Which I suppose was the point. But GODDAMN, they were annoying.

Sheridan is definitely turning slightly autocratic. This leads me to wonder--does he have no other advisors besides Delenn, Garibaldi, etc., who all serve some pretty significant, separate functions within the governing structure? I would think there'd be some more administrativa around the office of the president. Hell, he should at least have a secretary. Maybe it's all on Minbar.

I continue to like Lochley. She's quietly kickass in a lot of ways.

G'Kar's interaction with Londo near the beginning of "The Ragged Edge" reminded me of Londo's with Timov in "Soul Mates." I suddenly have a vision of G'Kar and Timov getting together to gang up on Londo. Who's with me?

And haha, G'Kar is now a religious figure. With his very own fundamentalist followers who believe every word of his book is true.

I see the Drazi have taken Susan's solution to heart--the one on the planet was wearing both purple and green. Hee.

The mystery of who's behind the attacks remains, I see. My money's on the Drakh. (Speaking of which...so, could Londo just refuse the emperorship when it goes to him? That seems like the safest thing to do...)

Aaaand the subject I've been avoiding...Michael. Oh, Michael. Haven't you suffered enough? This is not the way to deal with Bester's neural block. *sigh*

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I checked out several books of critical essays on sci-fi TV today. (I know, it's awesome. I hate the building, but I heart the university library's collection.) I haven't gotten too far into them yet, but I did read through the B5 sections of a couple. One woman makes a compelling argument about JMS's use of epic and novel qualities in the show, and it made me realize that, oh, THAT's why I don't really care for episodes like "Deconstruction of Falling Stars"--I don't really like most qualities of epic. I far prefer the novelistic side. She also has some good stuff to say about the ways the show sometimes falls into the trap of human exceptionalism--basically elaborating on the Planet of Hats trope--and also notes that while the show critiques capitalism when the problems come from Earth, but sidesteps doing the same to the Alliance, which is implicitly based on capitalist trade. (I would be more willing to assign that to lack of time than anything else, but it's an interesting observation nonetheless.) This particular collection is recent enough (2008) to include material on the new BSG, so I'm curious to see how it gets treated.

Comments

[alto2.livejournal.com]

did you watch the movie that fits between seasons four and five? Well, sort of? I think it came out then.

I can't remember when they came out, but there was "Thirdspace," and the one about the Soul Hunter with Martin Sheen. I only watched the latter, but I suspect Thirdspace is much better. Weren't there three? I think the last somehow segued into "Crusade"?

Dammit, it's been too long...I just don't remember.

[icepixie]

My understanding is that Thidspace and In the Beginning were both shown between seasons four and five. Thidspace technically fits in between the first and second acts of season four's "Atonement," and is essentially a longer standalone episode (involving Ivanova! Yay!). "In the Beginning" takes place before the series, but I think has some kind of tag or frame story that spoils through season four, so you're not supposed to watch it until you've hit that point in the series.

A Call to Arms comes between the end of B5 (minus "Sleeping in Light") and the beginning of Crusade, and is something of a backdoor pilot for Crusade, I think. River of Souls comes...somewhere else. I've heard heinous things about it, so I think I'm just going to skip it.

The Lost Tales and Legend of the Rangers come in even later, as I recall, but I'm getting the impression that they're kind of the last dregs of the cash cow, so I may give them a miss as well.

[alto2.livejournal.com]

I'd always thought In the Beginning was like a pilot, but looking at Wikipedia just now, I guess not. Thirdspace was definitely billed as a movie rather than an episode. A Call to Arms is the other one I was thinking of -- all Crusade/Ranger-ish. You could definitely give River of River of Souls a miss.

The Lost Tales only came out a year or two ago. I have it, but haven't watched it yet, so I can't comment on what they're like.

[icepixie]

I'd always thought In the Beginning was like a pilot, but looking at Wikipedia just now, I guess not.

I think it has to do with the Earth-Minbari War? I can't recall if they go over ground covered in "The Gathering" or not. (I...still haven't quite managed to watch that. I watched ten minutes of it and had to stop. Um, the lighting was beautiful. The rest...was not.)

Thirdspace was definitely billed as a movie rather than an episode.

Yeah, it's a movie, but it acts like an episode, or so I hear--it doesn't take place way before or after the series, and makes an attempt to fit into the arc kind of in the middle of things. I get the impression it's the best of all of them, but still not that great. I should be getting it next week or the week after, so I'll see for myself, I guess.

A Call to Arms is the other one I was thinking of -- all Crusade/Ranger-ish.

I may have seen that when I was watching Crusade as it aired, but I'm not sure. (I have seen this whole freaking franchise completely backward, I swear.) I can't remember if it involved Rangers or not--might've, although the show didn't have any that I recall.

You could definitely give River of River of Souls a miss.

Planning on it!

The Lost Tales only came out a year or two ago. I have it, but haven't watched it yet, so I can't comment on what they're like.

I've seen mixed reviews, although they were better liked than "Legend of the Rangers," which was pretty much panned by everyone. I think the consensus was that the format of two 70/80-minute pieces just didn't work, but the ideas were solid. Something like that, anyway.

[alto2.livejournal.com]

I think it has to do with the Earth-Minbari War? I can't recall if they go over ground covered in "The Gathering" or not. (I...still haven't quite managed to watch that. I watched ten minutes of it and had to stop. Um, the lighting was beautiful. The rest...was not.)

Ohhhh, wait. I'm confusing the two. I can't remember now if I've seen In the Beginning. I know I haven't watched The Gathering, because everyone looked so weird, but I may actually have seen ItB. Damn. It's all been too long!!