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icepixieThe Hour of the Wolf
Oh, Season 4. There are moments where you out-gloom BSG, and that's an achievement.
Let's start with our very, very gloomy Susan. Who I'm pretty sure needs to be taken to an AA meeting, 'cause there are precious few scenes with her that don't also include a bottle of vodka. Susan is having a very, very bad two weeks. But even if the alliance is breaking apart due to lack of Sheridan's charisma, she at least has Delenn's support in the council chamber. (No, check it out, Delenn is totally clinging to her arm at one point all supportive-like. It spawned a plot bunny. More later.)
Delenn, of course, has her own troubles. Though perhaps fasting to the point where she can barely stand up (see next episode) is not necessarily the best way to address them.
The music quickly gets in on the gloom act with what I swear is a riff on the first movement of Gorecki's Symphony No. 3 in the scene where Vir tells Susan what the Shadow associates saw on Z'ha'dum. (Look, I'm complimenting the music! I'm not sure that's ever happened before.)
And G'Kar is sad because everyone's forgotten about Garibaldi. I'm sad that everyone's forgotten about him as well. Oh, Michael. (That's going to be a constant refrain throughout this season, I'm afraid.)
Londo doesn't get to be happy either, oh no. Perhaps he's the most screwed of all of them, since his emperor is crazy, he's still in thrall to Morden, and Shadows are starting to take over his planet. (Haha, I just realized why they had to have that scene with his coat being out to the cleaners--he had to have the purple one in order to match his earlier vision.)
In addition to gloom, we have insanity: Cartagia's in particular. I remain shocked that they actually went there with him talking to his head collection. Oof. I caught his appropriation of G'Kar's revelation this time around: some are always sacrificed for the greater good, in this case his good, or rather godhood. Someone is really Not Getting It.
But! All is not gloom and crazy! We also have the awesome, awesome rescue mission put on by Lyta, Susan, and Delenn. That is some Grade A Girl Power right there. I think Lyta might be the most awesome for even suggesting it, given how she's been treated by these people in the past. Everyone basically hates her in "Divided Loyalties" (though they are grateful), while in "Walkabout," they don't even bother to tell her Kosh is dead, but they want her to go on a suicide mission anyway. I'm kinda surprised she volunteered for this one. Maybe she just wants to be accepted by some other humans. Maybe being part of Psi Corps for most of her life taught her that she was a second class citizen, only useful for her telepathic ability, and she's been desperate for friendship and affection ever since.
Anyway, in other non-gloomy things, Lennier is hilarious ("Initiating 'getting the hell out of here' maneuver"), and Vir is Londo's buddy. Vir possibly needs to choose better friends.
This is more about the next episode, but anyway: I found some of the cinematography very questionable. Do we really need our close ups to be so awkwardly close? And what was with zooming in on Ivanova's stat bar near the end? I assume there was supposed to be a link to Sheridan's in the next shot, but I'm not sure why--did they think we wouldn't immediately jump to the conclusion that the dirty fellow in the robe was Sheridan, and would need the stat bar to remind us? Maybe they were going for the cross-like effect that the bar makes over the uniform robe/jackety thing, and getting a jumpstart on the Christ parallels they're going to be working hard next time.
Whatever Happened to Mr. Garibaldi?
You know, I'm really becoming enamored of my "Sheridan actually for really real dies at Z'ha'dum" AU if only because then we wouldn't have to put up with Lorien. Good lord, I'd forgotten how annoying he is, all Lorien ex Machina, babbling about thought and language and ticks and tocks and JUST SHUT UP ALREADY, LORIEN.
But he doesn't. No, then he goes and tells Sheridan he has to let go of the flesh and surrender to death so that he can be resurrected byGod Lorien. Because he's Jesus now. Oy.
Anyway, over in G'Kar's much more interesting plot, he is totally going above and beyond the call for Garibaldi. And then of course it bites him in the ass, because no good deed goes unpunished. But it's also an opportunity to free his people--and even get Londo to do it, which must be delicious. Some must always be sacrificed, so it's gonna hurt. Oh, G'Kar.
Also, I've been concentrating on "Delenn as Manipulator Extraordinaire" this time around, mostly due to![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
rivendellrose's influence, and her reaction in these episodes to Sheridan's death is very interesting seen through that lens. I get the impression part of her is not just grieving, but going, "Shit, shit, SHIT! I let myself fall for this guy, even though I only meant him to be a pawn in my plot to unite our species, and now he's gone, and what the hell am I going to do I NEVER WANTED TO FEEL LIKE THIS!!!" Heh.
Finally, can't let an episode go by without the obligatory "Oh, Michael." (I warned you.) It's never a good sign when you're being held by the Psi Corps. :(
Oh, Season 4. There are moments where you out-gloom BSG, and that's an achievement.
Let's start with our very, very gloomy Susan. Who I'm pretty sure needs to be taken to an AA meeting, 'cause there are precious few scenes with her that don't also include a bottle of vodka. Susan is having a very, very bad two weeks. But even if the alliance is breaking apart due to lack of Sheridan's charisma, she at least has Delenn's support in the council chamber. (No, check it out, Delenn is totally clinging to her arm at one point all supportive-like. It spawned a plot bunny. More later.)
Delenn, of course, has her own troubles. Though perhaps fasting to the point where she can barely stand up (see next episode) is not necessarily the best way to address them.
The music quickly gets in on the gloom act with what I swear is a riff on the first movement of Gorecki's Symphony No. 3 in the scene where Vir tells Susan what the Shadow associates saw on Z'ha'dum. (Look, I'm complimenting the music! I'm not sure that's ever happened before.)
And G'Kar is sad because everyone's forgotten about Garibaldi. I'm sad that everyone's forgotten about him as well. Oh, Michael. (That's going to be a constant refrain throughout this season, I'm afraid.)
Londo doesn't get to be happy either, oh no. Perhaps he's the most screwed of all of them, since his emperor is crazy, he's still in thrall to Morden, and Shadows are starting to take over his planet. (Haha, I just realized why they had to have that scene with his coat being out to the cleaners--he had to have the purple one in order to match his earlier vision.)
In addition to gloom, we have insanity: Cartagia's in particular. I remain shocked that they actually went there with him talking to his head collection. Oof. I caught his appropriation of G'Kar's revelation this time around: some are always sacrificed for the greater good, in this case his good, or rather godhood. Someone is really Not Getting It.
But! All is not gloom and crazy! We also have the awesome, awesome rescue mission put on by Lyta, Susan, and Delenn. That is some Grade A Girl Power right there. I think Lyta might be the most awesome for even suggesting it, given how she's been treated by these people in the past. Everyone basically hates her in "Divided Loyalties" (though they are grateful), while in "Walkabout," they don't even bother to tell her Kosh is dead, but they want her to go on a suicide mission anyway. I'm kinda surprised she volunteered for this one. Maybe she just wants to be accepted by some other humans. Maybe being part of Psi Corps for most of her life taught her that she was a second class citizen, only useful for her telepathic ability, and she's been desperate for friendship and affection ever since.
Anyway, in other non-gloomy things, Lennier is hilarious ("Initiating 'getting the hell out of here' maneuver"), and Vir is Londo's buddy. Vir possibly needs to choose better friends.
This is more about the next episode, but anyway: I found some of the cinematography very questionable. Do we really need our close ups to be so awkwardly close? And what was with zooming in on Ivanova's stat bar near the end? I assume there was supposed to be a link to Sheridan's in the next shot, but I'm not sure why--did they think we wouldn't immediately jump to the conclusion that the dirty fellow in the robe was Sheridan, and would need the stat bar to remind us? Maybe they were going for the cross-like effect that the bar makes over the uniform robe/jackety thing, and getting a jumpstart on the Christ parallels they're going to be working hard next time.
Whatever Happened to Mr. Garibaldi?
You know, I'm really becoming enamored of my "Sheridan actually for really real dies at Z'ha'dum" AU if only because then we wouldn't have to put up with Lorien. Good lord, I'd forgotten how annoying he is, all Lorien ex Machina, babbling about thought and language and ticks and tocks and JUST SHUT UP ALREADY, LORIEN.
But he doesn't. No, then he goes and tells Sheridan he has to let go of the flesh and surrender to death so that he can be resurrected by
Anyway, over in G'Kar's much more interesting plot, he is totally going above and beyond the call for Garibaldi. And then of course it bites him in the ass, because no good deed goes unpunished. But it's also an opportunity to free his people--and even get Londo to do it, which must be delicious. Some must always be sacrificed, so it's gonna hurt. Oh, G'Kar.
Also, I've been concentrating on "Delenn as Manipulator Extraordinaire" this time around, mostly due to
rivendellrose's influence, and her reaction in these episodes to Sheridan's death is very interesting seen through that lens. I get the impression part of her is not just grieving, but going, "Shit, shit, SHIT! I let myself fall for this guy, even though I only meant him to be a pawn in my plot to unite our species, and now he's gone, and what the hell am I going to do I NEVER WANTED TO FEEL LIKE THIS!!!" Heh.Finally, can't let an episode go by without the obligatory "Oh, Michael." (I warned you.) It's never a good sign when you're being held by the Psi Corps. :(
