I am behind on the B5 rewatch, but I agree, G-Kar and the others really make this episode. I loved the actual ceremony at the end.
Also, one thing that struck me was the way Garibaldi just casually threw in the phrase that Connally was "spitting neutrons" and it very much makes sense contextually, but it's not a phrase we really use yet in the real present-day world. A wonderfully subtle hint about how language could evolve with space travel.
Macaulay Bruton is among the security guys in the fight with the dock workers. No lines, but his familiar face is there, standing at Garibaldi's left shoulder. Just another reminder he's there before he shoots Garibaldi in the back during "Chrysalis."
Of course this episode has one of. Sinclair's decisions which come back to haunt him in "Eyes." Senator Hidoshi isn't kidding when he says Sinclair has made enemies.
Next week - Signs and Portents! Yay! Morden! Shadows! Big battle with Raiders!
After that... TKO. Meh. Ivanova is sad and some guy punches aliens. Simon, can we just skip TKO and just say "Ivanova sits Shiva?"
I mean I'm late to the game this week, but am shocked no one else has commented.
Anyways, Non Spoiler stuff.
José Rey makes this episode for me. He's really good. Technically a spoiler, but I don't think anyone will object if I say we'll see him again. The other guest stars also do quite well, but there's something about Rey's performance that always grabs me. He obviously put the thought into the character, takes a mere pair of established backstory nuggets and creates a rounded character. He does a lot of interesting things in his reaction shots. Just little things he did on set which made the edit as a cutaway.
Many members of the B5 production staff doubled as dock workers. The guy in the red hat who first shouts "I say STRIKE!" is episode director Jim Johnston.
Ironically, B5 was a Non-union set in s1. During s2 the production crews unionized. JMS, being a good union man himself, supported his crew against his own Co-exec producer, Doug Netter. The settlement of that action became known as the "Babylon Contract" and is still used to set IATSE rates for shows budgeted at under a million dollars per episode.
Life imitates art?
Scriptwriter Kathryn Drennan was JMS's wife at the time. Because JMS hates nepotism, and wanted to avoid any semblance of such, she had to write a full spec script, every producer and tech lead had to sign off, then she reworked the script with Script Editor Larry Di'Tillio and submitted the second draft to WB for approval. Only then was she actually contracted and paid for her work.
And she knocked it out of the park.
The subject matter remains unusual for Sci-fi TV/film. I can think of a couple of Doctor Who stories touching on similar topics, and The Expanse. That's about it. Oh, a couple of years after this aired Star Trek TNG did an episode about the worst job on Enterprise-D - sitting in the nacelles behind the Bussard collectors, watching the plasma stream. Even then, Trek was a lot cleaner and utopian. That said, next time you see a Trek episode where weapons fire hits a Warp nacelle causing an explosion, you know two ensigned died.
O' Hare is really solid in this episode. I don't know if he was having a "good week" in his struggle against schizophrenia, or if the more grounded script just played to his strengths.
Sinclair is - and I only noticed this on the Blu-ray - very stubbly in this episode. First time we've seen him so stressed he's not shaved! Nice touch. Good call Jim Johnston.
Johnston chooses some good angles, too. A nice shot with Sinclair and Garibaldi standing in the C&C rail, leaning on a raised console, some very subtle crane/pedestal shots during the confrontations with the dock rats (like, only a few inches). And a steadycam shot when Sinclair and Zento are waking in red sector which begins around sternum level and raises to just above head height as they walk and talk.
The "Rush Act" was named after the late Rush Limbaugh. JMS described Limbaugh to a questioner from the UK as, "Leading American proctologist.
" Trust me."
Apt.
Londo is a total asshole in this episode, but he's fun to watch. He's so gleeful as he jerks G'Kar around.
G'Kar and Na'Toth always have great chemistry, and, yes, Andreas Katsulas was a master of working the makeup and wringing nuance from every moment.
After "Parliament of Dreams" JMS had internet critique of "monolithic alien religion." Well, "Parliament" was a demonstration of "dominant" religion. In BAMN we learn Narns have at least two major religions. Later we'll learn more of the Minbari.
The sanctuary room in the tag... It's a floor and the bottom 18 inches of wall. The rest is virtual. Look at the screenshot Simon posted - the CG takes over partway up that wall below the window. It's really well blended. And there's a 3/4 angle shot of G'Kar in that scene where the virtual set takes over with both a moving camera and lens blur. Credit to the CGI teams.
Finally, I freeze framed the screen shown when Sinclair is looking over the budget. The artist was restrained. There are no hidden jokes at all. Just budget. C&C has an operating budget of about 530k Credits. R&R, 1.2 million.
I am behind on the B5 rewatch, but I agree, G-Kar and the others really make this episode. I loved the actual ceremony at the end.
Also, one thing that struck me was the way Garibaldi just casually threw in the phrase that Connally was "spitting neutrons" and it very much makes sense contextually, but it's not a phrase we really use yet in the real present-day world. A wonderfully subtle hint about how language could evolve with space travel.
SPOILER STUFF
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Macaulay Bruton is among the security guys in the fight with the dock workers. No lines, but his familiar face is there, standing at Garibaldi's left shoulder. Just another reminder he's there before he shoots Garibaldi in the back during "Chrysalis."
Of course this episode has one of. Sinclair's decisions which come back to haunt him in "Eyes." Senator Hidoshi isn't kidding when he says Sinclair has made enemies.
Next week - Signs and Portents! Yay! Morden! Shadows! Big battle with Raiders!
After that... TKO. Meh. Ivanova is sad and some guy punches aliens. Simon, can we just skip TKO and just say "Ivanova sits Shiva?"
I mean I'm late to the game this week, but am shocked no one else has commented.
Anyways, Non Spoiler stuff.
José Rey makes this episode for me. He's really good. Technically a spoiler, but I don't think anyone will object if I say we'll see him again. The other guest stars also do quite well, but there's something about Rey's performance that always grabs me. He obviously put the thought into the character, takes a mere pair of established backstory nuggets and creates a rounded character. He does a lot of interesting things in his reaction shots. Just little things he did on set which made the edit as a cutaway.
Many members of the B5 production staff doubled as dock workers. The guy in the red hat who first shouts "I say STRIKE!" is episode director Jim Johnston.
Ironically, B5 was a Non-union set in s1. During s2 the production crews unionized. JMS, being a good union man himself, supported his crew against his own Co-exec producer, Doug Netter. The settlement of that action became known as the "Babylon Contract" and is still used to set IATSE rates for shows budgeted at under a million dollars per episode.
Life imitates art?
Scriptwriter Kathryn Drennan was JMS's wife at the time. Because JMS hates nepotism, and wanted to avoid any semblance of such, she had to write a full spec script, every producer and tech lead had to sign off, then she reworked the script with Script Editor Larry Di'Tillio and submitted the second draft to WB for approval. Only then was she actually contracted and paid for her work.
And she knocked it out of the park.
The subject matter remains unusual for Sci-fi TV/film. I can think of a couple of Doctor Who stories touching on similar topics, and The Expanse. That's about it. Oh, a couple of years after this aired Star Trek TNG did an episode about the worst job on Enterprise-D - sitting in the nacelles behind the Bussard collectors, watching the plasma stream. Even then, Trek was a lot cleaner and utopian. That said, next time you see a Trek episode where weapons fire hits a Warp nacelle causing an explosion, you know two ensigned died.
O' Hare is really solid in this episode. I don't know if he was having a "good week" in his struggle against schizophrenia, or if the more grounded script just played to his strengths.
Sinclair is - and I only noticed this on the Blu-ray - very stubbly in this episode. First time we've seen him so stressed he's not shaved! Nice touch. Good call Jim Johnston.
Johnston chooses some good angles, too. A nice shot with Sinclair and Garibaldi standing in the C&C rail, leaning on a raised console, some very subtle crane/pedestal shots during the confrontations with the dock rats (like, only a few inches). And a steadycam shot when Sinclair and Zento are waking in red sector which begins around sternum level and raises to just above head height as they walk and talk.
The "Rush Act" was named after the late Rush Limbaugh. JMS described Limbaugh to a questioner from the UK as, "Leading American proctologist.
" Trust me."
Apt.
Londo is a total asshole in this episode, but he's fun to watch. He's so gleeful as he jerks G'Kar around.
G'Kar and Na'Toth always have great chemistry, and, yes, Andreas Katsulas was a master of working the makeup and wringing nuance from every moment.
After "Parliament of Dreams" JMS had internet critique of "monolithic alien religion." Well, "Parliament" was a demonstration of "dominant" religion. In BAMN we learn Narns have at least two major religions. Later we'll learn more of the Minbari.
The sanctuary room in the tag... It's a floor and the bottom 18 inches of wall. The rest is virtual. Look at the screenshot Simon posted - the CG takes over partway up that wall below the window. It's really well blended. And there's a 3/4 angle shot of G'Kar in that scene where the virtual set takes over with both a moving camera and lens blur. Credit to the CGI teams.
Finally, I freeze framed the screen shown when Sinclair is looking over the budget. The artist was restrained. There are no hidden jokes at all. Just budget. C&C has an operating budget of about 530k Credits. R&R, 1.2 million.