Of course, as discussed elsewhere, we'll see the alien healing device again.
Of course, as discussed elsewhere, this episode presages much of Franklin's season 2 and 3 arc.
"Death of Personality" will basically get an entire episode in season 3, episode 4, "Passing through Gethsemane." Brad Dourif will knock that one out of the park, and more of the implications and complications of that legal sentence will be discussed.
First appearance of Damian London as Centauri Minister Virini! Oh, he won't even be named until season 5, and in this episode the character is just a generic Centauri, but London will have the opportunity to develop the character into something special. His eventual end will be heartbreaking.
Especially as he's not terribly memorable this time. I don't know how much of his personality development comes from the actor and how much comes from JMS writing for the actor based on his personality. Still, Virini (and, again, how odd he isn't named until season 4 or even 5) ends up as a memorable character. "I'm thinking... Pastels!" and "Londo, I may be old, I have been silly, and foolish, but I am still Centauri...and I am not afraid."
This episode has a Lost in Space reunion in it. Dr. Rosen (June Lockhart) was Lennier's (Billy Mumy) Mom in that series. Although I don't think they had any scenes together. It's been a while.
They have no scenes together. JMS specifically refused to do so. In his words (paraphrased), "The mini 'Lost in Space' reunion would distract from the plot."
I'm not a criminal lawyer; I did a couple of years as a staff attorney for my state's child protective agency and now I'm in the conflicts field, but all the same: the idea of death of personality as a sentence just sounds horrifying. Particularly when you get to the part about "serving the community they harmed" or however they put it. Is that in the general sense, or specific? Community to me sounds specific, as in you send him back to the town or city or station where he did the murder, and even if you wipe the guy, that sounds like it would mess up the survivors.
What if it doesn't take? Suppose the PsiCop misses something, or is bribed to look the other way? That gets into a *whole* separate nature vs. nuture issue; I don't even know.
I'm going to assume that the New and Reformed EarthForce after coming events in the show got rid of this as a punishment, because the implications are just...yikes.
Also, the Londo and Lennier thing was hilarious. I thought this would be the episode with the line about the Shirley Temple, but that must be a later one.
The detail of them going back into the community also bothers me. If it's a mind-wiped, new personality, then putting them back into the community without their direct knowledge is akin to a form of indentured slavery. If it's truly a new personality, ie a different and new person, they should be allowed to go off and live a new life of their own choosing.
It's an interesting debate, as to whether the life of 'the body' is more or less important than the consciousness of the mind that happens to inhabit that body.
One last note - Lou Welch is a VERY lucky man. Muller could have quickly shot him in the head and added one more voice to the choir. Lou was "armored by the plot" in this one.
I love the darkness of the lighting, particularly in Down Below. Remember, Down Below is the unfinished part of the station, and it's located over by the recycling systems - Lurkers are squatting by the sewage treatment processor. It SHOULDN'T be lit up like Christmas.
Additionally, the director, Lorraine Senna, finds time to do a few particularly stylish shots. During Londo's initial BabCom call, the statue of Li is quietly out of focus in the background, the first shot of Down Below is this beautiful low angle past a column towards the ceiling grid, and Dark Star has never looked better. I wonder why she was never brought back for another episode?
All kinds of good character work in this episode, from Londo taking advantage of Lennier ("I forgot my credit chip"), through, well, everything Bill Mumy does in the episode, from his stares and bows at the strippers to his surprising decision to lie on Londo's behalf at the end. Sinclair doesn't get much, but Michael O' Hare makes it clear HE knows Lennier is lying, but... Diplomatic immunity, pay your damages, and we'll never talk about it again. Talia gets put through the wringer again, but it's clear Garibaldi is genuinely concerned about her. Franklin gets to pull his "I'm a Doctor" routine (another entry in the drinking game), and Ivanova gets to join in the fun - nicely showing how both are more concerned with doing what's correct than following protocol.
June Lockhart makes Dr. Rosen a fully rounded character. There's lots of good background in the script, and she draws out every possible nuance.
"Death of Personality..." we could have a very long conversation about that. Let's leave it as, "Oh, that's totally execution, and it's somewhat horrifying to leave behind a programmed meat puppet."
Add in the world building relating to Psi Corp, Earth Law, Minbari language and custom, and Centauri biology, and there's quite a lot going on with this episode. It's more dense than I tend to remember.
Only thing left hanging and abandoned is Janice Rosen, who is the first in a string of one-episode romances for Franklin. Technically that's a spoiler. New reader, Franklin gets all the girls!
Yeah - Janice had a good actor, too, so I was a bit sad on this re-watch to realise we wouldn't see her again. (while short flings are of course normal, the one-episode-love-interests Franklin gets feel a bit like a hangover from non-arc-style TV storytelling)
She's the one where it's quite inexplicable we never see her again. Perhaps she left to join her mother?
I mean Franklin's s2 love interest leaves the station at the end, and his s3 love interest is - not to put too fine a point on it - terminal, so there are reasons we don't see the always amazing Erica Gimpel again.
But there are a few one off characters whose futures would be nice to see. Sadly, we must assume Lianna Kemmler gets blown up in “Chrysalis.” Garibaldi won't get to mourn her on-screen, but assume he does off-screen.
Yeah, that's another good example. And, actually, that detail puts a whole extra twist on Garibaldi's total determination to get to Sinclair and warn the president that I'd never considered before, and makes the whole thing much more awful. He'd have known she was likely to be on the ship.
Simon, I don't think JMS was planning s4. The alien healing device will be used in s2 to revive Garibaldi. Good character moments around that - Sheridan will, without a second thought, have himself hooked up to the machine to save the man he's never met. Garibaldi, on the other hand, will greet Sheridan with a cold, "I don't know you," and be untrusting.
I'll have more on this episode when I catch up when I get back home.
Cuz Marcus, in season 4... Well, JMS decided he needed to kill off a principle character, and do so in a sacrifice with meaning... But that was before the debacle with Claudia's agent* that lead to her leaving the show. If JMS had known Claudia would be leaving the show, he'd have flipped that situation and killed her off rather than write her off the show with one ADR line added in post.
*much has been written over the circumstances surrounding Claudia leaving over the years, and I've JMS's accounts, Claudia's accounts, and statements from other cast members. At the time there was anger on all sides. Obviously they've all gotten past that. But, after reading all accounts and trying to digest a Vorlon's three-sided truth, it looks like the issues arose between Claudia's agent and Doug Netter, and the agent made an ultimatum while Claudia was at a UK con, and her option expired literally while she was in transit, while, JMS, at the time, basically said, "fuck it, I'm pissed, production starts this week, get a new actress and I'll write a new character."
Spoiler Stuff
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Of course, as discussed elsewhere, we'll see the alien healing device again.
Of course, as discussed elsewhere, this episode presages much of Franklin's season 2 and 3 arc.
"Death of Personality" will basically get an entire episode in season 3, episode 4, "Passing through Gethsemane." Brad Dourif will knock that one out of the park, and more of the implications and complications of that legal sentence will be discussed.
First appearance of Damian London as Centauri Minister Virini! Oh, he won't even be named until season 5, and in this episode the character is just a generic Centauri, but London will have the opportunity to develop the character into something special. His eventual end will be heartbreaking.
Yeah, a fun bonus to see Virini show up! It's hard to remember when some of these memorable side character first made appearances.
Especially as he's not terribly memorable this time. I don't know how much of his personality development comes from the actor and how much comes from JMS writing for the actor based on his personality. Still, Virini (and, again, how odd he isn't named until season 4 or even 5) ends up as a memorable character. "I'm thinking... Pastels!" and "Londo, I may be old, I have been silly, and foolish, but I am still Centauri...and I am not afraid."
This episode has a Lost in Space reunion in it. Dr. Rosen (June Lockhart) was Lennier's (Billy Mumy) Mom in that series. Although I don't think they had any scenes together. It's been a while.
They have no scenes together. JMS specifically refused to do so. In his words (paraphrased), "The mini 'Lost in Space' reunion would distract from the plot."
I'm not a criminal lawyer; I did a couple of years as a staff attorney for my state's child protective agency and now I'm in the conflicts field, but all the same: the idea of death of personality as a sentence just sounds horrifying. Particularly when you get to the part about "serving the community they harmed" or however they put it. Is that in the general sense, or specific? Community to me sounds specific, as in you send him back to the town or city or station where he did the murder, and even if you wipe the guy, that sounds like it would mess up the survivors.
What if it doesn't take? Suppose the PsiCop misses something, or is bribed to look the other way? That gets into a *whole* separate nature vs. nuture issue; I don't even know.
I'm going to assume that the New and Reformed EarthForce after coming events in the show got rid of this as a punishment, because the implications are just...yikes.
Also, the Londo and Lennier thing was hilarious. I thought this would be the episode with the line about the Shirley Temple, but that must be a later one.
The detail of them going back into the community also bothers me. If it's a mind-wiped, new personality, then putting them back into the community without their direct knowledge is akin to a form of indentured slavery. If it's truly a new personality, ie a different and new person, they should be allowed to go off and live a new life of their own choosing.
It's an interesting debate, as to whether the life of 'the body' is more or less important than the consciousness of the mind that happens to inhabit that body.
One last note - Lou Welch is a VERY lucky man. Muller could have quickly shot him in the head and added one more voice to the choir. Lou was "armored by the plot" in this one.
Non Spoiler Stuff.
Ok, finally getting a chance to catch up here!
I love the darkness of the lighting, particularly in Down Below. Remember, Down Below is the unfinished part of the station, and it's located over by the recycling systems - Lurkers are squatting by the sewage treatment processor. It SHOULDN'T be lit up like Christmas.
Additionally, the director, Lorraine Senna, finds time to do a few particularly stylish shots. During Londo's initial BabCom call, the statue of Li is quietly out of focus in the background, the first shot of Down Below is this beautiful low angle past a column towards the ceiling grid, and Dark Star has never looked better. I wonder why she was never brought back for another episode?
All kinds of good character work in this episode, from Londo taking advantage of Lennier ("I forgot my credit chip"), through, well, everything Bill Mumy does in the episode, from his stares and bows at the strippers to his surprising decision to lie on Londo's behalf at the end. Sinclair doesn't get much, but Michael O' Hare makes it clear HE knows Lennier is lying, but... Diplomatic immunity, pay your damages, and we'll never talk about it again. Talia gets put through the wringer again, but it's clear Garibaldi is genuinely concerned about her. Franklin gets to pull his "I'm a Doctor" routine (another entry in the drinking game), and Ivanova gets to join in the fun - nicely showing how both are more concerned with doing what's correct than following protocol.
June Lockhart makes Dr. Rosen a fully rounded character. There's lots of good background in the script, and she draws out every possible nuance.
"Death of Personality..." we could have a very long conversation about that. Let's leave it as, "Oh, that's totally execution, and it's somewhat horrifying to leave behind a programmed meat puppet."
Add in the world building relating to Psi Corp, Earth Law, Minbari language and custom, and Centauri biology, and there's quite a lot going on with this episode. It's more dense than I tend to remember.
Only thing left hanging and abandoned is Janice Rosen, who is the first in a string of one-episode romances for Franklin. Technically that's a spoiler. New reader, Franklin gets all the girls!
Yeah - Janice had a good actor, too, so I was a bit sad on this re-watch to realise we wouldn't see her again. (while short flings are of course normal, the one-episode-love-interests Franklin gets feel a bit like a hangover from non-arc-style TV storytelling)
She's the one where it's quite inexplicable we never see her again. Perhaps she left to join her mother?
I mean Franklin's s2 love interest leaves the station at the end, and his s3 love interest is - not to put too fine a point on it - terminal, so there are reasons we don't see the always amazing Erica Gimpel again.
But there are a few one off characters whose futures would be nice to see. Sadly, we must assume Lianna Kemmler gets blown up in “Chrysalis.” Garibaldi won't get to mourn her on-screen, but assume he does off-screen.
Yeah, that's another good example. And, actually, that detail puts a whole extra twist on Garibaldi's total determination to get to Sinclair and warn the president that I'd never considered before, and makes the whole thing much more awful. He'd have known she was likely to be on the ship.
Quick Spoiler note: (Again, haven't re-watched yet).
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Simon, I don't think JMS was planning s4. The alien healing device will be used in s2 to revive Garibaldi. Good character moments around that - Sheridan will, without a second thought, have himself hooked up to the machine to save the man he's never met. Garibaldi, on the other hand, will greet Sheridan with a cold, "I don't know you," and be untrusting.
I'll have more on this episode when I catch up when I get back home.
Looking forward to Quality. TKO, not so much.
Oh damn! I'd completely forgotten that season 2 stuff.
Yeah.
Cuz Marcus, in season 4... Well, JMS decided he needed to kill off a principle character, and do so in a sacrifice with meaning... But that was before the debacle with Claudia's agent* that lead to her leaving the show. If JMS had known Claudia would be leaving the show, he'd have flipped that situation and killed her off rather than write her off the show with one ADR line added in post.
*much has been written over the circumstances surrounding Claudia leaving over the years, and I've JMS's accounts, Claudia's accounts, and statements from other cast members. At the time there was anger on all sides. Obviously they've all gotten past that. But, after reading all accounts and trying to digest a Vorlon's three-sided truth, it looks like the issues arose between Claudia's agent and Doug Netter, and the agent made an ultimatum while Claudia was at a UK con, and her option expired literally while she was in transit, while, JMS, at the time, basically said, "fuck it, I'm pissed, production starts this week, get a new actress and I'll write a new character."
Quick non spoiler note: (I haven't re-watched the episode yet, and am typing this waiting for the Dublin/Holyhead ferry)
Simon, you think the lighting is particularly dark now? Wait for s2. S1, overall was lit darker than the rest of the series.