Addendum: Ivanova is reading "Working Without a Net" "by Harlan Ellison," which Harlan said for decades would be the title of his autobiography (never written).
Apparently Harlan took the prop and would carry it around with him at conventions to drive people crazy. Ah, Harlan. A crazy character, and a hell of a writer.
Didn't change my views that this remains the worst episode of the series, and could be utterly removed, and nothing would be lost. But, I do have a few good things to say about the episode.
We'll do more complaints first, and end on the high notes.
On watching this time, I... Wasn't rooting for Walker Smith. The actor does a good job establishing his relationship with Garibaldi, and establishing his drive, so we have to blame writer Larry DiTillio for this... Smith enters the Mutai without respect. In his conversations with Garibaldi he repeatedly uses the epithet "snakehead," which is obviously racist. Not cool. He walks into the Mutai and disrespects the Muta-do with a snarky, "E. T." and lays hands on him. He absolutely should have been expelled. He is told a bit of loopholery by Caliban, who really is never given a motivation or backstory beyond, "Yeah, I fought Gyor, once."
We get the other side of the racist coin with the one rando screaming about how humans ruin everything, but Smith's own racist attitudes, and, frankly his motivation being fame, ("I told you it was history!") doesn't give me the sympathy I need to want him to win. And, going into the episode, I didn't actually remember how the fight turned out.
Digression: I'm not a sports guy. Watching other people playing games for money is baffling to me. Watching people beat the crap out of each other for money is baffling to me, so we must acknowledge that, for this episode, I'm just not the target audience.
That said, I can enjoy a good martial arts movie (with strong choreography), and I can even find some appreciation for Pro Wrestling (because those guys do 8 shows a week and do not have time to rehearse 10-15 minute bouts... Pro wrestlers get a loose script - who wins - and have to improvise they're dialog and combat, which is very challenging). Unfortunately, TKO is 1990's TV with a six day shoot schedule. Add into that the Mutai set - which was visually interesting with the neon lights, but small, cramped, and, WITH those neon lights not something the fighters could be knocked into without shattering pressurized glass (a hazard and a half), so much of the fight choreography sucks. It literally came down to Smith and Gyor standing there punching each other in the face over and over. That's a move you're more likely to see in a WWE bout - you know when they're making it up on the spot and killing time, and they punch each other in the face for a minute and fall into a clinch to exchange a few words about what to do for the next minute or two! I was laughing at the end. I don't think that's the desired audience response, but they were just standing there punching each other in the face and very slowly collapsing to the floor in such a way as to not damage the neon tubes!
The sound mixer... Those crowd chants are pathetic. Sounds like three people and a chorus filter. In my sound design days I've had to do large crowds from small groups. I did better myself back in the 90's. Laughably bad.
The Mutai itself just didn't feel alien. Gis and belts and bows and whatnot. Just felt like generic east Asian martial arts, with masks. I'm thinking of 60's Star Trek when Kirk and Spock fight each other on Vulcan. Here, again, we have a lot of east Asian influence in the staging and ritual, but they at least created that unique weapon with the curved blade at one end, and the fat blunt thing at the other. Even Lennier's fighting style has a high impractical finger placement, but it gives it a non-human feeling.
Ok, enough slagging on the Mutai.
The good.
This is the first time I watched TKO since my parents died. With Mom, let's say there are unresolved issues, and not psychoanalyse me in a public thread. But this subplot hit harder this time. Yes, I cried as Susan read the prayer and collapsed into tears. She got me. This episode sets up a lot of character traits for Susan which will haunt her throughout the series with her relationships. Huh. Guess that's a mild spoiler.
It's a good episode for Sinclair, as well... The look on his face when he learns about Ivanova's father, his immediate willingness to give her leave, her near insistence she take it, yet willing to back off and let her make her own decisions, his attendance of Shiva, and even pulling out a little Hebrew at the end (a mark of respect towards the Rabbi). Sinclair is awesome.
Finally, the exchange at the end between Ivanova and Sinclair - "I'm really tired of doing double shifts," "Remember that next time Catherine Sakai comes aboard" was laugh out loud funny for the right reasons.
Yeah, there's not much to get excited about, that's for sure. Your noting of Smith's general racism/xenophobia is on point: it's odd that's never really addressed or acknowledged. Though that does factor into that "this is my weird friends I know through odd circumstances who I otherwise would never hang out with" aspect of him and Garibaldi's relationship.
It's probably never really addressed because, outside the Mutai, we only see Smith interact with the Rabbi for one line of dialog, and Garibaldi. Garibaldi himself, while a professional, and one who is capable of making friendships with non-Terrans really isn't that nice a guy when you analyze him. *SPOILERS* After all, s4 Garibaldi is just Bester turning up Garibaldi's flaws a bit. Garibaldi strikes me (on reflection) as the guy who, earlier on in life, was casually racist/xenophobic, but learned a bit via association with Sinclair and working on B5... But not being the guy who'd call out his old buddy. Garibaldi drops a "snakehead" himself in the episode... Sure, it was the context of, "That snakehead...was the Muta-do," but he still dropped the term.
I cannot deny in my youth, when hanging out with people who were genuinely racist, using such language myself. Once I dropped a really terrible line which made those I was with lose it with laughter. One of then even said at the time, "Dude since you're NOT racist, I wasn't expecting that line from you!" I also note that's a group of people I dropped from my life 25+ years ago.
But, from experience, I admit to understanding saying something vile from peer pressure.
I don't remember how I reacted the first time I saw this back in 2014-15 or so, but on the rewatch, this is the first time after my dad's passing in 2022, and let's just say you weren't the only one crying as Susan read the prayer.
This is the second time I noticed a character saying "Stroke off!" as a way of what I think in real life we'd say something like "Get lost!" or perhaps more harshly "f*** off!"; at first I thought it was just the one serial killer guy Talia had to scan but now it's twice, which seems like a pattern.
I was more interested in the Ivanova plot than the Mutai plot, and man oh man that one got me.
Aah, the long tradition of sci-fi shows inventing new slang and swearing to get past the censors or age rating restrictions of the time. Frakking ridiculous. Writers need to stop frelling about with silly made up words.
Also, it occurs to me I think I caught one real Russian swear, but that was only because it's the same one Black Widow uses in the first Avengers movie.
(From memory as I'm on holiday and won't re-watch this episode for at least another week)
"It's not as bad as Mike's been banging on about since day one," is hardly praise.
"Better than 'The Gathering,'" (not covered in this newsletter) is hardly praise.
While "War Prayer," and "Infection," are also among the worst episodes, those do introduce concepts and threads which come back throughout the rest of the series, which is why I rank them higher. TKO has some character stuff between Garibaldi and guy-who-will-never-be-heard-of-again, and "Ivanova finally gets over it," but reducing a guest star turn by the legendary Theodore Bikel to "there's also a plot with a rabbi...it kinda works." crosses into damning with faint praise.
I don't remember character bits for Sinclair realizing he's neglected Ivanova, so I'll look out for it on the re-watch.
Much of my distaste for the episode has always come from how disposable it is. The A-plot has some sort of commentary about outsiders, I suppose. The B-plot - which should be major character growth for a lead - to quote Simon again, "kinda works."
"Watch your back" is such a vague line that I'm not even counting this paragraph as a spoiler.
So, when the A-plot never comes up again, the B-plot only "kinda works" and there's not even anything related to the core arcs or world building to make the episode something one should see. "The Gathering," while a less-than-stellar production DOES have several threads which are built upon and returned to as late as season 5, including one VERY MASSIVE spoiler in the 1997 re-edit - the only available version - which, on re-view after completing the series generates a "You cheeky bastard" directed at JMS. "Infection" is the first set up of three core concepts of the series, "War Prayer" has background world building setting up later events such as the Mars Colony rebellion, and *SPOILER REDACTED*. "TKO" could be removed entirely from the run and nothing would be lost.
When I do my re-watch, at most, I can hope for an inoffensive, mildly entertaining 45 minutes where the production saved up some money for *SPOILER REDACTED*
Maybe Mark Hendrickson will be a not-Narn in this episode, so I get a point in my B5 drinking game*.
Don Stroud (Caliban) and Theodore Bikkel (Rabbi) will return in future episodes as more significant characters. Soon-Tek Oh IS his normal excellent self in the episode, so I'll enjoy him, even if he is channeling a little Mako. Hey, if your performance is gonna get compared to another actor and that actor is MAKO, you did well.
SPOILER STUFF:
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
...maybe I'll catch something else when I actually re-watch the episode? "Watch your back" resonates in a couple more episodes, but, given Garibaldi's other issues this season it barely counts?
Addendum: Ivanova is reading "Working Without a Net" "by Harlan Ellison," which Harlan said for decades would be the title of his autobiography (never written).
Apparently Harlan took the prop and would carry it around with him at conventions to drive people crazy. Ah, Harlan. A crazy character, and a hell of a writer.
Spoiler Stuff
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...
....
.....
......
.......
........
.........
..........
Quite.
Ok... I watched it.
Didn't change my views that this remains the worst episode of the series, and could be utterly removed, and nothing would be lost. But, I do have a few good things to say about the episode.
We'll do more complaints first, and end on the high notes.
On watching this time, I... Wasn't rooting for Walker Smith. The actor does a good job establishing his relationship with Garibaldi, and establishing his drive, so we have to blame writer Larry DiTillio for this... Smith enters the Mutai without respect. In his conversations with Garibaldi he repeatedly uses the epithet "snakehead," which is obviously racist. Not cool. He walks into the Mutai and disrespects the Muta-do with a snarky, "E. T." and lays hands on him. He absolutely should have been expelled. He is told a bit of loopholery by Caliban, who really is never given a motivation or backstory beyond, "Yeah, I fought Gyor, once."
We get the other side of the racist coin with the one rando screaming about how humans ruin everything, but Smith's own racist attitudes, and, frankly his motivation being fame, ("I told you it was history!") doesn't give me the sympathy I need to want him to win. And, going into the episode, I didn't actually remember how the fight turned out.
Digression: I'm not a sports guy. Watching other people playing games for money is baffling to me. Watching people beat the crap out of each other for money is baffling to me, so we must acknowledge that, for this episode, I'm just not the target audience.
That said, I can enjoy a good martial arts movie (with strong choreography), and I can even find some appreciation for Pro Wrestling (because those guys do 8 shows a week and do not have time to rehearse 10-15 minute bouts... Pro wrestlers get a loose script - who wins - and have to improvise they're dialog and combat, which is very challenging). Unfortunately, TKO is 1990's TV with a six day shoot schedule. Add into that the Mutai set - which was visually interesting with the neon lights, but small, cramped, and, WITH those neon lights not something the fighters could be knocked into without shattering pressurized glass (a hazard and a half), so much of the fight choreography sucks. It literally came down to Smith and Gyor standing there punching each other in the face over and over. That's a move you're more likely to see in a WWE bout - you know when they're making it up on the spot and killing time, and they punch each other in the face for a minute and fall into a clinch to exchange a few words about what to do for the next minute or two! I was laughing at the end. I don't think that's the desired audience response, but they were just standing there punching each other in the face and very slowly collapsing to the floor in such a way as to not damage the neon tubes!
The sound mixer... Those crowd chants are pathetic. Sounds like three people and a chorus filter. In my sound design days I've had to do large crowds from small groups. I did better myself back in the 90's. Laughably bad.
The Mutai itself just didn't feel alien. Gis and belts and bows and whatnot. Just felt like generic east Asian martial arts, with masks. I'm thinking of 60's Star Trek when Kirk and Spock fight each other on Vulcan. Here, again, we have a lot of east Asian influence in the staging and ritual, but they at least created that unique weapon with the curved blade at one end, and the fat blunt thing at the other. Even Lennier's fighting style has a high impractical finger placement, but it gives it a non-human feeling.
Ok, enough slagging on the Mutai.
The good.
This is the first time I watched TKO since my parents died. With Mom, let's say there are unresolved issues, and not psychoanalyse me in a public thread. But this subplot hit harder this time. Yes, I cried as Susan read the prayer and collapsed into tears. She got me. This episode sets up a lot of character traits for Susan which will haunt her throughout the series with her relationships. Huh. Guess that's a mild spoiler.
It's a good episode for Sinclair, as well... The look on his face when he learns about Ivanova's father, his immediate willingness to give her leave, her near insistence she take it, yet willing to back off and let her make her own decisions, his attendance of Shiva, and even pulling out a little Hebrew at the end (a mark of respect towards the Rabbi). Sinclair is awesome.
Finally, the exchange at the end between Ivanova and Sinclair - "I'm really tired of doing double shifts," "Remember that next time Catherine Sakai comes aboard" was laugh out loud funny for the right reasons.
Yeah, there's not much to get excited about, that's for sure. Your noting of Smith's general racism/xenophobia is on point: it's odd that's never really addressed or acknowledged. Though that does factor into that "this is my weird friends I know through odd circumstances who I otherwise would never hang out with" aspect of him and Garibaldi's relationship.
It's probably never really addressed because, outside the Mutai, we only see Smith interact with the Rabbi for one line of dialog, and Garibaldi. Garibaldi himself, while a professional, and one who is capable of making friendships with non-Terrans really isn't that nice a guy when you analyze him. *SPOILERS* After all, s4 Garibaldi is just Bester turning up Garibaldi's flaws a bit. Garibaldi strikes me (on reflection) as the guy who, earlier on in life, was casually racist/xenophobic, but learned a bit via association with Sinclair and working on B5... But not being the guy who'd call out his old buddy. Garibaldi drops a "snakehead" himself in the episode... Sure, it was the context of, "That snakehead...was the Muta-do," but he still dropped the term.
I cannot deny in my youth, when hanging out with people who were genuinely racist, using such language myself. Once I dropped a really terrible line which made those I was with lose it with laughter. One of then even said at the time, "Dude since you're NOT racist, I wasn't expecting that line from you!" I also note that's a group of people I dropped from my life 25+ years ago.
But, from experience, I admit to understanding saying something vile from peer pressure.
I don't remember how I reacted the first time I saw this back in 2014-15 or so, but on the rewatch, this is the first time after my dad's passing in 2022, and let's just say you weren't the only one crying as Susan read the prayer.
This is the second time I noticed a character saying "Stroke off!" as a way of what I think in real life we'd say something like "Get lost!" or perhaps more harshly "f*** off!"; at first I thought it was just the one serial killer guy Talia had to scan but now it's twice, which seems like a pattern.
I was more interested in the Ivanova plot than the Mutai plot, and man oh man that one got me.
Aah, the long tradition of sci-fi shows inventing new slang and swearing to get past the censors or age rating restrictions of the time. Frakking ridiculous. Writers need to stop frelling about with silly made up words.
Gorram it, I agree. ;)
Also, it occurs to me I think I caught one real Russian swear, but that was only because it's the same one Black Widow uses in the first Avengers movie.
Non Spoiler Stuff (1)
(From memory as I'm on holiday and won't re-watch this episode for at least another week)
"It's not as bad as Mike's been banging on about since day one," is hardly praise.
"Better than 'The Gathering,'" (not covered in this newsletter) is hardly praise.
While "War Prayer," and "Infection," are also among the worst episodes, those do introduce concepts and threads which come back throughout the rest of the series, which is why I rank them higher. TKO has some character stuff between Garibaldi and guy-who-will-never-be-heard-of-again, and "Ivanova finally gets over it," but reducing a guest star turn by the legendary Theodore Bikel to "there's also a plot with a rabbi...it kinda works." crosses into damning with faint praise.
I don't remember character bits for Sinclair realizing he's neglected Ivanova, so I'll look out for it on the re-watch.
Much of my distaste for the episode has always come from how disposable it is. The A-plot has some sort of commentary about outsiders, I suppose. The B-plot - which should be major character growth for a lead - to quote Simon again, "kinda works."
"Watch your back" is such a vague line that I'm not even counting this paragraph as a spoiler.
So, when the A-plot never comes up again, the B-plot only "kinda works" and there's not even anything related to the core arcs or world building to make the episode something one should see. "The Gathering," while a less-than-stellar production DOES have several threads which are built upon and returned to as late as season 5, including one VERY MASSIVE spoiler in the 1997 re-edit - the only available version - which, on re-view after completing the series generates a "You cheeky bastard" directed at JMS. "Infection" is the first set up of three core concepts of the series, "War Prayer" has background world building setting up later events such as the Mars Colony rebellion, and *SPOILER REDACTED*. "TKO" could be removed entirely from the run and nothing would be lost.
When I do my re-watch, at most, I can hope for an inoffensive, mildly entertaining 45 minutes where the production saved up some money for *SPOILER REDACTED*
Maybe Mark Hendrickson will be a not-Narn in this episode, so I get a point in my B5 drinking game*.
Don Stroud (Caliban) and Theodore Bikkel (Rabbi) will return in future episodes as more significant characters. Soon-Tek Oh IS his normal excellent self in the episode, so I'll enjoy him, even if he is channeling a little Mako. Hey, if your performance is gonna get compared to another actor and that actor is MAKO, you did well.
SPOILER STUFF:
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
...maybe I'll catch something else when I actually re-watch the episode? "Watch your back" resonates in a couple more episodes, but, given Garibaldi's other issues this season it barely counts?