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Mike Sowden's avatar

Oh yeah. This episode. Whew. So much foreshadowing, so much unravelling. What a fantastic setup this was. I know that it's an impossible ask, because something like this episode needs the buildup to really land in all the ways that matter - but, if Babylon 5 had a pilot episode that packed a punch like this one...? But then, as solid as it was in many ways, "The Gathering" lacked some impact (IMHO) just because its characters were so fresh, and to throw them into such calamity and disarray immediately just...didn't (doesn't?) quite work? I don't know. This is why I want to try writing fiction, to learn how naive my critical opinions are about this stuff. But it does make me realise that so many great pilot episodes show everything falling apart and introducing characters as wannabe survivors of the times they live in, and what a terrific hook that can be when it's done well (and efficiently, because successfully going high-emotional-stakes in just one episode means you're doing a lot of character work very quickly)...

But - yeah. This episode. What confidence in its storytelling, to throw absolutely everything up into the air like that. May everything we write, fiction or non-fiction, have a little of this bravery and wisdom and exciting glimpses of things to come.

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Mike Miller's avatar

And we're back!

Oof! This episode is utterly fantastic, and, if anyone is keeping track of production numbers, it's 112 - meaning it was shot halfway through the season. Now, "Signs and Portents" was production number 116, meaning the scenes in this episode between, say, Londo and Morden, where they refer back to "Portents" were shot before that episode. Must be fun for actors on an arc show to shoot continuations or resolutions before introductions and set-ups. Pity the continuity person who had to keep track of the various stages of completion on Delenn's "jigsaw puzzle" (Chrysalis machine) all year.

Most of the episode plot points I remembered - the surprise for me being Delenn walking into Sinclair's quarters, holding up a triluminary, and talking about the Battle of the Line. I'd forgotten that!

The episode structure just works so well. A tense opening with Petrov being stabbed, then a bit of awkward happiness with Sinclair's terrible proposal - "Look, do you wanna get married, or not?" then a bit of a slow build with Garibaldi's investigation, one comic relief moment with G'kar's *ahem* "dates," then Londo's chat with Morden...a big action sequence with the attack on Q37 - which really shows their power, since all of B5's battles so far have taken a full act. For the entire Narn outpost to be taken out so decisively, and so quickly, really drives home that those creepy spider-ships - only two - are vastly more powerful than anything else we've seen in the show. But here's the fun trick. The episode climax - Garibaldi shot and Earthforce One exploding - is halfway through. The entire back half of the episode is all about aftermath and set up for season 2!

The sequence with the destruction of Earthforce One is just so well staged, animated, and edited it's jaw-droppingly powerful. It's a fantastic choice to show the initial explosion of Earthforce One from the front, only seeing the lights flicker and sparks floating out from behind the centrifuge, before cutting to behind EF1 as it tumbles. Director Janet Greek gets great reactions from her extras and day players, while Claudia and O'Hare absolutely nail it. Everyone in C&C is utterly about to lose it, and Sinclair is only barely able to hold himself and the crew together. Even Maggie Egan, by far the most used ISN anchor, absolutely brings the horror.

Garibaldi being shot in the back remains utterly shocking. Again, due to impeccable shot choices (pun intended) and editing from Greek, not to mention Security Officer Jack has been floating around all season. He's not just some random actor brought in this week. His familiar face really makes the betrayal land... If anyone reading is a first time watcher, on a re-watch you'll see how when Jack is around, well, he's in a position to cause problems... Let's use "Sky Full of Stars" as an example. Who do you think helped Knight One throw Benson's body out an airlock without being caught on camera or having the airlock access logged? Oh, the NUMBER TWO GUY IN SECURITY!

I'd forgotten about the Londo scene in Medbay. It's a nice empathizing moment for Londo after we've seen him do something tragic and horrible.

As a historical note, B5 is among the first "arc shows," and likely the first with a multi-season arc planned in advance. At the time (in the US) TV live action SF was Trek: TNG, Gerry Anderson's Space Precinct, and the 6-episode Space Rangers. Space: Above and Beyond would come next year. I guess we can count Brisco County Jr. Hercules and Xena, though all three were more fantasy. And none of them were arc shows. When Sinclair said at the end of "Chrysalis," "Nothing's the same anymore..." He MEANT that, and so did JMS in a way American SF just didn't do then. It was mind blowing to have the show pull the rug from under us like that. Changes? Hah! Wait for season 2!

Final note - that last shot of Lennier holding the candle and sitting vigil for Delenn... The makeup looks SO good. I don't know if the appliance was thin enough for Bill Mumy to wrinkle his brow and emote like that, or if a special appliance was sculpted with some "extra emotion." Also, it's always fun to see G'kar's chest.

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