s1e3: Born to the Purple
Wine, women and song
We’re watching the pioneering 90s TV show Babylon 5. If you want to join us, hit subscribe then go to your account and turn on the Let’s Watch notifications.
My first thought was oh, it’s this one.
From the wobbly pilot, the most consistently good thing about the show has been Peter Jurasik’s portrayal of Londo Mollari, the end-of-career politician stuck in a middle-of-nowhere ambassadorial role. He’s counting the days to retirement/death (complete with a vision of said death) and has a rather fatalistic view of the universe.
In this episode we see a potential way out. Probably a fantasy from the beginning, but there’s a glimpse of a different Londo. A younger, more romantic Londo, and a Londo who would be willing to discard his power and (meagre) position to spend a lifetime with Adira. While it feels like a relationship that could never work, Londo (and Jurasik) are entirely sincere. There’s a brief moment in this episode where Londo could have gone off to live his own life, unshackled from the demands of the Centauri Republic. There’s even a flash of understanding between Londo and G’Kar in the nightclub - brief but meaningful.
Instead, he’s drawn back in by political skulduggery and that brief moment of potential happiness evaporates. For new viewers, just remember that very little in Babylon 5 is throwaway. There are few truly ‘standalone’ episodes.
It’s a decent little tale, then. Much lower key than the previous episodes. We get to see Sinclair don the least effective disguise ever - a poncho - and defuse a dangerous situation by laughing weirdly. Trakkis is a generic baddie and feels like he teleported in from a 1980s show.
The b-plot, with the mis-use of station communications channels, is perhaps more effective. We get to see Garibaldi on the hunt, but also that he can make difficult decisions and isn’t tied to the letter of the law. We’ve only just learned of what happened with Ivanova’s mother and the Psi Corps, and now we know that her brother died and her father has now passed away as well. I like the moment of Garibaldi offering to buy her a drink: neither of them are saying it, but there’s a bond of trust forming there.
I found it quite fascinating that only three episodes in we get this character-focused, relatively low-key episode. The modern era of plot-plot-plot-plot streaming shows just doesn’t allow for these kinds of character tangents. But it’s precisely these character episodes that will help the plot-heavy stuff that’s coming up hit much harder than it would otherwise.
What did you think? Remember to mark spoilers in your comments so that new viewers can steer clear.
Next week we have ‘Infection’ to watch.
‼️ SPOILER STUFF ‼️
Seriously, big spoilers below.
The main thing to note about this episode, I think, is that it’s the first episode to feature a specific event that will take years to pay off. Obviously ‘Midnight’ and ‘Soul Hunter’ featured some main plot stuff around Sinclair and the Minbari, but the introduction of Adira is the first time we have a seemingly one-off character that will have greater importance down the line.
Increasingly as B5 progresses, it becomes evident that everything matters and nothing is throwaway: or, at least, that’s the impression. It’s not actually true, but there’s enough that sticks to make it feel like it’s all connected. That adds a really interesting tension to the show, because you really have to pay attention. It’s not immediately obvious, especially in season 1, but it has a very satisfying cumulative effect.
Adira is one of these moments, though we don’t realise it until season 3. Not only is this, in only episode 3 of season 1, the point at which Londo could have gone another way, Adira’s subsequent demise is also a critical moment in his descent. A lot pivots around the Adira character, even if she does edge towards being a fridged trope. At least she is graned agency at the end of this episode, though, and goes off to make something of herself. That final scene is made all the more impactful in retrospect, of course. Cruel, even.
This is a good example of a fairly light-weight season 1 episode that is elevated considerably by what comes later.
See you here next week!
NON SPOILER STUFF
Born to the Purple." The first script NOT written by JMS.
It's thin on its own, but the A-plot works because Peter Jurassik is incredible, and Fabiana Udenio is so warm and likable that I truly believe she, too, was genuinely interested in Londo for Londo.
The B-plot was more effective for me on this re-watch. It's the first time I've watched B5 since my parents died, and I was on headphones. On past viewings I just thought Ivanova's father passed out from exhaustion. This time, with the headphones, I heard him flatline. Claudia did well with the scenes, as did Jerry Doyle. And... Well, this time... Yeah, it hit me hard (I've also, in the past couple of months lost my last Uncle/Godfather, and a cat with severe health issues whose care took a not inconsiderable amount of my time and attention, and - look, Uncle Tom was 89, and, while I miss him, he had a good run, and I was able to say what needed to be said. Closure achieved. Ghost was shocking, sudden, and I am NOT ANYWHERE NEAR being over the loss of my three year old beautiful, smart, sweet boy. Just typing this is triggering crying...). (For those reading this, condolences are assumed, and don't need to be given.)
*A few moments later*
Yeah, so Ivanova's Dad. Got me.
Trakis... Clive Revill? He's been a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company. He's done Broadway. He's well regarded in his native New Zealand. He's been nominated on multiple continents for all kinds of awards. Clive Revill isn't supposed to be boring.
But he's got no motivation, no backstory, and we don't even find out what species he is. Ok, he's Golian, but that's known only because it's a script note added to the relevant Wikis after B5 Books published the script volumes. It's a bit surprising because writer Larry DiTillio is usually great at backstory, and, as mentioned in "Soul Hunter," HE'S the guy who wrote the "Bible" on the League Aliens*.
*Yeah, I'm gonna say "aliens," because it's just easier to type than "non-humans."
Speaking of aliens, also last week I mentioned the show is still throwing things at the wall to see what sticks, and the aliens are in that phase. There's a whole bunch of non-human species floating around which will shortly vanish. That blonde with the "Venus Fly Trap Face" the horny pilot chats up? I don't think we'll ever see one of those again. The strippers in Dark Star? No clue what the silver one is, or the one in the background with the elongated skull. Soon enough we'll settle down and consistently see Brakiri, Pak'Ma'Ra, Abbai, Drazi, Gaim, Vree, etc... Technically that was a spoiler, but what's a list of species names between friends?
Ko'Dath... Mary Woronov insisted she was fine with prosthetics and contacts. Then she freaked out in the makeup chair and had a panic attack with the contacts. She was intended as a series regular. She will be replaced with Julie Caitlin Brown as Na'Toth. That's not a spoiler - she's in the opening credits. Na'Toth>Ko'Dath, anyways.
This is a good place to discuss a few of the day players who are less than stellar actors... B5 cast a lot of minor characters out of the tech crew for the show. That female C&C tech, the horny pilot, the voice of the computer, the C&C tech from the grapple scene in "Soul Hunter." The list goes on. B5 DP John Flynn will appear twice, and his scenes are actually funny. Eventually Stephen First will learn to talk around his teeth and Vir won't sound like he's lisping and about to drool phlegm.
But I do love that G'Kar and Ko'Dath TOTALLY steal his video game.
Garibaldi is reading a newspaper in his office. Especially for first time viewers, I'd recommend freeze framing any newspaper (or news screen) you see and reading headlines. Garabaldi's paper includes a note that the head of Homeguard went to trial and asks "Is There Something Living in Hyperspace?" Both headlines hint at things which will be more relevant later. As Simon said, almost everything is relevant. Even background details.
(If you ever see a data screen with a reference to Elvis Presley, that screen was done by artist "Mojo" Lebowitz. When JMS noticed a string of jokes he was not amused. He told Mojo's boss, Ron Thornton, "Get your man under control, or fire him.")
(In the post for "Soul Hunter," Simon discussed some of the actors who have passed away. I mentioned director Jim Johnston was also no longer with us - something I learned two days before typing my response. Well, B5 Visual Effects Supervisor (series 1-3) Ron Thornton is also gone. Ron's importance to the VFX industry cannot be overstated, because, to be blunt, B5 was the first show of any kind to do all effects digitally, and the pipelines and processes developed for B5 were taken to other studios and basically became the standard, which has only started being supplanted in the past few years with the rise of Virtual Production. Also, in the industry, VFX crew get treated like crap - it's about time VFX teams pushed to unionize - and Ron Thornton shouldn't have ended his life with a GoFundMe for medical care. I consider my own donation well spent, but Ron should have had another decade. I digress, but feel this type of thing needs to be said. Without Ron Thornton there would be no Babylon 5. Period. It's his work that made the show possible on a $400k/episode budget - compared to $4 million/episode for Trek: TNG, and his design notes which set up the style of B5's CG. He's someone I never had the opportunity to meet, and with his work on Blake's 7, Doctor Who, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Star Trek, Babylon 5, Spaceballs, and dozens of other shows and films, I'd have liked to shake his hand and thank him for the inspiration. Simon knows I used to work at a low level as a VFX artist/animator, but Ron Thornton inspired me just as much as people like Stan Winston, Dennis Muren, Phil Tippett, and John Dykstra.)
(Ok, enough of that. This is still me being maudlin over Ghost - especially since Fuzz is having a heart scan as I type, and I'm waiting for lab work on Scotty to find out how bad the diabetes is, and Loki (she predates the MCU) to find out how bad her kidney disease is...)
Sinclair's "terrible disguise." Quick, raise your hand if you recognize the mayor of your town offhand. Especially if you live somewhere with a population in excess of 100k. I thought not. This is a trope dating back hundreds of years - with "The Prince and the Pauper" being the obvious example. If you are a criminal on Babylon 5 you keep your eyes down, and try to be unnoticed. You aren't looking at faces, you're looking at the UNIFORM. It may SEEM like a terrible disguise, but it would work. As in "Prince/Pauper," MOST people in the kingdom aren't saying, "Wow, you look like the Prince!" The Prince is known for his fine clothes. Thus, the change of clothes allows the swap.
It's Londo's hood flopping flat around his hair crest which looks terrible. Side note: Londo's hair was supposed to be shorter. Of course you put long hair on and trim it down. Well, they brought JMS in to start trimming, and Peter Jurrasik said, "Oh, let's leave it long! It's so bold! I love it!" JMS said, "Ok," and left.
Peter was, of course, kidding.
Ever since I heard Londo use the line "What do you want, you moon-faced assassin of joy?" on my first watch of this show back in 2014, I've wanted to use that in real life. Haven't had the chance yet, but here's hoping. I remembered generally that Adira was significant, but I'd forgotten the specifics of what happens.