Non Spoiler Addendum: I believe I said this in Spoilers for "A Late Delivery from Avalon," but repeat here for non spoilers for first time viewers: When Marcus compared Kosh to Merlin, my brain went, "Great! Merlin is either killed off or eternally trapped in the Arthur myth long before the quest for the Grail." I wasn't totally surprised by Kosh's death. It was foreshadowed.
First, a plea to Simon to ignore the Lurker's Guide suggested viewing order and go to War Without End. This would give us two more episodes before Walkabout - better handling the timing of the Franklin addiction story - and two more episodes before Kosh II/Ulkesh arrives - which better fits the discussion in this episode about how, at times, Kosh stays in his quarters for weeks. It takes TIME to get to B5 from the Vorlon homeworld Additionaly, Interludes and Examinations has a date of Aug 3-5 2260 (per Ivanova's log) while War Without End begins August 12 2260. That's one week. Whoever thinks "Walkabout" fits in between Interludes and Examinations and War Without End is wrong. B5 doesn't often give hard calendar dates, but Interludes and War Without End do, and those given dates make them the properly adjacent episodes.
Moving on: Here Londo sets up a blown chance for redemption. He should not "kill the one who is already dead." That could be Morden (listed death with Earth) or Refa (poisoned). This episode puts Londo on the path to kill both.
Kosh's lashing out at Sheridan is a hint of Vorlon assholery. Besides, oh, killing Deathwalker, having JACK THE GODDAMN RIPPER as an agent, and programming most of the galaxy to see them as agents of the divine, Kosh, wine backed into a corner, reacts with naked violence towards his own pupil. As we'll learn in three episodes (if Simon listens to me) or next week (if Simon doesn't listen to me) our Kosh is the NICE Vorlon. Not the type of Vorlon who would destroy Centauri Prime just to kill Londo.
Speaking of the Vorlons and Shadows - jump points vs phasing implies Shadow tech is slightly superior. This would make sense as the Vorlons as arbiters of order would be static. Shadows as bringers of chaos would iterate. Certainly in human history a huge amount of technological development is a direct or indirect growth of military action. The Vorlons can hold their own in battle (I speculate) because their ships are grown and bonded with a Vorlon pilot in true symbiosis while Shadows force other beings into being ship cores - a process which drives the pilot core quite mad. Vorlon ships simply react better to orders and fight willingly, rather than under coercion.
On the other hand, and entire B5 security squad will basically be unable to handle a Kosh fragment fighting Ulkesh while two Centauri guards will kill two Shadows with plasma rifles. The Vorlons as energy beings are more durable than the Shadows. Which is why killing Kosh took three. Lyta will later comment on the Shadows tearing Kosh apart, but her psychic vision shows two Shadow silhouettes. JMS wrote "Kosh did not go down alone." I submit of the three Shadows which entered Kosh's quarters only one made it out.
Ah, interesting to note the episode order. Happy to revert back to original order - aside from all your other good points, simply having a 2 ep gap makes Franklin's struggle all the more believable.
Yes, one would think it's a Vejar episode. Jesus Trevino does himself proud with that opening montage - most particularly the whiteout from Franklin's lamp to Kosh's lit wall panel to the cross fade from Kosh's eye to that art on Londo's wall. (On first viewing I was so struck by it I went back on my archived tapes to verify the art was always on Londo's wall, as it hadn't jumped out to me before.).
Richard Biggs is, IMHO the finest actor among the human characters. His work in this episode is superlative. His near hysteria in Medlab is frightening. His rage at Garibaldi chilling. His later self-revelation to Garibaldi heartbreaking. His resignation to Sheridan somehow dignified, despite the circles under his eyes, stubble, and glazed eyes.
Boxlightner is a consistent and solid actor, but he's rarely brilliant, but in this episode his growing desperation and near hysteria in the confrontation with Kosh is his finest acting on the series to date. For my money it's the pinnacle of his performance, until, maybe, the B5/Crusade bridge movie "A Call to Arms."
Again, Jeffery Willarth and the puppeteers (correction to my prior comment, Kosh's iris AND spiracles are remote operation) wring a huge amount of emotion from a blank suit. Willarth is doing a lot of acting with turns and tilts of the head, while the constant shifting of the iris builds upon it. In the Sheridan/Kosh confrontation Trevino's use of a wide angle lens on the Kosh closeups also changes the look of the suit. It's a wide angle on Kosh, but Sheridan's CU is a "normal" lens. It really highlights the conflict.
Trevino's simple staging of the assault on Kosh also works. The step-printed blurry pans hint and great motion, and the flare of light on Morden when the Shadows finally breach Kosh's Suit sell it.
Rance Howard is always good value. He makes one feel for Kosh.
Either Franklin's realization or bringing the Vorlons into the fight and the death of Kosh could carry the episode. Nope. There's the Londo plot - Simon, how did you forget that horror happened here? Yes, in a episode with five MAJOR emotional scenes, the most heartbreaking is Londo's turning away from Vir's offered friendship and comfort.
Hello Doctor Hobbs. Good to see you for the first time. I'll always be glad to see you return.
Tech note for Simon - the Vorlon/Shadow battle in this episode is the first time a light wrap effect was used. Animator Mojo Lebowitz developed that with NewTek. In a bit of side snobbery, Hitfilm had Light Wrap back in 2013. AE didn't add light wrap until 2021. Sometimes one wonders why Adobe takes forever to add just a basic and useful feature.
Vorlons use conventional jump engines. Shadows directly phase into hyperspace. There's an implication Shadow tech is slightly superior. More in Spoilers.
Writing note - JMS has indicated he'd been putting off killing Kosh, but when outlining the episode Kosh jumped up into JMS's frontal cortex and told him it was time.
Cast and crew note - according to JMS no one would talk to him for a week after this script came out. Kosh's death affected the production. Pat Tallman, of course, wasn't in the episode. She found about about Kosh's death at the cast/crew screening. She burst into tears and didn't talk to JMS for a month.
Trevino works some magic with the entire cast in this one: they're all delivering max quality stuff.
And yeah - the assault on Kosh is well staged. Obviously it wouldn't have been possible at the time/budget to have properly shown the fight, but they stage it in such a way that it doesn't FEEL like a budget solution. The horror is there, and the choice to zero in on Morden's face is perfect.
Re: "puppetry of Kosh." There IS an actor in the suit. Actually, three over the course of the series, but in this episode it's Jeffery Willarth. Only the vision iris is remote. So, respect to the actor. Suit/creature acting is a difficult skill. Doug Jones is the most well known example currently, but, if, for example, one were to watch Doctor Who production information you'll see they recycle the same actors a lot. The suits in last Saturday's episode are a great example. Those actors have also been Wroth, Cybermen, etc.
The line can blur on puppetry vs actor in suits and creatures - N'grath also had an actor in the suit, but a puppeteer did the mandibles. It's a team effort.
Non Spoiler Addendum: I believe I said this in Spoilers for "A Late Delivery from Avalon," but repeat here for non spoilers for first time viewers: When Marcus compared Kosh to Merlin, my brain went, "Great! Merlin is either killed off or eternally trapped in the Arthur myth long before the quest for the Grail." I wasn't totally surprised by Kosh's death. It was foreshadowed.
Spoilers
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First, a plea to Simon to ignore the Lurker's Guide suggested viewing order and go to War Without End. This would give us two more episodes before Walkabout - better handling the timing of the Franklin addiction story - and two more episodes before Kosh II/Ulkesh arrives - which better fits the discussion in this episode about how, at times, Kosh stays in his quarters for weeks. It takes TIME to get to B5 from the Vorlon homeworld Additionaly, Interludes and Examinations has a date of Aug 3-5 2260 (per Ivanova's log) while War Without End begins August 12 2260. That's one week. Whoever thinks "Walkabout" fits in between Interludes and Examinations and War Without End is wrong. B5 doesn't often give hard calendar dates, but Interludes and War Without End do, and those given dates make them the properly adjacent episodes.
Moving on: Here Londo sets up a blown chance for redemption. He should not "kill the one who is already dead." That could be Morden (listed death with Earth) or Refa (poisoned). This episode puts Londo on the path to kill both.
Kosh's lashing out at Sheridan is a hint of Vorlon assholery. Besides, oh, killing Deathwalker, having JACK THE GODDAMN RIPPER as an agent, and programming most of the galaxy to see them as agents of the divine, Kosh, wine backed into a corner, reacts with naked violence towards his own pupil. As we'll learn in three episodes (if Simon listens to me) or next week (if Simon doesn't listen to me) our Kosh is the NICE Vorlon. Not the type of Vorlon who would destroy Centauri Prime just to kill Londo.
Speaking of the Vorlons and Shadows - jump points vs phasing implies Shadow tech is slightly superior. This would make sense as the Vorlons as arbiters of order would be static. Shadows as bringers of chaos would iterate. Certainly in human history a huge amount of technological development is a direct or indirect growth of military action. The Vorlons can hold their own in battle (I speculate) because their ships are grown and bonded with a Vorlon pilot in true symbiosis while Shadows force other beings into being ship cores - a process which drives the pilot core quite mad. Vorlon ships simply react better to orders and fight willingly, rather than under coercion.
On the other hand, and entire B5 security squad will basically be unable to handle a Kosh fragment fighting Ulkesh while two Centauri guards will kill two Shadows with plasma rifles. The Vorlons as energy beings are more durable than the Shadows. Which is why killing Kosh took three. Lyta will later comment on the Shadows tearing Kosh apart, but her psychic vision shows two Shadow silhouettes. JMS wrote "Kosh did not go down alone." I submit of the three Shadows which entered Kosh's quarters only one made it out.
Ah, interesting to note the episode order. Happy to revert back to original order - aside from all your other good points, simply having a 2 ep gap makes Franklin's struggle all the more believable.
Non Spoilers (post watch)
Yes, one would think it's a Vejar episode. Jesus Trevino does himself proud with that opening montage - most particularly the whiteout from Franklin's lamp to Kosh's lit wall panel to the cross fade from Kosh's eye to that art on Londo's wall. (On first viewing I was so struck by it I went back on my archived tapes to verify the art was always on Londo's wall, as it hadn't jumped out to me before.).
Richard Biggs is, IMHO the finest actor among the human characters. His work in this episode is superlative. His near hysteria in Medlab is frightening. His rage at Garibaldi chilling. His later self-revelation to Garibaldi heartbreaking. His resignation to Sheridan somehow dignified, despite the circles under his eyes, stubble, and glazed eyes.
Boxlightner is a consistent and solid actor, but he's rarely brilliant, but in this episode his growing desperation and near hysteria in the confrontation with Kosh is his finest acting on the series to date. For my money it's the pinnacle of his performance, until, maybe, the B5/Crusade bridge movie "A Call to Arms."
Again, Jeffery Willarth and the puppeteers (correction to my prior comment, Kosh's iris AND spiracles are remote operation) wring a huge amount of emotion from a blank suit. Willarth is doing a lot of acting with turns and tilts of the head, while the constant shifting of the iris builds upon it. In the Sheridan/Kosh confrontation Trevino's use of a wide angle lens on the Kosh closeups also changes the look of the suit. It's a wide angle on Kosh, but Sheridan's CU is a "normal" lens. It really highlights the conflict.
Trevino's simple staging of the assault on Kosh also works. The step-printed blurry pans hint and great motion, and the flare of light on Morden when the Shadows finally breach Kosh's Suit sell it.
Rance Howard is always good value. He makes one feel for Kosh.
Either Franklin's realization or bringing the Vorlons into the fight and the death of Kosh could carry the episode. Nope. There's the Londo plot - Simon, how did you forget that horror happened here? Yes, in a episode with five MAJOR emotional scenes, the most heartbreaking is Londo's turning away from Vir's offered friendship and comfort.
Hello Doctor Hobbs. Good to see you for the first time. I'll always be glad to see you return.
Tech note for Simon - the Vorlon/Shadow battle in this episode is the first time a light wrap effect was used. Animator Mojo Lebowitz developed that with NewTek. In a bit of side snobbery, Hitfilm had Light Wrap back in 2013. AE didn't add light wrap until 2021. Sometimes one wonders why Adobe takes forever to add just a basic and useful feature.
Vorlons use conventional jump engines. Shadows directly phase into hyperspace. There's an implication Shadow tech is slightly superior. More in Spoilers.
Writing note - JMS has indicated he'd been putting off killing Kosh, but when outlining the episode Kosh jumped up into JMS's frontal cortex and told him it was time.
Cast and crew note - according to JMS no one would talk to him for a week after this script came out. Kosh's death affected the production. Pat Tallman, of course, wasn't in the episode. She found about about Kosh's death at the cast/crew screening. She burst into tears and didn't talk to JMS for a month.
Trevino works some magic with the entire cast in this one: they're all delivering max quality stuff.
And yeah - the assault on Kosh is well staged. Obviously it wouldn't have been possible at the time/budget to have properly shown the fight, but they stage it in such a way that it doesn't FEEL like a budget solution. The horror is there, and the choice to zero in on Morden's face is perfect.
Pre-watch Non-Spoilers
Re: "puppetry of Kosh." There IS an actor in the suit. Actually, three over the course of the series, but in this episode it's Jeffery Willarth. Only the vision iris is remote. So, respect to the actor. Suit/creature acting is a difficult skill. Doug Jones is the most well known example currently, but, if, for example, one were to watch Doctor Who production information you'll see they recycle the same actors a lot. The suits in last Saturday's episode are a great example. Those actors have also been Wroth, Cybermen, etc.
The line can blur on puppetry vs actor in suits and creatures - N'grath also had an actor in the suit, but a puppeteer did the mandibles. It's a team effort.