Ah, let's give it up for Walter Koenig. Bester is scum, but Koenig brings such charm and humor to the role at times you almost ALMOST start to like and respect the Psi-Cop until, in the unguarded moments, he reaffirms being scum. Bester gets to run through an entire spectrum of shades - calm arrogance on his "I'm arriving" message, true anger on boarding B5, true surprise at being stymied by Minbari telepaths, his beautiful bluffing during the interrogation scene, followed by getting in (more) digs at Garibaldi on authority and intimidation, and, of course, the best joke of the episode - the piñata exchange. Then a little exposition at the end with the other Psi-Cop (Koenig's real wife returns after her s1 cameo in the Ironheart episode).
So - do we think Talia was REALLY dissected, or was Bester just trying to anger the B5 command staff? Or both, of course. It's likely Psi-Corp DID dissect her, given Ironheart boosted her powers, and Beater deliberately "let that slip" to provoke emotion.
Nightwatch scenes just make me sad and angry when I must continue to reflect that a good third of the US population really is that stupid and/or evil. I type this Jan 18, 2025. The Trump administration has already stated they intend on a large-scale deportment sweep in Chicago on January 21'st. The US fall into fascism and oli/klepto/kakistochracy took no time at all. The only question there is if the real powers in the US will let chaos agent Trump die in office, or 25th Amendment him and get pliable puppet Vance in the office.
But I digress.
Richard Biggs is doing well at subtly portraying Franklin's addiction issues. Franklin is still high-functioning - he IMMEDIATELY sees the Dust connection between the two patients - but his temper is certainly fraying. Not just snapping at people in Medlab, but at the command staff when rejecting the proposition to kill Bester. Even his, "maybe we SHOULD just wound him..." Season 2 Franklin would have said that with resigned humor and a smirk for Ivanova. Season 3 Franklin meant it.
Director David Eagle has some fun staging the POV drug shots and moving characters around in the trip sequence. I expect only Simon may get that my mind did flash to Tom Cowles shouting "HOLY CHROMATIC ABERRATION!" at one point. Trust me, possible other reader, in context I've ended this comment on a rather amusing reference.
Haha. Yes to all of those points. I thought I recognised the female psi cop at the end, but hadn't realised it was Koenig's wife! Nice touch.
A bit part of this rewatch is the unfortunate shift from the show being a warning by looking back at history through a scifi lens, and an urgent call to action by relating directly to current events in the 2020s.
Yes, yes, Jurasik and Katsulas are the strongest performers among the regular cast. They could read the Substack Terms of Service at each other and rivet the audience in place.
Jim Norton as the Narn figure makes a welcome return. He's just so damn solid a performer! He's so warm it's easy to overlook how disturbing it is that Kosh is setting up G'Kar to use his people as expendable foot soldiers. The Vorlons are manipulative. JMS has read his Tim Leary - the immense and obvious changes in G'Kar from his acid trip are classic 1960's pharmapsychology. G'Kar's guilty plea is no surprise for a Narn of honor. His quiet, blissful accepting smile is something else. One episode before G'Kar would have pled guilty, but resentment and rage would be under the surface.
Hi, Vir! Good to see you again! As a side note, Vir's Minbari tunic - the glyphs on the front spell "ALOHA" in Minbari characters. The costume department's own little joke. Although I believe the script did say Vir wore "the Minbari equivalent of a Hawaiian shirt."
The Vir/Londo relationship is, of course, complex. I merely observe that a socially awkward misfit like Vir might form near unshakable loyalty to that first authority figure who gives them any affection, affirmation, or respect - which Londo does. I may be speaking from experience. While Londo doesn't often appear to listen to Vir, Londo's relationship with Vir is, at this point, about Londo's only redeeming quality.
Londo's initial corrections to Vir's report are simultaneously funny, disturbing, and sweet. The lines are funny, the propaganda disturbing, the education of the protege sweet.
And no one wants poor Vir to have his arm broken by a raging Narn.
Side note on Narn strength - Vir isn't small. A one-hand lift is impressive.
Ivanova's loyalty to her friends is commendable, even if I can't approve of her willingness to commit murder. I do think the monologue is a bit clunky. Here is a writing concession to new viewers. By now we know her well enough the speech shouldn't be needed. Just kick everyone out of C&C, have a moment of quiet contemplation, then target the defense grid...
Yeah that sequence with Ivanova would have worked a lot better without the out-loud internal monologue. Underestimating the audience, there, by JMS.
Vir and Londo's relationship is incredibly unhealthy, at least for Vir. It's also the only thing that will pull Londo (partly) out of his dark hole, and give him a chance to redeem himself (a little). I don't think we'd end up with the WWE future Londo (or Vir as Emperor, even) without their friendship on B5.
Mike's personal connection to this episode - an amusing anecdote.
John-Frederick Jones is the actor who portrayed the Centauri minister in Londo's flashback. John was also someone who had directed me in a couple of plays during my acting days, and was an adjunct instructor at multiple colleges. John was a charming, funny, erudite man, with a velvet voice, Peter Capaldi level "attack eyebrows," and droll humor. I was assured by a surprising amount of young women between the ages of 17 and 22 he was also dead sexy.
I saw John after a production of "A Christmas Carol" he was in, and we had engaged in small talk when he snapped his fingers and said, "Oh, yes, Michael, I almost forgot to tell you. I recently did a one day shoot on that science fiction show you like so much..."
"Babylon 5?"
"Yes, yes, that's the one! I'm not entirely certain what the scene was about, but I played some sort of alien."
"Reptile, bone ridge, or silly wig?"
"Silly wig, rather lovely costume."
"You were Centauri."
"Yes, yes, Centauri. Ann always puts me in good clothes," (B5 costume designer Ann Bruice-Aling, who also costumed me a couple times before she got the B5 job) "Anyways, I believe the episode airs just after Christmas. Maybe another time you can tell me what the hell my scene was about!"
Flash forward to sometime after the air date of Feb 1996. Maybe March? I visited John backstage at a show he had directed to tell him how I'd enjoyed it. He greeted me, we discussed his show (A traditional production of "Medea" with a shockingly good Medea and Jason), when I segue to, "Oh, yes, your episode of Babylon 5 aired. You'll be pleased to know your scene illuminated the backstory and motivations of one of the series leads in a major way. It's a moment fans of the show will absolutely remember."
"Oh, well that's certainly nice to hear. It's nice to know one's work actually has impact on the story."
Pretty sure this episode is where Bester mentally "tags" Garibaldi as his target for plans for psychological/telepathic manipulation in the future. After all, Bester does say he enjoyed working with Garibaldi, and thinks they can work together in the future.
Of course this episode is the lynchpin for everything that happens in the future between G'Kar and Londo. G'Kar has seen Londo's plotting, but also his patriotism and pain. Like it or not, seeds of empathy are planted here which will sprout fully come season 5 during "The Very Long Night of Londo Mollari." Unseen in the episode, but confirmed elsewhere by JMS is there's a bit of a "feedback" here. While G'Kar took all of Londo's memories Londo got a little of G'Kar. Without that literal (metaphysical) experience of "walking a mile in someone else's shoes," there's no way G'Kar could even begin to forgive Londo for what he's done.
From a character standpoint - but only obvious in retrospect - this episode is as big a "BOOM" as "Severed Dreams" will be to the events plot lines in four episodes from now. Without Dust G'Kar would not be in place 18 years down the line to end the life of Londo and his Keeper, saving Delenn, David and John Sheridan.
I'd forgotten this one, and for a sec I honestly thought Ivanova almost firing on Bester was part of Delenn's plan.
The other scene that hits harder a bit now is the Centauri justifying their attack on the Drazi because they wanted a buffer zone.
Drazi homeworld is the new Denmark.
Non Spoilers
Ah, let's give it up for Walter Koenig. Bester is scum, but Koenig brings such charm and humor to the role at times you almost ALMOST start to like and respect the Psi-Cop until, in the unguarded moments, he reaffirms being scum. Bester gets to run through an entire spectrum of shades - calm arrogance on his "I'm arriving" message, true anger on boarding B5, true surprise at being stymied by Minbari telepaths, his beautiful bluffing during the interrogation scene, followed by getting in (more) digs at Garibaldi on authority and intimidation, and, of course, the best joke of the episode - the piñata exchange. Then a little exposition at the end with the other Psi-Cop (Koenig's real wife returns after her s1 cameo in the Ironheart episode).
So - do we think Talia was REALLY dissected, or was Bester just trying to anger the B5 command staff? Or both, of course. It's likely Psi-Corp DID dissect her, given Ironheart boosted her powers, and Beater deliberately "let that slip" to provoke emotion.
Nightwatch scenes just make me sad and angry when I must continue to reflect that a good third of the US population really is that stupid and/or evil. I type this Jan 18, 2025. The Trump administration has already stated they intend on a large-scale deportment sweep in Chicago on January 21'st. The US fall into fascism and oli/klepto/kakistochracy took no time at all. The only question there is if the real powers in the US will let chaos agent Trump die in office, or 25th Amendment him and get pliable puppet Vance in the office.
But I digress.
Richard Biggs is doing well at subtly portraying Franklin's addiction issues. Franklin is still high-functioning - he IMMEDIATELY sees the Dust connection between the two patients - but his temper is certainly fraying. Not just snapping at people in Medlab, but at the command staff when rejecting the proposition to kill Bester. Even his, "maybe we SHOULD just wound him..." Season 2 Franklin would have said that with resigned humor and a smirk for Ivanova. Season 3 Franklin meant it.
Director David Eagle has some fun staging the POV drug shots and moving characters around in the trip sequence. I expect only Simon may get that my mind did flash to Tom Cowles shouting "HOLY CHROMATIC ABERRATION!" at one point. Trust me, possible other reader, in context I've ended this comment on a rather amusing reference.
Haha. Yes to all of those points. I thought I recognised the female psi cop at the end, but hadn't realised it was Koenig's wife! Nice touch.
A bit part of this rewatch is the unfortunate shift from the show being a warning by looking back at history through a scifi lens, and an urgent call to action by relating directly to current events in the 2020s.
Non-Spoilers:
Yes, yes, Jurasik and Katsulas are the strongest performers among the regular cast. They could read the Substack Terms of Service at each other and rivet the audience in place.
Jim Norton as the Narn figure makes a welcome return. He's just so damn solid a performer! He's so warm it's easy to overlook how disturbing it is that Kosh is setting up G'Kar to use his people as expendable foot soldiers. The Vorlons are manipulative. JMS has read his Tim Leary - the immense and obvious changes in G'Kar from his acid trip are classic 1960's pharmapsychology. G'Kar's guilty plea is no surprise for a Narn of honor. His quiet, blissful accepting smile is something else. One episode before G'Kar would have pled guilty, but resentment and rage would be under the surface.
Hi, Vir! Good to see you again! As a side note, Vir's Minbari tunic - the glyphs on the front spell "ALOHA" in Minbari characters. The costume department's own little joke. Although I believe the script did say Vir wore "the Minbari equivalent of a Hawaiian shirt."
The Vir/Londo relationship is, of course, complex. I merely observe that a socially awkward misfit like Vir might form near unshakable loyalty to that first authority figure who gives them any affection, affirmation, or respect - which Londo does. I may be speaking from experience. While Londo doesn't often appear to listen to Vir, Londo's relationship with Vir is, at this point, about Londo's only redeeming quality.
Londo's initial corrections to Vir's report are simultaneously funny, disturbing, and sweet. The lines are funny, the propaganda disturbing, the education of the protege sweet.
And no one wants poor Vir to have his arm broken by a raging Narn.
Side note on Narn strength - Vir isn't small. A one-hand lift is impressive.
Ivanova's loyalty to her friends is commendable, even if I can't approve of her willingness to commit murder. I do think the monologue is a bit clunky. Here is a writing concession to new viewers. By now we know her well enough the speech shouldn't be needed. Just kick everyone out of C&C, have a moment of quiet contemplation, then target the defense grid...
Yeah that sequence with Ivanova would have worked a lot better without the out-loud internal monologue. Underestimating the audience, there, by JMS.
Vir and Londo's relationship is incredibly unhealthy, at least for Vir. It's also the only thing that will pull Londo (partly) out of his dark hole, and give him a chance to redeem himself (a little). I don't think we'd end up with the WWE future Londo (or Vir as Emperor, even) without their friendship on B5.
Non Spoiler:
Mike's personal connection to this episode - an amusing anecdote.
John-Frederick Jones is the actor who portrayed the Centauri minister in Londo's flashback. John was also someone who had directed me in a couple of plays during my acting days, and was an adjunct instructor at multiple colleges. John was a charming, funny, erudite man, with a velvet voice, Peter Capaldi level "attack eyebrows," and droll humor. I was assured by a surprising amount of young women between the ages of 17 and 22 he was also dead sexy.
I saw John after a production of "A Christmas Carol" he was in, and we had engaged in small talk when he snapped his fingers and said, "Oh, yes, Michael, I almost forgot to tell you. I recently did a one day shoot on that science fiction show you like so much..."
"Babylon 5?"
"Yes, yes, that's the one! I'm not entirely certain what the scene was about, but I played some sort of alien."
"Reptile, bone ridge, or silly wig?"
"Silly wig, rather lovely costume."
"You were Centauri."
"Yes, yes, Centauri. Ann always puts me in good clothes," (B5 costume designer Ann Bruice-Aling, who also costumed me a couple times before she got the B5 job) "Anyways, I believe the episode airs just after Christmas. Maybe another time you can tell me what the hell my scene was about!"
Flash forward to sometime after the air date of Feb 1996. Maybe March? I visited John backstage at a show he had directed to tell him how I'd enjoyed it. He greeted me, we discussed his show (A traditional production of "Medea" with a shockingly good Medea and Jason), when I segue to, "Oh, yes, your episode of Babylon 5 aired. You'll be pleased to know your scene illuminated the backstory and motivations of one of the series leads in a major way. It's a moment fans of the show will absolutely remember."
"Oh, well that's certainly nice to hear. It's nice to know one's work actually has impact on the story."
So, yeah. John-Frederick Jones. Great guy.
Spoilers
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Pretty sure this episode is where Bester mentally "tags" Garibaldi as his target for plans for psychological/telepathic manipulation in the future. After all, Bester does say he enjoyed working with Garibaldi, and thinks they can work together in the future.
Of course this episode is the lynchpin for everything that happens in the future between G'Kar and Londo. G'Kar has seen Londo's plotting, but also his patriotism and pain. Like it or not, seeds of empathy are planted here which will sprout fully come season 5 during "The Very Long Night of Londo Mollari." Unseen in the episode, but confirmed elsewhere by JMS is there's a bit of a "feedback" here. While G'Kar took all of Londo's memories Londo got a little of G'Kar. Without that literal (metaphysical) experience of "walking a mile in someone else's shoes," there's no way G'Kar could even begin to forgive Londo for what he's done.
From a character standpoint - but only obvious in retrospect - this episode is as big a "BOOM" as "Severed Dreams" will be to the events plot lines in four episodes from now. Without Dust G'Kar would not be in place 18 years down the line to end the life of Londo and his Keeper, saving Delenn, David and John Sheridan.