100 Reviews: 88
Okay, so I’m probably annoying those of you who don’t watch B5, but I don’t exactly care that much. If my passion for this show encourages any of you to go out and watch it so much the better. But this is probably the last for today.
Babylon 5: 1x06: Mind War
This is probably the first truly relevant episode of the series. It’s dealing with the Psi Corps, the First Ones, the many sides of characters we think we know already, and in generla the scope of what is to come.
The major downside of the episode? The acting. Mainly I mean Talia and Ironhart, though Kelsey isn’t great either but she doesn’t have that many lines. Bester’s about the only telepath character who’s performed adequately and he’s not exactly layered at this stage.
Okay, so one of B5’s bigger issues is the overall execution of Talia’s plot. In the next two seasons there really isn’t that much development of the “gift” introduced here. It’s hinted at, but never developed; clearly it would have had to be had she stayed longer but what we have is too little to know if it would have been done well. And I actually do prefer Lyta in that role because her suped-up telepathy plot connected with the larger plot of the show in a way Talia’s wouldn’t necessarily have done. Talia’s issue with the Psi Corps were better handled than Lyta’s generally were, but in terms of filling a role in the show I think Lyta’s fit better (and was probably the original plan).
However the issue of how all this works with her other personality is one that is never truly answered, and that’s a shame.
The lasting impact of that plot was ultimately about Bester and introduction of Psi Corps as a force to be reckoned with, if not effectively an enemy. MOTFL gave us insight that there were problems with the system but not how rotten it could be inside. We still haven’t really gotten into the development of the Corps and why and how it exists and was built out of fear and prejudice so of course it’s kind of nasty, but that’s for a later time. Bester’s slimy little weasel face will become the face of the Corps for the viewers and those on the station for several years to come, which is sort of a shame for the Corps that their face isn’t the pretty P5 the crew likes but the enemy they see in Bester.
The Sigma 957 plot is in a lot of ways more fascinating. I wonder how viewers at the time took it, was there any assumption this was an important hint at the future of the story or was it dismissed as a random encounter of the week? But basically everything about it is kind of important in the grand scheme of things. And while I do mean the hint of the First Ones, I mean G’Kar’s development even more.
Until PoD, G’Kar was as much of a regular antagonist as the series had. Not the PoD exactly changed that, but we started getting to see inside G’Kar’s life and away from his Centauri anger and general distrust of the situation. It was the first time G’Kar got something more to do in the eye of the viewer, but this episode really does move him into a very different light. Aside from mellowing a little toward the B5 situation in general, nothing has necessarily changed about G’Kar so far, but it’s finally made clear that there’s more to him than was shown in those first appearances. And as he puts it, there’s more to all of them than meets the eye when you’ve just met them; which yes is very true of the B5 characters, and the fact that G’Kar demonstrates that this episode should make the point sink in.
I do like the closing monolog, though I’ve heard people say it casts the end of the Shadow War in kind of a negative light as it does away with a lot of the mysteries of the universe and I can see why people feel that way in that light. I do find it kind of interesting how G’Kar illustrated his point with the ant when the Shadows will use a similar metaphor for them kicking over anthills down the road. In any case it’s a really nice bit of writing that is performed well, so kudos to all that.
I like this episode, acting flubs aside, though apparently I had little else to say about it for itself, there just plenty to say about it in the larger context.
Next time:
Probably B5, but we’ll see what kind of mood I’m in when it comes to writing. And no more writing tonight, I'm pretty sure this has already gotten pretty jumbled.
Suggestion box is always open
Babylon 5: 1x06: Mind War
This is probably the first truly relevant episode of the series. It’s dealing with the Psi Corps, the First Ones, the many sides of characters we think we know already, and in generla the scope of what is to come.
The major downside of the episode? The acting. Mainly I mean Talia and Ironhart, though Kelsey isn’t great either but she doesn’t have that many lines. Bester’s about the only telepath character who’s performed adequately and he’s not exactly layered at this stage.
Okay, so one of B5’s bigger issues is the overall execution of Talia’s plot. In the next two seasons there really isn’t that much development of the “gift” introduced here. It’s hinted at, but never developed; clearly it would have had to be had she stayed longer but what we have is too little to know if it would have been done well. And I actually do prefer Lyta in that role because her suped-up telepathy plot connected with the larger plot of the show in a way Talia’s wouldn’t necessarily have done. Talia’s issue with the Psi Corps were better handled than Lyta’s generally were, but in terms of filling a role in the show I think Lyta’s fit better (and was probably the original plan).
However the issue of how all this works with her other personality is one that is never truly answered, and that’s a shame.
The lasting impact of that plot was ultimately about Bester and introduction of Psi Corps as a force to be reckoned with, if not effectively an enemy. MOTFL gave us insight that there were problems with the system but not how rotten it could be inside. We still haven’t really gotten into the development of the Corps and why and how it exists and was built out of fear and prejudice so of course it’s kind of nasty, but that’s for a later time. Bester’s slimy little weasel face will become the face of the Corps for the viewers and those on the station for several years to come, which is sort of a shame for the Corps that their face isn’t the pretty P5 the crew likes but the enemy they see in Bester.
The Sigma 957 plot is in a lot of ways more fascinating. I wonder how viewers at the time took it, was there any assumption this was an important hint at the future of the story or was it dismissed as a random encounter of the week? But basically everything about it is kind of important in the grand scheme of things. And while I do mean the hint of the First Ones, I mean G’Kar’s development even more.
Until PoD, G’Kar was as much of a regular antagonist as the series had. Not the PoD exactly changed that, but we started getting to see inside G’Kar’s life and away from his Centauri anger and general distrust of the situation. It was the first time G’Kar got something more to do in the eye of the viewer, but this episode really does move him into a very different light. Aside from mellowing a little toward the B5 situation in general, nothing has necessarily changed about G’Kar so far, but it’s finally made clear that there’s more to him than was shown in those first appearances. And as he puts it, there’s more to all of them than meets the eye when you’ve just met them; which yes is very true of the B5 characters, and the fact that G’Kar demonstrates that this episode should make the point sink in.
I do like the closing monolog, though I’ve heard people say it casts the end of the Shadow War in kind of a negative light as it does away with a lot of the mysteries of the universe and I can see why people feel that way in that light. I do find it kind of interesting how G’Kar illustrated his point with the ant when the Shadows will use a similar metaphor for them kicking over anthills down the road. In any case it’s a really nice bit of writing that is performed well, so kudos to all that.
I like this episode, acting flubs aside, though apparently I had little else to say about it for itself, there just plenty to say about it in the larger context.
Next time:
Probably B5, but we’ll see what kind of mood I’m in when it comes to writing. And no more writing tonight, I'm pretty sure this has already gotten pretty jumbled.
Suggestion box is always open