Babylon 5 5.1-5.22
OMG you weren’t kidding about this season! Especially, like, the whole telepath plot in the first half. Also, did the world really need a Fabio clone? And am I the only one who kept hoping he’d play with matches on a windy day? To be so perfect, that hair had to have enough chemicals in it to make it extra flammable. Also, I think it was vampire hair* that sucked the personalities out of everyone who got near it. It would explain so much.
But yeah, as I was told, it’s really obvious what was left from the original plans, and what they had to cobble together. Like how they clearly had no idea what to do with any of the characters besides Londo and G’Kar.
On to the spoilers!
1. Lochley really did start out as Ivanova 2.0 (as I understand it, a lot of the early stuff with her was originally written for Ivanova) but got over it pretty well. In a way, she actually reminded me more of Sinclair at times, though I’m not sure why. Also, she had Sarah Connor arms.
2. Speaking of “written for Ivanova,” I’m told that Byron was originally supposed to be Ivanova’s One True Telepathic Love? Which, as much as I love Lyta and hated all the scenes of her passively standing beside him and/or looking at him adoringly, would have been even worse? Because, while I wish to remove him from existence, I actually can understand Lyta falling for him because she hates the rules about and restrictions for telepaths, and she likes people who are honest and speak their minds and don’t hold back. Which is why Zach lost whatever chance he ever had there by quietly crushing instead of acting. And here I though only Supernatural had the power to make me happy a female character I loved was nowhere to be found! Not that the two situations are really comparable.
3. Speaking of Zach, he’s a way better head of security than Garibaldi. I’m just saying.
4. Speaking of Garibaldi, I hated the alcoholism plotline (though the scenes with Lochley were ace) but thankfully, it didn’t make me hate him like the s4 plotline did. (And then I loved him again once it was over, so it was ok.) Also, I was pleasantly surprised that they brought Lise back at all. Lise really is a very traditionally “girlfriend who waits” character, but it doesn’t bug me because all the other women aren’t, and because she doesn’t put up with much from Garibaldi. The only time she really did was when she first showed up on B5, but I think that was only for not telling him about her second marriage, not for racing across half the universe to sob in his arms after getting dumped. (They do get a bit close to “exgirlfriend got what she deserved for moving on “with her with the first guy cheating and the second plotting genocide, but it’s saved by the fact that the second guy loved her and seemed to be training her to take over his business for him once he died. And for making her filthy rich.)
5. As much as I usually like Sheridan, I come very close to hating him when it comes to Lyta, as I blame him for largely creating both her need to rejoin psicorps to get a job and her becoming so isolated that Byron seemed to be her only option. Though at least the show mentioned it a couple times.
6. Londo scolding Vir is possibly the most shocking thing to happen on this show. Also, he kicked everyone off Centauri Prime out of love, right?
7. I may have been more worried when Centauri Prime was bombed than with the Narn Homeworld or the scorched Earth threat. I mean, the Narns are the closest thing the series has to an official Tragic Noble Race and Earth is…Earth, so there was no particular reason to worry there.
8. They flashed back to Londo pwning Morden and I may have rewatched it many times. That little squeal of shocked denial and horror he makes creates such joy in my heart.
9. Rather annoyed at no mention of Talia, Lyta, Lochley or Na’Toth (though at least she came back!) in the last episode.
10. While kinda dull, that one episode with Bester and his sidekicks did more regarding the telepaths than the entire first half of the season. Though that plotline greatly improved once the vampire hair stopped sucking away Lyta’s personality and she was the new telepathic savior (kinda) and justifiably angry and bitter. Also, was the telepath fireball supposed to be tragic? Because I giggled.
11. In my head, Franklin and Number One spent twenty years making official excuses to have random meetups for sex.
12. Even though they were clueless about what to do with them, I’m glad marriage didn’t change the way Sheridan and Delenn interacted. Though, did Sheridan forget about his trip to the future? Because Delenn talked about their son there, and he said he didn’t think they could have kids when they learned she was pregnant.
Now for the movies. And maybe Crusade? Non-spoilery opinions there?
*Actually, Lyss gets credit for that.
But yeah, as I was told, it’s really obvious what was left from the original plans, and what they had to cobble together. Like how they clearly had no idea what to do with any of the characters besides Londo and G’Kar.
On to the spoilers!
1. Lochley really did start out as Ivanova 2.0 (as I understand it, a lot of the early stuff with her was originally written for Ivanova) but got over it pretty well. In a way, she actually reminded me more of Sinclair at times, though I’m not sure why. Also, she had Sarah Connor arms.
2. Speaking of “written for Ivanova,” I’m told that Byron was originally supposed to be Ivanova’s One True Telepathic Love? Which, as much as I love Lyta and hated all the scenes of her passively standing beside him and/or looking at him adoringly, would have been even worse? Because, while I wish to remove him from existence, I actually can understand Lyta falling for him because she hates the rules about and restrictions for telepaths, and she likes people who are honest and speak their minds and don’t hold back. Which is why Zach lost whatever chance he ever had there by quietly crushing instead of acting. And here I though only Supernatural had the power to make me happy a female character I loved was nowhere to be found! Not that the two situations are really comparable.
3. Speaking of Zach, he’s a way better head of security than Garibaldi. I’m just saying.
4. Speaking of Garibaldi, I hated the alcoholism plotline (though the scenes with Lochley were ace) but thankfully, it didn’t make me hate him like the s4 plotline did. (And then I loved him again once it was over, so it was ok.) Also, I was pleasantly surprised that they brought Lise back at all. Lise really is a very traditionally “girlfriend who waits” character, but it doesn’t bug me because all the other women aren’t, and because she doesn’t put up with much from Garibaldi. The only time she really did was when she first showed up on B5, but I think that was only for not telling him about her second marriage, not for racing across half the universe to sob in his arms after getting dumped. (They do get a bit close to “exgirlfriend got what she deserved for moving on “with her with the first guy cheating and the second plotting genocide, but it’s saved by the fact that the second guy loved her and seemed to be training her to take over his business for him once he died. And for making her filthy rich.)
5. As much as I usually like Sheridan, I come very close to hating him when it comes to Lyta, as I blame him for largely creating both her need to rejoin psicorps to get a job and her becoming so isolated that Byron seemed to be her only option. Though at least the show mentioned it a couple times.
6. Londo scolding Vir is possibly the most shocking thing to happen on this show. Also, he kicked everyone off Centauri Prime out of love, right?
7. I may have been more worried when Centauri Prime was bombed than with the Narn Homeworld or the scorched Earth threat. I mean, the Narns are the closest thing the series has to an official Tragic Noble Race and Earth is…Earth, so there was no particular reason to worry there.
8. They flashed back to Londo pwning Morden and I may have rewatched it many times. That little squeal of shocked denial and horror he makes creates such joy in my heart.
9. Rather annoyed at no mention of Talia, Lyta, Lochley or Na’Toth (though at least she came back!) in the last episode.
10. While kinda dull, that one episode with Bester and his sidekicks did more regarding the telepaths than the entire first half of the season. Though that plotline greatly improved once the vampire hair stopped sucking away Lyta’s personality and she was the new telepathic savior (kinda) and justifiably angry and bitter. Also, was the telepath fireball supposed to be tragic? Because I giggled.
11. In my head, Franklin and Number One spent twenty years making official excuses to have random meetups for sex.
12. Even though they were clueless about what to do with them, I’m glad marriage didn’t change the way Sheridan and Delenn interacted. Though, did Sheridan forget about his trip to the future? Because Delenn talked about their son there, and he said he didn’t think they could have kids when they learned she was pregnant.
Now for the movies. And maybe Crusade? Non-spoilery opinions there?
*Actually, Lyss gets credit for that.