and so Babylon 5 ends
After some really erratic viewing over the past few months, R. and I have finally finished Babylon 5. Season 5 was--inevitably, I think--rather a disappointment on the whole, but there were a few outstanding moments. "The Fall of Centuari Prime" was as good an episode as any in the series, I think, and Londo's arc overall just about broke my heart. Oh Londo!!! And oh G'Kar!!!! And so much of their story left untold, as well. We see their heartbreaking end in "War Without End," yet how do they get there? Where does G'Kar go on his traveling? (And for that matter, what happens with Lyta?) How does he end up back on Centauri Prime with Londo? In some ways these are questions that don't necessarily need answers, but since the relationship between Londo and G'Kar has consistently been the most awesome part of this show, theirs is the untold story I will most miss not getting.
The finale, "Sleeping in Light," had come highly recommended, and it was a well-done episode, to be sure. When I rewatch the series (or at least the parts of the series that directly relate to the plot arc; there are some episodes I'm not sure I can bear to sit through again!), I will watch it at the end of season 4, where it was originally meant to go, and I suspect the emotional impact will be greater there. Season 5 has too much denouement--three full episodes of goodbyes--and the concentration of that theme combined with the slowing of the pace too early takes some of the punch out of "Sleeping in Light."
The highlight for me, of course, was Susan's return, because I have felt her absence so keenly in season 5. I think she still falls behind both G'Kar and Londo on my list of favorite characters, but she's a close third, and "I miss Susan!" became something of a litany for me throughout season 5. I've never managed to care quite enough about John, though, for his death to have quite the impact I think it was supposed to have. And John and Delenn's relationship, though I'm fond of it, has never done a great deal for me, either. So a couple of episodes focused entirely on them, plus the absence of Londo and G'Kar in the finale, would have been quite a disappointment if not for Susan. (Except that omg they blew up Babylon 5!!! And pushed all my sense of place buttons while doing so. And it was the best CGI of the series, I think!)
But you know what made me squeal with delight? SUSAN AND DELENN RUNNING THE UNIVERSE!!!!! Susan and Delenn at the end of the series pushed just about every single button that I have, and I think I'm going to have to write fic. (Funny, the other fic idea this series inspired was quite similar: Susan and Delenn while John has gone to Z'ha'dum, grieving and falling apart and trying to hold the station together. This is pretty much the same idea thematically, but better!) I was delighted to see obvious friendship and affection between them, yet it will never, I think, be an easy friendship. Nor, I think, are they the sort of people who, even working closely together, would end up spending a great deal of time together. But there would be alliance and understanding and comfort in the face of Delenn's grief and Susan's largely unhappy life, and while that might not mute Delenn's grief or make Susan happy, it is something. So yes. Friendships between women combined with my favorite way to play with angst and comfort, and this is the note upon which the entire series ends!
And this now makes three fics that I rather pressingly want to write: Susan and Delenn post-"Sleeping in Light"; Daniel Jackson stuck in the different timeline in "Continuum," thinking about bodies and memories and epistemology and probably looking up the Janet Fraiser of that timeline; and what feels like the big one right now, people who were never close to Laura Roslin (this is also the Dee fic I referenced the other day). Unfortunately, I'm slow to produce fic even under the best of circumstances, and right now is far from that, with an article deadline pressing very soon and a committee meeting deadline not long after that. We'll see!
As for Babylon 5, I found the whole thing delightful and definitely intend to rewatch, at least selectively. It continues to baffle me as absolutely the most uneven television show I've ever seen: what it does well it does exceptionally well, and but when it crashes and burns, that, too, is spectacular.
The finale, "Sleeping in Light," had come highly recommended, and it was a well-done episode, to be sure. When I rewatch the series (or at least the parts of the series that directly relate to the plot arc; there are some episodes I'm not sure I can bear to sit through again!), I will watch it at the end of season 4, where it was originally meant to go, and I suspect the emotional impact will be greater there. Season 5 has too much denouement--three full episodes of goodbyes--and the concentration of that theme combined with the slowing of the pace too early takes some of the punch out of "Sleeping in Light."
The highlight for me, of course, was Susan's return, because I have felt her absence so keenly in season 5. I think she still falls behind both G'Kar and Londo on my list of favorite characters, but she's a close third, and "I miss Susan!" became something of a litany for me throughout season 5. I've never managed to care quite enough about John, though, for his death to have quite the impact I think it was supposed to have. And John and Delenn's relationship, though I'm fond of it, has never done a great deal for me, either. So a couple of episodes focused entirely on them, plus the absence of Londo and G'Kar in the finale, would have been quite a disappointment if not for Susan. (Except that omg they blew up Babylon 5!!! And pushed all my sense of place buttons while doing so. And it was the best CGI of the series, I think!)
But you know what made me squeal with delight? SUSAN AND DELENN RUNNING THE UNIVERSE!!!!! Susan and Delenn at the end of the series pushed just about every single button that I have, and I think I'm going to have to write fic. (Funny, the other fic idea this series inspired was quite similar: Susan and Delenn while John has gone to Z'ha'dum, grieving and falling apart and trying to hold the station together. This is pretty much the same idea thematically, but better!) I was delighted to see obvious friendship and affection between them, yet it will never, I think, be an easy friendship. Nor, I think, are they the sort of people who, even working closely together, would end up spending a great deal of time together. But there would be alliance and understanding and comfort in the face of Delenn's grief and Susan's largely unhappy life, and while that might not mute Delenn's grief or make Susan happy, it is something. So yes. Friendships between women combined with my favorite way to play with angst and comfort, and this is the note upon which the entire series ends!
And this now makes three fics that I rather pressingly want to write: Susan and Delenn post-"Sleeping in Light"; Daniel Jackson stuck in the different timeline in "Continuum," thinking about bodies and memories and epistemology and probably looking up the Janet Fraiser of that timeline; and what feels like the big one right now, people who were never close to Laura Roslin (this is also the Dee fic I referenced the other day). Unfortunately, I'm slow to produce fic even under the best of circumstances, and right now is far from that, with an article deadline pressing very soon and a committee meeting deadline not long after that. We'll see!
As for Babylon 5, I found the whole thing delightful and definitely intend to rewatch, at least selectively. It continues to baffle me as absolutely the most uneven television show I've ever seen: what it does well it does exceptionally well, and but when it crashes and burns, that, too, is spectacular.