a post with fannish content!!!
First of all, the happiest of happy birthdays (probably belated by the time she gets this, but it's still her birthday in Canada!) to my very dear beccatoria!!!!!! I hope it's been a fabulous start to what will prove to be a wonderful year. *giant hugs*
And one of my favorite aspects of people having birthdays in fandom is the way we all get to enjoy each other's birthday gifts. Case in point: chaila43 has made an awesome vid for Becka's birthday, and as a result I'm all a-flutter with James Ellison love. Okay, it doesn't take much for me become all a-flutter with James Ellison love (the list of men, fictional or non-fictional, for whom my primary reaction is "omg, marry me and let me have your babies!!!" is SHORT, after all), but this is nevertheless a beautiful study of James in the latter part of season 2, negotiating faith and adapting to new information as he becomes a surrogate father to two unusual children. Boy With a Coin, assume spoilers for all of TSCC, obviously.
In other news, I've just finished rewatching season 1 of Babylon 5. I have no idea what got me on that kick, but I've been enjoying the hell out of it. Season 1 is, um, not particularly strong, to say the least, but I actually found it improved considerably on the rewatch. Most of this, no doubt, is the enjoyment of seeing the foundation laid for what is to come: so much careful plotting and characterization! But even the acting didn't seem so cringeworthy this time around. I mean, I'm still not lining up to hand Michael O'Hare an Emmy or anything, but I was much fonder of Commander Eyebrows Sinclair this time around, and I find I miss him as I begin season 2.
Another thing that strikes me, as I begin the rewatch and think back on the series, is how well B5 understands and embraces the range and complexity of human relationships. So many shows reduce relationships to a few standard tropes: romance, buddies, antagonists, team-as-adopted-family. And B5 has some shades of all of those things (and admittedly does romance pretty badly, all things considered, but unlike so many shows, it's not at all afraid to go there), but it's all so much more complicated than we're accustomed to expect from television. How unusual on television yet how true to life are the relationships such as those between Ivanova and Sheridan (strong friendship and working relationship without a hint of sexual tension!), or between Londo and Delenn. Despite the centrality of John/Delenn, I would argue that the highest kind of relationship that this show aspires to has more to do with friendship than with romance--or at least there's no suggestion that friendship is any lesser a category of relationship than romance.
And then there are Londo and G'Kar, who both jointly and separately have what are probably the most tremendous character arcs I have ever seen on television--and it's a particular treat to watch that again from the beginning, knowing where it is headed.
I'm also just as big a Susan/Talia fan as ever (canon femslash, baby!), and I think the femslash goggles are bleeding over to Rizzoli & Isles, because suddenly I really want Jane and Maura to jump each other's bones or something. :D (Rizzoli & Isles: still pretty much the Best Thing Ever, and quite possibly my favorite of all currently-airing shows, fall/winter or summer. But other than wanting to draw lots of hearts around it for existing, I don't particularly have thoughts.)
So to sum up: I'm still madly in love with James Ellison, Babylon 5 is even more awesome the second time around, and I'd be perfectly happy if Rizzoli & Isles were on my television all the time. In other words, situation normal. What about y'all?
Crossposted from DW, where there are
comments. Comment here or there.
And one of my favorite aspects of people having birthdays in fandom is the way we all get to enjoy each other's birthday gifts. Case in point: chaila43 has made an awesome vid for Becka's birthday, and as a result I'm all a-flutter with James Ellison love. Okay, it doesn't take much for me become all a-flutter with James Ellison love (the list of men, fictional or non-fictional, for whom my primary reaction is "omg, marry me and let me have your babies!!!" is SHORT, after all), but this is nevertheless a beautiful study of James in the latter part of season 2, negotiating faith and adapting to new information as he becomes a surrogate father to two unusual children. Boy With a Coin, assume spoilers for all of TSCC, obviously.
In other news, I've just finished rewatching season 1 of Babylon 5. I have no idea what got me on that kick, but I've been enjoying the hell out of it. Season 1 is, um, not particularly strong, to say the least, but I actually found it improved considerably on the rewatch. Most of this, no doubt, is the enjoyment of seeing the foundation laid for what is to come: so much careful plotting and characterization! But even the acting didn't seem so cringeworthy this time around. I mean, I'm still not lining up to hand Michael O'Hare an Emmy or anything, but I was much fonder of Commander Eyebrows Sinclair this time around, and I find I miss him as I begin season 2.
Another thing that strikes me, as I begin the rewatch and think back on the series, is how well B5 understands and embraces the range and complexity of human relationships. So many shows reduce relationships to a few standard tropes: romance, buddies, antagonists, team-as-adopted-family. And B5 has some shades of all of those things (and admittedly does romance pretty badly, all things considered, but unlike so many shows, it's not at all afraid to go there), but it's all so much more complicated than we're accustomed to expect from television. How unusual on television yet how true to life are the relationships such as those between Ivanova and Sheridan (strong friendship and working relationship without a hint of sexual tension!), or between Londo and Delenn. Despite the centrality of John/Delenn, I would argue that the highest kind of relationship that this show aspires to has more to do with friendship than with romance--or at least there's no suggestion that friendship is any lesser a category of relationship than romance.
And then there are Londo and G'Kar, who both jointly and separately have what are probably the most tremendous character arcs I have ever seen on television--and it's a particular treat to watch that again from the beginning, knowing where it is headed.
I'm also just as big a Susan/Talia fan as ever (canon femslash, baby!), and I think the femslash goggles are bleeding over to Rizzoli & Isles, because suddenly I really want Jane and Maura to jump each other's bones or something. :D (Rizzoli & Isles: still pretty much the Best Thing Ever, and quite possibly my favorite of all currently-airing shows, fall/winter or summer. But other than wanting to draw lots of hearts around it for existing, I don't particularly have thoughts.)
So to sum up: I'm still madly in love with James Ellison, Babylon 5 is even more awesome the second time around, and I'd be perfectly happy if Rizzoli & Isles were on my television all the time. In other words, situation normal. What about y'all?
Crossposted from DW, where there are
comments. Comment here or there.