Babylon 5: Season 4 thoughts
Feb. 3rd, 2007 08:35 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mllelaurelLast night, I managed to coax "Intersections in Real Time" out of the DVD. In my joy, I, um, wound up marathoning the season right through to the end (almost [1]).
Lyta - I take back everything I said about her last season. She's fantastic here. My heart broke for her earlier in the season, first when Kosh II was treating her like crap, then at the way everyone else wound up using her. When she puts the Psi Corps badge back on... ouch.
As an aside, she makes a great team with Franklin and Garibaldi. And I hope they have more scenes of her with Zack in season 5, because the two of them really are sweet.
Franklin - I'm so glad this season finally gave him something to do. I get the impression JMS was a bit lost when it came to Franklin's character, partly because it would be difficult to get him out of the medlab and into the thick of things. Season 4 changes all that, as the good doctor becomes the liaison to the Mars underground. His diplomatic skills really come into play.
Plus I *loved* that he and Marcus had to impersonate a pair of newlyweds. They acted married, even; it was just *old-and-married* is all
Marcus - I've come to the conclusion that I really like Marcus. As a gen character. Romantically, he puts those he loves on pedestals and that would never work, especially not with Susan. Still, his gen interactions were wonderful. The ones that really stood out were the aforementioned one with Franklin and his early interaction with G'Kar, when G'Kar is searching for Garibaldi. Guy's a good friend.
As for his final sacrifice to save Ivanova, I'll admit to being moved, while screaming at him for being stupid at the same time. If he'd gotten others involved instead of playing lone hero, the machine would have taken moderate amounts of energy from multiple people; Susan's life would still have been saved and no one would have had to end up dead. To be honest, I think Marcus was seeking a cause to die for as much as anything else. Well, he found one. *smacks him over the head*
Ivanova – Despite her being one of my favorites from the get-go, I actually don’t have much to say. She was still cool in season 4, but didn’t get much of a personal arc until Marcus’s death. Her reaction, however, was one of the most memorable scenes in the later season. To those who claim that Torchwood is all brave and unique for not letting its characters cry prettily, I point you at Rising Star. Many kudos to the director, Claudia Christian, and Richard Biggs.
Sheridan - Separating him from Delenn for a long period of time was a smart move on JMS's part. The relationship had pretty much reached its resolution and both characters were better able to shine on their own. That said, I had a hard time seeing things through Sheridan's eyes at all this season right until Face of the Enemy/Intersections in Real Time.
I found Intersections to be well worth waiting for. It was only afterward, in the following episode, that I found a problem. How the hell does Sheridan get over the torture so fast? If nothing else, he should need at least one day off for physical recovery, and there's *got* to be emotional/mental repercussions we're not seeing. I'd say he's repressing, if only to fanwank things into making sense, but this simply doesn't fit the Sheridan I know. And afterwards, when the battle's over, he still doesn't break. Which he would have, had repression been the case.
Incidentally, I don't have the same problem with G'Kar, in the aftermath of his own torture. Partly because G'Kar has always been portrayed as stoic in the face of pain - think Parliament of Dreams. Partly because I think he did carry major repercussions. His scene with Franklin in the medlab, where the thing to bother him most is that the prosthetic eye is the wrong color. His pain-laced laughter when the other Narn asks what he's endured. The way he immediately takes to avoiding Londo. To me, all of those are subtle, finely-etched evidence of ongoing emotional trauma, which G'Kar does deal with, in his own time and in his own way.
Unrelatedly, his glomping Garibaldi? Love! Garibaldi needed a good glomp this season.
Londo - The last major Londo story in season 3 was And the Rock Cried Out, No Hiding Place, if I'm not mistaken, which in my humble opinion was Londo at his worst. It's arguably easier to order the deaths of numerous individuals (provided they remain faceless) than to harm someone you know and care about, and Londo's treatment of Vir here shows just how far he has sunk. (That Vir forgives him is a sign the boy's up for early sainthood and it’s a damn good thing for the audience that we had War Without End right before this.)
From there, Londo had nowhere to go but up, and up he went. Returning home to Centauri Prime, he’s faced with a monarch who’s both utterly unhinged and not-unintelligent – a bad combination to put it mildly – and his former archrival in chains. Not only is Londo faced with saving Centauri prime before Cartagia makes it go kaboom, but he’s forced to finally admit he respects and sympathizes with G’Kar.
That, incidentally, is why Londo and G’Kar are the sort of rivalshipping pairing I could get behind. There is very real hate, at times, but they never stop respecting each other and the mutual understanding may be buried but it exists. ‘My best rival’ is a concept more often found in anime, but occasionally found in Western media as well. And when it’s done? It’s done well. Besides, it’s fascinating watching the rivalry develop into the friendship we see by the end of the season. I’ve seen friends turn into rivals before, but how many shows take the time to make friends out of former bitter enemies.
Vir – Holy fuck. I was actually unspoiled on Vir being the one to ultimately kill Cartagia. I’m still looking for my jaw and whimpering a bit. Out of all the things JMS likes inflicting on his long-suffering characters, this may have been the most cruel. *hugs Vir and holds on tight*
I do find it amusing, though, how Vir is our gauge for how bad someone is. If *Vir*, who’s easily one of the sweetest, most tolerant characters in the show thinks you’re bad. Well. And in this season he gets his wish – a lovely present of Morden’s head on a pole. Shame Londo didn’t get a chance to giftwrap.
I confess, I’ll miss Morden. Evil as the guy was, he was a fabulous villain and Ed Wasser is both a great actor and pleasant to look at. Except this season. Ewwww.
Delenn – See what I said above about separation being good for characterization? That went double for Delenn, who didn’t get much to do when she and John were together, but who was brave, wise and awesome apart from him. JMS had to deal with the Minbari civil war really fast, and had Delenn been any less of a leader, I would never have bought the resolution. Between the writing and Mira Furlan’s acting, however, the arc was pulled off admirably.
Personally, I’m also fascinated with the relationship between Delenn and Neroon we were shown here. Another case of rivals turned to allies and friends through adversity and ultimate mutual respect. I may be a sucker for this sort of situation, yesssss.
My take on season 4 Lennier could be easily summed up by my typing ‘woooobie’ in all caps, but I’ll spare your poor eyes. Brave and loyal and utterly devoted to Delenn. I’d worry that he puts her on a pedestal, the way Marcus did with Susan, but the way he was painted as the knowing protector of Delenn’s innocence, rather than the other way around, eased some of those worries.
I’ve already said most of the things I wanted to say about Garibaldi in my other posts, so I’ll just say I’m glad he got the girl and a happy ending by the end of the season. He sorely, sorely deserved both.
That said, his and Lise’s relationship did nothing for me. I’m not sure if it’s her actress or just a bad match. Or hell, if it’s the writing. I do know that Jerry Doyle is very, very capable of great chemistry. Watch him interact with Sinclair, Ivanova or Talia to see what I mean. Or watch him interact with season 4 Lyta, for that matter.
On a side note, I’d like to say I feel guilty for shipping Sinclair/Garibaldi [2], but I really don’t. The actors have wonderful chemistry and there’s a rare sort of easy intimacy between the two. Besides, is it just me or were there deliberate parallels between Sinclair’s goodbye message to Garibaldi in War Without End and Sheridan’s goodbye message to Delenn in Z’ha’dum. Hey, we already know JMS likes playing with his slashy (sub)text.
What else…
I should have put this by my blurb on Sheridan, but I couldn’t get it to flow: Lorien. See dictionary for ‘annoying and unneeded deus ex machina'. Having a bit of Kosh in him should have served just as well for resurrecting Sheridan. With the same consequences, even, considering it’s just a small piece.
Sheridan’s dad – Loved, loved, loved the way he immediately accepted Delenn. Awww.
Bester – Still brilliant, ruthless, and *very* occasionally endearing enough to catch you off guard. I don’t think I could forgive him for what he did to Garibaldi (though I have to admire the detail work), and I look forward to seeing how the whole thing plays out.
Having Sheridan be able to empathize with him at the end was a nice touch.
How much am I forgetting? Probably a lot. You will also note that I utterly failed to talk about the actual plot. That’s because I suck at plot analysis. Besides, ‘Gah!’ ‘Squee!’ and ‘JMS you evil bastard!’ all get redundant after a point.
Hell, if I remember something to add, I’ll just edit this post.
1 – I haven’t watched The Deconstruction of Falling Stars yet, having heard less than positive things about it and not wanting to mar the afterglow of Rising Star – the real season finale.
2 – Yes, I know that totally platonic guy friendships exist. Hence the guilt. However, sometimes the chemistry is just there, dammit.
Lyta - I take back everything I said about her last season. She's fantastic here. My heart broke for her earlier in the season, first when Kosh II was treating her like crap, then at the way everyone else wound up using her. When she puts the Psi Corps badge back on... ouch.
As an aside, she makes a great team with Franklin and Garibaldi. And I hope they have more scenes of her with Zack in season 5, because the two of them really are sweet.
Franklin - I'm so glad this season finally gave him something to do. I get the impression JMS was a bit lost when it came to Franklin's character, partly because it would be difficult to get him out of the medlab and into the thick of things. Season 4 changes all that, as the good doctor becomes the liaison to the Mars underground. His diplomatic skills really come into play.
Plus I *loved* that he and Marcus had to impersonate a pair of newlyweds. They acted married, even; it was just *old-and-married* is all
Marcus - I've come to the conclusion that I really like Marcus. As a gen character. Romantically, he puts those he loves on pedestals and that would never work, especially not with Susan. Still, his gen interactions were wonderful. The ones that really stood out were the aforementioned one with Franklin and his early interaction with G'Kar, when G'Kar is searching for Garibaldi. Guy's a good friend.
As for his final sacrifice to save Ivanova, I'll admit to being moved, while screaming at him for being stupid at the same time. If he'd gotten others involved instead of playing lone hero, the machine would have taken moderate amounts of energy from multiple people; Susan's life would still have been saved and no one would have had to end up dead. To be honest, I think Marcus was seeking a cause to die for as much as anything else. Well, he found one. *smacks him over the head*
Ivanova – Despite her being one of my favorites from the get-go, I actually don’t have much to say. She was still cool in season 4, but didn’t get much of a personal arc until Marcus’s death. Her reaction, however, was one of the most memorable scenes in the later season. To those who claim that Torchwood is all brave and unique for not letting its characters cry prettily, I point you at Rising Star. Many kudos to the director, Claudia Christian, and Richard Biggs.
Sheridan - Separating him from Delenn for a long period of time was a smart move on JMS's part. The relationship had pretty much reached its resolution and both characters were better able to shine on their own. That said, I had a hard time seeing things through Sheridan's eyes at all this season right until Face of the Enemy/Intersections in Real Time.
I found Intersections to be well worth waiting for. It was only afterward, in the following episode, that I found a problem. How the hell does Sheridan get over the torture so fast? If nothing else, he should need at least one day off for physical recovery, and there's *got* to be emotional/mental repercussions we're not seeing. I'd say he's repressing, if only to fanwank things into making sense, but this simply doesn't fit the Sheridan I know. And afterwards, when the battle's over, he still doesn't break. Which he would have, had repression been the case.
Incidentally, I don't have the same problem with G'Kar, in the aftermath of his own torture. Partly because G'Kar has always been portrayed as stoic in the face of pain - think Parliament of Dreams. Partly because I think he did carry major repercussions. His scene with Franklin in the medlab, where the thing to bother him most is that the prosthetic eye is the wrong color. His pain-laced laughter when the other Narn asks what he's endured. The way he immediately takes to avoiding Londo. To me, all of those are subtle, finely-etched evidence of ongoing emotional trauma, which G'Kar does deal with, in his own time and in his own way.
Unrelatedly, his glomping Garibaldi? Love! Garibaldi needed a good glomp this season.
Londo - The last major Londo story in season 3 was And the Rock Cried Out, No Hiding Place, if I'm not mistaken, which in my humble opinion was Londo at his worst. It's arguably easier to order the deaths of numerous individuals (provided they remain faceless) than to harm someone you know and care about, and Londo's treatment of Vir here shows just how far he has sunk. (That Vir forgives him is a sign the boy's up for early sainthood and it’s a damn good thing for the audience that we had War Without End right before this.)
From there, Londo had nowhere to go but up, and up he went. Returning home to Centauri Prime, he’s faced with a monarch who’s both utterly unhinged and not-unintelligent – a bad combination to put it mildly – and his former archrival in chains. Not only is Londo faced with saving Centauri prime before Cartagia makes it go kaboom, but he’s forced to finally admit he respects and sympathizes with G’Kar.
That, incidentally, is why Londo and G’Kar are the sort of rivalshipping pairing I could get behind. There is very real hate, at times, but they never stop respecting each other and the mutual understanding may be buried but it exists. ‘My best rival’ is a concept more often found in anime, but occasionally found in Western media as well. And when it’s done? It’s done well. Besides, it’s fascinating watching the rivalry develop into the friendship we see by the end of the season. I’ve seen friends turn into rivals before, but how many shows take the time to make friends out of former bitter enemies.
Vir – Holy fuck. I was actually unspoiled on Vir being the one to ultimately kill Cartagia. I’m still looking for my jaw and whimpering a bit. Out of all the things JMS likes inflicting on his long-suffering characters, this may have been the most cruel. *hugs Vir and holds on tight*
I do find it amusing, though, how Vir is our gauge for how bad someone is. If *Vir*, who’s easily one of the sweetest, most tolerant characters in the show thinks you’re bad. Well. And in this season he gets his wish – a lovely present of Morden’s head on a pole. Shame Londo didn’t get a chance to giftwrap.
I confess, I’ll miss Morden. Evil as the guy was, he was a fabulous villain and Ed Wasser is both a great actor and pleasant to look at. Except this season. Ewwww.
Delenn – See what I said above about separation being good for characterization? That went double for Delenn, who didn’t get much to do when she and John were together, but who was brave, wise and awesome apart from him. JMS had to deal with the Minbari civil war really fast, and had Delenn been any less of a leader, I would never have bought the resolution. Between the writing and Mira Furlan’s acting, however, the arc was pulled off admirably.
Personally, I’m also fascinated with the relationship between Delenn and Neroon we were shown here. Another case of rivals turned to allies and friends through adversity and ultimate mutual respect. I may be a sucker for this sort of situation, yesssss.
My take on season 4 Lennier could be easily summed up by my typing ‘woooobie’ in all caps, but I’ll spare your poor eyes. Brave and loyal and utterly devoted to Delenn. I’d worry that he puts her on a pedestal, the way Marcus did with Susan, but the way he was painted as the knowing protector of Delenn’s innocence, rather than the other way around, eased some of those worries.
I’ve already said most of the things I wanted to say about Garibaldi in my other posts, so I’ll just say I’m glad he got the girl and a happy ending by the end of the season. He sorely, sorely deserved both.
That said, his and Lise’s relationship did nothing for me. I’m not sure if it’s her actress or just a bad match. Or hell, if it’s the writing. I do know that Jerry Doyle is very, very capable of great chemistry. Watch him interact with Sinclair, Ivanova or Talia to see what I mean. Or watch him interact with season 4 Lyta, for that matter.
On a side note, I’d like to say I feel guilty for shipping Sinclair/Garibaldi [2], but I really don’t. The actors have wonderful chemistry and there’s a rare sort of easy intimacy between the two. Besides, is it just me or were there deliberate parallels between Sinclair’s goodbye message to Garibaldi in War Without End and Sheridan’s goodbye message to Delenn in Z’ha’dum. Hey, we already know JMS likes playing with his slashy (sub)text.
What else…
I should have put this by my blurb on Sheridan, but I couldn’t get it to flow: Lorien. See dictionary for ‘annoying and unneeded deus ex machina'. Having a bit of Kosh in him should have served just as well for resurrecting Sheridan. With the same consequences, even, considering it’s just a small piece.
Sheridan’s dad – Loved, loved, loved the way he immediately accepted Delenn. Awww.
Bester – Still brilliant, ruthless, and *very* occasionally endearing enough to catch you off guard. I don’t think I could forgive him for what he did to Garibaldi (though I have to admire the detail work), and I look forward to seeing how the whole thing plays out.
Having Sheridan be able to empathize with him at the end was a nice touch.
How much am I forgetting? Probably a lot. You will also note that I utterly failed to talk about the actual plot. That’s because I suck at plot analysis. Besides, ‘Gah!’ ‘Squee!’ and ‘JMS you evil bastard!’ all get redundant after a point.
Hell, if I remember something to add, I’ll just edit this post.
1 – I haven’t watched The Deconstruction of Falling Stars yet, having heard less than positive things about it and not wanting to mar the afterglow of Rising Star – the real season finale.
2 – Yes, I know that totally platonic guy friendships exist. Hence the guilt. However, sometimes the chemistry is just there, dammit.
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Date: 2007-02-04 01:51 pm (UTC)And I pretty much agree with everything else, yeah.
Deconstruction... I don't know. I hated it, then I sort of liked it in the rewatch, I just wish it hadn't been the end of the season (what is it with ending season 4? See Buffy do a not-dissimilar "wtf" thing with Restless). Then I didn't like it again. Haven't seen it in forever though, so I guess I probably should go back and rewatch things eventually.
no subject
Date: 2007-02-04 11:19 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-02-05 12:43 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-02-05 01:02 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-02-05 05:33 am (UTC)But I have digressed. All I was saying it's it's kind of random, like Deconstruction is, but Deconstruction itself isn't that bad. For B5, it's really not great, but in general terms it's ok.