My Journey through Babylon 5

[Cold Fuzz]

4x07 - Epiphanies

Back in the swing of things now. This was a solid day after type of episode. Following the conclusion of a major arc, this episode helped transition the story smoothly on to its next major plot line(s). It looks like B5 and Earth will be going head to head now and this will be the focus going forward. As well as the mysterious aliens from Z'ha'dum.

I wasn't surprised about Garibaldi's decision, and I assume that coded message set off some signal programmed into his brain. Still curious to see what the outcome will be, though I'm guessing it has something to do with Earth and the Psi-corps.

It was great to see Londo and G'kar back on B5. I think considering everything that has happened, these two have really stood out as the best-developed characters on the show.

I liked Lyta's story line and I hope they focus on it more. She is a character with a lot of potential. I did no like the John's reaction when he found out about what she did. Mainly because he has kept his own people in the dark numerous times in the past and expected them to follow all his orders without question. Now when he found himself on the other side of it he got all upset for not being informed, even though Lyta's reasoning for not telling him was perfectly reasonable. I've really disliked some of the decisions he has made recently.

And lastly, those new aliens remind me of Goa'ulds.

I definitely liked the fireworks opening sequence with the Starfuries. That party was something the entire show needed. After so much blood and tears in the Shadow War, it was good to see them celebrating for once.

The aliens leaving Z'ha'dum are a big part of what will come for the B5 universe. To quote Delenn, "There are always new battles to be fought against the darkness. Only the names change." This is definitely applicable to Earth and President Clark as well as the Shadow servants evacuating Z'ha'dum.

I have to say that I really enjoyed seeing Z'ha'dum explode. It cemented the idea that the insane cycle the Shadows and Vorlons were caught up in is really over.

4x08 - The Illusion of Truth

Another set up episode of what is to come. I thought it was well done and I liked how the last half was from the perspective of the news report only.

What I liked about this episode is that it showed how much of a powerful weapon propaganda can be, especially in a technologically advanced day and age when news is so widespread through television and other sources. It kind of makes one think about real life as well.

I think the title of the episode can be interpreted to have a variety of different meanings. While the report itself was scathing and biased, there were some bits of truth in there, just as the reporter said. One of the most poignant remarks that stood out to me was what Garibaldi had to say about Sheridan.

So the buildup continues for this Earth-arc and I'm looking forward to seeing what's in store.

This isn't one of my favorite episodes, probably because I see plenty of news propaganda floating around already.

4x09 - Atonement

It has been a long time since we've seen a Delenn-centered episode so this was a welcome story. Mira did an excellent job with her character this time, and I was really curious all the way through to see the outcome. The Dreaming is certainly an interesting concept, instead of a lie-detector, its more of a truth-finder type deal.

The other part I liked about this plot was that we got to see in more detail how Delenn ended up where she is, and also the events that led up to the Earth-Minbari war. The fact that it was Delenn herself who backed the war in her fit of rage only made things all the more interesting. I wonder if Sheridan will ever find out the truth?

I liked that they discussed the human DNA in Minbari and the Children of Valen. From what I gathered though, are we to assume most Minbari don't know this, and it was only the Grey Council who knew the truth?

Finally, I've got mention one of my favourite characters, G'kar. A short appearance in this episode but he was fun to watch.

Another good episode from my point of view. I like how they are addressing other issues while at the same time building up the Earth-arc story line. Should be good.

I've always been fond of the Minbari-centered episodes and this episode was one of the best for them. Will Sheridan ever find out the truth? Here's JMS' take on that:

• Won't Sheridan be upset when he finds out Delenn ordered the war?
  "Listen, honey, while you were out I went to the store and I bought some new candles, you know how we're always running out, and Lennier took the cat in to be cleaned, and oh, did I mention I was directly responsible for the deaths of two hundred and fifty thousand of your best friends and fellow officers? Pass the sugar."She'll never tell him.
  Because it's over...what would be the point, except to ruin what they have now.
  
  
• The reality is...in war, one does what one does. Afterward, as we heal, we try to forget what we did, and what they did. He killed as many Minbari as he could; she was on the Grey Council that directed the war. One doesn't go into it.

As the demigod Cold Fuzz said, Londo's hard to like in season 2 and 3. That's why I said I'd be interested to see what you thought of him by season 4. Some people never get past his previous behavior, and I get that. You don't think of people who attempted genocide to be likable or even someone worthy of pity. I think with Londo you see genuine remorse and an understnding that he can never make up for what he did. He can only strive to learn from his mistakes and be better.

I accept well-done meats and sweets as offerings.

With Londo, there are times I can absolutely smack him... and then there are times he's actually a sympathetic character. I agree that he can never make up for his actions. There's too much blood on the scales for that to happen. And what will happen to him and his people is a direct consequence of their involvement with the Shadows. You can't expect to make a deal with the Devil and expect there to be no consequences.

But that's why he's a good tragic character. After seeing War Without End I & II, we already know that he ends up with a Keeper (we saw one in Epiphanies). It's his changes in this season and season 5 that show how and why he ends up with a Keeper that makes him a truly sympathetic character.

This episode was a jaw-dropper for me the first time I saw it. Delenn gave the go ahead for the war! Delenn!?!

Magictrick, we can finally talk about whether it's better to start watching the show with "The Gathering" or "In the Beginning". Would you have wanted to know that Delenn started the Earth-Minbari War before you'd seen a single episode of Season 1? Or know the Minbari took Sinclare and why it stopped the war? It may be a prequel, but it's a spoiler-fest. If you hate spoilers as much as I do, I'd recommend watching "In the Beginning" right before the last episode of Season 5.

I was stunned that Delenn gave the order for the war. However, I'm not surprised she did so. It's been my personal experience that people who are as kind and compassionate as she can have a fiery side to them too. She lost her mentor, a father figure, in Dukhat. If you enrage someone like her, you'll truly get burned and that's what happened with the Prometheus and much of humanity.

[maneth]

Yeah, and I expect nobody regretted that more than Delenn did. I expect that's one thing that compelled her to go through the change and become half-human, as a sacrifice of atonement and a hope of unifying Terrans and Minbari against the evil she knew had been prophesied by Valen.

[magictrick]

4x10 - Racing Mars

A pretty interesting episode. I liked the confrontations between Sheridan and Garibaldi. Though I will say this, the sudden change in Garibaldi is very uncharacteristic of him, and it definitely has to do with something they did to him on that ship. I'm not sure if he has one of those aliens attached to him that is causing all this, or it is something else. The points he makes are valid, but the Garibaldi that we got to know would never act out in this way. Usually character development on this show has been steady and well-done, this is a sudden change that hasn't happened, which leads me to believe he is definitely being influenced by something else - like those flashing lights a couple of episodes ago.

Speaking of those aliens, I can't help but call them Goa'ulds at this point. I mean they basically do the exact same thing from what I've seen so far. I did like Marcus and Franklin in this episode. They are fun to watch and make a pretty good team. Now lets see what they can accomplish on Mars.

Finally, quick mention to the elevator scene with Lennier and Sheridan. Woohoo

[maneth]

Glad you're still enjoying the show.

[Missster.Freeman]

I concur. So many questions that need answered, magictrick, but the show will answer them for sure.

[Cold Fuzz]

4x10 - Racing Mars

A pretty interesting episode. I liked the confrontations between Sheridan and Garibaldi. Though I will say this, the sudden change in Garibaldi is very uncharacteristic of him, and it definitely has to do with something they did to him on that ship. I'm not sure if he has one of those aliens attached to him that is causing all this, or it is something else. The points he makes are valid, but the Garibaldi that we got to know would never act out in this way. Usually character development on this show has been steady and well-done, this is a sudden change that hasn't happened, which leads me to believe he is definitely being influenced by something else - like those flashing lights a couple of episodes ago.

Speaking of those aliens, I can't help but call them Goa'ulds at this point. I mean they basically do the exact same thing from what I've seen so far. I did like Marcus and Franklin in this episode. They are fun to watch and make a pretty good team. Now lets see what they can accomplish on Mars.

Finally, quick mention to the elevator scene with Lennier and Sheridan. Woohoo

Racing Mars was definitely one of my favorite episodes in the early half of season 4. It had a different feel than what I was expecting. Marcus and Franklin's interactions really made this episode work well, especially in light of their previous success as a team in season 3's Exogenesis. The Keepers do have a parent species, which will be explored in the next few episodes. But I think you can already work out that the might of this adversary is not through military conflict but through subterfuge. Sheridan's forces have already proven themselves to be powerful in open combat so this new enemy won't fight by those means. In some ways, the way this enemy fights is almost as bad as the Shadows.

I won't comment on Garibaldi as I can't really say anything about what's happening with him without spoiling the coming episodes.

As for the Delenn/Sheridan thing, I do like the Minbari. But these rituals... meh. But it's important to Delenn of course. As for that elevator scene with Lennier, I'd re-watch that scene if I were you, and keep in mind what Lennier said to Marcus about his feelings for Delenn in season 3's Ceremonies of Light and Dark. Suddenly, this scene has all sorts of interesting subtext.

[magictrick]

4x11 - Lines of Communication

I like that we are seeing more Minbari story lines incorporated into these episodes. I can't say this one was one of my favourites, but it would seem it opened up future plot lines as we will see Delenn return to Minbar to face the escalating troubles occurring there.

The highlight for me was Delenn's reaction after the first Drak attack. She had that bad*** look come over her again which we've seen before. And the following space battle was fun to watch as they gave the Drak what they had coming. I'm wondering if the Drak are the same aliens as the ones that are taking over and controlling people?

I just found it hard to believe that the Minbari would think about enlisting outside help from a strange alien race without first finding out more about them. I can see why that guy from the religious cast would do it, but from everything we've learned thus far about Minbari, they rarely play well with others so to speak. Perhaps we should assume the Shadow War changed that a little bit.

The rest of this episode was fairly uneventful, and the outcome on Mars pretty predictable. I'm sure there will be more to come though.

[Savatage]

4x11 - Lines of Communication

I like that we are seeing more Minbari story lines incorporated into these episodes. I can't say this one was one of my favourites, but it would seem it opened up future plot lines as we will see Delenn return to Minbar to face the escalating troubles occurring there.

The highlight for me was Delenn's reaction after the first Drak attack. She had that bad*** look come over her again which we've seen before. And the following space battle was fun to watch as they gave the Drak what they had coming. I'm wondering if the Drak are the same aliens as the ones that are taking over and controlling people?

I just found it hard to believe that the Minbari would think about enlisting outside help from a strange alien race without first finding out more about them. I can see why that guy from the religious cast would do it, but from everything we've learned thus far about Minbari, they rarely play well with others so to speak. Perhaps we should assume the Shadow War changed that a little bit.

The rest of this episode was fairly uneventful, and the outcome on Mars pretty predictable. I'm sure there will be more to come though.

It's hard to comment on these episodes without giving too much away. As you say, plot lines are opening up. I'll just say, that you should keep in mind that Delenn broke the Grey Council, so things on Minbar have changed drastically since the series began. The Grey Council was the governing body in Minbar since the time of Valan. What do they have now?

[Cold Fuzz]

4x11 - Lines of Communication

I like that we are seeing more Minbari story lines incorporated into these episodes. I can't say this one was one of my favourites, but it would seem it opened up future plot lines as we will see Delenn return to Minbar to face the escalating troubles occurring there.

The highlight for me was Delenn's reaction after the first Drak attack. She had that bad*** look come over her again which we've seen before. And the following space battle was fun to watch as they gave the Drak what they had coming. I'm wondering if the Drak are the same aliens as the ones that are taking over and controlling people?

I just found it hard to believe that the Minbari would think about enlisting outside help from a strange alien race without first finding out more about them. I can see why that guy from the religious cast would do it, but from everything we've learned thus far about Minbari, they rarely play well with others so to speak. Perhaps we should assume the Shadow War changed that a little bit.

The rest of this episode was fairly uneventful, and the outcome on Mars pretty predictable. I'm sure there will be more to come though.

The Drakh are indeed the parent species of the Keepers. They have technology comparable to the White Stars, as you saw them destroy White Star 16 and inflict substantial damage on Delenn's ship. They're dangerous in their way. Like the Shadows, they're not the kind to strike openly unless it suits their purposes. This confrontation with Delenn's forces showed that the Army of Light can outmatch them. They've tried to establish at least a small foothold on Mars and destabilize the Resistance there and of course that plan was ruined so they'll turn elsewhere to build themselves up.

This Minbari arc is one of my favorites in the series. They're one of the most prominent aliens on B5 and we've only had smatterings of episodes devoted to them, not so much a string of episodes. As we've seen with Delenn initiating the Earth/Minbari War, commanding the Minbari through the Shadow War, and now with this confrontation with the Drakh, there's fire and steel in her. She's not one to be trifled with. After this arc is over, we're not going to see the "oh John" Delenn fawning over Sheridan so much anymore.

The Minbari Religious Caste recruiting help from the outside... yeah, they were more than a little naive about that. The Warrior Caste certainly wouldn't have made a move like that. You're correct that the Minbari at large don't quite understand the behavior of other aliens very well. Being a rather isolationist species for the most part hasn't helped either. All the same though, if I were given a choice, I wouldn't at all mind living with the Minbari. The Warrior Caste though, is a problem that needs to be seriously addressed and it will be soon.

It's hard to comment on these episodes without giving too much away. As you say, plot lines are opening up. I'll just say, that you should keep in mind that Delenn broke the Grey Council, so things on Minbar have changed drastically since the series began. The Grey Council was the governing body in Minbar since the time of Valan. What do they have now?

The only thing keeping Minbar together right now is honor between the caste elders and the respective clans. Within one's own caste, life would continue pretty much as normal without the Grey Council. But intercaste relations was what the Grey Council was for. Without the Council, what's to keep the castes from acting dishonorably towards each other? Though the Minbari as a people revere the laws of Valen, they're not perfect by any means and the law of Minbari not killing Minbari isn't going to be enough to stop the infighting, not when there's so much unaddressed resentment between the castes.

[magictrick]

This Minbari arc is one of my favorites in the series. They're one of the most prominent aliens on B5 and we've only had smatterings of episodes devoted to them, not so much a string of episodes. As we've seen with Delenn initiating the Earth/Minbari War, commanding the Minbari through the Shadow War, and now with this confrontation with the Drakh, there's fire and steel in her. She's not one to be trifled with. After this arc is over, we're not going to see the "oh John" Delenn fawning over Sheridan so much anymore.

I've always found them interesting. I am looking forward to them being showcased more prominently on the show now with Delenn at the forefront of the story line.

As for the Keepers, I'm sure there is a lot more to come from them. If I recall correctly, in the future that Sheridan saw in that episode when he traveled through time, the Keepers had a stranglehold on Centari Prime.

[Cold Fuzz]

I've always found them interesting. I am looking forward to them being showcased more prominently on the show now with Delenn at the forefront of the story line.

As for the Keepers, I'm sure there is a lot more to come from them. If I recall correctly, in the future that Sheridan saw in that episode when he traveled through time, the Keepers had a stranglehold on Centari Prime.

Delenn will find herself at the center of the oncoming storm on Minbar. As for the Keepers and the Drakh, they're examined in closer detail. "A Call to Arms" focuses on the Drakh and so does Crusade for a bit.

[magictrick]

4x12 - Conflicts of Interest

Zathras is back! Seriously, he should be a regular on this show, one of my favourite characters, always entertaining to watch. The scene with Ivanova was great, the show really needs more Zathras.

The rest of the episode was decent, but I found it lacking. There was action that's for sure and it was nice to see Garibaldi back, but other than that I can't say I was a big fan of the story line.

I liked the scene with Sheridan, G'kar and Londo though. They should have expanded on that instead. G'kar and Londo together always results in some interesting scenes.

I can't say I'm a fan of the current story line with Earth and the Resistance. The previous one was much more interesting. There is still potential, but I'm waiting for it to pick up at some point.

[Nolamom]

Zathras is just the best. Never could get enough of him.

[Cold Fuzz]

4x12 - Conflicts of Interest

Zathras is back! Seriously, he should be a regular on this show, one of my favourite characters, always entertaining to watch. The scene with Ivanova was great, the show really needs more Zathras.

The rest of the episode was decent, but I found it lacking. There was action that's for sure and it was nice to see Garibaldi back, but other than that I can't say I was a big fan of the story line.

I liked the scene with Sheridan, G'kar and Londo though. They should have expanded on that instead. G'kar and Londo together always results in some interesting scenes.

I can't say I'm a fan of the current story line with Earth and the Resistance. The previous one was much more interesting. There is still potential, but I'm waiting for it to pick up at some point.

With the exception of Zathras, there is actually very little about this episode I liked when it first aired, to be honest. My opinion of it has softened over the years but not by much, basically because the intrigues regarding Mars felt ponderous sometimes. That's not the fault of JMS. I did not like the the actor who portrayed William Edgars--Efrem Zimbalist--and, despite some very good dialogue, I ended up literally nodding off on some of his scenes in this episode and in "The Exercise of Vital Powers." *sigh* I didn't particularly care for Wade either. Again, I think it was just some unconvincing acting on the part of those two. They seemed... uncharismatic to me and I had great difficulty believing that a strong personality like Garibaldi would deign to serve these individuals. But then again, as we all know, Garibaldi isn't himself.

The telepath subplot mixed into the story was interesting though and it gets followed up in some rather interesting ways. Thankfully, Delenn comes back to the forefront with the next two episodes. "Moments of Transition" really reignites B5's fire for season 4. The lull after the Shadow War has tensed up to where we know we're losing the peace... again. It's just a matter of how this time around. By the time you get around to the end of "Moments of Transition" B5 will be cranking it up to full gear again.

[Coremae]

Zathras is just the best. Never could get enough of him.

Most memorable thing Zathras ever sad was; "Zathras is beast of burden," It not only perfectly summed up the character but it also showed why Zathras was privy to many secrets and trusted by powerful entities and people; he worked for the Great Machine, then he Worked for Valen, the greatest Minbari not of Minbar.