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selenakSpecifically, wrong in the choice of "Best of B5" episodes on their list. Which is here.
Look, I know such lists are completely subjective. And as someone who loves the first season, too, I’m always glad to see it defended. But some of the other season picks and more importantly episodes NOT chosen are frankly baffling. Geometry of Shadows in season 2, but not The Coming of Shadows, THE pivotal episode of the season (and the one which won the Hugo)? (And why, because of the stupid, stupid technomages. (Insert my usual “hate them, hate Galen most of all” rant here.) Even leaving aside my Londo and G’Kar bias, any “best of B5” list which does not have The Coming of Shadows on it is just wrong. And Great Maker, why no In the Shadow of Z’ha’dum, aka the one which first fleshes out Sheridan as a character, one of the few where he’s depicted as wrong by the narrative in how he acts?
As for season 3, are you kidding me, Voices of Authority? Because of the lame “Sheridan has to fence off sexual advances?” subplot? Instead of such episodes as Dust to Dust (superb and important in all its storylines – G’Kar hits rock bottom and has an epiphany here, and it’s the first Bester episode that breaks with the “Bester comes to the Station, is foiled in evil plan” formula and uses him as a wild card instead)?
Season 4: No argument about Into the Fire, but at the very least one more of the six episodes early on that conclude the Shadow War - my choice would be either Falling Towards Apotheosis (for the intense Londo and G’Kar on Centauri Prime scenes and Sheridan moving against Kosh II on the station) or The Long Night (VIIIIIIIIIIRRRRRR! Seriously, though, one of the best Centauri episodes ever).
As for the second half of the season, while Between the Darkness and the Light and Endgame are good episodes to wrap up the Earth Civil War storyline, I’d go with Face of the Enemy above either, for the way it brings the Telepath storyline to a head, answers the season long “what happened to Mr. Garibaldi?” question and delivers arguably Jerry Doyle’s best performance on the show, and in an entirely silent (for him) sequence, too. (Oh, yeah, and something important happens to Sheridan, too, she says evilly.) Lastly, why none of the Minbari episodes? I’d pick Moments of Transition for the powerful ending of the Minbari Civil War and Neroon’s story, plus that one also has the great Bester and Lyta subplot.
Season 5: No, no, no. You do not pick only Objects at Rest and Sleeping in Light. I mean, again, Sleeping in Light is a given, but Objects at Rest isn’t even that good, it’s merely okay; the Lennier stuff is done clumsily. Whereas The Fall of Centauri Prime is painful perfection, and again, any “Best of B5” list which doesn’t have it on it is just plain wrong. And you could do worse than list Day of the Dead (aka the Neil Gaiman one, for my money the best non-JMS written one of the show, though I also have a huge soft spot for season 2’s Soul Mates because of Timov), which manages to be funny and poignant at the same time, brings back the past and also fleshes out a character in the present (Lochley). Also, I’d include The Corps is Mother, The Corps is Father as the one episode which successfully attempts to depict station events from an antagonist pov; the s2 journalist episode tried this but suffers from “but how can you be mean to Delenn?” syndrome, and of course the s3 journalist episode has them as evil propagandists.
Look, I know such lists are completely subjective. And as someone who loves the first season, too, I’m always glad to see it defended. But some of the other season picks and more importantly episodes NOT chosen are frankly baffling. Geometry of Shadows in season 2, but not The Coming of Shadows, THE pivotal episode of the season (and the one which won the Hugo)? (And why, because of the stupid, stupid technomages. (Insert my usual “hate them, hate Galen most of all” rant here.) Even leaving aside my Londo and G’Kar bias, any “best of B5” list which does not have The Coming of Shadows on it is just wrong. And Great Maker, why no In the Shadow of Z’ha’dum, aka the one which first fleshes out Sheridan as a character, one of the few where he’s depicted as wrong by the narrative in how he acts?
As for season 3, are you kidding me, Voices of Authority? Because of the lame “Sheridan has to fence off sexual advances?” subplot? Instead of such episodes as Dust to Dust (superb and important in all its storylines – G’Kar hits rock bottom and has an epiphany here, and it’s the first Bester episode that breaks with the “Bester comes to the Station, is foiled in evil plan” formula and uses him as a wild card instead)?
Season 4: No argument about Into the Fire, but at the very least one more of the six episodes early on that conclude the Shadow War - my choice would be either Falling Towards Apotheosis (for the intense Londo and G’Kar on Centauri Prime scenes and Sheridan moving against Kosh II on the station) or The Long Night (VIIIIIIIIIIRRRRRR! Seriously, though, one of the best Centauri episodes ever).
As for the second half of the season, while Between the Darkness and the Light and Endgame are good episodes to wrap up the Earth Civil War storyline, I’d go with Face of the Enemy above either, for the way it brings the Telepath storyline to a head, answers the season long “what happened to Mr. Garibaldi?” question and delivers arguably Jerry Doyle’s best performance on the show, and in an entirely silent (for him) sequence, too. (Oh, yeah, and something important happens to Sheridan, too, she says evilly.) Lastly, why none of the Minbari episodes? I’d pick Moments of Transition for the powerful ending of the Minbari Civil War and Neroon’s story, plus that one also has the great Bester and Lyta subplot.
Season 5: No, no, no. You do not pick only Objects at Rest and Sleeping in Light. I mean, again, Sleeping in Light is a given, but Objects at Rest isn’t even that good, it’s merely okay; the Lennier stuff is done clumsily. Whereas The Fall of Centauri Prime is painful perfection, and again, any “Best of B5” list which doesn’t have it on it is just plain wrong. And you could do worse than list Day of the Dead (aka the Neil Gaiman one, for my money the best non-JMS written one of the show, though I also have a huge soft spot for season 2’s Soul Mates because of Timov), which manages to be funny and poignant at the same time, brings back the past and also fleshes out a character in the present (Lochley). Also, I’d include The Corps is Mother, The Corps is Father as the one episode which successfully attempts to depict station events from an antagonist pov; the s2 journalist episode tried this but suffers from “but how can you be mean to Delenn?” syndrome, and of course the s3 journalist episode has them as evil propagandists.
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Date: 2016-05-14 11:29 am (UTC)People who disregard The Fall of Centauri Prime - or everything in Season Five apart from Sleeping In Light annoy me the most, because what show were they watching?! It took five years to get to this! It contains the Best Scene Ever On Television!
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Date: 2016-05-14 12:34 pm (UTC)What show were they watching? indeed. It's like taking the Battle at Pellannor Fields as the main LotR event and entirely ignoring the Frodo, Sam and Gollum in Mordor scenes.
I mean, I freely admit a "Best of" list of episodes for a serialized story like Babylon 5 is hard. But if certain episodes are not on it, you just fail at fandom.
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Date: 2016-05-14 12:44 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2016-05-14 12:48 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2016-05-14 02:23 pm (UTC)I'm kind of afraid to look at the other seasons, especially if he left out those season five episodes. Who the hell leaves off "Night of the Dead"?
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Date: 2016-05-14 07:21 pm (UTC)My theory is that people who don't like Season 5 are completely forgetting that there's still show happening after Phoenix Rising. It's like people are so hypnotized by the telepath plot and Byron's weird massive character inconsistencies that they forget there's a whole other ten episodes in the season, and that's not counting stuff like The Very Long Night of Londo Mollari and Day of the Dead. Yes, we have seven or so telepath-heavy episodes and most of them just kinda lay there. Yes, we have Learning Curve, which is my absolute least favorite episode of Babylon 5 ever. Yes, we have View from the Gallery (which I like but I know is a bit of love-it-or-hate-it.) But as soon as Phoenix Rising is done, the rest of the season is pretty darn stellar.
(... Objects at Rest's bad choices about Lennier aside.)'
I... may have some opinions about this show? Oh, show.
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Date: 2016-05-15 05:22 am (UTC)My theory is that people who don't like Season 5 are completely forgetting that there's still show happening after Phoenix Rising.
Very possible. And I don't get that, because the Fall of Centauri Prime and the conclusion of Londo's story is what we've been building to since Midnight on the Firing Line. Of course, it may also be that people are frustrated about the lack of a clear villain to boo and hiss at, who then gets defeated with a couple of shiny space battles thrown in. (Not that this is what actually happened in the Shadow War, because a) the twist with the Shadows and Vorlons being as bad as each other, with the solution being that both leave, and b)Narn not being freed by a mighty revolt or military help from Sheridan, but via an agreement between Londo & G'Kar. But I think there are enough fans distracted by the space battle stuff not to notice.) Instead, you have the Alliance failing its first big test, and the Drakh as the new big bad actually winning. That is a less feel good ending than s4 with Clark defeated, Sheridan President and a new Alliance founded.
...basically: I think s5 is the Scouring of the Shire and the Grey Havens. To me, very necessary to the whole Lord of the Rings story. (And the enormity of all that happened before.) But I know a lot of people who'd prefered to end with Sauron defeated and everyone reunited.
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