Much more links, and more reviews
Feb. 3rd, 2005 12:22 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
selenakFirstly, behold the new icon. One of the greatest benefits of the talented ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
saava having watched Babylon 5 is that she now creates stuff like this. Check out her newest masterpieces here!
Secondly, also for B5 fans: everyone who wanted a rant about Lyta Alexander will find one here.eye_of_a_cat says it all, and so I don't have to.
Speaking of rants,rozk beautifully demolishes Margaret Thatcher and her saviour-of-the-country myth.
Back to the ancient world: recently, Virgil had a kind of comeback on lj.artaxastra gave us some great stories tackling the Aeneid in a historically plausible way, and thassalia made the great observation that if Farscape was like the Odyssey, the new Battlestar Galactica is like the Aeneid. A civilisation has collapsed through a brutal war, and the few survivors are trying to find a new home. If you want to brush up on the Aeneid, check out this post of vaznetti's. Which offers some wonderful observations on Romans versus Greeks as well, such as:
First of all, only a Roman would rush back into a burning city full of his enemies to rescue his wife. Seriously, no Greek hero would ever do this (except Odysseus, probably), and even if he did, there's basically a 100% chance that his wife would end up trying to kill him. A Greek hero would do this for his boyfriend, but never his wife. The second thing that's very Roman is that Creusa ends up holding the rear. Again, Greek heroes don't tend to give their wives positions of responsibility; considering the frequency with which their wives try to kill them, that's probably sensible. Romans are much more likely to leave their wives in charge, while they're off doing something important. "Bye, honey! Look after the house and land while I'm off conquering Asia, OK? Oh, and it might be a few years, so here's a preliminary list of men I won't mind you having an affair with, if you get lonely. Have fun!" Seriously. That's how marriage in the Late Republic works.
***
I forgot to mention that the third season of Six Feet Under has finished on German tv. (They showed the second and third in a row, but won't show the fourth for a while, so don't spoil me.) Well, if the second season was where Brenda messed up, the third was where Nate did. Granted, between his medical condition, the hasty marriage to Lisa and the uncertainty of her fate in the end, he really had it tough, but this was definitely when we saw him from his least likeable side, especially towards the end. (Yelling at Ruth for being selfish, etc.) If the death of his father brought out the best in him, losing his wife brought out the worst. (Figures that Brenda gets it together beautifully in the meantime.)
The one I felt most for was Claire. Between having a pretentious exploitative jerk like Olivier for a teacher, which ruined her joy in art, and having an abortion without anyone of her family noticing, she had a horrible time. Was I ever glad that Brenda was around to offer company and help on the later occasion at least.
The David/Keith issues start to feel repetitive; can't decide whether this is supposed to be intentional or not. This being said, I was a big softie for the David and Keith talk outside of the church in the season finale.
Ruth: what was that thing with Arthur about? George who looks like James Cromwell but is probably played by someone else is probably doomed to break up with her next season, but in the meantime, they appear to have fun, so, good for her. (And did I mention Nate was absolutely horrid towards her in this situation?)
I also watched some more Carnivale. Okay, the town Babylon was Stephen King like creepy to the nth degree. I figured out the townspeople were ghosts/zombies/revenants pretty soon, but not until John Hannah asked to be killed over the hill did I realize what this meant for poor Dora Mae. The last scene of Pick a Number sucker-punched me nonetheless. Being doomed to spent eternity gang-raped has to be the most horrible fate befalling a character since the Greeks came up with Tartarus.
Characterwise, I loved the bonding between Sophie and - is it Beth or Lizzie, I've heard her called both? - and the fleshing out of Sampson and his right-hand-man. Ben, however, fastly becomes uninteresting, especially when compared to Justin. Whose angst at least right now looks more interesting by far. More Justin (and Iris) per episode, please.
And why did management want them to go to Babylon?
Less rethorical: I didn't quite understand (because of the accent) just what Scudder (spelling taken from E.M Forster's Maurice, correct me if I'm wrong) had done - he killed all of the mining people, right?
saava having watched Babylon 5 is that she now creates stuff like this. Check out her newest masterpieces here!Secondly, also for B5 fans: everyone who wanted a rant about Lyta Alexander will find one here.
eye_of_a_cat says it all, and so I don't have to. Speaking of rants,
rozk beautifully demolishes Margaret Thatcher and her saviour-of-the-country myth. Back to the ancient world: recently, Virgil had a kind of comeback on lj.
artaxastra gave us some great stories tackling the Aeneid in a historically plausible way, and thassalia made the great observation that if Farscape was like the Odyssey, the new Battlestar Galactica is like the Aeneid. A civilisation has collapsed through a brutal war, and the few survivors are trying to find a new home. If you want to brush up on the Aeneid, check out this post of vaznetti's. Which offers some wonderful observations on Romans versus Greeks as well, such as: First of all, only a Roman would rush back into a burning city full of his enemies to rescue his wife. Seriously, no Greek hero would ever do this (except Odysseus, probably), and even if he did, there's basically a 100% chance that his wife would end up trying to kill him. A Greek hero would do this for his boyfriend, but never his wife. The second thing that's very Roman is that Creusa ends up holding the rear. Again, Greek heroes don't tend to give their wives positions of responsibility; considering the frequency with which their wives try to kill them, that's probably sensible. Romans are much more likely to leave their wives in charge, while they're off doing something important. "Bye, honey! Look after the house and land while I'm off conquering Asia, OK? Oh, and it might be a few years, so here's a preliminary list of men I won't mind you having an affair with, if you get lonely. Have fun!" Seriously. That's how marriage in the Late Republic works.
***
I forgot to mention that the third season of Six Feet Under has finished on German tv. (They showed the second and third in a row, but won't show the fourth for a while, so don't spoil me.) Well, if the second season was where Brenda messed up, the third was where Nate did. Granted, between his medical condition, the hasty marriage to Lisa and the uncertainty of her fate in the end, he really had it tough, but this was definitely when we saw him from his least likeable side, especially towards the end. (Yelling at Ruth for being selfish, etc.) If the death of his father brought out the best in him, losing his wife brought out the worst. (Figures that Brenda gets it together beautifully in the meantime.)
The one I felt most for was Claire. Between having a pretentious exploitative jerk like Olivier for a teacher, which ruined her joy in art, and having an abortion without anyone of her family noticing, she had a horrible time. Was I ever glad that Brenda was around to offer company and help on the later occasion at least.
The David/Keith issues start to feel repetitive; can't decide whether this is supposed to be intentional or not. This being said, I was a big softie for the David and Keith talk outside of the church in the season finale.
Ruth: what was that thing with Arthur about? George who looks like James Cromwell but is probably played by someone else is probably doomed to break up with her next season, but in the meantime, they appear to have fun, so, good for her. (And did I mention Nate was absolutely horrid towards her in this situation?)
I also watched some more Carnivale. Okay, the town Babylon was Stephen King like creepy to the nth degree. I figured out the townspeople were ghosts/zombies/revenants pretty soon, but not until John Hannah asked to be killed over the hill did I realize what this meant for poor Dora Mae. The last scene of Pick a Number sucker-punched me nonetheless. Being doomed to spent eternity gang-raped has to be the most horrible fate befalling a character since the Greeks came up with Tartarus.
Characterwise, I loved the bonding between Sophie and - is it Beth or Lizzie, I've heard her called both? - and the fleshing out of Sampson and his right-hand-man. Ben, however, fastly becomes uninteresting, especially when compared to Justin. Whose angst at least right now looks more interesting by far. More Justin (and Iris) per episode, please.
And why did management want them to go to Babylon?
Less rethorical: I didn't quite understand (because of the accent) just what Scudder (spelling taken from E.M Forster's Maurice, correct me if I'm wrong) had done - he killed all of the mining people, right?
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2005-02-03 11:26 am (UTC)Same here. I got a horrible sinking feeling then, and that last image ... well, as I said before, that horrified me more than any other single moment in the show. (And it does have competition.)
Characterwise, I loved the bonding between Sophie and - is it Beth or Lizzie, I've heard her called both? - and the fleshing out of Sampson and his right-hand-man.
Look forward to more fleshing out of the background characters in episodes to come, especially Dora Mae's family. Sophie and Lizzie bond more, too.
Ben, however, fastly becomes uninteresting, especially when compared to Justin. Whose angst at least right now looks more interesting by far. More Justin (and Iris) per episode, please.
Hee. In case you haven't noticed already, I love Justin. Justin is the reason I forgive Ron Moore for Waltz - for specific reasons that will become more apparent toward the end of the season. As for Iris ... not spoiling anything, but she gets steadily more interesting with every episode.
And why did management want them to go to Babylon?
Now isn't that an interesting question ... we don't know for sure by the end of Season One, but I can make an educated guess.
Less rethorical: I didn't quite understand (because of the accent) just what Scudder (spelling taken from E.M Forster's Maurice, correct me if I'm wrong) had done - he killed all of the mining people, right?
Yes. Caused a big cave in at the mine, and turned them undead. Now you see why everyone is fuzzy on who's good and who's evil in this show. Because if Ben is Scudder's kid and Scudder was capable of that ...
no subject
Date: 2005-02-03 11:37 am (UTC)I'll be shuddering for a while. Because I can't see how anyone could help her, unless exorcism works in this show and Sampson (as he's the only one who knows, and I don't blame him for not telling her parents) finds one. Gah.
Look forward to more fleshing out of the background characters in episodes to come, especially Dora Mae's family. Sophie and Lizzie bond more, too.
Yay! Excellent.
Hee. In case you haven't noticed already, I love Justin.
Figures. We do have similar taste in men, after all.*g*
Because if Ben is Scudder's kid and Scudder was capable of that ...
Well, considering Samuel chided Saul for not sacificing enemies by the hundreds, "warrior for good" can be a frightening thing. And in conclusion, Vorlons.
no subject
Date: 2005-02-03 02:34 pm (UTC)Selenak, have you met
no subject
Date: 2005-02-03 03:47 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-02-07 05:05 am (UTC)Gah indeed. I can see why Samson didn't tell anyone, since the knowledge wouldn't exactly help her family move on and heal.
Figures. We do have similar taste in men, after all.*g*
I blame the voice. Or maybe the Incredible Angst. (Actually, I think what gets to me most about Justin is how much he wants to be good. Notice that he tells the reporter that he's lost his God, not that he's lost his faith.)
Well, considering Samuel chided Saul for not sacificing enemies by the hundreds, "warrior for good" can be a frightening thing. And in conclusion, Vorlons.
Quite possibly. I really want to know why Scudder killed that man with a pickaxe. (That was what prompted the inhabitants of Babylon to lynch him in the first place.) And also why ... no, wait, that's a spoiler.
no subject
Date: 2005-02-07 08:38 am (UTC)Actually, I think what gets to me most about Justin is how much he wants to be good. Notice that he tells the reporter that he's lost his God, not that he's lost his faith.
He's in a somewhat related position to Kai Winn in season 7, only I think Justin has far less personal ambition and more self-loathing. And oh yes, the angst. I mean, I'm sorry for Ben and his sleeping problems and his being stalked in his dreams by Lodz and crazy dead and living people, but really, the one I'm truly aching for? Is still in California.
no subject
Date: 2005-02-03 01:06 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-02-03 02:09 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-02-03 04:18 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-02-03 05:34 pm (UTC)the Arthur thing was the definition of random. SFU's arcs don't always make the most sense, but they always wrap up the seasons well, and this was no exception. I sometimes think SFU needs an even shorter season.
I liked what I saw of Carnivale but it didn't hold my attention from week to week (kind of like Lost is for me now) so I didn't keep up with it. I'll probably rent the DVDs and some point and enjoy watching it through.
oh, and,
no subject
Date: 2005-02-03 05:52 pm (UTC)Hm... I hear Michelle Trachtenberg guest stars in season 4. Maybe she could tell Alan Ball he needs to cast him for the purpose to induce a coma in you?
My God, all of the Starbuck-Adama scenes were incredible.
She's the Eowyn to his Theoden, I think. Which makes it doubly painful and intense when she confesses. Also, Katee Sackhoff proves to the gainsayers she can do much more than swashbuckling.
And this is as good a time as any for me to come out as the most vocal of Lee/Kara anti-shippers.
Personally, I see them as siblings. That scene in the beginning? So much brother and sister.
no subject
Date: 2005-02-03 01:10 pm (UTC)So let's all go back to the three-day-workweek and British Leyland, then.
no subject
Date: 2005-02-03 01:39 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-02-03 01:46 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-02-03 02:12 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-02-03 02:24 pm (UTC)Babylon is the creepiest episode of the show thus far. It is also the episode that sticks with me the most.
The motives of Management get even confusing throughout the season but there is a method to Management's choices of town towns to visit.
no subject
Date: 2005-02-03 02:33 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-02-03 02:37 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-02-03 03:49 pm (UTC)oh yeah
Date: 2005-02-03 05:40 pm (UTC)I love the Aeneid comparison to BSG. LotR always reminded me a bit of the Aeneid too, in tone, even if it's an Iliad in content. Frodo & Aragorn both weighed down by the burdens of destiny and such. I think Tolkien always tried to deny a classical influence, as opposed to a Nordic one, but I don't know if it's even possible to get away from the Aeneid. I'm doing my King Lear research, and Cordelia is supposed to be only like a dozen generations removed from Aeneas. But then, I don't really know my Viking sagas, or whatever Tolkien used, as a point of comparison . Still, Aragorn reminds me of Aeneas a lot more than of Beowulf (and this is even truer in the films).
Re: oh yeah
Date: 2005-02-03 05:48 pm (UTC)Aragorn in the movies is the haunted and doubting hero, and that's certainly true of Aeneas, as opposed to Achilles (sulks and rages) or Odyseus (schemes and tries to stay alive, but certainly never doubts what he's doing). Beowulf as I recall was an action hero. But then, these self-doubts were a PJ addition - as far as I recall, Aragorn never has a flicker of a doubt whether he's worthy to be King in the novels, or whether he's worthy of Arwen's sacrifice.
Re: oh yeah
Date: 2005-02-03 05:56 pm (UTC)You know, that's a point. . .it's probably a tribute to PJ & Viggo, then, that I've read the books more often (and aside from ROTK-EE, more recently!) than I've seen the films, but that vision of Aragorn has snuck in and stayed there. Well, Frodo's an Aeneas, anyway. Of course the one Tolkien character who I really truly love is Bilbo -- the average Joe who's so out of his depth he doesn't even know how out of his depth he is, and thus prevails when another kind of champion would go weak in the knees. That's it then -- Bilbo is Buffy.
um that is. . .
Date: 2005-02-03 05:58 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-02-04 05:46 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-02-04 05:52 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-02-22 02:46 pm (UTC)Babylon made me so upset I actually cried.
no subject
Date: 2006-02-22 02:54 pm (UTC)Babylon is one of the most disturbing things I ever watched on tv. Your ficlet, btw, is brilliant.
no subject
Date: 2006-02-22 03:17 pm (UTC)Ah! *corrects madly*
Babylon is one of the most disturbing things I ever watched on tv.
Seriously. *shakes head* i ended up in tears afterwards, and had nightmares. It really made the entire show for me. Well, that and Justin/Iris.
Your ficlet, btw, is brilliant.
Thank you!