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Specifically, 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.
