Text 12740, 82 rader
Skriven 2007-02-27 08:10:15 av Simon Lipscomb (16183.babylon5)
  Kommentar till text 12663 av rec.arts.sf.tv.babylon5.moderated (16106.babylon5)
Ärende: Re: Learning Curve: my review
=====================================
jphalt@aol.com wrote:
> The first genuinely substandard episode of "Babylon 5" in a very long
> while, though it is partially redeemed by some good character work on
> the fringes of the weak story.

> The best parts of the episode have to do with Garibaldi and his
> suspicions and hostility toward Captain Lochley. The confrontation
> between Lochley and Garibaldi in the mess (with Zack hilariously
> trying to change the subject, with increasing desperation) is easily
> the episode's best scene, in my opinion. Garibaldi comes at Lochley
> head-on, obviously hoping that she'll flinch, and finds himself coming
> out the worse for their encounter when she responds to his accusations
> bluntly and persuasively, eliciting applause from the other troops in
> the mess. It's a terrific scene, very well acted by both Scoggins and
> Doyle (and Jeff Conaway, whose reactions are priceless). As alluded to
> in my last review, I have come to consider it a boost anytime Lochley
> and Garibaldi are on-screen together. Scoggins and Doyle seem to bring
> out the best in each other as actors, and the characters really do
> spark well, particularly when they're put into conflict in these early
> episodes.

I love the story of how Tracy Scroggins got the job of Lochley in the 
first place.  I think some of it is recounted on the Lurker's Guide 
page, but basically she was put in an audition with Jerry Doyle, who was 
told to pretty much lay into her.  At the end of one take he finishes 
with "Oh, bite me!" and she came back with "Lick me twice, okay?", and 
on the second run through came up with "Mr. Garibaldi, I'm afraid I'll 
have to ask you to kiss my ass."  Jerry Doyle said "She's the one, guys."

  Given
> that TNT is responsible for there being a fifth season of "Babylon 5"
> at all, I suppose it would be churlish to curse them too vehemently...
> but it's still too bad.

You're okay - Season 5 and Crusade were under the aegis of two different 
wings of TNT.  S5 was commissioned by the artistic, creative-minded, 
laid back LA branch of TNT, whereas come Crusade the production went to 
the domineering, backward Texas branch who want more shootin' and 
hollerin'.  Not comforming to stereotypes or anything, of course.


> One of the worst offenders is the episode's villain. Trace is an
> incredibly weak character, a collection of tired clichés about
> cowardly, blustering bullies. There is not one second of his
> screentime in this episode in which Trace convinces me into thinking
> that he would be able to intimidate the entire lurker population of
> Down Below... let alone all of his criminal competition. I would more
> readily believe that Trace would swagger into Down Below, announcing
> his intent to take over all operations, only to promptly get taken out
> by some other thug who was more familiar with the territory.

It struck me as strange that n'grath vanished at the end of 2258, but it 
took four years for anyone to even begin to put together a coherent 
organisation in Downbelow.  And this is with Deuce still at large, and 
perhaps the Thieves Guild.

> Another stray thought. The scene with Delenn and Lochley discloses
> that the Rangers have been made essentially above the law on all
> Alliance worlds. Am I the only one who sees this as a bad thing? 

You're not alone, and I think it was one of the flaws of Season 5 that 
it feels like everyone is too ready to accept Sheridan and Delenn as 
absolute rulers of a powerful military force, especially with bullying 
tactics like they use against the Drazi in Paragon of Animals, plus 
later mis-handled events. In S4, despite the fact that we know Garibaldi 
had been altered somehow, his objections to Sheridans seeming 
god-complex feel somewhat justified.  There's not enough of a running 
voice of opposition in S5 for my liking.

That said, one thing I noticed about S5 as a whole is that there is a 
theme that the Vorlon-Shadow conflict has not finished, only changed 
forms.  Yes, there's the overt "giants leaving their guns behind" theme 
that we get of the later season, but the use of left-over Shadow tech in 
the second half is mirrored by the problems caused by left-over Vorlon 
tech (i.e. the telepaths) in the first half. And whilst the Drakh 
continue to foment trouble for it's own sake in the fashion of their 
former masters, the Alliance can arguably be seen to be following the 
Vorlon line of "Do what we tell you, or else."  Perhaps not surprising, 
since the Minbari are alomst as much Vorlon servants as the Drakh are 
Shadow servants.
--- SBBSecho 2.12-Win32
 * Origin: Time Warp of the Future BBS - Home of League 10 (1:14/400)