Ignatz Mouse
Banned
Where's Talia in the run-down in the OP?
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RTTP: Babylon 5
- Thread starter JeffZero
- Start date
Sure, that could be fun! I'm trying to catch up to my off-site buddy, too. He's like seven or so episodes in and he's also a first-timer. If nothing else, I'd love if you joined me and posted thoughts as you went along!
What do you think so far?
I wanted to keep things hyper-minimalistic with the roster for now. Partly for spoiler reasons, partly for other reasons. Talia, Vir, and Lennier are three early-introduction characters that ought to get added eventually, however.
Now here's an episode that is better than Season 1's general reputation in almost every way, and it's a stunning pilot-era reminder that there's plenty of solid content even in the beginning. An important Centauri agricultural colony -- with centuries-past ties to the Narn -- is attacked without provocation. G'Kar is pleased to learn of his government's alleged responsibility, whilst Londo comes close to killing him for it. Sinclair is left in the crossfire.
It's a politically charged episode which also takes the time to do several other important things in the process: 1.) establish Londo's vision; 2.) roll through the presidential election back on Earth; 3.) present friction between Sinclair and the Senator he's in contact with; 4.) most impressively to me, not only introduce Ivanova and Talia but give them enough content together for a powerful ending scene where Ivanova explains her late mother's past ties to the telepaths.
There's a lot going on with "Midnight".
Above, we can see G'Kar's and Sinclair's first major scene together. It's a good one. G'Kar enters the picture hoping to blackmail Sinclair into a "you owe us one" situation, but with a smile and a nod, as if the commander is going to roll over, accept that this is how the game is played, and gain a newfound respect for the Narn ambassador. It doesn't work; Sinclair just steels his resolve and essentially tells G'Kar to eff off, and by this point he's so fed up with the guy that he's pretty firmly in the Centauri camp.
The League of Non-Aligned Worlds joins the various ambassadors and a vote is called, but G'Kar gets to show off live footage of Londo's nephew explaining that the attack on Ragash 3 wasn't unprovoked and that everything's going according to plan. The kid's clearly looking down at a script the whole time, so Londo's able to call the Narn bluff and rightly proclaim that he's being held at gunpoint.
We get the show's first real "space porn" with Sinclair taking a squadron out to enemy raiders and scaring them off from another assault. It's pretty cool, even with the early CG. One tidbit that doesn't look good at all is when Talia bumps into Londo and senses his intent to take out G'Kar; the scene really needed another take, because it's clunky, clunky, clunky.
Best scene is the aforementioned Ivanova/Talia sequence at the bar. "Midnight on the Firing Line" is pretty good through and through, and far superior to some of the dren en route this season.
BlackLagoon
Member
I kinda feel season 1 lends itself very well to rewatching. It's so much better when you can see all the seeds that are being planted that come back in later episodes.
A Call to Arms is a fun action adventure movie. And if I may dare you, try just watching the 5 grey uniform episodes of Crusade (starting with Racing the Night) on their own. They represent what JMS wanted to do with the show before TNT decided to fuck it all up.
Sigh, this misconception won't ever die, will it. Anyway, only a small part of season 5 was moved into season 4. S4 was basically going to end with Intersections in Real Time (
Sheridan being tortured
the end of the war with Earth would finish during the first part of season 5 while Byron is setting up shop on B5
a certain cast departure aside.
They actually filmed Midnight third to give the crew some time get settled and be at their best before shooting. The first regular episode produced was the... less than great Infection.
weemadarthur
Member
Thinking back,, I think the most recent episode I watched was the one introducing Walter Koenig, which I liked.
Prior to that, there were a couple of episodes with poor writing, on a James Bond sort of level.
Londo has an affair with a hot stripper, and is fully ready to believe she loves him. He is allegedly a good politician, but he falls for this. And then the writers try to make her actually in love with him, just like all the female Russian spies in James Bond books. Sure.
Then there's one with G'Kar. He gets a warning that an assassin is around. So he suspects the next person he sees, disregarding all other options. Another allegedly good politician.
I'm not having much respect for these characters. I liked the setup for PsiCorps and various info with Talia. But the politics...not good so far lol.
Prior to that, there were a couple of episodes with poor writing, on a James Bond sort of level.
Londo has an affair with a hot stripper, and is fully ready to believe she loves him. He is allegedly a good politician, but he falls for this. And then the writers try to make her actually in love with him, just like all the female Russian spies in James Bond books. Sure.
Then there's one with G'Kar. He gets a warning that an assassin is around. So he suspects the next person he sees, disregarding all other options. Another allegedly good politician.
I'm not having much respect for these characters. I liked the setup for PsiCorps and various info with Talia. But the politics...not good so far lol.
For all of it's quirks, Babylon 5 is one of my favorite TV shows ever. It's still more ambitious than just about any other English-language TV show has ever been and it was great for setting the tone for how to make one that is a long-running serial.
I loved how hard they tried to sell G'Kar as a villain in the first season and a half. It's easy to say that "this guy is obviously going to be a major antagonist", but he's so much more than that.
Londo is a washup who got assigned to a backwater of little importance. G'Kar is there because of his political connections; not necessarily because of his abilities. The closest thing to a proper politician among the main characters is Delenn. In any case, the first season of Babylon 5 is all about fleshing out the characters, and vices and failings are very much part of who they are. You're not supposed to know who they are just based on their roles.
StrangeRoboMemory
Member
My absolute favorite show of all time. Looking forward to your reactions here!
BlackLagoon
Member
I don't know where you're getting this "good politician" thing. Londo is a joke. A drunken has-been, from a race of has-beens. All they have left is decadence and revelling in past glories. He's not exactly a smooth operator at this point, and his self-loathing over this will soon become rather important. Also, the difference between Londo and James Bond is that Bond's affairs will generally not have ramifications down the line. This was not a throw-away affair.
G'Kar is a former guerilla freedom fighter who grew up under brutal Centauri occupation. He is not some sort of seasoned diplomat. He's fighter, from an aggressive and immature race that just recently escaped bondage and is looking to make a name for itself.
...I guess you mist the first episode, Midnight on the Firing Line, which JeffZero just recapped. It sets this up pretty well.
weemadarthur
Member
Are you arguing with my first impressions by offering spoilers from later seasons? If so, the OP may have to find another noob to watch with, because I don't want random open spoilers.
And I got the character indicators from how the characters view themselves. If they turn out to be self deluded at the end of their arcs, so be it.
I watched the first episode, I just don't see all of the stuff you detailed.
DangerMouse
Member
Yup, hell yes, like many in here, one of my favorite shows of all time.
Yeah, the payoff is just absolutely glorious when you realize virtually nothing you've watched is wasted.
Agreed, it's still mind-boggling how ambitious the show is/was.
Yeah. The way things can even seem like throwaways in season one only to come full circle and make complete sense in a future season, this show man.
It really sucked what happened to Crusade. I was so excited for his go at a ship-based show too and remember I really liked the cast in the eps that did get made.
Yeah, the payoff is just absolutely glorious when you realize virtually nothing you've watched is wasted.
Agreed, it's still mind-boggling how ambitious the show is/was.
Yup, man G'Kar's arc is one of my all-time favorites filled with surprises as you keep going. Andreas Katsulas did his character development so well.
Yeah. The way things can even seem like throwaways in season one only to come full circle and make complete sense in a future season, this show man.
It really sucked what happened to Crusade. I was so excited for his go at a ship-based show too and remember I really liked the cast in the eps that did get made.
Phil N DeBlanc
Member
I know folks will talk about how rough season one is, but hear me out. After you have watch all five seasons of Babylon 5, go back and re-watch just season one. Because at that point you will see all the ground work being laid before you eyes. Stuff you ignored or thought wasn't important will be seen a whole new light and you'll be amazed just how much planning went into this series.
BlackLagoon
Member
There were no spoilers in what I posted, just a few vague hints that won't matter until you watch the episodes they were alluding to. I guess I may have given a bit more character background than what was explicitly stated in the show so far, but nothing that spoils any future reveals or anything like that. Most of it should be something you can infer from these early episodes - Londo usually found in the casino, drinking and gambling instead of working. G'Kar being an opportunistic asshole usually motivated by blind hatred for the Centauri.
I mentioned Midnight because it sets up the basic Narn - Centauri relationship. Centauri are a faded former colonial power, Narns are their former slaves now out for revenge. It's pretty central to both Londo and G'Kar's characters.
I would say you're pretty right about G'Kar being self deluded in these episodes though. He clearly thinks he's being very clever, but then his schemes keep blowing up in his face.
Damn, now I really want to rewatch B5... and it's not on netflix.
It was streaming for free here but the site is not working right now for some reason. US only though but i tested it with vpn and proxy and it worked fine.
Yes it's legal and official.
http://www.blastr.com/2017-4-13/babylon-5-finally-available-online-streaming
Creepy
Member
Nice, it works, cheers mate!
Davey Cakes
Member
That's the magic of a series that's actually planned out.
We can call it the anti-LOST effect.
After watching more modern shows with better visuals (such as BSG in the last decade or The Expanse recently) it's tough to go back to B5 due to 90's era CG and effects and yet it survives on a great story and endearing characters. Still my favorite space opera behind ST: TNG and DS9.
On the fourth hour, JMS gives us the first remotely standalone chapter of the B5 universe. But -- as is often the case with the episodic encounters -- there's still plenty of arc relevance. The indomitable W Morgan Sheppard delivers a memorable role as the titular Soul Hunter, and between his performance chops and some suspiciously-cast light for Delenn, the somewhat goofy story about aliens that wander the galaxy nabbing people's souls manages to work despite itself.
First, though, we meet this guy. Stephen Franklin is the incoming CMO, and there's a quick line covering up Kyle's post-pilot departure by explaining that he's gearing to help the Santiago Administration. JMS has loopholes for every foreseeable cast departure, and it shows. Anyway, Franklin knows Sinclair, although I get the impression it's more of a passing acquaintance vibe than Delenn and Garibaldi, two characters Sinclair has known for some time. (The question of how well Sinclair truly knows Delenn is a pressing one, of course.)
The great Minbari leader Dukhat is mentioned for the first time, thanks to the Soul Hunter's grief over having "failed" and "been thwarted" from stopping the man. It's clear Dukhat was held in high reverence by his people, and as the episode continues, we're treated to the revelation that Delenn is Satai, a more important governmental leader than the role of ambassador would have us believe.
"I can't believe people perceive similarities between these two shows."
The Soul Hunter's escape from Med Bay is a narrative inevitability, and he goes straight for Delenn, whom he now perceives as his latest target. Another Soul Hunter arrives, explaining that his people were pursuing the first guy because he's unstable. After all, they can't just procure souls before the time is right -- but this deranged fellow is going around killing people to make it happen! One thing that doesn't quite add up for me here is that the second Soul Hunter nevertheless insists to Sinclair that there's nothing they can do if Delenn has been revealed as a chosen target, but then he seems totally unfazed that Delenn is successfully saved. Possible reasons: Soul Hunter culture is extremely wishy-washy; I missed context. Usually with my luck it's the latter, but the former makes me look better, so I'll pretend that's it.
Sparkly, shiny, amber-tinted souls. <3 Precioussss.
Delenn's getting her blood sucked out (it looks like pinot noir, by the way) but Sinclair comes to the rescue. The renegade Soul Hunter's collection of soul orbs floats up out of nowhere, thwarting him, and without missing a beat Sinclair just tilts the soul-sucking machine toward his foe, killing the guy without a shade of remorse. As my friend has recently reminded me, this dude gets shit done.
Sinclair asks a computer with a less refined voice than Siri or Cortana to run a search query on "Satai", but he's only able to glean so much, leaving him with plenty to ponder at the end of an average but certainly watchable episode. Oh, yeah, and quick shout-out to this motherfucker:
DangerMouse
Member
Yep, it's crazy.
GreenMonkey
Member
My favorite show.
Some others come close (Fringe & Breaking Bad near the top of my heap of favorites) but B5 is still my favorite.
JMS had a plan and his "escape hatches" (i.e. what do I do if this actor leaves) and it shows.
Some others come close (Fringe & Breaking Bad near the top of my heap of favorites) but B5 is still my favorite.
JMS had a plan and his "escape hatches" (i.e. what do I do if this actor leaves) and it shows.
Any Questions
Member
Really enjoyed this thread.
I can't decide if you're imitating
or I should link you to Gul Dukat's character page on the Star Trek wiki, ha.
If the former, well done. If the latter, ah, he's a DS9 character who shares his name (albeit without the 'h') with the B5 character of Dukhat. There's a lot of "DS9 versus Babylon 5" on the early internet, and this was a point of humorous contention.
There's actually a whole story behind how Paramount may very well have lifted ideas from JMS' old B5 pitch and made DS9 with them, although it's more complicated than that and I'm mobile right now!
Lorien
If the former, well done. If the latter, ah, he's a DS9 character who shares his name (albeit without the 'h') with the B5 character of Dukhat. There's a lot of "DS9 versus Babylon 5" on the early internet, and this was a point of humorous contention.
There's actually a whole story behind how Paramount may very well have lifted ideas from JMS' old B5 pitch and made DS9 with them, although it's more complicated than that and I'm mobile right now!
What do you want?
Heh. I can't really get behind that, personally. "Improbable Cause", "The Die is Cast", "The Way of the Warrior", "By Inferno's Light", "A Time to Stand", "Rocks and Shoals", "Sacrifice of Angels", "The Changing Face of Evil", "Tacking Into the Wind", and "What You Leave Behind" are all in my top 20.
Both questions are answered in Dukat's character arc.
As to B5 in particular season one is still better than most of season five. It took me...decades to finish season five, those first few episodes just fall flat.
I'm having trouble deciding between 1 and 5 for last place, and I'll let the current rewatch project make the decision for me. Although... rolling through the series whilst working, doing video game projects on another site, and watching other stuff -- and while charting my findings here every time I watch an episode -- means the pacing to this thread may prove kind of glacial.
I hope at least a couple of you cool cats will stick around for the long haul.
I hope at least a couple of you cool cats will stick around for the long haul.
BlackLagoon
Member
Not that complicated... JMS originally pitched B5 to Paramount in 1989. Things got quite far, and he wrote the first version of the pilot script (which featured an actual shapeshifting alien, rather than a Minbari with changeling net) for them. He even started talking about it online, saying that the financing was almost locked, and it should air the fall of 1990. Then out of nowhere Paramount drops the project, telling him its too similar to another series they have in development. Now a number of things got changed and refined as B5 went into production with Warner Bros., but Paramount definitively had full access to the early B5 materials while they were cooking up Deep Space 9.
Last night, on a neighbor's porch at 1:30 in the morning (don't worry, it's cool), I watched "Born to the Purple", the third episode (and fifth hour overall) of the storied Babylon 5 franchise. It's an episode about Londo, played like a fiddle. It's an episode about Vir, playing some kind of Tiger Electronics relic from Earth's 1990s. It's an episode with an excellent role for Fabiana Udeno. And it's the second episode out of the three since she's been introduced that totally sells me on Susan Ivanova.
We'll tackle this b-plot first, then. I confess, there are some B5 b-plots I vividly dislike. We'll get to those as they come to us. This is certainly not one of them. Garibaldi's tracking an encoded message over Gold Channel, and Ivanova keeps giving him the run-around. The surprise here is that the "gremlin" turns out to be Ivanova herself, who's saying goodbye to her dying father. Claudia Christian knocks it out of the park with her delivery here. It's never easy for an actor new to their role to bring so much convincing emotion to a character.
Meanwhile, Londo is missing important diplomatic meetings because he's enraptured by a dancer named Adira Tyree. She's actually a slave, on a mission to obtain damning personal files from Londo that could jeopardize the entire Republic (and most assuredly end his career in a heartbeat). The neat twist here is that she's actually in love with him, and she actively rails against her duties the whole time. Ultimately, however, she's compelled to carry through with the plan. Londo, scorned but still in love, teams up with Sinclair to do some pew-pew against Chuck Norris.
I've spent the last ten minutes trying to find a picture of this guy who looked like Chuck Norris. You're gonna have to take my word on this one.
As I've previously mentioned, Adira's actress helps sell the premise. I never once doubted she had real feelings for Londo, nor did I doubt she was conflicted. As a result, "Born to the Purple" largely succeeds in its aims, although I'd hesitate to say it's anything better than decent. Still -- and this will be the first time I specifically utilize spoiler tags and warn folks unfamiliar with future events not to click these --
"Purple" sets up the Londo/Adira scenario, which proves pivotal further on. It's a good thing they've got such chemistry.
There are a couple of duds here. Sinclair and Londo have a brief scene with an alien fellow in a business suit and a strong accent who calls them "dumbo" and "porky", respectively, in one of a laundry list of JMS-esque humor beats that don't really work for me. Conversely, Ko'Dath's introduction isn't very good, but this quickly becomes irrelevant since -- fun fact -- the actress is unable to reprise her role, sending the character to her death very, very soon.
The amount of material the show covers is just nuts. Just look at all of the wars that take place in the show itself (without counting the specials):
The Narn-Centauri War
The Shadow War
The Minbari Civil War
The Earth Alliance Civil War
The Centauri War
The Drakh War
The Shadow War
The Minbari Civil War
The Earth Alliance Civil War
The Centauri War
The Drakh War
I think that it was a bit of serendipity that the show never managed to get a permanent partner for G'Kar like they did with the other ambassadors. It helped to isolate his character and that was appropriate for the later seasons.
Man... that spoiler list proves its point amply.
And I concur re: G'Kar. It really works out well for his character's journey.
Aaaaand I've got an "Infection" to treat. Oh boy, I remember this episode being something. Whether I post my thoughts tonight or tomorrow, wish me luck!
And I concur re: G'Kar. It really works out well for his character's journey.
Aaaaand I've got an "Infection" to treat. Oh boy, I remember this episode being something. Whether I post my thoughts tonight or tomorrow, wish me luck!
Rentahamster
Rodent Whores
Aaaaand I've got an "Infection" to treat. Oh boy, I remember this episode being something. Whether I post my thoughts tonight or tomorrow, wish me luck!
It's...something...alright.
I was surprised to [re]discover that "Infection" isn't quite as bad as I'd remembered. Perhaps that's a double-edged sword, then, because I'd been bracing for something memorably dire. And while there is one particular scene that fits the bill (more on that later), the rest of the affair is a somewhat uninspired chapter saved by a largely compelling denouement.
Dr. Franklin gets his first spotlight A-Plot when a friend and mentor pops up on the station with a deliciously mysterious alien artifact. Organic technology, Dr. Hendricks proclaims, is the wave of the future. Franklin gets a lot of material showcasing he's an inherently good dude, who values safety precautions more than reckless abandon and whose monetary cravings aren't so vast as his colleague's.
Some dumb action ensues as we track Hendricks' colleague, Nelson, who murdered a tired deckhand in the teaser. Nelson can't leave well enough alone and his curiosity transforms him into a villain from VR Troopers.
Elsewhere, Ivanova tells a trespassing reporter to leave CIC at once because "you're much too young to experience such pain." Ivanova has so many great Season 1 moments, I swear. Sinclair, alerted to Alien!Nelson and his murderous rampage, teams up with Garibaldi to take it down. Along the way, he and the audience are given a full-bodied explanation of what the frell is happening: the creature is a living weapon designed by a bigoted ancient civilization. The living weapons, held to an impossible standard of purity, deem every member of their creator race impure, wiping them out. All of them.
This kind of stuff is just never a good idea.
The station's gonna blow if Sinclair doesn't select his BioWare conversation wheel options very, very wisely. What's interesting about this scene is that it illustrates that Sinclair's selfless heroism is also a dark character flaw developed from his time in the Earth-Minbari War, which Garibaldi will eventually call him on in the episode's best scene. What's hilarious and moderately painful about this scene is everything else. I could talk about the crazy lines Michael O'Hare had to deliver. I could talk about the overly bombastic soundtrack. I could talk about the SyFy Channel Original Movie caliber of lines the alien has to deliver back at Sinclair. I could even talk about O'Hare's eyes practically bulging out of their sockets near the end.
I'd rather just let this image speak for me.
Stephen's friend Hendricks makes a plea to him that everything he did was justified by his want for money, and I have to hope he was at least planning to use most of that money on further scientific expeditions or else the guy is downright comically shallow relative to his earlier dialogue. Stephen rightly counters that the death of a deckhand goes against Hendricks' insistence that he didn't think anyone would get hurt, and Hendricks' logic is -- somehow -- "oh, well, ah, I told Nelson to use whatever means necessary but I never thought... gasp."
Like I said earlier, the best parts of "infection" (what a sentence fragment) come at the very end. Stephen and Ivanova share a drink in what might be their first scene together musing over how at least the artifact's safely out of meddling hands right before EarthGov soldiers confiscate it. This government seems a bit shady to me. Then there's the standout Garibaldi/Sinclair scene I already talked about. It's well-written, well-acted, and somehow stems from this episode.
The final scene misses the mark, however. Sinclair finally gets the interview the guest reporter wanted, and he talks about why we've got to stay in space. It's got good intentions, but it feels cheesy, like a post-credits afterschool special sequence.
weemadarthur
Member
I watched a couple more episodes. the second was name The Fault in Our Stars....no, that's not quite it.
Humans get all bug eyed about aliens taking over earth with money instead of weapons. I wonder if there's a message there?
Garibaldi grows more appealing. Every time he wants to add work to Ivanova's plate, he has to blackmail her by threatening one of her not-quite-within-the-rules projects. And it works, too. I think my problem with him is he doesn't LOOK smart, so every time he does something smart I'm totally shocked.
Humans get all bug eyed about aliens taking over earth with money instead of weapons. I wonder if there's a message there?
Garibaldi grows more appealing. Every time he wants to add work to Ivanova's plate, he has to blackmail her by threatening one of her not-quite-within-the-rules projects. And it works, too. I think my problem with him is he doesn't LOOK smart, so every time he does something smart I'm totally shocked.
BlackLagoon
Member
It feels like a clear set-up for the final scene in
Deconstruction of Falling Stars
As I recall putting the concept of "organic technology" on the table was one of the reasons for the episode, so it managed that at least.
Joe Condor
Banned
Getting closer to the good stuff of S1!
Whew! Watched "The Parliament of Dreams" last night and I might have time to watch another before bed tonight. Regardless, the next write-up (or two) are on track for tomorrow!
True, true! It just doesn't really work for me as given.
I know. Hype!
True, true! It just doesn't really work for me as given.
I know. Hype!
That kinda makes me think of this early Star Trek: Enterprise scene.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vO3Z2yeElvk
This scene's... something.
That's a bad place to stop IMO! Maybe my opinion will change this time (it's been nearly a decade since my original rewatch, after all) but Season 4 was the bee's knees to me back then and it's on my short list of best TV seasons. jb, I'll buy you 10,000 coolness points and um find a way to localize more Trails games if you please rewatch B5 with me and muscle through to the end.
On that note, I'll be doing my "parliamentary" write-up soon!
We begin this nifty-named episode with an introduction to a big cultural exchange event. The various races aboard B5 are all invited to showcase their religious beliefs, which is a fun Trekkian way to expand on everyone in a believable manner very much befitting of the station's stated purpose. Londo gets really, really drunk, causing Peter Jurasik to stumble and climb across a long table until Garibaldi compels Sinclair to go seek out his on-again off-again old flame, whose name is not Carolyn.
Sorry, lady. Catherine Sakai ain't you.
Delenn and the television audience are all introduced to Lennier for the first time. Lennier is on the short list of characters whose absence in my OP can be seen as bizarre, and when I eventually take the time to update it, you can bet your bottom credit he'll be there. He's a good character and I look forward to spending some time on him when he begins to get more material, but for now he's established as struggling to keep Delenn's Satai-sized secret and not much else happens for the guy. You'll get there, Lenny. Oh, you will get there.
Pictured: Londo, probably still passed out drunk for the remainder of the episode.
The meat of this plot, however, stems from G'Kar. In the teaser, we're treated to a very amusing scene in which he's cooking, like, the massive, overinflated haunch of some kind of Narn poultry or something, and then a courier delivers a message which reveals that an old political rival is dead. G'Kar entertainingly salutes the guy as he explains he's terminal, but his tune changes when he learns that as a farewell gift, the rival has dispatched an assassin to take G'Kar with him.
G'Kar immediately suspects Na'Toth, who -- like Lennier -- is also introduced as ambassadorial aide this episode. Na'Toth will have two actresses and scattered appearances, but I tend to enjoy her material nevertheless. Na'Toth is a no-nonsense kind of gal, and she utilizes her lack of nonsense to help get to the bottom of things. There's yet another N'Grath scene, too (Na'Toth, N'Grath -- what a cast) but while I'm always in favor of seein' ol' Bug Eyes, the music that plays when the hired bodyguard is introduced is a stern reminder that I'm just not much of a Christopher Franke fan until later seasons.
Eventually, G'Kar and Na'Toth will realize they've been played like fiddles by the alleged courier. The twist feels a little too obvious in hindsight but that probably stems from knowing Na'Toth. I don't remember how I felt about it during my 2009/10 rewatch, and I sure as heck don't remember how I felt about it when I was 7 years old. But none of this matters because we need to talk about how the courier is That Narn With The Glasses.
I know the image is huge but what can I say? He leaves a big impact. Not for his acting, not for his downfall scene, but for his glasses. This Narn is wearing glasses what is even real anymore.
There's some arc significance here. Sinclair reuniting with Sakai is kind of a big deal, even if few of the scenes here do much for me. I'm a little older now, and I've made a few more big mistakes, and I can applaud the "we keep encircling one-another like moths to the flame" vibe. But early romance dialogue isn't one of the show's strong suits. At least there's decent chemistry between the actors.
There's also the festival of rebirth. It's a beautiful scene as Delenn -- still completely shrouded in her Season 1 layers of mystery -- implores the main players to cast off and be reborn. I can think of few S1 scenes which feel more poignant in retrospect and seem to achieve less at the time. Taken at face value, it's just some Minbari lore-building and a bunch of non-Minbari nodding and smiling and eating the fruit they're given.
Except Londo, who refuses to eat the fruit.
Damn it Londo, you're drunk, go home.