Re: What Did You Watch? 2025-02-10 (Monday)

On 2/12/2025 7:28 AM, Adam H. Kerman wrote:

Arthur Lipscomb <arthur@alum.calberkeley.org> wrote:
 

Babylon 5 (blu-ray) "The Ragged Edge" - Season 5, episode 12.  The
Garibaldi is now an alcoholic storyline is kicking off.  Meanwhile G'Kar
has an unwanted cult spring up around him.

 I thought the cult gag got milked too long and ultimately made no
important point.
 

True.

"The Corps Is Mother, The Corps Is Father" - Season 5, episode 13
Reggie Lee and Dana Barron (National Lampoon's Vacation) play new Psi
Corp recruits who join Bester on a hunt for a rogue telepath.  I don't
know why, but none of the regular cast members, except for Jeff Conway,
appeared in this episode.

 It's the effect of the 22 episode order with a reduced production schedule,
88 days in lieu of 110. And they were likely doing portions of two episodes
simultaneously during the five-day week. None of the actors in the main
cast ever had guarantees that they'd appear 22 episodes were season;
it was more like 8 episodes, I think.
 

I noticed Tracy Scoggins seemed to be missing a lot.

And remember, for the first two seasons, neither Andreas Katsulas nor
Peter Jurasik had minimum episode guarantees at all, which is beyond
insane. So much of the five-year story arc was designed around Londo,
and G'Kar had to be there to represent how the Centauri had devestated
the Narn home world. We wouldn't have watched the show without the two
of them.
 

100% true.

"Darkness Ascending" - Season 5, episode 15 - Lennier gathers proof the
attacks against the alliance are being done by Centauri ships.  But so
far no one has realized the Centauri are just ponds of a greater threat.

 

"And All My Dreams, Torn Asunder" - The Alliance declares war against
the Centauri.

 

"Movements of Fire and Shadow" - As the war against the Centauri heats
up Team B5 discover the Centauri attack ships are being remotely controlled.

 War by proxy combined with a false flag operation is entirely evil.
 This is why we needed the Season 5 renewal.

Season 5 set up so many dangling threads that never got resolved.  And they seemed to be going out of their way to do so.