tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37940560.post8175121711322177639..comments2024-03-27T08:49:38.786-03:00Comments on Siskoid's Blog of Geekery: Babylon 5 #61: War Without End (Part 1)Siskoidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08266365376486695812noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37940560.post-18131590232901839622014-09-06T20:03:48.973-03:002014-09-06T20:03:48.973-03:00"My idea: it was going to be during Severed D...<i>"My idea: it was going to be during Severed Dreams, with our not seeing who they were fighting being not to hide some new alien threat like it seemed, but that they were fighting other humans."</i><br /><br />This most recent time watching "Severed Dreams", I had a similar thought. The scene where the attacking EarthForce soldiers cut a hole in the wall and burst through made me think "wow, this is just like the Babylon Squared flash-forward". I never considered that it might have actually been meant to be that.LiamKavhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01996095233681105682noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37940560.post-24489453990112943392014-09-06T20:02:01.759-03:002014-09-06T20:02:01.759-03:00There's a bit from JMS on the Lurker's Gui...There's a bit from JMS on the Lurker's Guide for this episode that really annoys me. He's asked about Ivanova is acting while the station is being destroyed:<br /><br /><i>"I felt a bit of an outburst, a final letting go of the emotions, was not inappropriate for her. (Although I do think Claudia may have played it a bit too hysterical at times; separate the lines from the performance and look at it again.)" </i><br /><br />Joe, you are the Executive Producer of the show. You are responsible for it. You never, <i>ever</i> publicly criticise your actors like that. Especially in a "no no no, the LINES that I wrote are okay, it's just the actor saying them that's wrong" manner. It's unprofessional, never mind getting in to the whole bit about her turning you down.LiamKavhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01996095233681105682noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37940560.post-69847094744743591092014-09-06T11:59:20.509-03:002014-09-06T11:59:20.509-03:00JMS declined to reveal the circumstances behind th...JMS declined to reveal the circumstances behind the filming of this two-parter after revealing Michael O'Hare's illness, but I do have my own theory: after a year and a half of treatment he was much more lucid, but there was also the threat that he could slip back at any time (as indeed he did later on). So JMS decided he had to do this story, the only one that absolutely required Sinclair's presence, right now, or it might never be possible.<br /><br />Another thing I've had to develop my own theory for: Sinclair's flash to Garibaldi's sacrifice which is here relegated to a dark future that the heroes will fully prevent. My idea: it was going to be during Severed Dreams, with our not seeing who they were fighting being not to hide some new alien threat like it seemed, but that they were fighting other humans. And Sinclair would then use this warning to be able to get Garibaldi out of there.<br /><br />The original script has the group going to the Great Machine for the briefing, with Draal and Delenn taking turns explaining the situation and also introducing Zathras. But John Schuck had been offered a plum role in a tour of Hello Dolly, and JMS was never one to keep his actors from these things. And since Draal had already changed once, he decided it would be too weird to give us a third actor, so the whole subplot ended up dropped. This does make it really weird later how they never get around to using their "ace in the hole" as Sheridan promised earlier, but that's reality for you. For now, the big victim was Mira Furlan, who found herself saddled with a lengthy bout of exposition that was designed to be shared between two people. But she's so good at what she does that you never do feel that length.<br /><br />The novel To Dream in the City of Sorrows covers Sinclair's time on Minbar, and reveals how he got the scar: he and Catherine were investigating a Shadow operation when she was caught in a time flux they opened and lost somewhere in time, while a tiny piece of her ship was left behind and flew into Sinclair's cockpit, slicing up his face. Another interesting thing revealed in that book: when Sinclair told Garibaldi "Stay close to the Vorlon," he meant it in the "keep your enemies closer" sense, trusting that Garibaldi would pick up on the only way he could put the warning with the Minbari watching.<br /><br />Jerry Doyle developed a great animosity for O'Hare during their year together, so that he refused to share any scenes with him here. I'll give him the benefit of the doubt that he didn't know about O'Hare's condition (including an interview someone quoted earlier where Doyle called him "completely nuts"), but I do really wonder how he took the news.Ryan Lohnernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37940560.post-46703981502510169412014-09-06T11:46:43.781-03:002014-09-06T11:46:43.781-03:00Ah yeah. That's a mistake. There's a point...Ah yeah. That's a mistake. There's a point next season where they go out of there way to avoid something similar.LiamKavhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01996095233681105682noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37940560.post-9365375858945272942014-09-06T11:18:55.762-03:002014-09-06T11:18:55.762-03:00Clothes: I'm thinking ahead to any Delenn sequ...Clothes: I'm thinking ahead to any Delenn sequence (right?).Siskoidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08266365376486695812noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37940560.post-88160717454936076462014-09-06T10:49:16.179-03:002014-09-06T10:49:16.179-03:00Garibaldi's hair, yes, but I don't think t...Garibaldi's hair, yes, but I don't think the clothes are a nitpick. During the B-Squared flashforwards, everyone is in flak jackets and armor. We don't see a single Earth Force uniform. If Sinclair had returned to make a final stand (or had never left) then it would make sense for him and Garibaldi to suit up for their final stand.<br /><br />(Although, speaking of hair, Sheridan's mighty mullet is beginning to show. It's a nice touch that he's responded to breaking away by changing his hair. It will have reached epic lengths by the season finale.)<br /><br />This episode does one thing that I always felt was a real Babylon 5 strong point. We've had the mystery of Babylon 4 since season 1, and now we're going to answer it. We're bringing back Sinclair! We're revealing who stole the station, and more about the last Shadow War! But at the same time, we're setting up new mysteries via Sheridan's flashforward. We're answering one question while setting up another.<br /><br />I'll save some more stuff until tomorrow, but there's a fascinating discussion concerning the various "conclusions" of the show at different stages of development, including WWE, SiL and Babylon Prime.LiamKavhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01996095233681105682noreply@blogger.com