One down, Four to go...

[autographedcat]

Last Friday, we finished the first season of Babylon 5. While I said I wasn't going to do Ohiesque episode-by-episode reactions, I thought I'd jot down a few thoughts on the full season experience:

• The attention to detail is utterly amazing. Once you start getting sucked into the universe, you start to notice all these little touches. Background shots of newspaper headlines, bits of dialogue that seems innocuous in its original context that comes to be important several episodes later.
  
  
• While I admit that I was very down on Sinclair in the beginning, by the end of the season he'd really grown on me.
  
  
• So far, my favourite characters are, in no particular order, Ivanova, Garibaldi, and Londo. This is interesting, because as near as I can tel, these are the three characters who are most obviously broken.
  
  
  
  • Susan is utterly delightful. She has just the sort of acerbic wit and weary, i-don't-have-time-for-this attitude that just makes fall a little bit in love with her every time she does something. (That she's incredibly easy on the eyes does nothing to hinder this, really). We were terribly amused to find two of her signature lines (which everyone's heard, even if they haven't watched the show) came in first season. I admit, I found her following to the "No boom today." line almost funnier than the line itself: "What?! Look, somebody's got to have some damn perspective around here. Boom. Sooner or later ... boom!" She seems to like saying "boom."
    
  • Garibaldi very much seems like the guy who has been through the grinder and come out the other side. He has a wonderfully direct manner that suits his job well, but it's very clear to see that he's haunted by his past. I do find it interesting that, for all that he is in uniform, he's never addressed by rank. He is always "Mister Garibaldi" to everyone. Is he actually still considered a part of the EarthForce military structure, or does his post as Security Chief exist outside of that?
    
  • Londo is an interesting dichotomy, a comic tragic figure. He's first shown to us as a bit of a buffoon, but as we get to know him, it becomes clear that what he really is is a used-up old man, whose career is waning as swiftly as his people's importance. Even before he starts to get involved with dark forces he doesn't quite comprehend, he surprises you sometimes by dropping his jovial facade and giving you a glimpse at the beaten down spirit underneath. "My shoes are too tight," he says, "but it doesn't matter, for I have forgotten how to dance." I'm sure this will play into his decisions with regards to what Mr. Morden is offering.
    
  
  
  
• Morden is a fascinating character too, for all that we've seen him so far. What's interesting to him is that he's obviously a bad guy and not to be trusted. And yet, there's really nothing about him that's objectionable. He's well dressed, pleasant, genial, gregarious, polite and respectful to everyone he speaks to. He's always friendly, and he smiles. And yet, you can't help think "I should not trust this man." kitanzi commented that he reminded her of a used car salesman.
  
  
• One of the interesting parts about coming into the series as late as we have is that we know some of what's in store. Not really specifics, but enough of the overall plot arc has seeped into fannish popular culture that it would be hard to miss. This puts us in the fascinating position of recognizing something is important without really knowing why. "That's a piece of the puzzle," I commented at one point. "I don't know where it fits. But I know it's a puzzle piece." I'm looking forward to watching the various pieces drop in.
  
  
• The Lurkers Guide is a fabulous resource, if only for JMS's commentary for each episode. After watching the season, I went back and read through the commentary there, since it was purposefully structured NOT to spoil you on stuff later on, I figured it was safe. I don't think there's ever been a project which had so much personal feedback from the creator the fan base as it was happening It kinda makes me sad now that I missed out on it when it was happening.
  

In the end, I'm sure you're all wondering "So....what'd you think? Are you hooked yet?" And the answer is....oh yes, we're in deep. While I know that my friend would have happily loaned me the subsequent seasons, getting up with her to collect them would have taken.....days. Hours, at least. So I went out on Saturday and bought Season 2. I had to visit five stores to find it. But, in for a penny, in for a pound, as they say. (Actually, at current exchange rates, its more like "In for a penny, in for 32 pounds", but still well worth it.)

We've started Season 2 already, and I'll report back when we finish it!

Comments

[kightp.livejournal.com]

I got hooked on B5 when it was still in its first on-the-air go-round, by a former sweetie who forced me (well, nicely) to sit down and watch. I joined it midway through season 4; the first episode confused me, the second made me go "hey, look, it's an ongoing story arc!" and the third hooked me. I subsequently started the whole thing from scratch, and have watched it three times - once on the air, twice on home-recorded videotapes.

Your post makes me want to buy the entire DVD collection, damn the cost, so I can introduce my current sweetie to it, episode by episode.

You ain't seen nothin' yet. (-: Without spoilers, I can promise you that everything - everything just gets more interesting and complex, and that there's almost no such thing as an idle comment or meaningless plot device. I envy you the experience of seeing it for the first time.

[selenite.livejournal.com]

Garibaldi's rank is Chief Warrant Officer. WO's are "limited" officers who rank between the top sergeants and junior lieutenants. So "Chief" and "Mister" are both correct ways to address him.

[allisona.livejournal.com]

Yay, I'm glad you're enjoying it as much as I did at the beginning of the year. We're both the lucky sort who loved it right from season 1- lucky, because it just keeps getting better and it's a great viewing experience! :)

I'll look forward to your future seasonal reports.

[futabachan.livejournal.com]

While I admit that I was very down on Sinclair in the beginning, by the end of the season he'd really grown on me.

Heh. Don't get too used to him....

Garibaldi very much seems like the guy who has been through the grinder and come out the other side.

Remember that comment; it's worth reviewing somewhat later.

Londo is an interesting dichotomy, a comic tragic figure.

And that comment, too.

[technoshaman.livejournal.com]

Londo is an interesting dichotomy, a comic tragic figure.

I'd say you totally nailed that assessment.

Susan is utterly delightful

Aside from the accent, which is CC's own California, she plays the Russian bit well... and CC is extremely easy on the eyes, yes.

I'll have more to say as you go. There are a couple of points I'm dying to make, but they'd be spoilers...

And the Lurker's Guide for the win, best fansite EVAR. It's not the flashiest, but it is the most complete, centralized resource on a given genre I have ever seen. Poor Midwinter.com got so slashdotted they had to mirror it not once but twice... once overseas.

They even gave out the commercial breakpoints ahead of time so that fans who were recording, either off the sattelite or their local broadcast feed, could narf the commercials under program control.

Tolkein wrote the first big saga of the modern SF era. Lucas did it on the big screen. (And should've quit at three.) JMS did what those two august gentlemen did in their media, but he did it on the little screen, on the cheap and without a whole hell of a lot of support from other than the fans. Even Joss didn't manage that, though what he did was damn good.

I don't think we'll see the like - a full five-year story arc of this quality - again anytime soon. Alas.

[celticdragonfly.livejournal.com]

Bwahahaha. Welcome to the addiction. I look forward to future posts of your impressions of the rest.

It tempts me to have us start watching it all over again. Except... we said we'd watch Buffy, and we've bogged down horribly near the start of season 4. (After Karl bought 4-7, darn it)

[cellio]

I'm enjoying watching you experience this for the first time. You've nailed a number of things (she says cryptically).

G'kar is worth paying attention to during season 2.

[khaosworks.livejournal.com]

If you're ever interested, ask me sometime and I'll tell you why - and I emphasise this - as much as I do like Babylon 5 and consider it a remarkable and historic piece of science fiction television, all things being equal I still like Deep Space Nine better. B5 is good in a lot of ways that DS9 isn't, and DS9 scores in other departments where B5 stumbles, but in my final analysis DS9 gets the edge.

I know that's heresy in many people's eyes, so I won't go into it unless someone actually asks.

Oh, and once you're done with Season 2's big character twist (and you'll know it when you see it), you should try tracking down (or ask me) the story in the B5 comics that told of Sinclair and Garibaldi's first meeting on Mars and how that ties in with the arc.