more B5 thoughts

[rivendellrose]

"All my life I've fought against imperialism, and now I am the expanding Russian frontier."

Yup, still loving Ivanova. Just in case you wondered. Saw two more episodes last night - the one with the Purples and the Greens ("Green wins. You win. Everybody wins!"), and the one with Sheridan's old friend, Mr "The Shadows Are Gonna Kill This Guy Before the Season's Over" and the whole hyperspace disaster. I was sure they were doomed before they'd even gone through the jump-gate, so I was a little disappointed when I realized the "ohmigod panic" of the episode was actually going to be over the little pilot guy. Warren. Whatever. He'd just been brought into the opening credits, for crying out loud - it's not like they're gonna kill him two episodes after putting him in, and I have yet to find a reason to like him, dislike him, feel any damned thing about him. Sheridan's friend is a horrible over-actor, so I was sort of hoping we'd never have to see him again, but I'm sure I'll get that wish soon. After all, he's going out to the Rim.

Let's see... other things to say. As much as I love Ivanova, I am completely indifferent to Franklin. I have no idea why. I usually love the doctors! Pulaski, Bashir, the holographic doctor, Simon... I have a pattern. But Franklin leaves me totally cold. It's not like he's not a visually appealing guy (to the contrary, he's really pretty handsome), his personality just bores me. He's so serious, like all the time. Not funny-cute serious, just deadpan "I don't find any of this amusing" serious. And the whole 'food plan' thing... meh. Like several hundred years from now we wouldn't have better nutritional education and practices? It was cute watching Sheridan, Garibaldi, and Ivanova trade plates, though.

Delenn is still weirding me out, what with the hair and the sudden "ooo, pretty fitting clothes!" thing (wtf? and still with the fancy twisty hairstyle!) but I love her star-stuff speech, of course. I just loved her a lot more when she looked less human. I feel kind of bad saying that, but it's true. Oh, and I forgot to mention how much I'm adoring Londo and his descent into the Bad Things. Clearly they don't have scary used car salesmen on his world, because if they did he'd have recognized Mr Always-Smiling Shadow Servant as trouble on the way. Poor Londo. And Vir! "You do not frighten easily," says the techno-mage. "I work for Ambassador Mollari." ♥

Oh, and Garibaldi really is growing on me. He's definitely not my favorite, but I really do like him. He's all growly and snarky.

Comments

[miss-arel.livejournal.com]

I loved the techno-mage episode, largely because of that exchange with Vir. Also because the lead techno-mage was the voice of Mr. Freeze in the Batman and Robin cartoons I watched as a kid and therefore got me all nostalgic.

And the whole Green and Purple Drazi ep killed me. Poor Ivanova. XD

Garibaldi grew on me, too. Such a grumpy puppy.

Have you gotten to the episode yet where Delenn has Hair Issues? I'm pretty sure it's early on in the season...

[rivendellrose.livejournal.com]

*Pounces* I so much wanted you to be home yesterday so that I could run upstairs and fuss and freak out at you about this show!!! No one else understands. :P

Anyway. Yeah, the techno-mage's voice sounded really familiar to me, too, although I doubt it was the Mr Freeze thing... I barely remember the Batman cartoon. But I'm sure I've seen/heard him in something. And poor Vir was so pathetic and yet brave.

"Getting them together to discuss their differences doesn't work, because they don't have any differences." And I love the look on her face when she realized that taking the scarf really would fix all their problems. That's right... encourage Ivanova's latent tendency toward autocracy. She should just take over the universe and be done with it. It would all be so... organized. XD

He is a grumpy puppy. He reminds me of Vimes, in a way - he's all grumpy and cranky and doesn't want to eat healthy things. Maybe it was the resignation that made me think of the connection.

No, but I knew it was coming, which is part of why her little twisty-hair-thing is getting on my nerves. I could never get my hair to do that, but she does it for weeks... and then has a hair crisis? o_O

[windrose.livejournal.com]

No, but I knew it was coming, which is part of why her little twisty-hair-thing is getting on my nerves. I could never get my hair to do that, but she does it for weeks... and then has a hair crisis? o_O

That episode annoys me on so many levels. IIRC, it's written by Peter David who, while funny, has a tendency to write stereotypical women. IMO, Delenn and Ivanova's role in that episode amounts to little more than a teenager's slumber party, with the two of them talking about hairstyles and facials and other "girlie" things.

I never cared much for Franklin, either, but he does have a fan following, and there's a lovely tribute page to the actor who passed away unexpectedly not long after the series ended.

Vir rocks, and continues to rock through the whole series. He gets some wonderful character development, which is one of the things I loved about B5. Characters actually grow and change over time, and there are plot-driven reasons for it, as opposed to most shows where the characters are whatever they need to be for a particular episode, regardless of how it screws with continuity.

Which isn't to say there are not flaws, because there are. There are certain characters whose development kinda goes pear-shaped in later episodes, much to the consternation of the fans and, in one notable case, to the actor as well.

My favorite character on the show remains G'kar, and not just because I got to be friends with Andreas Katsulas before he passed away. Where he starts at the beginning of the series and where he ends up at the close is just ... wow. Andreas's performance is what makes it all work, because I honestly don't think a lesser actor could have pulled it off.

[rivendellrose.livejournal.com]

Oh, no... I've always liked David's writing, but you're very right about his female characters. It was fine when I was a teenager and very very clueless but now... argh. I'm coming up on that ep pretty soon, now, so I guess we'll just see how it goes. I like the idea of Ivanova and Delenn actually interacting (*gasp*) but the set-up sounds pretty weak.

My biggest concern with Franklin is not having a clue why I don't like him. He's just always failed to interest me, somehow.

I never expected to like Vir or Londo at all, but they both grew on me so very quickly. Particularly Londo, because he's just plain hilarious and silly, and then so very dead serious about things. I love that. He's so very shameless about the things he'll do for power, and to help his position and his people.

I'm wibbling right now over the pear-shaped stuff, because I have a horrible feeling it's going to be one of the characters I like. I'm annoyed about Ivanova apparently disappearing in the latter seasons. I'm interested (and scared!) to see what else might go wrong.

I'm with you on G'Kar. He's not exactly my favorite (that goes to Ivanova), but I'm fascinated by his character, and Andreas really does a fabulous job playing him. Very impressive work.

Franklin

[lokapala.livejournal.com]

I never could bring myself to care about him too, and as I think it's because, unfortunately, there's no one to care about - he is just a big empty spot on screen. Discounting his doctorness (not much of a character, more like a starting point to build said character) and his generic father issues (discounted on the grounds of everyone and their dog on B5 having them, and having the more or less exact same kind of) there is not much of Franklin left. Well, his unappealing lack of humor. That's all. Empty spot on screen, I tell you. When in the later seasons he got more things to do and more thoughts to have he became slightly personlike for a time, but then again disappeared. I think that JMS decided he couldn't have a space station without a Doctor, but for some reason plot-wise there was no big place for doctors in his big political schemes, so poor Franklin became The Token Doctor of B5, See, We Have One And He Even Has Stuff To Do!

Re: Franklin

[rivendellrose.livejournal.com]

That's exactly it!!! Thank you so much for expressing that; it'd been bothering me for the longest time that I couldn't figure out what bothered me about him, but that's it exactly!

I was about to agree with you on the generic father issues, but then I realized that, at the point I'm at in the series, I actually can't think of any background details for people who don't have father issues. The people I know background for are Ivanova (father issues to an unbelievable extent, not to mention the insanely intense mother issues), Talia (father issues because of whatshisname, and just plain issues in that the Corps was apparently her only family) and Garibaldi (as far as canon statements go, he might not have a mother, but he definitely has a father, and issues about him). For all we know about their family and background, Delenn, G'Kar, and Lennier might've sprung fully formed out of rocks. Same goes for Londo, with exception of his wives. Does he have children? Are his parents living? Who knows! As for Sheridan, the only personal detail of any kind that I can pull up for him is that his wife, Anna, is dead (maybe? I have my doubts), and he has a younger sister who is irritating.

You're right. Aside from his being a doctor, I can't think of a single character detail about Franklin. Which is not to say that many of the others are intensely-colored tapestries of characterization, but to some extent that's to be expected in the second season of an intensely plot-driven show. The total lack of anything for Franklin is really disturbing, though!