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rivendellroseThrough "War Without End," now, and loving the hell out of this whole thing. ♥
Ceremonies of Light and Dark
In which we get the Nafak'cha, the rebirth ceremony from "Parliament of Dreams," again, and I spend most of the episode itching for more information about how this ritual is used in Minbari society. Completely aside from my wild anthropological yearnings, however, it's really interesting to see how the ritual is used in this episode - Delenn wants to use it to bring everyone around her into a new view of the world, to try to stabilize them for the coming struggle (or, in Londo's case, to try to turn them back around to the right way - interesting, as she seems to be the only person here who still thinks he can be turned around at this point). Marcus wants to avoid it (again) because he doesn't believe he has anything of worth to give up. Lennier clings to it as a way of dealing with Delenn's capture and endangerment and reassuring himself that she'll be back, and then is perfectly willing to forget all about it the instant she's safe, and Sheridan, who only understands it in the vaguest possible sense, uses it both to deal with the crisis his command staff are going through and as a way to admit and cement his feelings for Delenn. (This time, Delenn doesn't even have to mysteriously eyeball the Human captain in order to get him tied to her by the ritual - he does it all by himself. She must be so pleased with herself.)
Boggs and the other guy, whatshisname the crazy one who likes to sing the "Dem Bones" song in an attempt to up his creepiness (...totally unnecessary, for my money, after the remark about keeping a Minbari alive for seven days during the war - honestly "Dem Bones" just threw me completely out of the moment, and The Boy said the same happened to him)... appear to me to be some of the less impressive guest actors this season. I was forced to point out to The Boy that we still don't exactly have the best budget in the world. And that possibly they traded building the new set for the war-room for, y'know, actually being able to afford guest actors who weren't a bit iffy. Still, they sufficed, and they were unpleasant and horrible and all. So, whatever.
Delenn's idea of "disguise" still appears to be a cloak that will attract attention rather than avoid it, but I suppose she's covered the head-crest and that's what matters, right? This cloak, at least, is quite pretty... and doesn't look like she's just wearing her Grey Council garment around the station, which is a definite bonus.
I like that we get early establishment here that Marcus needs to forgive himself for being alive. Which, of course, he never will. I forget where exactly, probably end of S4, but I'm sure I read somewhere that JMS described him as a martyr looking for a cause. It's disturbingly true. Even early on, he's very... he has a tendency to just throw himself at things, regardless of danger (or possibly because of it), trying to die for any cause that might be considered worthy.
Question: What caste do we think Lennan is/was? Obviously not warrior, as we currently are distanced from them, but his outfit doesn't look much like any religious-caste clothes we've seen before, so I'm thinking maybe he's a worker? ...This doesn't really matter, it's just more of my endless curiosity about the Minbari.
Of course the guy can understand Minbari. ...Of course, they do have three languages. Presumably Delenn and Lennan were speaking Adronato (? I return to my question about Lennan's caste...), so why couldn't they whisper more, later, in, say, I dunno... Fik? The language of the worker caste seems like a much less likely language for this guy to know (I find it impossible to believe he would understand all three languages), but perhaps they figure it's too late and their chance has passed anyway. Or possibly Lennan is religious caste and Minbari only speak the language of their particular caste. I find this latter theory extremely unlikely, since, sheesh, they have to be able to communicate somehow. Or is Adronato accepted as the dominant language and the other two are just used within their castes? (Augh, more information, please!)
As his part of the ritual, Lennier tells Marcus that he loves Delenn. "Duh," says the Boy. And so I pause the DVD for about five minutes while he insists that he already told me he knew this and I just made non-committal noises in response. Which, granted, has been the response I try to give him for everything, but I don't remember having that conversation. Anyway. It's not that I'm surprised that he figured it out (I always thought it was as plain as day), but just that I hadn't thought from things he'd said that he had figured it out, and it had been somewhat confusing and intriguing me that he hadn't. Oh well. To continue, we shouldn't worry, because Lennier's love for Delenn is pure and perfect. Excuse me while I go die of bitter laughter, and then hug him and give him cookies. Obviously Marcus feels the same doubts (...probably minus the hugs and cookies, although I do very much wish there was more fic with Marcus and Lennier - they are such awesome little angsty buddies!), and tells Lennier that, really, swearing an oath never to leave someone is probably a dangerous proposition. Marcus, of course, is one to talk. And Lennier is having none of his arguments - his love is pure and he can't imagine being parted from Delenn, or breaking his oath to her. Oh, Lennier.
Really, I wonder - is it the oath that's actually the problem here? I mean, really, is the oath to stay with her through her trials really the problem? I don't have an answer for this, I'm just curious.
I'm still deeply touched by the scene where Sheridan and the rest of the command crew bring their uniforms to Delenn and tell her their secrets. Not only is it a nice way to bring a few things we might have suspected but not been certain of out into the open, it's a very touching moment in the knitting of the group... and, yes, I'm a big soppy romantic and I adore the whole Delenn/Sheridan thing.
Sic Transit Vir
Vir has been saving a bunch of Narn by shuffling paperwork and making up a character called Abrahamo Lincolni. He also has a fiancee, but she's a homicidal nutjob (played by an actress who wouldn't know "subtle" if it smacked her right between the eyes). That about covers this one, I think.
Oh, and we get to see Ivanova running around C&C naked. It's just a dream, so it's okay to enjoy it.
A Late Delivery from Avalon
Let's see... G'Kar is Gawain, Delenn is the Lady of the Lake, Franklin is Percival (? I'm a little short on Arthurian myth when it comes to Percival/Parsifal, however you want to spell it, so I'm not sure about this one), and Marcus thinks he might be Galahad, because he never fails to think big. (...And now I have the whole "Galahad, sweet Galahad" bit from Spamalot stuck in my head. Wheeee.)
In all seriousness, I think the two most charming bits of this episode are G'Kar going totally nuts with joy over hanging out with Arthur, writing wrongs and drinking a whole hell of a lot of alcohol... and Marcus, whose very first reaction to a guy who claims to be King Arthur is to throw himself into his knees and pledge fealty. Oh, Marcus. ♥
The reason Marcus amuses me so much is... hell, I've been there. It's hard for a person who's really into history, as we've seen many times that Marcus is, not to wish that they could be That Guy, you know? Or That Girl, as the case may be. Hell, why else would the SCA be so popular? In my day in the society, I've watched tournaments, addressed court (briefly, and only at the baronial level, but I have!), I've cheered for my kingdom, and, yes, I've sworn fealty to my barony on behalf of a group. That was a weirdly proud moment, kneeling on a carpet in front of a low throne, my hands rested on the sheathed baronial sword, repeating the words the baron and baroness spoke, while the members of the college knelt behind me, their hands on my shoulder. It's a thing, I'm telling you. It sounds crazy, but it's a thing. And part of the thrill of it is just... briefly allowing your heart to believe that life can be like this, that you can let go of all the mess of modern life and enjoy the fantasy, the... the story that all of us who read a lot of history have going in our heads of How Things Were. Even if, yes, you know that life was damned shitty back then, there's still this beautiful, romantic ideal that sticks in the back of your mind and never lets you go.
Anyway, um, I think my point there was that I really empathize with Marcus in that moment. You can tell he's lived his whole life wishing he could have exactly that moment, and he got it. I can't blame him in the least for not wanting to say goodbye to the real David whatever-his-name-was once he'd recovered himself, because... well, because I probably wouldn't either. I'd rather hold that previous moment in my mind, and keep it.
...All that said, there was a pretty simple damned hint that they missed straight away indicating that no, this guy wasn't really King Arthur. Two hints, actually.
1. The real King Arthur would be speaking either a dialect of Old English, or Old Welsh or Celtic. Not English as we know it. And no, Old English is not what Shakespeare wrote in. :P
2. (Corollary to the above) Um, he so would not have recognized Marcus/Jason Carter's accent as being of England.
There's also the fact that he seemed, y'know, awfully clean and well-cared for and without all sorts of callouses and things like that, but hey - maybe the three queens in Avalon have a really good healthcare package or something. Whatever.
I did love this episode, though, and passionately adored the scene with Delenn taking 'Excalibur' back from him. Delenn is certainly the right person to give forgiveness in this case... mostly because she's never actually going to get it for herself for starting the war.
"Next thing you'll be saying is he [Kosh] isn't Merlin." ♥♥♥
And I know we don't actually see it until the next episode, but... the round table. Oh, Sheridan. You romantic, you. ♥
Ship of Tears
There are telepaths, they're weapons, and Bester might actually be an ally for us, sort of. Unfortunately, as is already clear, this is a telepath episode... which mostly means that apart from loving the hell out of evil old Bester, I don't give a damn. Particularly since we get to meet Bester's Love of His Life (tm), who is... not quite as bad an actress as most of the actresses we got in the 2nd season? Not quite as annoying as Lyndisty? Trying to become the Borg Queen? I don't know, I just Don't Give a Damn about telepath episodes. Ever. It's not them, it's me. I just can't care. Moving on.
The Guide says: Try not to drool on the controls," Sheridan mutters as Bester admires the White Star's bridge. To which I say, yeah, great idea, Sheridan - show one of your worst enemies your big awesome secret ship! That's fantastic! *headdesk*
Delenn, inspired by forgiving Arthur in the last episode, decides that she needs to tell G'Kar about how, oops, they actually kind of knew that the Shadows were going to destroy Narn, and they didn't do anything about it because, well, that'd tip their hand, you see? She's terribly contrite. G'Kar does not particularly care, but he says he might be able to forgive her. Someday.
And the Conspiracy of Light or whatever we're calling them finally twigs to the fact that the Shadows are probably the reason the Narn don't have telepaths anymore. Good for them.
Interludes and Examinations
Londo somehow forgets that Adira is coming to the station despite being really super excited about that fact, and tells Morden that he doesn't have anything left to lose. Honestly, at this point, I kind of lose the ability to sympathize with Londo much. I mean, really. "Oh, I don't have anything left to lose, Mr Morden! Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a meeting arranged with the love of my life. Don't worry, if you happen to kill her, I'll be sure to blame Lord Refa. Bye bye!"
Franklin is a jackass a bunch, and then admits that he's got a problem. And that he's going to run off andhide his head in the sand figure himself out for a while. Oookay. Middle of a war, probably not the best time for that, but... you gotta do what you gotta do, I guess. Whatever.
And Sheridan picks a fight with Kosh, demanding that he step in and do something about the Shadows. I really do love this scene, because it's... oh, it's just so Sheridan. When all else fails, get in the guy's face and tell him he's a coward. "You said you wanted to teach me to fight legends. Well you're a legend, too, and I am not going away until you agree!" ♥♥♥
And then Kosh dies. Because Sheridan pushes him to do something that draws the Shadows' attention to him. Oops. But he appears to Sheridan in a dream, first, pretending to be his daddy, so that makes it all okay. Or, you know, more angsty. Whichever. Seriously, I do love that whole plotline in this episode - it's just so perfect for all the characters involved (...except for the bit with how at the beginning Sheridan's like "We have to do something," and Delenn, with the most blank look in the world, is all "I'm sure you'll think of something." Um. Delenn? I know you're thinking about all those great things you can't tell him, yet, but... maybe you could remember sometimes not to just stand around looking pretty and waiting for Sheridan to act? It kind of worries me whenever she gets like this - it's like JMS just kind of forgets who and what he's dealing with from time to time and starts writing "default supportive female love interest" instead. Is this how he wrote Mary Jane in Spiderman? Because I would totally fucking believe it. No, never mind - she's probably more like Lyta, isn't she? Or, worse yet, Talia...
And finally, once again, Londo proves that he can still fall even further into the pit.
They took from me... the one thing that I have ever truly loved. And you will help me, Mr. Morden, to strike them down. Give me this... and the safety of my people, and let the rest of the galaxy burn. I don't care any more. Will you help me, Mr. Morden?
Yeah, great idea, Londo. Just fantastic.
War Without End, Parts One and Two
Good god, I know it's a bit mean, but I will not be sorry never to see Jeffrey Sinclair again, after going through all that for the second time. His acting... well, let's just say by halfway through I was ready to give Boxleitner (or pretty much anybody else other than the asshats playing the crew of B4) a freaking Academy Award for Not Annoying The Hell Out of Me. I'm sure he's a lovely guy, but... yeesh, the acting.
The Boy's reaction to this was pretty much all that I'd hoped for, particularly his shocked and somewhat horrified reaction (which I firmly agree with) to Sinclair as Valen. It's a very wtf kind of situation. Particularly... I know this is a teensy bit silly, but it smacks to me of the whole Super Special Sacred White Guy syndrome (see "Dances with Wolves" or, god forbid, "Avatar" for examples of how this trope works...). Granted, the Minbari are far from an oppressed minority (perish the thought), but it still tweaks me to think that vast parts of their culture are based on this... well, frankly, this smug, sanctimonious guy who I don't particularly like, popping in out of the future and writing down a bunch of prophecies that he knows because, um, dude, he was there. Like, just a few minutes ago. The worst thing is, I think he's an early (and much less extreme) case of that JMS classic "charisma by fiat," with a bonus side of "holiness by fiat." We're meant to believe somehow that everyone (Marcus, Delenn, Ivanova, Garibaldi, whatever) totally adores and worships Sinclair, would follow him to the ends of the universe, and, oh yeah, the Minbari totally decide that he's the most awesome and holy leader ever. Um. Why exactly? Well, because, see... the writer tells us so.
Now, maybe it's just because I like them, but we do have several lovely examples on this show of people I can believe folks would follow to the ends of the universe. Delenn, Sheridan, G'Kar, Ivanova... Hell, Garibaldi's more a charismatic and awesome leader than Sinclair is, and he's just a freaking security guy. Marcus has more charisma (although I wouldn't follow him anywhere, because the guy's got a freaking death wish. He tries to take Sinclair's place, here - Sinclair's all "I have to take the station into the past!" and Marcus is all "No, I'll do it!" ...Sweetie, wait your turn. We'd all much rather have you around for a while longer, and let Sinclair go do his thing. Besides, you'd look weird as a Minbari.
Londo and G'Kar get their Big Scene here, and I love it so much. ♥ The way the shadows fall on Londo's face with only his hands in the light as he's sitting in his throne, and then G'Kar steps out of the shadows, too, and he's got his eye-patch, and he looks so... so tired and old, but still so much G'Kar.
And I skipped a bit, didn't I? Because Delenn and Sheridan get their first kiss here. Awwww, bless. He gets his first kiss with her far far in the future, while she's trying to tell him about their son being okay. Also, um, that whole first scene with Sheridan and Delenn? Really faintly awkward. Not least because Sheridan is still a day late and a dollar short on figuring out what's going on ("wait, wait, Delenn, what are you doing here, I--wait, you're kissing me, what's--our SON? WTF's going on here?!"), but also because Delenn is all of a sudden Mrs Doom and Gloom "woe, NOTHING EVER GOES RIGHT AND IT'S ALL TERRIBLE AND WORTHLESS!" Which, um. Where the hell did that come from? Am I forgetting something horrible late in the series? I mean... okay, Sheridan's gonna die in about three years by this time scale, even if they get away from Londo. Okay, fine. And Centauri Prime was destroyed. And Lennier ran offin a snit because he kind-of-sort-of tried to kill Sheridan. And then maybe died in the teep war, but we don't talk about that. Still. She's got Sheridan, she's got David, they're running both the Rangers and the freaking Alliance... I do not recall reasons for this degree of WOE IS ME angsting on Delenn's part. Highly disconcerting. I would much more likely expect "be elsewhere" cold-rage!Delenn under these circumstances than I would this. Whenever she said "they cannot hurt me" or whatever, it sounded like "because I have WOE ALREADY BEEN HURT BEYOND CARING." Which. Um. Okay, then...
Still. It was an interesting look into the future. I love how first she's all "no, you can't change any of this, it is how it Must Happen," and then, just as he's vanishing, she's like "oh, wait, hang on, I forgot - don't go to Z'ha'dum!" Little late, there, Delenn.
And then there's her flash-forward, with Anna. Oh dear. I'm sure I've mentioned it before, but the voice of the woman who plays Anna? Nails on a blackboard to me. Anyway. (Snow globe crashes, woman's voice is heard... "Rosebud?" asks The Boy. "Not exactly," I say.)
Leaving aside all the wonkiness and back and forth and stuff from the actual episode, I have a very important question, based on a quote from the horse's mouth, so to speak - from the Usenet bits on the Lurker's Guide - "Valen did not have any children."
Um. Okay, hang on. Did I just make up the whole "you are a child of Valen" thing in "Atonement," then, or what? I know I read a lot of fanfic, but I was fairly sure that was canon. I mean, it's not impossible - I freely admit it's been a long time since I saw that episode and other things have been catching me off-guard here and there, but... I'm sure I remember something about Delenn being descended from 'Valen' in that episode. Wasn't that the established reason for why the triluminary reacted to her? And wasn't that how she eventually blackmailed her clan into accepting her marriage with Sheridan, by saying "ah, but we aren't pure, because our most revered leader ever was Human before he was Minbari!" Wasn't that how it went? I'm confused here.
Ceremonies of Light and Dark
In which we get the Nafak'cha, the rebirth ceremony from "Parliament of Dreams," again, and I spend most of the episode itching for more information about how this ritual is used in Minbari society. Completely aside from my wild anthropological yearnings, however, it's really interesting to see how the ritual is used in this episode - Delenn wants to use it to bring everyone around her into a new view of the world, to try to stabilize them for the coming struggle (or, in Londo's case, to try to turn them back around to the right way - interesting, as she seems to be the only person here who still thinks he can be turned around at this point). Marcus wants to avoid it (again) because he doesn't believe he has anything of worth to give up. Lennier clings to it as a way of dealing with Delenn's capture and endangerment and reassuring himself that she'll be back, and then is perfectly willing to forget all about it the instant she's safe, and Sheridan, who only understands it in the vaguest possible sense, uses it both to deal with the crisis his command staff are going through and as a way to admit and cement his feelings for Delenn. (This time, Delenn doesn't even have to mysteriously eyeball the Human captain in order to get him tied to her by the ritual - he does it all by himself. She must be so pleased with herself.)
Boggs and the other guy, whatshisname the crazy one who likes to sing the "Dem Bones" song in an attempt to up his creepiness (...totally unnecessary, for my money, after the remark about keeping a Minbari alive for seven days during the war - honestly "Dem Bones" just threw me completely out of the moment, and The Boy said the same happened to him)... appear to me to be some of the less impressive guest actors this season. I was forced to point out to The Boy that we still don't exactly have the best budget in the world. And that possibly they traded building the new set for the war-room for, y'know, actually being able to afford guest actors who weren't a bit iffy. Still, they sufficed, and they were unpleasant and horrible and all. So, whatever.
Delenn's idea of "disguise" still appears to be a cloak that will attract attention rather than avoid it, but I suppose she's covered the head-crest and that's what matters, right? This cloak, at least, is quite pretty... and doesn't look like she's just wearing her Grey Council garment around the station, which is a definite bonus.
I like that we get early establishment here that Marcus needs to forgive himself for being alive. Which, of course, he never will. I forget where exactly, probably end of S4, but I'm sure I read somewhere that JMS described him as a martyr looking for a cause. It's disturbingly true. Even early on, he's very... he has a tendency to just throw himself at things, regardless of danger (or possibly because of it), trying to die for any cause that might be considered worthy.
Question: What caste do we think Lennan is/was? Obviously not warrior, as we currently are distanced from them, but his outfit doesn't look much like any religious-caste clothes we've seen before, so I'm thinking maybe he's a worker? ...This doesn't really matter, it's just more of my endless curiosity about the Minbari.
Of course the guy can understand Minbari. ...Of course, they do have three languages. Presumably Delenn and Lennan were speaking Adronato (? I return to my question about Lennan's caste...), so why couldn't they whisper more, later, in, say, I dunno... Fik? The language of the worker caste seems like a much less likely language for this guy to know (I find it impossible to believe he would understand all three languages), but perhaps they figure it's too late and their chance has passed anyway. Or possibly Lennan is religious caste and Minbari only speak the language of their particular caste. I find this latter theory extremely unlikely, since, sheesh, they have to be able to communicate somehow. Or is Adronato accepted as the dominant language and the other two are just used within their castes? (Augh, more information, please!)
As his part of the ritual, Lennier tells Marcus that he loves Delenn. "Duh," says the Boy. And so I pause the DVD for about five minutes while he insists that he already told me he knew this and I just made non-committal noises in response. Which, granted, has been the response I try to give him for everything, but I don't remember having that conversation. Anyway. It's not that I'm surprised that he figured it out (I always thought it was as plain as day), but just that I hadn't thought from things he'd said that he had figured it out, and it had been somewhat confusing and intriguing me that he hadn't. Oh well. To continue, we shouldn't worry, because Lennier's love for Delenn is pure and perfect. Excuse me while I go die of bitter laughter, and then hug him and give him cookies. Obviously Marcus feels the same doubts (...probably minus the hugs and cookies, although I do very much wish there was more fic with Marcus and Lennier - they are such awesome little angsty buddies!), and tells Lennier that, really, swearing an oath never to leave someone is probably a dangerous proposition. Marcus, of course, is one to talk. And Lennier is having none of his arguments - his love is pure and he can't imagine being parted from Delenn, or breaking his oath to her. Oh, Lennier.
Really, I wonder - is it the oath that's actually the problem here? I mean, really, is the oath to stay with her through her trials really the problem? I don't have an answer for this, I'm just curious.
I'm still deeply touched by the scene where Sheridan and the rest of the command crew bring their uniforms to Delenn and tell her their secrets. Not only is it a nice way to bring a few things we might have suspected but not been certain of out into the open, it's a very touching moment in the knitting of the group... and, yes, I'm a big soppy romantic and I adore the whole Delenn/Sheridan thing.
Sic Transit Vir
Vir has been saving a bunch of Narn by shuffling paperwork and making up a character called Abrahamo Lincolni. He also has a fiancee, but she's a homicidal nutjob (played by an actress who wouldn't know "subtle" if it smacked her right between the eyes). That about covers this one, I think.
Oh, and we get to see Ivanova running around C&C naked. It's just a dream, so it's okay to enjoy it.
A Late Delivery from Avalon
Let's see... G'Kar is Gawain, Delenn is the Lady of the Lake, Franklin is Percival (? I'm a little short on Arthurian myth when it comes to Percival/Parsifal, however you want to spell it, so I'm not sure about this one), and Marcus thinks he might be Galahad, because he never fails to think big. (...And now I have the whole "Galahad, sweet Galahad" bit from Spamalot stuck in my head. Wheeee.)
In all seriousness, I think the two most charming bits of this episode are G'Kar going totally nuts with joy over hanging out with Arthur, writing wrongs and drinking a whole hell of a lot of alcohol... and Marcus, whose very first reaction to a guy who claims to be King Arthur is to throw himself into his knees and pledge fealty. Oh, Marcus. ♥
The reason Marcus amuses me so much is... hell, I've been there. It's hard for a person who's really into history, as we've seen many times that Marcus is, not to wish that they could be That Guy, you know? Or That Girl, as the case may be. Hell, why else would the SCA be so popular? In my day in the society, I've watched tournaments, addressed court (briefly, and only at the baronial level, but I have!), I've cheered for my kingdom, and, yes, I've sworn fealty to my barony on behalf of a group. That was a weirdly proud moment, kneeling on a carpet in front of a low throne, my hands rested on the sheathed baronial sword, repeating the words the baron and baroness spoke, while the members of the college knelt behind me, their hands on my shoulder. It's a thing, I'm telling you. It sounds crazy, but it's a thing. And part of the thrill of it is just... briefly allowing your heart to believe that life can be like this, that you can let go of all the mess of modern life and enjoy the fantasy, the... the story that all of us who read a lot of history have going in our heads of How Things Were. Even if, yes, you know that life was damned shitty back then, there's still this beautiful, romantic ideal that sticks in the back of your mind and never lets you go.
Anyway, um, I think my point there was that I really empathize with Marcus in that moment. You can tell he's lived his whole life wishing he could have exactly that moment, and he got it. I can't blame him in the least for not wanting to say goodbye to the real David whatever-his-name-was once he'd recovered himself, because... well, because I probably wouldn't either. I'd rather hold that previous moment in my mind, and keep it.
...All that said, there was a pretty simple damned hint that they missed straight away indicating that no, this guy wasn't really King Arthur. Two hints, actually.
1. The real King Arthur would be speaking either a dialect of Old English, or Old Welsh or Celtic. Not English as we know it. And no, Old English is not what Shakespeare wrote in. :P
2. (Corollary to the above) Um, he so would not have recognized Marcus/Jason Carter's accent as being of England.
There's also the fact that he seemed, y'know, awfully clean and well-cared for and without all sorts of callouses and things like that, but hey - maybe the three queens in Avalon have a really good healthcare package or something. Whatever.
I did love this episode, though, and passionately adored the scene with Delenn taking 'Excalibur' back from him. Delenn is certainly the right person to give forgiveness in this case... mostly because she's never actually going to get it for herself for starting the war.
"Next thing you'll be saying is he [Kosh] isn't Merlin." ♥♥♥
And I know we don't actually see it until the next episode, but... the round table. Oh, Sheridan. You romantic, you. ♥
Ship of Tears
There are telepaths, they're weapons, and Bester might actually be an ally for us, sort of. Unfortunately, as is already clear, this is a telepath episode... which mostly means that apart from loving the hell out of evil old Bester, I don't give a damn. Particularly since we get to meet Bester's Love of His Life (tm), who is... not quite as bad an actress as most of the actresses we got in the 2nd season? Not quite as annoying as Lyndisty? Trying to become the Borg Queen? I don't know, I just Don't Give a Damn about telepath episodes. Ever. It's not them, it's me. I just can't care. Moving on.
The Guide says: Try not to drool on the controls," Sheridan mutters as Bester admires the White Star's bridge. To which I say, yeah, great idea, Sheridan - show one of your worst enemies your big awesome secret ship! That's fantastic! *headdesk*
Delenn, inspired by forgiving Arthur in the last episode, decides that she needs to tell G'Kar about how, oops, they actually kind of knew that the Shadows were going to destroy Narn, and they didn't do anything about it because, well, that'd tip their hand, you see? She's terribly contrite. G'Kar does not particularly care, but he says he might be able to forgive her. Someday.
And the Conspiracy of Light or whatever we're calling them finally twigs to the fact that the Shadows are probably the reason the Narn don't have telepaths anymore. Good for them.
Interludes and Examinations
Londo somehow forgets that Adira is coming to the station despite being really super excited about that fact, and tells Morden that he doesn't have anything left to lose. Honestly, at this point, I kind of lose the ability to sympathize with Londo much. I mean, really. "Oh, I don't have anything left to lose, Mr Morden! Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a meeting arranged with the love of my life. Don't worry, if you happen to kill her, I'll be sure to blame Lord Refa. Bye bye!"
Franklin is a jackass a bunch, and then admits that he's got a problem. And that he's going to run off and
And Sheridan picks a fight with Kosh, demanding that he step in and do something about the Shadows. I really do love this scene, because it's... oh, it's just so Sheridan. When all else fails, get in the guy's face and tell him he's a coward. "You said you wanted to teach me to fight legends. Well you're a legend, too, and I am not going away until you agree!" ♥♥♥
And then Kosh dies. Because Sheridan pushes him to do something that draws the Shadows' attention to him. Oops. But he appears to Sheridan in a dream, first, pretending to be his daddy, so that makes it all okay. Or, you know, more angsty. Whichever. Seriously, I do love that whole plotline in this episode - it's just so perfect for all the characters involved (...except for the bit with how at the beginning Sheridan's like "We have to do something," and Delenn, with the most blank look in the world, is all "I'm sure you'll think of something." Um. Delenn? I know you're thinking about all those great things you can't tell him, yet, but... maybe you could remember sometimes not to just stand around looking pretty and waiting for Sheridan to act? It kind of worries me whenever she gets like this - it's like JMS just kind of forgets who and what he's dealing with from time to time and starts writing "default supportive female love interest" instead. Is this how he wrote Mary Jane in Spiderman? Because I would totally fucking believe it. No, never mind - she's probably more like Lyta, isn't she? Or, worse yet, Talia...
And finally, once again, Londo proves that he can still fall even further into the pit.
They took from me... the one thing that I have ever truly loved. And you will help me, Mr. Morden, to strike them down. Give me this... and the safety of my people, and let the rest of the galaxy burn. I don't care any more. Will you help me, Mr. Morden?
Yeah, great idea, Londo. Just fantastic.
War Without End, Parts One and Two
Good god, I know it's a bit mean, but I will not be sorry never to see Jeffrey Sinclair again, after going through all that for the second time. His acting... well, let's just say by halfway through I was ready to give Boxleitner (or pretty much anybody else other than the asshats playing the crew of B4) a freaking Academy Award for Not Annoying The Hell Out of Me. I'm sure he's a lovely guy, but... yeesh, the acting.
The Boy's reaction to this was pretty much all that I'd hoped for, particularly his shocked and somewhat horrified reaction (which I firmly agree with) to Sinclair as Valen. It's a very wtf kind of situation. Particularly... I know this is a teensy bit silly, but it smacks to me of the whole Super Special Sacred White Guy syndrome (see "Dances with Wolves" or, god forbid, "Avatar" for examples of how this trope works...). Granted, the Minbari are far from an oppressed minority (perish the thought), but it still tweaks me to think that vast parts of their culture are based on this... well, frankly, this smug, sanctimonious guy who I don't particularly like, popping in out of the future and writing down a bunch of prophecies that he knows because, um, dude, he was there. Like, just a few minutes ago. The worst thing is, I think he's an early (and much less extreme) case of that JMS classic "charisma by fiat," with a bonus side of "holiness by fiat." We're meant to believe somehow that everyone (Marcus, Delenn, Ivanova, Garibaldi, whatever) totally adores and worships Sinclair, would follow him to the ends of the universe, and, oh yeah, the Minbari totally decide that he's the most awesome and holy leader ever. Um. Why exactly? Well, because, see... the writer tells us so.
Now, maybe it's just because I like them, but we do have several lovely examples on this show of people I can believe folks would follow to the ends of the universe. Delenn, Sheridan, G'Kar, Ivanova... Hell, Garibaldi's more a charismatic and awesome leader than Sinclair is, and he's just a freaking security guy. Marcus has more charisma (although I wouldn't follow him anywhere, because the guy's got a freaking death wish. He tries to take Sinclair's place, here - Sinclair's all "I have to take the station into the past!" and Marcus is all "No, I'll do it!" ...Sweetie, wait your turn. We'd all much rather have you around for a while longer, and let Sinclair go do his thing. Besides, you'd look weird as a Minbari.
Londo and G'Kar get their Big Scene here, and I love it so much. ♥ The way the shadows fall on Londo's face with only his hands in the light as he's sitting in his throne, and then G'Kar steps out of the shadows, too, and he's got his eye-patch, and he looks so... so tired and old, but still so much G'Kar.
And I skipped a bit, didn't I? Because Delenn and Sheridan get their first kiss here. Awwww, bless. He gets his first kiss with her far far in the future, while she's trying to tell him about their son being okay. Also, um, that whole first scene with Sheridan and Delenn? Really faintly awkward. Not least because Sheridan is still a day late and a dollar short on figuring out what's going on ("wait, wait, Delenn, what are you doing here, I--wait, you're kissing me, what's--our SON? WTF's going on here?!"), but also because Delenn is all of a sudden Mrs Doom and Gloom "woe, NOTHING EVER GOES RIGHT AND IT'S ALL TERRIBLE AND WORTHLESS!" Which, um. Where the hell did that come from? Am I forgetting something horrible late in the series? I mean... okay, Sheridan's gonna die in about three years by this time scale, even if they get away from Londo. Okay, fine. And Centauri Prime was destroyed. And Lennier ran off
Still. It was an interesting look into the future. I love how first she's all "no, you can't change any of this, it is how it Must Happen," and then, just as he's vanishing, she's like "oh, wait, hang on, I forgot - don't go to Z'ha'dum!" Little late, there, Delenn.
And then there's her flash-forward, with Anna. Oh dear. I'm sure I've mentioned it before, but the voice of the woman who plays Anna? Nails on a blackboard to me. Anyway. (Snow globe crashes, woman's voice is heard... "Rosebud?" asks The Boy. "Not exactly," I say.)
Leaving aside all the wonkiness and back and forth and stuff from the actual episode, I have a very important question, based on a quote from the horse's mouth, so to speak - from the Usenet bits on the Lurker's Guide - "Valen did not have any children."
Um. Okay, hang on. Did I just make up the whole "you are a child of Valen" thing in "Atonement," then, or what? I know I read a lot of fanfic, but I was fairly sure that was canon. I mean, it's not impossible - I freely admit it's been a long time since I saw that episode and other things have been catching me off-guard here and there, but... I'm sure I remember something about Delenn being descended from 'Valen' in that episode. Wasn't that the established reason for why the triluminary reacted to her? And wasn't that how she eventually blackmailed her clan into accepting her marriage with Sheridan, by saying "ah, but we aren't pure, because our most revered leader ever was Human before he was Minbari!" Wasn't that how it went? I'm confused here.
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no subject
Date: 2010-07-21 08:47 am (UTC)In S5-episode-name-of-which-I-can't-remember-right-now G'Kar tells Londo that he cannot forgive the Centauri but he can forgive Londo, but I've always wondered if he ever did forgive Delenn.
I really do love this scene, because it's... oh, it's just so Sheridan.
Oh yes, I love this scene so much. ♥♥♥
RE: Valen's children, I have a vague memory that he had children, but they had to go into hiding for some reason or another, and the Minbari then pretended that the children never existed. Because the Minbari wanted to think of the Minbari-not-born-Minbari as some pure angelic being rather than some half-alien dude who contaminated the purity of their gene pool with his weird alien genes, maybe?
Uh, I need to get back to my rewatch - I've forgotten so much about the show that I'm starting to lose my B5 street cred ;)
no subject
Date: 2010-07-21 08:55 pm (UTC)I wonder about that, too. I seem to recall that he seems cordial enough with her later in the series, but I'll have to pay closer attention this time to see what it looks like is going on.
Because the Minbari wanted to think of the Minbari-not-born-Minbari as some pure angelic being rather than some half-alien dude who contaminated the purity of their gene pool with his weird alien genes, maybe?
Ahhhh, that would explain a few things, certainly. I think you're right, that sounds like something that might come out also in "Atonement."
And yeah, I've been feeling that, too, during this rewatch. I keep catching myself at bits of fic based later in the series (even my own!), or references on other peoples' posts, thinking things like "gosh, I don't remember that detail at all!" It's handy for keeping The Boy unspoiled, though - I've forgotten so many things that I can plausibly pretend to forget other things every so often, if it seems necessary. ;)
Spiderman bit
Date: 2010-07-21 04:17 pm (UTC)Re: Spiderman bit
Date: 2010-07-21 04:28 pm (UTC)And yeah, my entire experience with Mary Jane (and, for that matter, Spiderman) is based on the movies... I'd say I should fix that, but the overwhelming hatred makes it hard to think about it. :P
no subject
Date: 2010-08-13 05:47 am (UTC)...I suddenly want fic where Marcus, Lennier, and Vir go around and have goofy adventures on the station.
I still don't quite get SCA, but your experience sounds really cool.
The Guide says: Try not to drool on the controls," Sheridan mutters as Bester admires the White Star's bridge. To which I say, yeah, great idea, Sheridan - show one of your worst enemies your big awesome secret ship! That's fantastic! *headdesk*
I don't think I mentioned this in my writeup, but I have a line to that effect in the notes I took on the episode. Seriously, they couldn't have taken one of the Minbari cruisers that was right there?
Um. Delenn? I know you're thinking about all those great things you can't tell him, yet, but... maybe you could remember sometimes not to just stand around looking pretty and waiting for Sheridan to act? It kind of worries me whenever she gets like this - it's like JMS just kind of forgets who and what he's dealing with from time to time and starts writing "default supportive female love interest" instead.
YES, YES, THIS A MILLION TIMES. Again, something that I forgot to write in mine, but I definitely went "Uhhhhh, Delenn? You don't have any thoughts on this?" at the time. ARGH. She could've at least hinted or something. Grrrrrrrr.
no subject
Date: 2010-08-13 05:57 am (UTC)Anyway. Yes to them taking one of the Minbari cruisers instead of the White Star, and a big fricking YES to the whole stupid thing with Delenn. JMS just forgets about her, I swear. He goes along, tra-la-la, and sometimes he's really good at showing us that, yes, she's totally awesome and bad-ass and scary and all those things... and then he utterly forgets. Let alone Sheridan forgetting, not to mention everyone else on the station - of course they forget! JMS can't remember!!! AUGH. It makes me want to shake him.
no subject
Date: 2010-08-13 06:46 pm (UTC)Let alone Sheridan forgetting, not to mention everyone else on the station - of course they forget! JMS can't remember!!!
Pretty much, yes. (Although I admire his organization and drive, sometimes I think it would've been better to have a few more people in on the writing of this thing...)