Babylon 5 (and Sapphire & Steel)

[thisbluespirit]

I finished watching S1 of Babylon 5 about a week and a half ago (and the first two eps of S2) - then Legend of the Seeker S2 turned up (my voucher, it is all gone now, sadly) and I was instantly distracted by the sunshine and magic and pretty, so I'm watching that now. It is February here, after all. Also because I'm very much liking B5 and I don't think I want to race through it too fast; it wants thought and things.

Anyway, yes, I am liking it. Whoever said about G'Kar, yes, I like him too. (A lot. There was a whole spate of episodes without him; it wasn't good enough). The only thing I don't like is that in S2 they have replaced Na'Toth with someone who is not as good. (I sulk at her when she comes on. But it's only been two episodes, I'll probably stop that soon. Maybe.)

The thing is, though, why did nobody warn me it's really not the thing to watch after you've spent 18 months obsessing about Sapphire and Steel and happen to be particularly freaked out by Assignment 6?

Let me explain:

1. David McCallum turned up. (Steel would not have approved. He would have viewed his character as beneath contempt and not deigned to speak to him unless he had to. Seriously, digging up old things and bringing them to space stations? How reckless. Not caring about causing deaths? Pfft.) I was amused. I really hadn't seen him as anything else till now, not properly.
2. Then there were TRANSIENT BEINGS. Actual TRANSIENT BEINGS turning to silhouettes and wearing grey suits. Aargh. (I didn't panic, obviously. I didn't freak out, what do you mean? All right, I did. I DO NOT TRUST this show now. It has TRANSIENT BEINGS in it. I don't like the Transient Beings. I think I saw parts of A6 when I was four and have childhood reactions to them I can't help.)

This being an SF show that embraces mystery, uses telepathy a lot and was written by someone who was certainly watching the other UK SF show of the time (or so I'm told)... I don't think that scene in "Signs & Portents" was a coincidence. (A woman watches in alarm as a man who's appeared from nowhere advances, turns to a silhouette and then back again?) It may not have been deliberate in itself, but S&S is the sort of thing where the images would stay with you.

Now nothing can convince me not to also expect ghostly soldiers and faceless people at some point in the future. Probably, though, not an evil pillow. Although we've met the Transient Beings (call them whatever you like, I know one when I see one) again since and the more we learn, the less like S&S it is and therefore less scary. Even so. Someone could have warned me.

3. And then David Warner - audio!Steel - turned up. (So S1 has two out of two actors who have played Steel; quite an achievement, really. :lol:)

The main point is, though: yes, I like it very much so far! I'll soon be back to S2 and shall this time be fully on the alert for people escaping from photographs or their futuristic equivalents etc.

* In other news, it turns out that "quite" is a dangerous and complicated word that should be used online only with care and context.

* Oh, and for my unconventionalcourtship story, it does occur to me that I should probably rewatch at least Assignment 3, episode 3. *sigh* How terrible. How will I stand the pain of watching Silver play with lightbulbs and annoy Steel on rooftops and in cupboards again? (This will end up with me watching at least parts of ep4 and 6 again and probably going round drawing little hearts round my weird OT3. But I'll do it in my head; you won't notice. ♥)

* Oh, and, fairly obviously, from me getting S2, I liked Legend of the Seeker. It's... probably terrible in some ways, but it doesn't matter one bit. It has magic and likeable leads and pretty and sunshine. And in S1, by the end, they'd perfected the art of the group hug and had usually at least one per episode. (In S2, they have another character who is less amenable to group hugging, but I'm sure if they'd had more series, they'd have got to the state of nation-wide hugs, probably including the villain.) What? I'm sorry; I might do a serious review of something someday soon. I am being a little unfair to it with my frivolity as well. Sorry. And I have a mildly amusing story about me looking for fanvids while waiting for S2, but I can't tell it in this post, because you can't do the spoiler-cut on Dreamwidth.

Comments

[john_amend_all]

I did wonder whether I should tell you to look out for David McCallum, but in the end decided against it.

Now nothing can convince me not to also expect ghostly soldiers and faceless people at some point in the future.

<evil chuckle>

[thisbluespirit]

Heh, he was in ep4 and it was on the DVD case, as was David Warner, but it was funny. :-)

[john_amend_all]

Quite :-p

[mab_browne]

I adore Babylon 5, and there can never be too many people who've enjoyed the goodness. Have fun. :-)

[thisbluespirit]

Thank you! I'm sure I will! :-)

[persiflage-1.livejournal.com]

*giggles* Imagine if Davids McCullum and Warner both turned up in something together. We might get a Blinovitch Effect explosion! (If D Collings also turned up as well? He wouldn't know WHO to flirt with!)

[thisbluespirit]

Oh, I think Silver'd just flirt happily with both of them - no worries! :lol:

[persiflage-1.livejournal.com]

*giggles* So true. :D

[scifi-mel.livejournal.com]

Yay for B5! So glad you are enjoying it. Definitely don't go too quickly. So much to know and absorb. Never thought of the S&S connection before with that episode but you are totally right! lols! G'Kar is brilliant! One of my favorite characters, Andreas was an amazing actor and the things he goes through and the developments he makes are just perfect. I loved the scene at the end of the assassin episode where him and Natoth send away the assassin.

[thisbluespirit]

Well, even if I do go through them, I can always rewatch, I suppose. But I thought it'd be a good idea to watch something else in between. :-)

But, yes, I am really liking it - I like its attitude to things, it's thought-provoking and interesting, the characters are good - and, yes, G'Kar/Andreas Katsulas is brilliant.

I was always going to think of S&S what with the telepathy, but when they brought in both Steels and the Transient Beings Shadows (?), now I think it's not just me.

[scifi-mel.livejournal.com]

I would definitely recommend re-watching it at least once. Because it is so well planned there are so many things that make you go, "ahhhh" when you see it again. It just adds to the understanding of the show. I think I've seen it all at least 5 times through, and each time I still pick out something new. The next re-watch I will definitely be watching for the S&S clues ;)

I think the attitude and philosophy is one of the reasons I like it so much. Battlestar Galactica while I loved the shows entire message seemed to be "god has a plan for you" and "events are doomed to repeat". Whereas B5 entire focus was on choices and consequences. How the descisions you make impact your own life and other people's lives in good and bad ways. How ordinary people can make a huge difference. How you shouldn't rely on other people to guide your fate but stand on your own two feet.

[ravenskyewalker.livejournal.com]

I love your observation about the opposing messages of BSG and B5, and it seems quite true, except that there was a particular B5 ep... well, I'll try not to go in for explicit spoilers, but it was influenced by the science fiction novel A Canticle for Leibowitz, which turned out to be, much to my distress when I read it, far too much about "events are doomed to repeat." I'm sure there's more that I could say on this, but I'm on break at work and need to get back out there now...

[scifi-mel.livejournal.com]

Which episode was that (can give me just the title so we don't spoil lost-spook.) I'm afraid I've not read the book so it's not ringing any bells.

[john_amend_all]

From the description, I'm guessing The Deconstruction of Falling Stars.

[scifi-mel.livejournal.com]

Ah I always saw that as the importance of individuals and lasting impact of what you do.

[swordznsorcery.livejournal.com]

Wait wait wait. Stop, halt, freeze. Babylon 5 love is good. Hooray for the show and the station and the episodes and the characters, and I am of course nodding in approval of the G'Kar appreciation. But you've never seen David McC in anything else before? You've never seen The Men From UNCLE?! Never? But? How? Help? What?

[fast forward through ten minutes of spluttering]

Here, have a fanvid, it's the best I can do for now (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kOknAl0NOd4). But the wonders and the glories. George Sanders being evil! And Janet Leigh being evil! (And, okay, detour into terrible comedy, and Robert Vaughn dancing with a gorilla. Never mention that to him or David McCallum, it can trigger international fault lines). But watching The Men From UNCLE is vital for the wellbeing of the planet. Probably. This is a blatant lie, but bear with me.

PS: B5 is awesome. You're quite right to space it out a little, though. I think it works better that way.

[thisbluespirit]

No, it used to be on before those 90s DW repeats but I don't think the bits I caught of it seemed interesting to me. I might get round to it one day, but there's a lot of other things I want to see as well.

I've just been wasting my time watching everything David Collings was in instead. I have my priorities, okay. ;-p

And now I'm watching B5, which is surely more important...?

[swordznsorcery.livejournal.com]

Well if you're going to force me to be sensible about it... :p

Babylon 5 is one of the finest pieces of television I've ever seen. It had its sillier moments of course, but watching that story play out over five years was awesome, and I kind of envy you getting to see it for the first time. It's tied up with happy memories of being at university, and discovering the internet, and loads of us on the Channel 4 forum, obsessively discussing each episode. :) So yes, I suppose it is more important than MFU. It's just that MFU is so much fun... Probably more so when you're eleven, I freely admit. But still.

Give that fanvid a go though, if you've got time. Über-young Steel and a lot of guns. No aliens or space battles, mind, which is a failing, it must be said.

[thisbluespirit]

Oh, I watched the fanvid already, don't worry. It was fun. I've seen other MFu vids and things; I'm not entirely ignorant.

I am pretty excited myself about watching B5, too, so yay. :-)

[pitry.livejournal.com]

Yes, yes. Let's see how your resolutions not to go too fast with B5 hold when you're in the middle of season 3.

(In other words - squee! I'm happy that you like it. And G'Kar is wonderful and he's only going to get more and more awesome as time goes by! As for Transient Beings... *remains quiet*)

[swordznsorcery.livejournal.com]

Let's see how your resolutions not to go too fast with B5 hold when you're in the middle of season 3.

Hee. Yes.

I absolutely support the sensible rationing of B5. But this. Yes. :)

[thisbluespirit]

\o/

Well, my watching it slowly only means gaps in between seasons. I'm sure I'll watch each season at my usual rate of 2-3 eps per day, unless my routine changes. It may sound odd, but I'm using TV like a medication and a means of keeping me in a pattern. No matter how exciting it gets, I'd have to get a whole lot better before I could watch more than one ep at a time without getting exhausted.

Ha. Damn Transient Beings. Like they didn't cause enough trouble and break my heart in S&S as it is.

[dimity-blue.livejournal.com]

It sounds like your B5 watching turned out to be more interesting than you expected. I don't remember that much about the whole series but I do remember thinking rather highly of the early seasons. I don't think I ever saw the ep with 2 Steels - and I'm sure I would have recognised both of those Steels, though only one would have been remembered as Steel. The other Steel would have been remembered as the bad guy from Robert Powell's The 39 Steps.

[thisbluespirit]

Oh, no, I was really excited about watching it! I just joked in my other post because I have this thing that I don't like watching space things - and I'm probably going to have to make myself realise one day that this is, in fact, no longer true. :-)

David Warner and David McCallum weren't in the same episode - all those bits came from different eps. DM was in an early one, causing trouble with a dangerous alien artefact; DW in a later one. He was looking for the Holy Grail for some reason.