EpDis: Survivors
 

Time for Survivors.

Refresher Links:
Lurker's Guide Main Page for Survivors
Lurker's Guide Extended Synopsis for Survivors

Re: EpDis: Survivors
 

I think "Survivors" is a decent enough episode.

We get an early blast of Garibaldi's alcoholism, which sets up plenty later on, which is something I like about the episode.

My favorite element of the episode is the political intrigue of it all. And the President, though we do not see him, is out and about; it's nice to know he's just not an assumed being but actually does have a place in the story universe.

The part I disliked most was the guest character Cutter. Well, more like the performance of the character; it just has too many moments that feel too melodramatic to me.

Re: EpDis: Survivors
 

Great Garibaldi ep and a good insight into his past before B5 and sets up for later eps in the series so this gets an a .

Re: EpDis: Survivors
 

I have mixed feelings about Survivors. On the one hand, it's a Garibaldi episode, and it has some decent scenes / dialogue involving him, his alcoholism, and his relations with the other characters. On the other hand, I think perhaps some of the acting is a little off (though not Jerry Doyle's) and some of the characterisation is maybe a little out (I'm still not convinced Londo would have set Garibaldi up and destroyed his life 'in a minute', given how sentimental Londo is about notions of honour). I also can't help sympathising with Major Kemmer, and thinking she was perfectly within her rights to behave as she did from the moment Garibaldi became the overwhelming prime suspect in an attempted presidential assassination and the others started obstructing her (though the script later makes her apologise for it and says she was on a witch hunt). Also I can't quite forgive the timer stopping at T minus 1 second. So I give it a C+.

Re: EpDis: Survivors
 

I think that the question of whether he would in the "right" circumstances is open for debate. G'Kar once told Catherine Sakai, in explaining why he had saved her, that her death "would distress the Commander to no good effect" (possibly paraphrased). One implication of that was that if there was a good reason (for the Narn Regime in the current instellar political situation) to need Sinclair "distressed" he would be willing let her die. I think that this may also be true of Londo. If his mission as a representative of the Centauri Empire required him to remove Garibaldi through covert means, then he might very well do it. Of course, I'm not sure why Garibaldi would ever be the focus of such attention from the Empire, but .....

However, in deciding whether the characterisation was "off", the entire question of whether Londo would ever actually *do* what he said is quite beside the point. The real question is: Is it within his characterisation to *say* that he would do it? After all, that is all that they had him do during the episode. And Londo saying that, whether because he liked to believe that he would do whatever it took to help the Empire or just because he thought it would be useful to have others think that he was capable of anything, stikes me as being entirely within character.


On an unrelated bit of this episode:

In my opinion, the guest actor playing Kemmer overplayed, by a bit, the character's rigid stiffness during the majority of the episode (before she forgives Garibaldi).

Re: EpDis: Survivors
 

It had a lot of good elements, but something about this ep just doesn't quite sing to me. C+.

Re: EpDis: Survivors
 

The way I see it, she was a very young looking female in a very important position. I think her general demeanor and stance would be dour and rigid in an attempt to be taken seriously. Then throw in Garibaldi's past relationship with her and she is seriously tensed up for the remainder of the episode.

Re: EpDis: Survivors
 

Oh, I agree with that. It's just that she seemed to me to be overdoing that just a little bit.

Your milage may vary. :cool:

Re: EpDis: Survivors
 

Yes, Londo would have allowed Garibaldi to be captured. If he could annihilate an entire civilisation, he could do that.

The episode itself doesn't make me feel strongly one way or another. It's just... there.

Re: EpDis: Survivors
 

I gave it a D because I think Major Kemmer's a "---"itch.

:mad: