Babylon 5: What Should One Watch?- PART 2 - Page 2

Looney · September 11th 19, 22:05

SHADOW DANCING is an excellent episode. I can definitely see it being a great hook episode as long as the viewer is able to go back and start at the beginning after they watch it.

KoshN · September 11th 19, 23:01

Quote:

Originally Posted by Looney

SHADOW DANCING is an excellent episode. I can definitely see it being a great hook episode as long as the viewer is able to go back and start at the beginning after they watch it.

That's ~pretty much~ what I did, watching a friend's smattering of Season 1 VHS recordings, and then I watched the reruns on TNT at ~5PM Mon.-Fri. and the new episodes on TNT once a week at night.

KoshFan · September 13th 19, 03:04

I'll pipe up for "Midnight." I think it does a truly excellent job of introducing the series. It's remarkable how much they managed to set up in that episode: the Narn/Centauri arc, Londo and G'Kar's eventual demise, the mystery of what a Vorlon looks like (and what the heck they mean when they talk), the trouble with Psi Corps and Ivanova's reason for disliking it, things not going so great back home on Earth, Sinclair's deft maneuvers both tactically and politically... It's an extremely exposition-heavy ep, and it handles it all with exceptional grace.

ETA: if I didn't go with my usual take, however (as given above), and had to pick one other episode... for certain types of viewers I'd go with "Gethsemene," but for another type I'd go with "Mind War." A fun episode with an old familiar face in a fun new role, sure. But above all, sterling science fiction. Ironheart, of course, is a familiar trope. But I really like the Walkers at Sigma 957, in particular the reaction they elicit in G'Kar. His speech at the end is superb.

Looney · September 16th 19, 03:34

Quote:

Originally Posted by KoshFan

I'll pipe up for "Midnight." I think it does a truly excellent job of introducing the series. It's remarkable how much they managed to set up in that episode: the Narn/Centauri arc, Londo and G'Kar's eventual demise, the mystery of what a Vorlon looks like (and what the heck they mean when they talk), the trouble with Psi Corps and Ivanova's reason for disliking it, things not going so great back home on Earth, Sinclair's deft maneuvers both tactically and politically... It's an extremely exposition-heavy ep, and it handles it all with exceptional grace.

ETA: if I didn't go with my usual take, however (as given above), and had to pick one other episode... for certain types of viewers I'd go with "Gethsemene," but for another type I'd go with "Mind War." A fun episode with an old familiar face in a fun new role, sure. But above all, sterling science fiction. Ironheart, of course, is a familiar trope. But I really like the Walkers at Sigma 957, in particular the reaction they elicit in G'Kar. His speech at the end is superb.

Yes I think MIDNIGHT does a great job and the others are good choices as well. My only reservation about MIND WAR would be that I think it is better to start with G'Kar seeming villainous and then getting a bit of "humanity" from him in MIND WAR. I like starting off with it looking like he is going to be a villain and then seeing another side when we get to MIND WAR.

Kraig · September 16th 19, 19:58

I picked "Signs and Portents."

It shows a Shadow vessel in action for the first time in the series. You also find out the Shadows are who Mr. Morden is working for when he brings Londo the Eye.

KoshFan · September 23rd 19, 01:37

"Signs and Portents" is a marvelous ep -- I think I've seen it more than any other. But it really works best if there have been at least a couple episodes of "normal B5" (if there ever really was such a thing...), since it makes people sit up and take notice if they know that the Shadow ship is a) powerful and b) weird. Comparable to the Vorlons in terms of strength, but unknown. As the first episode, I think it would just be "part of the setup."

Looney, I agree about the G'Kar bit for "Mind War" -- that was my main reservation, too. But he's presented as villainous and grasping enough at the begining the episode, so I think it would work well enough. I'd really only go with "Mind War" if I were introducing a Trek fan.