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EpDis: Intersections In Real Time
- Thread starter vacantlook
- Start date
crazyhorse
Anarchist
I loved this one.Very dark and very hard,especially the torture techniques.Markas giving his life for Ivanova,very believable,probably the most intense show of love of the series.Good bit of action thrown in too.Londo,my favourite character,gets the fate he allways dreaded.Loved it.
GaribaldisHair
Regular
Always been one of my favourite episodes. Just a pity that having to change the actor who played the interrogator at the last minute scuppered JMS' plan to actually film each sequence in real-time with no cuts.
Probably wouldn't have added anything to the thrust of the ep, but would have been cool to see an ep of B5 effectively performed as a 4-act mini-play.
Probably wouldn't have added anything to the thrust of the ep, but would have been cool to see an ep of B5 effectively performed as a 4-act mini-play.
B5_Obsessed
Regular
The Marcus event doesn't happen until " Endgame" and as for Londo getting his fate? I don't know. Fall of Centauri Prime? War Without End Part II? This episode is solely Sheridan's interrogation.
I give this one a "good" rating, since the Picard interrogation two-parter on ST:TNG so closely parallels it (and was first).
Favorite Line:
"I see you've been interrogated before. Anyone I know?"
"You'd be surprised."
crazyhorse
Anarchist
I realise what I've done now,as I looked at the synopsis to refresh my memory I've clicked onto the next page not realising it was the next episode and jumbled everything up.Thought it seemed a bit of a packed episode
Next time I'll watch the episode again instead of just trying to do it the easy way
maneth
Regular
My least favorite episode of the whole 5 season story arc along with Here Comes The Inquisitor. I hated those closed room sequences. It may be necessary for a first viewing, but after that I skip it unless I'm watching with someone who's never seen the show before. Oddly enough I liked the episode where Sinclair was held by Knights one and two in a neural net, though.
Telepath
Member
I rather liked Comes the Inquisitor, because of the great acting on the side of Wayne Alexander, the intensity of the situation, and the topics discussed (definition by way of references, the Vorlons ARE, etc.). Intersections was far weaker. I think it would have worked well as a bleak cliffhanger for season 5, but as it stands now, it's quite mediocre.
Elipsis
Regular
I gave it a B. It's certainly not exciting but it's not supposed to be.
It's an evil little episode... incredibly frustrating to watch (as intended), and that sense of "not wanting to sit through it" imo means that the episode did a good job. Sheridan didn't want to sit through it either.
It's an evil little episode... incredibly frustrating to watch (as intended), and that sense of "not wanting to sit through it" imo means that the episode did a good job. Sheridan didn't want to sit through it either.
K_Roon
Member
OK, I have always been stumped by one quote from this episode.
Sheridan has just given a speech where he uses the argument that "as long as at least one person refuses to bow down," then the tyrant won't have gained control.
The interrogator says, "But can he [the one person who refuses to bow down] win?"
And Sheridan says, "Every time I say... NO!"
So I want to know, did Boxleitner screw his line up here? Or (the explanation I would rather hope for) is there some deep significance to this... It sure seems like there is something deeper when you watch it.
Sheridan has just given a speech where he uses the argument that "as long as at least one person refuses to bow down," then the tyrant won't have gained control.
The interrogator says, "But can he [the one person who refuses to bow down] win?"
And Sheridan says, "Every time I say... NO!"
So I want to know, did Boxleitner screw his line up here? Or (the explanation I would rather hope for) is there some deep significance to this... It sure seems like there is something deeper when you watch it.
A_M_Swallow
Regular
Try adding a missing word.
And Sheridan says, "Yes. Every time I say... NO!"
Does Sheridan node his head or something?
Explaining Sheridan, every time Sheridan says NO the one man (= Sheridan) wins.
And Sheridan says, "Yes. Every time I say... NO!"
Does Sheridan node his head or something?
Explaining Sheridan, every time Sheridan says NO the one man (= Sheridan) wins.
Estelyn
Regular
The bureaucratic aspect of this episode is precisely what makes it so chilling. To have the interrogator walk in with his briefcase, unpack it and distribute his papers on the table is deeply disturbing. He adopts an affable tone, even seemingly showing compassion, setting himself up as the good cop, the ally.
On the other hand there is the denial of responsibility: "I can't be held responsible for the consequences"; "I have no control... it's out of my hands". Doesn't that sound like Mollari in past days?! One thing we have been shown is that the good guys are willing to accept responsibility for their actions.
This is not a pleasant, entertaining episode to watch, but it's one of the best.
On the other hand there is the denial of responsibility: "I can't be held responsible for the consequences"; "I have no control... it's out of my hands". Doesn't that sound like Mollari in past days?! One thing we have been shown is that the good guys are willing to accept responsibility for their actions.
This is not a pleasant, entertaining episode to watch, but it's one of the best.
Republibot 3.0
Regular
I don't really care for this one. It doesn't work for me.
I feel it's kind of an unreasonably clean 1950s view of torture. Where are the cattle prods to the 'nads,? the rapes? the dismemberments? The physical violence? The idea that torture is just "Let's humiliate him and confuse him until he gives in" is not only completely unrealistic, but needlessly gung-ho and John Wayney. It does disservice to the millions of people who've been tortured by basically saying they're weak. "They broke you? It's because you didn't say 'No' one more time. Therefore it's your fault, ya' lousy, stinkin' yellowbelly traitor!" "Just say No" doesn't work for drugs, and it doesn't work for torture. Sorry.
And the fact is that nobody, nobody, nobody makes it through without giving in. The US Military has long-recognized that any information a person happens to know when captured by the enemy is always compromised. It's why people who know really sensitive information carry suicide pills in situations why they're at risk. And in training for these things the US Military does - or at least did in the 1980s - advise people to just tell their captors anything wanted to know. They *WILL* find out eventually, and why put yourself through all that for no reason?
I feel it's kind of an unreasonably clean 1950s view of torture. Where are the cattle prods to the 'nads,? the rapes? the dismemberments? The physical violence? The idea that torture is just "Let's humiliate him and confuse him until he gives in" is not only completely unrealistic, but needlessly gung-ho and John Wayney. It does disservice to the millions of people who've been tortured by basically saying they're weak. "They broke you? It's because you didn't say 'No' one more time. Therefore it's your fault, ya' lousy, stinkin' yellowbelly traitor!" "Just say No" doesn't work for drugs, and it doesn't work for torture. Sorry.
And the fact is that nobody, nobody, nobody makes it through without giving in. The US Military has long-recognized that any information a person happens to know when captured by the enemy is always compromised. It's why people who know really sensitive information carry suicide pills in situations why they're at risk. And in training for these things the US Military does - or at least did in the 1980s - advise people to just tell their captors anything wanted to know. They *WILL* find out eventually, and why put yourself through all that for no reason?
Those interrogations, as well as Ministry of Peace and Ministry of Truth, were from 1984. Sometimes I wonder, 23th century librarians are sucks at their job. They manage to lost all copy of the book.
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Alioth
Regular
Lennier's Tears
Regular
I'm honestly not entirely sure how I feel about this episode. It's uncomfortable to watch, but I don't HATE it. I also don't love it. I do like that the whole episode takes place inside this facility, so that we're all right there with Sheridan. I also really like the nice-looking man with his packaged lunch doing the interrogating, as other people have mentioned above.
Republibot makes some good points upthread. A) It IS a very clean form of torture. Aside from the initial beating, no one even touches Sheridan at all, other than to drag him where they want him. I disagree that that is necessarily unrealistic, though. Perhaps torturers in the 23rd century have decided they don't NEED to get their hands dirty to get what they want. They have Sheridan on whatever drugs those are, they are depriving him of food and sleep and he's getting quite delusional as we see at the start of the next episode. That might be all they need to do, and this way they can have it done by friendly-looking dudes in suits. No "pain technicians" required. B) If someone can stand up to torture and not give in to the torturer, it might make those who did give in seem "weak". I agree, and I agree it's unrealistic that Sheridan would stand up to it. But maybe he was never intended to stand up to it, he just got rescued before he gave in. Or possibly maybe this was supposed to show that Sheridan is in fact not a regular human anymore, which I would find somewhat problematic.
Republibot makes some good points upthread. A) It IS a very clean form of torture. Aside from the initial beating, no one even touches Sheridan at all, other than to drag him where they want him. I disagree that that is necessarily unrealistic, though. Perhaps torturers in the 23rd century have decided they don't NEED to get their hands dirty to get what they want. They have Sheridan on whatever drugs those are, they are depriving him of food and sleep and he's getting quite delusional as we see at the start of the next episode. That might be all they need to do, and this way they can have it done by friendly-looking dudes in suits. No "pain technicians" required. B) If someone can stand up to torture and not give in to the torturer, it might make those who did give in seem "weak". I agree, and I agree it's unrealistic that Sheridan would stand up to it. But maybe he was never intended to stand up to it, he just got rescued before he gave in. Or possibly maybe this was supposed to show that Sheridan is in fact not a regular human anymore, which I would find somewhat problematic.
Talvitar
Member
What a nightmare this episode is. Gives me the creeps. Closed room. Loop. Interrogator's arguments which actually, in a weird, awful, demonic way, make sense. Interrogator being outwardly such a deceptively nondescript, bland, secretarial, businesslike man. Always "telling the truth". I bet he was - like Obi-Wan said: "You're going to find that many of the truths we cling to depend greatly on our own point of view"...
This is the first time I've voted here. Didn't hesitate a second: "A" it is. It's hard to *like* this episode but oh man it's a chilling, harrowing one.
This is the first time I've voted here. Didn't hesitate a second: "A" it is. It's hard to *like* this episode but oh man it's a chilling, harrowing one.
