Re-Evaluating Some of Season 1

[Ninja_Squirrel]

For some reason, I was in the mood to watch some Season 1 episodes on DVD today and I came to a startling conclusion.

I can't decide if this is disturbing or reassuring, but Infection, TKO, and Grail actually aren't as bad as I remember them being. In fact, TKO and Grail are acually quite good by Season 1 standards, and Infection is okay right up until Sinclair's argument over what it means to be pure Ikarran or pure Human.

However, I still don't like Soul Hunter, and I still wasn't in the mood to give Believers another chance.

I have a hard time deciding what's the best and worst of season 1 because so much of it to me--even the episodes more significant to the arc--seem to be mediocre by Season 2-4 standards but still good by general sci-fi TV standards. Strangely enough, I think Quality of Mercy is genuinely my most favorite episode of the season. I also prefer Deathwalker and Legacies, but I think on both of those, I like the concept behind each story a little better than the execution (in Legacies, does it seem weird to anyone else that going to the Centauri is not an option given to Elisa Beldon).

I'm curious what most people consider to be the very best and very worst of season 1.

 

[Elenopa]

in Legacies, does it seem weird to anyone else that going to the Centauri is not an option given to Elisa Beldon

Not particualy. The Narn approached her, and Ivanova suggested the Minbari. I don't think the Centauri would have been interested in a human telepath.

 

[Nancy]

My favourite s1 episode is The War Prayer. I don't think I have a worse episode.

 

[grumbler]

My favorite was Signs and Portents, and least favorite Believers.

 

[vacantlook]

Even on episodes that I dislike significantly, I still always see something that I like and makes watching it occationally worth it; I don't see a single episode of Babylon 5 as sucking completely.

"TKO" is probably the episode I dislike the most. I enjoy the Ivanova B-story, but the Mutai I find considerably boring with the exception of Walker Smith's joking parting comment to Garibaldi of "Watch your back," which is obviously ominous and dramatically ironic.

I strongly dislike the voice of the Nakaleen Feeder in "Grail" and I'm not too fond of the actor's portrayal of Jinxo/Thomas. But I do like David Warner as Gajic and Londo and Vir's whole farce over worrying about the Feeder being on the station.

I don't think "Infection" plot is too bad, though I'm not too fond of the execution when it comes to the Ikkaraan weapon. I love Ivanova's comment near the end to Franklin: "If you'll excuse me. If you need me, I'll be over there... getting drunk with the rest of the aliens."

I like the basic plot of "Believers," but I'm not too keen on the way the culture of the Children of Time was executed. With the exception of the not being cut into rule, the rest of their religion and culture kinda feels just slapped together to me. Monya and Datya as their words for Mom and Dad is just too sophomoric sounding in attempt to make it sound like they have an actual language. I like that there is no easy answer given in the story and I like the way each of the main alien cultures is touched upon through the Children of Time's visit to G'Kar, Londo, Kosh, and Delenn.

And I'm also one who does not like "Soul Hunter" much. I've never been fond of the Soul Hunters either in this episode or in "River of Souls." W. Morgan Sheppard is great in the second season as G'Kar's uncle, but I really don't like him as the Soul Hunter. His way of speaking grates on my nerves for some reason.

I do have a lot of episodes I enjoy quite a lot from the first season though. "Born To The Purple," "The Parliament Of Dreams," "Mind War," "And The Sky Full Of Stars," "Deathwalker," By Any Means Necessary," "Signs And Portents," "Eyes," "Babylon Squared," and "Chrysalis."

 

[Recoil]

I dislike Grail most of all. I didnt like the performance of the guy who did Jinxo or Deuce.

Was never a big fan of Soul Hunter either. I know its an important episode arc wise, but I have just never cared for it.

TKO on the other hand I liked a lot actually. The Ivanova B-story is good, but I also liked the Walker Smith A-story. Something about his attitude about aliens before, and after the fight I appreciated. I thought it was a decent episode.

 

[Ninja_Squirrel]

There's one thing that bugs me about TKO, but my explanation kept getting longer and longer, so I made a separate post about it.

Commentary & Questions about Season 1 episode TKO

 

[darth_librarian]

i'm half way through S1, having just got hold of the DVD's.
The bad episodes, Belivers and Infection are still bad in many respects, but do have standout moments.
I never had a liking for TKO. I remember it was held back in the UK for ages. When i did see it, i wonder why they bothered.
What i enjoy most is seeing B5 in an early, unrefined form.
The music is very different from how it ended up.
A lot of the plot elements that got us hooked are only slowly coming through.
I think 'the sky full of stars' is the best episode is S1. Thats the one that really got me hooked. The whole prisoner stle feel to the interrgation sequences is still very powerful.

 

[Ninja_Squirrel]

I never had a liking for TKO. I remember it was held back in the UK for ages.

Wow, is the censorship of violence on TV really that strong in the UK? I can understand editing out certain kinds of stabbings, shootings, or explosions. We could probably use a little more discretion in that area here in the US. But a boxing/wrestling match seems tame by comparison. I'm surprised that not even that was allowed.

I'm guessing the UK doesn't get a lot of our action movies, or if you do, are they severely edited too?

Just curious, is the scene in the fourth season in which Sheridan is in the bar on Mars and is beaten and captured, is that slimmed down any in the UK?

 

[GaribaldisHair]

It's a question of time of day more than anything else.

B5 season one was shown at 6pm on a weekday evening, and TKO was held back because it was deemed unsuitable for that time of day - when children will be watching. It was eventually shown in a late night slot after S1 had finished its run.

For this reason Seasons 1-3 (which were all shown in this timeslot) were quite heavily cut in the UK, as was S5 which was (for some bizarre reason) shown on Sunday lunchtime.

Season 4 was shown at 10:40pm, which meant it could go out uncut - so Sheridan's bar beating was shown in full.

Cheers,

 

[phoenixrising]

in Legacies, does it seem weird to anyone else that going to the Centauri is not an option given to Elisa Beldon.

The Centauri, we later see, have four telepaths that can communicate over light years (the veiled women following the Emperor around in the second season). If they have telepaths of that power, why would they want a human telepath of such slight power, even if her talent was just emerging and they could shape it and heighten it? Plus they were getting more and more restless with the Narn beating at their door and might have had more important thing to worry about then what should happen to an "Earther" girl.