Watching Babylon 5 with L, Season 5

[Jan]

Hey, Phaze - you know we enjoy these but this one's really pretty cryptic! Can you give some context to some of your notes? Thanks!

[phazedout]

L edited my notes for clarification, her version uis
L didn't remember whomever the talker one was of Penn and Teller and only recognised the couple when both were shown. L thought the costume (and the whole scenery right there! - L) was very Victorian London. Asked if the alien talking to Londo was Brakiri, i said he was. She commented about it being some sort of Mexican day of the dead. Happy about seeing Lennier back. L doesn't think the president is the type to enjoy cocktail parties. She noticed Loxley doesn't get it, doesnt find Penn and Teller duo funny. Thinks the brakiri day of the dead decorations look like they outsourced them to a kindergarten somewhere. When L saw G'kar in nightware said He should have a sleeping hat on top of that thing (think she means a nightcap - yes one of those things, not a word I use often! - L). Londo talking to the portrait and then when Adira's hand came in she thought it was a woman, mentioned he had his own portrait there as well.
Thought Dodger looks a bit like Julia Roberts. Wondered why doesn't Zoe know she's dead and everyone else (of the dead ones) does.
Life forms, sounds like she's talking about viruses and bacteria (Lochley saying she was in charge of all the lifeforms on B5).
"Who the hell is that? He's just as annoying" - about Morden, also didn't recognise Morden when he first appeared.
Curious how G'kar knew it (day of the dead) was happening how he had that info. Garibaldi had a thing for being raised a poor Catholic boy (okay I said something about "poor Garibaldi" when he mentioned being raised as a Catholic boy, but this one is pretty cryptic even to me - L). "She looks like she's in front of the principal" when Lochley is explaining to Sheridan. "They're taking ages to wash the line out of the floor." (They really were scrubbing and scrubbing at the end!)

In the kingdom of the blind
"That was really bad if she was supposed to interrupt him. Its like he stopped himself instead of her interrupting him" in the convo between delenn, garibaldi and sheridan. (Sheridan was saying "rai-" and then we waited a good second or two for Delenn to continue.)
"Oh god he's so cocky", Garibaldi that is. Then when they showed the telepahts it was "oh god oh the cultists are back"
"He looks disgusting now, he wasn't so repulsive before" re Byron. She wondered how the blackmail wasn't breaking any laws. There was a comment regarding the sexist stereotype of the man protecting the woman and oh when i am gone i need you to do this for me, this really irked her.


-- edited a bit by L - hope there's a bit more clues of what's going on now, Jan?w

[Looney]

Totally agree that Dodger could be Julia Roberts sister or cousin. LOL

As far as Zoe goes it is just part of how Lochley's lesson is learned. Plus when you think about it, she died of an overdose where as the others might have likely seen death coming.

Yeah those crazy telepaths. I'd love to sit down with Robin Atkin Downes and watch these episodes all these year later to hear what he thinks of Byron. LOL

[phazedout]

A tragedy of telepaths
Regarding lochley's morning chair pull ups - shed have to be really strong to do those exercises, but she's so lean she doesn't weigh much *gaves incomprehensible imperial neasurement*
This was followed by expecting lochley to give a trek style captains log with stardate xxxx. Then something about her having huge eyes.
whe tanding outside brown 12 and discussing the shaft she said she's not half his weight (re zack) but also much less heavy.
noted na'toth had q clear area around her eyes when i explained about why julie left the show re the make up. I also said "heeeeere kitty kitty kitty" just before she appeared (to explain my caliclo cat is called na'toth). While in the cell she said londo looked very small and there was a commnt about the darkness, how he looked "thicker" before
Going back to our metal hair band telepaths, she understood why lockley took off the jacket so it wouldnt snag on anything but why ddi she have no sleeves when crawling through the tube. She wasn't impressed wiht garibabldi's analysis, How did sheridan know the piece of metal was of brakiri manufacture, he looked at it for like, 2 seconds. There was also comments about why we break hisory up by the wars and quit e along speech from L about why not mention or imply there was a 4th wordl war, why say the 2the first three" we don't say the first two world wars. Coming back to medlab she said the telepaths looked smug but had blank eyes. She wondered why theh ppg blasts didn't seem to damage the walls or the station just people.

Phoenix Rising
Much less chattiness in this episode, not sure if that's becuase L was engaged or distracted, I'll synopsise what i can. L didnt seem to understand the rlevance of the corps is mother the corps is father. perhaps episode 13 will clarify that for her. There was an actual sarcastic snort from L on bester's arrogance. Also commented on what she called his "assholiness" in the point cunterpoint wiith garibaldi. In light of the asimov that bester put in garibaldi, she feels the audience would know the laws of robotics. Going to medlab she wonders why they'd kill the most valuable hostages first (Garibaldi and Franklin). Also in mbedlab Garibaldi now has access to telepaths, maybe one of them can remove the block. There was muc surprise at the prepared speech thomas gave. Where did he get a pen and time to write it down, the only stuff she's seen written down was the g'kar and that was ceremonial. Nobody has a pen. Comment that you have to dramatically whip your head around to throw things telepathically. Commented after the showdown that maybe byron removes garibaldi's block and book, he shoots bester. She thought in the end byron's actions redeemed him from being a cult leader. Two closing comment, when Zack is standing there in his army of light uniform she felt it looked much better than the old unofrms. Also if they were calling for hazmat teams why was everyone just dtanding around without protection when visibly noxious fumes were flying about.


army of light uniforms approval

[Looney]

I think that is a decent amount of commentary from L. Did you explain why the PPGs weren't damaging the wall?

And I assume they would threaten to kill the most valuable hostages first to force the issue. And it definitely seems like somewhere in the series we see Sheridan using a pen. And I just remembered it is in the episode where he started with his desk being a mess. He was frustrated with the bureaucracy and it ended with him cleaning things up and getting back to work. He was signing paperwork at the end. At least I am almost certain, but my brain isn't working enough to remember anything past that.

[Jan]

Yeah, we saw plenty of pens and paper. There was Looney's memory from "A Distant Star" and particularly also in "Interludes and Examinations" when Dr. Hobbs talks about getting ten more forms every time somebody talks about a 'paperless society'.

[Looney]

Yeah, we saw plenty of pens and paper. There was Looney's memory from "A Distant Star" and particularly also in "Interludes and Examinations" when Dr. Hobbs talks about getting ten more forms every time somebody talks about a 'paperless society'.

Yeah see. Jan's brain is working unlike mine. ?

[phazedout]

Yeah, we saw plenty of pens and paper. There was Looney's memory from "A Distant Star" and particularly also in "Interludes and Examinations" when Dr. Hobbs talks about getting ten more forms every time somebody talks about a 'paperless society'.

Looney, I don't think *anyone* has a brain that works like yours, fir which i thank fate and the patience of an infinite universe

[Looney]

Looney, I don't think *anyone* has a brain that works like yours, fir which i thank fate and the patience of an infinite universe

Very true my friend. I didn't earn this User ID I gave myself by using my brain the "NORMAL" way. ?????

[phazedout]

the ragged edge
Opening comments on the pilot it's like he's playing a video game, then, when the life pod was ejected, he'll be the witness they are needing. When Stephen volunteered to go she pointed out he's not a man of action more of a thinker. She was happy to gues the orders of magnitude in which the book of G'kar was published. There was a comment that it seems american tipping culture has extended all the way to the drazi home-world. When Tafiq mentioned a precision signal light she said it sounded like a laser pointer. When Tafiq got up to leave she said he didn't sound very sober either. Also final comment on tafiq, once again the fatally injured guy lives just long enough for one final exchange with his friend. Back on station she said she's never understood this whole light of understanding in somebody's eyes thing. Also thought there would be difficulty with the book because the narn's head was much bigger than the book

the corps is mother , the corps is father
I've really been loooking forard to this one and L didn't disappoint, had a really visceral reaction to the Psy Corps, thought the sings were horrible and was super creeped out by the cadets hero worship of Bester. Also suggested a confabulation as psy cop and psychopath. The super clean cut Aryan looking dude said it reminded her of a reefer madness thing, very proctor and gamble. Also noted that during the briefing they made a very storng case of us and them, like a cult. Commented on how insanely precise the weight measurement was, like kg to 2 decimal places we even worked out the BMI afterwards. She also thought the psy corps sounded like Jehovah's witnesses. noted when bester picks up the pictgure of the perp that he's trying to communicte with him through the picture. so they have a huge ship, hidden away. Laughed a lot at the interactions between bester and and Zack. Thought it was strange the way the guys eyes went red and it looked odd. Some mre comments on how Lauren is waaay too keen. In the scene leading up to Chen's murder she commented that he seemed to have a death wish. Thn she said Lauren stating the thing about unstable telepaths sounded like she was quoting scripture. Also guessed the multiple personalities before it was revealed. I commented to her the hypocrisy of Stephen calling bester a man with a god complex given stephen's own acitons in the season 1 episode Beleivers. She was surprised they had both the rogue telepath and the mundane in the shuttle. Didn't express any surprise that lauren executed him by chucking him out the airlock though.

[Looney]

WOW LOTS OF GOOD STUFF!!!!!

Hey Tafiq had to get those last words in. And I always equated the light with a laser pointer. ?

So what I didn't like about THE CORPS IS MOTHER, THE CORPS IS FATHER is that we didn't get more stories that went into that side of the story. I thought Dana Baron and Reggie Lee were really good as zealots to the Throne of Bester. And yes what a shame we didn't really get to see much of a Zack / Bester relationship grow. LOL