Group Watch: And The Rock Cried Out, No Hiding Place

[SmileOfTheShadow]

I...got really ahead over the weekend, so I may just inundate you all with topics today.

A rabbi, a priest and a baptist minister show up on babylon 5....

Is this a joke? It looks like the setup of a joke lol. Very amusing nonetheless.

As silly as that plotline may be, it offers a nice counterpoint to the very intense plotline involving Lord Refa, and G'Kar showing up on Narn, presumably to be "captured," but instead we get a wonderful twist and surprise. JMS couldn't do that to G'Kar...right? We should have known that from the beginning! A little foreshadowing maybe.

Just watching William Forward's (Refa) face as he's running away at the end is wonderful. A great performance. The gospel music at the end really adds a lot to this scene. I'm glad they chose that rather than some of the standard music. It makes you feel GOOD that they're visciously beating someone to death. Lord knows Refa deserves it.

Oh yeah..and we get *the kiss* in this one. Very epic old movie style cinematic kiss in front of the Minbari fleet. A nice scene.

[moreorless]

Quite an important moment for G'Kar aswell IMHO, ealier on in the story he would have killed Refa himself but by this point his death is merely something thats got to happen for the greater good not something to be gloated over.

As you say the other story does seem a little silly on the face of it but I'd say that sums up B5 as a whole nicely. Its easy to stray into pure pulp or to do everything 100% straight with this kind of material but to play it down the middle hasnt been done sucessfuly very often(B5, LOTR, Starwars, Wrath of Khan, Raiders of The Lost Ark) for me. After all the joking we still get a great little speach from Dexter that humanises that situation.

[Jan]

The script in the script books has some nice scenes at the dinner table which didn't make it to the screen.

Jan

[babylonlurker]

As you can see below, one of my favorite B5 quotes comes from this episode.

And yes, for me the playing of "The Rock Cried Out..." adds poignancy to the scene with Refa, and agreed his acting the scene is perfect.

And yes, I think there is some foreshadowing of G'Kar's second visit to Narn.

Also, we see the seed of the changing Londo/G'Kar relationship.

Jan : Another reason to get the script books

[RMcD]

It makes you feel GOOD that they're visciously beating someone to death. Lord knows Refa deserves it.

That's kind of disturbing, isn't it?!

I love the little scene in this episode where the evangelist visits Sheridan in his office, just because it's a great bit of writing.

[Babylon5fan07]

Yes everything you said here is right on! Seeing G'Kar and Londo's friendship completely slowly change in this episode (Londo and G'Kar helping each other killing off Lord Refa), the gospel music and seeing the scene with Delenn and Sheridan kissing in front of the complete white star fleet is for me so memorable.

If I remember seeing this somewhere or at least midwinter.com says that And the Rock Cried Out, No Hiding Place is from the bible. (Not trying to start religious or church responses) but just the fact it completely fit the scene and like you said much better to use the song than use the usual scoring. Great Idea for JMS and Franke on this episode..very fitting!

Great episode!

Alex

[babylonlurker]

I love the little scene in this episode where the evangelist visits Sheridan in his office, just because it's a great bit of writing.

That scene just feels so *real*, and the evangelist shows a wisdom beyond his years, showing that his faith and understanding of human nature goes deeper than "just" The Book