JMS Opinion on TNT

[jcbatz]

With the discrepancy in Crusade episode order, does anyone know the sequence of episodes for the DVD production? Will it be the original air TNT order or the JMS Preferred order?

I'm guessing it will be the TNT order. I watched the show in JMS Preferred and had no complaints with the pacing (other than War Zone being next to last - it really didn't work there).

[Dr Maturin]

<<Sorry, but I just don't have it in me to address two dummy questions in a row.>>

You could learn a lot from a dummy. Buckle your safety belt.

[Joseph DeMartino]

I'm guessing it will be the TNT order.

Why?

1) Crusade has never aired in the "TNT order" since the show was on TNT. Far more people have now seen the show in JMS's preferrred order than ever saw it in its original broadcast order.

2) JMS has had considerable input on all the DVD releases starting with S1. Why would he let Warner Home Video release Crusade in anything other than his preferred order - especially when he'll have text features, documentaries and commentaries to fill in the gaps and explain why things turned out as they did?

Regards,

Joe

[AaronB]

I'm with Joe on this one. I think that they will be in the order that JMS wanted them to be in. With all of the commentary, that will be one interesting DVD. I may have to buy it instead of having it languish on my amazon wish list.

[Jan]

Originally posted by Joseph DeMartino
2) JMS has had considerable input on all the DVD releases starting with S1. Why would he let Warner Home Video release Crusade in anything other than his preferred order - especially when he'll have text features, documentaries and commentaries to fill in the gaps and explain why things turned out as they did?

Regards,

Joe

Not disagreeing here, but remember that it was only after JMS came to an agreement with WB legal that he agreed to do the commentaries at all. The way he phrased it at Hawthorne was that he didn't want to "support" the DVDs if he couldn't tell the truth. There's the possibility that they did some things without his input since time was running out.

Jan

[NotKosh]

While there is some possible merit to that, there is nothing whatsoever to suggest that something as minor as the airing order of the episodes, would be done against JMS recommendation.

Gee, do you think TNT legal would get all huffy if it wasn't aired in the broadcast order???

Or do think Warner is thinking "Hey, why don't we piss of JMS for no good reason, right before we give him millions of dollars?"

The order is such a non-issue that doing it JMS way is a no-brainer.

[Jan]

Originally posted by NotKosh
While there is some possible merit to that, there is nothing whatsoever to suggest that something as minor as the airing order of the episodes, would be done against JMS recommendation.

Gee, do you think TNT legal would get all huffy if it wasn't aired in the broadcast order???

Or do think Warner is thinking "Hey, why don't we piss of JMS for no good reason, right before we give him millions of dollars?"

The order is such a non-issue that doing it JMS way is a no-brainer.

Understood. And obviously TNT would have no say in the matter. The question is, did WB *ask* him?

Jan

[Dr Maturin]

This is all interesting, but back to the original question...beyond the entertaining intricacies of behind-the-scenes jockeying, does it really matter? With DVD, you can watch Crusade in TNT order, JMS order or your own order.

[Joseph DeMartino]

does it really matter? With DVD, you can watch Crusade in TNT order, JMS order or your own order.

Yes, it really matters, because it is harder to watch the episodes in an order that does not conform to how they are placed on the discs. With 4 episodes on three discs and one on disc four with the extras you'd be a doing a lot of disc swapping to get the TNT order out of the JMS order or vice versa. I have a 5-disc changer and (plus a stand-alone DVD player) and love to run straight through a season set episode by episode and disc by disc. I'd be annoyed if I had to keep a printed list handy (since I don't have JMS's order memorized) and have to keep going back and forth between discs to make sense of the story.

In addition to not ticking off JMS, WHV should try not to tick off its customers by making the process of watching Crusade seem like a chore.

Regards,

Joe

[Ben-Thayer Dunnthaedt]

Yes, it really matters

ehhh......not a biggie for me, I'm with Z'ha on this one. It's not uncommon for me to mix up episodes while viewing an entire season, such as I'm doing with TNG right now. Sometimes I'm not in the mood to see specific episodes, or I'd rather have a more serious or sometimes more lighthearted episode at the moment. I did it a lot more with S6 of M*A*S*H, some of the episodes in this season are not my favorite of the run.

Can't do that with B5, but for me not as big of an issue with Crusade.

[Atanvarno]

Has anyone else worked out a watching order for Crusade that keeps close to the JMS order but keeps costume continuity?

(Okay, I do miss out War Zone, but nevermind.)

[Joseph DeMartino]

Has anyone else worked out a watching order for Crusade that keeps close to the JMS order but keeps costume continuity?

No, because it isn't possible. It is like trying to determine an electron's position and speed/direction at the same time; can't be done. The fact is there isn't a truly coherent order because JMS originally planned to shoot extra footage to smooth over some of the awkward patches (when he still expected to have 22 epsodes to work with) but instead was forced into doing strange line dubs so as to make the order TNT wanted more-or-less work. (One result: Gideon and Lochley have two completely different "first meetings" in two episodes.)

So there is no "right" or "perfect" order. You have a choice of compromises, and I'd as soon go with the one that JMS prefers as any other. The nice thing about the way that the DVDs will break down is that they can just run through the bulk of the episodes in order, have "Appearances" as a kind of coda in the 12 slot and "War Zone" on the fourth DVD with the extras - where it belongs. The best thing to do with the uniforms is simply ignore them. Most military services have many variations of several base uniforms so to imagine that the crew is switching off from time to time without making a big deal out of it seems to be the best solution.

Regards,

Joe

[NotKosh]

Originally posted by Joseph DeMartino
Yes, it really matters, because it is harder to watch the episodes in an order that does not conform to how they are placed on the discs. With 4 episodes on three discs and one on disc four with the extras you'd be a doing a lot of disc swapping to get the TNT order out of the JMS order or vice versa. I have a 5-disc changer and (plus a stand-alone DVD player) and love to run straight through a season set episode by episode and disc by disc. I'd be annoyed if I had to keep a printed list handy (since I don't have JMS's order memorized) and have to keep going back and forth between discs to make sense of the story.
\

Regards,

Joe

OK.

Joe.

How many times have watched B5 through? How many times on your recorded VHS, and then how many times on DVD?

[Dr Maturin]

<<In addition to not ticking off JMS, WHV should try not to tick off its customers by making the process of watching Crusade seem like a chore.>>

You just better be happy we even have B5 on DVD. I waited years for it, not wanting to buy the expensive VHS version. I am just happy to have the whole show on DVD, and I just have normal DVD players.

[Dr Maturin]

<<It is like trying to determine an electron's position and speed/direction at the same time; can't be done.>>

Doesn't the Heisenburg state the speed and position? I may be wrong...but point well taken.