Katie lets Bryon have it

[Melanie]

I find a lot of things more enjoyable when I just ignore what I'm "supposed" to think and go with my own judgement.

We saw Byron interact with unnamed telepaths, Lyta and the command staff+ISA. The latter quickly decided that the guy is a problem. Some of his followers worshipped him, some didn't agree with not shooting people and broke off. Lyta was isolated when they moved into brown sector. She had recently been forced to rejoin the Psi Corps to be able to find a job to pay for her basic needs. The command staff who also fought in the Shadow war has a place to live paid for, as we saw when Sheridan made Earth force pay rent to themselves. Then thisguy shows up and says that she deserves to be treated better and Lyta gets iinvolved with him while Zack is shaking his head in the background.

To me this sounds a whole lot like a cult recruiting the easiest target who happens to fit in with them and then breaking into two parts. When Lyta says something about how telepaths are humans too Byron's response is that they're better. At this point he's already gotten her invested and involved with them by being the guy who says "I'm going to treat you with decency".

I just took this as a sign that Byron was trying to act like a Messiah, not that we were supposed to think of him as one. He wants people to like him, but he acts like a cult leader. The reactions to him make him seem like a well written cult leader. If everyone liked him the cult aspect would be lost. If he was more of an obvious villain like Bester he never would've gotten one of our main characters following him.

[Jonas]

I think Byron is almost too real. I do think the scenes would've benefited from more humour - the couple of times we see Byron smile he seems much more likeable - but he's very believable as a cult leader.

The fact that what he's advocating for is not liberation or equality, but a form of nationalism, is quite significant. (There are strong parallels to the character of Jonas in Sense8, except he's funnier and has a cool name.)

It might also have helped to have more secondary telepath characters, but that might have been a budget issue.

[Looney]

The fact that what he's advocating for is not liberation or equality, but a form of nationalism, is quite significant..

I think Byron is a sort of villain for me because he does have a separatist mentality. He is also a villain for me because he helps and inspires Lyta to become what she becomes. Lyta is one of my favorite characters because ultimately she becomes the product of other heroes failures. It is just brilliant.

[alpha128]

Like Ubik, I remember the bit about JMS and a cult, and comments about how he drew on that for the telepaths.

I just took this as a sign that Byron was trying to act like a Messiah, not that we were supposed to think of him as one. He wants people to like him, but he acts like a cult leader. The reactions to him make him seem like a well written cult leader. If everyone liked him the cult aspect would be lost. If he was more of an obvious villain like Bester he never would've gotten one of our main characters following him.

The cult aspect is not something I had previously considered. I suppose that JMS' characterization of Bryon might have been more nuanced than I originally thought.

Still, I think that JMS intended to portray Bryon in a sympathetic light.

[Delenn_of_Mir]

I wonder if Byron would have received as much hate if Marcus would still have been alive? Maybe a lot of the initial vitriol heaved at him was subconscious because viewers missed Marcus and somehow felt Byron was trying to take his place?

If Marcus was still around in season 5, maybe B would have irritated people a little less?

I might be totally off base though. Tis just a possibility, I thought of. Or maybe if his storyline would have been paired with a more exciting storyline, so that he was always the B story to the next shadow war or something. Although people still complain about the adorable zarg and it was just a b plotline, too, so that probably wouldn't have changed people's feelings too much.

[alpha128]

I wonder if Byron would have received as much hate if Marcus would still have been alive? Maybe a lot of the initial vitriol heaved at him was subconscious because viewers missed Marcus and somehow felt Byron was trying to take his place?

I think the single biggest problem with the telepath arc is that it goes on for far too long. The last time I rewatched Season 5, I was struck with the idea that "Strange Relations" felt like a natural end point. Including that episode, there had been six episodes with Bryon and followers. But then, Byron manages to escape Bester's clutches through the quarantine loophole, and the telepath arc goes on for another five episodes.

I'm pretty sure that if Season 5 had started, as JMS originally intended, with "Between the Darkness and the Light", "Endgame", and "Rising Star", the telepath arc would have been a lot shorter and less irritating.

[Delenn_of_Mir]

I think the single biggest problem with the telepath arc is that it goes on for far too long. The last time I rewatched Season 5, I was struck with the idea that "Strange Relations" felt like a natural end point. Including that episode, there had been six episodes with Bryon and followers. But then, Byron manages to escape Bester's clutches through the quarantine loophole, and the telepath arc goes on for another five episodes.

I'm pretty sure that if Season 5 had started, as JMS originally intended, with "Between the Darkness and the Light", "Endgame", and "Rising Star", the telepath arc would have been a lot shorter and less irritating.

Maybe.

I'm in the middle of "In the Beginning" now, and then I'll start season 5. I'll see how I feel about it this time around.

[Ubik]

Incidentally I am working my way through the 'Katie watches' vids today. Just background stuff to listen to whilst I work. Very amusing.