(no subject)

[skygiants]

So only a year . . . or so . . . after borrowing it, I am officially more than halfway through the first season of Babylon 5!

Some scattered and irrelevant thoughts:

1. I am completely fascinated with Ivanova's hair.
2. The aliens are by far the most interesting part already, and I can see the interesting things starting to be set up, but I kind of wish there was not so often this sense of squabbling children about Londo and G'Kar who need some wise human mediation to sort things out.
3. Na'toth is my FAVORITE.
4. Is there a reason all the lead ambassadors have some kind of Foreign Accent while all their aides and assistants speak American? Someone must have fanwanked something about this, right?
5. Between "Infection," "The War Prayer," and "And the Sky Full of Stars", I am pretty sure that all blonde dudes in this universe are evil. And British, but I guess that goes without saying.
6. There is something weirdly hypnotic about the acting. I think I have gotten pleasantly numbed to it by a few episodes in.
7. That being said, although there were other episodes more sledgehammery or more stilted, the hardest episode to get through was definitely the one where the plot revolves around being inside Sinclair's head . . .

Comments

[scifantasy]

The acting improves. In fact, the acting and the writing both improve.

[skygiants]

So I keep hearing! I mean, I don't mean to say that I'm not enjoying it, because I am, but there is certainly an "aw, you're trying SO HARD!" quality to a lot of it.

(Hopefully I should be able to have it back to you for real by next week!)

[scifantasy]

Good--you can see my new place.

[skygiants]

I'm looking forward to it! I expect to be properly jealous. :)

[happydork]

They are trying! They really are! My flatmate and I are pretty clear that the single worst acting choice in the show is EVERYTHING SINCLAIR DOES, but we have to admire that he keeps on doing it.

[skygiants]

Haha! By far the funniest part of the show so far is when they try to sell us on Sinclair's SEXY PASSIONATE FIERY ROMANCE with Catherine, because I try to put the words 'Sinclair' and 'sexy' and 'passionate' next to each other and then my brain just sort of does a terrified rubber rebound.

[happydork]

Have you noticed the way Sinclair acts with his hands? It's pretty amazing, because you wouldn't think his acting quality could get worse, but when his hands are on screen too, wow, the quality drops below zero.

[skygiants]

I had not actually noticed yet, but now I won't be able to unsee it!

[happydork]

I would apologise, but I find it adds a certain something to the effect.

[likeadeuce]

On the other hand, Sinclair sells his passionate fiery romance with Garibaldi pretty well so there might be something else going on there ;)

[skygiants]

. . . nope, I try, but I still can't see him as anything but everybody's earnest wooden uncle!

[jedit.livejournal.com]

B5 season 1 is a mixed bag, to be sure, but it's got a lot of key plot points in amongst the filler stories. There are things in the first episode that are still paying off in S4 - and if you're halfway through, you're just getting to the really good bit. I'd skip TKO if you've not already suffered it because it's 100% standalone and a bit crap, but almost all the other eps are good. Once you hit "Eyes" the arc really starts kicking in, and it's all good to the end of the year.

[skygiants]

I am a huge sucker for continuity, so I am definitely willing to suffer through the wooden for a later payoff! (Though I admit, five seasons still seems daunting . . . I'm not used to watching lengthy US TV anymore!)

[lizbee]

4. The intention with the ambassadors' accents was that Delenn and Londo both learned English as adults and are fairly new to the language. Whereas G'Kar has been dealing directly with humanity for much of his adult life, and Lennier learned at a much younger age.

Of course, most of the other actors playing aliens don't bother with any kind of accent, so it doesn't pay to overthink.

[likeadeuce]

Also, my recollection is that Mira Furlan sounded exactly the same playing a Frenchwoman on Lost as she did playing Delenn, so in that case it might just be the actress.

[lizbee]

Yes, she's Yugoslavian, and B5 was her first English-speaking role.

[skygiants]

That makes sense! I actually noticed it first with the contrast between Londo and Vir, but I guess this works also depending on how young you read Vir. Alternately, Vir is a secret linguistic genius! One never knows.

[surexit]

Everyone evil is English. OBVIOUSLY.

[skygiants]

SOMEONE CALL ALAN RICKMAN.

[surexit]

Is everyone English evil? THE WORLD MUST PONDER.