Because
occasionally we all need a reminder that this series existed and was
special in so many ways, here are my ten favorite episodes of "Babylon
5," listed in chronological order. With this list, more than any other,
I provide strong warnings that there are spoilers! Spoilers
everywhere!
"By Any Means Necessary" - "Babylon
5" took pains to distinguish itself from the concurrently running "Star
Trek" series early on. In this episode, Commander Sinclair has the
equivalent of a dockworker's strike on his hands, where some creative
bureaucracy ends up being much more effective than any lofty speeches to
resolve the issue. And then we have one of G'Kar and Londo's more
memorable spats over a plant G'Kar needs for a religious occasion.
"Babylon
Squared" - I always love a good time travel story, and "Babylon 5" has
some impressive ones. This episode, where Babylon 5 receives a distress
call from its long-missing predecessor, Babylon 4, sets up a lot of
interesting things that happen later on in the series. I find the
lead-up more fun that the payoff, since the teases are so well handled.
Also, it's our first encounter with the priceless Zathras, caretaker of
the Great Machine and follower of "The One."
"The
Coming of Shadows" - After all the lead-up and all the portents, war
finally breaks out between the Narn and the Centauri directly due to
Londo's manipulation of the events around the Emperor's visit to Babylon
5. Watching Londo and G'Kar struggling against destny and their own
natures is a thrill, and it's even more impressive upon rewatch when you
realize everything that's going to follow from the decisions the
characters make in this episode.
"Acts of
Sacrifice" - The bulk of this one is devoted to G'Kar's efforts to rally
support for the Narn as the war with the Centauri rages on. It's
excellent in the way that it shows G'Kar's priorities shifting and his
nobility rising to the surface in the face of adversity. However, the
reason that this episode is on the list is because it's the one where
Ivanova has to have sex with an alien ambassador. What results is
surely Claudia Christian's finest moment.
"The
Long, Twilight Struggle" - The huge scope of "Babylon 5" was something I
always admired, the way that the conflicts between characters could
play out on a truly massive scale. Nowhere is this more apparent than
the final defeat of Narn, which G'Kar and his allies do everything to
try and prevent, but only manage to delay. It's one thing to see the
good guys lose, but another to see the good guys lose, resulting in the
destruction of an entire civilization.
"Severed
Dreams" - It's hard to pick out specific episodes from the third season
to single out for praise because so much is going on at once. I'm going
with "Severed Dreams" as the biggest highlight of the year, where the
command crew of Babylon 5 finds itself in open opposition to the Earth
government after quashing an internal takeover attempt. It's a big
turning point for several of the storylines, and also gives Delenn
her most memorable badass dialogue.
"Into the
Fire" - The end of the Shadow War felt anticlimactic in some ways,
especially since it happened at an awkward spot near the beginning of
the fourth season, and lead straight into the much less interesting Mars
arc. However, you've got to love how some of those little plot threads
get wrapped up - the Shadows and Vorlons being assured they won't be
alone beyond the rim, Londo standing up to the Shadows, and of course
Vir's farewell to Mr. Morden.
"The Deconstruction of Falling Stars"
- I went back and forth on this one because I find parts of it
tremendously didactic and ham-handed. Then again, I've never seen a
dramatic television series tell this kind of story, which charts the
effects of our heroes' actions over almost incomprehensible amounts of
time. This was nearly the last episode of the series, but I think it
works better as an interlude before the final season, to hammer home
some of the show's big themes.
"The Fall of Centauri Prime"
- The fifth season of "Babylon Five" is wildly uneven, but G'Kar and
the Centauri characters get a hell of an arc that's worth sitting
through all the filler. Londo Mollari finally gets what he always
wanted and dooms himself forever in the process. As much as I love
G'Kar for everything he stood for, it's the tragic Londo who is my
favorite character for his terribly human frailties. I am so glad we
got to see his final triumph and downfall.
"Sleeping
in Light" - The final goodbye is thankfully a smaller, quieter,
and more personal one. We get Ivanova back and a reunion of old
friends, before Commander Sheridan and Babylon 5 itself take their final
bows. There's the grand gestures and the myth-making, of course,
because Michael J. Strazcynski just can't seem to resist putting in
those final flourishes, but this time all of it feels entirely earned
and entirely right.
Honorable mentions: "Believers," "Soul Mates," "Point of No Return," "War Without End," and "Z'Ha'Dum"
---
No comments:
Post a Comment