XPost: alt.tv.babylon-5   
   From: pap@somewhere.com   
      
   Hi all,   
      
   I'm halfway through watching Season Two of Babylon 5 for the first time.   
   I saw the first season when it was first aired on British telly ( mainly   
   'cos I was an Amiga fanboy :D ) and seem to remember enjoying it.  For   
   many reasons, I never caught up with the subsequent series.   
      
   Better late than never.   
      
   It goes without saying that most of you are huge B5 fans ( except maybe   
   for the goat porn pushers ), so let me tell ya that overall, I love the   
   show.  The pace is frenetic and there's a lot to admire.   
      
   Thought it might be cool to give you a rundown of how B5 stands up to a   
   new viewer in 2004.   
      
   Remember - this refers to the first half of S2.   
      
   Special effects   
   ===============   
      
   Looking a tad dated, but to be expected.  Thinking about it, who cares?   
   If I can suspend my disbelief long enough to believe I'm on a distant   
   space station, I'm sure I can deal with ships that are shinier than they   
   should be.   
      
   Sheridan   
   ========   
   I like Sheridan already.  First coupla establishing eps were a bit   
   painful, and he has a tendency to tell long and suspiciously relevant   
   anecdotes.  The thing I like best about him is that so far, he isn't   
   cool.  He tells shit jokes ( his bedtime humour obviously lost on   
   Ivanova ) and comes off cheesey at times.  But that doesn't really   
   matter.  He's a good Captain - and the ability to command is more   
   important than lashing out razor sharp puns.   
      
   Garibaldi   
   =========   
   Been in a coma with not much to do.  Enjoyed the self-doubt on   
   discovering the inside-job betrayal, and the fact that such a confident   
   man falls to pieces in front of Talia.  Oddly runs things by the book (   
   telepath ep ), despite the fact he's got an inkling that President   
   Clark, who ultimately gives the orders, is a bit of a wrong'un.   
      
   Talia   
   =====   
   Wasn't that interested at first, but a couple of episodes made this   
   character for me.  Her part in tricking Psycorp was cool, especially as   
   she trounced that nasty little bastard Bester into the bargain ( good   
   skillz Koenig! ).   
      
   Am interested to see how her life develops now she's clarified her   
   feelings on Psycorp.  With no family to rely on, I'm guessing she's   
   going to rely on the B5 crew a lot in coming eps.   
      
   Franklin   
   ========   
   Justifiably aloof early on, I love the fact that his guiding passion is   
   the hippocratic oath applied to all life.  Has the best line of what   
   I've seen so far ( "...but with very nice borders." ).  Gutted to hear   
   about Richard Biggs recent passing.   
      
   Ivanova   
   =======   
   She too suffers from big, preachy speechies.  But not as much.  Her   
   dislike for PsyCorp suggests a big role in Talia's journey.  I like the   
   fact that even though she's in a position of power, she's still quite a   
   girly-girl.  Hence, her helping De'Lenn.   
      
   G'Kar   
   =====   
   It's a credit to Andreas Katsulas that he manages to turn in such fine   
   performances through so much make-up.  I like G'Kar a lot - he's an   
   honourable man trying his best to overcome his own hatred.  I like the   
   way that the race who looked least like us ( out of the two ) are the   
   oppressed.  Seems to be led by his heart and pulled back by his brain (   
   his intended murder of the Centauri Emperor ).   
      
   Londo   
   =====   
   The real monster of the piece so far.  Jurasik is delicious to watch and   
   provided many of the most memorable scenes so far.  Far too concerned   
   with where he wants to be, when he should be looking at where he is.   
      
   Vir   
   ===   
   Long suffering Vir - utterer of some of the most sage advice on the   
   show.  His 'currents' monologue was excellent, true and of course,   
   totally ignored by his 'superior'.   
      
   Delenn   
   =======   
   The fusion of her Minbari experience and human innocence lights up the   
   screen.  Nicely ironic that in her bid to bring the two peoples   
   together, she's distanced herself from her own people.   
      
   Shadows   
   =======   
   They're a shower of bastards, aren't they?  I wouldn't like to meet any   
   of them at a picnic, but can't wait to see more of 'em.   
      
   Overall   
   -------   
   Liking it a lot - lemme know if you wanna virgin's summary of the end of   
   Season 2 :-)   
      
   P   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)