Kevin's Watch

After waiting for months, I finally have "In the beginning" from Blockbuster Online and I'm nearly finished with it. So far, it's pretty good. It's a 2 sided DVD with "The Gathering" on Side B.

My local library has B-5, and as soon as I watch all of the masterpiece theatre movies I have on my list, I'm going to check them out.

Dlb-
D'oh! "In the Beginning" actually shoudln't be watched in the beginning. it contains spoilers for the first couple of seasons of the show. Sorry if I wasn't clear earlier. It was written as an introduction to the show after the fourth season, when the show switched to a new network.

However, all is not lost. This is actually the order that I watched the show in when I started. I saw "In the Beginning" first, then "Gathering" then the first season. It still worked. Still a great show, though some of the surprising elements in the first season or two were lost.

Again, sorry, if I wasn't clear.

Not a problem. I enjoyed "In the beginning" but so far "The Gathering" is slow going.

Yeah, "Gathering" is one of the rougher spots of the whole thing. Though there is one episode 1st season that was just painful, IMO.

Spoiler

There's a bad kick-boxing episode about midway through. Just pathetic.

If you make it through Gathering, though, you're probably good to go.

Thanks, I appreciate the info. I'll let you know as I make progress.

I can't get through the first season. I'm bored to tears. How screwed up will I be if I skip to season 3?

<sigh>

You have to make it through the seasons in order (and yeah, parts of season one are just painful). You absolutely need to see "Babylon Squared".

Ok, thanks.

Good ol' B-5!

Yeah, what Cail said. "Babylon Squared" is a must. As are "Signs and Portents" and "Chrysalis". Season 2 is an order of magnitude better than season 1, though, so don't skip right to season three.

A lot of season one is uneven at best. At the same time, a handful of episodes ("Soul Stealer" and "Chrysalis" for example) are quite good and set up a lot of the ongoing plot.

Season Two is good, with a lot of things much more settled and allowing the story to progress. Seasons Three and Four are excellent. Five is a little uneven, but still worth the watch and many, many times better than One.

I recommend all the movies.

Babylon Five is a milestone in science fiction television, a genuine epic spread across multiple seasons. It easily harkens to LOTR as well as "Doc" Smith's Lensmen series. Like so many shows, the male hero/lead is in many ways the least interesting character--but this doesn't mean he's UN-interesting. G'Kar, Londo, Vir, Garibaldi, Delenn, Lennier and Ivanova are all extremely compelling. More, they and the series itself surprises you. This is a show that takes chances. From the offhand mention of a female pope to the casual acceptance of same-sex marriage, and even one scene that takes place in a public restroom, B5 broke the rules in terms of a consistent future history that felt real.

It doesn't all work. I've always felt Sheridan was slightly miscast. The producer/creator wrote something like two and a half seasons straight, and his own habits of language creep in too much (everyone and everything "goes to hell" sooner or later, for instance). Morden is wonderfully creepy but you also know he's a baddie from the time he first smiles. And, imho, the Shadow War ends a tad too neatly. But on the other hand, at its best the show is as good or better than the top moments of Firefly or the new Battlestar: Galactica.

I've just bought the "Babylon 5 Complete Universe" on DVD, I did this based purely on recommendations and reviews, after watching the pilot movie and the entire first series, I can see what the hype is about.

I originally thought that it was a cheap ST knock off and never watched it when it was on TV, my mistake, it is far superior to trek in every way, I am really liking the alien characters so far...Londo is fantastic, G'Kar is also cool.

This series does have genuine story arcs and a "human" feel to it, some great humour and good characters.

The effects are the biggest let down for me, but I can forgive those when I am absorbed by the story and the general feeling of the show.

I'm glad I took a chance on this box set.

Update: I'm now half way through season 2, and it's getting even better!

The second, third and fourth seasons are the best (with a few quality hiccups along the way). One is the worst, but has some nice stuff in it (as well as a few eps you really need to see for continuity's sake). The fifth season is a bit uneven, but has some really good stuff in it.

If anyone is still on the fence about getting this, BJ's Wholesale Club has the DVDs for $19.99 a season.

Am i right in thinking they had a mojor budget cur in season 5 and things took a turn for the worst?
I watched the show religiously on tv until i started going to the pub too much and missed the last half of S4 and most of S5
B5 is definitley next in my sights after i finish of my BSG dvds

Season 5 was on TNT, who either cut the budget or had some sort of creative input. Additionally, JMS wrapped the majority of his story up in season 4 thinking that there wouldn't be a season 5.

Or, given the relative lack of quality of his post-B5 work, he ran out of ideas.

kk gotcha. And how about the cancelled spin off 'Crusade', any good?

I really liked Crusade (from what I remember), but I'm a big Gary Cole fan. I'd like to see it again.