Chocolate pudding cake makes it all better
Apr. 9th, 2007 10:11 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sunnyskywalkerI definitely have one of the more sensitive set of nerves of the human race, because I am still rattled by getting an errant box smacked into my windshield while driving home last night. (Let this be a lesson to everyone who ever plans to haul stuff in the back of a pickup: ropes and bungee cords are your friends! Use more of them!) Fortunately, yesterday I baked a chocolate pudding cake, so I was able to juice up my brain with some happy chemicals when I got home. It did help a bit. Who says chocolate isn't good for you?
In other news, I have started Netflixing Babylon 5, because I have heard wonderful things about the show and decided it was high time for me to catch up.
My very first reaction was, "Hey, this looks like Earth 2! Not in any particulars, but it does." I checked the air date, and realized they were both products of 1994. Ah-ha. That's the vibe I was picking up. (And wow, I am 13 years behind the times.)
I was warned in advance that the pilot was not the show at its best, so I ignored the wooden acting and overly-scripted sound of the dialog as best I could. I really, really liked the setup of the show, and I'm liking it even more as the season goes on. There is a huge secondary universe there, with dozens of races and alliances (current and not), different religious and political factions for each world (yay for not having monocultural aliens!), changing balances of power, old wars that the characters still remember and care about... It's awesome. And so far, it all seems to hang together really well (rather than being a bunch of events dumped into a show together).
Best of all (to me), in this show, history matters. For instance, the Centauri are trying to hang onto their old power and glory, or at least trying to forget they've diminished so much, and this affects everything from their foreign policy to their clothing. Races which fought recently have characters who find it hard to trust members of their former enemies. Things that happened ten years ago explain why some characters are doing certain things today, and the things they do today affect what happens several episodes down the line - even if the actions seemed innocuous at the time. Everything that happens, even in apparent stand-alone episodes, makes sense as part of the larger universe. You get the feeling that even the stand-alones reveal something important about the larger issues or might be important down the line - not in a contrived way, but because everything is so organically connected. Characters don't all forget what happened last episode (even if they appear to for a while), so past actions really matter. I think all of this is a long way of saying that I haven't seen a reset button on Babylon 5 yet. It feels real. The characters are also interesting, which I will probably talk more about some other time. I will gladly overlook 1994-quality CGI for all that.
One thing still grates on me, though, and that's Commander Sinclair's acting. He reminds me of those Geico commercials where they have the real (?) customers and the overly-dramatic famous actors to help the customers tell their stories. Like this:
REAL COMMANDER: We had an accident at the loading docks.
FAMOUS ACTOR, WITH HIS DRAMATIC FACE ON: The docks were in chaos. Flames roared toward the hatches as men rushed to safety, the screams of their dying comrades ringing in their ears. It was a catastrophe which could endanger the future of the entire station. I knew I had to act, and soon.
Basically, he sounds like he's reading the voice-over for the credits during the whole show to me. But I just read that he's replaced for Season 2 (probably because of things the character has done this season - I loved how they explained what happened to the first doctor and psychic), so maybe Commander 2 will be better.
I know that there will probably be things in later seasons which will disappoint me (or at least, I tell myself that to lessen the disappointment if that does happen), but right now, I'm still in that first rush of fannishness where everything about the show looks wonderful.
In other news, I have started Netflixing Babylon 5, because I have heard wonderful things about the show and decided it was high time for me to catch up.
My very first reaction was, "Hey, this looks like Earth 2! Not in any particulars, but it does." I checked the air date, and realized they were both products of 1994. Ah-ha. That's the vibe I was picking up. (And wow, I am 13 years behind the times.)
I was warned in advance that the pilot was not the show at its best, so I ignored the wooden acting and overly-scripted sound of the dialog as best I could. I really, really liked the setup of the show, and I'm liking it even more as the season goes on. There is a huge secondary universe there, with dozens of races and alliances (current and not), different religious and political factions for each world (yay for not having monocultural aliens!), changing balances of power, old wars that the characters still remember and care about... It's awesome. And so far, it all seems to hang together really well (rather than being a bunch of events dumped into a show together).
Best of all (to me), in this show, history matters. For instance, the Centauri are trying to hang onto their old power and glory, or at least trying to forget they've diminished so much, and this affects everything from their foreign policy to their clothing. Races which fought recently have characters who find it hard to trust members of their former enemies. Things that happened ten years ago explain why some characters are doing certain things today, and the things they do today affect what happens several episodes down the line - even if the actions seemed innocuous at the time. Everything that happens, even in apparent stand-alone episodes, makes sense as part of the larger universe. You get the feeling that even the stand-alones reveal something important about the larger issues or might be important down the line - not in a contrived way, but because everything is so organically connected. Characters don't all forget what happened last episode (even if they appear to for a while), so past actions really matter. I think all of this is a long way of saying that I haven't seen a reset button on Babylon 5 yet. It feels real. The characters are also interesting, which I will probably talk more about some other time. I will gladly overlook 1994-quality CGI for all that.
One thing still grates on me, though, and that's Commander Sinclair's acting. He reminds me of those Geico commercials where they have the real (?) customers and the overly-dramatic famous actors to help the customers tell their stories. Like this:
REAL COMMANDER: We had an accident at the loading docks.
FAMOUS ACTOR, WITH HIS DRAMATIC FACE ON: The docks were in chaos. Flames roared toward the hatches as men rushed to safety, the screams of their dying comrades ringing in their ears. It was a catastrophe which could endanger the future of the entire station. I knew I had to act, and soon.
Basically, he sounds like he's reading the voice-over for the credits during the whole show to me. But I just read that he's replaced for Season 2 (probably because of things the character has done this season - I loved how they explained what happened to the first doctor and psychic), so maybe Commander 2 will be better.
I know that there will probably be things in later seasons which will disappoint me (or at least, I tell myself that to lessen the disappointment if that does happen), but right now, I'm still in that first rush of fannishness where everything about the show looks wonderful.
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(no subject)
Date: 2007-04-09 06:10 pm (UTC)Commander Sinclair's acting.
Hee. it's the blinking - and the way he Articulates.Every.Single.Word. And yes he is replaced, and there are good reasons why he is and yes, commander 2 is, IMHO, much better. So hooray!
Best of all (to me), in this show, history matters.
I very much agree with this. In fact for me no sci-fi show has been able to top the continuity and importance of history that B5 has. It has clearly plotted arcs, enough lovely foreshadowing to keep anyone happy (all clearly present from the pilot btw.) and it also has consistent characterisation. All the characters will change, but they do so in a believable way.
Have you watched beyond the pilot? Season one is the most uneven, but has some truly great episodes as well - and season 2-4 are great. S5 suffered a little from uncertain renewal, but is all in all a good season as well.
Who says chocolate isn't good for you?
Hee. obviously someone crazy - because chocolate is the best. ;)
(no subject)
Date: 2007-04-09 06:18 pm (UTC)I am SO glad to hear the second commander is better. You're right, it's the blinking and over-articulation. Gah!
(no subject)
Date: 2007-04-09 06:35 pm (UTC)I think one of the major reasons I've stopped watching BSG (at least for the time being) is B5. A lot of what BSG tries to do has been done by B5, and in my opinion a lot better. A little unfair to BSG perhaps, but I'm a very fickle sci-fi lover. ;P
(As tv sci-fi goes I think B5 and Space: Above and beyond have been some of the best shows I've seen. Have you seen Space:AAB? Highly recommended, even if it got cancelled after just one season. Woe...)
And B5 rules with the sticky ethics, be they medical or otherwise. (and was the medical ethics one "believers"? The race that doesn't believe in surgery? )
And hooray for meta! I'm looking forward to it. On B5 all the odd symbolism actually have a meaning and a purpose - which I love. Also the CGI does get better. It never becomes OMG! Lucasfilm good, but it does get much, much better. hee.
(no subject)
Date: 2007-04-09 06:48 pm (UTC)I think BSG is becoming the perfect example of why you really need to work out the details of your secondary universe in advance. The first season and a half felt much more cohesive to me than later episodes, and I think that's because they were basing it on the things they had worked out more carefully. The Cylons had a plan - mushy and changing but at least they had one - and the humans had a plan. The characters had enough backstory to act on for that long (eg Baltar keeping his cover and getting to know Head!Six, Roslin coming to grips with her cancer and her visions, Boomer learning her identity, the Helo and Sharon on Caprica arc). But once they played that out, they were stuck. What's the Cylon plan now? What's the rest of the fleet, which we have ignored, up to, and how is it functioning? How does Colonial society work, exactly? Er... And then they had to start retconning, and it didn't work out so well. So suddenly, there is a black market! And racism! And actual workers in that tylium refinery ship who aren't happy! And it all feels pasted on, because it is. They pulled it together for a few episodes (about from "Dowloaded" to the S3 exodus, I think), but they're just not good at keeping the big picture in mind.
(no subject)
Date: 2007-04-09 07:35 pm (UTC)Nope it didn't, and somewhere along the way that ended up effecting everything from the basic story to the characters themselves. that said I get the feeling that BSG's double-edged sword is Ron Moore. he can be brilliant at times, but he can also be the shows biggest problem. For when be states in blog casts that he wanted to play with the fans heads by killing Starbuck, then you have a creator who's focus is the wrong way. It should be on the show and telling the story, not doing things "because they are cool". But I'll stop now before I start to ramble. I think my problem is that I loved S1 and first half of S2 of BSG SO much, that the fall from great highs was great indeed.
But back to B5 - any favourite characters yet?
(no subject)
Date: 2007-04-09 08:22 pm (UTC)Hm, favorites. I really like Ivanova and Dr. Franklin. And Delenn, G'Kar, and Londo fascinate me. I'd like to see more of Na'Toth, Lennier, and Talia Winters, too - there seems to be a lot going on there that I've only seen glimpses of so far. The scenes between G'Kar, Na'Toth, and Londo are such a neat combo of conniving, animosity, humor, and the deep feelings and beliefs they try to keep hidden. Delenn and Lennier are puzzles - well, the whole Minbari culture is, and I like that. They seem to be all about art and spirituality and peace, but have this strong militaristic streak, and Lennier saying looking a member of the Council in the face is not allowed makes me wonder a lot about their class structure. They also have so many fascinating secrets. Ivanova and Talia Winters both strike me as supremely competent and efficient at their jobs (but Ivanova being more open and having a better sense of humor), and the efficient-but-reserved character is a type that usually gets me. Also, I want to know what is up with PsyCorp.
And someone should tell the characters that Exes Are Bad News. So far, we've had Talia's ex turning into a god-thing, Ivanova's ex being a violent bigot, and Sinclair's ex dragging him into an annoying attempt at a romantic subplot which only got a pass from me because it was connected to the god-thing plot.