Babylon 5: Heretical Opinions

[lesbiassparrow]

Or are they? I am not in the fandom at all so I don't know, perhaps they're what everyone says. I've been rewatching it and I'm about halfway through the third season.

1. Zathros = least favourite character on anything ever. If he talks about himself in the third person one more time I will throw shoes at the screen. He is the most annoying thing about the time travel episodes and makes me hate them deeply and utterly.

2. Season One is not very good. I don't hate it or anything, but Commander Sinclair bores the pants off me. Also it has some dreadful writing of the sort that looks like it was done at top speed on the backs of napkins in bars. Sinclair also brings out the worst acting in others. I am a bit astonished it didn't get cancelled at the time.

3. I rather wish that there was a TV series where democracy works and doesn't turn out to be always hi-jacked by fascists. It would be nice.

But John and Delenn are excellent. They're the quite wonderful and only get better as it goes along. And this time watching it all the way through and not skipping episodes means that I can follow the time travel stuff.

ETA: As for the Guardian list of top 5 Doctor Who companions, I'm not really surprised at who made it as it is rather tilted towards the more recent companions or those who've had a role on the more recent episodes. I think Sarah Jane got a boost (not that I disagree with her position) because she reappeared on new Who as much as the fact that she is quite smashingly amazing. I am glad that Tegan didn't make the bottom 5, though, as I have mad love for her and her endless attempts to get to back to Heathrow. But why no Jamie? He was quite, quite wonderful and wore a skirt better than anyone. And because I really think Mary Tamm is the most gorgeous person ever on Who and a great actress as well I wish Romana I had made the list, but then I guess that's the result of being one of the older companions.

I am sad that Grace made the bottom five because I rather liked her, but I guess she gets caught up in the backwash of loathing for the TV movie. Also she killed the Doctor which strikes me as a bold introductory move.

I am going to come right out here and confess that I don't actually really like Ace very much, though I think that has to do a lot with my problematic feelings of the last years of Old Who, which is when I threw in the towel. If it helps, I don't dislike her as much as I did when I was watching it, when she drove me up the wall on a regular basis. Again, though I think that had to do with me getting unhappier and unhappier with Who as much as with the character.

BUT MOST SHOCKING OF ALL IS THE UTTER AND BLATANT DISREGARD OF THE TARDIS AS COMPANION AND THE DOCTOR'S ONE TRUE LOVE.

Comments

[nolivingman.livejournal.com]

I'm not with you on Zathras, but Sinclair is SUCH a bore and Michael O'Hare was completely miscast as a leading man. I noticed when he came back for War Without End I kinda liked him/the character, but I don't know how they thought that guy could carry a show.

[lesbiassparrow.livejournal.com]

I can see that what they wanted was gravity but it just becomes torturous after a while, though he has the fine art of pausing before important statements down to a tee.