{"id":7087,"date":"2018-11-26T13:00:26","date_gmt":"2018-11-26T21:00:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/?p=7087"},"modified":"2018-11-21T17:29:21","modified_gmt":"2018-11-22T01:29:21","slug":"mark-watches-babylon-5-s03e01-matters-of-honor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/2018\/11\/mark-watches-babylon-5-s03e01-matters-of-honor\/","title":{"rendered":"Mark Watches ‘Babylon 5’: S03E01 – Matters of Honor"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the first episode of the third season of Babylon 5<\/i>, the crew finally gets to go on the offensive. Intrigued? Then it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s time for Mark to watch Babylon 5<\/i>.<\/p>\n

Oh, this is such a good opener, y\u00e2\u20ac\u2122all. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s creepy at times, and it really sets the tone for the war with the Shadows. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s here<\/i>, y\u00e2\u20ac\u2122all. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s here because EarthForce knows of it; because the Shadows are becoming more bold in their attacks; because of the insidious, awful ways in which they have infiltrated various governments. THIS IS GONNA BE DARK AS HELL, ISN\u00e2\u20ac\u2122T IT.<\/p>\n

Mollari<\/b><\/p>\n

We\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve seen moments of reluctance or uncertainty in Londo Mollari before. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve been hesitant to give much credit to Londo beyond the obvious because, in the end, he still wanted to benefit from what the Shadows provided him. He kept himself ignorant for a while; he avoided difficult questions or, when he asked them, he never followed up. It was convenient for him to do so. And when he ordered the absolute destruction of thousands of lives, he barely flinched.<\/p>\n

So his rejection of Morden in the season three opener is pragmatic at best<\/i>. At worst, it is a cowardly attempt to save face, to seem like he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s doing something moral and just when he is just scratching the surface of being a good person. I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t think he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s attempting the second thing, for the record. There is<\/i> an element of pride here; I do think he wants the Centauri to find their \u00e2\u20ac\u0153destiny\u00e2\u20ac\u009d alone, and thus, he really doesn’t<\/i> have a need for Morden and his associates But there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s an awareness here. After Mr. Endawi questions him about the mysterious ship that Keffer recorded in hyperspace, he recalls the dread and terror the image of those ships gave him in his dream. He knows<\/i> they are bad, and he also suspects that Morden\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s \u00e2\u20ac\u0153associates\u00e2\u20ac\u009d use the same ones. But note that when Londo divvies up the galaxy with Morden, he doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t express any worry about another group colonizing the other half of the galaxy. I think his worry is always going to be centered on Centauri first<\/i>.\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

And y\u00e2\u20ac\u2122all, I really don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t doubt that the image from the dream is prophetic as hell. The Shadows are absolutely going to turn on everyone in an attempt to conquer the whole galaxy. What\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Londo going to do then<\/i>?<\/p>\n

The Rangers<\/b><\/p>\n

It was so damn exciting to see\u00e2\u20ac\u201dwell, as Sheridan put it\u00e2\u20ac\u201dthe team going on the offensive. I know the show has made a fine case for why<\/i> they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve all been reluctant to be as bold as they are in this episode. I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t disagree with Delenn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s decision prior to this. They had<\/i> to make sure the Shadows did not know of their suspicion so that they could strengthen their forces. But how long could that last? When would the moment come when the secret was no longer needed?<\/p>\n

I think I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll look back on \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Matters of Honor\u00e2\u20ac\u009d as the first major moment in which this war moved out of the shadows. (SORRY, I HAD TO.) The fact that the Centauri were going after a Ranger training post made me deeply suspicious. How did they know?<\/i> I believe that damning scene back on Earth is the confirmation that I need to state that the Shadows already know about the Rangers. They must<\/i> have directed the Centauri to place those mines there so that they could come and finish the Rangers off. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s fucked up, but it makes sense. So, at this point, both sides know more about the other than the other was aware of. Thus, I agree with Sheridan\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s decision to pilot the White Star<\/i> (HI HELLO THAT SHIP IS AMAZING) to rescue the Rangers. Was it risky as hell and a little foolish? YES, ONE HUNDRED PERCENT. But how could they let the Shadows and the Centauri score a victory that would harm the Rangers badly?\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The whole \u00e2\u20ac\u0153jump point\u00e2\u20ac\u009d loop bit was incredible to watch, but I think it meant more than just being a neat bit of sci-fi action. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s hope<\/i>. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the first time we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve ever seen a ship belonging to the Shadows get destroyed. And that means that it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s possible to fight the Shadows. Gods, that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s SO important! Granted, this doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t negate all the rest of the dread that this episode gave me. CHRIST, THE PSI-CORPS AND THE EARTH GOVERNMENT ARE WORKING WITH THE SHADOWS. In this case, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m guessing they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re trying to protect themselves??? They have to know how dangerous the Shadows are, right? Oh god, what if they don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t<\/i>? What if they have no idea who they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve allied with? UGH, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122M SO ANGRY WITH THIS TURN OF EVENTS, Y\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ALL. I know it makes me as angry as it does because I know it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s so goddamn realistic. Humans would ABSOLUTELY sell out other races to protect themselves. We do that to ourselves<\/i> in 2018, so\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 way to go, JMS, for writing a show that is unfortunately still spot-on? I guess??? HELP.<\/p>\n

The video for \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Matters of Honor\u00e2\u20ac\u009d can be downloaded here for $0.99<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Mark Links Stuff<\/b><\/p>\n

– My YA contemporary debut, ANGER IS A GIFT<\/a>, is now out in the world!\u00c2\u00a0<\/strong>If you’d like to stay up-to-date on all announcements regarding my books, sign up for my newsletter<\/a>! DO IT.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"