{"id":7089,"date":"2018-11-28T13:00:42","date_gmt":"2018-11-28T21:00:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/?p=7089"},"modified":"2018-11-21T13:53:31","modified_gmt":"2018-11-21T21:53:31","slug":"mark-watches-babylon-5-s03e03-a-day-in-the-strife","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/2018\/11\/mark-watches-babylon-5-s03e03-a-day-in-the-strife\/","title":{"rendered":"Mark Watches ‘Babylon 5’: S03E03 – A Day in the Strife"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the third episode of the third season of Babylon 5<\/i>, various characters deal with the ever-changing status of the station. Intrigued? Then it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s time for Mark to watch Babylon 5<\/i>.\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Trigger Warning: For discussion of imperialism, war crimes, addiction<\/b><\/p>\n

I appreciate that this episode is like a slice of life story, but that \u00e2\u20ac\u0153slice\u00e2\u20ac\u009d is just\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 really fucking intense and chaotic. This is the new normal for the station, though. While this doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t advance the main plot all that much, I still found it very necessary. We need<\/i> to see how people are surviving, how some are thriving, how others are suffering, and what it looks like between<\/i> the major battles.\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Let\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s discuss!<\/p>\n

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

Look, I fully believe that it is possible that at some later point, we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll learn who sent the probe that threatened the station. The Narn from the Streib ship actually came back, y\u00e2\u20ac\u2122all! I feel like ANYTHING is possible at this point, you know? But not giving the audience a hint to the source of it felt immensely realistic. Sometimes, shit just happens<\/i> without an explanation this far out in space. Space is weird and unknown, and this episode is a fine example of that. But it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s also fascinating to see how the arrival of this probe affects the various characters on the station. In particular, many of them don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t even seem to care about the impending doom that is circling Babylon 5<\/i>. Granted, not very many people knew about the probe, but even so. This gave me a sense of how the experience onboard the station is so different across the board. While the command staff was dealing with this absurdity, there were a hundred little dramas playing out elsewhere. Sheridan was dealing with frustrations of his own, and the probe also further complicated Dr. Franklin\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s already limited amount of time. That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s life in the strife.<\/p>\n

Dr. Franklin<\/b><\/p>\n

Well, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not like we didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t see this coming. Franklin\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s reliance on stims was confirmed last season, and now it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s gotten so bad that when he tries to go off them during one shift, he turns into a complete asshole. Like yes, you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re stressed and overworked, but STOP YELLING AT PEOPLE, DR. FRANKLIN. Take a nap! Like five naps! Naps are great! (I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m also yelling this at myself, as I am notoriously terrible at taking naps. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve probably taken about ten in my whole life. I KNOW.) I do understand that he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s under such terrible pressures all the time and<\/i> that he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s working in a department that is massively underfunded. But this is only gonna get worse. Garibaldi knows this! And I was pleased that the episode stuck him alongside Franklin so that someone could approach him from a place of empathy rather than judgment. Still, Dr. Franklin is on his own journey, and while Garibaldi will probably end up being an important part of that, Dr. Franklin is going to have to want to stop first. And right now, I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t think he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s at that step.\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Replacement<\/b><\/p>\n

This episode arrives directly after one in which we get a glimpse of Londo\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s kindness, however brief that might be, and it means that it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s hard to remember the good he does. When Na\u00e2\u20ac\u2122Far arrives on Babylon 5<\/i> and must consult Londo, we are given a display of absolute cruelty. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s monstrous to watch Londo toy with Na\u00e2\u20ac\u2122Far, to tease him about the destruction of his homeworld and the subjugation of his people. Is it necessary? Well, there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a split in opinions, and the audience is clearly supposed to see this as a horrific moment. It is, however, the final straw for both Vir and Londo. Vir openly criticizes his boss, and it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s because of this that Londo seeks out Delenn to see if she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll take Vir for an ambassadorial position.<\/p>\n

Why? Well, in his own twisted logic and understanding of the situation, this is to protect<\/i> Vir. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll keep him away from Londo, and it will keep him away from the reality of the Centauri occupation of Narn. I can squint at this and see an act of good will, but I mostly<\/i> see something else: Londo wanting to get rid of someone who will act as a conscience. Vir has gotten more and more bold over the course of this show, and it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s clear he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not going to stop speaking his mind. Maybe this is better for Vir\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s career, and maybe he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll have an easier time, but I think this is a bad move for all involved. I actually thought that Londo was going to stop this at the last second, but I was tricked by G\u00e2\u20ac\u2122Kar\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s plot into thinking he wouldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t leave. Holy shit, he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s really gone, isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t he?\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

G\u00e2\u20ac\u2122Kar, thankfully, is not. I know I said this while watching the episode, but G\u00e2\u20ac\u2122Kar\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s story just gets sadder and sadder. Na\u00e2\u20ac\u2122Far has some good intentions, and I understood why he felt the need to ask G\u00e2\u20ac\u2122Kar to come back. Perhaps he was compelled by other means, but he saw the safety of the Narn as his primary concern. I wonder how much of that was intentional, because I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m with G\u00e2\u20ac\u2122Kar on this: the Centauri want<\/i> the Narn to fight with one another. And what better way than to install a \u00e2\u20ac\u0153new\u00e2\u20ac\u009d leader who brings with them the promise that everyone\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s family members will be arrested and possibly tortured if the old leader isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t returned?<\/p>\n

G\u00e2\u20ac\u2122Kar, unsurprisingly, is willing to give up his own life to save others. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a matter of honor and pride, and it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s exactly<\/i> what the Centauri want to extinguish in the Narn. From Londo\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s own mouth, y\u00e2\u20ac\u2122all! That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s what he admitted! That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s why it was so meaningful to see the other Narn reject Na\u00e2\u20ac\u2122Far and insist that G\u00e2\u20ac\u2122Kar stay. They know what the Centauri are trying to do: kill the desire for a resistance force. If they can break the spirit of the Narn, they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll get exactly what they want.<\/p>\n

Not yet, at least. G\u00e2\u20ac\u2122Kar stays, and I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m happy that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the case.<\/p>\n

The video for \u00e2\u20ac\u0153A Day in the Strife\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":"