{"id":7120,"date":"2018-12-18T13:00:53","date_gmt":"2018-12-18T21:00:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/?p=7120"},"modified":"2018-12-12T21:37:40","modified_gmt":"2018-12-13T05:37:40","slug":"mark-watches-babylon-5-s03e17-war-without-end-part-two","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/2018\/12\/mark-watches-babylon-5-s03e17-war-without-end-part-two\/","title":{"rendered":"Mark Watches ‘Babylon 5’: S03E17 – War Without End, Part Two"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the seventeenth episode of the third season of Babylon 5<\/i>, there are not enough WHAT THE FUCKS for this episode. Intrigued? Then it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s time for Mark to watch Babylon 5<\/i>.\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Where do I even start? It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s all a circle!!! THIS SHOW HAS BEEN TELLING ME THE TRUTH FOR YEARS. Despite suspecting some of this, this episode was still a trip to experience. Look, if we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d just been given some answers about the past, this would have been mind-blowing. But the show commits to the notion of becoming unstuck in time and gives us glimpses of the future, and MY MIND CANNOT HANDLE THIS.<\/p>\n

Actually, let\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s work in reverse. I HAVE THOUGHTS.<\/p>\n

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

I just… what the fuck<\/i> is about to happen? There is so much information given to us in a relatively short amount of time, and I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m blown away by how this doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t undercut the show, but somehow make it more exciting. Who knew that giving us the resolution to the Shadow War would actually make me feel MORE dread? Because now I know it will take seventeen years<\/i> for the war to be finished. They\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll have to pay an immense cost in order to win, but no matter how horrible that cost is, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s better<\/i> than surrendering to the Shadows. DELENN AND SHERIDAN HAVE A SON NAMED DAVID. !!!!!!! WHAT DO I EVEN SAY TO THAT. !!!!!!!! Oh my god, Londo is Emperor, but he has a parasitic entity<\/i> attached to him that controls him? Y\u00e2\u20ac\u2122all, I imagine Babylon 5<\/i> benefits greatly from re-watches, but that one twist alone made me want to rewatch the previous episode. Could you see it in \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Part One\u00e2\u20ac\u009d? Did I just not notice it??? HELP ME.\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

So, when does that thing show up in the timeline? How long is Londo controlled by it? Is it from the Shadows? How do events transpire to reach that point??? Oh my god, WHAT THE FUCK HAPPENED TO G\u00e2\u20ac\u2122KAR\u00e2\u20ac\u2122S EYE? Is that meant as a reference to Lady Morella\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s prophecy??? Y\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ALL, THEY KILL EACH OTHER JUST AS WAS FORETOLD. And Vir becomes Emperor because Londo was killed. What the fuck is this show??<\/i><\/p>\n

WHY SHOULDN\u00e2\u20ac\u2122T SHERIDAN GO TO Z\u00e2\u20ac\u2122HA\u00e2\u20ac\u2122DUM????<\/p>\n

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

I admit that a lot of the scenes in the \u00e2\u20ac\u0153present\u00e2\u20ac\u009d time (which is actually two years in the past?) felt mostly like getting all the chess pieces in the right places. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s admirable that the show truly attempted and succeeded in closing so many threads left unraveled from both \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Babylon Squared\u00e2\u20ac\u009d and from Sinclair\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s time on the show. But because<\/i> there are so many pieces here, there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a frantic energy that doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t allow for a whole lot of introspection. Which I get! This is just one reveal after another. At times, though, it felt as if there was a lot of explaining, a lot of winks and nods to the audience so to speak. For example: Delenn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s moment at the end of the episode, where she explains the purpose of her transformation at the end of season one, felt rushed. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s like the show just had<\/i> to get this part out in less than sixty seconds because the rest of the script was so jam-packed.\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

For what it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s worth, there are<\/i> some nice moments in terms of emotional resonance when the entire team is together. (Though Dr. Franklin is suspiciously absent during all this. Granted, he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s off dealing with his addiction, but we haven\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t even been told where<\/i> he went. Is he even on the station at all when this is all happening?) Their refusal to let Sinclair stay behind after they just<\/i> got him back was touching. And EVERY SINGLE SCENE with Delenn and Sheridan is DRIPPING with drama and emotion. Y\u00e2\u20ac\u2122all, they both went through a lot<\/i> in this episode. Both of them were dealt some heavy revelations that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll shape their characterization to come. How is Sheridan going to lead the war against the Shadows knowing the outcome? Is he going to try to re-route things so that this huge \u00e2\u20ac\u0153cost\u00e2\u20ac\u009d is not paid? What about Z\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ha\u00e2\u20ac\u2122dum? What\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s there??? Will he listen to Delenn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s warning?\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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

Holy shit. Again: re-watching all this has to be ridiculous because Sinclair being Valen has probably been foreshadowed in ways this episode didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t even address. And while I was kinda close to the truth in my last review, this episode brings Sinclair full circle, explaining his destiny and giving us the context to understand his departure. He had to leave humans and live among the Minbari so he could become<\/i> a Minbari. Not just any<\/i> Minbari, but Valen: the Minbari not born of the Minbari. Y\u00e2\u20ac\u2122all, this is A LOT TO HANDLE. And it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s done so well as a way to wrap up Sinclair\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s story. I honestly doubt we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll see him again on the show, and I say that because this came off as so complete. Sinclair was part of an epic story, and his appearance in this two-parter was moving him to the final chapter. And that meant acceptance<\/i>. Sinclair long ago had to accept that his path was strange, but even then, it was just an idea. Yet over the years, through training and learning and changing, he came to appreciate his role in the universe. What we see here is a man certain of what he will become. There\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s no real sadness in him as he watches his friends leave him. As he said in the previous episode: He\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s certain this is the right decision.\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m still in shock, y\u00e2\u20ac\u2122all. HE\u00e2\u20ac\u2122S VALEN. Valen!!! Along with Delenn and Sheridan, he is The One. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m still not sure where Sheridan\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s path leads him, but I feel like this is why Delenn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s transformation was as important as it is. Sinclair was the reason Minbari souls started being born in human bodies; Delenn transformed to shift the balance.<\/p>\n

So what is Sheridan going to do?<\/p>\n

The video for \u00e2\u20ac\u0153War Without End, Part Two\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":"