{"id":7168,"date":"2019-01-23T13:00:35","date_gmt":"2019-01-23T21:00:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/?p=7168"},"modified":"2019-01-15T10:49:11","modified_gmt":"2019-01-15T18:49:11","slug":"mark-watches-babylon-5-s04e12-conflicts-of-interest","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/2019\/01\/mark-watches-babylon-5-s04e12-conflicts-of-interest\/","title":{"rendered":"Mark Watches ‘Babylon 5’: S04E12 – Conflicts of Interest"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the twelfth episode of the fourth season of Babylon 5<\/i>, Sheridan, Zack, and Garibaldi clash. Intrigued? Then it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s time for Mark to watch Babylon 5<\/i>.\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Trigger Warning: For consent and mind control<\/b><\/p>\n

Honestly, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s really<\/i> hard to analyze Garibaldi\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s character at this point. I want to give him the benefit of the doubt because I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m clinging to the theory that Psi Crops brainwashed him so that he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d turn against Sheridan. And it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a remarkably subtle method of subversion if true, but I have no other confirmation here. I know he was kidnapped, something was done to him and he can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t remember it, and ever since he was \u00e2\u20ac\u0153returned,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s behaved drastically. He\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s out of character… sort of? Because there are also moments within \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Conflicts of Interest\u00e2\u20ac\u009d where he still feels<\/i> like the same character, but I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t know??? How am I supposed to do this?<\/p>\n

So, let\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s start with Garibaldi\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s new job. That<\/i> seems natural. It absolutely comes across as the sort of thing Garibaldi would be good at, that he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d charge people a fair price for (like he does here), and that he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d find happiness in. But his behavior towards Sheridan, his willingness to break the rules, his treatment of Zack… IT\u00e2\u20ac\u2122S SO MUCH. And what if I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m wrong about his programming? What if that isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t<\/i> what I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m seeing, but rather, this is actually who he is and what he believes? That means he just truly believes that Sheridan loves being like a demigod and doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t actually care about the people he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s purporting to save. I just… can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t accept that? It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s too much<\/i> of a change in too short of time.\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Still, as this episode unfolded, I found myself more and more frustrated over Garibaldi and what he was being manipulated into doing. Y\u00e2\u20ac\u2122all, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll just state this upfront: I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t think Lise or Wade was honest about that telepathic genetic thing. At all<\/i>. I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t think Lise was genuinely surprised to know that Garibaldi was going to help her, either. The fact that she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s married to someone who is both rich and<\/i> has connections within Earthgov worries the hell out of me. This is bad, y\u00e2\u20ac\u2122all, and I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t like the thought that Garibaldi is being recruited for something far more insidious than he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s realized. I can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t ignore it, either! What if all these people know<\/i> that he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s been brainwashed? What if some of them have been brainwashed themselves? I DON\u00e2\u20ac\u2122T FUCKING KNOW. Thus, this episode becomes a nightmare to watch. How much of what we see on screen is real? How much is the product of what Garibaldi went through? Do I get to talk about how rude Garibaldi was to Lise, as if who she decides to marry is at ALL Garibaldi\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s business? I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t know if that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s him lashing out at her out of guilt and resentment or if it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s part of his mental programming. What the fuck<\/i> did the Psi Corps do to him???<\/p>\n

All of this makes for an uncomfortable experience, and I gotta say: it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s pretty unique. This is not a story that I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m all that used to because often, this sort of twist isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t revealed until much later, and we generally know why<\/i> it happened. Here, we know the brainwashing is real, but know none of the details. (Boy, I hope I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t come to regret saying that.) So it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s like watching someone gleefully<\/i> walk into a trap. Garibaldi is more than overjoyed to subvert whatever Sheridan wants, even though he would never<\/i> have done this before he was kidnapped. His intense hatred of Sheridan is also so damn heartbreaking! He insults Zack, too, and the whole thing is just a mess, and going to Mars on top of all of that? To work with someone who most likely wants<\/i> to end the Mars Resistance? I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll be damn surprised if Edgars is on the side of the Mars-born, y\u00e2\u20ac\u2122all. DAMN SURPRISED.\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Other than this: I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m hoping Sheridan succeeded in his attempt to unite G\u00e2\u20ac\u2122Kar and Londo without<\/i> a war. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a neat little thematic moment because so much of the show was about coming together to stop the Shadows. Well, can these same characters do it again before<\/i> another threat becomes worse? I hope so. I really do! The existence of the new Voice of the Resistance<\/i> gives me that hope. They\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve lived through a version of this before, and the context is different, but I think they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re prepared to fight off both Earthgov AND the Drakh.<\/p>\n

The video for \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Conflicts of Interest\u00e2\u20ac\u009d can be downloaded here for $0.99<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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

– The paperback edition of my debut, ANGER IS A GIFT, is now up for pre-order!<\/a> It comes out on May 7, 2019.\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":"