{"id":7254,"date":"2019-04-08T13:00:37","date_gmt":"2019-04-08T20:00:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/?p=7254"},"modified":"2019-04-02T22:45:58","modified_gmt":"2019-04-03T05:45:58","slug":"mark-watches-babylon-5-s05e20-objects-in-motion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/2019\/04\/mark-watches-babylon-5-s05e20-objects-in-motion\/","title":{"rendered":"Mark Watches ‘Babylon 5’: S05E20 – Objects in Motion"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the twentieth episode of the fifth season of Babylon 5<\/i>, the station is in motion. Intrigued? Then it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s time for Mark to watch Babylon 5<\/i>.\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Trigger Warning: For discussion of alcoholism<\/b><\/p>\n

I wonder what my take on this season is going to be once I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m done with it. I say that because I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m perplexed\u00e2\u20ac\u201dnot in a bad way!\u00e2\u20ac\u201dabout the shape of this season\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s arc. This is a more poetic, emotional episode, one that examines the ways in which these characters start moving into their new lives. There\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s still a lot left to be told… I think. Right? Like, what\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s going on with Centauri Prime? What about the events in \u00e2\u20ac\u0153War Without End\u00e2\u20ac\u009d? WHAT ABOUT MY FEELINGS.<\/p>\n

So, I think I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll tackle this by character. STARTING WITH:<\/p>\n

Garibaldi<\/b><\/p>\n

There\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s some action in \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Objects in Motion,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d but I found the introspection far more interesting. Who are these characters once they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re taken out of the realm of Babylon 5<\/i>? Garibaldi has been a part of this station and it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s ever-evolving history for a long, long time. From wars to galactic scandals, he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s been associated with Babylon 5<\/i> for a huge part of his adult life. Maybe five or six years isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t that long relative to the rest of his life, but look how much has happened! So, his transition is a complicated thing. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s only in this episode that circumstances force him to tell Dr. Franklin and Sheridan that he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s leaving the station and going to Mars, so there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not that much time spent reflecting on what that means. Granted, he and the others are distracted by the assassination attempt on Garibaldi and Lise, but despite that this plot takes up a lot of time in the script, JMS and Harlan Ellison still manage to tie this plot into other unspooled threads. We get to see Number One again, whose actual name is Tessa. And her role here provides us with a glimpse of a romance with Dr. Franklin as well as her future role in the Alliance. The whole set-up with the board is satisfying in an immediate sense\u00e2\u20ac\u201dI love seeing assholes taken down by their own hubris\u00e2\u20ac\u201dbut these are all new characters who were introduced just for this episode. I cared more about what happened with those I did<\/i> know. What was life going to be like for Tessa, who was fighting a different battle than the one for Mars\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s independence? I imagine this is the last we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll see her, but I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m glad we got some closure with her.<\/p>\n

Which means that my primary focus was on Garibaldi and Lise. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m still pleased in a general sense that Garibaldi\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s struggle with his recent relapse is not wrapped up with a pretty bow. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a very visceral thing that we get to witness, and having gone clean early in my life, I resonated with the depiction of that in this episode. But it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not an independent act; I loved that it was very clear that he had support and that this support was not judgmental in nature. When you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re struggling with substance abuse and addiction, a lot of the shame comes from how you believe you are or will be perceived. At least in my case, I didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t even want to think about asking for help because I was so embarrassed<\/i>. My life did not fit what I thought of as the \u00e2\u20ac\u0153standard\u00e2\u20ac\u009d addict. I was a high-functioning alcoholic, and I also hid it from practically everyone<\/i>. Asking for help inherently meant that I had to be more vulnerable than I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d ever been. So yeah, seeing Lise\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s support on-screen, knowing that Dr. Franklin and Sheridan are there to support Garibaldi? That stuff matters. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a sign of a real, genuine friendship! (It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s also super consistent with who these characters are.)<\/p>\n

It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s because of this and the other events of this episode that Garibaldi feels comfortable enough to finally move on. For me, he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s one of the \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Objects in Motion,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d a character who is ready to settle down with Lise\u00e2\u20ac\u201dfor real<\/i> ready\u00e2\u20ac\u201dand to shift to the next stage of his life. That still involves a very<\/i> Garibaldi scene in which he uses information to take down a corrupt board of executives, and Lise nearly dies from the attempt on G\u00e2\u20ac\u2122Kar\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s life, so it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s all very heightened drama. But it does feel like a natural next step for these people, one that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s been hinted at or openly portrayed in the past. Garibaldi has to leave; Babylon 5<\/i> nearly tore him apart, particularly in the past couple years. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m just reading for him to have like… a nice time? I know I say this about a lot of characters but PLEASE GIVE HIM A VACATION.\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

G\u00e2\u20ac\u2122Kar<\/b><\/p>\n

G\u00e2\u20ac\u2122Kar has been an object in motion for a long, long time, and this season has seen him dealing with the ramifications of his soulful writing and his decision to pursue a life that is non-violent and peaceful. As strange as Lyta\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s plot has been at times, I actually feel great<\/i> about her being paired with G\u00e2\u20ac\u2122Kar for this spiritual journey he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s about to partake in. G\u00e2\u20ac\u2122Kar may be a calmer character, one who is quicker to compassion and understanding, but he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s still angry<\/i>. The show didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t take his anger away, and we saw that multiple times this season! (His episode about Na\u00e2\u20ac\u2122toth is a perfect example of this.) Instead, it gave him something to do. It gave him a direction and a purpose for that anger, and he channeled it into the creation of a new mythology, a new way of life for the Narn.<\/p>\n

But the show didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t ignore what that mythology would do to others, particularly those who had survived multiple wars and attempted genocides and the other horrific things the Narn were subjected to. The massive following that G\u00e2\u20ac\u2122Kar gained could have turned into a cult of personality, but I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m into the fact that the show didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t go that route. Instead, G\u00e2\u20ac\u2122Kar actively rejected his fame, he actively rejected being seen as an idol, and he actively denied that others should worship him. And it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s real uncomfortable, too! That scene where he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s confronted by the follower who eventually becomes so disgruntled that he tries to assassinate G\u00e2\u20ac\u2122Kar is INTENSE. But what was G\u00e2\u20ac\u2122Kar supposed to do? Placate the man, or give him the truth? Yes, there were still terrible consequences, but that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the point. G\u00e2\u20ac\u2122Kar acted to stay consistent with what he believed in, and sometimes, holding standards like that results in some heavy shit.<\/p>\n

But it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s time for G\u00e2\u20ac\u2122Kar to move on. Again, I have no idea if he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll be in these two remaining episodes, but he and Lyta have no reason to stay behind. G\u00e2\u20ac\u2122Kar has to leave the crowd that wants him to be something he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not. And Lyta has to find out who she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s going to be, too! She\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s made deals with Garibaldi and G\u00e2\u20ac\u2122Kar to help her achieve her goal of an independent home for the telepaths, but what will come of them? Nothing if she stays on Babylon 5<\/i>. She can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t move her dream forward from this place anymore. So how will she change alongside G\u00e2\u20ac\u2122Kar? WIll he temper her anger or give her a channel for the anger? I DON\u00e2\u20ac\u2122T KNOW.<\/p>\n

Which brings me back to my original point. I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t know what the hell these final two episodes will contain. Maybe one of these three remaining films will also address what happens after the series, but if not… y\u00e2\u20ac\u2122all. What\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s about to happen? How is this show gonna go out? While I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t know that, I can still appreciate the dramatic beats in this<\/i> episode. That last image of Sheridan and Delenn walking off towards the other end of the station is romantic and bittersweet. I feel a little<\/i> safe in guessing that the next episode will feature these two leaving Babylon 5<\/i>, and if that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the case, then this is a nice moment. For the first time since they came on board, Delenn and Sheridan will walk the full five miles of the station together. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s romantic. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a little sad. And they are two objects in motion who are finally about to leave this place for the next step in their life.\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Yeah, this upcoming finale is probably going to ruin me.<\/p>\n

The video for \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Objects in Motion\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":"