Discussion
If you thought Blake's 7 was all bad sets and hammy acting, you'll hate Babylon 5. On the other hand if you thought it was a well plotted drama with some really good scripts then you'll enjoy it. Be prepared for the long haul though. Personally, I rate it comfortably better than DS9 and Voyager.
Babylon 5 is the sort of show that people will tell you it gets really good in the later seasons, but you have to watch the first couple of seasons to get into it.
They lie, they only say that because they have suffered the pain and can't admit to themselves that they wasted their time, so fool themselves that it was worth the investment.
From the simply awful acting from 95% of the cast, with the main actor for the first series being the worst actor to ever be put on TV, to the final 3 episodes which were 3 solid hours of everyone travelling round saying goodbye to each other... and literally nothing else, to the director's commentary posts that he made on usenet at the time of broadcast, where he is so far up his own ass he can swallow his own tongue from the inside., Babylon 5 is simply some of the worst TV ever shown.
Not purely because of how bad it is, it isn't that bad on it's own merits, some episodes even manage to raise themselves to the giddy heights of mediocrity. It's the fans who will tell you how amazing it is that really drag it down to the depths of hell. Without them it would be forgettable, with them you will be forced to remember as they bring the subject up again and again and again.
They lie, they only say that because they have suffered the pain and can't admit to themselves that they wasted their time, so fool themselves that it was worth the investment.
From the simply awful acting from 95% of the cast, with the main actor for the first series being the worst actor to ever be put on TV, to the final 3 episodes which were 3 solid hours of everyone travelling round saying goodbye to each other... and literally nothing else, to the director's commentary posts that he made on usenet at the time of broadcast, where he is so far up his own ass he can swallow his own tongue from the inside., Babylon 5 is simply some of the worst TV ever shown.
Not purely because of how bad it is, it isn't that bad on it's own merits, some episodes even manage to raise themselves to the giddy heights of mediocrity. It's the fans who will tell you how amazing it is that really drag it down to the depths of hell. Without them it would be forgettable, with them you will be forced to remember as they bring the subject up again and again and again.
B5 started well (apart from the acting) but declined rapidly as the problem of whether or not it would actually run for the necessary 5 seasons got solved, solved again, unsolved and finally solved. Season 4 was pretty much the real end with 5 being tacked on for contractual reasons AFAICR.
Crusade, OTOH, was an interesting little sequel series without the constraints of a fixed location.
Crusade, OTOH, was an interesting little sequel series without the constraints of a fixed location.
Zad said:
Hang on. You hated it so much, but watched every episode of every series?
Yup, I kept waiting for it to get good, as I had been promised it would. Once I was past halfway, then I thought I might as well carry on.The one positive is that the story was good. The writing was atrocious mind, but the actual overarching story was good (for 4 seasons anyway)
At least this way I can slag it off from an informed opinion
trooperiziz said:
Yup, I kept waiting for it to get good, as I had been promised it would. Once I was past halfway, then I thought I might as well carry on.
The one positive is that the story was good. The writing was atrocious mind, but the actual overarching story was good (for 4 seasons anyway)
At least this way I can slag it off from an informed opinion
You're very strange.The one positive is that the story was good. The writing was atrocious mind, but the actual overarching story was good (for 4 seasons anyway)
At least this way I can slag it off from an informed opinion
Einion Yrth said:
trooperiziz said:
Yup, I kept waiting for it to get good, as I had been promised it would. Once I was past halfway, then I thought I might as well carry on.
The one positive is that the story was good. The writing was atrocious mind, but the actual overarching story was good (for 4 seasons anyway)
At least this way I can slag it off from an informed opinion
You're very strange.The one positive is that the story was good. The writing was atrocious mind, but the actual overarching story was good (for 4 seasons anyway)
At least this way I can slag it off from an informed opinion
Remember though, rose tinted glasses and a dose of nostalgia is going to cloud your memories of it.
I watched it and enjoyed it when it first came out, and then re-watched them some time around 2000-2001 when Ch4 was showing them all late at night at the weekends.
Eleven years has passed since then, and I still have series two on DVD in my collection. I want to watch them again but I fear I will hate it...
(Anyone who saw the 'Biggles' film in the 90's may know what I mean, I loved that film as a kid, but me and a mate watched it again a few years ago after a night out, and it was total pap.)
I watched it and enjoyed it when it first came out, and then re-watched them some time around 2000-2001 when Ch4 was showing them all late at night at the weekends.
Eleven years has passed since then, and I still have series two on DVD in my collection. I want to watch them again but I fear I will hate it...
(Anyone who saw the 'Biggles' film in the 90's may know what I mean, I loved that film as a kid, but me and a mate watched it again a few years ago after a night out, and it was total pap.)
Happy82 said:
Just remembered, Space:Above & Beyond was an excellent one series show (was sadly cancelled as it was not a crappy sitcom)
And the award for non-sequitur of the day goes to...B5 was tops in it's day. No other serious Sci-Fi television was being done at the time. Acting was NOT the best (RIP Jeff Conaway) but visually and sound design-wise, they did miracles with something like a tenth the budget of the Star Trek franchise.
I thought it really hit it's stride at Season 3 and through much of 4. The Makers squeezed (squoze?) the good stuff into 4 as they had no certainty of anything beyond that. Because of that Series 5 felt like an afterthought, but it still didn't fizzle away as badly as Lost, or B Galactica. Or Heroes, which did ever end, it just sort of evaporated.
Sorry, mild hijack
. To Happy82: I also loved SA&B, and was sad to see it go.
Pleased to see James Morrison involved it the upcoming Terra Nova. But being on Fox TN will meet the same fate as SA&B, Firefly, Strange Luck, Harsh Realm, Tru Calling & Dollhouse (Really who in their right mind cancels TWO shos with Eliza Dushku...), etc.
Hello Imma Merican, and I watch too much TV!
Zad said:
If you thought Blake's 7 was all bad sets and hammy acting, you'll hate Babylon 5. On the other hand if you thought it was a well plotted drama with some really good scripts then you'll enjoy it. Be prepared for the long haul though. Personally, I rate it comfortably better than DS9 and Voyager.
I'll give it a miss then. I cannot stand poorly acted sci-fi. Not after having as something as sublime as BSG.Can someone just post the story arc here in spoiler form?
I actually watched the end of an episode this morning before heading into work as it was on FX, reminded me that they did / do have some very good characters and cool plots, just not sure I can be bothered trying to buy / watch it all the way through (as I missed huge bits when it was on the first time around).
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