lizbee | Telly catch-up

I kept seeing pro reviews complaining that this was lightweight, silly and not properly angstful. In other words, like a kids show. I'll grant that "Children of Earth" sort of threw a spanner in the works, but surely no one actually expected Team Cardiff to show the fall-out from that event? Oh. They did? Such is the burden of high expectations.

Anyway, this was lightweight, silly and FABULOUS. I think it was

jjpor who compared Captain Tybo to Duggan? It's awesome because it's true! I kept waiting for Tybo to bond with the kids, and all he did was ground them.

Lis Sladen's possessed!acting was a bit ... scary? Embarrassing? Brilliant? It seemed to change from scene to scene. At one point she seemed to be engaging in some kind of perverse relationship with Mr Smith. I don't even know, guys.

My only complaint is that it needed MOAR RANI, but I think the next episode will make up for it.

Delenn's monologue, opening the episode: "Everyone I care about is gone."

Lennier: *IS CHOPPED LIVER*

I love Delenn in this episode, because coping with grief by preparing a massive suicide mission to destroy the forces of darkness is exactly the kind of lunacy I enjoy. Although I am really puzzled by the bit where she seems to be in command of the station. Guys, I'm pretty sure the chain of command doesn't actually follow the credits list. Maybe Corwin the Cutie is off consoling Lennier re: chopped liverness? Even so, I would think Brother Theo would have command before Delenn.

1. I LOVE YOU, CARTAGIA. AND YOUR INCREASINGLY TENUOUS RELATIONSHIP WITH REALITY. And Vir is even worse at conspiracies than Team EarthForce last season, which makes me smile.

2. This time around, I really loved the scene where Kosh takes down Ulkesh. Because it turns out, retrospectively, that Ulkesh has been around the Minbari since before Dukhat died -- longer, maybe, if you believe (as I do) that he and Kosh were the Vorlons present when the Minbari meet Valen. So I finally have a good reason for Delenn to turn up to witness the assassination of Ulkesh.

2a. The Vorlon fall from grace raises questions about the cult of Valeria in Minbar. Anyone else think it's AWESOMELY TWISTED that Delenn's mother left her to join the sisterhood of the Vorlon-worshipers*?

3. See how I've managed to discuss two episodes without mentioning zombie!Sheridan? Yeah. I'm with mindcontrolled!Garibaldi on this one.

4. Speaking of mindcontrolled!Garibaldi, I can't help but think the mystery of what happened to him would have been more, y'know, mysterious, if they hadn't punctuated all his scenes with the Psi Corp music.

5. I keep thinking how much more awesome season four would have been with Ten instead of Lorien. "I was on Z'ha'dum, you know, having a poke around, giving the Shadows one last chance before I stopped them -- and then some idiot goes and drops a couple of thermonuclear bombs on the place. That is just so typically human -- brilliant, though, in a thick sort of way -- anyway, I found Sheridan's body. And that was bad, because there are some people history can't stand to lose -- I couldn't save Dukhat, and this timeline could only take so much wibbly wobbly before it stopped compensating and imploded. So I cheated." He grinned. "Pulled him into the TARDIS, opened up the heart -- pure artron energy, the stuff of life itself -- you could live forever, if -- well, if you run across a guy named Jack Harkness, he'd be great against the Shadows. Just don't get him to babysit. Anyway, I couldn't make Sheridan immortal -- more the opposite -- he's alive, now, but not for long, even by human standards."

"How long?" Delenn demanded.

The Doctor looked sad. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

"Twenty years," said Sheridan.

"Twenty years!" Delenn echoed.

"Long enough to set history back on the right path," said the Doctor. "But no more." He rubbed the back of his neck. "I'm sorry. Anything more would be ... wrong. This isn't even your war, not really. If the Time Lords were still around -- well, this is their fault, anyway. Playing the Game of Rassilon with a couple of impressionable races like the Vorlons and Shadows? Ask me, the noblest and wisest race in the universe were idiots, all of them. And me, I'm the biggest idiot of them all."

"Ancient Minbari believed you were the embodiment of all the chaos in the universe," said Delenn. "I'm beginning to think that was an understatement."

"You know, Ivanova said the same thing," said the Doctor, cheerful again. "I think she likes me."

* Not necessarily worshipers, as the Minbari don't seem to have gods as such, but what else would you say? The mechanics of Minbari religion are exceedingly interesting to me, except for the bits that sounds like they were cribbed from The Secret, which is admittedly most of them.