Don't be a Nice Guy, Lennier!
Aug. 3rd, 2009 09:44 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
lizbeeMy usual emotional responses to Babylon 5 mostly consist of "OMG I LOVE YOU, DELENN!" and "STOP TALKING, GARIBALDI!", so what I'm about to say is a bit unusual. But "Rumours, Bargains and Lies" really pissed me off.
The B Plot has Sheridan manipulating the League into accepting his assistance. He doesn't quite lie, merely encourages the League members to believe something that isn't true, because it's easier than telling them the truth and letting them make a decision (that might be wrong). He's doing it for their own good. It's paternalism disguised as realpolitik, and frankly beneath our Good Guys.
The A Plot concludes with Lennier "protecting" Delenn's innocence by not informing her that her own religous caste members are as stupid and shortsighted as the warrior caste. He thinks he's being honourable: having dealt with the religious caste's attempt at enforced martyrdom, he can give Delenn only half the truth (and, incidentally, put himself in a good position to blackmail the religious caste, although I'm sure that hasn't crossed his mind). Aside from being manipulative and dishonest, it leaves Delenn in an awkward position, with her caste prejudices still unshaken. I was expecting the next episode to pick this up, with Lennier learning a Very Important Lesson in the process, but that was not to be. And since the Minbari civil war has been dealt with, that seems to be the end of that.
I don't want to dislike Lennier, but I have to say that episode wasn't helping. I'll agree that Delenn sees the world as better than it really is, but Lennier seems to think she can't handle the truth (*oblig Tom Cruise moment*), and that couldn't be farther from the truth. Only an episode earlier, she was saying to Sheridan, "Don't forget what I am and what I can do" -- in short, forcing him to set aside the pleasant haze of romanticism and remember that Delenn is a bad-ass. Lennier could maybe do with a similar kick in the head.
The B Plot has Sheridan manipulating the League into accepting his assistance. He doesn't quite lie, merely encourages the League members to believe something that isn't true, because it's easier than telling them the truth and letting them make a decision (that might be wrong). He's doing it for their own good. It's paternalism disguised as realpolitik, and frankly beneath our Good Guys.
The A Plot concludes with Lennier "protecting" Delenn's innocence by not informing her that her own religous caste members are as stupid and shortsighted as the warrior caste. He thinks he's being honourable: having dealt with the religious caste's attempt at enforced martyrdom, he can give Delenn only half the truth (and, incidentally, put himself in a good position to blackmail the religious caste, although I'm sure that hasn't crossed his mind). Aside from being manipulative and dishonest, it leaves Delenn in an awkward position, with her caste prejudices still unshaken. I was expecting the next episode to pick this up, with Lennier learning a Very Important Lesson in the process, but that was not to be. And since the Minbari civil war has been dealt with, that seems to be the end of that.
I don't want to dislike Lennier, but I have to say that episode wasn't helping. I'll agree that Delenn sees the world as better than it really is, but Lennier seems to think she can't handle the truth (*oblig Tom Cruise moment*), and that couldn't be farther from the truth. Only an episode earlier, she was saying to Sheridan, "Don't forget what I am and what I can do" -- in short, forcing him to set aside the pleasant haze of romanticism and remember that Delenn is a bad-ass. Lennier could maybe do with a similar kick in the head.
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Date: 2009-08-03 11:50 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-08-03 11:52 am (UTC)That makes sense, though, that the plotline was rushed. It felt very messy and rudimentary, compared with everything else.