*SPOILERS* [ATTN:JMS] Observations after 'Whatever Happened ...'

[B5JMS Poster]

Subject: *SPOILERS* [ATTN:JMS] Observations after 'Whatever Happened ...'
-----+-------------+--------------------------------------------------
 No. | DATE        |  FROM
-----+-------------+--------------------------------------------------
s  1: Nov 14, 1996: Jason Langlois <jason at myra.com>
*  2: Nov 15, 1996: jmsatb5 at aol.com

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

From: Jason Langlois <jason at myra.com>
Lines: 76

So, after watching 'Whatever Happened to Mr. Garabaldi' I was 
struck by something.



SPOILER SPACE







SPOILER SPACE







SPOILER SPACE






Hope that's enough.

Okay, the most obvious character to have descended into a 'Hell'
or 'Cave' is Sheridan.  I mean, the place is red, has a flame or
two, and is way underground.  Sheridan is dead or dying, and has
to make a choice to live, rather than die.  Further, he has a
father-figure in Lorien, pushing him towards understanding.

Then it occured to me ... 

Delenn also descends into a Hell, one of her own guilt and sorrow.
She risks her own death (through fasting).  Sheridan's log recording
takes the role of a mentor for her, pushing her to an under-
standing that she has to choose whether to go on or die.

Franklin descended into another form of Hell, in Downbelow and
from the stims.  He nearly dies, but is guided by his ego (id,
superego?  I can never get them straight) towards an under-
standing of himself, and has to choose to live or die.

G'Kar also descends from safety (Babylon 5) into the muck of 
the universe and ends up in a Hell, in the Centauri dungeons.
He faces almost certain death, but Londo acts as a mentor,
offering G'Kar a choice about life or death.

Garabaldi is also in a hell, imprisoned in a small cell who
knows where.  He faces a death of sorts -- the death of sanity,
and there is a mentor in the PsiCorps, pushing him to choose
one way or the other.

And Ivanova is in a Hell of sorts, herself.  One of sorrow and
impotence.  She too had to choose between 'dying' or acting,
and chose to act.

All the Main Characters are being pushed to the edge, plunged
into the depths of their darkest moments, and being asked:

Who are you?
What do you want?

They are being made to choose between life and death, action
and inaction, hope and despair.  They are in the position of
having to either lose faith, or keep it.

Nothing really to add, except: Wow.  And keep it up.




=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

From: jmsatb5 at aol.com
Lines: 15

"They are being made to choose between life and death, action and
inaction, hope and despair.  They are in the position of having to either
lose faith, or keep it."

Yup.  Got it in one....





 jms




-***
-*** B5JMS SUBSCRIBERS: Replies to messages in this list go to the list
-*** maintainer, <b5jms-owner at cs.columbia.edu>.  If you want to reply
-*** elsewhere, adjust the "To" field.  The best way to reach JMS is to post
-*** to rastb5m, which can be done by sending email to <rastb5 at solon.com>.