JMS on CompuServe (Nov 19, 1996) *POSSIBLE SPOILERS*
Brent Barrett
bbarrett at speedlink.com
Wed Nov 20 01:26:57 EST 1996
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WARNING !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The following posts may contain SPOILERS for
upcoming Babylon 5 episodes.
Continue at your own risk.
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THE FOLLOWING MATERIAL IS THE COPYRIGHT OF THE
RESPECTIVE MESSAGE AUTHORS AND CANNOT BE
REPRODUCED IN ANY FORM WITHOUT THE EXPRESSED
PERMISSION OF THE AUTHOR.
Note that JMS has expressed his public permission
that all of his messages may be reproduced freely.
I give permission for my summaries to be reposted in
any form, however I reserve all rights to them and
the right to revoke this permission at any time.
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[ Summary of subjects in this section: ]
Sb: #612952-Mr. Garibaldi's Days
Sb: #613010-Attn JMS: Bow Letters
Sb: #613044-Londo/Language
Sb: #613052-Nature of Vorlons
Sb: #613059-<<The Summoning>>
Sb: #613103-<The Applauding>
Sb: #613104-<Londo's Bug>
Sb: #613122-Directing B5
Sb: #613172-Pasadena Convention
Sb: #613194-B5 Getting Better?
Sb: #613275-Shadow Tech
Sb: #613300-Sheridans Mistake
Sb: #613387-<The Applauding>
[ Summary: Comments that the mixup in number of days in Franklin's log entry
in "Whatever Happened to Mr. Garibaldi?" will cause useless debate among
fans for years to come. ]
#: 613249 S6/Babylon 5: Spoilers
19-Nov-96 12:09:49
Sb: #612952-Mr. Garibaldi's Days
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
I'm considering revoicing it...we just didn't catch it until it was
gone.
jms
#: 613010 S5/Babylon 5: General
18-Nov-96 19:40:51
Sb: #612771-#Attn JMS: Bow Letters
Fm: BERNARD F. DOWDY, J
Just on the chance that the letters aren't squadron assignments, I've come up
with the following from Earth Force ships in "Severed Dreams."
Alexander J Jupiter?
Agrippa S Saturn?
Olympic R Rim?
Nimrod G Ganymede?
Churchill C Colonial Fleet?
Roanoke M Mars?
This is on the theory that the letters represent the particular vessel's normal
patrol area. Considering the fact that I don't have a Super-VHS VCR, anything
on the Olympic and the Nimrod (even the names) is sketchy at best.
Bernie
#: 613250 S5/Babylon 5: General
19-Nov-96 12:09:50
Sb: #613010-Attn JMS: Bow Letters
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
Not bad....
jms
#: 613044 S6/Babylon 5: Spoilers
18-Nov-96 20:35:53
Sb: #Londo/Language
Fm: REBECCA ESCHLIMAN
jms-
One subtle but skillful bit I noticed in "Wolf" and "Garibaldi" was how Londo
was able to use the "diplomatic oblique" with Cartagia -- saying what Cartagia
wanted to hear without outright compromising his own feelings. "Due your
position" rather than "due you." Nice touch.
-rje-
I can almost feel the rustling-in of some kind of enchantment already.
#: 613251 S6/Babylon 5: Spoilers
19-Nov-96 12:09:52
Sb: #613044-Londo/Language
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
Which is why Cartagia likes Londo...he stands up to Cartagia, but does
so in such a way that Cartagia can't touch him...doesn't give him any excuse or
way in. He's got nowhere to go...and in a way, he admires and respects that.
jms
[ Summary: Asks if we've seen an actual Vorlon yet. ]
#: 613252 S5/Babylon 5: General
19-Nov-96 12:09:55
Sb: #613052-Nature of Vorlons
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
Not yet.
jms
#: 613059 S6/Babylon 5: Spoilers
18-Nov-96 21:04:29
Sb: #612957-#<<The Summoning>>
Fm: MARK D. SMITH
>> You'll have to wait 7 days to find out. But suffice to say things
take quite a turn....<<
If you turn too many times, you'll have gone in a circle, covered a lot of
ground but ending up in the same place.
Mark
#: 613253 S6/Babylon 5: Spoilers
19-Nov-96 12:09:57
Sb: #613059-<<The Summoning>>
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
Exactly.
jms
#: 613103 S6/Babylon 5: Spoilers
18-Nov-96 23:02:10
Sb: #<The Applauding>
Fm: BRENT BARRETT
Howdy, Joe;
Just saw "Summoning," and I must say you've done it again. I don't recall any
season to date starting with three stellar episodes in a row. Here's hoping
you can keep it up.
And with regard to the long awaited (well, in my camp anyway) reunion between
Sheridan and Delenn: I think you did it perfectly, given the circumstances
surrounding it. If it had been in a more private place, I think we could've
expected a bit more on the passion side, but up there, in the most public place
on all of Babylon 5, what they did and said was, in Delenn's own words from
"Sic Transit Vir," "just right."
Well done. And thanks.
-- Brent
#: 613255 S6/Babylon 5: Spoilers
19-Nov-96 12:10:02
Sb: #613103-<The Applauding>
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
Thanks. They're four very good eps, and the next two after that may be
the best we've done overall. I'm very pleased.
jms
#: 613104 S6/Babylon 5: Spoilers
18-Nov-96 23:04:05
Sb: #<Londo's Bug>
Fm: BRENT BARRETT
Oh, Joe;
On a re-watch of 403, I was struck by a question that confounded me in 402 as
well, but I neglected to ask you then:
If Londo's quarters were being bugged regularly, why on Centauri Prime didn't
they bug the cells as well? I mean, even here, today, we monitor holding cells
and the like in our jails and prisons.
And when did you notice the spit? Before or after you edited the episode
together? :-)
Thanks,
-- Brent
#: 613256 S6/Babylon 5: Spoilers
19-Nov-96 12:10:03
Sb: #613104-<Londo's Bug>
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
I figured Londo would've bribed the guards to shut down the bugs. Also,
there's reason to bug a political figure's quarters...but a cell in which there
is just one person, who in theory has no allies with whom to conspire...that
would likely have a low priority.
jms
[ Summary: Is curious about "how much leeway the director has over
the script." Also asks if JMS managed to try out those new CTS gloves
he told him about several weeks back. ]
#: 613257 S5/Babylon 5: General
19-Nov-96 12:10:06
Sb: #613122-Directing B5
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
The director implements the script, as written. They work with the
actors to bring out subtext and the full understanding of the scene, but the
script is written as it's written, and they know that. There's no room here
for messing around on set.
Where our directors tend to shine is in their visual sense. We try to
bring a certain amount of style to our episodes, and to encourage our directors
to take chances, try things they might not otherwise get a chance to do. The
more complex the shot, the longer it takes to set it up, and most TV shows just
concentrate on bagging the shot and moving on. Others, like X-Files and a
growning number of other shows, including B5, encourage a more filmic look.
What we want in a director is someone who understands what the vision
is, and is oriented toward executing the text.
And yes, got the CTS gloves...they're a little soft, and don't provide
the requisite support as well as they might, but I'm giving them a little more
time before I decide that completely.
jms
[ Summary: Reminds JMS that Peter Jurasik is as equally "culpable" for a
prank played on JMS by Andreas Katsulas for which JMS has promised
literary revenge. (See below for a description of the prank.) ]
#: 613258 S5/Babylon 5: General
19-Nov-96 12:10:08
Sb: #613172-Pasadena Convention
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
Yeah, but it was Andreas' idea. So he will receive the full benefit of
my undivided attention.
jms
#: 613194 S6/Babylon 5: Spoilers
19-Nov-96 08:00:49
Sb: #B5 Getting Better?
Fm: ROB CARR
<Spoilers from WHtMG>
I woke up about 5 am today and stared at the ceiling for a while. I was
thinking about how impressed I was with the recent Babylon 5 episodes and how
your writing is improving. Most people get better with practice (although
there's a street trumpet player in Pittsburgh who's a counter-example).
But there may be something else at work here as well. WHtMG could not have
been the first episode of Babylon 5. G'Kar in the presence of the Centauri
Emperor wouldn't have made sense. Asking about Mr. Garibaldi would have made
even less sense. You might have been able to write the scene with Londo and
G'Kar, but the emotional overtones wouldn't have been there. When we watch the
two, we remember them in a burning elevator. We see G'Kar toasting the
previous Centauri emperor as Londo squirms, knowing what is to come. We
remember the two killing each other at the end. Londo says that he never
wanted G'Kar to meet his current fate, and we know enough to wonder at his own
self-deception in that statement.
Sheridan's wandering around with some guy saying "Tick...Tock." Without our
knowledge of Kosh, Delenn, the Inquisitor, and almost everyone else, 9/10ths of
the meaning would be stripped away.
WHtMG is a good story in it's own right, but it's great because of the tapestry
behind it. I wish I had the first couple episodes on tape - I wonder how
they'd look now, knowing what is to come....
Great job all around.
Rob
#: 613259 S6/Babylon 5: Spoilers
19-Nov-96 12:10:13
Sb: #613194-B5 Getting Better?
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
Thanks. It really is what I said it was going to be: holographic
storytelling. You can look at them alone, but when looked at through the
translucent glass of all the episodes preceding it, the patterns become clearer
and the weight of each scene increases.
jms
[ Summary: "Why haven't the Shadows just run ruff shod over Sheridan's
brave forces?" ]
#: 613398 S5/Babylon 5: General
19-Nov-96 17:38:40
Sb: #613275-Shadow Tech
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
Because up until now, they haven't been out to destroy everyone, that's
not the point...you can't sow chaos if there's no one around in which to sow
that chaos. And they may have some ideas on how B5 could be turned to their
advantage....
jms
[ Summary: "It is a truly brilliant show, excellent acting, and a wonderful
direction." ]
#: 613399 S6/Babylon 5: Spoilers
19-Nov-96 17:38:41
Sb: #613300-Sheridans Mistake
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
Thanks, I try.
jms
[ Summary: Asks if Vir will appear in the episode which Stephen Furst is
directing. Also, is that *the* Tony Dow? ]
#: 613400 S6/Babylon 5: Spoilers
19-Nov-96 17:38:41
Sb: #613387-<The Applauding>
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
It seemed a bit much for Stephen to both act and direct in the same
episode, and yes, it's *that* Tony Dow.
jms
[ Summary: With regard to JMS' literary revenge against Andreas Katsulas,
this poster asks, "You wouldn't put his eye out or anything like that
now would you?" ]
#: 613675 S5/Babylon 5: General
20-Nov-96 00:58:46
Sb: #613569-Pasadena Convention
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
Too easy. And over with too fast.
jms
THE PRANK (from a post by someone on CompuServe):
In a nutshell, on Saturday, Andreas and Peter Jurasek enlisted the audience in
a practical joke on JMS, as revenge for various indignities visited upon their
characters.
The audience was entreated to greet JMS's entrance later that evening onto the
stage...with silence. No applause. We were to ignore his inevitable attempt
at humor to bridge the uncomfortable silence, and feign complete indifference.
At that point, Andreas and Peter would leap onto the stage, and explain the
reason for the trick. They would ask us, "Is this because of the way you've
been treating G'Kar and Londo?" The audience would answer, "Yeah!" "And how do
you feel about it?" Andreas would ask. "We're mad as hell, and we're not going
to take it any longer!" we'd reply.
The gag went off pretty much as planned, tho a few could not resist applauding
a bit when JMS entered. One complication thrown in: Boxleitner, who came on
just before JMS, was not in on the joke. He heard about some gag, and assumed
it would be at HIS expense. Once the gag was finished, Bruce leapt onto stage
and genuflected before JMS, protesting his innocence and pleading for mercy.
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