JMS on CompuServe (Sep 25, 1996) * FINAL FIVE SPOILERS * (1/2)
Brent Barrett
bbarrett at speedlink.com
Wed Sep 25 16:53:08 EDT 1996
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WARNING !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The following posts DO contain SPOILERS for
upcoming Babylon 5 episodes.
**********************************************
This SPECIAL section of "JMS on CompuServe"
posts contains spoilers for the Final Five
episodes of season three.
**********************************************
Continue at your own risk.
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
S
P
O
I
L
E
R
P
R
O
T
E
C
T
I
O
N
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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.
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This SPECIAL section of "JMS on CompuServe"
posts contains spoilers for the Final Five
episodes of season three.
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Archives of this material may be found at:
ftp://ftp.speedlink.com/pub/bbarrett/cis/
- or -
http://www.speedlink.com/bbarrett/b5/
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
[ Summary of subjects in this section: ]
Sb: #581360->>Za'Ha'Dum<<
Sb: #581391-<Couple of Questions..>
Sb: #581405-B5 Last ep <Z'ha'dum>
Sb: #581412-<Z'Ha'Dum>
Sb: #581465-Z'ha'dum
Sb: #581498-<<Shadow Dancing>>
Sb: #581512- << Z'ha'dum>>
Sb: #581535-#<<Za'Ha'Dum thanks>>
Sb: #581544-<<Season Finale>>
Sb: #581578-Z'ha,dum
Sb: #581669-<Walkabout ?>
Sb: #582155-#Is she toast? (322 spoil
Sb: #581573-#<Sheridans survival>
Sb: #581957-Mistakes in <Z'ha'dum.>
Sb: #581982-Z'ha'dum doors
Sb: #582234-<Sheridans survival>
Sb: #582421-<A Rollercoaster>
Sb: #582174-#White Star (K'Z'D)
#: 581360 S7/Babylon 5 in the UK
23-Sep-96 02:24:42
Sb: #581299-#>>Za'Ha'Dum<<
Fm: NIGEL NIXON
Just a thought, but was the talking bomb a nod to Dark Star?
Nigel
This Space For Rent
#: 582194 S7/Babylon 5 in the UK
24-Sep-96 13:52:25
Sb: #581360->>Za'Ha'Dum<<
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
No.
jms
[ Summary: Believes the voice telling John to jump in "Z'Ha'Dum" couldn't
possibly have been Kosh's, as it didn't sound like the voice that earlier
told him not to go to Z'Ha'Dum. ]
#: 582195 S7/Babylon 5 in the UK
24-Sep-96 13:52:29
Sb: #581391-<Couple of Questions..>
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
Actually, no, that was Kosh's voice, treated the same as always.
jms
[ Summary: Asks if year four will start in a "light" mode as years two and
three seemed to do. ]
#: 582196 S7/Babylon 5 in the UK
24-Sep-96 13:52:30
Sb: #581405-B5 Last ep <Z'ha'dum>
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
Season 4 definitely starts in dark mode. Bigtime.
jms
[ Summary: Loved "Z'Ha'Dum," especially how emotionally dense it was. ]
#: 582197 S7/Babylon 5 in the UK
24-Sep-96 13:52:32
Sb: #581412-<Z'Ha'Dum>
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
Thanks. One of the things I like about the episode is the emotional
content, as it builds toward the end of the ep. I've watched it (in finished
form) a half dozen times or more...but certain sequences never stop being
interesting.
jms
#: 581465 S7/Babylon 5 in the UK
23-Sep-96 07:54:14
Sb: #Z'ha'dum
Fm: MARINA WARING
Right I thought I'd get on the band wagon as weell.
Firstly let me congratulate you on a brilliant end show of a season.
The only problem is on such a cliff hanger their are all sorts of ideas of
whats coming next going around in my head.
I hope you do have both characters coming back next season as B5 would be lost
without them and they are also great actors. Mind you I've been a fan of Bruce
Boxleitner for many, many years.
I was also wondering where you get the ideas from? is it just your
imagination. As I have a vivid imagination especially about the furture.
Anyway thanks again for entertaining us, I,m sure we shall all be talking about
this for many months to come (or at least until Season 4).
Take Care
Marina
#: 582198 S7/Babylon 5 in the UK
24-Sep-96 13:52:34
Sb: #581465-Z'ha'dum
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
Coming up with ideas is easy, as long as you know who your characters
are and what they want and what the world is like around them. It's like
knowing what a good friend will say when they bump their shin into the coffee
table in the dark; you create any given situation, which is itself a logical
extension of the world they're in, then drop those characters into that
situation...and the story takes care of itself.
jms
[ Summary: Wonders if the names of guest stars can't be put at the end of
the episode, as is done in the U.K., to prevent in-episode spoilers like
seeing "Anna" as a character at the start of "Shadow Dancing." ]
#: 582200 S6/Babylon 5: Spoilers
24-Sep-96 13:52:41
Sb: #581498-<<Shadow Dancing>>
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
Under SAG rules, you must put guest stars of a certain calibre in the
opening credits; also, for Melissa to take back-billing would have been a break
in her work to date elsewhere. We had no choice in this, it's all stuff
regulated by the guilds.
jms
[ Summary: Asks a few questions:
"Why do the Shadows and Vorlons interfere ,what do the get out of it
that they are willing to invest aeons of time and risk their lives?"
"The Shadows and Vorlons were supposed to be equal in their approaches,
was this a mutual accord between the two, or did it involve other first
ones?"
"What's greener about the greener pastures the other first ones have
gone to?" ]
#: 582201 S7/Babylon 5 in the UK
24-Sep-96 13:52:42
Sb: #581512- << Z'ha'dum>>
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
All those get answered in the first part of season four, so I'd rather
leave it to that.
jms
#: 581535 S7/Babylon 5 in the UK
23-Sep-96 11:49:05
Sb: #581300-#<<Za'Ha'Dum thanks>>
Fm: DARRAN WILLIAMS
Joe,
A couple of quick (silly) questions.
1. If (or should I say when) Sheridan returns next season do you intend to make
him jump off a high building or similar again in the Season 4 finale, he seems
to be making a habit of it. I'm sure Bruce loves it. (Don't answer this
question - Just kidding).
2. Speaking to a friend at work today. He wondered how do the Shadows build
anything with only their little claws to help them ?
3. Finally, I watched 'In the Shadow of Z'Ha'Dum' again on Saturday to refresh
my memory. Were the people (with the execption of Ed) who were displayed as
crew of the Icarus on Sheridans monitor real actors/extras or did we see the
faces of some of the backroom boys (I know how they sometimes like to sneak in
an appearance).
Darran...
Just watched Z'Ha'Dum again. Excellent episode.
#: 582204 S7/Babylon 5 in the UK
24-Sep-96 13:52:50
Sb: #581535-#<<Za'Ha'Dum thanks>>
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
The other crew of the Icarus shown on Z'ha'dum were all done CGI.
jms
[ Summary: The poster is confused about seemingly contradictory truths
about the Shadows and PsiCorp from the comics and the series. ]
#: 582205 S6/Babylon 5: Spoilers
24-Sep-96 13:52:51
Sb: #581544-<<Season Finale>>
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
Two different things...the allies of the shadows can know about us, can
have used influence to start infiltrating the Psi Corps, long before we found
out about them. And bear in mind that Earth is not monolithic; the FBI may not
know what the CIA is doing. That some in the Psi Corps may have had something
going on there doesn't mean anyone from IPX knew about it.
jms
[ Summary: Asks why no fleet vessels were patrolling outside Babylon 5 when
the Shadows came to visit. ]
#: 582206 S6/Babylon 5: Spoilers
24-Sep-96 13:52:53
Sb: #581578-Z'ha,dum
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
Most would've been getting repaired from their recent engagement. And
the shadows phased in too close to B5 for either ship to ship combat, or
anything from Epsilon 3. Any attack on them would've also destroyed B5.
jms
[ Summary: Asks if the kill of a Shadow vessel in "Walkabout" is what
prompted the Shadows to send Anna to get John. ]
#: 582208 S7/Babylon 5 in the UK
24-Sep-96 13:52:57
Sb: #581669-<Walkabout ?>
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
It's certainly gotten their attention...but it's the events in "Shadow
Dancing" that tipped them into moving directly.
jms
[ Summary: Wants to know if Anna is really dead now. ]
#: 582210 S6/Babylon 5: Spoilers
24-Sep-96 13:53:02
Sb: #582155-#Is she toast? (322 spoil
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
She's an ex-Sheridan.
jms
[ Summary: Asks why Sheridan bothered to jump in "Z'Ha'Dum." ]
#: 582224 S6/Babylon 5: Spoilers
24-Sep-96 14:16:46
Sb: #581573-#<Sheridans survival>
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
Well, it was either jump or get vaporized....
In that sense, as someone else once pointed out, Sheridan is a hero in
the Heinleinian tradition. He does the logical thing, whatever that is, to
survive. "Okay, I'm about to get vaporized...but if that hole is several miles
deep, it might shield me and keep me alive for another 10 seconds. Yes, there's
the *splat* at the end problem, but I'll have 10 seconds in which to figure out
that problem...."
jms
[ Summary: Wonders why most doors on Z'Ha'Dum made a rumbling noise while
the door the Shadow entered was almost quiet. ]
#: 582225 S7/Babylon 5 in the UK
24-Sep-96 14:16:47
Sb: #581957-Mistakes in <Z'ha'dum.>
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
The shadows entered through a different door/entrance; it was to the
right of the room, which would've adjoined the room next door. Anna and John
came through the door on camera left.
jms
[ Summary: Comments that the stone-like doors on Z'Ha'Dum sounded just like
the doors in the game "Quake." ]
#: 582226 S7/Babylon 5 in the UK
24-Sep-96 14:16:48
Sb: #581982-Z'ha'dum doors
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
It's just a sound of stone grinding on stone. With a slight animal like
sound, as though entering someone's maw. Which is what I wanted.
jms
[ Summary: Wonders if Garibaldi is hitching a lift on a Shadow vessel in
order to rescue Sheridan from his fall. ]
#: 582442 S6/Babylon 5: Spoilers
24-Sep-96 21:33:41
Sb: #582234-<Sheridans survival>
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
Well, given that Garibaldi is any number of light years away at the
moment at which Sheridan is dropping, I'd say any attempt to arrive before
Sheridan would hit bottom would be less than useless.
jms
#: 582421 S6/Babylon 5: Spoilers
24-Sep-96 20:46:09
Sb: #<A Rollercoaster>
Fm: BRENT BARRETT
Joe,
Man, oh, man.
I just saw "Z'Ha'Dum" (thanks, FedEx :-). Amazing piece of work you have
there. Congratulations to all cast and crew. I think a particular pat on the
back should go to Joshua Cox. Of all people, it was his delivery of the news
of Garibaldi that struck me the most when I saw that episode. The perfect blend
of fear, confusion, uncertainty, duty and courage. Wow.
>From the opening overview by Delenn (nice trick there with the replacement
scene from "Revelations" :-), to the closing words by G'Kar, the episode had
that epic feel to it. A turning point in this great journey that has our
heroes facing the unknown more so than ever before.
What anguish Sheridan must have felt as his life was turned upside down in one
instant. His new found love for Delenn conflicting with his first, but long
thought since lost love for Anna. It was beautifully portrayed by Bruce
Boxleitner, I must say. Ever since about "Interludes and Examinations," I've
had to re-evaluate my opinion of the man as an actor. He's just brilliant.
And that doesn't even touch on his performance at the end of the episode, in
which he said as much without saying a word as Mira Furlan did in "Avalon."
The only weaker point, I felt, was in the recorded message -- his expressions
just didn't seem to jive with what he was supposed to be feeling and was saying
to Delenn. But, that aside, it was wonderful to watch.
The scene between John and Delenn as he confronts her following Anna's exam is
emotionally packed and very well done on both sides. And that recorded message
. . . as a big John & Delenn fan, I have to tell you that I was literally in
tears watching that bit. How true and deep his love is for Delenn is clearly
shown in the act of saying, "I love you," before he says what he feels will be
his final goodbye to her. He doesn't want to make the same mistake with Delenn
that he feels he made with Anna. He has to be sure to say the words to her
before it's too late.
And poor, poor Delenn. She finally has the confirmation that John truly does
love her only to have it crushed beneath the overwhelming certainty that he is
gone . . . forever. The pain on Mira's face as her hand slips from the image
of his face and she turns away from the now cold monitor and slides down the
wall, almost unable to get out the tears she needs to discharge, is drama in
its highest form. And love at its most painful lows.
Now, I've been spoiled more than most on this and all "Final Five" episodes,
but I have to say that even reading the script couldn't have prepared me for
this experience. A most extraordinary effort, sir. I applaud you and your
company.
-- Brent
#: 582443 S6/Babylon 5: Spoilers
24-Sep-96 21:33:44
Sb: #582421-<A Rollercoaster>
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
Thanks. An emotional rollercoaster is a good image for that episode; it
takes you in every direction and then just drops you.
Re: the Revelations scene...we actually shot that entire sequence, with
the notion of possibly re-editing "Revelations" and inserting the Melissa piece
instead...sort of TV by way of soviet revisionism...and of course it was
*always* that way...what other version was there?
jms
[ Summary: Wonders why the bombs on the White Star in "Z'Ha'Dum" speak
English. ]
#: 582457 S6/Babylon 5: Spoilers
24-Sep-96 21:42:07
Sb: #582174-#White Star (K'Z'D)
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
Who said they were speaking English? In a WW II movie, when you go to
the Germans, you can understand what they're saying on the premise that yes,
it's German, but we're hearing it as English. On the other hand, if Garibaldi
programmed them, then they may have been in English...there's no way to tell
exactly.
jms
[ Continued in next section -- BB ]
-***
-*** 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>.
More information about the B5JMS
mailing list