JMS on CompuServe (Jun 16, 1997) *POSSIBLE SPOILERS*
bbarrett at speedlink.com
bbarrett at speedlink.com
Mon Jun 16 23:52:49 EDT 1997
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WARNING !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The following posts may contain SPOILERS for
upcoming Babylon 5 episodes.
Continue at your own risk.
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[ Summary of subjects in this section: ]
Sb: #677785-B5 CD Vol. 2
Sb: #677728-Face of the Enemy
Sb: #677807-Face of the Enemy
Sb: #677768-<FotE> Face-off/Face Off
Sb: #677770-<FaceOfE-Song
Sb: #677794-"Enemy" - congrats
Sb: #677805-Guest Star
Sb: #677813-#<Intersections>
Sb: #677146-#<Face of the Enemy>
Sb: #677894-<Intersections>
#: 677785 S5/Babylon 5: General
15-Jun-97 20:37:39
Sb: #B5 CD Vol. 2
Fm: [name withheld by request]
Hi Joe,
I just got the second B5 CD yesterday (yes, I know it's been out for a
while, but I was waiting for it to show up at the local Best Buy... <g>) and I
really liked it! Until now, I'd never really listened to the background music
on a television show, but B5 has gotten me interested in a lot of things... <g>
Anyhow, I just had one comment/question: On track 8 ("Voices of
Authority"), I really loved the opening -- it was, well, majestic, I guess. I
was curious, were those French horns that Mr. Franke used? (I play F horn, so
it seemed pretty neat... <g>) And would it be possible for you to convey my
thanks to Mr. Franke? Thanks...
I guess that's it... Sorry if I'm being a bother...
#: 677818 S5/Babylon 5: General
15-Jun-97 22:46:21
Sb: #677785-B5 CD Vol. 2
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
Don't know offhand which instruments were used, but I'll convey the
praise to its source.
jms
[ Summary: "I almost would not have been surprised to see Garibaldi kiss
Sheridan in the bar." ]
#: 677819 S6/Babylon 5: Spoilers
15-Jun-97 22:46:22
Sb: #677728-Face of the Enemy
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
They're not that close. Certainly not on a first date to a bar like
that.
jms
#: 677807 S6/Babylon 5: Spoilers
15-Jun-97 21:27:15
Sb: #Face of the Enemy
Fm: DOUGLAS PILIGIAN
Joe,
In the first act after the opening credits when Sheridan is on the bridge of
the White Star, did we see the "automatic repair systems" at work on the wall
next to where he was standing, or was that just some sort of display? It
looked to me like the shapes were coming together, or healing. Of course I
could be mistaken. Thanks for your time, and of course for your responses.
Doug
#: 677820 S6/Babylon 5: Spoilers
15-Jun-97 22:46:24
Sb: #677807-Face of the Enemy
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
Yes, those were the autorepair systems at work.
jms
#: 677768 S6/Babylon 5: Spoilers
15-Jun-97 19:19:06
Sb: #<FotE> Face-off/Face Off
Fm: REBECCA ESCHLIMAN
jms -
Increasingly it seems that Valen's invitation, "Will you follow me into fire?,"
is your invitation to the viewing audience. We now know that you weekly invite
us into searing pain, and we do follow. The experience is becoming so intense
that it seems impossible that it's been encapsulated in a mere 43-whatever
minutes.
"The Face of the Enemy" might represent the flipside of young Delenn's claim in
"Atonement" that the most dangerous enemy is the one you know nothing about.
Now the face of the enemy is the one you know all too well, one which you take
for granted until it's revealed that the face is actually a mask. I couldn't
help but hear the old Pogo saying, like a drumbeat, all through the episode --
"We have met the enemy, and he is us." For all of the nearly-perilous alien
encounters we've seen so far, what humans do to other humans turns out to be
more hurtful, in a way, in that involves betrayal. One can't really be
betrayed by the Shadows or the Vorlons, since we shouldn't necessarily have
expectations as to how they ought to behave. With humans, we do. Betrayal is
the revelation of that a mask exists, where we thought we saw the reality
within. The enemy's face is familiar.
The face of Garibaldi as enemy once again shows that earlier images are
prophecy: Garibaldi's enemy-face is both mask and mirror. The enemy's face is
familiar.
The first scene with Garibaldi and Edgars was odd, in that it was filmed at
such a distance. Looking at it later, the long view seemed to be a declaration
that "the stage is set."
In the opening battle scene, the face of the enemy is the mask of the plausible
lie. It is so much more comfortable to see the face of the enemy as alien.
That "us" could be the real enemy is not a comfortable thought.
I'm fairly sure I'm not alone in a momentary queasiness of wondering whether
the Agamemnon crew would be the face of the enemy for Sheridan. Nice moment of
suspense there.
For Number One on Mars, telepaths are the face of the enemy. Again, the
enemy's face is familiar.
Garibaldi's use of Sheridan's first name in his message was heartbreakingly
manipulative, the enemy's face *as* familiar.
The scene of Sheridan's capture was a stunner, literally, especially since it
was followed (on the station I watched) by a cheery variety of commercial --
talk about psychic whiplash! The initial distortion of Garibaldi's face
certainly echoed the actual distortion of Garibaldi by Psi Corps' tampering.
The edginess of the visuals really established the "feel" for what was
happening to Sheridan. But what was also noticeable was this was a "humans
only" bar. The enemy's face is familiar.
The absolute lack of background music leading into the revelation of Sheridan's
capture for Ivanova really underlined the starkness of the situation.
The "presentable, well-spoken" Pollyanna delivery of the ISN newscaster
actually caused pain in the contrast with Sheridan's treatment. The enemy's
face is so banally familiar.
Wade's speech about the tyranny of evolution did help to cement the idea that
the teep-virus was of Shadow origin. He even echoed some of Justin's hand
movements.
Edgars' unilateral approach to all telepaths (and for that matter, Number One's
attitude) is an uncomfortable reminder of how easily we categorize all members
of any given group based on our experience with malevolent examples (or the
propaganda we've received). I couldn't help but think of the internment of the
Japanese-Americans.
Edgars' hesitation with "the telepath prob-..." mystified me. Perhaps it was
awareness of Lise's presence, perhaps some weird signal from Garibaldi's dental
transmitter, perhaps incipient Alzheimer's -- I couldn't get a reading on it.
The extreme close-ups during the scene of the revelation of Garibaldi's
tampering seemed to be a visually forcible reminder that the masks have come
off. Odd thought from out of nowhere -- Bester, for all his "presentable,
well-spoken" projected image, does not seem to be as masked as others. His
urbane menace is an oddly direct statement.
I felt an uncomfortable tie between Bester's resolution of Garibaldi's
experience and the fate of the teepicide from Lyta's account. For the life of
me, I can't really imagine what the truly kind resolution for Garibaldi would
be, except that mindwipe looks a lot more benevolent now. There is now no
light at the end of Garibaldi's tunnel, based on the concluding visual of that
scene.
I get the feeling that Susan is now in danger of adopting the face of the
enemy, continuing Sheridan's work, but perhaps without Sheridan's tempering
sense of common humanity to temper revenge with justice (forget about mercy!).
One of the final visuals of Wade's blood on Garibaldi's hand twanged a string
to metaphor -- Sheridan's blood is now on Garibaldi's hands, without a doubt.
I must admit that the promo for "Intersections..." makes me quail to accept
your invitation "into fire." Someone on rastb5-mod pointed out that
"Inquisitor" was a prophecy for Delenn's experience in the Starfire wheel. It
also looks like it will be prophecy for Sheridan. I can't really predict what
nausea I will feel at Sheridan's torture being my last view of B5 for what may
be a year (until TNT catches up).
There's only so much facing the familiar enemy that one can withstand without
contemplating the comfort of a ground-glass canape or two.
-rje-
#: 677821 S6/Babylon 5: Spoilers
15-Jun-97 22:46:26
Sb: #677768-<FotE> Face-off/Face Off
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
""The Face of the Enemy" might represent the flipside of young Delenn's claim
in "Atonement" that the most dangerous enemy is the one you know nothing about.
Now the face of the enemy is the one you know all too well, one which you take
for granted until it's revealed that the face is actually a mask."
Yep. It's one thing facing implacable, vast enemies...it's quite another
when you friend betrays you. That's personal.
jms
[ Summary: "I love the song that a "band" was playing as Sheridan is
getting the tart beaten out of him, do you know if it will be in the
next soundtrack?" ]
#: 677822 S6/Babylon 5: Spoilers
15-Jun-97 22:46:29
Sb: #677770-<FaceOfE-Song
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
Dunno offhand.
jms
#: 677794 S6/Babylon 5: Spoilers
15-Jun-97 20:43:58
Sb: #"Enemy" - congrats
Fm: DIMITRI M LABARGE
JMS,
You know, a lot of people have loved a lot of the different things you've
achieved in the show - the drama, the character, the rippin' space battles, the
intrigue. I've adored all that as well. But I've never forgotten what you said
years and years ago, about your Prisoner influence. To me, that show was the
highwater work of TV SF, in that it used all the tools of the medium to create
and heighten its passionate intellectual content. You've paid homage, of
course, with sly winks and some of the conventions of the show. I've always
thought it great.
But "Face of the Enemy" was different for me. It's the episode *I* wanted to
see, where you took all that wonderful precedent and melded the maturity of
thought with a bold sophistication of style, all aimed and blowing the plot
straight down into our emotional core.
This is the episode where it stopped looking like any other television show,
CGI and other tech advancements be damned - and you knew exactly where to roll
it out. Still photos, ragged cutting, overcranking and (am I right?)
undercranking the camera to throw off the sense of time, all these things threw
me off and into the betrayal and left me with a sense of shock when it was
over. You don't see this at all in TV, and hardly in the movies. In a way, your
novel for television follows a rule of great direction - know when to keep it
simple and know when to use every technique at your disposal. This episode, you
uncorked that arsenal and brought B5 into the realm of great television.
Thank you for surpassing all the expectations you set for me on this show.
Dimitri
#: 677823 S6/Babylon 5: Spoilers
15-Jun-97 22:46:31
Sb: #677794-"Enemy" - congrats
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
Thanks. Gradually, we're learning and acquiring more tools to use in the
storytelling process...refining what we have, and every so often, we try to use
them in new ways. It's an experiment, and a risk, but one worth taking when it
gets a reaction like this. Thanks.
jms
#: 677805 S6/Babylon 5: Spoilers
15-Jun-97 21:23:07
Sb: #Guest Star
Fm: DOUGLAS PILIGIAN
Joe,
Great series of episodes. A question about Efrem Zimbalist Jr. Was he
familiar with the show prior to getting the guest role? If not what, if any,
information do you provide to a guest about the story to date? How did you
happen to come to use Mr. Zimbalist?
Thanks,
Doug
#: 677825 S6/Babylon 5: Spoilers
15-Jun-97 22:46:33
Sb: #677805-Guest Star
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
Nope, just figured he'd be great for the job, and cast him without
audition. He didn't know anything about the show before that.
jms
#: 677813 S6/Babylon 5: Spoilers
15-Jun-97 21:54:44
Sb: #<Intersections>
Fm: SYSOP LEE WHITESIDE
Joe, caught the sat feed of "Intersections" today....
I can't think of too much more to say than it's a hell of a way to leave us
waiting for several months to see what happens next...
#: 677826 S6/Babylon 5: Spoilers
15-Jun-97 22:46:36
Sb: #677813-#<Intersections>
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
Yep...it is that. At last I have a proper cliffhanger and a proper wait
afterward.
jms
[ Summary: (JMS responds to a post between two other users. See below.) ]
#: 677925 S6/Babylon 5: Spoilers
16-Jun-97 12:45:31
Sb: #677146-#<Face of the Enemy>
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
"I thought the fight was a bit too long for much the same reason as you. All I
can suggest is that John's metabolism isn't "normal" any more, and perhaps this
had an effect. (And maybe the bullyboys were doing less damage than we think,
simply to prolong the "fun".)"
1) It was for dramatic/stylistic effect. Not everything done with some
style has to have a scientific explanation.
2) Having been mugged myself, time expands and slows down.
3) It's the TV cliche that fights are over in a second. Ask anyone
who's ever been in a real knock-down fight. It goes on a heck of a lot longer
than we showed here. When I got mugged it went on for 10 minutes.
One of the ironies in other messages on this (not this one here
specifically) is that some have noted the fast-paced editing, which is
supposedly associated with music video/short attention span material...and then
turn around and say it wasn't over fast enough.
jms
#: 677894 S6/Babylon 5: Spoilers
16-Jun-97 09:53:33
Sb: #677826-#<Intersections>
Fm: TOM KNUDSEN
Joe,
<At last I have a proper cliffhanger and a proper wait afterward.>
I'm assuming you planned it that way. You must have known, or at least
suspected, they'd hold back the last 4 again. I think I've figured out one of
the reasons you're as good a writer as you are. You can take your story and
mold it into the shape you need it to, in order to tell it, regardless of the
blockades, changes, whims and opportunities the current syndication market
throws at you. You're the most flexible damn writer I've ever seen. Then
again, no one's ever HAD to do the things you're doing either. I just hope if
you get the sequel and it's on a network, like TNT, you don't get bored by the
fact that you won't have to write around all this crap.
Tom^^^^
#: 677938 S6/Babylon 5: Spoilers
16-Jun-97 13:42:25
Sb: #677894-<Intersections>
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
"You must have known, or at least suspected, they'd hold back the last 4 again.
I think I've figured out one of the reasons you're as good a writer as you are.
You can take your story and mold it into the shape you need it to, in order to
tell it, regardless of the blockades, changes, whims and opportunities the
current syndication market throws at you. You're the most flexible damn writer
I've ever seen. Then again, no one's ever HAD to do the things you're doing
either."
All I'll say is that no one will ever truly know how difficult this
process has been. And no matter what they throw at us, we catch it, turn it
around, figure out how to use it for our own purposes, and somehow make the
story better for it.
It ain't easy, though, m'friend...it ain't easy.
jms
[END]
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