This one always brings me to tears. For a 1 episode role, Brad Dourif kills it with Brother Edward. From his eager and earnest talk with Delenn and Lennier to wanting to atone for his past life he's just so likeable. Interesting seeing him portray Brother Edward and the Gemini in Exorcist III.
4:18 A word about this scene. I don't think I'm giving too many spoilers away when I say that Lyta is 'touched by Vorlons' in the same way Londo is 'Touched by Shadows'. Her sudden borderline homicidal reaction to him is a symbol of that. Like when Londo couldn't see Kosh in the Garden. The opposition between the two sides is nearly pathological.
This is easily my favorite "one-off" episode of B5. Brad Dourif turns in a great against-type performance (he commonly plays characters who are creepy as hell) and the episode is as philosophically/religiously as deep as popular entertainment ever gets. The parts not directly related to Brother Edward can easily slip by within the episode but there's plenty that becomes important in retrospect.
Lyta was the original station telepath in the pilot, but they brought in Talia for the series. Behind the scenes, Andrea Thompson (Talia) decided to leave the show (She had been married to Jerry Doyle and they got divorced and that probably contributed to her decision). Patricia Tallman (Lyta) was brought back to reprise her role as Lyta. When JMS planned out the series, he knew that people leaving for various reasons was certain to happen, so every character had escape hatches planned out and built into their character so if they had to leave. Michael O'Hare had to leave after the first season due to health issues that were not revealed until after his passing many years later. There were also options for bringing characters back if the actor decided not to leave, or come back later.
Andrea Thompson left Babylon 5 in 1995, the same year she married Jerry Doyle. They divorced in 1997. JMS has stated in the past that Thompson decided to leave the show because Talia wasn't getting a lot of screentime, so he wrote her out and brought back Lyta.
@@PrinceIMC Not quite it was meant for Takashima who Ivanova replaced, (Later edited versions of The Gathering would completely remove any suggestion of Takashima's guilt) and it wasent really an "escape hatch" so much as it was a story arc for the character, the episode where Kosh hires Talia to mediate between her and the cyborg "VCR" character was meant to "record" Talia's original personality for later restoration in her body. *minor spoiler but since were basically past that part in the viewings I'll put it here* But the actress never came back so eventually she was just written out in abit of dialog with Bester.
Outstanding! I discovered you, then spent three days catching up with you. B5 is very important to me. Your genuine joy and perceptive take on it has been a gift. Thanks for sharing. So much more to see. Here we go!
Lyta (Pat Tallman) is one of my favorite secondary characters; a real wild card and yes, very different from Talia. It's not the last time we will see her, and that's a good thing.
I really like Pat Tallman, too! Especially when she's playing Lyta. Fun fact: As well as an actress, she's also a stuntwoman! For example, you can see her in Austin Powers where she plays the 60s club waitress that Austin punches out. =)
@@Xoferif And stunt Woman for Gates Mcfadden, Beverley Crusher on Star Trek, as well as she was a Bridge Officer on the Defiant in Deep Space Nine in the episode "The Search" where they first introduce the Defiant.
@@ChannelReuploads9451 And one of the aliens who tries to steal the Enterprise in "Starship Mine". Also, when Beverly falls off the tall ship in Generations at the start, that was Pat Tallman. There is an overhead shot of "Beverly" in the water and at a couple of points, Pat tilts her head up just a fraction too much and you can see that it's her and not Gates.
Brother Edwards is played by the same actor who played Chucky in the Playime horror franchise (serial killer transferring their essence into a voodoo-possessed doll)
Yes, it's interesting to see the death of personality in more detail. A good story about forgiveness too. As for Lita Alexander, she is now just as mysterious as Kosh himself.
The actor that plays the Black Rose killer is none other than Brad Dourif. He played Piter in the original Dune He also played Grima Wormtongue in The Lord of the Rings series. He makes an appearance in the Toto video Stranger in Town.
"I'm looking forward to learning more about Valen"... I'm sure everbody who has seen B5 knows what I mean when I say that I can't wait to see your reaction 😀
I want you to remember that you were scared of how dark Lyta's eyes were. Otherwise, I'm staying quiet. :D This is another one of those episodes with the character building and laying foundations and giving you a bit of space to breathe before the fans get hit. Some of them are less fillery than others, but the world and the characters inhabiting it are so rich. Hope you had a great Christmas!
Trivia: this episode almost wasn't made. It had originally been planned for season 2 (of course with different details, like no Lyta), but after the episode "The Quality of Mercy" (the one where the life drain/healing machine is introduced) someone on the Usenet discussion group (where JMS hung around as well to answer questions, much like he does at Twitter today) made a post saying basically "That's a cool idea, I wonder what would happen if someone went after someone who was mindwiped because they didn't feel justice was served?". That lead to the episode being shelved until the poster in question came forth and was super-apologetic and had to deal with various legal stuff to make sure there weren't any lawsuits coming from them.
I was on those B5 usenet groups as the series was airing for the first time. A lot was said about possible story and episodic speculation causing legal problems for JMS, because the access to him was unprecedented and he fully engaged with the community. Hadn't realised it had affected this episode though - thanks for the update.
@@IanJefferies jms is on twitter talking Babylon 5 for the reboot. He is having to remind people again that story ideas are not allowed as they cause legal troubles. So far, a B5 reboot will use some of the same themes, but won't be a retelling of the original story.
This was one of my favorite episodes. Brad Dourif hit it out of the park as Brother Edward, and it's a real tearjerker as Brother Theo reads him his last rites.
This was an episode at the time which surprised fans that Brad could play a nice character very well. In pop culture at the time he was the voice of Chuckie and Dune fame. The bonus was that Leonard Nimoys son also direct this episode.
This was the first b5 episode i saw on tv in the 90s. My first thought was: ‘here we go a deanna troy episode’ but was stunningly surprised by the humanity spirituality and story telling. Enjoying your reviews.
Another personal favorite of mine. I love how this one does both A and B plots well. Plus it's always fun to see Brad Dourif who had played iconic roles for about 30 years from One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest to Lord of the Rings. I am also impressed just how much work you've been able to put in this holiday season! Don't let any one say that you're not working your hardest, because you've been cranking these updates out like crazy! I can't wait to see you get further and further into B5 and Farscape! PS: I love seeing you rep some Farscape merch!
Yes, this IS one of my all time favourite B5 episodes. Not an essential to a main plot but very well written and thought provoking. One of the most philosophical episodes in the entire series, which are already very philosophical. Ant it says a lot!
One of the many things I love about this show is that the creator JMS (who is a Atheist/Agnostic) has respect and a great understanding for the nuance of Religion and faith in general and he shows a deeper understanding than most writers in Scifi. This is also one of the best Twilight-Zone-Endings of all time.
You must excuse the captain, Malcolm, you interrupted his train of thought. You were about to say that forgiveness is a hard thing, but something ever to strive for. Were you not, captain?
From what I understand, JMS was raised Catholic, though I'm not sure what his formation was like or if he even made it to Confirmation. I think I remember from an old interview when asked which belief system most resembled his own, it was the Minbari. This in effect, is a type of pantheism; which if so, I'd be more interested in how he defines his personal atheism / agnosticism. I am curious as to what his knowledge base regarding Catholicism is, as if he had read any of the ancient works of the Early Church Fathers, etc.
@@wanderingthedesert5599 JMS is of Jewish decent (Belarussian Jew). He studied Philosophy in college with some theology (as most western Philosophy majors would do) but he has described himself as agnostic leaning atheist and closer to Michael Garibaldi's position. You can read more about it in his Biography "becoming superman"
Only discovered your channel by accident a month or so ago, but as a long time fan of B5 I'm enjoying re-watching the show 'for the first time' again through your eyes! JMS was an excellent writer and show runner, and many of the things you bring up as unanswered questions get filled out later throughout the show. You make a great observation that even the "filler"/B-plot episodes often inform the viewer about important background details that go toward the world building. You are definitely going to love the rest of season 3 and 4, basically every single episode.
I think you're putting some misplaced blame on Lyta for what happened with Talia. Yes, she exposed the hidden personality in Talia's head, but she's not the one who put it there. If anyone is to blame it's the people who implanted that personality in the first place. Also, don't forget that exposing Talia as a spy actually saved everyone's asses because Sheridan and Ivanova were about bring her into the inner circle of their little splinter group, which would have exposed all of them to the corrupt elements within Earth gov.
Geth-SEM-a-nee, usually. It is the garden where Jesus prayed just before his arrest and crucifixion, and he was under so much stress he sweated blood (). The actress who plays Lyta is a stuntwoman, I spotted her in an epiode of Star Trek (either next Gen or DS9). I think this was her first time acting in a major role. As the only human who has been to Vorlon space and returned as the same person, I assume the Vorlons have a use for her and wish to keep her alive so have 'fixed' her health issues.
Such a great episode! (even for a "filler") A heartrending story of redemption & the pursuit of justice taken to zealous extremes. And such a great guest character too. I really enjoyed the "interview" he had with Delenn. So wonderful & believable. ("Would 'I' have had the strength to stay?") No spoilers, but just FYI, as the series progresses you WILL get to learn a bit more about Valen. (so there is THAT to look forward to)
If I was given just one episode to introduce people to Babylon 5, as to how great it could be, Without spoiling the greater plot, this would be the one episode I show them. What ever needs to be established to understand what’s happening in this episode is discussed enough to cover what needed to understand the plot of the episode, all the while showing the story potential of the series and the talent they possess.
Exactly! I have used this episode for years to easily introduce people to the kind of storytelling available throughout the series. Only mildly spoiler-ish, then I just have to help navigate them through the occasional mis-steps within Season One and we are off to the races!
This one gets me every time I watch it. One of my favorite non main story arc episodes. "and I honestly don't know if I would have had the courage to stay"
I've been binge watching your B5 reaction videos. They're terrific! Your enthusiasm and insights are wonderful. You are as beautiful on the inside as you are on the outside.
What an amazing episode. B5 can go very dark... but always in a thoughtful way. "What do you think about the death of personality?" is one of those questions that could probably start a family feud over the holidays. (I recall reading somewhere that in the scene in which Garibaldi and Delenn discuss they basically reflect their respective actors' positions.)
@@Markus117d Holy Cannoli … another fan. Doc EE Smith was a mad genius. I’m telling you, each page has been stripped to the bone. The marrows of each chapter- scraped out.
It's what the process of Demolition is in The Demolished Man from where JMS draws a lot of his telepath inspiration, including the name of the author....
@@simongiles9749 That pretty cool, thx … but (can’t help it) The Lensmen were established in Sci-Fi canon in 1937 … and solidified as a series by 1951. 🤔 I am sure that Bester read it … Inspiration is a continuity empowered by its past.
Loved the Bishop Brennan reference LOL. The actor Jim Norton in addition to being the ombudsman/judge character in S1, also played the Markab doctor who infected himself to find the cure to the disease that wiped out his entire race in S2. And don't worry, you do find out plenty more about Valen and we are all looking forward to your review of that particular episode :)
Loved the gobsmack overload on your face when you saw Lyta's upgrades! I'm not sure if he still has them but G'Kar had gills in the Gathering as an add on as well so there's precedent for that although I imagine the Vorlon version is much more sophisticated. I wonder if the Minbari would view the mindwiped killer as having the same soul as they did after the mindwipe? For them it might do nothing to remove the guilt, I don't know. Really solidly acted episode and I liked that transition to his past where his clothes change, there's water under foot - we effectively go off station for those few moments.
This is a great episode, Brad Dourif is such a fantastic actor- he plays creepy, evil & in this case: frightened, tortured soul so well! This episode gave my younger self chills & nightmares- although only vocal: the blood curdling screams of a 'victim' begging for help, pleading for her life and then the high pitched whine of something drill-like and her death screams.... and then the corpse he falls against: you don't get that in Star Trek!!
Yes, Death of Personality is something that's going to come up again, albeit, in a manner that I won't discuss here, but something that I think that you had overlooked is that what happened to Talia, was essentially the same thing, though working on a slightly different level (the death of Personality would only assert himself once the password was sent). Also, something else to take into consideration regarding Lyta and Londo's interactions and why she appears immediately hostile to him is because (though it's never mentioned in the series), she knows of his ties to the Shadows, but unlike Delenn and Sheridan's reactions which are mainly of disappointment at his choices, Lyta is actually repulsed, which having been as close to the Vorlons as she now is, makes a great deal of sense. Anyways, I'm looking forward to the Voices of Authority and Dust to Dust uploads especially as they both move the plot along a bit more!
Actually the "death of her personality" occurred when she was seconded to the project. The Talia personality was the artificially constructed overlay similar to that which convicted criminals received, except without the motivation to serve the community. The password just restored her real personality, destroying the artificial overlay.
The real question that I want answered is how many of the monks are former serial killers? Could this explain how an order of monks exists in the future in space?
Brother Theo did say his brothers were qualified and educated in various technical fields. Brother Edward may have been an exception (his skills seemed more artistic in nature).
Geth- se-man-ee I want to comment about Lyta so badly! Don’t know where your upto, or, spoil anything for people who have never seen Babylon 5 and are following your reactions. Let’s just say that in every war, you have your pistols, and your rifles, and your tanks, and your fighters, and your cruisers and your battleships.....
Love your reactions to this. And I can't help but think at every comment - just wait. This series just seemed to get better and better, it will be interesting to see what they make of the proposed re-boot, if anything.
What's going on with him? Oh, just business as usual for the actor. He seems to be quite type-cast for these kinds of roles. ^^ Lyta's gills shouldn't be that surprising. After all G'Kar also got gil implants, if you remember the pilot.
This is one of the most memorable episodes of the entire show, it's just so well done, I can't explain why it stuck with me more than other episodes but it just has.
Funny that a stand-alone episode, once again, contains some character development! By the sound of it, this one is all about Lyta, and a little bit about Valen.
Brad Dourif (Brother Edward) has a long and storied career as bad/psycho guys. You should see him as the Doctor in Deadwood (and indeed, Deadwood's a show you should be reviewing)
Whenever I see Brad Doriff I see a bushy eyebrow Mentat in the employ of Baron Harkonen in the David Lynch 1984 Dune then the doctor in Alien Restriction in 1997.
Love this episode. My thoughts of death of personality is that it's wrong as the fact is that your still essentially killing the original person (bury them deep down) and forcing a new person, a innocent person to pay for the crimes they know nothing about with community service. They might as well just of kept the death penalty but politics and public opinion ultimately dictates what should and shouldn't happen, whether it's right or wrong, easy or hard, smart or stupid.
I was originally repulsed by the idea of the state sanctioned killing of a person, then having a "new" person be put into lifelong slavery. Then again, I think the idea of using a murderers life energy to cure disease and such (you know what I'm talking about) is actually justice. Unfortunately, I just know if a technology like that was ever developed it would only be used to help the rich &/or powerful.
@@douglascolquhoun8502SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS...... yeah it is. Also a device like that would to easily be abused as eventually the demand would outway the supply, very quickly if it's only been used on the most serious offenders. It wouldn't take much before the death sentence will be for even the smallest crimes to meet demand.And earth would be right back into another 1984
I've watched b5 multiple times I love this womans reactants just like mine more them 20 years ago. B5 is one of the best sci fi tv ever made - I have mixed feelings about the reboot but I have hope.
I was kind hoping this episode would get the two-part treatment, but I guess there's not enough to justify that. This episode's ending hits you like a punch to the gut. Poor brother Edward :(
Memory wipe is just the death penalty under a different name. Memory wipe, followed by penal servitude of the new personality is even more evil than the death penalty. Not only have you killed someone, but you've sentenced an innocent stranger for a crime they never even committed.
Many states used to cut out the 'evil' parts of people's brains to achieve the aim of preventing low crime against the high, yet keeping the body to extract value from him by menial labour. The making of killers into saints is a slight improvement, I suggest.
The death of personality is the other idea JMS gleaned from Alfred Bester's The Demolished Man. The other being Psi Corp and how ESP fits into a society. Take this as a plug to read it to anyone who has not read it
Ah! Lyta is back! The same, yet not quite the same. Hmmm! Dexter. I wonder if Dexter in the series "Dexter" is "related" 😉 Oh, yes, Brad Dourif, as always, does such a wonderful job here as Brother Edward/Dexter. The title of this episode and the themes in it, this is very much a B5/JMS theme. "Forgiveness is a hard thing" So well stated by Brother Theo. Very good that we got to see more about "death of personality" Indeed, Who on Earth was Valen, a Minbari not born Minbari? Will we ever know?
Brad Dourif plays the priest character in this episode. He is an amazing character actor. Here is my favorite appearance of his: ruclips.net/video/LXLg3VRiAM0/видео.html
Whatever you think of Brad Doref, he always commits 100% to a role. Great character actor.
How does he manage to stay looking the same over the years?!
@@jonjohns8145 He probably has a portrait locked away that ages for him
@@jonsouth1545 Exactly, he's not playing a character at all ;)
I wasent aware that there were people that thought ill of Doref
This is the closest I've dome to seeing him not playing a serial killer, playing a mind-wiped serial killer.
Bruce Boxleitner's performance in that final scene is maybe the single best acting job he did on the show.
"Is this a bit of a garden date?"
"Oh, I feel let down" 🤣😂🤣
This one always brings me to tears. For a 1 episode role, Brad Dourif kills it with Brother Edward. From his eager and earnest talk with Delenn and Lennier to wanting to atone for his past life he's just so likeable. Interesting seeing him portray Brother Edward and the Gemini in Exorcist III.
This is such a beautiful episode. A brilliant meditation on right and wrong, guilt and absolution, and accountability and forgiveness.
4:18 A word about this scene. I don't think I'm giving too many spoilers away when I say that Lyta is 'touched by Vorlons' in the same way Londo is 'Touched by Shadows'. Her sudden borderline homicidal reaction to him is a symbol of that. Like when Londo couldn't see Kosh in the Garden. The opposition between the two sides is nearly pathological.
This is easily my favorite "one-off" episode of B5. Brad Dourif turns in a great against-type performance (he commonly plays characters who are creepy as hell) and the episode is as philosophically/religiously as deep as popular entertainment ever gets. The parts not directly related to Brother Edward can easily slip by within the episode but there's plenty that becomes important in retrospect.
Lyta was the original station telepath in the pilot, but they brought in Talia for the series. Behind the scenes, Andrea Thompson (Talia) decided to leave the show (She had been married to Jerry Doyle and they got divorced and that probably contributed to her decision). Patricia Tallman (Lyta) was brought back to reprise her role as Lyta. When JMS planned out the series, he knew that people leaving for various reasons was certain to happen, so every character had escape hatches planned out and built into their character so if they had to leave. Michael O'Hare had to leave after the first season due to health issues that were not revealed until after his passing many years later. There were also options for bringing characters back if the actor decided not to leave, or come back later.
Andrea Thompson left Babylon 5 in 1995, the same year she married Jerry Doyle. They divorced in 1997. JMS has stated in the past that Thompson decided to leave the show because Talia wasn't getting a lot of screentime, so he wrote her out and brought back Lyta.
And Talia Winters escape hatch being a deep cover agent was originally written for Ivanova.
@@PrinceIMC Not quite it was meant for Takashima who Ivanova replaced, (Later edited versions of The Gathering would completely remove any suggestion of Takashima's guilt) and it wasent really an "escape hatch" so much as it was a story arc for the character, the episode where Kosh hires Talia to mediate between her and the cyborg "VCR" character was meant to "record" Talia's original personality for later restoration in her body. *minor spoiler but since were basically past that part in the viewings I'll put it here* But the actress never came back so eventually she was just written out in abit of dialog with Bester.
Outstanding! I discovered you, then spent three days catching up with you. B5 is very important to me. Your genuine joy and perceptive take on it has been a gift. Thanks for sharing. So much more to see. Here we go!
It's a lot of fun to see her reactions to the different twists and turns :D ((Her reaction to Sebastian is AWESOME!) :)
Lyta (Pat Tallman) is one of my favorite secondary characters; a real wild card and yes, very different from Talia. It's not the last time we will see her, and that's a good thing.
I really like Pat Tallman, too! Especially when she's playing Lyta.
Fun fact: As well as an actress, she's also a stuntwoman! For example, you can see her in Austin Powers where she plays the 60s club waitress that Austin punches out. =)
@@Xoferif She was also in Jurrasic Park!
@@DavidGarcia-kw4sf Very visibly in the moment when the ribcage falls on Ellie at the end...
@@Xoferif And stunt Woman for Gates Mcfadden, Beverley Crusher on Star Trek, as well as she was a Bridge Officer on the Defiant in Deep Space Nine in the episode "The Search" where they first introduce the Defiant.
@@ChannelReuploads9451 And one of the aliens who tries to steal the Enterprise in "Starship Mine". Also, when Beverly falls off the tall ship in Generations at the start, that was Pat Tallman. There is an overhead shot of "Beverly" in the water and at a couple of points, Pat tilts her head up just a fraction too much and you can see that it's her and not Gates.
Brother Edwards is played by the same actor who played Chucky in the Playime horror franchise (serial killer transferring their essence into a voodoo-possessed doll)
Yes, it's interesting to see the death of personality in more detail. A good story about forgiveness too. As for Lita Alexander, she is now just as mysterious as Kosh himself.
The actor that plays the Black Rose killer is none other than Brad Dourif.
He played Piter in the original Dune
He also played Grima Wormtongue in The Lord of the Rings series.
He makes an appearance in the Toto video Stranger in Town.
Also the voice of Chucky!
Also a (heroic) psychopath on Star Trek Voyager. ;)
"I'm looking forward to learning more about Valen"... I'm sure everbody who has seen B5 knows what I mean when I say that I can't wait to see your reaction 😀
OMG I will NEVER click on a video faster .....
I want you to remember that you were scared of how dark Lyta's eyes were. Otherwise, I'm staying quiet. :D This is another one of those episodes with the character building and laying foundations and giving you a bit of space to breathe before the fans get hit. Some of them are less fillery than others, but the world and the characters inhabiting it are so rich. Hope you had a great Christmas!
"i want to know more about Valen". - me grinning ear to ear
Oh, my SWEET summer child .....
@@tulinfirenze1990 wrong fandom......, but accurate
Anyone else getting a warm fuzzy feeling of anticipation when she mentions Valen?
The look on her face when she finds out WHO Valen is.....
Yes... that was a nice musing. Perfect words, if you get what I mean :)
@@donaldpaluga I know. I can't wait. Tee-hee.
I like that she's wondering who will narrate the season 4 opening ... I remember wondering the too, and even trading guesses with friends.
Yep - it was a .... year of surprise.
I love this episode. Brad Dourif is a great actor and it's even rarer to see him portray a nice guy.
Watch Deadwood where he plays Doc Cochren. Outstanding performance!
@@hunterschoumacher9560 He's ALWAYS pretty much THE BEST thing in ANYTHING he's in!
Trivia: this episode almost wasn't made. It had originally been planned for season 2 (of course with different details, like no Lyta), but after the episode "The Quality of Mercy" (the one where the life drain/healing machine is introduced) someone on the Usenet discussion group (where JMS hung around as well to answer questions, much like he does at Twitter today) made a post saying basically "That's a cool idea, I wonder what would happen if someone went after someone who was mindwiped because they didn't feel justice was served?". That lead to the episode being shelved until the poster in question came forth and was super-apologetic and had to deal with various legal stuff to make sure there weren't any lawsuits coming from them.
I was on those B5 usenet groups as the series was airing for the first time. A lot was said about possible story and episodic speculation causing legal problems for JMS, because the access to him was unprecedented and he fully engaged with the community. Hadn't realised it had affected this episode though - thanks for the update.
@@IanJefferies jms is on twitter talking Babylon 5 for the reboot. He is having to remind people again that story ideas are not allowed as they cause legal troubles. So far, a B5 reboot will use some of the same themes, but won't be a retelling of the original story.
@@IanJefferies you sure were. Ya mon. 👍
@@steveaustin2686 well the chances of that happening seem so much slimmer these days with social media being everywhere. But good luck to him.
@@IanJefferies IIRC, jms was on 3 different platforms back in the day. I know he is on twitter, but I'm not sure if he is on anything else.
10:42 my reactions exactly!!
This was one of my favorite episodes. Brad Dourif hit it out of the park as Brother Edward, and it's a real tearjerker as Brother Theo reads him his last rites.
This was an episode at the time which surprised fans that Brad could play a nice character very well. In pop culture at the time he was the voice of Chuckie and Dune fame. The bonus was that Leonard Nimoys son also direct this episode.
This was the first b5 episode i saw on tv in the 90s. My first thought was: ‘here we go a deanna troy episode’ but was stunningly surprised by the humanity spirituality and story telling. Enjoying your reviews.
"Valen was the best of us . . ."
Another personal favorite of mine. I love how this one does both A and B plots well. Plus it's always fun to see Brad Dourif who had played iconic roles for about 30 years from One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest to Lord of the Rings.
I am also impressed just how much work you've been able to put in this holiday season! Don't let any one say that you're not working your hardest, because you've been cranking these updates out like crazy! I can't wait to see you get further and further into B5 and Farscape!
PS: I love seeing you rep some Farscape merch!
Did you notice Lyta had gills to be able in Vorlon quarters without the breathing mask?
Yes, this IS one of my all time favourite B5 episodes. Not an essential to a main plot but very well written and thought provoking. One of the most philosophical episodes in the entire series, which are already very philosophical. Ant it says a lot!
I think of this as the best stand-alone episode of B5.
One of the many things I love about this show is that the creator JMS (who is a Atheist/Agnostic) has respect and a great understanding for the nuance of Religion and faith in general and he shows a deeper understanding than most writers in Scifi.
This is also one of the best Twilight-Zone-Endings of all time.
"Twilight Zone"-ish ending, indeed!
You must excuse the captain, Malcolm, you interrupted his train of thought. You were about to say that forgiveness is a hard thing, but something ever to strive for. Were you not, captain?
From what I understand, JMS was raised Catholic, though I'm not sure what his formation was like or if he even made it to Confirmation.
I think I remember from an old interview when asked which belief system most resembled his own, it was the Minbari. This in effect, is a type of pantheism; which if so, I'd be more interested in how he defines his personal atheism / agnosticism. I am curious as to what his knowledge base regarding Catholicism is, as if he had read any of the ancient works of the Early Church Fathers, etc.
@@wanderingthedesert5599 JMS is of Jewish decent (Belarussian Jew). He studied Philosophy in college with some theology (as most western Philosophy majors would do) but he has described himself as agnostic leaning atheist and closer to Michael Garibaldi's position. You can read more about it in his Biography "becoming superman"
@@jonjohns8145 that's odd. the wiki page has him listed as of Polish ancestry and that his family religion was Catholic.
Only discovered your channel by accident a month or so ago, but as a long time fan of B5 I'm enjoying re-watching the show 'for the first time' again through your eyes! JMS was an excellent writer and show runner, and many of the things you bring up as unanswered questions get filled out later throughout the show.
You make a great observation that even the "filler"/B-plot episodes often inform the viewer about important background details that go toward the world building. You are definitely going to love the rest of season 3 and 4, basically every single episode.
Did you notice the actor who played Brother Theo was the original Draal?
Love every episode Patrica Tallman is in! 💘🥰💗💗🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣
You might remember Brad Dourif from his recurring role in your nightmares.
I remember him from when I go to Hell
I think you're putting some misplaced blame on Lyta for what happened with Talia. Yes, she exposed the hidden personality in Talia's head, but she's not the one who put it there. If anyone is to blame it's the people who implanted that personality in the first place.
Also, don't forget that exposing Talia as a spy actually saved everyone's asses because Sheridan and Ivanova were about bring her into the inner circle of their little splinter group, which would have exposed all of them to the corrupt elements within Earth gov.
I was going to make the same point lol.. 👍
Though that this was the ONLY way to expose the personality (without curing it) still sticks in the craw.
@@chrissonofpear1384 It does indeed, Sadly behind the scenes cast issues made it impossible to save the character without recasting the role 😔
Geth-SEM-a-nee, usually. It is the garden where Jesus prayed just before his arrest and crucifixion, and he was under so much stress he sweated blood ().
The actress who plays Lyta is a stuntwoman, I spotted her in an epiode of Star Trek (either next Gen or DS9). I think this was her first time acting in a major role. As the only human who has been to Vorlon space and returned as the same person, I assume the Vorlons have a use for her and wish to keep her alive so have 'fixed' her health issues.
Such a great episode! (even for a "filler") A heartrending story of redemption & the pursuit of justice taken to zealous extremes.
And such a great guest character too. I really enjoyed the "interview" he had with Delenn. So wonderful & believable. ("Would 'I' have had the strength to stay?")
No spoilers, but just FYI, as the series progresses you WILL get to learn a bit more about Valen. (so there is THAT to look forward to)
Yes, his thoughts about Jesus in the garden were fabulous!
If I was given just one episode to introduce people to Babylon 5, as to how great it could be, Without spoiling the greater plot, this would be the one episode I show them. What ever needs to be established to understand what’s happening in this episode is discussed enough to cover what needed to understand the plot of the episode, all the while showing the story potential of the series and the talent they possess.
Exactly! I have used this episode for years to easily introduce people to the kind of storytelling available throughout the series. Only mildly spoiler-ish, then I just have to help navigate them through the occasional mis-steps within Season One and we are off to the races!
This one gets me every time I watch it. One of my favorite non main story arc episodes.
"and I honestly don't know if I would have had the courage to stay"
I've been binge watching your B5 reaction videos. They're terrific! Your enthusiasm and insights are wonderful. You are as beautiful on the inside as you are on the outside.
What an amazing episode. B5 can go very dark... but always in a thoughtful way. "What do you think about the death of personality?" is one of those questions that could probably start a family feud over the holidays. (I recall reading somewhere that in the scene in which Garibaldi and Delenn discuss they basically reflect their respective actors' positions.)
Love that you refer to him as Bishop Brennan, it's such a vastly different role than that in Father Ted.
Deuce should have threatened him with rabbits, not the nakaleen feeder.
@@christopherpickles7541 HAHA!!!!! Only a very few people will get that!
@@christopherpickles7541 or a kick up the arse
@@Joyfulcheese Alternatively, just get Dobby to drop a cake on his wife's head.
Brad Dourif’s character was Charles Dexter, a name drawn from Edgar Allan Poe. 3:19
One of the best episodes of B5. Brad Dourif is incredible, the script is well written, and the plot concept is haunting as hell.
She's fascinated by Minbari spirituality, and hopes we get to learn more about Valen. :)
I think there are one or two things yet to discover .... ; )
Doc. E. E. Smith was doing Death of Personality back in the 40s with The Lensmen series. Sci-fi is incredible.
That is where a some of the foundation of B5 comes from, Ie The Arisia / Eddore conflict that is the basis for the Vorlon's & Shadows 😄👍
@@Markus117d Holy Cannoli … another fan. Doc EE Smith was a mad genius. I’m telling you, each page has been stripped to the bone. The marrows of each chapter- scraped out.
It's what the process of Demolition is in The Demolished Man from where JMS draws a lot of his telepath inspiration, including the name of the author....
@@simongiles9749 That pretty cool, thx … but (can’t help it) The Lensmen were established in Sci-Fi canon in 1937 … and solidified as a series by 1951. 🤔 I am sure that Bester read it … Inspiration is a continuity empowered by its past.
Loved the Bishop Brennan reference LOL. The actor Jim Norton in addition to being the ombudsman/judge character in S1, also played the Markab doctor who infected himself to find the cure to the disease that wiped out his entire race in S2. And don't worry, you do find out plenty more about Valen and we are all looking forward to your review of that particular episode :)
He also plays somebody coming up who will greatly help G'Kar.
Cool you had some episodes banked to release while you're on vacation!!👍
"I want to know more about him (Valen)." And now we wait. :D
Loved the gobsmack overload on your face when you saw Lyta's upgrades! I'm not sure if he still has them but G'Kar had gills in the Gathering as an add on as well so there's precedent for that although I imagine the Vorlon version is much more sophisticated. I wonder if the Minbari would view the mindwiped killer as having the same soul as they did after the mindwipe? For them it might do nothing to remove the guilt, I don't know. Really solidly acted episode and I liked that transition to his past where his clothes change, there's water under foot - we effectively go off station for those few moments.
This is a great episode, Brad Dourif is such a fantastic actor- he plays creepy, evil & in this case: frightened, tortured soul so well!
This episode gave my younger self chills & nightmares- although only vocal: the blood curdling screams of a 'victim' begging for help, pleading for her life and then the high pitched whine of something drill-like and her death screams.... and then the corpse he falls against: you don't get that in Star Trek!!
B5 did stuff they can't even manage today.
Yes, Death of Personality is something that's going to come up again, albeit, in a manner that I won't discuss here, but something that I think that you had overlooked is that what happened to Talia, was essentially the same thing, though working on a slightly different level (the death of Personality would only assert himself once the password was sent).
Also, something else to take into consideration regarding Lyta and Londo's interactions and why she appears immediately hostile to him is because (though it's never mentioned in the series), she knows of his ties to the Shadows, but unlike Delenn and Sheridan's reactions which are mainly of disappointment at his choices, Lyta is actually repulsed, which having been as close to the Vorlons as she now is, makes a great deal of sense.
Anyways, I'm looking forward to the Voices of Authority and Dust to Dust uploads especially as they both move the plot along a bit more!
Actually the "death of her personality" occurred when she was seconded to the project. The Talia personality was the artificially constructed overlay similar to that which convicted criminals received, except without the motivation to serve the community. The password just restored her real personality, destroying the artificial overlay.
This episode broke my heart
Bishop Brenan LMAO (IKR...it is him)
Among all the Sci-Fi series I have watched, Babylon 5 has, IMHO, handled religion better than any other.
"She has such dark eyes"
Strap yourself in, you ain't seen nothing yet!
The real question that I want answered is how many of the monks are former serial killers? Could this explain how an order of monks exists in the future in space?
Brother Theo did say his brothers were qualified and educated in various technical fields. Brother Edward may have been an exception (his skills seemed more artistic in nature).
Geth- se-man-ee
I want to comment about Lyta so badly! Don’t know where your upto, or, spoil anything for people who have never seen Babylon 5 and are following your reactions.
Let’s just say that in every war, you have your pistols, and your rifles, and your tanks, and your fighters, and your cruisers and your battleships.....
Him telling the story about waiting in the garden, best acting and best writing in TV of the time.
Always fun watching you seeing my favorite show in the universe, and uncannily asking always the right questions.
“Gambling has always one of the lesser sins, if you’re gonna, you might as well go for one of the big ones.”
Really enjoying your B5 reactions. Reminds me how I felt when I watched it when it first aired on UK TV.
Love your reactions to this. And I can't help but think at every comment - just wait. This series just seemed to get better and better, it will be interesting to see what they make of the proposed re-boot, if anything.
What's going on with him? Oh, just business as usual for the actor. He seems to be quite type-cast for these kinds of roles. ^^
Lyta's gills shouldn't be that surprising. After all G'Kar also got gil implants, if you remember the pilot.
01:57 - Actor Brad Dourif! He's the wonderful voice of everyone's favorite killer doll; CHUCKY! Muwhahahahaha! 😀
You'll be gratified to know that we do indeed find out a lot about Valen this season.
This is one of the most memorable episodes of the entire show, it's just so well done, I can't explain why it stuck with me more than other episodes but it just has.
John’s reaction to meeting Brother Malcolm shows how people can’t forgive the same trespasses. It also shows what a great man Brother Theo is.
12:06 Delicious. Absolutely wonderful.
I just revisited this video after seeing her more recent reactions, and just burst out laughing. Want to know more about Valen, eh?
Funny that a stand-alone episode, once again, contains some character development! By the sound of it, this one is all about Lyta, and a little bit about Valen.
This is one of my favorite episodes of the show and its almost entirely due to Brad Dourifs performance.
You left out the beginning where Brother Theo checkmated Sheriden with....divine inspiration
Am I the only one who has to severly bite his tongue every time she says something spot on in ways she doesn't even realize HOW spot on she is?
Brad Dourif gets typecast as a killer, but this role let him at least show some range.
Such a great series. I'm glad to see someone discovering it in 2021 and enjoying it.
One of my favorite episodes.
Good analysis. Surprises coming your way.
Love the reactions. Keep 'em coming!
The Vorlons are beyond cool
Brad Dourif (Brother Edward) has a long and storied career as bad/psycho guys. You should see him as the Doctor in Deadwood (and indeed, Deadwood's a show you should be reviewing)
Whenever I see Brad Doriff I see a bushy eyebrow Mentat in the employ of Baron Harkonen in the David Lynch 1984 Dune then the doctor in Alien Restriction in 1997.
I was always impressed with the way JM Straczynski handled religious issues in the show...especially considering he was a card-carrying atheist.
I'm sure that actor who played Edward played a psychopath in StarTrek too.
Leeta looks like she's been looking into the TARDIS like Rose did.
...yes, in Star Trek Voyager...
"I would love to know more about Valen"
Me:🤐🤐🤐😄🤣😄🤣😄🤣😄😙😙😙😙
Love this episode.
My thoughts of death of personality is that it's wrong as the fact is that your still essentially killing the original person (bury them deep down) and forcing a new person, a innocent person to pay for the crimes they know nothing about with community service.
They might as well just of kept the death penalty but politics and public opinion ultimately dictates what should and shouldn't happen, whether it's right or wrong, easy or hard, smart or stupid.
I was originally repulsed by the idea of the state sanctioned killing of a person, then having a "new" person be put into lifelong slavery.
Then again, I think the idea of using a murderers life energy to cure disease and such (you know what I'm talking about) is actually justice. Unfortunately, I just know if a technology like that was ever developed it would only be used to help the rich &/or powerful.
@@douglascolquhoun8502SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS......
yeah it is.
Also a device like that would to easily be abused as eventually the demand would outway the supply, very quickly if it's only been used on the most serious offenders.
It wouldn't take much before the death sentence will be for even the smallest crimes to meet demand.And earth would be right back into another 1984
I've watched b5 multiple times I love this womans reactants just like mine more them 20 years ago. B5 is one of the best sci fi tv ever made - I have mixed feelings about the reboot but I have hope.
Oh, boy, do we learn about Valen!
She's looking forward to finding out more about Valen. (hehehe can't wait for *THAT* episode)
Each time i watch your reactions i remember a bit more of the story so keep it up and thank you.
I was kind hoping this episode would get the two-part treatment, but I guess there's not enough to justify that.
This episode's ending hits you like a punch to the gut. Poor brother Edward :(
Memory wipe is just the death penalty under a different name. Memory wipe, followed by penal servitude of the new personality is even more evil than the death penalty. Not only have you killed someone, but you've sentenced an innocent stranger for a crime they never even committed.
Many states used to cut out the 'evil' parts of people's brains to achieve the aim of preventing low crime against the high, yet keeping the body to extract value from him by menial labour.
The making of killers into saints is a slight improvement, I suggest.
Love Brad Dourff (spelling?) And Lita scaring Londo😅
The death of personality is the other idea JMS gleaned from Alfred Bester's The Demolished Man. The other being Psi Corp and how ESP fits into a society. Take this as a plug to read it to anyone who has not read it
I've been waiting for this one, one of the episodes that dig deep into belief and identity.
"She has dark eyes" XD
did you notice the gills on Lyta's neck when she was in Kosh's quarters?
An excellent question, what have they done to Lyta.
Ah! Lyta is back! The same, yet not quite the same.
Hmmm! Dexter. I wonder if Dexter in the series "Dexter" is "related" 😉
Oh, yes, Brad Dourif, as always, does such a wonderful job here as Brother Edward/Dexter.
The title of this episode and the themes in it, this is very much a B5/JMS theme.
"Forgiveness is a hard thing" So well stated by Brother Theo. Very good that we got to see more about "death of personality"
Indeed, Who on Earth was Valen, a Minbari not born Minbari? Will we ever know?
It's actually a reference to an HP Lovecraft story, "The Case of Charles Dexter Ward".
@@MiriOhki Most likely. But B5 came long before the Dexter series. Anyway, it does not matter....
One of my favorite episodes.
Brad Dourif plays the priest character in this episode. He is an amazing character actor. Here is my favorite appearance of his: ruclips.net/video/LXLg3VRiAM0/видео.html
one of, if not my fave B5 episodes ever. Top drawer. oh and love the Sony buds. #BASS
I believe Brother Edwards character is supposed to give insight-- into the Shadows... 7:27
we don't get to see your reaction to Lyta's threat of nightmares against Londo? That's too bad. It is an interaction that always makes me smile