If you're referring to the departure you're thinking of, I was going to hold off until after it happens on screen to go in to the details, and link to JMS talking about it, as it's something that took years to emerge. On the plus side, hopefully enough of the big moments in episodes will still remain unspoilt. It's one of the highlights of the series that there are some huge yet small moments.
I sure won't! I love watching peoples faces when the surprises happen. It's like how I felt when I watched this iconic series in the 90's for the first time.
About Sinclair leaving the show. I wish I could send you to a video that explains it all but it’s FILLED with spoilers. Long story short, the actor Michael O’Hare was dealing with some major mental issues and started to affect filming the show. So instead of holding up production and risking the show being canceled he decided to leave. It’s a real tragic story but I always loved how it showed how much the show meant to him. When you finish the whole series you should watch it.
Remember in the early episode "Soul Hunter" when the alien asked Delenn "You would do such a thing?" Yep, JMS likes to pay things off. Just not right away.
That's my favourite part of comment section under B5 reactions. All these "remember a subtle hint back then? It was pointing to this!". Sometimes these are going not episodes, but even seasons away!
You want a long-term, subtle payoff? Season 1 Episode 1 - G'Kar offer's Londo some Spoo saying it's quite fresh. Season 5 Episode 10 - Londo mentions that offering fresh spoo to a Centauri is an insult.
Shame things got spoiled. Remember TKO where Garbaldi's friend comes to fight. He says that Garbaldi has an issue watching his back. What seems a throw away line that gets paid off.
@@trazyntheinfinite9895 Ah but it was. He let his gaurd down, and didn't watch his back with someone he thought he could trust. He perhaps should have kept a closer eye on Jack.
Ah, what an incredible season finale. This episode is just jammed packed full of plot and character moments and you really can sense the importance of them all. This isn't the regular episodic series finale where, if you are lucky, you might get a cliffhanger that will be solved in the next episode - these are life changing events for many, including the universe as a whole. My jaw was on the floor after first watching this episode, back in October of 1994. That's how you get viewers back next season. Interestingly, in the UK we got this episode before it was broadcast in the US. That was also true of the end of season two - we got the next season finale in August 1995 whereas the US didn't get it until November 1995 - I remember feeling very smug about that at the time as we were usually months _behind_ the US!
Chrysalis was produced about half-way through production of the series and in fact the scene where Clark is sworn in was filmed on the 30th anniversary of Kennedy's assassination and deliberately resembled the swearing-in of LB Johnson aboard Air Force One. You will probably need to stop reading comments, sad to say. There will always be people revealing things either deliberately or by accident. B5 is one giant story and one little spoiler could take a huge amount of enjoyment away from the experience.
Chrysalis is amazing. Not only did it change everything in the Babylon 5 universe, in a sense, it changed the face of television to come. This is the moment when you fully realise that Babylon 5 is not the show you thought you were watching. This is not typical 90s sci-fi.
If only G'KAR knew how right Sinclair was. But, at least, he had enough humility to admit he was being short-sighted & myopic. And now is laboring desperately to "catch up" and TRY to get a glimpse of the "Big Picture". Love G'kar.
@@DavidGarcia-kw4sf up to this point, G’Kar’s hate has kept him for years thinking emotionally and not intellectually. This episode represents G’Kar’s head clearing just a bit.
Gotta be honest, this is starting to make me want to binge the series again (for the fourth time) just to refresh my memory on the smaller details of each episode. 🤣
@@ishoottheyscore8970 We also tend to see it ones a year or each second year, together with other great shows like Farscape, Firefly, stargate, Red Dwarf and so on.
I love the scene were Clark is being sworn in. Ripped right from the history books. Exactly the same photo of Johnson being sworn in after Kennedy assassination. "Now it begins" is the most prophetic line of the whole season. So many great moments and ones still yet to come.
Optic Nerve Studios was the company that made all those realistic prosthetics. I had a chance to listen to one of the people from that company at a SF convention called Toronto Trek back in the 90's.
The perfect reaction! I'm so excited that you're excited watching the show. Sorry to hear it's being spoiled for you. When you started I inadvertently suggested watching it by stardate but this is so much better. This show is food for the brain. J. Michael Staczynski is a great story-teller. I can't wait to see you watch season 2. Cheers! 😀
One of the best things about this series is the Christopher Franke music which he did with the Berlin Symphonic Orchestra. I had the good luck to pick up the 2 score and music compilations years ago, along with several of the complete episodic CDs. I extracted the digital files and still listen to them while driving almost 25 years later. You can feel the episodes in the music
Since you already know about Sinclair, I suppose it's alright to talk about it. The reason why he departed the series was due to real-life issues. That being said, it is very well integrated into the story. When I first watched the series I thought this change in leadership had been planned all along, rather than being the result of a health issue. That is something JMS does very well, writing around real-life issues and finding logical in-universe reasons to replace a character that had to be removed because the actor was leaving or integrating a broken foot into the script because someone actually broke their foot. Little funfact: The traitor didn't know he was one until this very episode. JMS kept this from him until the last moment possible, so nothing would slip into his acting in previous episodes. Imagine playing a fully loyal good guy only to then out of the blue read in the script your going to shoot the guy in the back who you thought was your character's best friend and mentor. "Nothing's the same anymore".
i am sorry for those that spoiled some things for you. i am watching your reaction front to back. this broke my heart a little since i know the feels of the discovery on this journey. i appreciate you and your reactions. so much of what you are experiencing are what we felt when we watched for the first time.
When Kosh says "you have forgotten something" I read that as being a reference to the 'hole in your mind' story arc, rather than specifically about his meeting with Delenn
" AND SO IT BEGINS ". One of our all time favourite lines ever, infact we have used it a few times ourselves! Just wanted to say big thank you kindly, for bringing back good old memories, from 'the Doctor no.42, Yes?'
I remember when I saw this cliffhanger episode the first time. Everything that was building up in the first season, culminated in this episode. And gives just a small insight into what to expect in season 2. Or to quote Kosh: And so it begins...
I am absolutely loving watching your journey through B5 and your enthusiasm. It has made me start a rewatch myself. I hate people spoiling anything for you as the twists and turns of this series are brilliant. If you need a moderator to screen the comments I'd be willing to help.
I'm seeing lots of "do you remember" comments but nobody brought up that Garibaldi has been told to "WATCH YOUR BACK MICHEAL" and it paid off in this episode ;) Londo once in the Pilot episode and then Walker Smith twice told him in TKO. This show has so many set ups and pay offs it's re-god-damned-dicu-lous!
I think a good thing about B5 in regards to spoilers is that it doesn't rely upon gimmicks as a cheap device. You were never watching the show waiting for the next shocking moment, or getting to the next big battle, those were some rewards for following the interesting character drama, but it was rewarding enough without the shock value. It's why it remains as compelling a watch nowadays, even if some small elements do show the age of it
This aired in the '90s, but Jeff, lost on his couch at the end "Nothing's the same anymore" Captured exactly how I felt, sitting with my Girlfriend in our DC area apartment the night of 9/11/2001
Glad you have finished the First Season of B5. While it is slow to get through, it does set up a lot of things that you will see in the remaining 4 seasons. I have also noticed that you and Garibaldi are beginning to ask the same questions when he is on an investigation. I see that you are learning from the best, and I hope that it serves you well as you watch more episodes.
Like you said @05:00 things that happen in this episode will change everything.... Nothing's the same anymore. And so, it begins. This episode changes the status quo of the series.
B5 has slowly, slowly drip-fed information and pushed people into position, over season one. Now, as the ol' Vorlon himself, says, "The deluge begins.."
Have to say I'm impressed with your recaps at the end, you get a lot of details. The one thing that was maybe missed in terms of how the series builds upon previous details is Clark's speech also recalls the episode where the Minbari poet was branded - that was a political movement about Earth's superiority/isolationism, so when you heard Clark's speech, it also ties back to a political situation you've already been made aware of. Not sure I'd advocate this for every show, but it might be a cool thing to do a round up video when you finish the series looking back on some of your thoughts from episodes and see where you were right about things and where you were surprised about where they lead. The speculation about the Chrysalis was fun to see knowing it wasn't quite right, but other stuff is better I'm not quite sure if this constitutes a spoiler, I don't believe it does, but I thought I'd give you some fair warning prior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The female officer in C&C in The Gathering was originally intended to be the inside agent, and would have been the one to shoot Garibaldi here, but Tamlyn Tomita didn't want to play the military commander role going forward. Also if you go back to watch The Gathering, you'll see the actor who plays Mr Morden in the crew, but it's not the same character.
@@walterbishop1697 I was thinking that, but at the same time - knowing the above means knowing that Plot Element X won't return later - and even knowing that a seemingly one-off character may or may not return can be a spoiler of sorts...
@@petersvillage7447 Yep that's true but knowing the character who was replaced from the pilot and an actor returning to play a new role isn't a thing. It's rare for someone being part of the pilot, then replaced to have future importance. However, if that character would be important or return with that character, that would be a spoiler. I wouldn't say anything about a character from an earlier episode, that appears later at all.
@@walterbishop1697 Except, we're looking at it from the point of view of people who know which plot threads/characters pan out and which don't. There are characters and plot threads introduced which ultimately get truncated or go nowhere - knowing these when you meet them wouldn't spoil any future surprises - but it absolutely would take away the possibility of certain things returning to haunt the narrative. This is hardly the biggest crime in the world, but it would detract from the purity of a reaction - often contemporary reactors have less knowledge of upcoming events than the original TV audience did, and it's a shame to interfere with the wide-ranging speculation and imagination that a reactor like Medusa engages in.
@@petersvillage7447 Yeah, that's my concern, so I was being as cautious as possible. The Ed Wasser one I think is fair game, that's definitely trivia. The Tamlyn Tomita one is a bit more debatable as it might suggest things about replacement characters, I just felt like it was worth mentioning as Medusa has wondered about what happened to a few characters from the Gathering, and this episode is relevant to something that was changed along with the casting. I personally don't think it is a spoiler, but I was being less speculative when I was watching the show, just allowing it to unfold
There was an issue with G'kars chest piece prosthetic, Andreas had a hairy chest and it had to be glued on, apparently his screams when it was removed were heard streets away
Being a fan of the series I love watching you discover it. (still trying to get my other half to appreciate it). I can't wait to see your reactions to series 2, 3 and 4!
Back in the days of newsgroups and aus.sf.babylon5, a friend and I set up the Shrine of the Narnly Nightie in response to G'Kar's appearance in this episode.
Part of why I love this show so much is because of the little human touches: people forget things, people misremember things, people make mistakes (sometimes with enormous consequences), and people change. The first time I saw this, when the exhausted and overworked Sinclair turns to hear Kosh say, "And so it begins. You have forgotten something," it sounded like all the bells of doom were a-ringin'. Ya F'ed up, Jeff. Missed your chance.
It didn't come out until many years later that the actor left because he had mental health issues that he had to take care of. JMS worked with him to get the care he needed.
Michael O'Hare, who played Sinclair, had to leave the show due to some severe mental health issues. JMS kept quiet about it until years later after his death, but it turns out that the overwhelming love and support from fans unknowingly helped O'Hare through the dark times in his life struggling with his mental illness.
That's the saddest aspect of watching Babylon Five is that is everpresent in the mind, as with the original Trek series. With deeper sadness though, that B5 was, relatively, so recent. The cast have really been hit hard during such a short space of time.
Indeed, when i do comments i always do them as to put a point across but without spoiling what is to come. I understand some peoples excitement but yeah the comments on previous are full of spoilers, I am honestly glad i grew up getting to watch this weekly on TV before the internet was really a thing. I think at this point it is sadly best that she does not even look at comments as after season 1 which is the foundation things really kick off and as such the spoilers will only increase. also yeah years back the actors talked about doing ether a new season or a remaster but sadly due to a hostile studio nether happened
@@josefschiltz2192 It's worse when you watch what turn out to be some of the last panels with a lot of the cast there, and their obvious affection for each other even with their faults and failings make it like a family. You see why Peter Jurasik was a person to tell JMS about Mira because of how close they remained. The tributes to her from the cast was just shocking. Maybe not something to suggest Medusa dives in to immediately after the final episode...
@@josefschiltz2192 I'm not sure I could sit through it again anyway, just so, so sad when you know it's significance, and even that one had a video for the ones that had passed away...
The way the big departure is handled in this series is itself masterful. No spoilers, except to say that JMS found a way to make it pay off, too. It blew my mind. I hope it blows yours, as well.
Edited: Okay, no spoilers for why Michael O'Hare left, but it was a sad and very personal reason. Joe Straczynski talks about why, and you can look that up when you get the chance. As pointed out above, maybe after season 3 is done. Great reaction BTW! You will love the second season onward!
"And so it begins" If you like this kind of pacing, you are going to go nuts with season 2! Admittedly the first 5 or 6 episodes start the season in a lower gear to get people acquainted with the new norms. As far as spoilers, I hope no one has told you that the Enterprise blows the Death Star...WAIT!!!
Remember what Ivanova said in Midnight on the Firing Line, the very first episode of the season? "I think I will vote for Marie Crane. I don't like Santiago. I have always thought a leader should have a strong chin. He has no chin. And his vice-president has several. This to me is not a good combination." How deeply thought.
Once you get through all five seasons, JMS interviews are on YT channel FoundationalInterviews where he details a lot of the background with creating the show and actor tales.
Nice 1st season reactions so far - good luck for the next ones, B5 just keeps getting better... 'Tis a shame the 'departure' got spoiled by someone early on, but the reason behind why it happened is very sad & I'll not go into it except to say that JMS spoke about it a few years ago and that's easy enough to find on YT. Hopefully, there'll be fewer spoilers & more surprises for you from now on.
Definitely a high note, if a rather dark one all round, to finish on - and as has been mentioned you can go all the way back to Soul Hunter to get the first hint that Delenn had a plan in mind throughout the whole season. She'd been building that machine for a fair while... Whilst spoilers are a pain in the backside for this series, on the plus side you won't have to wait a full five years to watch it all like us old timers did! So there is that! I'm now about a third of the way into the second season and I've realised at current rate of progress it'll be late next year before I finish! Perhaps I should try and at least get more in the bag and with house move complete-ish I may have more chance, but then I just discovered Star Trek Lower Decks!
I've been waiting for your reaction to this episode... You've not disappointed me. This is where all the tables get kicked over and things start going off in different directions. So much to learn about writing from JMS's structuring of the seasons and the finales. He's such a great writer, and unlike some other shows I'd watched around that time like the X-Files, he doesn't just build up mysteries, but pays them off handsomely, and moves the story onwards too. From here the story just gets more and more interesting. I'll be watching your journey avidly.
@@sdfried4877 Actually you can see her working on it in Signs and Portents while she was talking to Morden. Possibly sooner as well but that's the earlier I've seen it.
It was so fun to watch your reaction to season 1 of my favourite tv series of all time. I'm looking forward to follow your reaction to season 2.... "And so it begins" 🤩
Tiny details that are so rewarding; in 'Babylon squared' we heard but did not see Delenn (except her hand). In 'Chrysalis' we hear but do not see Kosh Naranek out of his encounter suit.
@@stevetheduck1425 Oh, I know what you mean and it’s cool because we didn’t know what sound was until we saw what it was. I’m just saying in B squared we saw an arm with a frilly red sleeve lay a hand on Sinclair. In WWE, not only is she dressed in one of her usual outfits but she never touches him.
I just found these and your joy in watching is wonderful! I've watched the series a few times and it sucks that people have been spoiling it for you. :(
I’m so excited you are watching this. I watched it first while it was airing and have watched the entire show 5x since then. Sorry to hear about the spoiler. It only gets 10x better from here. I would recommend the JMS viewing order as I found it helpful. Before anyone starts screaming it is just a suggestion.
For Babylon 5, a lot of people base their whole view of Bbaylon 5 from the first few episodes of Season 1, and while the start is slow, it is for a reason, it is the foundations, of Character, and story, and as we now know in this Season, there are some real decent episodes toward the end, and YES, like Babylon Squared etc. Unfortunately people do not make it to the end of Season 1 at least. personally, I have had to sit some people down with episodes from Season 3, to at least show them it DOES get better, and then plant them back at Season 1 and sit them through it, after which, they have been HOOKED........ But in this instance, you have gotten to the end of Season 1, And you have seen some situations raising questions like Clarke's "Convenient" illness, and the conspiracy behind the scenes at B5 with the Jammers, along with the events in Babylon Squared. These do get covered again in the future, and that is what makes B5 better, because when the story does refer back to these events, it makes you think back, and in some cases, go "OMG I missed that.......".
Everything improves. The actors keep getting better (most of them), the effects rapidly improve and the general lighting, production and camera work all get much tighter going forward. Mike Vejar directed episodes are often noteworthy.
you can see the internal fight inside lando he wants to have the power and wants these things done but then he regrets them after they are done. he never thinks things thru before he acts and once they are done it is too late.
It's not at all shocking that your favorite episodes are all late in the season! This series does what it can to get sharper and sharper in the writing and execution! Just a heads-up (not a spoiler), the first 6 episodes of the second season slow down the pace to get used to the new norms set before it starts steamrolling ahead at this pace.
Spoiler free! Love your reactions to B5! So much happens in this season finale, and from now on the acceleration of the story begins, seriously. Seeing your reactions, falling in love with the story is great for an old fan of the series, like me. SO - the big questions: - Is vice president Clark really responsible for the assassination of president Santiago? - What happens to Delenn? - Will Garibaldi survive? - What will G'Kar find, if anything? .... "And So It Begins" is a famous Kosh-ism, and very fitting.
Absolutely sucks that you've been spoiled. May you not have any more for this or other shows. B5 is truly something special - and watching your reactions is a joy.
Her reactions are so good and her speculations are on the money too(I think I can say this since she doesn't read comments anymore, right?). Knowing about Sinclair isn't as massive a spoiler really and now she's past it, has the rest of show to watch unspoiled. Honestly I doubt we'll see another sci-fi show of this caliber ever again. Thankfully we can rewatch this and appreciate it for the master piece it truly is.
@@walterbishop1697 I'm waiting to see her reactions to some of the episodes with a bigger emotional gut punch - she seems really open hearted so I feel like some episodes will deeply affect her. One of my favourite 'filler/standalone' episodes in the 2nd season and I'm really keen to find out what she makes of that
@@ishoottheyscore8970 Oh yes so many eps I won't mention just in case, including one that many fans consider a bad ep because of the main story. I won't say more.
A Trainwreck of a season finale. All four main races have a game changing breaking point in just a single episode. Speaking of spoilers I have two important things to say. First - spoilees will burn in hell. And second - please please please keep yourself from watching opening credits in first two episodes of Season 2! Let me explain. As things are changing, some future changes have made it into opening credits. Showrunners were pretty much aware of it and first two episodes had a slightly different opening credits. Yet when the show was released on DVD they got lazy and just put same credits in all of episodes somewhat ruining watching experience. Not a JMS fault, just irresponsible distributors. Don't know if it is the case with HBO max remastered release, but I assume you are watching DVD version so it is my obligation to warn you. And thank you again for the joy of experiencing this like it was my own first time!
Interesting. I've just looked at my DVDs (Australian PAL versions, which I presume were sourced from the same place as the UK PAL versions) and the title sequences are correctly displayed for the first two episodes. May have just been a US release issue?
I wonder how they lose that. You would think the opening credits would be attached to the episode and once modified would stay that way but I guess not.
No spoilers from me! Interesting to note that Garibaldi's aide Jack (the one who shot him in the back) has already been in a handful of episodes - sometimes just in the background and often even with dialogue. So he has been watching things for quite a while and he has also been quite a sloppy investigator probably on purpose. Just look back at the episode "And the Sky Full of Stars" where Sinclair was abducted and interrogated. Jack clearly missed some basic stuff (that Garibaldi of course noticed instantly, like Benson's money situation) so he most likely knew about the Knights' operation and might have even helped them to get rid of Benson's body.
and another brilliant reaction, it's a shame people have to spoil things but i hope they stop now, perhaps get a moderator to read and edit the comments before you do. In Star Trek The Undiscovered Country, the Enterprise gang do save the president
When you finish all the seasons of B5 you need to rewatch season 1. You'll see SO many pointers to later events that you didn't even realize you were seeing this first time around.
My favourite, one I only was reminded of recently: almost the first time we see Londo, he is prevented from killing G'Kar and says 'so I am still on course to my destiny...' or some such. This takes the entire life of the character to play out.
@@stevetheduck1425 In all fairness, Londo did tell Sinclair that he would die 20 years later at G’Kar’s hands earlier in the same episode. Without that, it would have been an Easter egg but in this case it was a callback to previous dialogue.
MEDUSS MEDUSA... SURE WISH You had a "Struggling Veterans Pledge" Though I'm not sure how you would verify a DD 214 on the beach/under a bridge scenario 🤔..... Got to love free Wi-Fi... Firefly & Babylon 5 fan here. Stims or lost of loved ones. No one can judge how one handles it. Only whether or not he kept moving forward , being out of gas....
Season 2 will be available from 9th May.
If you're referring to the departure you're thinking of, I was going to hold off until after it happens on screen to go in to the details, and link to JMS talking about it, as it's something that took years to emerge. On the plus side, hopefully enough of the big moments in episodes will still remain unspoilt. It's one of the highlights of the series that there are some huge yet small moments.
Don't watch the Joe Strazinksy video until after season 3. He drops a huge spoiler in it, one that you won't want ruined.
@@wrorchestra1 Thanks for the reminder, good point, will do a potted version and wait for the better moment.
I cant wait! XD
I'm sure you've been warned about this already, but DO NOT WATCH the Opening Credits of Season 2 for at least a couple of episiodes.
Please, no one spoil the surprises of this series for her!
This show deserves not to be spoiled.
It's mind boggling ppl spoil shows for reactors, It's so aggravating. The whole point is letting ppl experience the show!
I sure won't! I love watching peoples faces when the surprises happen. It's like how I felt when I watched this iconic series in the 90's for the first time.
🤣🤣🤣Ok
Kosh's line: "And so it begins." Tees everything up now that all of the background is established.
"Nothing's the same anymore." The perfect statement to describe this episode.
Feels like it could be said today.
Most definitely!
Nothing? The music is still way too good for a 90s TV show :)
About Sinclair leaving the show. I wish I could send you to a video that explains it all but it’s FILLED with spoilers. Long story short, the actor Michael O’Hare was dealing with some major mental issues and started to affect filming the show. So instead of holding up production and risking the show being canceled he decided to leave. It’s a real tragic story but I always loved how it showed how much the show meant to him. When you finish the whole series you should watch it.
And jms never said why until after Michael O'Hare passed long after the show was over.
Being there when JMS broke the story was a "once in a life time" convention experience.
JMS wrote trap doors for every character, just in case an actor had to leave or died, the show has some of the best pre planning ever.
Remember in the early episode "Soul Hunter" when the alien asked Delenn "You would do such a thing?" Yep, JMS likes to pay things off. Just not right away.
That's my favourite part of comment section under B5 reactions. All these "remember a subtle hint back then? It was pointing to this!". Sometimes these are going not episodes, but even seasons away!
You want a long-term, subtle payoff? Season 1 Episode 1 - G'Kar offer's Londo some Spoo saying it's quite fresh. Season 5 Episode 10 - Londo mentions that offering fresh spoo to a Centauri is an insult.
To discribe season one:
the table is clear, the game board is set up and the figures are in place. Let´s start the game of of B5
Shame things got spoiled.
Remember TKO where Garbaldi's friend comes to fight. He says that Garbaldi has an issue watching his back. What seems a throw away line that gets paid off.
Untrue, garibaldi thought he was safe because his trusted second hand man was behind him.
It was betrayal, not lack of awareness.
@@trazyntheinfinite9895 Ah but it was. He let his gaurd down, and didn't watch his back with someone he thought he could trust. He perhaps should have kept a closer eye on Jack.
Seriously, no spoilers, folks. We all got to enjoy this show and all the shocks. Don't deny our host that same fun.
Ah, what an incredible season finale. This episode is just jammed packed full of plot and character moments and you really can sense the importance of them all. This isn't the regular episodic series finale where, if you are lucky, you might get a cliffhanger that will be solved in the next episode - these are life changing events for many, including the universe as a whole. My jaw was on the floor after first watching this episode, back in October of 1994. That's how you get viewers back next season.
Interestingly, in the UK we got this episode before it was broadcast in the US. That was also true of the end of season two - we got the next season finale in August 1995 whereas the US didn't get it until November 1995 - I remember feeling very smug about that at the time as we were usually months _behind_ the US!
Chrysalis was produced about half-way through production of the series and in fact the scene where Clark is sworn in was filmed on the 30th anniversary of Kennedy's assassination and deliberately resembled the swearing-in of LB Johnson aboard Air Force One.
You will probably need to stop reading comments, sad to say. There will always be people revealing things either deliberately or by accident. B5 is one giant story and one little spoiler could take a huge amount of enjoyment away from the experience.
On G'Kar's chest prosthetics, from an interview with Strazinski, when they removed them, the scream could be heard for blocks.
Chrysalis is amazing. Not only did it change everything in the Babylon 5 universe, in a sense, it changed the face of television to come. This is the moment when you fully realise that Babylon 5 is not the show you thought you were watching. This is not typical 90s sci-fi.
A game-changing season finale.
"We're sitting at a crossroads and I don't like where we're going" If only Sinclair knew how right he was about that.
If only G'KAR knew how right Sinclair was.
But, at least, he had enough humility to admit he was being short-sighted & myopic. And now is laboring desperately to "catch up" and TRY to get a glimpse of the "Big Picture".
Love G'kar.
@@sharkdentures3247 G'Kar has his flaws, but he's no dummy. That message to Na'toth is one of my favorite moments in this spectacularly good episode.
@@DavidGarcia-kw4sf up to this point, G’Kar’s hate has kept him for years thinking emotionally and not intellectually. This episode represents G’Kar’s head clearing just a bit.
Gotta be honest, this is starting to make me want to binge the series again (for the fourth time) just to refresh my memory on the smaller details of each episode. 🤣
A friend rewatches the whole show each Christmas. I'm not that obsessive, but it doesn't take much of an excuse to revisit the show!
Do it! Then you can have pizza and margarita shooters!
Oh wait, wrong show.
@@ishoottheyscore8970 We also tend to see it ones a year or each second year, together with other great shows like Farscape, Firefly, stargate, Red Dwarf and so on.
I love the scene were Clark is being sworn in. Ripped right from the history books. Exactly the same photo of Johnson being sworn in after Kennedy assassination.
"Now it begins" is the most prophetic line of the whole season.
So many great moments and ones still yet to come.
Optic Nerve Studios was the company that made all those realistic prosthetics. I had a chance to listen to one of the people from that company at a SF convention called Toronto Trek back in the 90's.
"And so it begins..."
He says after a whole season. Thanks A LOT, Kosh!!! :D
Kosh said "Yes."
When a Vorlon gives a direct and unambiguous answer... Be worried!
And so it begins. Everything you saw thus far, Medusa, is prologue fr the main story. Get ready. Here's where things start to get interesting.
The perfect reaction! I'm so excited that you're excited watching the show. Sorry to hear it's being spoiled for you. When you started I inadvertently suggested watching it by stardate but this is so much better. This show is food for the brain. J. Michael Staczynski is a great story-teller. I can't wait to see you watch season 2. Cheers! 😀
One of the best things about this series is the Christopher Franke music which he did with the Berlin Symphonic Orchestra. I had the good luck to pick up the 2 score and music compilations years ago, along with several of the complete episodic CDs. I extracted the digital files and still listen to them while driving almost 25 years later. You can feel the episodes in the music
Since you already know about Sinclair, I suppose it's alright to talk about it.
The reason why he departed the series was due to real-life issues. That being said, it is very well integrated into the story. When I first watched the series I thought this change in leadership had been planned all along, rather than being the result of a health issue.
That is something JMS does very well, writing around real-life issues and finding logical in-universe reasons to replace a character that had to be removed because the actor was leaving or integrating a broken foot into the script because someone actually broke their foot.
Little funfact: The traitor didn't know he was one until this very episode. JMS kept this from him until the last moment possible, so nothing would slip into his acting in previous episodes. Imagine playing a fully loyal good guy only to then out of the blue read in the script your going to shoot the guy in the back who you thought was your character's best friend and mentor.
"Nothing's the same anymore".
JMS wrote this as a novel for tv with a distinct beginning, middle and end, but with trap doors to allow for real world situations, good isnt he?!!
i am sorry for those that spoiled some things for you. i am watching your reaction front to back. this broke my heart a little since i know the feels of the discovery on this journey. i appreciate you and your reactions. so much of what you are experiencing are what we felt when we watched for the first time.
When Kosh says "you have forgotten something" I read that as being a reference to the 'hole in your mind' story arc, rather than specifically about his meeting with Delenn
" AND SO IT BEGINS ". One of our all time favourite lines ever, infact we have used it a few times ourselves! Just wanted to say big thank you kindly, for bringing back good old memories, from 'the Doctor no.42, Yes?'
So annoyed people spoiled things for you :(
Enjoying your B5 reactions. Such a good story.
4:57 Well you're not wrong. Welcome to the rollercoaster that is Babylon 5 it has thrills, it has chills and it has great re-watch value
I remember when I saw this cliffhanger episode the first time. Everything that was building up in the first season, culminated in this episode. And gives just a small insight into what to expect in season 2. Or to quote Kosh: And so it begins...
I am absolutely loving watching your journey through B5 and your enthusiasm. It has made me start a rewatch myself.
I hate people spoiling anything for you as the twists and turns of this series are brilliant. If you need a moderator to screen the comments I'd be willing to help.
I'm seeing lots of "do you remember" comments but nobody brought up that Garibaldi has been told to "WATCH YOUR BACK MICHEAL" and it paid off in this episode ;) Londo once in the Pilot episode and then Walker Smith twice told him in TKO. This show has so many set ups and pay offs it's re-god-damned-dicu-lous!
Delenn master of Minbari jenga.... :)
How great is the gradual build up in tension as this show progresses?
Brilliant finale. Season One was really about setting the scene and establishing story threads. Now the series really takes off.
I think a good thing about B5 in regards to spoilers is that it doesn't rely upon gimmicks as a cheap device. You were never watching the show waiting for the next shocking moment, or getting to the next big battle, those were some rewards for following the interesting character drama, but it was rewarding enough without the shock value. It's why it remains as compelling a watch nowadays, even if some small elements do show the age of it
All I will say is be glad you are able to binge this. I saw it on it’s first run and that three month wait was excruciating.
This aired in the '90s, but Jeff, lost on his couch at the end "Nothing's the same anymore" Captured exactly how I felt, sitting with my Girlfriend in our DC area apartment the night of 9/11/2001
NO MORE SPOILERS PEOPLE!! 😠😠
Yeah, this is when the order for Ludicrous Speed is given! 🤣😂🤣
I think she no longer reads comments on the B5 videos she makes so she's safe from now on.
Glad you have finished the First Season of B5. While it is slow to get through, it does set up a lot of things that you will see in the remaining 4 seasons. I have also noticed that you and Garibaldi are beginning to ask the same questions when he is on an investigation. I see that you are learning from the best, and I hope that it serves you well as you watch more episodes.
Like you said @05:00 things that happen in this episode will change everything....
Nothing's the same anymore.
And so, it begins.
This episode changes the status quo of the series.
Great finale and roll on series 2 ! Hopefully no more spoilers for you because there so much to enjoy ahead!
Nice to see someone react and enjoying this show, it's one of the greats.
Babylon 5 is my favorite tv show ever. I am so glad someone is reacting to it!
B5 has slowly, slowly drip-fed information and pushed people into position, over season one. Now, as the ol' Vorlon himself, says, "The deluge begins.."
Have to say I'm impressed with your recaps at the end, you get a lot of details. The one thing that was maybe missed in terms of how the series builds upon previous details is Clark's speech also recalls the episode where the Minbari poet was branded - that was a political movement about Earth's superiority/isolationism, so when you heard Clark's speech, it also ties back to a political situation you've already been made aware of.
Not sure I'd advocate this for every show, but it might be a cool thing to do a round up video when you finish the series looking back on some of your thoughts from episodes and see where you were right about things and where you were surprised about where they lead. The speculation about the Chrysalis was fun to see knowing it wasn't quite right, but other stuff is better
I'm not quite sure if this constitutes a spoiler, I don't believe it does, but I thought I'd give you some fair warning prior
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The female officer in C&C in The Gathering was originally intended to be the inside agent, and would have been the one to shoot Garibaldi here, but Tamlyn Tomita didn't want to play the military commander role going forward. Also if you go back to watch The Gathering, you'll see the actor who plays Mr Morden in the crew, but it's not the same character.
They aren't spoilers now she saw Garibaldi being shot just interesting B5 trivia.
@@walterbishop1697 I was thinking that, but at the same time - knowing the above means knowing that Plot Element X won't return later - and even knowing that a seemingly one-off character may or may not return can be a spoiler of sorts...
@@petersvillage7447 Yep that's true but knowing the character who was replaced from the pilot and an actor returning to play a new role isn't a thing. It's rare for someone being part of the pilot, then replaced to have future importance. However, if that character would be important or return with that character, that would be a spoiler. I wouldn't say anything about a character from an earlier episode, that appears later at all.
@@walterbishop1697 Except, we're looking at it from the point of view of people who know which plot threads/characters pan out and which don't. There are characters and plot threads introduced which ultimately get truncated or go nowhere - knowing these when you meet them wouldn't spoil any future surprises - but it absolutely would take away the possibility of certain things returning to haunt the narrative. This is hardly the biggest crime in the world, but it would detract from the purity of a reaction - often contemporary reactors have less knowledge of upcoming events than the original TV audience did, and it's a shame to interfere with the wide-ranging speculation and imagination that a reactor like Medusa engages in.
@@petersvillage7447 Yeah, that's my concern, so I was being as cautious as possible. The Ed Wasser one I think is fair game, that's definitely trivia. The Tamlyn Tomita one is a bit more debatable as it might suggest things about replacement characters, I just felt like it was worth mentioning as Medusa has wondered about what happened to a few characters from the Gathering, and this episode is relevant to something that was changed along with the casting. I personally don't think it is a spoiler, but I was being less speculative when I was watching the show, just allowing it to unfold
There was an issue with G'kars chest piece prosthetic, Andreas had a hairy chest and it had to be glued on, apparently his screams when it was removed were heard streets away
Being a fan of the series I love watching you discover it. (still trying to get my other half to appreciate it). I can't wait to see your reactions to series 2, 3 and 4!
So glad to see this reaction back up after the block. Great reaction and great edits, as always.
Back in the days of newsgroups and aus.sf.babylon5, a friend and I set up the Shrine of the Narnly Nightie in response to G'Kar's appearance in this episode.
"like a butterfly" was absolutely beautiful 🤩
Part of why I love this show so much is because of the little human touches: people forget things, people misremember things, people make mistakes (sometimes with enormous consequences), and people change. The first time I saw this, when the exhausted and overworked Sinclair turns to hear Kosh say, "And so it begins. You have forgotten something," it sounded like all the bells of doom were a-ringin'. Ya F'ed up, Jeff. Missed your chance.
I am so happy that you are watching this show. Don’t let idiots spoil it for you. Stick with it to the end. It’s worth it.
Can physically see your excitement for this show now. It's great to see.
It didn't come out until many years later that the actor left because he had mental health issues that he had to take care of. JMS worked with him to get the care he needed.
Michael O'Hare, who played Sinclair, had to leave the show due to some severe mental health issues. JMS kept quiet about it until years later after his death, but it turns out that the overwhelming love and support from fans unknowingly helped O'Hare through the dark times in his life struggling with his mental illness.
Shame you are being spoiled this show is one of my favourites of all time. Unfortunately a lot of the actors are no longer with us :(
That's the saddest aspect of watching Babylon Five is that is everpresent in the mind, as with the original Trek series. With deeper sadness though, that B5 was, relatively, so recent. The cast have really been hit hard during such a short space of time.
Indeed, when i do comments i always do them as to put a point across but without spoiling what is to come. I understand some peoples excitement but yeah the comments on previous are full of spoilers, I am honestly glad i grew up getting to watch this weekly on TV before the internet was really a thing. I think at this point it is sadly best that she does not even look at comments as after season 1 which is the foundation things really kick off and as such the spoilers will only increase. also yeah years back the actors talked about doing ether a new season or a remaster but sadly due to a hostile studio nether happened
@@josefschiltz2192 It's worse when you watch what turn out to be some of the last panels with a lot of the cast there, and their obvious affection for each other even with their faults and failings make it like a family. You see why Peter Jurasik was a person to tell JMS about Mira because of how close they remained. The tributes to her from the cast was just shocking. Maybe not something to suggest Medusa dives in to immediately after the final episode...
@@ishoottheyscore8970 Video has just become unavailable!
@@josefschiltz2192 I'm not sure I could sit through it again anyway, just so, so sad when you know it's significance, and even that one had a video for the ones that had passed away...
B5 has far more character growth than is typical in shows. Londo and G'Kar are great examples.
The way the big departure is handled in this series is itself masterful. No spoilers, except to say that JMS found a way to make it pay off, too. It blew my mind. I hope it blows yours, as well.
Edited: Okay, no spoilers for why Michael O'Hare left, but it was a sad and very personal reason. Joe Straczynski talks about why, and you can look that up when you get the chance. As pointed out above, maybe after season 3 is done.
Great reaction BTW! You will love the second season onward!
Poor Michael O'Hare was having a mental break . Dont know how he lasted a whole year
"And so it begins"
If you like this kind of pacing, you are going to go nuts with season 2! Admittedly the first 5 or 6 episodes start the season in a lower gear to get people acquainted with the new norms.
As far as spoilers, I hope no one has told you that the Enterprise blows the Death Star...WAIT!!!
"You have forgotten something" is also a reference to Jeff's missing memories
2:48 "I think [Morden] is the problem!"
Oh you have no idea!
Remember what Ivanova said in Midnight on the Firing Line, the very first episode of the season? "I think I will vote for Marie Crane. I don't like Santiago. I have always thought a leader should have a strong chin. He has no chin. And his vice-president has several. This to me is not a good combination." How deeply thought.
This episode is probably as you can get to a cliff hanger without being one.
Garibaldi and Delenn’s stories are definite cliffhangers.
Once you get through all five seasons, JMS interviews are on YT channel FoundationalInterviews where he details a lot of the background with creating the show and actor tales.
Nice 1st season reactions so far - good luck for the next ones, B5 just keeps getting better... 'Tis a shame the 'departure' got spoiled by someone early on, but the reason behind why it happened is very sad & I'll not go into it except to say that JMS spoke about it a few years ago and that's easy enough to find on YT. Hopefully, there'll be fewer spoilers & more surprises for you from now on.
What an awesome season finale! I still get goose bumps watching it. It's great seeing you scratch your head about it all. Onto season 2 then!
Definitely a high note, if a rather dark one all round, to finish on - and as has been mentioned you can go all the way back to Soul Hunter to get the first hint that Delenn had a plan in mind throughout the whole season. She'd been building that machine for a fair while... Whilst spoilers are a pain in the backside for this series, on the plus side you won't have to wait a full five years to watch it all like us old timers did! So there is that! I'm now about a third of the way into the second season and I've realised at current rate of progress it'll be late next year before I finish! Perhaps I should try and at least get more in the bag and with house move complete-ish I may have more chance, but then I just discovered Star Trek Lower Decks!
I've been waiting for your reaction to this episode... You've not disappointed me. This is where all the tables get kicked over and things start going off in different directions. So much to learn about writing from JMS's structuring of the seasons and the finales. He's such a great writer, and unlike some other shows I'd watched around that time like the X-Files, he doesn't just build up mysteries, but pays them off handsomely, and moves the story onwards too. From here the story just gets more and more interesting. I'll be watching your journey avidly.
"Weird Jenga"- that's pretty much Mimbari technology in a nutshell.
And Delenn started building the device 5 episodes back in “Legacies”. She was always tinkering with it while talking about something else.
@@sdfried4877 Actually you can see her working on it in Signs and Portents while she was talking to Morden. Possibly sooner as well but that's the earlier I've seen it.
It was so fun to watch your reaction to season 1 of my favourite tv series of all time.
I'm looking forward to follow your reaction to season 2.... "And so it begins" 🤩
So sorry to hear any of the show was spoiled. It looks like you still had a blast watching it anyway.
Tiny details that are so rewarding; in 'Babylon squared' we heard but did not see Delenn (except her hand).
In 'Chrysalis' we hear but do not see Kosh Naranek out of his encounter suit.
Could’ve done without the sleeve, though.
@@sdfried4877 I mean the swooshing sound...
@@stevetheduck1425 Oh, I know what you mean and it’s cool because we didn’t know what sound was until we saw what it was. I’m just saying in B squared we saw an arm with a frilly red sleeve lay a hand on Sinclair. In WWE, not only is she dressed in one of her usual outfits but she never touches him.
And now the real fun begins.
I just found these and your joy in watching is wonderful! I've watched the series a few times and it sucks that people have been spoiling it for you. :(
And so it Begins ...
First time round, we had to wait a year to find out what happened.
A year!
"If you want, my associates can take care of your spoiler problems." -Mr. Morden
Why don’t you just wipe out the entire RUclips comment section while you’re at it?
Yes
@@LIA-52 Kosh? You?😁
@@shadow-js2hn It is not the hour of scampering, now leave!
I’m so excited you are watching this. I watched it first while it was airing and have watched the entire show 5x since then. Sorry to hear about the spoiler. It only gets 10x better from here. I would recommend the JMS viewing order as I found it helpful. Before anyone starts screaming it is just a suggestion.
So great that you made it all the way to the end of Season 1
For Babylon 5, a lot of people base their whole view of Bbaylon 5 from the first few episodes of Season 1, and while the start is slow, it is for a reason, it is the foundations, of Character, and story, and as we now know in this Season, there are some real decent episodes toward the end, and YES, like Babylon Squared etc.
Unfortunately people do not make it to the end of Season 1 at least.
personally, I have had to sit some people down with episodes from Season 3, to at least show them it DOES get better, and then plant them back at Season 1 and sit them through it, after which, they have been HOOKED........
But in this instance, you have gotten to the end of Season 1, And you have seen some situations raising questions like Clarke's "Convenient" illness, and the conspiracy behind the scenes at B5 with the Jammers, along with the events in Babylon Squared. These do get covered again in the future, and that is what makes B5 better, because when the story does refer back to these events, it makes you think back, and in some cases, go "OMG I missed that.......".
Everything improves. The actors keep getting better (most of them), the effects rapidly improve and the general lighting, production and camera work all get much tighter going forward. Mike Vejar directed episodes are often noteworthy.
you can see the internal fight inside lando he wants to have the power and wants these things done but then he regrets them after they are done. he never thinks things thru before he acts and once they are done it is too late.
It's not at all shocking that your favorite episodes are all late in the season! This series does what it can to get sharper and sharper in the writing and execution!
Just a heads-up (not a spoiler), the first 6 episodes of the second season slow down the pace to get used to the new norms set before it starts steamrolling ahead at this pace.
Weird jenga... 😂
I am the brenger of the jenga.
Spoiler free! Love your reactions to B5! So much happens in this season finale, and from now on the acceleration of the story begins, seriously. Seeing your reactions, falling in love with the story is great for an old fan of the series, like me.
SO - the big questions:
- Is vice president Clark really responsible for the assassination of president Santiago?
- What happens to Delenn?
- Will Garibaldi survive?
- What will G'Kar find, if anything?
.... "And So It Begins" is a famous Kosh-ism, and very fitting.
Thankyou for another awesome video/reaction, its wonderful watching you fall down the Rabbit Hole of Babylon 5!
Absolutely sucks that you've been spoiled. May you not have any more for this or other shows. B5 is truly something special - and watching your reactions is a joy.
Her reactions are so good and her speculations are on the money too(I think I can say this since she doesn't read comments anymore, right?). Knowing about Sinclair isn't as massive a spoiler really and now she's past it, has the rest of show to watch unspoiled. Honestly I doubt we'll see another sci-fi show of this caliber ever again. Thankfully we can rewatch this and appreciate it for the master piece it truly is.
@@walterbishop1697 I'm waiting to see her reactions to some of the episodes with a bigger emotional gut punch - she seems really open hearted so I feel like some episodes will deeply affect her. One of my favourite 'filler/standalone' episodes in the 2nd season and I'm really keen to find out what she makes of that
@@ishoottheyscore8970 Oh yes so many eps I won't mention just in case, including one that many fans consider a bad ep because of the main story. I won't say more.
Love watching your reactions to this great series. I cannot wait to watch your reactions to what is to
Come.
Hang on tight! Things start to get interesting.
A Trainwreck of a season finale. All four main races have a game changing breaking point in just a single episode.
Speaking of spoilers I have two important things to say. First - spoilees will burn in hell. And second - please please please keep yourself from watching opening credits in first two episodes of Season 2! Let me explain. As things are changing, some future changes have made it into opening credits. Showrunners were pretty much aware of it and first two episodes had a slightly different opening credits. Yet when the show was released on DVD they got lazy and just put same credits in all of episodes somewhat ruining watching experience. Not a JMS fault, just irresponsible distributors. Don't know if it is the case with HBO max remastered release, but I assume you are watching DVD version so it is my obligation to warn you.
And thank you again for the joy of experiencing this like it was my own first time!
Interesting. I've just looked at my DVDs (Australian PAL versions, which I presume were sourced from the same place as the UK PAL versions) and the title sequences are correctly displayed for the first two episodes. May have just been a US release issue?
I wonder how they lose that. You would think the opening credits would be attached to the episode and once modified would stay that way but I guess not.
No spoilers from me! Interesting to note that Garibaldi's aide Jack (the one who shot him in the back) has already been in a handful of episodes - sometimes just in the background and often even with dialogue. So he has been watching things for quite a while and he has also been quite a sloppy investigator probably on purpose. Just look back at the episode "And the Sky Full of Stars" where Sinclair was abducted and interrogated. Jack clearly missed some basic stuff (that Garibaldi of course noticed instantly, like Benson's money situation) so he most likely knew about the Knights' operation and might have even helped them to get rid of Benson's body.
The person who was originally supposed to shoot Garibaldi was way better.
and another brilliant reaction, it's a shame people have to spoil things but i hope they stop now, perhaps get a moderator to read and edit the comments before you do.
In Star Trek The Undiscovered Country, the Enterprise gang do save the president
I watched you watchin this a couple times in your full length Patreon video and I enjoyed it so much I even watched the shorter version here lol
B5 is such a rich tapestry that it can't be spoiled by a few comments.
When you see Koshs real form, you will know him ... everyone will .... :-)
When you finish all the seasons of B5 you need to rewatch season 1. You'll see SO many pointers to later events that you didn't even realize you were seeing this first time around.
My favourite, one I only was reminded of recently: almost the first time we see Londo, he is prevented from killing G'Kar and says 'so I am still on course to my destiny...' or some such.
This takes the entire life of the character to play out.
@@stevetheduck1425 In all fairness, Londo did tell Sinclair that he would die 20 years later at G’Kar’s hands earlier in the same episode. Without that, it would have been an Easter egg but in this case it was a callback to previous dialogue.
Great episode. What sort of complete dimwit would spoil a TV show for someone.
MEDUSS MEDUSA... SURE WISH You had a "Struggling Veterans Pledge" Though I'm not sure how you would verify a DD 214 on the beach/under a bridge scenario 🤔..... Got to love free Wi-Fi... Firefly & Babylon 5 fan here.
Stims or lost of loved ones. No one can judge how one handles it. Only whether or not he kept moving forward , being out of gas....
Don't know if you recorded this before or after you were ill, but hope you're feeling better.
This episode is where everything begins in earnest.
Since the episode with the little girl I have been looking forward to you seeing this.
It is so awesome watching you get hooked on this.