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EpDis: The Geometry Of Shadows

What grade would you give Napoleon Dynamite?

  • Total voters
    10
A- because I didn't like the green and purple thing at all. It was just dumb for an intelligent spacefaring race.
 
A Loved the intro of the technomages in the B5 universe .The Ivanova plotline however is definately a downer but not enough.
 
Well, the Green-Purple contest was an longtime cultural occurance for the Drazi, and there are some cultural things that just stick around for ages on ages. It was a contest of a considerable degree of chaos; who do we know that espoused the wonders of chaos and fighting that may have one day long ago injected this contest into Drazi culture long before the Drazi became a spacefaring race? Interesting to think about it that way, I think.
 
I love it. Vir has some great lines; Elric has some great lines; Ivanova has some great lines... who am I to argue with greatness?
 
I thought Michael Ansara was excellent as the technomage, although during the part with Sheridan in the Zocolo its obvious he is reading from cue cards! Londo and Vir are great in this episode, very watchable. Londo is flirting with darkness but in this episode he very much has his 'light' persona despite the dark undertones of what Elric tells him. Its an intriguing contrast.

What lets it down for me is the Drazi plot. I've never really though that the Drazi were fleshed out as well as other species in B5, and I thought the green/purple thing was too simplified, and it made the Drazi look a bit dumb IMO. Still, Garibaldi coming to the rescue is a good moment.
 
Liked all of it...even the green/purple conflice.
Another classic line comes near the end when Ivanova grabs the green scarf and the Drazi look befuddled cuz they are unsure if an "alien" can be green leader "rules still tied up in committee". Great line.
Was hoping to see more of the techno-mages in B5
Didn't know I had to wait until Crusade.
 
A- because I didn't like the green and purple thing at all. It was just dumb for an intelligent spacefaring race.
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I think there are two psychologically distinct but physically identical species of Drazi. One half are the dumb, narrow-minded, gullible zealots seen in Parliament of Dreams, this episode, Rumours Bargains and Lies, the Paragon of Animals, and many others. The other half are the noble and self-sacrificing Drazi as portrayed in Matters of Honour, A Call to Arms, Shadow Dancing, Intersections in Real Time (kind of) etc. There doesn't seem to be any such a thing as an in-between Drazi, they're either one or the other. :)
 
I think it's quite possible to be both stupid and brave, narrow-minded and noble. At the end of the day, the Drazi are tough sons of bitches who you'd want at your back when the shit goes down, but they need to work on thinking things through a bit.

They're kind of opposite of the Minbari, who are elegant and seemingly sophisticated and "pure," but their weaknesses are the same as anyone else once you scratch the surface. The Drazi's weaknesses are obvious, but at the core of many is something worth respecting.

The purple/green thing is OK. Maybe kind of silly in concept but I just love watching it play out. One of Ivanova's better moments, IMO (and I'm not a fan) because she doesn't ham it up here as she usually does, even though there's plenty of opportunity for it.

I must be the only hardcore B5 fan that doesn't like technomages. They're a bit too sword 'n' sorcery D&D kind of stuff for Babylon 5.
 
Great ep. Susan's face after her promotion :LOL:! I always feel like saying "Sorry girl, but a certain diplomatic assignment a couple months down the road is gonna make this look like sending a couple of five-year-olds to their rooms!" *cough*ActsofSacrifice*cough* Susan certainly develops a reputation for "alternative diplomacy techniques". And that Acme rescue is genius, I keep expecting to hear a toon organ in there! :LOL:!
 
A- because I didn't like the green and purple thing at all. It was just dumb for an intelligent spacefaring race.
Click to expand...

I think there are two psychologically distinct but physically identical species of Drazi. One half are the dumb, narrow-minded, gullible zealots seen in Parliament of Dreams, this episode, Rumours Bargains and Lies, the Paragon of Animals, and many others. The other half are the noble and self-sacrificing Drazi as portrayed in Matters of Honour, A Call to Arms, Shadow Dancing, Intersections in Real Time (kind of) etc. There doesn't seem to be any such a thing as an in-between Drazi, they're either one or the other. :)
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Ok, I'll buy that. We have the same thing with humans.
~One half are the dumb, narrow-minded, gullible zealots seen in Parliament of Dreams, this episode, Rumours Bargains and Lies, the Paragon of Animals, and many others~

Republicans.

~The other half are the noble and self-sacrificing Drazi as portrayed in Matters of Honour, A Call to Arms, Shadow Dancing, Intersections in Real Time (kind of) etc. ~

Democrats.

(sorry but it was just too easy)
 
I think there are two psychologically distinct but physically identical species of Drazi. One half are the dumb, narrow-minded, gullible zealots seen in Parliament of Dreams, this episode, Rumours Bargains and Lies, the Paragon of Animals, and many others. The other half are the noble and self-sacrificing Drazi as portrayed in Matters of Honour, A Call to Arms, Shadow Dancing, Intersections in Real Time (kind of) etc. There doesn't seem to be any such a thing as an in-between Drazi, they're either one or the other. :)
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I'd forgotten about their appearances in Matters of Honour and Intersections in Real Time. Into the Fire also had one of the Drazi ships sacrificing itself to save the White Star 2 from one of the Shadow rockets. So yes, they possibly do have more characterisation than I realised, although when I think of Drazi the first thing I think of is purple/green, and I don't know if that's such a good thing.
 
One of the more prominent things about the Drazi that sticks in my mind from the show is their partnering with the Narn to bomb the hell out of Centauri Prime. (I don't know what that contributes to the conversation, but I felt like saying it.)
 
Well, it shows that the Drazi had no qualms about kicking the Centauri when they were down because they competed with the Centauri for trade.
 
I'm writing up my review of this episode right now, while at the same time my B5 reading has reached the first book of the TM Trilogy. In case I don't get to it before I finish writing the review, is it in book one or two of the trilogy where it's hinted at that the Shadows may have had a hand in the creation of the Drazi's green/purple idea?
 
vacantlook said:
One of the more prominent things about the Drazi that sticks in my mind from the show is their partnering with the Narn to bomb the hell out of Centauri Prime. (I don't know what that contributes to the conversation, but I felt like saying it.)
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The thing that struck me most about that, was that we know the Drazi and the Narn don't get on. We at least get as much of a hint of that when Londo addresses Earthgov in Rising Star.

It was a classic example of the enemy of my enemy.
 
Just got done watching this one today. Had to give it an A.

Ivanova, freshly promoted to Commander, and given the Drazi situation. One of my most favorite problems on B5, because it's just so absurd.... "Green!.....Purple!" I laughed so hard....

Michael Ansara was just another of the 'Old Guard' of Science Fiction actors to come aboard almost as a 'blessing' of Babylon 5, and his performance did not disappoint as Elric. I almost wish his role was bigger in the episode. I have to wonder if maybe things would have gone different if he were the Technomage used in 'A Call to Arms' and 'Crusade'. Well they say that hindsight is 20-20.

And of course, Garibaldi being Garibaldi. Can't ask for much more from an episode. Loved it. :)
 
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