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EpDis: Soul Mates

A Distant Star

  • Total voters
    10
I'll make three preliminary comments about this episode.

I didn't like the Matt Stoner plot. Of the multitude of former relationships brought coming surprising to the station that have occurred on the show, this one bores me the most. We already had Talia having a former relationship from PsiCorps come onto the station with Jason Ironheart having had some new psi power brought out in him at the hands of PsiCorps. Having a second one is just "Eh" to me.

I find it interesting that the original name of this episode was "Pestilence, Famine, and Death." Londo originally called his three wives this back in season one's "The War Prayer." I don't remember if it was brought out in the thread for "The War Prayer," but I'll bring it out here: if Londo's three wives are Pestilence, Famine, and Death -- three of the four Horsemen of the Apocalypse -- does that make Londo War?

And third brief comment: I love the small Ivanova-Delenn hair plot.
 
I think the Stoner thing (GOTTA love the name) would have meant more had Talia stayed and turned into the Lyta character. She sure did sleep around though, didn't she? Kinda makes me wish I'd met her.

And the three wife thing? Perfect!! Pure gold IMHO. It DEFINES Londo and the Centauri. It was perfect.

(plus bald chicks turn me on)

Also, here is the first time you begin to realize that Londo is suffering from dimentia. I mean SERIOUSLY. You can choose one wife of three: An ugly bitch who hates you, an even uglier bitch who hates you even more and is even MORE ambitious than you; and a hot chick with a great body and lips that obviously want to encompase cylindrical objects who wants to please you as much as she can.

Hmmmmmmm...... Let me THINK. :rolleyes:

Your choice.
 
...and a hot chick with a great body and lips that obviously want to encompase cylindrical objects who wants to please you as much as she can.
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You forgot to add that she just attempted to assassinate you.
 
It annoys me that there are three episodes in a row here early in Season 2 that devote a lot of time to developing Talia's character, a) because I don't like her half as much as Lyta, and get pretty sick of her whining vulnerability and b) because in the end its all in aid of nothing anyway..

The stuff with Londo's wives is all okay, but all Peter David's episodes do tend to remind me of Star Trek more than JMS'.. The whole harem thing is very TOS..

But I do like the traditional B5 technique of building an episode by cutting together three or four plotlines that don't necessarily intersect. It's one of the series' strengths that it can do this.
 
I wonder if these three in a row Talia heavy episodes were a result of Andrea's expressed desire for more featured screentime.
 
I gave this one a B almost a C but I loved seeing Londo's three wives finally show up in the series the downer is the Matt Stoner plot with Talia never really took to the character .
 
Also, here is the first time you begin to realize that Londo is suffering from dimentia. I mean SERIOUSLY. You can choose one wife of three: An ugly bitch who hates you, an even uglier bitch who hates you even more and is even MORE ambitious than you; and a hot chick with a great body and lips that obviously want to encompase cylindrical objects who wants to please you as much as she can.
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Eh, I bet as Londo became more important and successful he was getting his choice of primo Centauri tail, he didn't need that crazy bitch. The marriage is a business arrangement.

Londo is simply pulling a Clinton.

I like the ep for the Lond and G'Kar stuff. The Matt Stoner thing is ok, not great.
 
A- for the dialogue. You've got Londo being funny, Timov being witty, and G'Kar being G'Kar. It's fun.
 
Yeah, the Stoner plot was weak. The guest actor was okay, it's just that particular plot dragged. Timov, however, rules. It's one of my small regrets about the show, that we never got her back for more verbal sparring.
 
I'm surprised that this episode isn't that popular. I found it smart, and one of the few examples of genuine humour in B5 (the other being Sic Transit Vir). I also didn't mind the Stoner plotline either, although I'm disapointed that the Talia/Garibaldi relationship didn't go anywhere. As for Talia, I prefer her to Lyta, I think Andrea Thompson is a much better actress than Pat Tallman. Its a shame that Talia's character was underdeveloped, and the only screen time she ever got was when an old flame came onto the station (at least that's the way it seemed sometimes, either an old flame or an old friend like Taro Isogi).
 
Great ep! B++ 'cos A's are reserved for the real mindblowers. Timov RULES! As a brown belt in the art of "verbal fencing" I bow to her prowess, the woman is pure venom! :LOL: "A bitch like you WOULD know about breeding." *applause* I defend the Matt Stoner plot. The controlling Talia to breed more empaths bit. Think about what that means for a sec. :(*shudder* :( All in all great stuff.
 
As for Talia, I prefer her to Lyta, I think Andrea Thompson is a much better actress than Pat Tallman.
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Agreed!

Lyta is better as a character simply because she's the one who's arc gets carried out to where the story needed it to go. She just happens to be the show's telepath when the most exciting events in the series happen.

But if you look at their work, Thompson is just such a stronger actress. For one thing- she can actually act! Tallman's delivery of jokes is so corny and obvious. She has no sense of grace and subtlety. Her only strong on-screen moments as an actress are at the end of season 5, when she's ultra-powerful badass, because that demands a lack of subtlety, and her sharp features and red hair help that image.

Andrea's Thompson's smooth, silky way of speaking and acting make the flirting with Garibaldi fun. Her sensuousness makes the Ironheart thread (which was just made-up to replace Tallman's absence in the first place) actually believable. Her dealing with that murderer (who was gonna get his brain wiped) was engaging and intense, wereas had Tallman done it it would have been awkward to watch.
 
There is an interview with Claudia Christian somewhere out there, in which she points out (to paraphrase) that Andrea Thompson brought a kind of vulnerable sexuality and helplessness to the role that wasn't there anywhere in the script.

I'm afraid I tend to agree with that assessment.. I find it annoying..
 
Yes, the station telepath was meant to be an action role, probably including physical fighting.
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Well if that's true than it makes to hire a stuntperson like Pat Tallman.

Makes one wonder why they didn't hire another one like her and instead went with someone so different in Thompson.

There is an interview with Claudia Christian somewhere out there, in which she points out (to paraphrase) that Andrea Thompson brought a kind of vulnerable sexuality and helplessness to the role that wasn't there anywhere in the script.

I'm afraid I tend to agree with that assessment.. I find it annoying..
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Yeah, see, I like that a lot, I guess that's the difference.

And it's not as if Talia was some helpless damsel in distress- she exhibited a real attitude when she fought off Bester with the underground telepaths. Plus, her external demeanor could be very "ice queen," so the vulnerability played well off of it. It was a nice compliment to Ivanova's "tough as nails" personality and having that balance on the show was neat (as well as he third feminine element- a character becoming more "womanly"- Delenn).
 
Well if that's true than it makes to hire a stuntperson like Pat Tallman.

Makes one wonder why they didn't hire another one like her and instead went with someone so different in Thompson.
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Possibly the studio wanted a sexy dumb blond.
 
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