GKarsEye
Regular
Believers ended perfectly. LOVE that ep, and it's one of the most important ones in the series. I remember when I first started my B5 fanaticism and started cruising the internets about it, a lot of fans credited this episode for getting them into the show. They observed that other sci-fi shows wouldn't end so boldly.
Sure a trial for murder would be immediately emotionally gratifying, but story-wise, the parents leaving the station, still profoundly sad, but with a kind of dignity no one else could understand- what a brilliant emotional punch to the gut. The end of that episode is one of the greatest moments of TV history, and frankly it's sad that not everyone sees it that way.
The only thing I hated about that ep was the kid itself, but children on TV always irritate beyond tolerance (and lest anyone think the mighty GKarsEye is some kind of monster, I do like children IRL).
Also, I love that their words for "mamma" and "dad" was "mamya" and "tatya," or something. Way to be creative.
Ok, back to Intersections, and now I'm gonna blather on, so beware:
The book I'm currently reading begins with a brief history of mid-20th century experiments using electro-shock therapy and sensory deprivation to correct undesirable behavior by wiping out a person's mind and rebuilding it. While destroying a person's mind proved easy enough, the rebuilding part is tricky. Turns out the human mind is way too complicated and delicate to try that.
But this theory was picked up and sponsored by the CIA, who then spread that technique to its allies in Latin America and the middle-east, as victim's accounts and some records verify. It became standard operating procedure for "harsh interrogation situations," (torture) and, when coupled with the promotion of a political ideology, was systematic and especially brutal.
The point is that Intersections taps into this- JMS was probably thinking of Stalinism when writing that ep, but it was pretty common on both sides of the Cold War all over the world. B5 gets points for even bothering with that sort of thing- psychological shock torture is an under-appreciated political and cultural force of the 20th century.
Trekkies would rightly point out that TNG dealt with this first, in the second part of a story about Picard et al infiltrating a secret Cardassian military installation, being captured and tortured by a Cardassian ("there are four lights!"). Like Intersections, it benefited from featuring two wonderful actors- Patrick Stewart, of course, and a wonderful character actor who I believe also played the grail seeker in Grail. Also like Intersections, it dealt with the idea of breaking down a person's mind and identity.
But IMO, Intersections surpasses that TNG ep because the TNG torture doesn't have nearly the kind of impact on that fictional world as Intersections. That is- what did the Cardassians really have to gain by having Picard brainwashed? They were really just using him as a negotiation tool against a rival government. IIRC, the brainwashing was more a personal pet project of the interrogator, who took his failure personally- so much so that he held Picard longer than he was ordered to once the political situation was resolved.
In Intersections, the interrogator specifically makes it clear that this wasn't personal- he is just a cog in the machine, to use a cliche. This was a more of a deliberate, systematic act of a tyrannical government as part of a political campaign to remake a society against the will of the people, made possible with the support of a greater power- a real, common, worldwide phenomenon during the Cold War.
Picard's torture was a consequence of a military/political situation and a rogue jailor- Sheridan's torture was the point of his capture, and that makes it resonate so much more for me.
B5 had some balls sometimes, man. You can't credit the show for subtlety, but frankly sci-fi has no time for that. Believers, Intersections, that evil news report ep- I just love that these episodes are so hated, when they're really pretty bold. They, not the pretty speeches of G'Kar or the bullshit Minbari spirituality or the fancy/cheesy computer graphics are the reason B5 is special. To me, dissing these eps are pretty much dissing the spirit of the series.
Sure a trial for murder would be immediately emotionally gratifying, but story-wise, the parents leaving the station, still profoundly sad, but with a kind of dignity no one else could understand- what a brilliant emotional punch to the gut. The end of that episode is one of the greatest moments of TV history, and frankly it's sad that not everyone sees it that way.
The only thing I hated about that ep was the kid itself, but children on TV always irritate beyond tolerance (and lest anyone think the mighty GKarsEye is some kind of monster, I do like children IRL).
Also, I love that their words for "mamma" and "dad" was "mamya" and "tatya," or something. Way to be creative.
Ok, back to Intersections, and now I'm gonna blather on, so beware:
The book I'm currently reading begins with a brief history of mid-20th century experiments using electro-shock therapy and sensory deprivation to correct undesirable behavior by wiping out a person's mind and rebuilding it. While destroying a person's mind proved easy enough, the rebuilding part is tricky. Turns out the human mind is way too complicated and delicate to try that.
But this theory was picked up and sponsored by the CIA, who then spread that technique to its allies in Latin America and the middle-east, as victim's accounts and some records verify. It became standard operating procedure for "harsh interrogation situations," (torture) and, when coupled with the promotion of a political ideology, was systematic and especially brutal.
The point is that Intersections taps into this- JMS was probably thinking of Stalinism when writing that ep, but it was pretty common on both sides of the Cold War all over the world. B5 gets points for even bothering with that sort of thing- psychological shock torture is an under-appreciated political and cultural force of the 20th century.
Trekkies would rightly point out that TNG dealt with this first, in the second part of a story about Picard et al infiltrating a secret Cardassian military installation, being captured and tortured by a Cardassian ("there are four lights!"). Like Intersections, it benefited from featuring two wonderful actors- Patrick Stewart, of course, and a wonderful character actor who I believe also played the grail seeker in Grail. Also like Intersections, it dealt with the idea of breaking down a person's mind and identity.
But IMO, Intersections surpasses that TNG ep because the TNG torture doesn't have nearly the kind of impact on that fictional world as Intersections. That is- what did the Cardassians really have to gain by having Picard brainwashed? They were really just using him as a negotiation tool against a rival government. IIRC, the brainwashing was more a personal pet project of the interrogator, who took his failure personally- so much so that he held Picard longer than he was ordered to once the political situation was resolved.
In Intersections, the interrogator specifically makes it clear that this wasn't personal- he is just a cog in the machine, to use a cliche. This was a more of a deliberate, systematic act of a tyrannical government as part of a political campaign to remake a society against the will of the people, made possible with the support of a greater power- a real, common, worldwide phenomenon during the Cold War.
Picard's torture was a consequence of a military/political situation and a rogue jailor- Sheridan's torture was the point of his capture, and that makes it resonate so much more for me.
B5 had some balls sometimes, man. You can't credit the show for subtlety, but frankly sci-fi has no time for that. Believers, Intersections, that evil news report ep- I just love that these episodes are so hated, when they're really pretty bold. They, not the pretty speeches of G'Kar or the bullshit Minbari spirituality or the fancy/cheesy computer graphics are the reason B5 is special. To me, dissing these eps are pretty much dissing the spirit of the series.
