EpDis: Convictions

[deaded]

I give it an A for the elevator scene alone.

 

[Boxie]

I give it an A for the elevator scene alone.

I gave it an "A", too! Without question, the elevator scenes nailed it for me, but there are others that struck me as just wonderful.

I can still see Delenn banging on that glass door trying to get to Lennier after the explosion.

I thought the bomber was suffienctly off his rocker and the "don't move there's a gun up your nose" scene with Sheridan quite good. Although going outside to find the bomb broke the established rhythm/pace of the whole thing for me, overall I thought it was quite good.

Oh, and I did love the hallway scene where Sheridan has to hide his link and asks Garibaldi where he should put it. Did you see his little face?....Too funny! And then he ends up sitting on it!!

 

[Lousy_Dodgers]

I rewatched this episode on DVD tonight and I would have to give it a solid B, mainly due to the G'Kar and Londo scenes. It may not be an arc episode per se but I think it is an important episode leading into Dust to Dust.

While G'Kar had already grown as a character from his quasi-villain role in the first season, he was still bound by his fixation on the Centauri. Granted, the post Dust to Dust G'Kar was far from willing to embrace the Centauri but he had started to see his role and that of his people in a new light.

The episode also had a number of humrous scenes in addition to Londo talking to Lennier. For example, it had Zack Allen telling the Drazi pilgrims "Why don't you go poke the plant for a while so that I can take care of your entry visas." Then it also had Lennier telling an obnoxious human that he had an incurable and contagious disease.

 

[Sindatur]

Then it also had Lennier telling an obnoxious human that he had an incurable and contagious disease.

That was [Doug] Netter's Syndrome, wasn't it?

 

[Londos6]

That was [Doug] Netter's Syndrome, wasn't it?

Yep. And the "obnoxious man" was John Flinn, B5 Director of Photography.

 

[Londos6]

Also the outtakes from this one in the blooper reel
(don't remember which season of dvds this outtake appears on)
with Peter Jurasik were hilarious.

 

[Joseph DeMartino]

That was [Doug] Netter's Syndrome, wasn't it?

AKA President Louis Santiago, yes. And the obnoxious man Lennier lied to was Directory of Photograph John Flinn. (Yes, he's actually listed as "Obnoxious Man" in the credits.)

Londo: I hate my life.
G'Kar: So do I.



Joe

 

[Elipsis]

I was going to give this a C, but upon reflection the exchange between Longo and G'kar in the elevator was powerful in that it told us a lot about G'kar's mental state, particularly the depth of his hatred.

 

[vacantlook]

...the exchange between Longo and G'kar in the elevator....

That is one amazingly great scene. I loved hearing jms talk about Andreas filming that scene in the memorial reel on the TLT disc.

 

[GKarsEye]

That is one amazingly great scene. I loved hearing jms talk about Andreas filming that scene in the memorial reel on the TLT disc.

That the one where it was Andreas' idea to start laughing? I really liked hearing that story, because I thought that laughing was absolutely fantastic. It really played off so perfectly (I'm a big fan of the whole tragi-comedy thing), so much props to the man.

 

[vacantlook]

That the one where it was Andreas' idea to start laughing?...

Yup.

 

[Estelyn]

I like it when episodes pick up elements of previous shows, like the Drazi pilgrims, coming to latch onto the angelic blessing on B5! Zack's handling of the situation is funny.

I must chime in with the many who have lauded the elevator scene as the best part of this episode - it is excellent! It reminded me of the Vir/G'Kar elevator scene in an earlier episode. G'Kar's laughing over the irony of the situation can really only be expressed by the German word "Schadenfreude" - mirth over the misery of another.

As to the bomber, I did like the fact that he was not politically motivated. However, there was an element that reminded me of the Shadows - he wanted to spread chaos and fear. Sadly, that echoes many incidents in today's world.

Yes, Londo's monologue at Lennier's bedside is quite amusing - one of the seesaw moments when one does like him. Having Lennier as comic relief is unusual - his fib about "Netter's syndrome" is so funny!

 

[Lennier's Tears]

I just finished watching this episode. It's a decent "monster of the week" episode. I'm not too keen on the scenes with the bomber, but there is a lot of other stuff to like.

The lighting and colors in this are very interesting. In general, the third season looks darker, with more intense colors than seasons 1 and 2. I like it.

Londo and G'Kar bits are great, of course. Also Londo's scenes with Lennier.

I really like the Brother Theo character.

As for Lennier, the "Netter's syndrome" conversation is funny because it's a situation we can imagine all too well .. But I am slightly uncomfortable with Lennier lying for no good reason. Perhaps not AS out of character as certain actions that take place at the end of the 5th season, but I'll get to that when I get to that Still, this seems like an unlikely scenario, after how they make such a big deal out of "Minbari do not lie" and Lennier being ever obedient.

Garibaldi is very insensitive to the Drazi when they correct him on Droshalla's name. "Yea, whatever" doesn't seem like an appropriate thing for a head of security to say to a visitor in a conversation like that. Not that it's out of character, but you'd think that someone in his position would have to go through some training on how to deal with aliens. I'd be filing a complaint if I were a Drazi pilgrim and got spoken to in that way by the head of security

At one point, before the bomb that gets Londo stuck in the elevator with G'Kar, Dr. Franklin mentions they're up to 7 dead. We learn later that two Centauri were killed, two Narn were killed, and an unknown number of Minbari greater than 1 (while in medlab, Delenn gets word that relatives of some of the Minbari killed have arrived .. I think it said "some of"). Didn't we see several humans in the first blast? A minor nitpick, to be sure.

Hmm, I thought I wanted to say something else, but I can't think of it just now ...

 

[Springer]

As for Lennier, the "Netter's syndrome" conversation is funny because it's a situation we can imagine all too well .. But I am slightly uncomfortable with Lennier lying for no good reason. Perhaps not AS out of character as certain actions that take place at the end of the 5th season, but I'll get to that when I get to that Still, this seems like an unlikely scenario, after how they make such a big deal out of "Minbari do not lie" and Lennier being ever obedient.

I suppose you could look at it as Lennier sparing the man's honour by lying, rather than telling him to his face that he's an obnoxious drunk? (which could also have caused a commotion in a public place if the man had taken offence).

He probably inadvertently also saved the man's life, after he went to sit somewhere else and was probably out of range of the explosion.

 

[Lennier's Tears]

Yea, I'm willing to accept an explanation like that although it seems more Lennier-like to just suffer in silence ... Maybe he felt it was a service to the other people around them, as well.

To add to my "You'd expect someone to file a complaint about Garibaldi", just after I posted this, I watched the next episode, in which a Brakiri apparently did exactly that