The Illusion of Truth - Worst Episode?

[garak0410]

Hello...

My wife and I are up to the episode "The Illusion of Truth" and while we find B5 one of the best TV shows ever, this episode was just horrible in our opinions, even worse than "Grey 17..." and "Infection." When they got to the newscast portion, it made its point in the first 2 minutes...to run the rest of the entire episode with what we already know is wrong was just boring. My wife said "I have no interest in this episode at all."

Are we the first to feel that way? Just wondering...not bashing the show at all...just found it to the the most "filler" episode ever.

 

[vacantlook]

I like the episode, more or less. I don't think it's the greatest episode ever, or anything, but I like it. I do enjoy the ending with the reactions from Sheridan and crew after the broadcast ends; the use of no words 'bout sums it up.

 

[garak0410]

Yeah...the ending was good but the presentation of the propaganda was really boring and the point was already made.

Oh, side note, should we watch Thirsdpace next?

 

[Jan]

My wife and I are up to the episode "The Illusion of Truth" and while we find B5 one of the best TV shows ever, this episode was just horrible in our opinions, even worse than "Grey 17..." and "Infection." When they got to the newscast portion, it made its point in the first 2 minutes...to run the rest of the entire episode with what we already know is wrong was just boring. My wife said "I have no interest in this episode at all."

I thought it was a brilliant episode and should be required viewing in every grade school to show people how easy it is to skew 'news' to push an agenda. There are so many examples of how creative editing was used that if you were bored, you really should go back and watch it again to see what you missed because the point wasn't just that what was filmed on the station could be twisted it was *how* and how easily it was done. I understand that it is being used in many university film classes.

I know I've never looked at a news broadcast the same way again since seeing that episode. I have to ask what agenda is getting pushed.

Jan

 

[garak0410]

Yeah...I know where the episode was going...but I figured it out in 1 minute...didn't need the last 15 minutes to be the newscast...just an opinion...

On to the next episode...

 

[maneth]

It's certainly different and not really one of my favorites. However, it's very well done and in today's world where media bias is more or less taken for granted, even if the conservatives accuse the media of being too liberal, while the liberals accuse the very same media of being too conservative it's important viewing.

 

[garak0410]

I did admire what it was going, just went on too long...

I am anxious how to see the rest of the series plays out...I was happy with the way Deep Space Nine ended and have high hopes for this show.

 

[Sindatur]

I did admire what it was going, just went on too long...

I am anxious how to see the rest of the series plays out...I was happy with the way Deep Space Nine ended and have high hopes for this show.

Because of the fear of Cancellation at the end of S4, there are some things that conclude in S4, that should have flowed over a couple episodes into S5, and somethings that start from scratch (perhaps seeming a bit random to some) at the beginning of S5, that should have slowly started developing at the end of S4. So, you will find S4 ending like Gang busters, and perhaps may find S5 starting a little slow (as if starting all over again) that made some people believe JMS decided to force a S5. If you notice this slow patch in the beginning of S5, stick with it, and know that the transition of storylines should have been smoother if there wasn't a fear of cancellation at the end of S4, and know that S5 does pick back up, and become every bit as good as any of the other seasons. It was all intended to be there, just a smoother transition from S4 to S5.

 

[RMcD]

What I enjoy about this episode is just how twisted and plausible the alternative scenario presented by ISN is - and just when you think it can't get any worse, it does.

But as an episode it is kind of static. Literally actually, since the cameras are locked in place for much of it. And unlike And Now for a Word, which I do enjoy a lot, nothing particularly exciting happens while the reporters are on B5. So I think it works better on paper than it does as drama (IMO Deconstruction of Falling Stars, also directed by Stephen Furst, suffers from similar problems). This one basically serves as backdrop to what's going on, and sets up what's going to happen later, but doesn't do much in itself.

My vote for worst episode of all goes to Learning Curve, and my favourite is Shadow Dancing.

 

[KoshN]

As far as I'm concerned, "Believers" was the worst episode.

 

[KoshN]

I did admire what it was going, just went on too long...

I am anxious how to see the rest of the series plays out...I was happy with the way Deep Space Nine ended and have high hopes for this show.

The first ~half~ of B5 Season 5 is weak, for a variety of real world reasons, but the second half is very strong, and the ending is excellent. Best TV Series finale I've ever seen.

 

[Jade Jaguar]

Hello...

My wife and I are up to the episode "The Illusion of Truth" and while we find B5 one of the best TV shows ever, this episode was just horrible in our opinions, even worse than "Grey 17..." and "Infection." When they got to the newscast portion, it made its point in the first 2 minutes...to run the rest of the entire episode with what we already know is wrong was just boring. My wife said "I have no interest in this episode at all."

Are we the first to feel that way? Just wondering...not bashing the show at all...just found it to the the most "filler" episode ever.

I agree with you. This ep held absolutely NO surprises for me. 100% predictable, which I can't say about any other ep. Unlike Jan, I was saddly aware of this sort of "journalism" long before I saw the ep.

 

[Jan]

Unlike Jan, I was saddly aware of this sort of "journalism" long before I saw the ep.

There's nothing in my post to indicate that I wasn't aware of that sort of journalism before, JJ. Only that, because of it, I now *always* look for the agenda, even if I agree with it, whereas before I might not have if the item seemed innocuous.

Jan

 

[KoshN]

Missed a couple of things....

Hello...
...just found it to the the most "filler" episode ever.

For me, that would be "A View from the Gallery" in Season 5.

Yeah...the ending was good but the presentation of the propaganda was really boring and the point was already made.

Oh, side note, should we watch Thirsdpace next?

I didn't like "The Illusion of Truth" in a sense that it pissed me off because our favorite characters were getting trashed by some real sleaze balls.

Re. "Thirdspace", yes, that comes next, followed by "Atonement". See

http://www.midwinter.com/lurk/countries/master/eplist.html

 

[Jade Jaguar]

I know I've never looked at a news broadcast the same way again since seeing that episode. I have to ask what agenda is getting pushed.

Jan

It was this line that led me to believe you hadn't really looked at all the news through that prism before, asking that question before. Thus I thought you were not that cognizant of it, even if not really unaware. Sorry I misinterpreted. I didn't mean to imply I thought you were ignorant, because I never thought you were.

I think by the time I was twelve, I had decided that all advertising people should be locked up for attempted mind control, and certainly by the time I was 16, I realized how the news could be, and often was, slanted. I thought most kids could see through that stuff. No doubt I was wrong. I just saw a study today that shows kids say hamburgers wrapped in McDonalds wrappers are better tasting than the exact same burgers in other wrappers. So, I agree it is a good ep to show to journalism, polisci, and logic classes. But, I still found it to be just about the most boring B5 ep, for me.

 

[Pakmaraatemycat]

I quite like The Illusion of Truth, although it is probably the weakest episode of season 4. Infection and A View from the Gallery are definitely far worse episodes in my opinion. I would go as far as to say I think the first third or thereabouts, of S5 is the weakest part of the tale overall. Much of it suffers from what might be called "Grey 17 syndrome", i.e. weak "A" stories with very worthwhile "B" stories. Don't let this put you off though, it does build to a very good and satisfying climax.

On the subject of TIoT, I broadly agree with what is behind Jan and Jade Jaguar's discussion above. Whilst I am sure most of us are aware of media manipulation, it does us all good to be reminded of it on a regular basis. This, I feel, is especially true with the recent trend to wage war not on opposing armies but on abstract ideas. The first casualty of war is the truth, after all.

It sounds like my dad and I are just a little further through than you and your wife (we watched Deconstruction of Falling Stars tonight). It's my third time watching the whole thing start to finish, including original transmission (although there are many episodes I've seen many more times than that) and his first watching any of it. TIoT, when we watched it a few night's ago sparked at least an hours worth of conversation on the current state of the media, with particular focus on Murdoch's recent acquisition of the WSJ. So for us at least, TIot did exactly what I believe JMS has said he wanted from B5 - to make people ask questions rather than to answer them for them.

Personally, I'd say watch Thirdspace next. That's what I decided for Dad and myself. Knowing what was coming next I found it broke up thinks nicely, giving a little breathing space between the end of the Shadow War and the build up to the next major event. It worked for him too, being completely unaware. There is a very small continuity issue but there is a good chance you won't notice (Dad didn't) and a minor scene that helps explain why a change in the relationship between two characters starts to appear further down the road. Either way, watching it now or later doesn't matter too much as at least 98% of it takes place outside of the main arcs.

Hope that helps more than it confuses

 

[GaribaldisHair]

I was majorly irritated by TIoT when I first saw it, for much the same reasons outlined here by JJ and others. However, not long after that, one of our esteemed media outlets released the result of a survey which showed that only 1 in 6 of the university students (that is, supposedly the clever ones who were now able to vote for the first time) polled knew who the current prime minister of our country was. The rest thought it was either still Mrs Thatcher, who had been deposed while they were still in the early stages of secondary school, or Neil Kinnock who has never ever been PM.

That was the point at which I first thought a benign dictatorship might be preferable to a democracy, and it kind of made me realise that the episode wasn't really aimed at me and it was going to be shocking and surprising for an awful lot of people who appear to let the real world just bypass them completely.

 

[KoshFan]

The thing that bugged me about "Illusion of Truth" was how obvious some of the reporter's manipulations were -- inserting footage of him in an entirely different room, for example. Which needed to happen for the purposes of the B5 ep, I suppose, but if he were as good at his trade as he's made out to be, don't you think he'd have made sure that was a little less obvious? Or did he honestly think the masses on Earth wouldn't even notice?


Besides, this ep isn't all bad. Remember Sheridan's exchange with Ivanova about the reporter?

 

[Sindatur]

The thing that bugged me about "Illusion of Truth" was how obvious some of the reporter's manipulations were -- inserting footage of him in an entirely different room, for example. Which needed to happen for the purposes of the B5 ep, I suppose, but if he were as good at his trade as he's made out to be, don't you think he'd have made sure that was a little less obvious? Or did he honestly think the masses on Earth wouldn't even notice?


Besides, this ep isn't all bad. Remember Sheridan's exchange with Ivanova about the reporter?

Well, if it had been made without the incosistencies, the average viewer wouldn't catch on to what the episode was telling them.

 

[KoshFan]

Exactly; JMS sort of wrote himself into a trap where either he or his character wouldn't get their message across.