What season one episdoes are essential?

[DaRkEnEdStAr]

Too true ...
I know its a struggle getting through season one , But act as though you are watching it on the telly .... then that might work

 

[Recoil]

I am late in posting this I know but your friend cannot miss any of season one it is all crucial to the overall storyline of Babylon 5.

I'm not sure. Many parts of Season 1 do add to the story in SMALL BITS and pieces, but there is many of it that can be left out, and might be wise to do so, if you are trying to get someone new started.

Season 1 I think is the weakest of the 5. It was clear that they were still working out a lot of things --- sound effects, stages, performances, actors working into their characters a bit --- so Season 1 was very rough around the edges. The first time I saw S1, I was turned off B5, until a few years later I caught Season 3. After watching the ENTIRE SERIES I now have a great appreciation for Season 1, and would not miss any of them. (well, I still skip over Grail because I think its the worst B5 episode ever and really pointless) However for some first time people (you will know your friends better than anyone, and whom should watch it all and whom it would be safer to just show a fre), it may be wise to pick out just about 10-12 episodes of Season 1, and get them into the Season 2 goodness where the main story really moves forward, the actors settle in, and the overall production really comes together.

 

[Joseph DeMartino]

I still skip over Grail because I think its the worst B5 episode ever and really pointless

And yet "Grail" is the first episode that explains the "B5 curse", which gives any real detail about the fate of the first four stations, and is one of the episodes that reminds us about Minbari religious beliefs and prophecy. Besides seeing how all the ambassadors deal (or fail to deal) with Aldous gives us a terrific sense of them and how they operate (as well as how their aides operate - the Vir/Londo scenes alone make watching the episode worthwhile.) Maybe if you stopped skipping "Grail" entirely you'd notice the good parts that you're missing.

I still say there is no B5 episode that is completely without merit, and that is an outstanding acheivement over 110 episodes. ST:TOS had at least a dozen over the course of a mere 79 episodes. (Including most of the shows from the third season.)

Regards,

Joe

 

[Recoil]

Yea, thats true, I thought about that after I posted it. But the whole Jinxo/Deuce thing really irks me and a lot of the performances during that episode aren't that believeable --- especially Deuce. I think they really mis-casted that character as the actor really made me cringe whenever Deuce talked or was on the screen. I think TKO has far more merits than Grail, even though it is not really an Arc story.

 

[Joseph DeMartino]

But the whole Jinxo/Deuce thing really irks me and a lot of the performances during that episode aren't that believeable --- especially Deuce.

That's funny because my main criticism of the show is also a performance - Jinxo's. I thought William Sanderson (a very fine actor) was good as Deuce. Just a matter of taste when you come right down to it. Deuce never bothered me at all, Jinxo is like fingernails on a blackboard. (But I still dutifully watch the episode, even if I do skip ahead a lot on the DVD. )

Regards,

Joe

 

[Bester]

IMO, the actor who played Jinxo would be better suited to kids TV. I'm sure that 5 year-olds would love him.

 

[Recoil]

That's funny because my main criticism of the show is also a performance - Jinxo's. I thought William Sanderson (a very fine actor) was good as Deuce. Just a matter of taste when you come right down to it. Deuce never bothered me at all, Jinxo is like fingernails on a blackboard. (But I still dutifully watch the episode, even if I do skip ahead a lot on the DVD. )

Regards,

Joe

Heh, well I agree, I also didn't like Jinxo's performance and it makes me cringe. The guy who played Deuce is a decent actor, Ive seen him before in other shows, but for some reason he just irks me as Deuce. I think the absolute WORST is his very first scene at the opening of the show. Something about how he is trying to threaten that guy, and slaps him on the jacket looks so...I dont know...FAKE. If some guy talked to me like that, and half-ass slapped me like that trying to threaten me, I would think he was a big pussy and kick his ass. It just didnt seem like something a B5 underworld thug would be doing, so I suppose the whole character started off with me on a bad note.

 

[Frizzell]

Well, we have made it through season one. My friend still loves G’Kar and Londo, but Londo is now definitely her favorite. Garibaldi is growing in her estimation, and the doctor has made a favorable impression. She really enjoyed The Quality of Mercy and is beginning to pick out certain pieces of the story arc. She disliked Clark on sight and proclaimed him to be shifty and somehow menacing. Londo’s association with Mr. Morden is really beginning to worry her, and she is already pushing for his redemption. She has now seen the first two episodes of season two and is convinced that Sheridan is a marked improvement over Sinclair. She has really gotten wrapped up in the story and cannot wait to see more. I believe we have another convert.

Thank you,

Frizzell

 

[Joseph DeMartino]

If some guy talked to me like that, and half-ass slapped me like that trying to threaten me, I would think he was a big pussy and kick his ass.

Like a lot of his real-world counterparts, Deuce isn't really a tough guy, and is almost certainly a coward. But he's smarter than the average knee-breaker and therefore can get the stronger but dumber to do his bidding. That's what lets him physically intimidate people who could probably kick his ass one-on-one, the threat of retribution by his "boys" - lately much-enhanced by the threat of getting your brain sucked out by "the Vorlon". I have a feeling you would have sat still for all poking and prodding Deuce felt like handing out if you thought seriously about the alternative.

She disliked Clark on sight and proclaimed him to be shifty and somehow menacing.

Gee, I sure hope she never meets Doug Netter.

Regards,

Joe

 

[ElScorcho]

Awhile ago, I posted a thread about the top ten essential episodes of season one - right before the second season set was released on DVD. I can't find it here anymore, I think it might have been before the forums were realigned.

The word ESSENTIAL can be taken a few different ways, depending on what aspect of the show you concentrate on (i.e. the story-arc, character development, etc.). The stories I chose deal mostly with the main arc, but include character backstories as well.

1) Midnight on the Firing Line
2) The Paliament of Dreams
3) Mind War
4) And the Sky Full of Stars
5) Eyes
6) Signs & Portents
7) Legacies
8) A Voice in the Wilderness
9) Babylon Squared
10) Chrysalis

The later stories seem to have more relevance to the series as a whole, while some early ones could have doubled as Trek shows. I believe this was done deliberately by JMS to establish a show within the genre and then coax the casual viewers in a new direction. If the show had began with the intensity of season four, people would be hard pressed to follow.

So, even though I have chosen ten (well, eleven) episodes that are essential to the arc, and granted that there are certain morsels contained within the others, I would suggest that a first time viewer should watch all the episodes. Except TKO. And Grail.

 

[ElScorcho]

Found it.

All the way back in May.

 

[phoenixrising]

She disliked Clark on sight and proclaimed him to be shifty and somehow menacing.

Gee, I sure hope she never meets Doug Netter.

Maybe I missed your meaning, but didn't Doug Netter play (in a photo at least) Santiago, who Clark replaced as President? Clark was played by Gary McGurk.

If I missed your meaning, sorry.

 

[Joseph DeMartino]

If I missed your meaning, sorry.

No, my failing memory is to blame. I remembered that one of the stills used in an ISN broadcast was Netter filling in as a president, and just misremembered it as being Clark. (Still, Netter couldn't have been thrilled to hear Ivanova describe him as having "no chin". )

Regards,

Joe

 

[Elric]

Found it.

All the way back in May.

Although I agree with others that ALL episodes are important in some way, your list is a good one. However, I also think that Soul Hunter is important since it introduces the whole concept of souls within the B5 universe which is quite important to several aspects of the story.

 

[ElScorcho]

Yeah, Soul Hunter is good. And it really helps to explain the Minbari idea of souls. It's too bad they never really brought them back until The River of Souls movie. Martin Sheen had nothing on the first guy.

 

[Oatley1]

Yeah, Soul Hunter is good. And it really helps to explain the Minbari idea of souls. It's too bad they never really brought them back until The River of Souls movie. Martin Sheen had nothing on the first guy.

Martin Sheen had to work through a hell of a lot of exposition. Plus the story wasn't the best that JMS has come up with.

W. Morgan Sheperd had better dialogue, and a much better story to work with.