{"id":38786,"date":"2013-09-21T00:37:33","date_gmt":"2013-09-21T06:37:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2013\/09\/21\/b5-rewatch-1-05-parliament-of-dreams.html"},"modified":"2014-05-30T08:48:32","modified_gmt":"2014-05-30T14:48:32","slug":"b5-rewatch-1-05-parliament-of-dreams","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2013\/09\/21\/b5-rewatch-1-05-parliament-of-dreams.html","title":{"rendered":"B5 Rewatch: 1×05 "Parliament of Dreams""},"content":{"rendered":"
Ah, now this is what B5 is about — a chewy, cross-cultural, multi-plotted episode with aspects that will echo into the future …<\/p>\n

A-Plot: G’kar is under threat of assassination from an old political rival!
\nB-Plot: An old flame of Sinclair’s visits the station!
\nC-Plot: The different alien races on B5 demonstrate their “dominant faith.”
\nD-Plot: Lennier!<\/p>\n

After “Infection” (which was actually the first episode written for B5 after the pilot), this is a breath of fresh, rich air.<\/p>\n

A-Plot: \u00a0Katsulas does wonderfully with G’kar, giving us in turns glimpses of his vain, fearful, determined, and ruthless sides. \u00a0The plot against him both amusing and gripping (if meta-ly obvious), and the introduction of Na’toth is loads of fun. We also learn that G’kar has been a member of the Narn ruling council (just like Delenn is of the Minbari).<\/p>\n

B-Plot: The least successful thread here, hampered by JMS channeling Dashell Hammett in his dialog-writing.<\/p>\n

C-Plot: The Centauri festival is an absolute hoot, primarily for how the various characters participate in \/ react to it (indeed, you get a great character sketch of practically everyone in attendance just in dialog and physical acting). \u00a0We also learn something about Centauri physiology (though we don’t realize it yet), and Londo gets the best lines of the episode.<\/p>\n

JMS’s final scene, giving “Earth’s dominant faith” is a combination of a cop-out and a profound insight into humanity — as well as an argument against the whole SF trope of mono-cultural races.<\/p>\n

D-Plot: Lennier’s arrival is almost inserted as an afterthought, though it establishes both his relationship to Delenn and her own hidden position, both of which will bubble to the surface time and again.<\/p>\n

Overall, it’s probably the first of the WHAM episodes in terms of laying the groundwork for the future of various characters. Good stuff.<\/p>\n

Guide link:\u00a0http:\/\/www.midwinter.com\/lurk\/guide\/005.html<\/a>
\nWiki link:\u00a0http:\/\/babylon5.wikia.com\/wiki\/The_Parliament_of_Dreams<\/a><\/p>\n

Most dramatic bit:<\/b> G’kar demonstrasting the gumption to not cry out during torture.
\nMost comedic bit:<\/b> Everything Londo says during the Centauri religious ceremony. “But in purple, I’m stunning!”
\nMost arc-ish bit:<\/b> Sinclair and Delenn get married. Well, not really. And, as it turns out, not really. But all of the Delenn bits (aside from her hilarious reactions to the Centauri festival) are fraught with portent.
\nOverall Rating:<\/b> 4 of 5. Lots of bang, though mostly of a ground-laying fashion.<\/p>\n

Next up: “Mind War” — introducing my favorite recurring character. “Be seeing you!”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\"\"<\/div>\n

Guide page: “The Parliament of Dreams”<\/a>
\nSinclair’s old flame, Catherine Sakai, arrives during a weeklong festival when humans and aliens demonstrate their religious beliefs. An old enemy sends an assassin to kill G’Kar. Thomas Kopache as Tu’Pari. Julia Nickson as Catherine Sakai. Originally titled “Carnival!” …<\/p>\n

View this post on Google+<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Ah, now this is what B5 is about — a chewy, cross-cultural, multi-plotted episode with aspects that will echo into the future … A-Plot: G’kar is under threat of assassination from an old political rival! B-Plot: An old flame of Sinclair’s visits the station! C-Plot: The different alien races on B5 demonstrate their “dominant faith.” … Continue reading “B5 Rewatch: 1×05 "Parliament of Dreams"”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[106,362],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-38786","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-plusposts","category-media-tv-babylon-5"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":155171,"url":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2022\/01\/06\/b5-rewatch-5x04-a-view-from-the-gallery.html","url_meta":{"origin":38786,"position":0},"title":"B5 Rewatch: 5×04 “A View from the Gallery”","author":"***Dave","date":"Thu 6-Jan-22 5:25pm","format":false,"excerpt":"An unusual slice-of-life episode, as epic events and characters are observed by ... B5 janitors","rel":"","context":"In "Babylon 5"","block_context":{"text":"Babylon 5","link":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/category\/media\/franchises\/media-tv-babylon-5"},"img":{"alt_text":"Babylon 5 5x04 View Gallery - Bo and Mack","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Babylon-5-5x04-View-Gallery-Bo-and-Mac.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Babylon-5-5x04-View-Gallery-Bo-and-Mac.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Babylon-5-5x04-View-Gallery-Bo-and-Mac.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Babylon-5-5x04-View-Gallery-Bo-and-Mac.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":154989,"url":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2021\/08\/09\/b5-rewatch-5x02-the-very-long-night-of-londo-mollari.html","url_meta":{"origin":38786,"position":1},"title":"B5 Rewatch: 5×02 “The Very Long Night of Londo Mollari”","author":"***Dave","date":"Mon 9-Aug-21 8:53pm","format":false,"excerpt":"Londo's dying. But is it actually his heart, or a guilty conscience?","rel":"","context":"In "Babylon 5"","block_context":{"text":"Babylon 5","link":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/category\/media\/franchises\/media-tv-babylon-5"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Babylon-5-5x02-Very-Long-Night-Gkar-and-Londo.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Babylon-5-5x02-Very-Long-Night-Gkar-and-Londo.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Babylon-5-5x02-Very-Long-Night-Gkar-and-Londo.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Babylon-5-5x02-Very-Long-Night-Gkar-and-Londo.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":39952,"url":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2013\/12\/09\/b5-rewatch-s1e12-by-any-means-necessary.html","url_meta":{"origin":38786,"position":2},"title":"B5 Rewatch: 1×12 "By Any Means Necessary"","author":"***Dave","date":"Mon 9-Dec-13 5:04pm","format":false,"excerpt":"An overall fairly lightweight one-off episode, with the main plot being how B5 is having problems with sufficient budget to keep the loading docks safe. Strikes, a smarmy government negotiator, a bit of tame rioting, political pressure from back home, and a clever solution from Sinclair keeps life going on.The\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "~PlusPosts"","block_context":{"text":"~PlusPosts","link":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/category\/blogging\/plusposts"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":129410,"url":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2016\/01\/10\/b5-rewatch-4x15-no-surrender-no-retreat.html","url_meta":{"origin":38786,"position":3},"title":"B5 Rewatch: 4\u00d715 “No Surrender, No Retreat”","author":"***Dave","date":"Sun 10-Jan-16 3:57pm","format":false,"excerpt":"The War against the Clark Regime on Earth goes from Cold to Hot, as Earthforce war crimes provoke Sheridan to action. This episode bears the name for the season, so it's a clear turning point for the B5 saga. A-Plot: Sheridan has decided to take the war to Earth, after\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Babylon 5"","block_context":{"text":"Babylon 5","link":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/category\/media\/franchises\/media-tv-babylon-5"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/Babylon-5-4x15-No-Surrender-No-Retreat-Londo-and-Gkar.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/Babylon-5-4x15-No-Surrender-No-Retreat-Londo-and-Gkar.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/Babylon-5-4x15-No-Surrender-No-Retreat-Londo-and-Gkar.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/Babylon-5-4x15-No-Surrender-No-Retreat-Londo-and-Gkar.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/Babylon-5-4x15-No-Surrender-No-Retreat-Londo-and-Gkar.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":43057,"url":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2014\/06\/16\/b5-rewatch-3x02-convictions.html","url_meta":{"origin":38786,"position":4},"title":"B5 Rewatch: 3×02 "Convictions"","author":"***Dave","date":"Mon 16-Jun-14 7:06pm","format":false,"excerpt":"A middling episode with a monster-of-the-week story structure, redeemed only by some very nice character sketches.A-Plot: Someone is setting off bombs \/ explosives around the station. Eek! The populace is in a panic. The command staff is demanding answers. Eventually -- after various speculation \/ accusations of it being the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "~PlusPosts"","block_context":{"text":"~PlusPosts","link":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/category\/blogging\/plusposts"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":42443,"url":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2014\/06\/08\/b5-rewatch-2x21-comes-the-inquisitor.html","url_meta":{"origin":38786,"position":5},"title":"B5 Rewatch: 2×21 "Comes the Inquisitor"","author":"***Dave","date":"Sun 8-Jun-14 2:00pm","format":false,"excerpt":"It's funny how the amount of imagery and uploaded video varies so much by episode of B5. For some reason -- maybe the long swathes of rich dialog -- \"Comes the Inquisitor\" has a lot posted online, though the video I'm showcasing most is from the B-Plot.After the huge, broad,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "~PlusPosts"","block_context":{"text":"~PlusPosts","link":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/category\/blogging\/plusposts"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38786","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=38786"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38786\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":42304,"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38786\/revisions\/42304"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=38786"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=38786"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=38786"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}