{"id":40884,"date":"2014-01-25T18:27:21","date_gmt":"2014-01-26T01:27:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2014\/01\/25\/b5-rewatch-s1e21-the-quality-of-mercy.html"},"modified":"2014-11-10T15:45:58","modified_gmt":"2014-11-10T22:45:58","slug":"b5-rewatch-s1e21-the-quality-of-mercy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2014\/01\/25\/b5-rewatch-s1e21-the-quality-of-mercy.html","title":{"rendered":"B5 Rewatch: 1×21 "The Quality of Mercy""},"content":{"rendered":"
A fairly solid episode that suffers mostly from being in the middle of the end-of-season WHAM-fest, “The Quality of Mercy” combines a decent A-plot with a hilarious B-plot.On the “A” side, Dr. Franklin tries to uncover a medical fraud in Down Below, only to discover that June Lockhart actually has a legit piece of alien tech that can be used to heal, by transferring “life force” from on person to another. That it was originally used to execute criminals in its world of origin (their lives providing healing for some critically ill innocent) provides a whopper clue as to what’s eventually coming, as a ruthless serial killer, condemned to personality wipe, escapes (call that the C-plot) …<\/p>\n

(Interestingly enough, both the alien tech and the practice of personality wipes will pop up in later episodes, as will a parallel between June Lockhart’s career and Dr. Franklin. Also, June Lockhart is freaking scary<\/i> when she gets angry.)<\/p>\n

There’s a lot of Angry Garibaldi in that\u00a0C-plot, bu the way as well as a lot of Tormented Talia. Neither does the sort of job that will show up on anyone’s resume, though the serial killer is suitably creepy. That said, the whole issue of criminal punishment, capital punishment, and mind-wiping provides some interesting futurism-fodder.<\/p>\n

The “B” side has Londo taking Lennier under his wing to show him the seamy underside of B5 — mostly for Londo’s benefit. Things eventually go pear-shaped during a poker game, where an hitherto-unsuspected aspect of Centauri physiology is revealed, to a most amusing conclusion.<\/p>\n

Overall, despite the Chekhovian guns put up on the the mantle, there’s not a huge amount of arcishness to this Joe Straczynski episode, but it’s still entertaining, and a cut above a lot of earlier eps in the season.<\/p>\n

(Though they never share any scenes together, it’s also amusing seeing both June Lockhart and Bill Mumy in the same show again, three decades after “Lost in Space.”)<\/p>\n

Most Dramatic Moment:<\/b> June Lockhart, sweet and kind and saintly, reveals what happens when you threaten her, her daughter, and her friends.
\nMost Amusing Moment:<\/b> Lennier decides to take a vow of silence over what he’s just learned about Centauri physiology.
\nMost Arc-ish Moment:<\/b> Dr. Franklin gets a description of June Lockhart’s career and the mistakes she made along the way. Foreshadowing, much, Joe?
\nOverall Rating: \u00a03.5 \/ 5<\/b> – Solidly good, if relatively inconsequential, and hampered by some less-than-stellar acting. I take back an earlier note — this<\/i> is the last episode that Londo can be the happy-go-lucky sybarite he plays so often in Season 1. \u00a0Things start to go south for him right … about … now.<\/i><\/p>\n

Lurker\u2019s Guide: http:\/\/www.midwinter.com\/lurk\/countries\/us\/guide\/021.html<\/a>
\nBabylon Project: http:\/\/babylon5.wikia.com\/wiki\/The_Quality_of_Mercy<\/a>
\nIMDB: http:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0517712\/<\/a>
\nAV Club: http:\/\/www.avclub.com\/review\/babylon-5-babylon-squaredthe-quality-of-mercy-83593
\nNoise2Signal<\/a>: http:\/\/noise2sig.nl\/2011\/04\/15\/babylon-5-the-quality-of-mercy\/<\/a><\/p>\n

#babylon5<\/a> #b5<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\"\"<\/div>\n

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

A fairly solid episode that suffers mostly from being in the middle of the end-of-season WHAM-fest, “The Quality of Mercy” combines a decent A-plot with a hilarious B-plot.On the “A” side, Dr. Franklin tries to uncover a medical fraud in Down Below, only to discover that June Lockhart actually has a legit piece of alien … Continue reading “B5 Rewatch: 1×21 "The Quality of Mercy"”<\/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":"","_seopress_analysis_target_kw":"","_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":[106,362,715],"tags":[503,429],"class_list":["post-40884","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-plusposts","category-media-tv-babylon-5","category-crime-punishment","tag-b5","tag-babylon5"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":39953,"url":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2013\/12\/09\/b5-rewatch-s1e14-tko.html","url_meta":{"origin":40884,"position":0},"title":"B5 Rewatch: 1×14 "TKO"","author":"***Dave","date":"Mon 9-Dec-13 5:35pm","format":false,"excerpt":"Sigh. After the cosmic goodness of \"Signs and Portents,\" we get an episode that's ... eminently missable. \u00a0No, I mean it -- I rewatched it myself just to make sure it was as vapid as I remembered, and have been convinced it is.A-plot has an old boxing buddy of Garibaldi,\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":42283,"url":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2014\/05\/30\/b5-rewatch-2x19-divided-loyalties.html","url_meta":{"origin":40884,"position":1},"title":"B5 Rewatch: 2×19 "Divided Loyalties"","author":"***Dave","date":"Fri 30-May-14 6:42am","format":false,"excerpt":"As we move into the Final Four of the season, matters continue to escalate. In this episode, Our Heroes have to figure out who's the traitor among them before their conspiracy is brought to light to their enemies back on Earth.This is one of those episodes I remember as mind-blowing\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "~PlusPosts"","block_context":{"text":"~PlusPosts","link":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/category\/blogging\/plusposts"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/loyalties_337%5B1%5D.jpg.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":39071,"url":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2013\/10\/06\/b5-rewatch-1-07-the-war-prayer.html","url_meta":{"origin":40884,"position":2},"title":"B5 Rewatch: 1×07 "The War Prayer"","author":"***Dave","date":"Sun 6-Oct-13 9:20pm","format":false,"excerpt":"It's hard to tell where this episode falls flattest: with D. C. Fontana's preacherly story, or\u00a0Richard Compton's flat, broad direction.A-Plot: \u00a0Earth-Firsters (the \"Home Guard\") are trying to rid humanity of alien influences, and B5 is one of their battlefields. A Minbari poet (and friend of Delenn) is attacked, as are\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":40979,"url":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2014\/02\/02\/b5-rewatch-s2e02-revelations.html","url_meta":{"origin":40884,"position":3},"title":"B5 Rewatch: 2×02 "Revelations"","author":"***Dave","date":"Sun 2-Feb-14 10:34pm","format":false,"excerpt":"The third episode of the season transition, wrapping up the last of the (surface) mysteries raised in \"Chrysalis\"There are four main plots in this one. \u00a0The most overtly arc-ish A-plot is G'kar, who's gone hallooing off to find out who destroyed the big Narn outpost, and comes back convinced it's\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":38786,"url":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2013\/09\/21\/b5-rewatch-1-05-parliament-of-dreams.html","url_meta":{"origin":40884,"position":4},"title":"B5 Rewatch: 1×05 "Parliament of Dreams"","author":"***Dave","date":"Sat 21-Sep-13 12:37am","format":false,"excerpt":"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\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":39725,"url":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2013\/11\/14\/b5-rewatch-s1ep10-believers.html","url_meta":{"origin":40884,"position":5},"title":"B5 Rewatch: 1×10 "Believers"","author":"***Dave","date":"Thu 14-Nov-13 9:33pm","format":false,"excerpt":"Wait, this incredibly down-beat, painful , all-the-awful-feels episode was written by the same guy who did \"The Trouble with Tribbles\"?B5 runs one of its \"human social issues of the day writ large as weird aliens are different (but not all that different) from human\" tales. \u00a0An alien kid is sick.\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\/40884","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=40884"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40884\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":42292,"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40884\/revisions\/42292"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=40884"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=40884"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=40884"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}