babylon5_love | Rewatch: "Severed Dreams"

Several things stuck me on re-watching this:
Delenn being amazing
Someone using a fire extinguisher to put out the fires in C&C (just in the background while Sheridan is giving orders)
How selfish Sheridan was to break the comms blackout to contact his family without letting anyone else do so
The reflections of the Major on the impact of the civil war (knowing the people on the other side) -- as for us we don't know or see the other side

The other thing was wondering if the Vorlons had some ships lurking nearby so that they could save B5 if needed... given that they are now committed to the alliance and Sheridan and Delenn as leaders.... and that the treaties would give then an excuse.

Maybe the Vorlons looked on it as yet another test. If they lost the battle they weren't the right people in the right place at the right time. Vorlons play a long game.

Maybe - you can never tell with Vorlons.

I watched Point and Dreams back to back tonight. I may have to recover a bit before commenting.

True confession: I taught my children to recite Delenn's speech along with me in the car. "Be somewhere else" works really well in traffic. They luckily have forgotten this episode.

This episode was one of my favorites... there is nothing like seeing the Minbari ships come through those jump gates. And Delenn - seeing her stick out her chin in the Grey Council and break the staff. She was quite magnificent.

There were small moments though - when the major mentioned the cost of fighting their own people and how he'd have to inform the families of those he'd killed, the Narns suffering and dying on the floor when they fought the soldiers who were trying to board, the look on Corwin's face after the battle - the real costs of war, especially a civil war.

when the major mentioned the cost of fighting their own people and how he'd have to inform the families of those he'd killed

That's one my my favourite moments as well, when the major tells how the captain of the ship they just destroyed had a cat named Max. And I like how in the end it really isn't just Our Heroes and the Others, when Lochley is later revealed to have fought on the opposing side.

Another great moment in this episde is the destruction of Churchill, when as her last act its captain decides to ram to the enemy ship.

Don't get me wrong, I adore Major Ryan, but rewatching this just made me wish it was him, rather than Hiroshi, who bought it. Because she had so little screentime and yet in it managed to make me want to know EVERYTHING ABOUT HER. :-(

Other than that...everything I would want to say would just be a repeat of what's already been said. *g* Definitely one of my favorite Delenn moments, and not at all surprised this episode won a Hugo.

I adore Major Ryan, but rewatching this just made me wish it was him, rather than Hiroshi, who bought it.

I'd never thought of that before, but not I actually think that would have been brilliant. We spend the episode with Ryan only for him to make the noble sacrifice at the end, rather than Hiroshi coming in halfway through and then dying ten minutes later. And since Ryan is never seen again there's no reason it couldn't have gone the other way.

And I actually think it would have been even more brilliant before the recasting, because we'd been building up Hague as the leader or the rebellion and suddenly removing him from action would explain how Sheridan ends up in command of the rebels. I guess that's kind of what the cast change does but it would have been more dramatic to see it.

...why *don't* we hear about the Alexander during the Earth War? For that matter, I've always wondered what happened to the other rebel ships after this, because we know they didn't get involved in the Shadow War and when the Earth War starts it seems Sheridan has to start from scratch in terms of having Earth ships on his side. And at this point it's hard to imagine what the plot would have been if Hague had still been a figure in the story, because from a story perspective wouldn't JMS have always wanted it to be Sheridan and not Hague commanding?

None of which are marks against this episode, but it does leave some openings causing story cracks (not quite plot holes but cracks) down the road.

Delenn. Just Delenn. I love the episodes where she is awesome and badass and shows why she is respected and feared and is not just there to give out pithy advice.

And you start to see the cost of war here both with the major's comments and with the Narn. Oh the poor Narn. Every time it hurts.

Rewatch: "Severed Dreams"

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