b5_revisited

Rewatch for Season 4, Episode 8 – The Illusion of Truth

Recap links:
Dreamwidth
Livejournal ‘
And The Lurker’s Guide to Babylon 5

So we find out that the truth is not only a 3 edged sword but it is also a relative term.

This was probably one of the most disturbing episodes because we know much of this type of thing happened here in the US and perhaps more than once. Many brilliant entertainers, writer and actors were ruined by the House Committee on Un-American Activities, which hunted Communists from 1938 until it was renamed in 1969, and finally disbanded in 1975. We all had Senator McCarthy hunting communists in the early 50s. We just got rid of our latest President Clark though his coup d’etat was less successful than Clark’s was.

The reporter told the truth – from a “certain point of view” to steal a phrase from another sci-fi franchise.

I wonder why John actually thought he’d get a fair shake – why did he believe the reporter? We all knew how bad it was going to be, didn’t we? I actually came to hate Garibaldi during this period and never really got an warm fuzzy feeling about him after this.

It left some big lingering questions:
1. Who showed the reporter the unit where the teeps were stored?
2. Why does Garibaldi hate Sheridan so thoroughly? Is it all programming?
3. Is Clark about to take Mars back? Or is that just a lie?
4. Are you sure your own government isn’t as insidious as Clark’s?
5. And why is the common citizen so gullible as to believe such things as the junk this reporter reported to the people of Earth? It is any different than FOX news?

And with that, I shall stop before I preach an entire sermon!