"Severed Dreams" discussion

[ruuger]

This is the discussion post for the episode 3X10, "Severed Dreams". Spoilers for the whole of the series, including the spin-offs and tie-ins, are allowed here so newbies beware.

Summary:
Babylon 5 secedes from the Earth Alliance as a protest to President Clark's actions.

Extra reading:
The article for "Severed Dreams" at Lurker's Guide.

Comments

[selenak.livejournal.com]

An exciting conclusion to the inofficial three parter. The suspense still upholds during rewatching.

I had forgotten "Hague introduced me to him" scene on the Alexander which I rather loved this time around. If you tell a civil war story, you should include the poignancy of firing on people you know and like, and while JMS doesn't really show the faces of the loyalists in this particular episode and doesn't flesh out someone who remained on the Clark side until Lochley much later, this scene does a great job of underlining the "other side" is human in every sense of the word, and that there are friends there.

It continues to crack me up that Londo sees the big human civil war mostly as a travel inconvenience for Centauri.

Sheridan and his father quote about "never start a fight, always finish it": you can tell how much JMS liked that line since he also gave it to Angelina Jolie in The Changeling last year.

Just as it pleased me last week that we saw one security officer refusing to join up before Garibaldi entered the room, this time it pleases me one officer at Ops leaves when Sheridan says they can, because not EVERYONE joining up, for good or ill, is always way more realistic.

It occurs to me that the portrayal of ISN in this and all the previous Earth secession episodes is the most positive depiction reporters ever get on B5, showing them as brave sources of truth instead of bashing them as intrusive and questioning Our Heroes. Of course, next time we see a reporter they're propaganda tools, but I actually don't mind that so much since it's what would happen in a fascist regime.

This episode has Delenn at her coolest, but I'm torn in my response between what I feel when watching and what I feel when thinking about it later. Both her overwhelming that guard at the Grey Council ship by sheer force of personality, then breaking up the Grey Council, and her coming to rescue at the last moment for Sheridan & Co. make me viscerally cheer for her while they happen. BUT. Later. The thing is, Delenn when blaming the Grey Council for their not wanting to get involved with other races etc, blaming the Warrior Caste for not fighting etc., saying she warned them for three years etc., is a bit rich if you consider: they offered her the top job two years ago, and she refused. She basically turned her back on the responsibility because she liked her life on B5 better (and because she believed the prophecy was about her, and wanted to make that true). (And that's not mentioning that the Warrior Caste wasn't the one who started the Earth/Minbari war, and that they weren't told why it ended; in their place, I'd be somewhat sceptical on believing Delenn on whether or not a war is worth fighting as well.) If she had been willing to become leader of the Grey Council, she could have implement crucial changes in Minbari foreign and interior policy, but she did not. Also, note she does not mention the worker's caste at all, which jives with her s4 "YOU have forgotten the workers" - so did she.

I guess what I'm trying to get is that Delenn tends to blame anyone but herself for the Minbari political situation, and that this is hypocritical because she certainly is to blame for some of it. Otoh, brooding would not have gotten her anywhere in this particular situation, action was called for, and I love when she gets things done. So I can't say I wish her scenes differently.

[nolivingman.livejournal.com]

It occurs to me that the portrayal of ISN in this and all the previous Earth secession episodes is the most positive depiction reporters ever get on B5

I love the tag when they come back after the battle for Earth. That was a great follow-up.

I think you have a point about Delenn, but in this case I think the fact that she was able to galvanize them into action was the point (as you say in your last paragraph). I mean, I believe Neroon has a point about her taking this prophecy as reason to do this being sketchy, but it was still the right thing to do, IMO.

[selenak.livejournal.com]

I love the tag when they come back after the battle for Earth. That was a great follow-up.


Oh, me too! I'm so glad they got the actress back because having the same reporter return had a big emotional impact.

I think you have a point about Delenn, but in this case I think the fact that she was able to galvanize them into action was the point (as you say in your last paragraph). I mean, I believe Neroon has a point about her taking this prophecy as reason to do this being sketchy, but it was still the right thing to do, IMO.

*nods* Absolutely, and I wouldn't have wanted Delenn NOT to galvanize them into action or spend three weeks in extensive debates first. It's just that these scenes have more ambiguity to them than I felt the first few times around when I was simply all "hell, yeah!" about pretty much all Delenn scenes in the episode, and I find this ambiguity only enriches them.