"Walkabout" discussion

[ruuger]

This is the discussion post for the episode 3X18 "Walkabout". Spoilers for the whole of the series, including the spin-offs and tie-ins, are allowed here so newbies beware.

Summary:
Kosh' replacement arrives on B5, Sheridan and Lyta test Shadows' weakness, and Franklin tries to find himself on a walkabout in Downbelow.

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

Comments

[alexcat.livejournal.com]

Having just watched the episodes that were the best ones, in my opinion, this one was a let down. I'm not sure anyone really cared that Dr. Franklin ran off to find himself just when he was needed the most. I did enjoy the explanation of his 'walkabout' to Garibaldi.

The new Kosh was a jerk though his black suit was rather cool and I noticed that he didn't have angel wings like the old Kosh's. Lyta was not anyone I was glad to see too but having her show up just as Sheridan needed a teep... was it convenience or something more?

I did like the fact that G'kar was able to round up some support for Sheridan among the non-aligned worlds against the shadows.

[rpowell.livejournal.com]

Having just watched the episodes that were the best ones, in my opinion, this one was a let down. I'm not sure anyone really cared that Dr. Franklin ran off to find himself just when he was needed the most.


I keep forgetting how much Stephen Franklin is hated by many of the BABYLON 5 fandom. He is the one character who is constantly criticized more for his flaws than anyone else. Why, I do not know.

[selenak.livejournal.com]

Not so. Byron is still the universal champion of being more critisized than any other character. Honestly, I only ever met one B5 fan who actually liked Byron, and she was a teenage girl not on lj.

[ruuger]

I like Byron...

(well, more in theory (and through his relationship with Lyta) than in practice, but I don't hate him)

[selenak.livejournal.com]

:) I like his scenes with Bester. His with Lyta (and pretty much everyone else) make me cringe, but I do like that his death is the final step to her going Dark Phoenix. Anyway, with Byron I wonder whether another actor could have sold me on the character as this charismatic and flawed leader JMS seems to have intended him to be, or whether the writing wouldn't have worked even with a stellar performer, but be that as it may - he's lucky we got Jason Ironheart to compare him with. Is all I'm saying. :)

[kathrid.livejournal.com]

My opinion of Byron is similar. I feel he is over-hated because of the horribly sappy love arc, and his association with very bad community singing.

I've always felt that the whole pacifist/martyr thing he had going was intended to be an act. He rejected Bester so hard he was trying to be the complete antithesis, but then he's actually more sincere, interesting and likeable when he forgets his new persona, such as when he's talking to Bester in private or when he sets the telepaths on the station diplomats. The Real Byron is good to watch. The Fake Byron is just excrutiating.

[selenak.livejournal.com]

He rejected Bester so hard he was trying to be the complete antithesis, but then he's actually more sincere, interesting and likeable when he forgets his new persona,

*nods* That works for me on a Watsonian level.

[phoenix-silaqui.livejournal.com]

I like Byron too. Actually, I like Robin. He's hilarious.

[selenak.livejournal.com]

After the big two parter, this one is a quiet story which doesn't necessarily have to be a bad thing. I haven't rewatched this often, and so there were things I had just plain forgotten, such as the fact Ethan Rayne's, err, Robin Rachs' Narn shows up here, not just in s5, as well as G'Kar's entire subplot. Which was neat to see. (And one reason why I always feel slightly disgruntled about the early s4 implication that only Sheridan could hold the alliance together; imho, it would have made for a better and more democratic story if, like here, the individual members had been able to convince each other it's in everyone's interests to take risks and come through.)

Good old Stephen Franklin is the human cast member who gets laid the most often, but here his love interest of the week is actually there to make a point, and also for an unexpected twist - the first time I saw this episode, I expected there would be A Moral Lesson About Addiction to Franklin, but no, turns out she needs the opiates because of her lethal illness, and is doing the best she can with the short time she has left. I like that.

Kosh II: during first broadcast I thought, oh no, is JMS going to cheapen Kosh's death by introducing a replacement just like him? Should have known better, because we get signals this Vorlon isn't like Kosh early on, and it's not just via the darker colours of the encounter suit. The treatment of Lyta is abusive from the get go. (Which tells you something about not just the Vorlons, but also Lyta; she gave the Vorlons, not just Kosh but all the Vorlons, the same type of unconditional belief she had for the Corps before she got disillusioned, and she's about to be confronted with reality just as badly, if not worse.)

Continuity relevance: I misremembered something - I thought this was the first time we get a hint Lyta is now more than a P5, but actually, no, we don't. She does stop one Shadow vessel, but with difficulties, and it's no more than the Minbari telepaths (of unknown grades) do as well. Otoh, this is the first time we - and Lyta - find out something of original Kosh might have survived within Sheridan.

Not a favourite episode, but an okay one. And hey, next week comes the one JMS, no modest fellow, is ashamed for to this day, so...

[4thofeleven.livejournal.com]

Re: the Alliance - you know what I really appreciated? It's such a little thing, but I liked that the Brakiri and Gaim ambassadors got to sit at the table alongside G'Kar and Delenn. A lot of the rest of the series draws far too big a line between "Regular cast" and "Misc. aliens who should sit down, shut up and follow orders."

[selenak.livejournal.com]

Great point about the Brakiri and Gaim, you're right. I mean, I get that our regulars always could and should get the majority of the lines, but things like that help with the whole Alliance idea. (Reminds me of the detail with the Markab chair remaining empty for the rest of the season, which I appreciated back then, after they died.)

[4thofeleven.livejournal.com]

Probably the weakest episode in a very strong run on either side of it. Yeah, ‘Grey 17’ is silly – but it’s a fun sort of silly. This just feels like a waste of time.

I think the main problem is the A plot is focused exclusively on the least interesting regular character, Dr. Franklin. To a degree, the episode is almost commenting on the character as written – who is Franklin, besides his job? I don’t know, but unfortunately this episode doesn’t do much to make me care about him either. Londo might be an interesting enough character to justify an entire episode being written about him meeting an attractive woman and sleeping with her, but nobody else really is, let alone Franklin.

Oh, and can I just mention that the term ‘walkabout’ originated as something of a disparaging description by white landowners of the supposed tendency of Aboriginal workers to disappear for days at a time? In so far as ‘walkabout’ actually exists as an actual spiritual journey, it generally refers to coming-of-age ceremonies in which an adolescent will attempt to retrace the paths of his people’s mythical ancestors. Now it’s entirely possible that it’s intentional that Dr. Franklin has completely mangled the meaning and is cheerfully appropriating bits of a culture he knows nothing about, and that this is part of demonstrating he’s still a self-centred arrogant ass that needs a kick in the head, but it bugs me.

The plot with the singer might be also meant to illustrate that Franklin’s still being a judgemental ass – but it lacks any real bite since, well, Franklin is pretty justified in assuming the singer’s an addict after she’s, you know, asked him to buy her narcotics then stolen his wallet to buy some all without explaining that she has a legitimate need. It just feels pointless filler. Oh, and her looking through prisms thing? I guess it’s meant to be cute, but it seems like it’d really get on your nerves if you actually had to spend time with her.

Um. B-plot. I’m going to interpret it as symptomatic of Vorlon arrogance that Kosh2’s impersonation of Kosh consists entirely of saying “KOSH!”, rather than, you know, trying to get an encounter suit or ship that looks like Kosh’s. You will not question the Vorlon ambassador!

Man, Lyta gets no respect – I mean, I remembered nobody was really friends with her, but I’d forgotten that nobody even directly informed her Kosh was dead!

Oh, and what exactly is a Narn warship bringing to the fight that couldn’t be provided by, say, another Minbari cruiser?

[selenak.livejournal.com]

As one of the biggest Londo fans in the cosmos I still have to say G'Kar is also interesting enough to justify an A-Plot about him meeting an attractive woman and sleeping with her. :) (Not that we ever got it, but I always thought the backstory of his affair with Mariel would be fun, in a vicious Narn/Centauri kind of way, which is why I wrote it (http://archiveofourown.org/works/13991).)


Man, Lyta gets no respect – I mean, I remembered nobody was really friends with her, but I’d forgotten that nobody even directly informed her Kosh was dead!

To be fair, they probably didn't know how to reach her wherever she was, but Sheridan could have informed the customs people to let him know when she gets back to the station so he could tell her in person. Or have Ivanova do it, at least. But no, Lyta gets no respect. Which is why I always thought the s5 development when she finally hit her limit of being used was logical.

[widsidh.livejournal.com]

Oh, and what exactly is a Narn warship bringing to the fight that couldn’t be provided by, say, another Minbari cruiser?

Morale.

Also, Delenn may not have another cruiser to spare!

[lizbee.livejournal.com]

I have never actually managed to get through this episode, because I always watch as far as the explanation of what a walkabout is, and have to switch off.

Because while it's true that going walkabout was an essential part of some Indigenous Australian cultures, it is also part of a very old racist cliche, that Aboriginals are not to be relied upon, as they will go walkabout when there's hard work needing to be done. Those damn black people are just so lazy. Etc. I remember vividly reading dialogue along those lines in several Australian kids books from as late as the 1960s.

In short, aside from the fact that it hits me as being extra dodgy that it's The Only Black Regular who is going off on his own right before a really devastating and predictable war is about to begin, he's also saying, "BRB, have to achieve enlightenment through cultural appropriation". And that just makes me uncomfortable.

[widsidh.livejournal.com]

I think you are being over-sensitive here; it doesn't really compare.

Franklin is not an Aborigine but probably African-American (guessing by his Western name and American accent; I think it is never said - and it does not matter). He has dark skin colour but there the racial similarity ends; large parts of the world's population have dark skin. If he'd been shown with an American racist cliche, it would have been more worrying. I rather suspect that JMS just was not aware of this association in Australia.

Also, he is not claiming to perform an Aboriginal spiritual exercise, but one of th Foundation. He says the Foundation borrowed it from Aboriginal cultures, implying it has made it its own now - one may even speculate that parts of its practice were changed. Personally, I like the idea that the Foundation does not only incorporate Western religious traditions.

I think we are meant to see a character undergoing a spiritual exercise from his particular, inclusive religious background, no more no less.
B5 is one of the most tolerant and inclusive shows I've seen. Biggs himself has commented that he like playing a character rather than a *black* character in the show.

So go ahead, give it a chance!
It may not be the best episode in the season, but it ain't the worst either.

[lizbee.livejournal.com]

I think you are being over-sensitive here...

I'm sorry if recognising racism that originates from my own country seems over-sensitive.

Franklin is not an Aborigine but probably African-American (guessing by his Western name and American accent; I think it is never said - and it does not matter).

Er, yes. It is still appropriative.

If he'd been shown with an American racist cliche, it would have been more worrying. I rather suspect that JMS just was not aware of this association in Australia.

While I freely admit that I'm applying a 2010 sensibility to a late-'90s product, I am still uncomfortable with JMS unthinkingly reproducing Australian racism, and then applying it to his only regular character of colour. It's an ugly kind of carelessness borne of classic white privilege.

Also, he is not claiming to perform an Aboriginal spiritual exercise, but one of th Foundation.

Yes, hence the cultural appropriation.

He says the Foundation borrowed it from Aboriginal cultures, implying it has made it its own now - one may even speculate that parts of its practice were changed. Personally, I like the idea that the Foundation does not only incorporate Western religious traditions.

Appropriation seems to be the particular schtick of the Foundationists. If they put as little research and thought into their beliefs -- and apparently, speaking to an actual Indigenous Australian was beyond them -- I can only assume they spend a lot of time being laughed at.

I think we are meant to see a character undergoing a spiritual exercise from his particular, inclusive religious background, no more no less.

Yes, that is obviously what we are meant to see, but the result is considerably different. And I am white; I can only imagine what an Aboriginal person would make of it. The intent to be tolerant and inclusive is admirable, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't discuss what happens when intent doesn't match result.

So go ahead, give it a chance!

Er, no thank you.

[4thofeleven.livejournal.com]

It really is a problematic storyline on a lot of levels. And while I'm sure JMS was unfamiliar with the racist subtext of 'walkabout', it's not as if US culture is free of 'lazy, shiftless blacks' as a common trope - and if you're going to not just reference a foreign cultural practice but base an entire episode around the idea, it does behoove you to do your research properly...

[lizbee.livejournal.com]

Exactly. I wouldn't argue for a second that JMS was being deliberately offensive or careless, but at the same time, a little research never killed anybody.

[ruuger]

This has been bothering me all morning, and both Lurker's Guide and JMSNews fail me, but hasn't JMS said that Franklin's walkabout was based on his own experiences? Or am I just thinking about the mugging in "The Face of the Enemy"?

[phoenix-silaqui.livejournal.com]

No, I definitely remember him talking about that at some time. That sometimes, you just need to walk away from stuff for awhile and put things in perspective.

It could be in commentary, something he said off the cuff on the old fan club website, or in a documentary/dvd extra.

He could have been talking about both episodes stemming from the same experience also.

[algeh]

JMS talks about this starting on page 44 of volume 7 of the script books. Since he keeps on talking about it until page 48 of the book, that seems like too much to reasonably reproduce here and keep it under "fair use" even in the context of a review, but an brief summary would be that he talks about how his time with a cult ended badly, and he considers himself to have been going on Walkabout himself in some pretty bad neighborhoods after that much like Franklin did, leading to getting badly injured in a mugging. If you're really interested I suggest getting your hands on a copy of the book somehow, because he (obviously) goes into a lot more detail than I just did.

[vjs2259.livejournal.com]

I almost skipped this commentary cause I suspected it would go a bit aft agley. As it has, but here goes anyway.

Stephen's journey fascinates me, although I don't think it was particularly well done, it's a neat concept. I wonder at JMS's decision to place it here, and whether it was just done in order to culminate at Shadow Dancing. Also to give us some moral ambiguity (Is he deserting his post at a crucial juncture? Or taking himself out of the picture since he can no longer trust his own judgment?) Arrogance and a cultivated air of infallibility are pretty integral to the medical profession; constant second-guessing can be crippling,, although lack of self-reflection and humility is also disastrous. It's a narrow path to walk, and it's not surprising many fall to one side or the other.

I like Lyta's return, and her pathetic attempts to find out what happened to her boss?friend?patron?mentor? She really does have a basis for grievance. No wonder she hangs with Vorlons, they may only use her, but at least they see her. I really like Dr. Hobbes. And doesn't anyone in this crew watch fashion trends? First Londo's uniform changes, now Vorlons who like leather...not a good sign.

I always assumed Sheridan's later change in attitude towards Lyta came from his sense of betrayal?disgust? at the Vorlons and inability to trust her afterwards, but my husband made an interesting suggestion...that his sympathy towards Lyta here is Kosh reaching out to her. I really, really love that idea.

It's always interesting to see more of Downbelow and the citizenry therein. Cailyn's attitude towards staying where she is actually needed is a slap at Stephen although he doesn't get it yet. She's been pared down to her essence already; he's in the process. And give Stephen credit; he and Marcus are the only two who bother with lurkers (plus Garibaldi but except for oh, war veteran guy, name escapes me, it's in a policing way rather than helping or understanding way.)

I do know one other person who likes Byron, over at the B5 Podcast. Their commentary on S5 was rather interesting in that regard. Not quite enough to convince me, but interesting.

And frankly, any episode that gets Richard Biggs out of his shirt? Can't really call that a waste...