"Lines of Communication" discussion

[ruuger]

This is the discussion post for the episode 4X11 "Lines of Communication". Spoilers for the whole of the series, including the spin-offs and tie-ins, are allowed here so newbies beware.

Summary:
Marcus and Franklin try to convince the Martian resistance leaders to join Sheridan's cause. Delenn investigates mysterious attacks against Minbari allies

Extra reading:
The article for "Lines of Communication" at The Lurker's Guide.

Comments

[kungfuwaynewho.livejournal.com]

Sheridan gets an idea: the scenes with him and Ivanova remind me that their friendship is one of the few and successful m/f (without UST ever entering the picture) friendships on tv, and I really, really enjoy watching it this time around.

So true. That's actually one of my long-standing pet peeves wrt TV relationships, that you never see a man and woman just be friends with nothing else getting in the way. Actually, it was nice in general to see a character like Ivanova mostly defined by her own character and not a string of hook-ups with the other men in the cast, as is par for the course with most other shows. I know I've read complaints about the way JMS writes romance, but give me telegraphed couples and overblown dialogue - and a greater emphasis on platonic, strong professional relationships - over shipper baiting and do-si-so partner switching any day.

[selenak.livejournal.com]

Actually, it was nice in general to see a character like Ivanova mostly defined by her own character and not a string of hook-ups with the other men in the cast, as is par for the course with most other shows.

Quite true. Her relationship with Talia and Marcus' crush on her aren't what she's about, they're simply part of her life, and not the one which gets the most screentime.

JMS and romance: well, he outdid himself with the epic Londo/G'Kar I'm okay with his writing in this regard for the most part. His weaknesses as a writer to me are in other areas. And he's really good with friendships and complicated in-between-relationships.

[kungfuwaynewho.livejournal.com]

NGL, I would kill for that fake script I've read about with Londo/G'Kar action. And honestly, if you allow for romances without a sexual component, I'd argue that Londo/G'Kar IS the epic romance of the show.

I was pretty happy with JMS's writing with the other couples, too. I mean, I was a handful of episodes into season two and thought, "John and Delenn are pretty. I like them together. Too bad that'll never happen," so you can imagine how exciting the last couple months were for me. But he definitely doesn't write "TV romances," which is pretty refreshing.

[voxwoman.livejournal.com]

It's in the last script book (and I believe it was also in a magazine published a billion years ago).