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							|  | <h2><a name="OV">Overview</a></h2> | 
						
						
							|  | 
 | 
						
						
							|  | <blockquote><cite> | 
						
						
							|  | An internal affairs investigation of Sinclair forces him to answer for his | 
						
						
							|  | recent command decisions. | 
						
						
							|  | Ivanova confronts a member of Psi-Corps, as well as her own fears, when | 
						
						
							|  | she is told to submit to a scan. | 
						
						
							|  | </cite> | 
						
						
							|  | 
 | 
						
						
							|  | <a href="http://us.imdb.com/M/person-exact?+Martin,+Gregory+Paul">Gregory Martin</a> as Col. Ari Ben Zayn. | 
						
						
							|  | <a href="http://us.imdb.com/M/person-exact?+Combs,+Jeffrey">Jeffrey Combs</a> as Harriman Gray. | 
						
						
							|  | </blockquote> | 
						
						
							|  | 
 | 
						
						
							|  | <pre> | 
						
						
							|  | Sub-genre: Intrigue | 
						
						
							|  | <a href="/lurk/p5/intro.html">P5 Rating</a>: <a href="/lurk/p5/016">8.16</a> | 
						
						
							|  | 
 | 
						
						
							|  | Production number: 122 | 
						
						
							|  | Original air date: July 13, 1994 | 
						
						
							|  | <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00006HAZ4/thelurkersguidet">DVD release date</a>: November 5, 2002 | 
						
						
							|  | 
 | 
						
						
							|  | Written by Larry DiTillio | 
						
						
							|  | Directed by Jim Johnston | 
						
						
							|  | </pre> | 
						
						
							|  | 
 | 
						
						
							|  | <h3>Watch For:</h3> | 
						
						
							|  | <ul> | 
						
						
							|  | <li> | 
						
						
							|  | Some alarming developments on the Mars colony. | 
						
						
							|  | <li> | 
						
						
							|  | A possible change in Ivanova's attitude toward Talia Winters. | 
						
						
							|  | </ul> | 
						
						
							|  | 
 | 
						
						
							|  | <p> | 
						
						
							|  | <hr size=3> | 
						
						
							|  | <p> | 
						
						
							|  | 
 | 
						
						
							|  | <h2><a name="BP">Backplot</a></h2> | 
						
						
							|  | <ul> | 
						
						
							|  | <li> | 
						
						
							|  | The unrest on Mars is continuing to escalate; now the separatists have | 
						
						
							|  | started carrying out terrorist attacks and are arming themselves.  (cf. | 
						
						
							|  | <a href="018.html">"A Voice in the Wilderness"</a>) | 
						
						
							|  | </ul> | 
						
						
							|  | 
 | 
						
						
							|  | <h2><a name="UQ">Unanswered Questions</a></h2> | 
						
						
							|  | <ul> | 
						
						
							|  | <li> | 
						
						
							|  | How will the powerful backers of the investigation react to Ben Zayn's | 
						
						
							|  | failure? | 
						
						
							|  | </ul> | 
						
						
							|  | 
 | 
						
						
							|  | <h2><a name="AN">Analysis</a></h2> | 
						
						
							|  | <ul> | 
						
						
							|  | <li> | 
						
						
							|  | Several interesting hints about Ivanova and Talia Winters are dropped, most | 
						
						
							|  | notably the fact that Ivanova was thinking of Winters when she and Gray were | 
						
						
							|  | talking in the lounge.  Ivanova's insistence that no one must ever intrude | 
						
						
							|  | upon the memory of her mother's telepathic contact may foreshadow a less | 
						
						
							|  | adversarial relationship between the two of them in the future.  (cf. | 
						
						
							|  | <a href="006.html#AN.4">"Mind War"</a>) | 
						
						
							|  | <li> | 
						
						
							|  | The fact that Bester was able to intervene in the investigation at all | 
						
						
							|  | suggests that he, and possibly Psi Cops in general, wield a lot of power | 
						
						
							|  | in the Psi Corps.  It is also conceivable that Bester and at least some of | 
						
						
							|  | the factions in the Senate who backed the investigation are related. | 
						
						
							|  | <li> | 
						
						
							|  | Is Ivanova's reluctance to be scanned simply what she says it is -- a result | 
						
						
							|  | of her contact with her mother and her general hatred of Psi Corps -- or does | 
						
						
							|  | she more immediate reasons, perhaps something to hide? | 
						
						
							|  | </ul> | 
						
						
							|  | 
 | 
						
						
							|  | <h2><a name="NO">Notes</a></h2> | 
						
						
							|  | <ul> | 
						
						
							|  |    <li> Lennier's chant, "Za ba ga bee," is the title of an album by Barnes and | 
						
						
							|  | 	Barnes, of which Bill Mumy is a member.  (See | 
						
						
							|  | 	<a href="#JS:zaba">jms speaks</a>) | 
						
						
							|  |    <li>	One of the masked men in Ivanova's dream is played by Macauley | 
						
						
							|  | 	Bruton, who also plays Garibaldi's aide in | 
						
						
							|  | 	<a href="006.html">"Mind War,"</a> | 
						
						
							|  | 	<a href="008.html">"And the Sky Full of Stars,"</a> | 
						
						
							|  | 	and | 
						
						
							|  | 	<a href="022.html">"Chrysalis."</a> | 
						
						
							|  | 	See | 
						
						
							|  | 	<a href="#JS.mac">jms speaks.</a> | 
						
						
							|  | </ul> | 
						
						
							|  | 
 | 
						
						
							|  | <h2><a name="JS">jms speaks</a></h2> | 
						
						
							|  | <ul> | 
						
						
							|  |    <li> The last episode [of Season 1] to be shot will be Larry DiTillio's | 
						
						
							|  | 	"Eyes," which is sort of a nice wrap-up to the season, almost an | 
						
						
							|  | 	overview.  Once again, nothing that happens this season is simply | 
						
						
							|  | 	forgotten...and a *lot* of it comes due in this episode.  It actually | 
						
						
							|  | 	manages to incorporate references to about 6 prior episodes without | 
						
						
							|  | 	being obscure about it. | 
						
						
							|  | 
 | 
						
						
							|  | <p> | 
						
						
							|  |    <li> BTW...about the time we were delivering "Eyes," somebody on one of  | 
						
						
							|  | 	the nets was going on and on about how "B5 continuity *stinks*...I'll | 
						
						
							|  | 	bet we NEVER hear about Deathwalker again, or the strike, or the  | 
						
						
							|  | 	Vorlons killing Deathwalker, or Raghesh 3...." | 
						
						
							|  | 
 | 
						
						
							|  | 	<p> | 
						
						
							|  | 	And seeing what was at that moment on my TV, I wanted to reach through | 
						
						
							|  | 	the computer monitor, roll up my forefinger, and *plink* that person | 
						
						
							|  | 	right upside the nose. | 
						
						
							|  | 
 | 
						
						
							|  | 	<p> | 
						
						
							|  | 	Unfortunately, I have not yet found a modem program that supports this | 
						
						
							|  | 	feature. | 
						
						
							|  | 
 | 
						
						
							|  | 	<p> | 
						
						
							|  | 	But Ron is promising me something by the Fall.... | 
						
						
							|  | 
 | 
						
						
							|  | <p> | 
						
						
							|  |    <li> The other thing about "Eyes," btw, is that it's not something dumped | 
						
						
							|  | 	in outta nowhere to make a conflict; it's the direct payoff of events | 
						
						
							|  | 	that take place throughout the season where Sinclair breaks or bends | 
						
						
							|  | 	the rules.  Lots of people on the various nets said, "Yeah, there he | 
						
						
							|  | 	goes, breaking the rules in the strike, but is this every gonna pay | 
						
						
							|  | 	off?  No, probably not."  If we're consistent with reality, and with | 
						
						
							|  | 	our story, and Sinclair's broken some rules, and pissed off some  | 
						
						
							|  | 	people back home, then it is *inevitable* that this will eventually | 
						
						
							|  | 	come home to roost in the form of an investigation. | 
						
						
							|  | 
 | 
						
						
							|  | <p> | 
						
						
							|  |    <li> BTW, for those who saw the promo for "Eyes" at the end of "Grail," I | 
						
						
							|  | 	have *no* idea what it has to do with the episode.  Sometimes they | 
						
						
							|  | 	"enhance" the story to make it promote-able...but I think this time | 
						
						
							|  | 	they "enhanced" it right into a parallel dimension.... | 
						
						
							|  | 
 | 
						
						
							|  | <p> | 
						
						
							|  |    <li> <a name="JS:zaba"><em>Was Lennier's chant scripted?</em></a><br> | 
						
						
							|  | 	When it came time for that chant, nothing had been scripted; it was | 
						
						
							|  | 	supposed to be a soft, under one's breath kind of chant.  Bill came and | 
						
						
							|  | 	asked me and Larry if we had anything in mind.  We said no, whatever you | 
						
						
							|  | 	decide is fine...and he ended up chanting his album cover. | 
						
						
							|  | 	<p> | 
						
						
							|  | 	Later...*much*...later...when I discovered this, we discussed it at | 
						
						
							|  | 	some length. | 
						
						
							|  | 
 | 
						
						
							|  | <p> | 
						
						
							|  |    <li>	<a name="JS.mac">There's another reason</a> | 
						
						
							|  | 	why Macauley was used as Tragedy in a dream | 
						
						
							|  | 	mainly centered around Psi Corps; it's not really something anybody | 
						
						
							|  | 	needs to see or catch.  After "Revelations," it'll be clearer. | 
						
						
							|  | 
 | 
						
						
							|  | <p> | 
						
						
							|  |    <li> Actually, ben-Zayn is an Middle Eastern/Arabic name. | 
						
						
							|  | 
 | 
						
						
							|  | <p> | 
						
						
							|  |    <li> I believe the bike in question was a Ninja.  And Jerry Doyle is | 
						
						
							|  | 	something of an enthusiast, which is part of what led us to that. | 
						
						
							|  | 
 | 
						
						
							|  | <p> | 
						
						
							|  |    <li> Correct; Kawasaki did not pay us a dime to use the bike in the show. | 
						
						
							|  | 	We called around, to see who would loan us a bike, with the  | 
						
						
							|  | 	understanding that we'd be tearing it apart.  Because Kawasaki does | 
						
						
							|  | 	advertise with some of the PTEN shows, someone there had a  | 
						
						
							|  | 	relationship with the company, and gave us a name.  After we tried a | 
						
						
							|  | 	couple of other companies, we tried Kawasaki, and they agreed...not a | 
						
						
							|  | 	donated bike, just a loaner.  And that's what we used. | 
						
						
							|  | 
 | 
						
						
							|  | <p> | 
						
						
							|  |    <li> The masks were the basic (though somewhat modified) tragedy and | 
						
						
							|  | 	comedy masks, associated with theater.  And a couple of times,  | 
						
						
							|  | 	Ivanova's mother does use the Russian nickname for her as well as  | 
						
						
							|  | 	the English version.  Susan was taught and raised to a large extent | 
						
						
							|  | 	overseas, and they always tried to keep her in both worlds. | 
						
						
							|  | 
 | 
						
						
							|  | <p> | 
						
						
							|  |    <li> Yes, Psi Corps members must wear the Psi symbol at all times when in | 
						
						
							|  | 	public.  (Though since Grey was there undercover, that briefly went | 
						
						
							|  | 	by the boards.) | 
						
						
							|  | 
 | 
						
						
							|  | <p> | 
						
						
							|  |    <li> New Jerusalem is a planet; there's a side-story about it that I'm | 
						
						
							|  | 	contemplating getting into, so don't want to blow it here. | 
						
						
							|  | 
 | 
						
						
							|  | <p> | 
						
						
							|  |    <li> . . . Let me only emphasize some stuff here.  As stated, Larry never | 
						
						
							|  | 	SAW the Drumhead.  We generally make it a point NOT to watch what's | 
						
						
							|  | 	done on ST to avoid being influenced.  Second, the basic ending which | 
						
						
							|  | 	you feel is strictly ST's can be seen in the Caine Mutiny, A Few Good | 
						
						
							|  | 	Men and others.  "Eyes" was a direct consequence of all that preceded | 
						
						
							|  | 	it in our first season.  It came about because Larry suggested that  | 
						
						
							|  | 	with all that Sinclair has done, sooner or later somebody's going to | 
						
						
							|  | 	take notice back on Earth.  There would have to be some kind of  | 
						
						
							|  | 	investigation.  Because we are doing some very specific things with  | 
						
						
							|  | 	the Psi Corps this year and next, which I wanted to foreshadow, a PC  | 
						
						
							|  | 	telepath was inserted into the story, to show that they are starting  | 
						
						
							|  | 	to get a foothold into the military, with new laws concerning scans. | 
						
						
							|  | 
 | 
						
						
							|  | 	<p> | 
						
						
							|  | 	We knocked the story back and forth for some time, and it went through | 
						
						
							|  | 	many different permutations.  We also figured that the episode should | 
						
						
							|  | 	be kind of a Cliff's Notes guide to season one, hitting the high  | 
						
						
							|  | 	points for those who joined the series later than those who were here  | 
						
						
							|  | 	at the beginning.  The ending also went through various changes, but  | 
						
						
							|  | 	what made the most logical sense was to get the Colonel to admit bias | 
						
						
							|  | 	in some fashion or another...and the only way to do this really was to | 
						
						
							|  | 	get him so angry, so furious, that he'd incriminate himself enough, or | 
						
						
							|  | 	open the door enough for Mr. Grey to verify the bias. | 
						
						
							|  | 
 | 
						
						
							|  | 	<p> | 
						
						
							|  | 	That was how the structure was arrived at.  I was there.  It had | 
						
						
							|  | 	nothing -- *nothing* -- whatsoever to do with the Drumhead, which I | 
						
						
							|  | 	have a vague memory was written by Jeri Taylor, who is a friend of  | 
						
						
							|  | 	mine, and further invalidates the very idea. | 
						
						
							|  | 
 | 
						
						
							|  | <p> | 
						
						
							|  |    <li> Mr. Grey would've been a P10.  PsiCops are P12s. | 
						
						
							|  | 
 | 
						
						
							|  | 	<p> | 
						
						
							|  | 	PsiCorps administrators at the upper reaches are P11 or better. | 
						
						
							|  | 
 | 
						
						
							|  | <p> | 
						
						
							|  |    <li> Grey reached into Ben Zayn's head and, for lack of a better term,  | 
						
						
							|  | 	pushed his "pain button," the same way you can stimulate someone's | 
						
						
							|  | 	memory or physical sensations with an electrode or chemicals.  It was | 
						
						
							|  | 	only a second, and he would've shrugged it off quickly, had Sinclair | 
						
						
							|  | 	not been there to follow up. | 
						
						
							|  | 
 | 
						
						
							|  | </ul>
 |