You can not select more than 25 topics
Topics must start with a letter or number, can include dashes ('-') and can be up to 35 characters long.
825 lines
34 KiB
825 lines
34 KiB
<h2><a name="OV">Overview</a></h2>
|
|
|
|
<blockquote><cite>
|
|
First Season finale. A dying man leads Garibaldi to a discovery that could
|
|
cost him his life. Londo receives help in a dispute with the Narns.
|
|
Something begins to happen to Delenn.
|
|
</cite>
|
|
|
|
<a href="http://us.imdb.com/M/person-exact?+Bruton,+Macaulay">Macaulay Bruton</a> as Garibaldi's aide.
|
|
<a href="http://us.imdb.com/M/person-exact?+Conery,+Edward">Edward Conery</a> as Devereaux.
|
|
<a href="http://us.imdb.com/M/person-exact?+Wasser,+Ed">Ed Wasser</a> as Morden.
|
|
</blockquote>
|
|
|
|
<pre>
|
|
Sub-genre: Intrigue
|
|
<a href="/lurk/p5/intro.html">P5 Rating</a>: <a href="/lurk/p5/022">9.38</a>
|
|
|
|
Production number: 112
|
|
Original air date: October 26, 1994 <a href="#NO:UK">(*)</a>
|
|
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00006HAZ4/thelurkersguidet">DVD release date</a>: November 5, 2002
|
|
|
|
Written by J. Michael Straczynski
|
|
Directed by Janet Greek
|
|
</pre>
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00000ADJN/thelurkersguidet">An episodic soundtrack is available.</a>
|
|
|
|
<h3>Watch for:</h3>
|
|
<ul>
|
|
<li> A convenient departure just before an important event.
|
|
</ul>
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<hr size=3>
|
|
<p>
|
|
|
|
<h2><a name="BP">Backplot</a></h2>
|
|
<ul>
|
|
<li> Before the Centauri occupation, Narn was a peaceful, agrarian world.
|
|
</ul>
|
|
|
|
<h2><a name="UQ">Unanswered Questions</a></h2>
|
|
<ul>
|
|
<li> What is happening to Delenn?
|
|
<li> What does it have to do with Kosh, or with the Vorlons? Why did
|
|
seeing Kosh help Delenn make up her mind?
|
|
<li> What was the question she had Lennier relay?
|
|
<li> What is the function of the triluminary in Delenn's device?
|
|
<li> What is the function of the device itself?
|
|
<li> Why did Delenn want to tell Sinclair what happened on the Line?
|
|
<li> Who's behind the plot to kill President Santiago?
|
|
<li> Why were the jammers and triangulation devices being shipped
|
|
through Babylon 5?
|
|
<li> Why did Garibaldi's aide kill Devereaux?
|
|
<li> What are G'Kar's suspicions about the attack on the military base?
|
|
<li> What do the Shadows want from Londo once he's in a position of power?
|
|
<li> What were the invisible creatures in the room with Morden? If they
|
|
were Shadows, why did they come to Babylon 5 themselves, assuming
|
|
Morden was still on the station? For that matter, <em>how</em> did
|
|
they get onto Babylon 5? On someone else's ship, or is one of theirs
|
|
parked outside, invisible to everyone?
|
|
<li> How did Morden know that Londo's name was being spoken in the highest
|
|
circles of the Centauri government?
|
|
<li> How did Kosh know that Sinclair had forgotten something? Does he
|
|
know what Delenn was planning to tell Sinclair, and if so, does that
|
|
imply he was involved in what happened on the Line?
|
|
<li> Was Garibaldi's friend Lianna Kemmer (cf.
|
|
<a href="011.html">"Survivors"</a>)
|
|
on Earth Force One when it exploded?
|
|
</ul>
|
|
|
|
<h2><a name="AN">Analysis</a></h2>
|
|
<ul>
|
|
<li> The fact that Delenn decided to go ahead with the change after Kosh
|
|
revealed himself to her implies that there may be a much closer
|
|
relationship between the Minbari and the Vorlons than has previously
|
|
been suggested. It is even possible that Delenn is turning into a
|
|
Vorlon somehow, and that Kosh showed her he resembled a Minbari. On
|
|
the other hand, that doesn't explain Kosh's interest in humans, who
|
|
he arguably doesn't consider another race (cf.
|
|
<a href="007.html#UQ:3">"The War Prayer."</a>)
|
|
<li> Morden seems to be more than just a representative for the Shadows;
|
|
they seemed to be consulting with him. If he were a mere spokesman,
|
|
why would he reassure his masters?
|
|
<li> The Vice President is a prime suspect in the plot to kill President
|
|
Santiago. He just happened to leave the President's ship shortly
|
|
before the assassination attempt. He also presumably would be able to
|
|
arrange for an unregistered weapon for Devereaux -- or perhaps
|
|
Devereaux really <em>was</em> an agent working under the
|
|
Vice President, in a capacity so secret Garibaldi couldn't find any
|
|
reference to him.
|
|
<li> Casting more suspicion on the Vice President, and adding a darker,
|
|
more sinister note, is the newspaper headline from
|
|
<a href="008.html#NO:1">"And the Sky Full of Stars"</a> --
|
|
"Psi Corps in Election Tangle: Did Psi-Corps Violate its Charter
|
|
by Endorsing Vice President?"
|
|
<li> It's still not entirely clear where Garibaldi's aide's loyalty lies.
|
|
The killing of Devereaux and his men suggests there may be more than
|
|
one level of deception at work. Or perhaps he was simply under orders
|
|
to tie up loose ends and wanted to ensure Devereaux could never
|
|
blow his cover if apprehended.
|
|
<li> The Shadows may have been the force overrunning Garibaldi's position
|
|
in the flashforward from
|
|
<a href="020.html">"Babylon Squared."</a>
|
|
They may also be what the crazed man in that episode was shouting
|
|
about when he referred to invisible monsters.
|
|
<li> Chrysalis is the third stage in insect development (egg, pupa,
|
|
chrysalis, and adult form.) There may be some relation to the third
|
|
age of mankind referenced in the opening monologue.
|
|
<li> Delenn has obviously seen her change coming for quite some time;
|
|
she has been building the crystal device in her quarters almost from
|
|
day one. Her compatriots on the Grey Council appear to largely be
|
|
in the dark about it, though perhaps not all of them, as one of them
|
|
did give her the triluminary (cf.
|
|
<a href="020.html">"Babylon Squared."</a>)
|
|
<li> Delenn's ability to breathe the atmosphere in Kosh's quarters with
|
|
only a single whiff of air from a mask is further evidence of some
|
|
connection between Vorlons and Minbari. Or it could just mean the
|
|
Minbari don't need much oxygen (or that both Kosh's air and the
|
|
normal station air contain whatever they <em>do</em> need.)
|
|
<li> She has been disobeying the Council's order about Sinclair, perhaps
|
|
ever since
|
|
<a href="008.html">"And the Sky Full of Stars."</a>
|
|
That suggests she may have intentionally been hiding her upcoming
|
|
transformation from them, as well. Otherwise it would presumably
|
|
have come up when they considered her for the leadership of the
|
|
Council (cf.
|
|
<a href="020.html">"Babylon Squared."</a>)
|
|
<li> Londo's disgust about the deaths of the Narn suggest he may not be
|
|
the iron-fisted leader the Shadows appear to be looking for (cf.
|
|
<a href="013.html">"Signs and Portents,"</a>
|
|
in which Morden appeared to be looking for someone ruthless and
|
|
ambitious.) In the future he may be placed in the position of
|
|
deciding whether people live or die, and may have to act against
|
|
the Shadows' wishes.
|
|
<li> G'Kar may be returning home to try to warn his superiors that a
|
|
sixth race exists and is out to get them. Whether he has deduced
|
|
that the intent is to cause war between the Narns and the Centauri
|
|
(if, indeed, that <em>is</em> what the Shadows are up to) is an
|
|
interesting question. It is also not clear what the Narns could do
|
|
about the situation even if the leadership was convinced there was
|
|
another player in the game; the Shadows appear to have an overwhelming
|
|
technological advantage over most of the other races.
|
|
<li> On the other hand, the Shadows did dispatch four ships to take care
|
|
of the Narn outpost. That suggests that one ship might not have been
|
|
enough, in turn implying limits to their power.
|
|
<li> "And so it begins," says Kosh. That's the same line spoken by Delenn
|
|
during the ceremony in
|
|
<a href="005.html">"The Parliament of Dreams,"</a>
|
|
after Sinclair eats the fruit. Perhaps Kosh was referring to Delenn's
|
|
change rather than the death of President Santiago, and perhaps it
|
|
has something to do with the possible marriage of Delenn and Sinclair
|
|
in the aforementioned episode. (But see
|
|
<a href="#JS.marriage">jms speaks</a>.)
|
|
<li> When Kosh emerges from his encounter suit for Delenn (assuming that's
|
|
what he was doing,) there's a sound not unlike wings moving through
|
|
the air.
|
|
<li> In
|
|
<a href="014.html">"TKO"</a>
|
|
(which was originally going to air much later in the season,
|
|
either immediately before or one episode removed from "Chrysalis,")
|
|
Walker mentions that Garibaldi was never any good at watching his
|
|
back, foreshadowing the events in this episode.
|
|
</ul>
|
|
|
|
<h2><a name="NO">Notes</a></h2>
|
|
<ul>
|
|
<li> Shot twelfth out of 22 episodes due to the extensive post-production
|
|
work required.
|
|
|
|
<li> <a name="NO:UK">First broadcast in the UK</a>
|
|
on October 3, 1994. PTEN didn't want to show it during August,
|
|
traditionally a month of low viewership, in the US, so
|
|
it was held back until the week before the first season-two episodes,
|
|
becoming, to all appearances, the season-two premiere. In
|
|
fact, PTEN even advertised it as such. But, as stated, it was
|
|
produced halfway through the first year of shooting, so definitely
|
|
qualifies as a season-one episode.
|
|
|
|
<li> The original satellite feed in the US was missing a special effect.
|
|
In the first shot of Londo walking in the hedge maze, the scene was
|
|
supposed to show the maze at the bottom of the frame and a view down
|
|
the center of the station above that. The actual broadcast showed
|
|
the back wall of the soundstage behind the hedges, complete with
|
|
"Exit" sign. Oddly, the correct scene was used in the UK broadcast,
|
|
which occurred much earlier.
|
|
<a href="/lurk/gif/022/goof.jpg">Bad</a>
|
|
and
|
|
<a href="/lurk/gif/022/real.jpg">good</a>
|
|
pictures of the scene are available.
|
|
|
|
<li> Garibaldi's aide appeared in three previous episodes:
|
|
<a href="006.html">"Mind War,"</a>
|
|
<a href="008.html">"And the Sky Full of Stars,"</a>
|
|
and
|
|
<a href="016.html">"Eyes"</a>
|
|
(where he's in Ivanova's dream.)
|
|
|
|
</ul>
|
|
|
|
<h2><a name="JS">jms speaks</a></h2>
|
|
<ul>
|
|
|
|
<li>
|
|
Today, incidentally, I finished the outline for "Chrysalis," which
|
|
will be the last episode of this season, though we'll be shooting it
|
|
much earlier, about 2/3rds through the run. It's a real corker in
|
|
which we absolutely kick over the table and all hell breaks loose
|
|
*bigtime*. This one I'm *really* looking forward to writing.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>
|
|
I'm in the strange position of writing the season end episode now,
|
|
to shoot #12, since it's going to require a lot of post production
|
|
work, and it definitely puts one in a very strange state of mind.
|
|
I have to be careful to refer to things that've happened in the past
|
|
episodes, from the perspective of the last episode of the season, but
|
|
which haven't yet been written or filmed in real-time. So I'm
|
|
writing the second half of some stories before having written the
|
|
first half (though I obviously know where they're all going)...which
|
|
really bends your brain around after a while.
|
|
<p>
|
|
This episode is going to be highly classified; we're going to limit
|
|
distribution of scripts, and parts of scripts, put canary traps in
|
|
all of the scripts that *are* distributed, and otherwise keep this
|
|
one quiet. All I can say is that we're going to kick over every
|
|
table we've got. In any season finale, there are maybe 4-5 things
|
|
you know when you sit down to watch the show that they'll NEVER ever
|
|
do. So we're doing all of them. If this one doesn't keep you glued
|
|
to your seats, you've lost your chair.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>
|
|
But I'd say that our two *best* so far are still "And the Sky Full of
|
|
Stars" and "Chrysalis." I just watched a cut of "Chrysalis" today
|
|
which finally had all the CGI in it, and had to scrape my brain off
|
|
the opposing wall, it's *that* good.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>
|
|
I have just seen the director's cut of "Chrysalis," which will be the
|
|
last episode of this season...and I think it has just displaced "Sky"
|
|
as the most heavy-weight episode of the season. Even knowing what was
|
|
coming, I just sat here, stunned, at the end of it. Seeing dailies,
|
|
bits and pieces, doesn't really prepare you for the whole thing.
|
|
|
|
What I like most about it are two things: one, by about halfway in,
|
|
you really begin to understand that anything can happen, to anyone,
|
|
and the rules that normally carry you through a television episode no
|
|
longer apply. It's a very dangerous, dislocating feeling. Two: you
|
|
get the very real feeling that, after this episode, nothing is the
|
|
same anymore. The show has taken a very profound and *irrevocable*
|
|
turn that will have lasting effects on all of our characters. Of all
|
|
the episodes so far, this one has the most feeling of being the
|
|
chapter end in a novel.
|
|
|
|
The really hard part will not avoiding the temptation to show this to
|
|
people...because it really can't be allowed to get out prior to
|
|
airing. There are too many twists and turns and revelations that spin
|
|
one off into another.
|
|
|
|
One other thing's certain: after you've seen "Chrysalis," you're going
|
|
to want to go back and check out three prior episodes...because
|
|
something that you will have read/interpreted one way, without question
|
|
or hesitation accepting it as what it obviously appears to be, will
|
|
suddenly be turned on its head, and a brand new interpretation will
|
|
emerge. And it's *real* creepy....
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>
|
|
"Chrysalis" makes "Mind War" look like a still-life painting by
|
|
comparison....
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>
|
|
We finally delivered "Chrysalis" to Warner/PTEN, and heard back: our
|
|
liaison over there was stunned, describes it as the best season-ending
|
|
cliffhanger he's ever seen, unlike anything done before. Suffice to
|
|
say we're pleased.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>
|
|
We have a New Year's celebration in one episode later
|
|
this season, and at some point will probably show other
|
|
stuff next year.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>
|
|
What I like most about it are two things: one, by about halfway in, you
|
|
really begin to understand that anything can happen, to anyone, and the rules
|
|
that normally carry you through a television episode no longer apply. It's a
|
|
very dangerous, dislocating feeling. Two, you get the very real feeling that,
|
|
after this episode, nothing is the same anymore. The show has taken a very
|
|
profound and *irrevocable* turn that will have lasting effects on all of our
|
|
characters. Of all the episodes so far, this one has the most feeling of
|
|
being the chapter end in a novel.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>
|
|
<em>Someone complains about the characters not staying the same</em>
|
|
<p>
|
|
Losing the characters she's come to enjoy? No. But the characters
|
|
are changing. That's the point, and that's been the intent from day
|
|
one. But what's the alternative? I've heard ST fans complain loudly
|
|
and bitterly that after 7 years of TNG being on the air, nobody's
|
|
really changed, nobody's been promoted into different ships or major
|
|
changes in responsibilities...they've had Riker as XO for seven years,
|
|
which in the real military would mean his career is *over*.
|
|
<p>
|
|
Change is the only other option.
|
|
<p>
|
|
The goal, from the start, was to create an overall story, but which
|
|
would also require arcs for every single major character. They're all
|
|
going somewhere. In many cases, that "somewhere" plays into the larger
|
|
arc; in some cases, not. If a woman is single, then gets married, then
|
|
gives birth, and she's your friend, have you "lost her" just because
|
|
she's gone through these changes? Of course not. She has changed, in
|
|
good or bad ways, but she's still the same person.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>
|
|
I just showed "Chrysalis" to a couple of people today, who
|
|
didn't know what was in it. And there's one thing that they had
|
|
seen over and over in prior episodes of the series which they never
|
|
thought twice about, which they just sorta accepted...only to
|
|
suddenly have this understanding totally turned on its head.
|
|
<p>
|
|
The look on their faces was *priceless*.
|
|
<p>
|
|
This is probably the longest and most extensive setup/payoff
|
|
in SF television history. And afterward, once you discover what
|
|
that is, if you go back suddenly there's a LOT of different meaning
|
|
in prior episodes.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>
|
|
"Chrysalis," a cliffhanger of sorts, leads right into "Points
|
|
of Departure," which picks up some of the tables kicked over by
|
|
"Chrysalis," the balance of which are picked up in the second episode,
|
|
"Revelations." By the end of the second new episode, pretty much
|
|
everything is now in place for the rest of the second season...though
|
|
not everything is in quite the same position as it originally was.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>
|
|
Except, of course, that where everyone goes is important to the rest
|
|
of the story, and that the purpose of the episode is to introduce
|
|
massive change into the story overall; when Sinclair says "Nothing's
|
|
the same anymore," he's deadly serious, and so are we. The changes
|
|
won't just be transitory or for a season-end hook; these are permanent
|
|
and substantial changes in the arc.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>
|
|
Now that you've seen this much, now you can begin putting together
|
|
the other level of the metaphor that is B5...consider: a war that did not
|
|
end satisfactorily for us, not winning or losing, a sort of peace with
|
|
honor....the death of a president...the rise of intelligence agencies
|
|
and military power...start to sound familiar? Now what we begin to do
|
|
is to start moving around the pieces, shifting the mirror of the story
|
|
to reveal different aspects of ourselves, as well as tell the other
|
|
separate story of B5 itself. Again, the idea is for this story to
|
|
function on *many* different levels: future-history, myth, adventure
|
|
story, mystery and a metaphor.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>
|
|
Re: the staging of Morgan Clark taking the oath of office; I gave
|
|
very particular instructions to re-create the staging of the photograph
|
|
in which Lyndon Johnson takes over from JFK after the assassination. The
|
|
same layout, posture, background, and so on. We even had a photo on set
|
|
for reference. The creepy thing is that the day we shot the scene was the
|
|
anniversary of the day it actually took place; very weird atmosphere on
|
|
set that day.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>
|
|
Actually, I was born in 54, so we're about the same age. Oddly, I
|
|
don't remember the day of the shooting; what I *do* remember is
|
|
watching JFK's funeral, and not entirely understanding the depth of
|
|
the event, but fully grasping the emotions around me. That will
|
|
linger forever.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>
|
|
President Santiago is dead as a doorknob.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>
|
|
Re: being fooled into thinking the crystal construct in Delenn's
|
|
quarters was nothing more than a meditation thing...in general, it helps
|
|
to remember that I subscribe to Anton Chekov's First Rule of Playwriting:
|
|
"If there's a gun on the wall in act one, scene one, you must fire the
|
|
gun by act three, scene two. If you fire a gun in act three, scene two,
|
|
you must see the gun on the wall in act one, scene one."
|
|
<p>
|
|
Waste nothing.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li><a name="JS.marriage"><i>About the marriage ceremony in "Parliament"</i></a>
|
|
<p>
|
|
The marriage was a red-herring, a bit of misdirection. The key for
|
|
any magician is to get the audience to look at your hand so they don't see
|
|
the elephant being wheeled onto the stage in full view. The line in
|
|
"Parliament" is, "It's a rebirth ceremony all right, and sometimes doubles
|
|
for a marriage ceremony." When I wrote that, I knew instantly that
|
|
everyone would focus in on the second half (misdirection) and miss the
|
|
first half. (Note that Delenn's "And so it begins" is echoed by Kosh in
|
|
the last episode.) I put out something that I figured everybody would
|
|
latch onto, ignoring the other meaning which is stated twice.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li><i>Why did they turn Garibaldi onto his back, where the wound was?</i>
|
|
<p>
|
|
I was told by our medical technology consultant that after you take
|
|
care of the basic external wound, you always turn the body over and go
|
|
after the internal damage from the *front*. I was told why three times,
|
|
but still can't retain it. I think it involves easier access without
|
|
cutting around the spine, and makes breathing less laborious.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>
|
|
The teaser of that episode [Chrysalis] is very
|
|
much just the sort of thing we've seen before; designed to lull you into
|
|
a sense of, "Yeah, yeah, we've seen this." Right down to the tired look
|
|
on Sinclair's face. Been there, done that. Then you yank the viewer's
|
|
blanket. And structurally, it was designed to somewhat mirror the events
|
|
in the first episode; the balance is shifting, things are going in the
|
|
reverse of what we saw before.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>
|
|
I don't like loose threads hanging around, so all this will get tied
|
|
up. In some cases, we'll see flashbacks to stuff that happened "around the
|
|
corner," so to speak, and in others we'll have dialogue explanations. We
|
|
get the scoop on what question Delenn asked Kosh (via Lennier) before
|
|
[season 2] is out.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>
|
|
<i>If the Shadows are visible, how did they get onto the station?</i>
|
|
<p>
|
|
In "Chrysalis," they are distortions visible in the air when they
|
|
wish to be...and not when they don't.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>
|
|
"There is good reason to believe the Minbari Triluminary device
|
|
is an artifact not created by the Minbari."
|
|
<p>
|
|
DING*DING*DING*DING*DING*DING*DING*DING!
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@832888175 Actually, the first Triluminary was found by the Minbari, not
|
|
made by them, in a vessel they ran into about a thousand years ago.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>
|
|
<em>About Walker's lines in "TKO"</em>
|
|
<p>
|
|
Re: "Watch your back," and "You never did know how to watch your
|
|
back," yep, that was a bit of deliberate foreshadowing for "Chrysalis." When the episode aired,
|
|
I mentioned at the time that there was something in that episode that
|
|
would later be seen to be ironic or ominous, but didn't seem so at
|
|
first. One or two caught it, but most didn't. This show is layered
|
|
very, VERY carefully.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>
|
|
Correct; Garibaldi's aide has *always* been a plant. I seeded him
|
|
in from the beginning, specifically for that purpose. It was the aide
|
|
who got Sinclair out of his quarters in "Sky," was the liaison who got
|
|
Benson on line (also in security, you'll remember), and helped dispose
|
|
of the body. If you watch his reaction in "Sky," he's the one who
|
|
brings info to Garibaldi looking to clear Benson; and when Garibaldi
|
|
sees through it, you can see his aide move off looking very worried.
|
|
<p>
|
|
Originally, it was Laurel Takashima who would have betrayed those
|
|
around her, as this character did. When Laurel was transferred, I had
|
|
a choice: keep that arc for her replacement (Ivanova), or give this
|
|
part of it to someone else. Now, knowing how the folks here on the
|
|
nets and elsewhere think, and knowing that they knew about the Laurel-
|
|
possible-traitor thread, I figured that everyone would assume that
|
|
Ivanova would get that part. (And, sure enough, a lot of people did.)
|
|
This became a wonderfully convenient blind behind which to build the
|
|
*real* plant.
|
|
<p>
|
|
And thus far, *nobody's* seen it coming. He was right there in clear
|
|
view, we used him many times (also in "By Any Means Necessary," for
|
|
instance), and nobody ever paid him the slightest attention.
|
|
<p>
|
|
It is, in a way, the classic magician's trick of misdirection: you
|
|
try to get everyone to look at your hand so they won't look at the
|
|
huge elephant being wheeled up onto the stage in plain sight.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>
|
|
No, the shooting of Garibaldi was always a very strong
|
|
part of the story for the end of first season; that line goes
|
|
all the way back to the pilot, and Laurel Takashima.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>
|
|
No, after the thread with Laurel was revealed, lots of
|
|
people *assumed* that that thread had been passed along to
|
|
Ivanova. It had never in fact been intended for her, but
|
|
when it was broached, I simply didn't reply, on the theory
|
|
that if I said it *wasn't* her, it'd narrow it down to who it
|
|
*was*.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>
|
|
"I *liked* Laurel!"
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
Well, yes, that's rather the point; tragedy is only
|
|
tragedy if it happens to someone you care about and like.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>
|
|
The Shadowmen stuff was all CGI, no models. Spiffy stuff. And yes,
|
|
we'll find out in time what Delenn asked Kosh.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>
|
|
"If the Shadows are active on Earth, we need to ask why Psi-Corps
|
|
haven't picked them up."
|
|
<p>
|
|
Yep.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>
|
|
The chrysalis is virtually all prop, with some roto work to enhance
|
|
the glow in "Chrysalis."
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>
|
|
<em>Was it credible that President and Vice President would travel on
|
|
the same flight? Their twentieth-century American counterparts don't
|
|
fly together on Air Force One.</em>
|
|
<p>
|
|
You're forgetting several elements.
|
|
<p>
|
|
1) It would be in the VP's best interests to go along on the trip,
|
|
to help defuse any suspicion ("Boy, was I lucky.").
|
|
<p>
|
|
2) Going a few hours out of the country is one thing; you're not
|
|
looking at the aspect that traveling in normal space takes a lot of
|
|
time and expense...a ship as massive as EF1 is hideously expensive;
|
|
two would be a major waste of government money, and they'd both be
|
|
traveling side by side, further wasting money. Also, whereas Air
|
|
Force 1 travels nominally alone, EF1 has a full escort of fighters,
|
|
with a minimum of four in the "air" at any one time, plus another
|
|
batch inside.
|
|
<p>
|
|
Going between planets is a much different process than going between
|
|
here and London; and if both parties are required at the other end,
|
|
the only sensible way is to have them go together.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>
|
|
Remember when I said there are things you learn midway into a series
|
|
that you can learn no other way? Yikes...
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
As I've mentioned before, in our season ender, "Chrysalis," we tip
|
|
over every table we've got. I'm talking here *major* stuff, that
|
|
profoundly and permanently affects many of our primary characters.
|
|
Well, you build that as a two parter, and even *try* to resolve all of
|
|
that in the second part. It doesn't work, because the repercussions
|
|
are so substantial. (What it is, really, is something that'll be felt
|
|
throughout the entire second season.)
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
You can try to pack all the loose thread-tying into part two, but it's
|
|
like trying to pack 10 pounds of potatos into a 5 pound bag. One
|
|
other option is making it a six parter, but *that's* really silly. So
|
|
what I'm doing, I've decided, is to take the major elements and play
|
|
them out over the first five or so episodes. This will give me time
|
|
to give each of the threads the necessary time to play out effectively,
|
|
rather than rushing things.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
So Chrysalis stands alone as a season ender, and a prelude to the Big
|
|
Stuff in season two. Episode 1 of year two, therefore, won't be
|
|
"Chrysalis, Part Two," but have its own title, allowing me to spread
|
|
the stuff over the next few episodes. (Probable title: "Points of
|
|
Departure.")
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
I showed "Chrysalis" to some people the other day, and the reaction
|
|
was across the board astonishment. Just stunned. Which was pretty
|
|
much the desired result. It's an absolute left-turn for the series.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>
|
|
Since I mentioned it over on Internet (but not where it belongs), I
|
|
give y'all a little gift...Kosh's very last line of the season, in
|
|
"Chrysalis."
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
"You have...forgotten something."
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
It's not nearly as straightforward as it looks, and that one line will
|
|
carry with it *major* repercussions. (And no, it doesn't refer to the
|
|
24 hours.)
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>
|
|
Only two Shadowman vessels hit the Narn base at Quadrant 37, not
|
|
three.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>
|
|
Sometimes it gets wonky. We filmed "Chrysalis" twelfth in shooting
|
|
order, to air twenty-second. Part of the setup to "Chrysalis" is
|
|
"Signs and Portents," which shot 4 episodes later. Meaning the
|
|
actors had to act familiar with elements they hadn't performed yet,
|
|
and hadn't seen yet in script form. So in that case, I had to sit
|
|
down and explain what the various aspects of "Chrysalis" meant, and
|
|
where we were going, for it all to play. Later, when "Signs" was
|
|
published in-house, they got to see in more detail how the setup fit
|
|
in with the payoff.
|
|
<p>
|
|
If asked, I would probably try to refrain from telling any of the
|
|
actors the full story. Let me rephrase: I simply wouldn't do it. If
|
|
they would ask where their individual character is going -- and some
|
|
have -- what I do is give them the general arc, but leave out a lot
|
|
of specifics. For instance, Peter knows *in general* that his
|
|
character is going in a darker direction, but not how he's going to
|
|
get there or what it means to the overall story. And that, I think,
|
|
is as it should be.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>
|
|
Every so often, a screwup takes place that is so breathtakingly stupid
|
|
that it defies all logic and reason. I just learned of one this
|
|
evening, and I'm still reeling a bit from it. Consequently, this is
|
|
address to anyone who watched the satellite uplink of "Chrysalis" or
|
|
has seen it in the US in the last day or so.
|
|
<p>
|
|
Once we deliver an episode, it goes to two places: Modern Video and CVC.
|
|
CVC checks an episode of any series prior to uplink to make sure it's
|
|
okay. Though they've had it for four months, they only got around to
|
|
checking it the day before uplink. During this, they found a couple of
|
|
small audio pops. The kind of thing that could be fixed in about five
|
|
minutes. But since it was the evening, Modern Video decided to fix it
|
|
for us...by *rebuilding the entire episode*.
|
|
<p>
|
|
Without calling us, notifying us, or checking with us, when we could've
|
|
easily had someone on-hand there to supervise at a moment's notice.
|
|
<p>
|
|
Well, when they rebuilt the episode...they didn't use all the correct
|
|
footage. Some of what was used was RAW FOOTAGE. Example: when Londo
|
|
goes to meet someone in the Garden, there's supposed to be a great
|
|
composite shot there of the interior of the Garden area, and a hedge
|
|
maze. (The UK saw this version of it last month.) But when the
|
|
episode was rebuilt, they used the raw footage segment showing Londo
|
|
and a partial hedge IN THE SOUNDSTAGE, where you can see the stage
|
|
wall, and the pipes, and the EXIT sign. No composite. Nada.
|
|
<p>
|
|
We don't yet know what else has been included incorrectly, because we
|
|
won't see a copy until morning. Suffice to say that this is being
|
|
taken care of *our* way overnight, and a correct version will be sent
|
|
out via satellite in time for the Wednesday first airings in most
|
|
markets, and the reruns in those markets where it's already aired.
|
|
<p>
|
|
At this moment, I am preternaturally calm about all this, having passed
|
|
beyond anger earlier this evening into a kind of zen state of
|
|
consciousness, utterly unable to wrap my brain around the absolute
|
|
stupidity of something like this for more than two minutes at a time.
|
|
<p>
|
|
By morning, this will have worn off.
|
|
<p>
|
|
I'm looking forward to it immensely.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>
|
|
As it turns out, we discovered that there were TWO comp shots missing
|
|
(including one in DownBelow), and that's how the "to be continued" got
|
|
added in at the end. We rousted our people out of bed and had them at
|
|
the Modern Video facility at 2:30 a.m. fixing other people's mistakes,
|
|
rebuilding the entire episode so it could be birded out this afternoon.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>
|
|
If you saw TBC at the end of the episode, it was NOT the correct
|
|
version.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>
|
|
Well, we tracked down more on the screw-up, and that's how the "To be
|
|
continued" got in, and there's a second composite shot missing (from
|
|
the DownBelow area). We rousted our post production people out of bed
|
|
last night, and at 3:30 a.m. had them correcting the mistakes made by
|
|
others, reassembling the entire episode. The correct version is going
|
|
out on the bird today, tomorrow, and tomorrow night. It will also be
|
|
hand-delivered to KCOP here in town to make sure they get it.
|
|
<p>
|
|
I encourage anyone who saw "Chrysalis" over the last day or so to look
|
|
at it again on the rerun; I think you'll find parts of it much better.
|
|
<p>
|
|
This has been a complete and utter meltdown, and we're all out for
|
|
blood at the moment.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>
|
|
Yeah, it can make you crazy. Y'know that game, where you have a mallet
|
|
and your job is to whack the gophers as they stick their head up out of
|
|
the ground? That's as good a description of my job as I've ever seen.
|
|
And there are always new gophers....
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>
|
|
<em>KCOP Channel 13 replaced the *good* version of Chrysalis with the
|
|
messed-up version</em>
|
|
<p>
|
|
I know...I know....
|
|
<p>
|
|
Hand me my chainsaw, I'm going shopping for dinner.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>
|
|
The mistake wasn't made by us. It was broadcast correctly overseas,
|
|
in the UK, perfectly. This was done by the video house that supplied
|
|
the satellite feed.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>
|
|
Here is Londo's arc through the five year storyline:
|
|
<p>
|
|
Funny and light; then funny and dark; then dark and tragic; then
|
|
tragic and light.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>
|
|
Yeah, there's hope for Londo...but not in the way I think anybody
|
|
will expect, and not in the way Londo would like.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>
|
|
Londo is a fascinating character to write; there's layers upon
|
|
layers, and every time I sit down to write him, he surprises me with
|
|
something else. And it's certainly more interesting to watch someone
|
|
you like falling into something terrible than to set up a bad guy
|
|
from day one; no complexity or sympathy there. It's kind of like
|
|
watching an accident in slow motion. But in the final analysis, all
|
|
is not dark for Londo.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@839748926 <em>What's the story on the god Vir doesn't consider part of
|
|
the Centauri pantheon?</em><br>
|
|
Ah, yes...that one wasn't an emperor, that was Zoog, which was really just
|
|
a household god, primarily associated with one noble family, that somewhat
|
|
imposed Zoog where possible, forced the religious establishment to
|
|
recognize the temple they'd built to Zoog...it was strictly an act of
|
|
vanity on their part, to create a god, and elevate a household god, which
|
|
never really carries much weight, to something greater, adding to the
|
|
general pantheon.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>
|
|
No, alas, Tech #1, Marianne Robertson has decided that she would
|
|
like to travel next year with her husband Dick Robertson, and has
|
|
some other personal plans in mind, and thus won't be back next season.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>
|
|
Just FYI...Marianne Robertson, Tech #1, was Swedish, not Russian.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>
|
|
"JMS has specifically told us that one MAIN character will die in
|
|
Chrysalis or Points of Departure (I don't remember which)."
|
|
<p>
|
|
No I haven't.
|
|
<p>
|
|
Never said it.
|
|
<p>
|
|
Sometimes, what happens is that people guess about what's going to
|
|
happen in the story...and gradually that becomes the assumption on
|
|
the part of some people that this WILL happen...which in time
|
|
metamorphoses into "JMS said this would happen."
|
|
<p>
|
|
This is yet another of those. Never said it.
|
|
<p>
|
|
While I understand how this happens (and it happens a lot), the only
|
|
real complication that I get from it is that suddenly I'm being held
|
|
to promises I never made...and if it doesn't happen as I supposedly
|
|
said, then it's somehow my fault.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>
|
|
The Douglas Adams "homage." Nope. Eric Sevareid once wrote that
|
|
"working in television is like being nibbled to death by ducks." I
|
|
think it was in his book "Not So Wild A Dream," itself a line
|
|
borrowed from a poem by Norman Corwin. It's also a fairly common
|
|
phrase.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>
|
|
Scenes you should look at differently after "Chrysalis"...one that
|
|
comes to mind offhand is "Sky," in the various Garibaldi scenes
|
|
(can't be more specific than that right now).
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@846702735 <em>Have we learned the fate of Garibaldi's friend Lianna
|
|
Kemmer, from "Survivors?" Was she on Santiago's ship?</em><br>
|
|
No, we haven't established what happened to her, but we
|
|
will in time.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@846702735
|
|
If we go into what happened, and where she is, it
|
|
kinda behooves us to show her.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@846702735
|
|
As with her arrival at B5, she would've
|
|
been handling the advance work on Io prior to Santiago's
|
|
arrival.
|
|
|
|
</ul>
|