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.
568 lines
21 KiB
568 lines
21 KiB
<!-- TITLE Day of the Dead -->
|
|
|
|
<h2><a name="OV">Overview</a></h2>
|
|
|
|
<blockquote><cite>
|
|
Some of the crew are caught with the Brakiri as they celebrate their "Day of
|
|
the Dead," a remembrance of the recently deceased. A pair of famous
|
|
entertainers visits the station.
|
|
</cite>
|
|
|
|
Harlan Ellison as the voice of Zooty.
|
|
<a href="http://us.imdb.com/Name?Flanery,+Bridget">Bridget Flanery</a> as Zoe.
|
|
<a href="http://www.ultimatetv.com/news/bn/1107penn.html">Penn and Teller</a> as Rebo and Zooty.
|
|
<a href="http://us.imdb.com/M/person-exact?+Wasser,+Ed">Ed Wasser</a> as Morden.
|
|
</blockquote>
|
|
|
|
<pre><a href="/lurk/p5/intro.html">P5 Rating</a>: <a href="/lurk/p5/096">8.44</a>
|
|
|
|
Production number: 511
|
|
Original air date: March 11, 1998
|
|
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00019071C/thelurkersguidet">DVD release date</a>: April 13, 2004
|
|
|
|
Written by Neil Gaiman
|
|
Directed by Doug Lefler
|
|
</pre>
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<hr size=3>
|
|
|
|
<h2><a name="BP">Plot Points</a></h2>
|
|
<ul>
|
|
|
|
<li>@@@889724959 Once every 200 years, a comet approaches the Brakiri
|
|
homeworld and signals the Day of the Dead, in which, for one night,
|
|
people can interact with those who've died.
|
|
|
|
<li>@@@889724959 In their youth, Lochley and her friend Zoe spent much of
|
|
their time on drugs and lived in squalid conditions. Lochley's
|
|
father, an EarthForce marine, had no idea where she was. Zoe eventually
|
|
committed suicide, something which has haunted Lochley her entire
|
|
life. After the suicide, Lochley's father located her, and shortly
|
|
thereafter, putting her old life behind her, Lochley enrolled in the
|
|
military.
|
|
|
|
<li>@@@889724959 Kosh has sent a message to Sheridan via one of the
|
|
visiting deceased: "When the long night comes, return to the end of
|
|
the beginning."
|
|
|
|
<li>@@@889724959 According to Morden, Lennier is fated to betray the
|
|
Rangers. Morden also hinted that Lennier would die soon.
|
|
|
|
<li>@@@889724959 Rebo and Zooty have starred in a variety of shows and
|
|
movies. Zooty speaks via a small handheld device, and both of them
|
|
have studied Minbari, Narn, and other forms of humor. Minbari humor,
|
|
Rebo says, is based on failure to attain spiritual enlightenment,
|
|
though puns seem to be effective in Minbari humor as well.
|
|
|
|
</ul>
|
|
|
|
<h2><a name="UQ">Unanswered Questions</a></h2>
|
|
<ul>
|
|
|
|
<li>@@@889724959 What does Kosh's message mean? Any relation
|
|
to the episode
|
|
<a href="071.html">"The Long Night?"</a>
|
|
|
|
<li>@@@889724959 Was Morden's prediction about Lennier correct? If so,
|
|
how and why will Lennier betray the Rangers?
|
|
|
|
<li>@@@889998781 What is Zooty's machine? What does it tell him to do?
|
|
|
|
</ul>
|
|
|
|
<h2><a name="AN">Analysis</a></h2>
|
|
<ul>
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@889998781 There are two possible explanations for the visitations.
|
|
First, one of Lochley's suspicions may have been correct, that the
|
|
whole affair was an illusion or a trick of some kind. A sufficiently
|
|
powerful telepath might have pulled memories of Dodger, Adira, Zoe,
|
|
and Morden from the people in the Brakiri section. The memories of
|
|
Morden would more likely have come from Londo than from Lennier, of
|
|
course. Zoe's message from Kosh could have been based on Lennier's
|
|
memories; Lennier almost certainly knew about the close relationship
|
|
between Kosh and Sheridan.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
The other possibility, of course, is that what appeared to happen
|
|
really <em>did</em> happen: the dead returned.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
If the Day of the Dead can be taken at face value, then given
|
|
Lyta's description of being inside someone's mind at the time of death
|
|
(<a href="091.html">"The Paragon of Animals"</a>)
|
|
and Byron's description of the echoes of a sentient mind persisting in
|
|
nearby objects after death
|
|
(<a href="092.html">"A View from the Gallery"</a>)
|
|
it seems that there's more going on with death in the B5 universe
|
|
than meets the eye.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
It's possible that the echoes mentioned by Byron never actually go away,
|
|
and that a powerful enough telepath can pick them up long after the
|
|
fact. In that case, the Day of the Dead may be the result of group
|
|
telepathy on the part of the Brakiri (several telepaths joining
|
|
together can produce greatly amplified powers, e.g. in
|
|
<a href="030.html">"A Race Through Dark Places."</a>)
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
Clues to another possibility are found in the Soul Hunters' practice
|
|
of capturing the souls of the dying
|
|
(<a href="002.html">"Soul Hunter."</a>)
|
|
Perhaps the Soul Hunters aren't the only ones doing so -- and whoever
|
|
else is involved does it on a much larger scale and in such a way
|
|
that they aren't noticed. In that case, the tunnel of light Lyta saw in
|
|
<a href="091.html">"The Paragon of Animals"</a>
|
|
might simply be a representation of the dying person's mind being
|
|
extracted for storage. And her belief that the living aren't supposed
|
|
to know what's on the other side of that tunnel would be consistent
|
|
with a clandestine Soul Hunter-esque group that wanted its presence to
|
|
remain unknown. If that's what's happening, a natural question is,
|
|
why? And why would that group allow some minds to escape on a day of
|
|
significance only to the Brakiri? Perhaps the Brakiri are involved with
|
|
the group somehow.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@889998781 All the people who returned suffered untimely
|
|
or violent deaths: Morden was decapitated on Londo's orders
|
|
(<a href="072.html">"Into the Fire,"</a>)
|
|
Adira was poisoned
|
|
(<a href="059.html">"Interludes and Examinations,"</a>)
|
|
Zoe committed suicide, and Dodger was killed in combat
|
|
(<a href="032.html">"GROPOS."</a>)
|
|
Is that significant, or is it simply that people who die in such a
|
|
manner are more likely to have unfinished business with the living?
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@889998781 Lochley's escape from the squalid lifestyle she described
|
|
was a sort of rebirth. Perhaps that's why she has a phoenix on her
|
|
flight helmet
|
|
(<a href="094.html">"Strange Relations."</a>)
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@889998781 Judging by Garibaldi's interaction with Dodger, he and
|
|
Lise are still together. Is she still on Mars? In the past, she
|
|
wasn't willing to tolerate Garibaldi going off to live on Babylon
|
|
5 while she stayed on Mars
|
|
(<a href="020.html">"Babylon Squared."</a>)
|
|
Has her attitude changed now, or is she expecting him to return
|
|
in the near future?
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@890001887 Dodger mentioned "technomancy" as a possible explanation
|
|
for her appearance. A reference, most likely to the technomages
|
|
(<a href="025.html">"The Geometry of Shadows."</a>)
|
|
How widely-known is the existence of the technomages?
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@889998781 Lennier told Morden that Sheridan hadn't died on Z'ha'dum.
|
|
Did he simply mean that Sheridan didn't die permanently, or does
|
|
he not believe Sheridan died at all? Given Lennier's jealous
|
|
feelings toward Sheridan (manifested, for instance, by referring
|
|
to him as "your partner" to Delenn rather than by name) it's possible
|
|
he's not inclined to believe in any of the larger-than-life stories
|
|
concerning Sheridan.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
Also of note is Morden's surprise that Sheridan wasn't back for the
|
|
Day of the Dead. Is that a sign that Morden, or what's left of him,
|
|
doesn't know that Sheridan survived? That's unlikely, given that
|
|
Morden himself survived long enough to hear about Sheridan's return
|
|
to Babylon 5
|
|
(<a href="069.html">"The Summoning."</a>)
|
|
Or does Morden know something Sheridan doesn't about the nature of
|
|
Sheridan's second lease on life?
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@890001887 Morden said to Lennier, "And you want wisdom?" Lennier
|
|
replied yes. That marks the first time he's been able to find out what
|
|
a Minbari wants (he failed to get an answer to that question from
|
|
Delenn in
|
|
<a href="013.html">"Signs and Portents."</a>)
|
|
Telling Morden what one wants, and getting it, has usually had
|
|
disastrous consequences in the past.
|
|
Is Lennier's willingness to answer the question further
|
|
foreshadowing of his alleged betrayal of the Rangers? Will his
|
|
betrayal hinge on acquiring some sort of wisdom?
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@890005628 Morden told Lennier, "One does not go to the dead for
|
|
wisdom." That's not an opinion shared by the Brakiri, though: the
|
|
greeting for the holiday, judging by the conversation between the
|
|
merchant and Londo, is, "May the Comet bring you wisdom."
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@890001887 Morden told Lennier that the other end of the corridor
|
|
was over 200 million light-years away, while Lochley said to Sheridan
|
|
that she was 27 light-years away. Who was right? If Morden was
|
|
right, where was the Brakiri section really taken? 200 million
|
|
light-years is a distance on an intergalactic scale. The fact that
|
|
Lochley was able to contact Sheridan in real time suggests that Morden
|
|
was exaggerating the distance.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@889998781 As is often the case with his pronouncements, Kosh's
|
|
message can be taken several ways. "The long night" may refer to
|
|
Sheridan's death in 19 years. "The end of the beginning" is more
|
|
ambiguous. Does it refer to the end of Sheridan's original life?
|
|
If so, it might mean Sheridan should return to Z'ha'dum (odd, since
|
|
Z'ha'dum was destroyed in
|
|
<a href="073.html">"Epiphanies"</a>)
|
|
or perhaps that he should seek out Lorien. It's even possible Kosh
|
|
was referring to Coriana 6, where, as Sheridan said, the second age
|
|
of mankind ended; what good it would do Sheridan to return there
|
|
isn't clear.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
It might also refer to the end of Babylon 5, which was the site of
|
|
the beginning of the Interstellar Alliance. If Sheridan is to take
|
|
up residence on Minbar as planned
|
|
(<a href="089.html">"No Compromises"</a>)
|
|
but returns to Babylon 5 at the end of his life in 2282, also the
|
|
year of the station's destruction
|
|
(<a href="088.html">"The Deconstruction of Falling Stars"</a>)
|
|
that might account for the ambiguity surrounding his place of death
|
|
(<a href="088.html">"Deconstruction."</a>)
|
|
|
|
</ul>
|
|
|
|
<h2><a name="NO">Notes</a></h2>
|
|
<ul>
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@889724959 Morden likes coffee.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@889998781 Brakiri are nocturnal.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@889998781 Garibaldi sleeps with a gun under his pillow.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@889727611 Morden's head is still on the pike outside the
|
|
Centauri Imperial Palace
|
|
(<a href="072.html">"Into the Fire."</a>)
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@889998781 Universe Today front-page headlines:
|
|
<ul>
|
|
<li> Meet Rebo & Zooty Up Close and Personal
|
|
<li> Babylon 5 will air Rebo & Zooty Movie Marathon
|
|
<li> Rebo and Zooty Arrive
|
|
<li> Interstellar Alliance Talks to Resume
|
|
<li> Londo Mollari to Become Centauri Emperor (this news story was
|
|
briefly referred to by the Brakiri merchant Londo talked to:
|
|
"You are Centauri emperor-to-be. Universe Today.")
|
|
<li> Reclamation of San Diego Wasteland gets Underway (the
|
|
nuking of San Diego was mentioned in
|
|
<a href="001.html">"Midnight on the Firing Line,"</a>
|
|
and the wasteland was shown in
|
|
<a href="028.html">"Spider in the Web."</a>)
|
|
</ul>
|
|
|
|
Back page headlines:
|
|
|
|
<ul>
|
|
<li> Stocks: How your credit Rates
|
|
<li> Narn Consulate Opens on Mars amid Controversy
|
|
<li> Earth Senate Votes More Money for Titan Terraforming
|
|
</ul>
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@889998781 The poem Dodger recited was actually "A Few Figs from
|
|
Thistles" by Edna St. Vincent Millay, not an Emily Dickinson poem.
|
|
Garibaldi's attempt was by Dickinson, however, a poem titled "Because
|
|
I could not stop for Death."
|
|
|
|
<blockquote>
|
|
Because I could not stop for Death--<br>
|
|
He kindly stopped for me--<br>
|
|
The Carriage held but just Ourselves--<br>
|
|
And Immortality.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
We slowly drove--He knew no haste<br>
|
|
And I had put away<br>
|
|
My labor and my leisure too,<br>
|
|
For His Civility--
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
We passed the School, where Children strove<br>
|
|
At Recess--in the Ring--<br>
|
|
We passed the Fields of Gazing Grain--<br>
|
|
We passed the Setting Sun--
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
He passed Us--<br>
|
|
The Dews drew quivering and chill--<br>
|
|
For only Gossamer, my Gown--<br>
|
|
My Tippet--only Tulle--Or rather--
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
We paused before a House that seemed<br>
|
|
A Swelling of the Ground-- <br>
|
|
The Roof was scarcely visible-- <br>
|
|
The Cornice--in the Ground--
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
Since then--'tis Centuries--and yet<br>
|
|
Feels shorter than the Day <br>
|
|
I first surmised the Horses' Heads <br>
|
|
Were toward Eternity--
|
|
</blockquote>
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@890334816 Dodger's parting line, "Parting is all we know of heaven,
|
|
and all we need of hell," is from another Emily Dickinson poem,
|
|
"#1732," published in 1896:
|
|
|
|
<blockquote>
|
|
My life closed twice before its close -<br>
|
|
It yet remains to see<br>
|
|
If Immortality unveil<br>
|
|
A third event to me
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
So huge, so hopless to conceive<br>
|
|
As these that twice befell.<br>
|
|
Parting is all we know of heaven,<br>
|
|
And all we need of hell.
|
|
</blockquote>
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@890346793 Rebo's line upon arriving in customs, "I have nothing to
|
|
declare except my genius," is a quote from Victor Hugo (later quoted
|
|
by Oscar Wilde among others.)
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@898570635 Morden's comment that he could see the future, but not the
|
|
past, may be a reference to Dante's "Inferno." In Canto X, Farinata
|
|
degli Uberti, a heretic, prophesizes Dante's banishment from Florence.
|
|
When Farinata is asked how the dead can know the future, but not the
|
|
present, he replies that according to the Divine Plan, the damned can
|
|
see far into the future, but nothing of what is present or what has
|
|
happened. After Judgement, when there is no longer any future,
|
|
the intellects of the damned will be void.
|
|
|
|
<blockquote>
|
|
"Ah, so may your soul sometime have rest,"<br>
|
|
I [Dante] begged him [Farinata], "solve the riddle that pursues me<br>
|
|
through this dark place and leaves my mind perplexed:
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
you seem to see in advance all time's intent,<br>
|
|
if I have heard and understood correctly;<br>
|
|
but you seem to lack all knowledge of the present."
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
"We see asquint, like those whose twisted sight<br>
|
|
can make out only the far-off," he said,<br>
|
|
"for all the King of All still grants us that much light.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
When things draw near, or happen, we perceive<br>
|
|
nothing of them. Except what others bring us<br>
|
|
we have no news of those who are alive.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
So may you understand that all we know<br>
|
|
will be dead forever from that day and hour<br>
|
|
when the portal of the Future is swung to."
|
|
</blockquote>
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@889727611 Dodger was a visiting ground-pounder in
|
|
<a href="032.html">"GROPOS;"</a>
|
|
she died in battle. Adira met Londo in
|
|
<a href="003.html">"Born to the Purple"</a>
|
|
and was killed in
|
|
<a href="059.html">"Interludes and Examinations."</a>
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@889727228 The comet as a symbol of death among the Brakiri was
|
|
first mentioned in
|
|
<a href="047.html">"A Day in the Strife,"</a>
|
|
which, by coincidence, aired in reruns on TNT the same day this episode
|
|
premiered.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@877307266 Rebo and Zooty were previously mentioned in
|
|
<a href="079.html">"Rumors, Bargains and Lies"</a>
|
|
and
|
|
<a href="087.html">"Rising Star."</a>
|
|
In the former episode Londo complained that he didn't find them funny,
|
|
an opinion he no longer holds.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@889727611 Another coincidence: On the day the episode premiered,
|
|
news organizations reported that an asteroid was expected to make a
|
|
close pass by Earth in 2028. The Brakiri comet's close approach,
|
|
of course, is what signals the start of the Day of the Dead.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@889724959 The Day of the Dead has an Earthly equivalent; there's a
|
|
<a href="http://www.yahoo.com/Regional/Countries/Mexico/Society_and_Culture/Holidays/D_a_de_los_Muertos/">Mexican holiday</a>
|
|
of the same name on November 2 (it's celebrated elsewhere in Latin
|
|
America too.) It's based partially on the Roman Catholic day of
|
|
remembrance for the deceased, All Souls Day.
|
|
Candy skulls are a common feature of Mexican Day of the
|
|
Dead celebrations.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@889998781 One of Rebo and Zooty's movies was called "Sons of the New
|
|
Desert." That's a reference to a 1933 Laurel and Hardy film,
|
|
<a href="http://us.imdb.com/Title?Sons+of+the+Desert+(1933)">"Sons of
|
|
the Desert."</a>
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@890717909 "Zoe" means "life" in Greek.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@890000343 This episode was the first one not written by JMS since
|
|
<a href="039.html">"Knives"</a>
|
|
in season two.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@877307266 According to Neil Gaiman on
|
|
<a href="http://www.holycow.com/dreaming/">The Dreaming,</a>
|
|
"It's a ghost story about religion, or a drama about comedy and the
|
|
nature of metaphor, or something like that."
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@879115474 Production start date: November 13, 1997.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@889998781 Harlan Ellison, who played the voice of Zooty's machine,
|
|
played another machine voice previously: Sparky the computer
|
|
(<a href="055.html">"Ceremonies of Light and Dark."</a>)
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@889474479 This episode was originally supposed to be three slots
|
|
later in the airing sequence, but was pulled back due to the spring
|
|
hiatus on TNT (see
|
|
<a href="#JS.nba">JMS Speaks.</a>)
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@909426451 TNT used the intended the airing sequence when the
|
|
episode was rebroadcast, putting it between
|
|
<a href="099.html">"Phoenix Rising"</a>
|
|
and
|
|
<a href="100.html">"The Ragged Edge,"</a>
|
|
but that causes a continuity problem: Londo and G'Kar are featured in
|
|
this episode, and neither of them is on the station between
|
|
<a href="099.html">"Phoenix Rising"</a>
|
|
and
|
|
<a href="100.html">"The Ragged Edge."</a>
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@889998781 Continuity glitch, possibly due to the aforementioned
|
|
schedule shuffling: at the end of
|
|
<a href="094.html">"Strange Relations,"</a>
|
|
Londo and G'Kar left for the Centauri homeworld, yet they were on
|
|
the station again in this episode. Not necessarily a glitch, since
|
|
they could have been to Centauri Prime and back again, but that
|
|
wasn't mentioned.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@896989466 Londo's comment, "If Vir can be emperor, an Earth cat
|
|
can be emperor," may be a reference to
|
|
<a href="022.html">"Chrysalis,"</a>
|
|
in which Londo and Vir confused cats and ducks.
|
|
|
|
</ul>
|
|
|
|
<h2><a name="JS">jms speaks</a></h2>
|
|
<ul>
|
|
|
|
<li>@@@879297730 <em>About the casting of Rebo and Zooty</em><br>
|
|
Their name came up in discussions, and they just seemed a
|
|
perfect match.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@890000626 Neil wrote for R&Z, and we looked around for
|
|
casting...it occured to someone -- may have been me, maybe casting, I
|
|
don't remember -- that it might be better to use a real comedy team
|
|
than create one. B5 called P&T, and they said yes.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@879357255 Do both characters have lines?
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
Yes and no.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@890333127 "Was it always part of the script for Zooty to speak
|
|
through a machine, or was that something added so that Teller won't
|
|
have to speak on camera?"
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
The latter.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@890000626 <em>Was the audience's laughter genuine or just
|
|
acting?</em><br>
|
|
Depending on which take was being shot...half and half.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@881861257 <em>Why was this episode shot after
|
|
<a href="099.html">"Phoenix Rising,"</a>
|
|
which was originally scheduled to air first?</em><br>
|
|
We shot it out of story-sequence to give us more time to prep
|
|
512, which was a big episode. So it'll actually be aired as 513.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@895440619 It was originally intended to be set after "Phoenix Rising."
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@889474479 <a name="JS.nba">We felt it wise to adjust the airing</a>
|
|
order so we could ramp up the following episodes prior to the NBA delay
|
|
without having any interruption in the tone of the episodes (i.e., 2
|
|
tense, 1 funny, 2 tense vs 1 funny and 4 tense in a row).
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@889474479 We suggested moving up DotD because the NBA playoffs
|
|
will hit after #12, and better to have 3-4 intense episodes in a row,
|
|
culminating in 12, than to break up the middle, which would've been okay
|
|
as a respite if there wasn't going to be a break, but since there is a
|
|
break now, I want to slam the last few before it hits for more impact.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@889815646 <em>How much do you have to get involved in outside
|
|
scripts?</em><br>
|
|
It varies, I get involved to different degrees with different
|
|
writers; with Neil, it was more "What do you want to write?" He
|
|
noodled around with some ideas, ran one past me that he liked, and I
|
|
liked it...he asked for a truckload of scripts for reference, picked
|
|
the characters he wanted to use, researched them, we talked on the
|
|
phone and via email a number of times as he refined his ideas further,
|
|
then wrote the script. I tucked and nipped a little here and there,
|
|
but pretty much left it alone.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@889815646 Neil kept the humor sort of off-base...operating on the
|
|
assumption that there are some things that become au courant or funny
|
|
because of context: Steve Martin's "excuuuuse me," for instance. Now,
|
|
it ain't funny, it's just annoying...at the time, EVERYbody was saying
|
|
it and laughing. R&Z are similar cultural phenomena...their "with a
|
|
machine" catchphrase, for instance, which the crowd new and reacted to.
|
|
To us, and Lochely, it didn't mean anything. Lochley's reaction was
|
|
tailored to be EXACTLY the same as most women's (and some guy's)
|
|
reaction to the Three Stooges: either it's funny, or you can't figure
|
|
out why people are laughing.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@890000626 <em>Why didn't you have Marcus visit Lennier?</em><br>
|
|
I didn't write it. It's Neil's script. The characters he chose are
|
|
the ones he wanted to play with.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
<li>@@@912190517 <em>How did Neil know what Kosh's message should
|
|
be?</em><br>
|
|
Actually, in that scene, Neil didn't write Kosh's message. He asked
|
|
what it would be, and I gave him that, knowing that I'd been looking
|
|
for a way to slip that in as early as season 4.
|
|
|
|
</ul>
|
|
|