The Audio Guide to Babylon 5
Summary: This is a book club without books, an episode-by-episode walkthrough of one of the most influential and important modern SF series. Each podcast begins with a spoiler-free discussion of the episode for new viewers, then we give listeners a jumping-off point and switch to a discussion of how the episode fits into the five-year history of the show.
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- Artist: Chip, Erika and Shannon
Podcasts:
Chicago Sun-Times technology columnist and renaissance geek Andy Ihnatko rejoins us as various stuff hits the fan. Shadow ships on Mars? Shadow ships on Ganymede? A desperate mission into the solar system? Things getting worse at Earthdome? Yeah. Stuff meets fan.
We read the comments. We know that many of you question the worth of “Exogenesis.” But perhaps there’s another perspective out there, perhaps shared by some of your co-hosts, revolving around the unlikely word, “pleasant.” Also, Chip makes the single stupidest title joke in the history of the podcast.
Bester’s back! Just in time for a thrilling police procedural…er, no. Because the telepathic drug plot is just the means to an end: a wholly unexpected and powerful confrontation between Londo and G’Kar. Is the episode really All That? With G’Kar screaming “All of it!” inside Londo’s mind, does it have to be?
In which Tiki Gods are real, not-Aragorn REALLY gets on Susan’s nerves, a PR consultant has extreme ideas about transparency and exposure, and an intercepted phone call brings the two major plot arcs of Babylon 5 crashing together. (Hey, do you like B5AG? Please leave us a review on iTunes!)
From the Long Island Who convention on, well, Long Island: here’s the audio of Chip and Erika’s panel, “The Whovian Guide to Babylon 5.” Mild spoilers for the series are ahead as a roomful of Doctor Who and B5 fans compare and contrast the two series and look back on a beloved moment in time … Continue reading Extra: “The Whovian Guide to Babylon 5” from Long Island Who →
This is possibly one of the best done-in-one episodes of B5: meaty, great sci-fi concept, cultural commentary, well directed and (mostly) acted, psychological drama, and a surprising amount of fodder for the spoiler section. And because someone dies horribly in it, that means it’s time for that cheery soul Jason Snell to join us again!
This is the trail mix of Babylon 5 episodes: a little chunk of plot here, a chewy nugget of insight here, a scattering of tasty character development, and an A-plot that doesn’t really hold everything together. Which is why it’s a trail mix and not an energy bar. And now Chip’s hungry.
THESE ARE CHAOTIC TIMES, CAPTAIN! This is NYPD BLUE in Space, listeners! And it turned out better than we expected–although we were all looking forward to watching the famous Elevator Scene again…
New season! New ship! New title sequence! New characters! Babylon 5 takes an assured step forward as Captain Sheridan and Delenn take the fight to the Shadows, while Morden’s malign influence spreads to the capitals of Centauri Prime and…Earth. How do we celebrate this momentous episode? With another stupid song parody. “White Star (A Babylon … Continue reading Episode 45: “Matters of Honor” →
The second season finale ends with a bang (alas, Centauri warship; alas, core shuttle) and a whimper (alas, kind of, Keffer). How does “The Fall of Night” do in wrapping up a season and whetting the appetite for season three? Let’s ask our returning Control Group!
The Audio Guide to Babylon 5 welcomes Lynne and Michael Damian Thomas of Uncanny Magazine and numerous SF podcasts to talk about “Comes the Inquisitor”! As you might expect, the five of us go on at great length about whether a Creepy Victorian Antagonist makes this too Star Trekky an episode, a pivotal elevator scene, the … Continue reading Episode 43: “Comes the Inquisitor” →
The Narn-Centauri war comes to a shocking end, Draal gets a makeover, and John Sheridan takes a shower. Pretty routine episode, if you ask me.
For a couple of years now, those of us who have seen the entire run of the series have waited for this moment: “What did Steven think of what happened to Talia Winters?” Sadly, Steven couldn’t join us for this one, but our intrepid moderator Erika reports on the Control Group’s reaction (heh, I just … Continue reading Episode 41: “Divided Loyalties” →
Jason Snell rejoins us, which means we have a better than 50-50 chance of this being a really depressing episode. Many Markab died to bring you this podcast. Plus, in the spoiler section, Chip uses the words “arc,” “crucible” and “stealth” in completely nonsensical order.
So perhaps you’d like to know what a good chunk of this TV series is all about. RELEASE THE FLOODGATES. (Apologies for a few audio glitches in Shannon’s track.)
