It can be easy to dismiss it due to the 90s TV budget and effects, and there’s a little awkwardness in the first season as the show figures itself out. But once you get into it, it’s just amazing.
Every episode changes something about the status quo and usually advances the ongoing plots, avoiding the reset button so many other shows at the time would have, while still making each episode a satisfying story that can stand on its own, unlike a lot of modern serialized shows. It deals with timeless themes and ideas that echo history, a lot of which feels more relevant today than when the show was new. The writing is complex and nuanced, the dialog is snappy, the humor is fantastic, and the storylines are compelling.
But more than anything, it’s the characters that make the show such a treat. There is a richness to the characters, a complexity that allows them to have layers and go through significant changes as their arcs progress, while still feeling natural and consistent. And all throughout you can’t help but like and root for them, even when they are doing something misguided or horrific. Hell, you will often see conflict between two characters and find yourself wanting to root for both, no matter who (if anyone) is right or wrong. And when one of those big character moments hits, be it a man realizing the price of his obsessions, or a kind hearted doormat spitting in the face of a mass murdering power broker, when everything comes together and those characters get their chance to shine… *Chef’s Kiss*
It’s also absurdly quotable. You’d be hard pressed to find an episode that doesn’t have a line that sticks in your memory, whether that’s because it’s profound, funny, or badass.
Babylon 5.
It can be easy to dismiss it due to the 90s TV budget and effects, and there’s a little awkwardness in the first season as the show figures itself out. But once you get into it, it’s just amazing.
Every episode changes something about the status quo and usually advances the ongoing plots, avoiding the reset button so many other shows at the time would have, while still making each episode a satisfying story that can stand on its own, unlike a lot of modern serialized shows. It deals with timeless themes and ideas that echo history, a lot of which feels more relevant today than when the show was new. The writing is complex and nuanced, the dialog is snappy, the humor is fantastic, and the storylines are compelling.
But more than anything, it’s the characters that make the show such a treat. There is a richness to the characters, a complexity that allows them to have layers and go through significant changes as their arcs progress, while still feeling natural and consistent. And all throughout you can’t help but like and root for them, even when they are doing something misguided or horrific. Hell, you will often see conflict between two characters and find yourself wanting to root for both, no matter who (if anyone) is right or wrong. And when one of those big character moments hits, be it a man realizing the price of his obsessions, or a kind hearted doormat spitting in the face of a mass murdering power broker, when everything comes together and those characters get their chance to shine… *Chef’s Kiss*
It’s also absurdly quotable. You’d be hard pressed to find an episode that doesn’t have a line that sticks in your memory, whether that’s because it’s profound, funny, or badass.
Zathras approves!
Best long form story ever.
It’s a plus for me. Something about the sets and effects being more ‘attainable’ makes them more interesting to me.